Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

96. Chapter 96

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

…..

96- Apex Predator

…..

Jormungandr was without a shadow of a doubt one of the biggest creatures in Existence. What he lacked in limbs was made up for by his large frame that even when lying down found no competition. If he was on the surface then his green colored scales would definitely be mistaken with the vegetation of an island.

If seen from a distance and the observers didn't mistake him for a whole country or just an extremely flat plain because of his serpentine body which had no defects. In fact one smart enough would find the straight strip of land odd and know they were standing somewhere they shouldn't.

World Serpent, the largest dragon ever recorded, was a fitting title to Jormungandr and nobody who teleported to the temporary pocket dimension inside his den could say otherwise for to do so would be a lie.

And a very, very, very bad one at that.

"Huge!" Ise couldn't help but shout once he turned around and saw the colossal creature behind him. Or better yet, just the face, a face so tall that could dwarf mountains.

"...That's what she said…"

"Seriously Bikou? Seriously?"

"Let me cope, Arthur!" The monkey retorted with a bit of panic. "Every single one of my instincts is telling me to break this circle and run as far away as I can."

"Don't do that. Wouldn't recommend it." Odin said before sipping his mead. "If the magic circle breaks before we get back then we will be split between dimensions. Not ripped apart, mind you, but we probably are all going to end on several corners of Earth."

Because the pocket dimension they resided in was still on Earth, the point of contact was between Fuyuki and Jormungandr's home. "If it's any consolation, we aren't really 'here'." Akeno reminded Sun Wukong's descendant. "Well, we are but it is complicated."

"We are safe, right?" Kuroka asked while shaking a little. Only her sister's presence gave her courage but the smaller nekomata also shaking from fear.

"Incredible…" Ravel felt the power on her flesh and nervously held herself back.
"Are you alright?" Kiba questioned his fellow Knight who nodded in thanks before pointing behind them.

"Better than them." Much like the nekomatas, Gasper also was having troubles controlling his fear. The Bishop was basically sweating buckets, his eyes clued on the giant dragon.

"Even if Jormungandr decides to attack, we are going to be safe." Rossweisse informed them while brushing off some sweat. Admittedly she too was nervous because of the World Serpent's presence. "Lord Odin's runes can also extract us immediately if something goes wrong."
"And can they go wrong?" Akeno chose to ask both for her amusement and because it was important to know.

"Probably not." Rias replied after calming herself. "Despite his size, Jormungandr is not known for being violent."
"Unless you are Thor." Vali pointed out with a chuckle.

Ise, seeing that his Rival was fine, managed to also calm himself. "Ddraig? Can we wake him up?"
[That is up to you guys.]

"Hmm?"
Arthur took pity on him and decided to explain. "The Welsh Dragon is correct. We are going to have to make some noise to get his attention."
Vali turned to the Aesir to ask, "Is leaving the barrier safe?"

They were standing on a transparent dome very similar to the one in Fuyuki with the addition that it was possible to see the inside where the magic circle served as a foothold stopping them from falling into its cave.

And they were inside a cave, there was no doubt. A huge cave with several crystals and rare stones the size of bowling balls. Just some of those would be worth a small fortune and Luvia's ears almost jumped from her head at the idea of leaving the circle and collecting some.

"Wait a bit. I will do something." Spinning Gungnir, the Old Man stabbed it on the circle and they all felt the barrier weaken.

A huge gust of wind almost sent everyone flying, Ise quickly grabbing Asia while Akeno used a chain to hold Gasper. Arthur barely managed to hold his footing only for him, Bikou, Koneko and Kuroka to be saved by Vali's sacred gear. His wings began shining brightly as he prepared to unleash his Balance Breaker.

Only for the wind to stop and a huge suction to take its place. "What the hell?!" Rias questioned in a panic as she pushed herself back and held Conductor Magic tightly. By that point only she was still in position, basically holding the spell on her own which was draining her reserves. "Odin-"
Before a complaint could be uttered, the Aesir resorted to his barrier. "Does that answer any more stupid questions?"

"What was that?" Questioned a frustrated Ise.

"Did he attack us?" Ravel asked next, her hands back on Kiba's sword to support her King.

An act most of the Gremory group mirrored, much to Rias' relief. "Are you insane, Odin? Another second and the spell would break."

"I had it handled." The One Eyed God assured with certainty. "None of you will die in my watch. Don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you understand the gravity of the situation."

"Is Ravel-chan right? Did he… attack us?" Gasper asked nervously. "That didn't feel like an attack."

"Because it wasn't one." Add said spoke after a chuckle. "Big fat snake doesn't even know we're here. It's sleeping like a baby."

"Then what was that?" Luvia asked impatiently. "And will it happen again if Lord Odin lowers his barrier?" She eyed the gems, not giving up.

Unfortunately for her, "It is happening right now." Vali pointed outside and they watched some of the cave's stone rolling around at an incredible speed. "That explains why this area is so leveled."

"Nyaa, Vali, did you figure out what is going on?" Questioned Kuroka after adjusting his feet.

"Jormungandr was breathing. Just breathing did all this." Rossweisse realized with horror. "He is so big that- that…"

"That the act of exhaling can call storms and inhaling can end them." Odin concluded the Valkyrie's thoughts. "I think anybody can see why this guy is imprisoned. Throwing him here was the best decision I ever made in my life."

All eyes locked on Odin for a moment before they turned around towards the giant dragon who still slept. "He is so colossal… that I can't see an end to his body…" Arthur commented after trying for a few seconds. "Maybe because it is too dark but-"

"No. I can't see it either." Rias admitted with wonder. "The Gigantic Dragon, World Serpent, Jormungandr. He deserves every single one of his Titles. He is literally so large that even if we stood on his head we would only see the horizon."

Silence fell in the cave as everybody did their best to try and see the dragon's end but much like the Heiress of Gremory they could only see a few kilometers because he was just too large.

"How are… we supposed to wake him up?" Asia asked and nobody knew how to answer her.

"If we wake him up, is he going to be mad?" Gasper shared his own concerns.

"Vali, don't even think about it." Kuroka warned his friend before embracing her sister who was working hard on the spell. "We aren't fighting that!"

The Vanishing Dragon raised his hands in mock surrender. "Far from me to attack someone who just woke up. If he wakes up. Albion?"

[I have a couple of ideas.]

[If we empower enough draconic energy even this guy is going to open an eye to see what is going on.] Ddraig shared what both him and his fellow Heavenly Dragon were thinking.

"You will have to do it inside the barrier and not break it up." Rossweisse reminded them. "I suggest a steady and slow build up-"

"Just use Balance Breaker and shoot some stuff at Jormungandr." Bikou suggested. "Even with his size, he is going to feel that."

"And piss the Gigantic Dragon off?" Akeno cut the idea before any Dragon Emperor agreed. "We are here to ask him questions so we better not get him in a mood where he can't answer them."

"Can you all move along?" Odin interrupted the deliberations. "This is a huge waste of time. Just try some stuff already so we can go back. If it works, works."

"We don't need to rush. Nor be harsh." Arthur quickly stated. "Let's give Ddraig's idea a go and start from there."

He and Akeno shared a look as she nodded slightly. That would give them a few minutes at best and both would have to work on the next idea to buy time.

Regardless, both understood the important thing wasn't really to wake the dragon but to make sure their friends didn't give up too soon. Even a few minutes were precious to get things moving back in Fuyuki. Despite not having a real timeline because it would depend on Loki's whims, they knew things were already in motion back in the city.

Rias, unaware of the conspiracy, could only agree with the idea. "Ise, Vali, can we count on you?"

"Yes, Buchou."

"Sure. Even if I am not going to fight him, Jormungandr sounds like an interesting guy." Vali grinned and began charging his power. "Hey, Valkyrie, can you make a rune so me and my Rival can go out? It will be best if we are in the cave. Less of a risk of breaking our ride home."

Plans ready, the first attempt started with bright lights of scarlet and azure.

Jormungandr wouldn't wake up until the ninth try where Ise would Boost his own lungs and let out a scream so loud part of the cave fell apart.

But until then they had eight attempts to go which was exactly what the conspirators wanted.

…..

Returning to the park was easier than expected since the whole group predicted Loki attacking and maybe kidnapping one of them. Medusa's warnings about eyes around Fuyuki didn't help matters and left everyone on edge, making the ride extremely uncomfortable.

The pickup truck they borrowed from one of Medusa's followers was already a tight fit with everybody opting to stay inside in case of an attack but the notion they were being constantly watched just made things worse because of paranoia.

It was almost a relief when they arrived at the park which surprisingly looked better than it was the previous day. "Did Rias get a crew to fix it?" Xenovia asked with a frown as she and the others stepped out of the car. "Weren't we supposed to keep this stuff quiet?"

Because they should already be seeing some damage despite standing outside the park yet the terrain had been, as the bluehead described it, fixed for the most part. Sure enough the doom and gloom typical of the area still persisted but the terrain itself had been put back together into its previous state.

Slamming the truck's door harshly Rin, who was the last one to exit, commented, "Doesn't this guy want to keep the status quo? Obviously he is going to clean after himself. Can't give any random person any reason to suspect something like the moonlit world exists." She began massaging her forehead, a sense of vertigo assaulting her senses since leaving Medusa's Temple. After shaking her head rapidly, she added, "Just shows you guys were right."

"Are you really doing this, Shirou?" Le Fay questioned.

"Even if he didn't, it's too late to turn back." Medusa reminded everyone. They all looked around, feeling how the eyes around them grew more intense despite being hidden.

Shirou could only conclude that, "He won't let us leave." A hand held his sleeve and he turned to a nervous Liz who was the first to draw her weapon. It offered no safety, not against a god. "We already agree this is the best way." Gently he took her hand and forced her to let go. "Trust me."

All Leysritt wanted to do was grab him by the neck and rush back to the temple but deep down she knew there was no stopping what was about to happen. Events were in motion the moment they left their fortress and any attempt of returning could be crushed by Loki who could attack at any moment.

"I sense no traps." Altria stood in front of everyone else and scanned the area. Clarent rested on her waist with a handle on its grip and another on its sheath, ready for anything. "Nor hostility of any sort. If anything, this place is more welcoming than it was yesterday."

"Does this mean he is underestimating us?" Xenovia made an effort to not be offended.

"Means he is confident." Medusa concluded and nobody disagreed. "I hope you are ready, Shirou."

"Look at that, you used my name."

"I did." The goddess acknowledged, her worries hidden. "Why? You don't like it? I can call you the Greatest Fool again. It certainly fits the occasion."

"Just found odd." The redhead replied with a chuckle before his expression turned serious. "Jokes aside, thanks for doing this. All of you."

"For the record, I still think this is a terrible idea." Rin was quick to say as the fog assaulting her mind vanished and her mood turned sour. "Challenging a god is never a good idea."

Several eyes shifted to her with concern and confusion, Medusa's suspicion growing but with it the understanding she could do little about it any time soon. Regardless, her words had an effect; Le Fay's eye grew colder as Xenovia held her 'cross' firmly while Liz's grip grew even tighter.

"Not like we can turn around now. It is either sink or swim." Shirou pointed out with a distant glance towards the park. He could see a small light in the middle of it and was quick to point that out. "He is already waiting anyway and it would be rude to leave a god waiting."

"Then let's get this over with." Altria advanced first and the others were quick to follow. Soon enough they fell into a sort of formation with Shirou on the front, Liz and Xenovia on the sides, Le Fay in the back and Medusa in the center.

Everyone could feel a sort of chill in the air while approaching the center but that was from the park's atmosphere rather than Loki's action. He was just floating there with his legs crossed in lotus position and several magic circles floating all around him.

The god pretended not to notice them but nobody said anything until they were at least five meters of distance from the Aesir who began shifting the magic circles with his left hand as his right scratched his chin.

"What an interesting place. This park… is somehow deeply connected to the ley line feeding the town. Almost like a scar marrying a beautiful tree." Loki spoke with an equal measure of respect and curiosity. "Such a majestic tree, growing more beautiful everyday. Outshining even diamonds and gems merchants protect with zeal. Both valuable but one ever more expensive."

"Are you into poetry, Loki?" Medusa questioned while taking point.

The Aesir turned around, his amusement evident. "Whenever I feel whimsical. And aren't you feeling brave all of sudden?" He saw the company the goddess kept and his smile grew wider. "There is a line between boldness and stupidity… I think you all crossed it."

"We came here to settle everything before there is any real escalation." Was the younger deity's calm reply as she raised a hand and Altria took her hand off Clarent.
"Oh, really?" His surprise sounded fake but was on purpose. The Trickster knew they had no chance and judged them to not be suicidal. "What reason would you have to leave the safety of your walls?"

Medusa frowned before releasing a sigh. "Walls you would besiege sooner or later."

"I admit I planned to attack once I had the means of victory." Loki shrugged as his feet touched the ground. "But it would still take a couple of days. Not that I am complaining over your surrender-"

"I am not surrendering." With a swift motion of her hand, Le Fay pulled a piece of parchment from her hat and offered it to Medusa. "But I cannot have you harming my followers or risking their city and so I came here with a proposal. A Challenge of Champions!"

The wind suddenly gained life with her words, picking up the pace and blowing around hard enough that her hair danced much like everybody's cloaks. It was an acknowledgement of the World, a genuine proposal from a deity to another. An ancient rite had been invoked and every cricket, if there was one in the park, fell quiet to hear Loki's answer.

"A Challenge of Champions? Afraid of facing me?" Loki questioned but knew that wasn't the case. "Or insane to think that your Champion has any chance of winning?"

"Why are you complaining? Isn't that ideal for you?" Medusa threw the parchment at the Aesir who stopped it in the air with his mind alone. "All the details are in there."

Taking the thing in his hands, Loki broke the seal of a snake and began reading it. "Hmm, using your blood and magic from your temple to impose its power. Truly not something neither of us can break."

Medusa nodded in agreement. "Blood magic is something I am… attuned to. Not part of my Authority but I am very skilled in its application."

"Can't disagree. You did an excellent job but I also feel another kind of magic tying it together… A magic that makes this deal extremely binding to you." His eyes shifted to Le Fay but the witch just glared back making him chuckle. "I detect nothing really harmful so lets see…" Finally he began paying attention to the actual contents of the Geass. "Very basic: Champions fight and the winner's god gains the right to demand anything."

"Within reason. The details are in the contract." Most of them were precautions about different forms of submission or slavery, limiting the prize to one thing and one thing only. "You wanted a way to Asgard to stay out of the Three Factions' affair, didn't you? Win the challenge and I will make sure that Heaven, the Underworld and the Grigori will never align with Asgard without your say so."

Loki watched her, his amusement growing. "I can get the same thing by just killing you all."

Immediately Altria, Liz, Rin and Xenovia raised their guard and prepared their weapons, or gems in the magus' case. "But this way, you avoid an international incident." Medusa remained unmoved and unbothered by the threat. "With that Asgard won't lose its standing and you won't have to worry about angels and devils starting Ragnarok without your input. We can make this change permanent even, so long as I have a voice, and it is your desire, I shall vote to keep Asgard isolated for Eternity."

"Tempting, tempting." The Aesir's eyes returned to the contract. "You want me to make a Mirror Dimension for the challenge?"

"Are you seeing another god powerful enough for that spell?" The purple haired goddess questioned with a forceful smile. "At the present you are the most powerful deity in Fuyuki. Certainly powerful enough to use that spell."

"Hehe. Don't let the old man hear that. By the way, where is he?" Loki made a show of looking around. "And the devils? Don't they approve of the challenge?"

Medusa's eyes glowed and she affirmed. "I am here on my station as Fuyuki's Patron Deity. They questioned my methods so I locked them up in my temple." Her glare grew more intense. "This is my gauntlet. My solution. Accept or reject the Challenge but know that I came here in good faith."

"So you say." Loki's eyes returned to the contract. He couldn't help but feel there was some sort of catch but the 'letter of the law' was absolute and there were no loopholes as far as he could see. "Truly sounds like a fair challenge with minimal risks." Except there were always loopholes. Regardless he was sure everything was in his favor. "And I shall have a request granted from you no matter what so long I don't try to enslave, kill or steal part of your power."

"Per the contract." Medusa assured confidently. "All the terms are clear and both of us will have to abide by its ruling."

Loki remained suspicious. "Apologies but I find it odd that you are proposing something like this since my odds of victory are pretty much absolute. We both know who I shall choose as my Champion."

"And you already know mine." Shirou took a step forward.

The Aesir chuckled with mirth. "Don't you have a problem with your goddess throwing you to the wolves, Mage of Swords?"

"I shall do my best." Emiya replied with a calm but resolute gaze that raised Loki's suspicion.

It was undeniable that as far as gods went the Trickster of the Aesir was one of the most cunning with a cold intelligence that only failed to keep him out of troubles because of his passions or humor.

So he suspected some sort of trick, it was his Domain after all. Yet being aware of it didn't just give him Divine knowledge. The very nature of tricks was that they tended to be hidden until the last moment. Either that or it was always on everybody's face and only visible with hindsight.

Regardless, Loki doubted anything they had prepared could defeat his son. "Says here that surrender is always an option by either vocalizing it or leaving the arena, in this case my Mirror Dimension."

Shirou raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Huhuhu. Just telling you how to escape in case you are about to die. Maybe I will be merciful and save you."

"How benevolent." Xenovia couldn't help but whisper sarcastically.

Which only made Loki grin before he signed the contract. "You think a copy's signature is going to be enough?" Medusa challenged.

A frown grew on the Aesir's face before his eyes grew wide and his hand began moving involuntarily. And it was involuntary because they all could see the Trickster arm shake as he tried to fight back an impulse he couldn't control.

For that was evidently a command of his origin, an absolute order.

With that the copy's chopped off his own head much to everyone's horror. His body broke apparent in motes of mana just as another one took his place.

"As you can see the signature didn't vanish." Loki showed the document as proof and all could see his name written in old norse runes. "For I am Loki."

"You all are Loki." Le Fay confirmed what everyone else already had realized. Somehow the Aesir had connected his essence with each and every one of his copies making them part of himself. "It is valid."

"Yes, it is." Medusa couldn't help but admit with a frown. Her acknowledgement made the contract fully active and she felt the Geass connect with her Core. "Very well! The Challenge of Champions has been accepted and the combat has been joined. Let the die be cast!"

"Huh. Let the die be cast." Loki's attention shifted to Shirou. "I recommend you surrender now and spare yourself from death. You are no match for my son."

"We will see. Won't we?" Shirou retorted in challenge, earning himself a glare.

"Arrogant human. Dismissing the mercy of a god. Very well, I shall still endeavour to save you… if you beg. Consider this a courtesy to Medusa who was brave enough to face me with this challenge."

'That is a lie.' Le Fay barely managed to keep her mouth shut but a meaningful glance from her sister told her she wasn't the only one who caught it.

Question was: what exactly was the lie? Was the whole sentence or just a specific part?

Nobody but Loki could know and he certainly wouldn't answer. In fact he said nothing else before turning around and raising his arms high with two unusual magic circles. Those were almost transparent in composition, just short of invisible, and showed no signs of the god's usual magic.

Yet everybody saw them produce a great quantity of energy that began to take the shape of a dome or a giant barrier. A boundary field that took too much energy to use to be practical, the gods' attempt of imitating a Reality Marble and becoming complete. A spell which permitted them to shape a reflection of the world.

"Big." Liz couldn't help but notice once Loki's boundary field took over half of the park.

However it wouldn't stay visible for long since, once its construction was done, the bright barrier disappeared leaving only a couple distortions in the air which were invisible to the naked eye.

For the majority, at least.

"Sorry for the light show but I doubt you wanted to wait for me to build the battlefield in a subtler way." Loki joked as he noticed something he found interesting. Rin was shivering in fear. "Oh dear, have you-"

"Get moving, Loki. How do I go inside?" Shirou interrupted the god, placing himself between him and the twin tailed magus with Medusa and Altria doing the same.

If anything that just amused the Aesir more. "Just walk in. I already adjusted it for you." In the end he judged the black haired magus unimportant, focusing on the Mage who still looked too confident for his tastes. "Say goodbye girls. He probably isn't coming back~"

"Shiro, you better remember I want steak tomorrow." Xenovia declared, confident in his victory.

"That sounds delightful." Medusa couldn't help but lick her lips.

"Get in line. He still owes me a feast." Altria said just as confidently before approaching the redhead. "My sister's spells are holding but how is your body not falling apart? Her healing isn't that good."

He chuckled at her curiosity. "A magician-"

"Right, right." The Mage wasn't telling anything else, not risking invoking her wrath in that precarious moment. Certainly not when she wasn't ready to accept who she really was.

She certainly wasn't when they fought for Caliburn.

But her presence was fundamental for his plans since only Avalon had a healing strong enough to keep his body together otherwise the Holy Grail would have already cooked him alive in the best of hypotheses.

Even if Altira wasn't in the Mirror Dimension with him, the healing would still work so long as she was in the vicinity. 'After all, I am technically not leaving the park.' Back in the temple they tested the same with his Reality Marble so it was a safe assumption. "See you all soon."

Confident but cautious, the Mage of Swords ventured inside the Aesir's battlefield.

All the while the god watched with suspicion.

"There he went." Rin couldn't help but say.

"What pathetic goodbyes you all gave. Not a single kiss, no declarations of love. Tragic." Loki joked to disguise his doubts while a gateway opened behind him. Pleasure coursed through his body once he saw how nervous the women grew at his son's presence. "Don't worry. Fenrir will just play a bit. Maybe rip apart a limb or two. It is not like we have anything against the Mage of Swords, after all."

Le Fay hid her face with her hat because she couldn't help but smile. 'The plan is going smoothly. Question is, when the fight starts for real, can you defeat Loki, Emiya Shirou?'

…

He didn't blink when arriving inside the boundary field, his senses as sharp and Married Blades ready for anything, expecting a trick of some sort. Soon the Mage found himself looking at another version of Fuyuki's Central park before looking behind him and seeing nothing but dead trees.

It was the exact same ruin in many senses, including the Moon and barely visible stars, and the atmosphere didn't feel any lighter than the real one which was good. 'Let's see.' Shirou closed his eyes and pulled his Ki back into his body. Once exposed, he felt a familiar pressure in his heart. "So you all are here too, huh. Looks like if I die today, I will die among family. How oddly comforting." His eyes suddenly shifted as his Ki returned. 'No, I can't think like that. There are people waiting for me. I have to win.'

Avalon was still working, his reserves were brimming with mana thanks to the Holy Grail and Bellerophon was ready for his call. Every single one of his preparations was ready and all it took was him executing his plans. Easier said than done as he knew the sort of insanity he had cooked up could only be called that, insane.

Yet that was the path he chose to tread. "Now…" His eyes shifted in the distance, the city of Fuyuki proper. 'According to Rin, nobody else is going to be in Fuyuki but the town is going to act as if it was suddenly abandoned. That means lights are on but nobody is going to be home.' All the better for him who won't need to waste energy focusing on his eyes for vision. 'And there is the best place for an ambush. Thanks for being overconfident, Loki. I am going to use the time you gave me wisely.'

A sudden burst of speed later after dismissing his swords and the redhead crossed through the whole park and inside the city proper. The streets were filled with cars and like he suspected there was a fake form of electricity. He judged it fake by going inside a random building and trying to turn off the lights only for nothing to happen.

'We can't change anything here, not really.' Medusa had already told him as much even if Rin assured him the environment wasn't indestructible. As a test he quickly Traced a knife and broke the lights which darkened the apartment. 'It still acts like the real world.' Grabbing a piece of glass, he used Structural Grasping. It turned to dust in his fingers a second later. 'The composition is the same but is missing some parts. There aren't any gaps but mana is filling them almost as if someone overloaded the world with Reinforcement.'

Which meant he couldn't use his main spell on those objects but that didn't make a single of them frail or weak. Rin explained how some of a 'car' could take as much damage as a car would and the same could be said about everything else.

Jumping off the apartment, he hopped from window to window until reaching the rooftop and took a good look at the city. 'That is Fuyuki alright.' Shirou had seen the view many times before and couldn't help but love the sight each time. Yet something felt off in that particular stance. "Nothing is moving, huh. A ghost town."

His musings were interrupted when he felt the air itself shake as a huge shadow emerged from the park. Despite running several kilometers away from it, the Mage of Swords could easily see the Wolf of Ragnarok emerging from nowhere. Not really nowhere but from outside as the Mage could see the ripples in the air from his entrance.

A weight settled in his stomach and Shirou prepared himself. 'You know, I thought this was going to be the easy part.' A howl crossed the night. One so loud that made his bones shake. 'But now I just remember that I am dealing with a God Slayer…'

Without waiting for any sort of signal the giant wolf jumped and grew even bigger before his form crashed in the middle of the town taking down the four tallest buildings Fuyuki had to offer, including a replica of the Gremory's hotel.

Fortunately Shirou wasn't there and was already running deeper into the town, crossing the streets at high speeds while keeping his presence hidden and avoiding using too much magic. His magic circuits meant he could scrap by with minimal use of Reinforcement and remain undetected, just as planned thanks to a couple of spells from a certain witch.

It didn't take long for the wolf to stop demolishing the town's center and lift his head, nose twitching. Just as quickly he let out a snarl of frustration as his senses failed to detect his prey immediately.

'Think I was going to make things easier for you?' Shirou questioned with a chuckle while dashing around an alley and making sure there was always a building between him and Fenrir. 'Last fight you caught us off guard but I watched you steamroll almost everybody. And thanks to that I picked up a few of your tricks.'

From their previous fight the Mage knew that fighting the Wolf of Ragnarok directly was beyond foolish. Even with hundreds of Married Blades supporting his power there was no way to outmuscle a creature destined to topple a Pantheon and eat the Moon. Maybe with hundreds of millions of swords he had a chance but that wasn't how he planned to win.

'Fight smarter, not harder.' Shirou thought with a chuckle listening to Fenrir toppling down a skyscraper in frustration. 'Don't know what Loki told you but I don't need to anyway. Plan still the same and for that… I need to get closer.'

Thanks to Rin and Le Fay the Mage of Swords was confident he was virtually undetectable. The former had woven several spells on his person to eliminate smells while the latter helped hide his mana and power until he started using in great quantities. Mostly she made sure all stayed beneath his skin.

It was how he managed to walk around the temple until night and nobody questioned the huge boost of power he gained from the Holy Grail besides also stabilizing the huge influx of power so he wasn't immediately cooked alive once too far apart from Altria.

Nevertheless his nerves still felt like they were constantly on fire but that wasn't going to stop him from fighting or running. Which was what he did, he ran for his life and for a better position to deal with the wolf who turned around to search for him in another area of the town.

Almost as if guided by someone.

The important thing was that while Fenrir turned his paws ripped apart the street, enough so to send another building toppling down. 'Not a giant lizard but still very movie-like!' Shirou thought while speeding up just enough to escape the rubble, throwing himself into a window.

While rolling inside an empty office, the redhead began looking for the stairs as the wolf started moving towards the replica of Medusa's Temple in a clear demonstration of intelligence since that would be an obvious place for the goddess' Champion to hide.

Too obvious but it wasn't like Shirou was going to complain, instead choosing to focus on racing towards the top of the building while Fenrir made long strides towards the other side of Fuyuki.

Despite the Wolf of Ragnarok's enormous size he was still too far for the redhead. 'Not yet, Bellerophon.' Enough for the pegasus to know he needed help. 'We can't let him catch us. A single hit and we are done.'

Avalon could heal almost everything but staying in the fight wasn't the problem. The problem was reaching Fenrir without getting caught. It was the only way he could defeat the Legendary Wolf. At least the only way he could defeat such a creature without falling into a war of attrition which would mean certain death.

With all that in mind the redhead took several steps back for a running start before dashing at full speed. At least his full speed when using just Reinforcement and Ki but it was enough to jump from a building to the next. After a roll he kept accelerating, using the extra space for small dashes and jumps while extending his stride.

Another jump and he was already approaching Fenrir because the wolf wasn't in any rush and was taking his time to demolish a few of Fuyuki's buildings in his search. The latter fact meant that soon enough Shirou ran out of buildings to jump to and was forced to control his fall.

In total the jump from a twenty floors high building managed to take him pretty far even if the landing was painful. Rolling at that height was worthless in any scenario without magic because the concrete below felt real enough to break every bone of his body, some which did.

However Avalon kept him running, quite literally since it fixed his tendons. 'Almost there. Just keep looking the other way.' Unfortunately it seemed his luck ran out when Fenrir suddenly turned. His yellow eyes locked on the redhead who could only curse. "Shit!"

Another howl filled the Mirror Dimension, one so loud that it forced Shirou to stop and cover his ears. Which wasn't enough, his eardrums were ripped apart much like every window in the fake Fuyuki. It was then that his healing turned against him for the next few seconds since the howl continued shattering his eardrums which kept regenerating.

'This pain…' Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Shirou let go of his head and charged towards the Wolf of Ragnarok. '... Is nothing!'

Finally Fenrir stopped howling to greet his familiar opponent, getting stunned by the sight of the redhead actually charging at him without the pegasus' power or any real protection whatsoever.

Nevertheless that sort of action wasn't enough to stop Loki's son who gladly raised his claws to tear the Mage apart. The blow was powerful and fast but since he was caught there was no reason for the redhead to hesitate so with a thought the Married Twins presented themselves in his hands.

"Bellerophon!" It was a partial release based on his old way of using the pegasus' power. An aura of black and white surrounded Shirou's body who suddenly grew faster than the wind, another sword falling on the ground.

One which he used for a boost, making the rest of the distance towards Fenrir's neck while evading his mouth. He also avoided using his swords, both disappearing from his grip which allowed him to grab the black fur with his bare hands.

An action which didn't amuse the Wolf of Ragnarok who quickly began to thrash around. "Whoa!" Despite the force, Shirou managed to hold on with all his strength but he knew it was only a matter of time before he was thrown off the wolf. "Calm down. Calm down. I just need toooooooooooo-"

Fenrir ignored his words and jumped so high the Mage was afraid they would leave the planet. In that case his body would fall apart so much that he doubted even Avalon would be able to fix the damage. He wouldn't get to find that out because the wolf began falling and crashing against a couple of buildings.

The attack, if it could be called that, didn't work because the God Slayer's own bulk protected the redhead who held the fur with all his might. Another effect from the crash was the kicking up dust which somewhat annoyed the wolf, distracting him for a second.

Enough for the magus to let go with his left hand. 'Where is it? Where is it?' Fenrir didn't know what he was doing and had no intention of letting his prey do what he wanted. Or anything at all as he rushed towards a building and crashed on it back first. 'Gah-'

Shirou vomited blood as he felt several of his bones break. The sudden stop also made him dizzy. His saving grace had been the dozens of swords that suddenly appeared on his back thanks to the Holy Grail. That maneuver managed to save his life and stop him from turning into paste.

'I can't risk another one of those.' His focus returned, the Mage dismissed his swords and crawled closer to the wolf's neck. 'My ears didn't trick me. In that fight, Fenrir is also acting strangely… Like if he is fighting something… And they have to be here!'

Because there was one aspect of Fenrir's Legend that wasn't clicking.

Rossweisse confirmed it and in their previous encounter Shirou had heard them, the bindings that should contain the Wolf of Ragnarok until the time Fate deemed otherwise.

Despite not being able to see them at any point, the Mage of Swords knew they had to exist, several of the wolf's actions made no sense if he was truly free to do as he wished either in combat or in general.

Which was why Shirou couldn't help but grin once his hand felt the distinct cold of metal. "Finally." Getting to his feet and Reinforcing his body to its limit, he pulled with all his strength, freezing Fenrir. "Sorry about this but don't worry, I will make it quick!"

Mana flowed from his fingers and the invisible shackles around the Wolf of Ragnarok revealed their true form. The chains that once looked him up on Asgard, later a cave without light and were never broken.

Those chains were the stuff of Legends themselves; a movable and immovable prison made by dwarves specially for Fenrir. Mobile because so long one could control the chains and was careful then they could take the wolf anywhere. Imobile because once he was tied all the Legend's power was useless against it.

Shirou could clearly understand why once his magic analyzed the chains, the magic on them not fighting but eagerly delivering the information to his brain after a minimal use of Structural Grasping.

Calling them masterpieces would be appropriate because the chains were made to be almost indestructible while having the ability to grow and shrink with Fenrir. It would gain more links, expand their size or do the reverse on the drop of a hat by reading the wolf's intent and magic.

Their properties also contained some sort of old magic capable of resisting the God Slayer attribute, something Shirou didn't know was possible until that moment. Proof that the dwarves of the North had skills on par with smith gods. Even if they were Fated to break because of Ragnarok, it was almost impossible for them to break a second before it.

Almost didn't mean impossible and the Mage of Swords was going to prove it.

For even if Fenrir couldn't break free of his prison, Shirou was confident there was a way. "Calm down." For the first time it seemed the wolf was listening, his back relaxing which allowed the redhead to stand up and pull the chains. "It will be over-"

As expected something began pushing back, a magic frequency opposite to his tried to expel his influence from the chain making it shine more which revealed the extent of the Wolf of Ragnarok's prison.

It wasn't just the neck, that was just where there was more metal because his whole body was wrapped around in chains that crossed over his torso, wrapped around his legs and some of them even made it difficult to move his muzzle.

Shirou was honestly impressed with how the chains had been hidden by a combination of spells and fur. But what really impressed him was that Fenrir was still a terror despite his body being effectively tied up. Or perhaps that was exactly why he was a terror because there was little the wolf couldn't even with someone pulling his leash.

That ended when the Mage of Swords ignored the power trying to go against him and focused all his efforts into finding the chain's weak link. Usually the deed would be extremely difficult; that chain was Legendary, almost Noble Phantasms, and not a sword that he could quickly understand.

Not a problem when the Holy Grail was on his body and his magic could actualize many times faster than normal. "There!" Finally he found the weak link, an existence also crystalized in Legend. After all those 'indestructible' chains were Fated to break. "Trace on!"

Shirou roared and unleashed an absurd quantity of mana, much more than his body usually could handle on his best day. Enough to push through the opposing force fighting him and crack the chain's weak link, outright destroying it in an instant.

When it happened it was as if a switch flipped in the wolf's head and he jumped as far away from that location as possible, more precisely he began escaping the chains that had locked him up for most of his life.

In his leap Fenrir had also successfully thrown Shirou from his back but the magus had no need to stay there any longer. 'First step; success!' He celebrated in his mind while watching his opponent running away. With good reason as his eyes caught the chain somehow gaining life and flying towards its prisoner. "Oh no you won't!"

Several swords appeared around the Mage before gravity sent them flying towards the chains. Yet they were too slow and the angle was absolutely awful so there was no way simple weapons could protect the wolf. Fortunately the redhead had both hands free and didn't hesitate to Trace and throw around two huge claymores on the chain's path.

Fenrir turned around, his once terrifying eyes fearful as he felt the dwarves' creation approaching before a new emotion took over his being. Hope, for he watched his prey's swords intercept the tips of the chains before another dozen swords fell around them, pínning his prison down.

Yet Shirou wasn't done as he created another great sword beneath his feet and jumped towards the Wolf of Ragnarok, Kanshou and Bakuya on his hands. With a slide he stood in front of the giant creature who found himself surprised once again when the redhead offered his back to bash the chains away with the Noble Phantasms.

"GO!" Shouted the Mage while his arms moved to slash the chains while more Married Blades appeared between it and Fenrir. "Get out of here! Now!" Turning around, the redhead offered the Legendary Wolf a fierce smile. "And try not to hurt anyone. Please."

Stupefied by the man's actions, the Wolf of Ragnarok and Bane of Odin couldn't help himself but nod before turning around. He rushed towards the park faster than he ever had in his life, freedom just one huge leap away. Claws brimmed with God Slayer power before he slammed them in the air.

Despite its power and the necessity of a god to create it, Mirror Dimension was a spell with limitations. It was something predicted on the contract for Medusa's challenge, a way of surrender via breaking through and escaping the area. Which was exactly what Fenrir was doing, overpowering his father's creation to finally break free.

The sky cracked and fell apart like a piece of glass revealing the real night behind it. True freedom at last was in the wolf's reach and he didn't look back, jumpinging out before Loki could do anything.

Soon the heavens closed again, the cracks vanishing and even if both nights were identical Shirou could see how the fake stars were far less bright, almost dim when he forced his vision with Reinforcement.

Nevertheless his attention turned to Fenrir's chains as they fell on the ground lifelessly. "How long are you going to keep hiding in the shadows?" He lowered his arms but not his guard. Upon hearing no answer, the magus chuckled. "Or are you planning to send another copy? Quite cowardly of you, Loki!"

Silence fell around the fake city before he started hearing the sound of boots echoing in the night, growing louder as the other inhabitant in the Mirror Dimension, its creator, began approaching from nowhere.

Then he watched as a silver haired man like many others he saw the day before emerge from the shadows of a building. His copies were truly perfect mirrors of their creator save for some important details. The original Trickster was far more Divinite than any copy, his aura obvious many times stronger.

Easily a match for Odin.

He was also dressed differently; his silver robes were covered by a light silver armor with black highlights. While the metal looked thin it was incredibly powerful even if it didn't offer its owner complete protection. His face was exposed for he used no helmet but a circlet with a 'diamond' on his forehead, matching his shoulder armor which exposed his biceps.

Same with his knees as the boots he wore didn't go that far, however his collar, footwear and fingerless gauntlets had a white fur lining to ward off the cold. It was made of the same material as his elegant cloak which looked like it was fashioned from a polar bear's fur. The armor looked both practical and ceremonial, a piece of art that could still stop a sword.

Carved on the chest plate there was the drawing of a wolf on his left side and a snake on the right, both made in an old fashioned way. The same way the vikings had drawn Ragnarok and other parts of their culture in stone times past.

And his eyes, those sapphire colored eyes that could match a glacier, were filled with unbridled rage. "Mortal, you just committed the worst mistake of your life!"

"Loki, a pleasure to finally make you acquainted." Shirou offered the deity a mocking bow as he stopped his walk where the chains had dropped. There was ten meters between them and both sides already knew neither had trouble attacking from that distance. "Didn't you appreciate our little trick?"

"That Geas, and your goddess, it was all a set up to free Fenrir?"

"Got that right in one. Everybody knew if there was a contest between Champions, you would name your son every single time." Shirou chuckled again even as he felt cold sweat drop from his forehead. Loki's presence was far more massive than his copies', easily surpassing the Gorgon's back in the cave even if far less intimidating. "However what really gave me that idea was just how angry Fenrir was with everything. How he, from time to time, looked like someone was pulling him around." Pointing Kanshou at the god, he added, "You forced your son to fight every single time by hiding in his shadow. Couldn't think of a safer place for you to be."

Loki hummed, calming down and studying the person before him like one would a worm. "Indeed. I suppose you figured out I was in his shadow because nobody found me in the previous battle?"

"You needed to be somewhere you could keep sending copies and Le Fay had taken over your boundary field. Since she couldn't find you, you needed to be somewhere she couldn't reach." It also helped that Shirou once faced someone with a sacred gear who could manipulate shadows and even move with them.

Sacred gears were God's creations but He usually drew inspiration from several places when designing their powers. Mostly from devils as ways to counter them or His own followers' deeds. However it wouldn't be odd if He tried to imitate, or facilitate, the use of magic to protect Humanity.

"Tch. That witch. I should have known." The pieces were falling together in Loki's mind leading him to deduce, "The loophole in the contract was on purpose, wasn't it? It didn't speak about a limited number of Champions, just anyone who could get inside my Mirror Dimension could be one… No, you all knew I would come inside from the very start."

"The Mirror Dimension needs its creator to stay standing, after all." Same with his Reality Marble. Shirou couldn't just create it and walk away and not just because it was his soul. "You thought that we couldn't figure out its properties because Medusa is young? That was a mistake! We have someone who dealt with a Mirror Dimension in the past and Medusa herself is one of the best boundary field users I ever met. That allowed me to corner you, Loki!" Mana enveloped the Mage of Swords, Bellerophon ready for when the fight began. "You have two choices, surrender or fight me. Which will be?"

Best case scenario Loki would admit defeat and leave after granting Medusa something akin to a promise to not harm her followers or even prevent him from ever getting between her and any future negotiations with Asgard, maybe even forbid him from trying to recover Fenrir.

Yet Shirou knew that wasn't going to happen, that the Trickster wasn't going to just accept things lying down.

In fact he was counting on it.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The god threw his head back and laughed maniacally. 'Fair enough.' Shirou supposed since he was the one insane enough to pick a fight with a god.

"First, I am going to rip off your ribs," Loki began as his magic began pouring in waves making the chain react again, "won't be fast either. I will take my time and pry them off your chest one by one." Fenrir's shackles rose from the ground and wrapped themselves around the god's waist like a snake while shrinking down. "Then, just because I am nice, I am going to give them back," soon the hundreds of links formed a belt before both tips started sliding around the deity's arms, "but I will turn them around so every time you breath, every time your heart beats, you shall remember your naivety…"

Soon his arms were wrapped in chains.

"... Your foolishness…"
Chains which pulsed with his magic, their color changing from steel to silver.

"... And the arrogance that led you to believe a human could ever challenge me. A god!" Loki opened his arms in an inviting fashion. "I am Loki of the Aesir, the Greatest Trickster and I name myself as my Champion!" The dimension quaked in approval. "When I am done with you, they will write a whole new song about the 'Fool Who Challenged a God'."

Shirou was about to retort, to say something witty to gauge the Aesier's reactions in search of an opening, a surprise strike ready in his mind. Yet the silver haired deity struck first and suddenly the air left his lungs when something hit him hard enough to shatter his armor and push him several meters back.

'What the-' Bakuya moved quickly to intercept a bullet made of air. Then another and another as Loki's hand was turned in his direction, unleashing the almost invisible attack. 'Right, he is a god. Obviously he doesn't need a magic circle!'

The Mage of Swords started running to the right and so the Trickster raised his hand properly to start unleashing waves of wind in his direction. With the new but still lazy posture, the attacks grew in intensity, enough to rip the very earth apart while traveling towards the magus.

Shirou dove to the side allowing the first attack to hit a car behind, crushing it. "Fly Beyond the Heavens! Bellerophon!" His pegasus was already prepared and so he exploded with the energy of his Ascension, revealing his armored form. "Let 's go!"

"Fool. That won't be enough." Wind became visible and took the shape of a cannonball which Loki unleashed towards the redhead. But the magus was already prepared and easily avoided the spell that finished destroying the car and opened a hole the size of a house on the building behind it. "Naive human!"

However the god's other hand came up with a wave of energy straight towards the Mage forcing the latter to fly higher. Nevertheless that movement was predicted by the deity since wherever the wave passed by it dragged pieces of rubble which instantly combined into a tower and stabbed the armored magus.

But it was just stone, the black and white armor shrugging it off before Shirou roared. "Last Stardust!" He accelerated, becoming a blur even to Loki's eyes.

"I already saw that trick." Shifting his footing, the Aesir jumped backwards and avoided an impossible fast swipe just in the nick of time. The slash had been so strong that it cut where the god was standing without the blade touching the ground. "You cannot-"

Shirou had already vanished before the first word, his body repositioning behind the god by the second, both his huge wings positioned to stab his enemy's back while the swords in his hands aimed for the heart.

Yet the earth moved, a strong silver color around it, stopping a strike empowered by Bellerophon's Divinity. "-defeat a god!"

From behind his barrier Loki released a blast of mana pushed Shirou backwards and destroyed the wings he had used as a shield. Faster than he had ever done before the Mage rebuilt his wings while the Trickster slowly, from his perspective, turned around. The deity's aura completely covered his body, growing stronger by the second.

Then the god raised both hands, creating a magic circle with one while the other let out a beam of light. Emiya ducked the latter with ease since the angle of the attack was far more upwards than it would have been recommended. The problem came when the magic circle unleashed a wave of Ice that froze his feet.

"Try this for size." Loki spoke and Shirou heard something behind him. "Have you ever had a building fall on your head?" Because that was exactly what was going to happen. Part of the apartment had been cut off with the laser and was slowly falling on the redhead.

Not a problem because it was slow for him in Last Stardust however he found himself in a predicament. "My legs!" Ice made by a god wasn't something simple to break and he had to stab himself free just as the building was covered with his opponent's magic making it fall faster. "Oh…"

Loki had increased the building's gravity several times over, accelerating its encounter with the ground in a very devastating fashion evident by the crash that sent several parts of it flying around.

Some even bounced on the Trickster's armor who laughed. "That was but a taste, Fool!" He waited for a response and it was his turn to chuckle at the silence. "What is wrong? Where did the bravado go?" Pulling his arm back he created a sphere of energy before throwing it like a baseball.

A huge explosion followed the impact, one which cleared up the rubble and little else before the deity raised an arm to control it. "Overedge! Kanshou!" He immediately turned the energy upwards to strike and destroy the overloaded version of the black sword which had been thrown from above. His eyes grew wide when he saw the white one sailing behind it. "Bakuya!"

Before it could hit the Aesir was already flying backwards while unleashing a rain of energy towards his opponent who had bigger wings than before and another pair of Married Twin in his hands which he threw towards his adversary's attack.

Noble Phantasms or not, the Black and White Twins couldn't shatter a god's power easily even with Bellerophon backing them up. When the first blades crashed with the first blasts they exploded which indicated a tie. But Loki was still firing so Shirou had to adapt fast or lose while trying to leverage the pegasus ability to sever Divinity.

However the Aesir was too strong and his power too precise for the Ascension's power to challenge him. It didn't help that he was hurling his power around in such a concentrated form that he was pushing Bellerophon's power. In that case, Shirou knew he would need to match the god in strength to have a real chance.

Doing a barrel roll, the Mage of Swords also began throwing more Married Blades constantly, not exactly matching the Aesir's rhythm but blocking the most dangerous shots while evading the rest or trusting his armor against whatever managed to hit him.

All the while he approached the silver haired man who pushed more power on his body to speed up further. In vain for Loki wasn't a god known for his speed while Bellerophon's fame came from making long trips in instants to the point he almost reached Olympus itself on his first try.

Once he was close enough Shirou threw an upside down slash that should have hit his opponent's chest. It would have had not been for the Trickster shapeshifting into falcon and taking flight. A very short one because there was no way a simple animal could escape a creature of myth like the pegasus.

A kick on the floor helped the redhead redirect himself and the Aesir quickly turned to normal to raise five shields between the two with a sixth one almost taking shape. All of them fell apart against Bakuya's edge while its owner straightened himself for an overhead cut towards his enemy's neck.

However Loki wasn't without resources and a loud 'clang' filled the fake Fuyuki as steel crashed into steel. It took Shirou an instant to shrug off his surprise upon watching the Trickster use Fenrir's former prison defensively, his arms crossed above his head and stopping the White Twin.

During that extremely short period of time due to how fast both men were moving, they were back on the ground where a lamppost was torn from the ground and both men landed on the street, ripping the asphalt asunder.

Yet that instant was even shorter within Last Stardust so Kanshou was already moving in that same second to avenge his 'wife's' honor by tearing off the god's guts. Not that the black sword ever reached its target because no matter how fast the magus was, he could do little against a surprise attack.

Which took the form of laser beams from Loki's eyes that hit Shirou in the center of his chest and sent him flying until he collided with a building already falling apart. 'Eye lasers. Of course he has eye lasers! Guy doesn't need magic circuits, don't need circles! Being a god is just that easy!' Curses aside, the redhead wasn't really surprised by the sudden counter. He wasn't even worried about the burn just below his neck. 'I almost got him. I was almost there. Even if it wouldn't have finished the fight, I could have done some damage.'

For his part the Trickster glared where his opponent fell with disdain. 'He is different from yesterday. Not less cautious and somehow more powerful. Much more powerful. It's impossible! A human can't become so strong so suddenly without Divine assistance! Yesterday he needed the Gremory girl to keep fighting but now…' That could no longer be the case for Medusa's challenge impeded outside interference. 'Did she give him her blood? She was a monster once, practically a dragon. It would explain the extra power.' Infuriatingly clicking his tongue, the Aesir snapped his fingers. All around him, his copies began taking form as the chains on his arms grew loose and their tips met the ground. "Miserable human, you should know your place. You think just because your goddess gave you some power that makes you my equal?!"

Shirou didn't respond, instead dashing out of the building like a spear of light while sending several pairs of Married Blades against Loki and the army around him. The copies immediately created magic circles to retaliate only to notice the Mage of Swords was missing his wings.

Hundreds of Noble Phantasms emerged from behind the magus and quickly overtook him to reach their targets, many which fell instants later from a wall of black and white metal promising only death.

Silver mana exploded around the original Loki who launched a wide swipe with his left arm, pulling Fenrir's chain that began growing in size until it was comparable to a train. The counter got rid of the Married Blades and forced Shirou to quickly Trace a new pair of wings and fly up.

Once the attack was done the devastation had been considerable, a whole street had been trampled by the shrinking chain to the point that both sides knew if the fight was in the real world then there would be no hiding it unless they ended up creating an earthquake or something similar.

Regardless, Shirou had no time to think about the possibilities, not even in Last Stardust, because several of Loki's copies had already been positioned in the sky. The Trickster had predicted his escape route and sent a squad of nine to block the magus' path. Immediately the armored warrior sent his Married Blades up, some even detaching from his wings.

Yet the copies didn't try to block or counter the attack and instead they showed the gods' mastery over magic by freezing the Noble Phantasms mid air. Not with Ice or any Element but with a single spell Even if he was a proper magician there was no doubt in Shirou's mind he would have no idea what they were doing.

All he saw was how the nine created strange magic circles which displayed a tree with nine branches inside that emitted an aura that nullified Bellerophon's power and stuck his swords in the air almost as if time had stopped just for them.

But did nothing against Shirou himself and he was still using Last Stardust so it didn't take long for him to pass his swords, another pair ready to overwhelm the copies. Only the original had something to say about that as Fenrir's chain came down as a whip and hit his side.

Blood left his throat as his intestines and kidney were crushed. 'This was all calculated.'

Loki set up the escape route and forced Shirou to try using it only to block him with copies which gave the god time for quick succession of attacks. In fact if the redhead could look around he would have seen the Aesir had in fact placed several squads of nine in each direction the magus could have used to escape.

Leaving him with fake exits, a metaphorical cage that even his speed couldn't get him out.

"Hahahaha! Did you like that, Fool?" All Lokis laughed as the original taunted the downed Mage who was holding his side to stop the bleeding. Or pretending to, Avalon had already healed him but Shirou needed to buy time and was happy to let his enemy gloat. "Your advanced Gradation Air can't do anything against my Curse of the Nine Realms."

"That is what you call it?" Slowly, hiding his side, the Mage of Swords rose to his feet. "Something capable of cutting off Divinity… A tool to fight against other gods?"

"Huhuhu. Smart. Tell me, Fool, can you see the limitation of the curse?"

"Why are you asking?"

"To see the despair on your face once you realize your main form of magic is useless against the gods!" Loki laughed again, his copies following his lead.

It was easy for Shirou to deduce, "Since you can't use it on me anytime you want, I suppose it only works with weapons…"

"Correct! Even the Blessings from gods, Major and Minor, become vulnerable once away from their source." Loki announced confidently, not bothering to keep it a secret because he absolutely didn't see the magus as a threat. In fact he only saw a insected that needed to be squashed.

"Thor must really like to throw Mjolnir around." Shirou said it as playfully as he could while also giving the impression he was in a world of pain.

He earned a glare from the Trickster that carried both arrogance and anger. "You think you are the only archer I had to deal with? Asgard is full of mighty warriors! Gods who make the arrows you used yesterday look less than toothpicks!" Waving both his arms the deity attacked with the chains in a cross pattern that caught the Mage off guard and opened two huge wounds in his chest. Once the armored magician was on his knees, the god added, "You aren't even a frog in a well but a plankton. Something so small and insignificant that isn't worth the effort. Bow down! Grovel and surrender so a god like me may show you whatever mercy he can afford!"

Once more Shirou put up a show by keeping his body down so Avalon could do its magic. "Sorry to disappoint but I haven't lost yet." 'This is bad. If he has a spell capable of dealing with projectiles, especially of Divine nature, then my arrows are useless. It also explains why he made those copies in the first place.' He wasn't foolish enough to not believe the Curse of the Nine Realms didn't have a weakness, suspecting nine people were needed to use it. A strong trump card that nullified most of the Mage of Swords' arsenal even if he wasn't the main target. 'He is right. This situation is pretty bad.'

Unfortunately for the magus, Loki wasn't going to wait forever. "Then I shall force you to acknowledge your insignificance by force!" Aura poured from his body as the god flew higher. Fenrir's chains began shaking his hands before he pulled his right arm back. "Knee and grovel, INSECT!"

The crack of the chain hitting the street was practically explosive, demolishing everything on their path until almost hitting Shirou who managed to get out of the way with time to spare thanks to Bellerophon.

Still he had nowhere to run because the copies started surrounding him while sending mana blasts his way. Giving the original plenty of chances to bring his whip back and despite his best efforts the redhead lost his balance thanks to how many attacks were flying in his direction.

In the end he was forced to use his wings to protect himself, again what Loki expected because the chains came back in, one crushed his wings while the other ripped his shoulder apart unleashing a shower of blood.

At least, he got some space since the copies were afraid of being hit by the chains. The magus couldn't blame them, their bodies were frail even if they were gods. Nevertheless their self preservation instincts gave him room to move left, Kanshou and Bakuya quickly decapitating two of them.

That moment actually surprised the Aesir. "Niflheim!" Upon naming the world under his daughter's rule a freezing wave left Loki's lips and moved in Shirou's direction.

A chilling cold reserved for those in the North who died not in glorious battle, with honor or for their gods but the ones who lived until old age due to over caution or died by disease for being careless.

It was a cold capable of penetrating the soul, one which could match the deepest of space and the sort of magic that Bellerophon couldn't shield his rider from because it was of true Divine origin.

However it would only work if it hit and Shirou never dropped Last Stardust and still unmatched speed allowed him to cross the necessary distance to not only evade the spell but escape Loki's cage.

Infuriating the deity who tried to catch him with his chains only to miss. "After him!"

The copies immediately did as commanded but they were still in Fuyuki, fake or not, so the redhead had the distinct advantage of knowing where to go. One which was almost nullified when he ducked into an alley and the gods didn't even bother following and instead blew up the buildings in the area.

Half of the street was leveled when Loki raised an arm ordering a ceasefire. "Hmm. Hmph. He escaped." Considering the magus' speed a single moment out of sight meant he could be anywhere. "That mortal dares to drag this out?! I shall enjoy ripping his organs off and test the limits of his healing!"

"Shall we demolish the city?" Another Loki questioned. One without armor and his head low as if to avoid looking at his creator.

The Trickster clicked his tongue. "No. The city can still be useful. At least most of it." While he would denigrate Shirou for his humanity, he could at least respect his power. So, for the sake of a few spells and tricks he had, the Aesir chose to hold back the destruction. "Kuoh, Medusa's Temple, that place we identified as his house, destroyed them. If you fail to find him, split into teams and comb the town up and down."

Obeying his command, the copies began splitting up while more of them emerged from the shadows of buildings or nowhere in the sky. While none of them caught a glimpse where the Mage had gone, their power less than the real Loki's own who could barely keep up with him, the god knew it was only a matter of time until the redhead was found.

Or showed himself. "You dragged me into combat. I refuse to believe you don't have some tricks up your sleeves." A malicious smile grew in his face as he landed on a building and sat down with his legs crossed. "And once you show up, I will teach you pain until you learn that a god's mercy is the gift humans should value the most."

…

A few kilometers from where the battle had started Shirou stumbled through a glass door before closing it and diving behind a balcony in the bar. "Uff… At least I managed to get to Copenhagen. Sorry for breaking the door, Neko-san." He said with a chuckle realizing that the owner of the establishment would never set a foot on the fake version of the place. "Still, I knew fighting Loki was going to be tough but his copies just made things infinitely harder."

No longer could the Mage of Swords use his arrows or throw his weapons like he was used to nor could he trust his Noble Phantasms to easily break the spell of a god. He doubted even Caladbolg could pierce that curse or that Hrunting could go around it to strike the original Loki.

'What I need to do is get rid of the clones.' Shirou stood up and mentally nudged his helmet off allowing himself to breathe freely. He was about to open the sink and get water when he remembered, "This is Loki's world." Pulling his hand back as if to not burn himself, the magus glared at the place. 'Even if he can't control everything, it makes sense he can sense things around his Mirror Dimension. The only reason he can't find me already is because of Le Fay and Rin's spells…'

The same magic which hid him from Fenrir also was protecting him from Loki's range so long he kept his output to a minimum. Some Divinity was still 'leaking' because of his Ascension but that was why he ran towards Copenhagen. It was far away from his usual spots and one which he could get in safely without being seen.

However it didn't mean he was necessarily safe as an explosion from the distance warned him of the god's search. 'There goes my house… He was really keeping an eye on everything.' It just confirmed what he already suspected, that the number of copies was far more than he imagined. 'Hundreds, maybe thousands. How did Loki make so many of them? Ease enough to figure out; Loki is a Father of Monsters. Rossweisse confirmed he definitely gave… life to Odin's horse.'

One of the most famous tales of Norse Myth was how Loki turned himself into a mare and ended up literally getting pregnant from a horse. Sure his child wasn't any simple horse either but Sleipnir, the Best of All Horses. A Title Bellerophon protested with excitement, the wish to challenge the eight legged Divine Beast to a race evident.

'I wish it was that easy but you don't have a body bud… Why am I thinking about that right now? I need to figure out a way to get out of this mess… To kill Loki.' The fact still left a bitter taste in his mouth but Shirou powered through. "The right thing is never easy. I just need to figure out a way to defeat him but if I can't use the Married Blades or Projection… Unlimited Blade Works? No, if I use it… Rossweisse assured me Loki was someone capable of destroying a world. Did she figure it out- Doesn't matter. Her warning was clear."

Messing up his hair, the Mage ran through all his options while gritting his teeth upon hearing two more explosions around Fuyuki. Kuoh and Medusa's Temple were gone and he was no close to finding a path to victory because despite all his confidence he had to admit Loki was the better magician.

Freezing in his tracks, Shirou finally asked himself, 'How can a third rate magus even defeat a God of Magic?' Cold and calculated, he tried to imitate his father's train of thought. 'He can't. Same can be said about a man without any real magic to kill magicians to the point of being called Magus Killer. Everything has a solution, I have to think… outside the box.'

A hand landed on his chest, his heart beating so fast that it should have already exploded if not for Avalon.

Because inside himself Shirou was carrying one of the most dangerous objects in the World.

The Holy Grail.

"You can make wishes come true, right? I know you aren't full but, so long I know the steps, we can make a Miracle, right?" Gold mana began pouring from his body and he could already imagine Loki and his clones moving towards that area. "I need to stop fighting as Emiya Shirou, third rate magus, and start fighting as Emiya Shirou, Mage of Swords. Time to show everyone this Title isn't just for show."

Ideas flowed in his mind, his circuits flared and several mental projections began appearing.

"Get ready, Bellerophon! We are about to gamble!" A bright light filled the sky.

…

"Found you!" Loki celebrated with a laugh as his copies surrounded the area. "Attack!"

Upon his command all his clones unleashed a huge direction of mana that consumed Copenhagen, erasing it and the whole street. Yet the original was already throwing Fenrir's chains downward in an attempt to capture the magus. He knew that with the pegasus' powers there was no way for the redhead to die with an attack so simple.

And was proven correct when Shirou flew out of the pillar of mana with his huge wings fully extended to cut down several of his copies. The Mage didn't stop with one or two, he retaliated fourteen Lokis before they noticed the swords going in their direction.

Despite the gods raising their magic circles for the Curse of the Nine Realms, the Mage closed the distance to some of them in a flash of black and white, the Married Blades talking heads without issue.

"You aren't escaping me!" Loki threw his chains directly at Shirou who turned around to parry it. His swords broke with the impact and he could do little to avoid the Aesir's next attack. "Alfheim!"

The Realm of Light where beings light elves inhabited was said to be bathed by streams of pure energy that gave life to its lush forests, perfectly clean rivers and made stone shine brightly.

It was also the realm of Frey and not a place that should follow Loki in Ragnarok which confused Shirou but the Mage had no time to think why that spell was chosen since it soon revealed itself.

Arrows of pure Light appeared above the Trickster's head and flew straight towards the Mage of Swords who tried to counter using dozens of Married Blades. All froze in the air a second later because of several copies using the Curse but that was already something he anticipated.

Which was why he quickly combined a pair into his bow and Traced a Muramasa arrow. "Muramasa!" The sword didn't fly far, just enough to reach his weapons and explode before the Curse could have an effect.

Unleashing a chain reaction that made all Married Blades blow up in a more spectacular fashion since every blade empowered the next. The blasts hid the Mage from Loki's attack who ended up only cutting through it to reveal the night sky.

"Planning to run again?" The Aesir turned around and unleashed several blasts of mana upon noticing the redhead wasn't trying to escape. No, he had cut down another dozen clones by the time the silver haired man noticed his goal. "YOU!"

"Getting a little mad there?" Shirou sped up, dashing away from Loki and towards his copies who raised magic circles to defend themselves. Yet it was worthless because with his Ascension the Mage could shrug off everything they could throw at him.

"Futile! Your efforts are futile, Fool!" Another dozen clones appeared around the Aesir, all glaring at Emiya with murderous intent. "Learn your place!"

Hundreds of streams of mana, magic blasts and both of Fenrir's chains flew towards Shirou who did his best to avoid most attacks. Then he found himself hit in the shoulder by a sphere of mana. Twice more attacks connected before the dam broke and a stream of lasers crashed on his body sending him back to Fuyuki.

The Mage found himself pushed through the streets, dragging the asphalt around as the gods kept the attack going. Loki found the situation oddly suspicious. 'Before only my chains were working. Is he growing weaker?' With a confident smile, he realized victory was close. Raising an arm to once again stop the barrage, he questioned, "Have you learned something, Fool?"

"Yeah, you talk too much." Despite wearing a helmet it was clear Shirou was smirking.

Which infuriated Loki further. "Break him. Now!" The copies obeyed and began descending with their magic circles up to blast the magus into oblivion. Unfortunately Odin wanted him alive. "Crack that shell! We are going to show that mortal that he is just a flea compared to the gods!"

'Talk about being arrogant.' Shirou crouched on the ground and moved his wings to embrace his body to make himself smaller. Since they were made of Noble Phantasms it was tough for even gods to destroy them.

Making it more complicated was the Mage himself who fixed his defences everytime a feather cracked or broke which started a sort of cycle: the Lokis would bombard the armored magus with brute mana alone breaking some of Married Blades only to have their work wasted a second later.

The numbers of attacks also increased as almost every clone present joined forces to smash that defense with the exception of nine staying close to the original who patiently waited for his prey to fail with a smug smirk.

Break and rebuild, break and rebuild, break and rebuild. Over a dozen of times several Noble Phantasms fell apart into motes of mana because of the unrelenting assault. Yet every single time Bellerophon's wings were restored to their pristine form without fail.

Such mind numbing repetition started to affect the copies. "Fall mortal!"

"This Fool is just prolonging his suffering!"

"Divinity must have gone to his head!"

"Why don't you let us finish this? The pain would end."

"Nobody is going to blame you!"

"There is no shame in losing to a god!"

Pleads and threats remained unanswered which only infuriated the copies more. They began approaching the armored shell, the bombardment growing more intense. It was to the point Shirou was completely invisible inside the mana's light, completely lost with the only sign of his presence being explosions and the sound of metal shaking.

While Loki watched the events unfold, his confidence gave way to wariness. 'He should have already run out of energy.' Closing his eyes and expanding his senses, the Aesir quickly verified that Shirou wasn't cheating and there was no external source for his power. Yet, upon focusing on the redhead, he found several masses of mana in his body. 'What is that? This is impossible! A human can't- Is that-'

Fae, Divine and Demonic all existed within Emiya Shirou, far less of the latter from what the Trickster could detect but he found it without a shred of doubt. In fact it was so small, so insignificant he doubted anyone but him could find the droplets in his soul.

Loki also found something else that he could detect but not perceive. It was a form of mana unlike any other he ever felt caring no sign of good or evil. When his mind tried to conjure something to give it shape or name, nothing came to mind.

At least nothing concrete, like if the form itself was trying to morph into something else to trick his vision until the god increased his focus and directed all his attention towards that spiritual object.

First he saw a woman, a presence that reminded him too much of his wife even if the coloring was all wrong. Then she vanished and a woman akin to the Valkyries took her place even if more frail. Almost like a statue of glass ready to shard at any moment or the smallest sound.

Soon Loki visualized its real identity. 'A cup?' Which only confused him, a mistake in the midst of battle.

Meanwhile he had been lost searching for the reasons for Shirou's persistence, a new energy began taking shape inside the magus' shell. A Projection was taking shape, one of the Mage of Swords' creations already emerged in his world and it was one far more powerful than the Married Blades.

His weariness poured from his body and the copies raised their shields. "Get out!" But none of them had a clear picture and were slow to react.

Confirming to Shirou all he needed to know. 'I figured out your trick. Now let me show you mine!' Standing up and opening his wings, the white of his armor had transformed in a bright silver much like the new sword he was holding. As far as Noble Phantasms went that blade was a few ranks above the Married Blades and usually the Mage couldn't use it. "Clarent Radiant Road!"

Especially not in its complete form free of curses.

It was the Sword of the King, a Royal Sword forged to be used by one type of person only and whose cost for its power was considerably high for it was forged to be an equal to Caliburn and Excalibur, a weapon made for someone with a Dragon Core.

The Holy Grail fixed that problem, allowing the redhead to not only Project it with energy to spare but also combine its powerful aura with Bellerophon's. His Ascension synchronized with the weapon making it even stronger than when it held Mordred's Hate against King Arthur.

Truly the pegasus' Divinity pushed it to new highs, its light illuminating all of Fuyuki.

With it Shirou unleashed a wave of energy that consumed hundreds of Loki's copies no matter what manner of shield they tried to put up. Slamming his right foot on the floor and opening his wings fully, the Mage brought the sword back down with a maniac grin on his face that none could see.

Because he could do it again. "Clarent Radiant Road!"

Loki was initially shocked by the loss of so many of his creations. Even if their powers weren't equal to his, they should last longer. He remembered that attack from Altria and it was at least twice as strong. More even but the Aesir brushed off all deliberation and started barking orders.

"Circle around him! Stay apart and don't let him swing again!" An image appeared in his mind, of the Mage of Swords tied down on the ground by many means.

His copies got the picture and those behind Shirou flew in his direction at their full speed to make a distraction. "Clarent Radiant Road!" Their bodies vanished into another wave of silver when the armored magician spun around while throwing a swing. Quickly he turned around again, his wings blocking Fenrir's chains. "Getting worried?"

"In your dreams, Fool!" Loki's chains ripped the wings apart but they quickly grew back an instant while the redhead preparead to unleash the Noble Phantasm's True Name again.

But while he threw several devastating attacks and decimated hundreds of copies, he didn't manage to hit every single one. Several of them made a desperate dash to stop him from using Clarent again by any means necessary. They tried to blow up his arm, use hypnosis, explode his head and one even became a giant snake to wrap himself around the Mage.

All were irrelevant because Shirou already discovered the secret behind Loki's trick and the reason why his clones were so 'life-like'; they weren't copies made with just magic, they were Loki's equivalent to minor gods or angels.

It explained why their powers were much smaller than the original or how they could show their own emotions including fear of death. They were alive, they had somehow been born and were directly tied to Loki enough that they couldn't betray the Trickster while sharing his power and name.

Minor gods wasn't a good enough description in Shirou's mind, servant gods would be more appropriate. Subordinate deities weren't odd in Asia, Japan had quite a few and fit the copies perfectly.

For that was what they were, just subordinates unable to rise any higher unless Loki allowed it and the Aesir's orders were absolute to the point he could command them to commit suicide with no way for them to deny him

Those copies Existence was all about subordination and they would never be more than subordinates.

All that established, even if the Mage was right or wrong, the important thing was that he realized they were weak compared to the original Trickster. Their bodies were just barely above the Human Limit meaning someone like him could break free of any constraints by just exercising enough strength.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" With a roar Shirou ripped the snake apart, broke the spells on his path and used Clarent to bring about Hell. "You want to stop me from using its name? Fine by me!" Four clones were cut down in an instant before he jumped and retaliated another ten, much to their shock. "Then allow me to show you the fighting style of the Knight of Treachery!"

A beat of his wings later and the Mage was free, moving left and right while slashing an army of smaller gods into pieces. Some of them saw the trajectory of the sword and tried attacking from the side but he grabbed one by the neck and used him as a living bat against his siblings. Once he had space he noticed the Trickster's chains flying towards him again.

"Sorry." The apology was sincere since Shirou didn't like killing but he was already determined to see that fight through to the end. He threw the copy on the chains' path, his body blowing up into a cloud of blood before turning into mana while the redhead cut down a few others.

Considering they had their own lives, the Mage of Swords did his best to close his heart because he figured that once Loki was dead, his copies would follow or vanish. That was just how deep his connection went and also an absolute fail safe just in case any of them tried to betray him.

Which made Mordred's fighting style appropriated for more than one reason. The other was its savagery which unnerved the copies with every strike he committed. Even when Clarent was busy, the armored magus had no problem kicking and punching his enemies down. One in particular he stomped on the ground before using his silver wing to cut off his head.

Such attacks made even those away from the fighting concerned and they soon joined into the fray by shooting at the berserk magus. With their participation there was nobody keeping the Curse of the Nine Realms up.

A mistake Loki took a bit longer to notice than he would like to admit. "Don't-"

Unfortunately for the Aeiser, Shirou's speed was far too much for his copies and in an instant he had pulled his wings back before sending them forward, splitting them apart to unleash a rain of Noble Phantasms at his enemies.

Only the original reacted fast enough to create shields for himself and a few other copies but the Mage's goal had been reached. There wasn't a single group of nine remaining, with those left far too apart to use the Curse. In fact there were just fifteen surviving copies out of hundreds thanks to Clarent and his strategy.

But the main benefit was that the Trickster himself was mostly isolated with only three copies at his back since the rest had been cut into ribbons by the Married Blades. The distance between them also wasn't long so the redhead didn't even bother Tracing more wings and just dashed forward to finish the fight.

Pulling his silver Noble Phantasm over his shoulder, Shirou sped up further to make sure Loki really couldn't keep up. "Mana Burst!" The technique was way better than Reinforcement in every metric. And it also reacted well with that particular sword because it was basically made for it. "Clarent Radiant Road!"

The attack was unleashed at point blank range successfully unleashing a tower of silver mana so bright and high that it was as if the Moon had descended in fake Fuyuki.

Yet the Mage found his eyes growing wide as his world slowed down from shock. "Arrogant Fool!" A furious Loki managed to parry the blast without a single scratch. A feat worthy of a god. "Do you really think you could trick the Trickster?!" His eyes blinked with light and Shirou failed to dodge a laser that hit his shoulder. Then the chains came, one hit his side and smashed his armor while the other captured his left foot. "Know your place, HUMAN!"

Pulling with the might only a deity could, the Aesir smashed the armored magus on the other side releasing a loud impact and making a huge crater. A perfect position which the god could use to fly up and trap his adversary down under a blast of energy while manipulating the chains to tie him up.

"Mana Burst!" Fortunately for Shirou, Mordred had used quite a few desperate and nasty tricks with Clarent which included using an explosion of mana to escape magical bonds and get some distance. "Clarent Radiant Road!"

"Naive Fool!" Loki's attack turned into a counter and both attacks collided. As a Major God, the Trickster power could easily surpass and shatter Clarent's power alone.

But with Bellerophon's backing it was safe to say both sides were equally matched even if the Aesir had more control and skill which he leveraged quickly to end the dispute by sending both blasts to the sky.

A huge explosion almost leveled the fake city which Loki was trying to protect for reasons Shirou didn't understand. It wasn't for the sake of the Mirror Dimension since the world wouldn't fall apart so easily but the magus chose to ignore the action. Whatever the plan was, it would be irrelevant if he managed to win definitively.

"Last Stardust! Mana Burst!" Using both spells again the redhead felt how his body was about to explode. Without a doubt his nose and eyes were bleeding behind his mask but they were his best chance to win. 'Avalon, don't fail me now!'

Not bothering with unleashing his Noble Phantasm again, the Mage Traced a new pair of wings and flew straight towards his enemy with his sword pulled back while accumulating energy.

Loki saw the action and unleashed his chains one more time with both growing into the size of small buildings. Bellerophon helped his rider dodge them both by a hair while they sped up further only to see that the deity had prepared four blasts of mana to block their way.

One came from his chest, another from his eyes and the last ones from his hands into a combined attack that was as white as a cloud but more deadly than whatever the Ascension could take from that position.

In an almost desperate manner Shirou reacted by pumping Clarent full of mana before throwing it with all his strength. As he was still in a superior realm of speed his reaction was far faster than Loki expected and the night was illuminated again when the second clash blew up in the Aesir's face.

It managed to push the god backwards but he remained unharmed thanks to a wall of mana made by a few of his remaining clones who invested all their power into protecting the original.

For the few seconds he had before reaching his adversary, Shirou prepared to Trace another Clarent only to realize that the previous circumstances would just happen again. From his fight with Akeno it was clear the Trickster was extremely good at deflecting energy, especially Lightning.

Which gave the reason why he created the Curse of the Nine Realms, if it was to cover what he couldn't deflect as easily: solid objects. 'Then I need to attack directly.' But there was another problem with that strategy: Fenrir's chains. 'If power doesn't work, I will try technique.'

One he never pulled off successfully before but the Mage of Swords was willing to gamble because the skill he was about to use was one from a true master swordsman, something that could definitely reach the realm of the gods.

'Not like I tried to use it much anyway, there was always a better alternative.' Shirou chuckled mentally as the silver from his armor turned back into white. Not for long as a new sword appeared in his hand and a familiar tone of steel took its place. "Let's see how a god deals with the culmination of a lifetime of training!"

Such words shocked Loki, prompting him to use the short time he had to raise his defenses even further, fearing whatever Noble Phantasm he was about to face. His shock only grew when instead of the powerful Clarent or something similar, he came face to face with a nodachi.

Not that he knew what it was, his brain only registered it as a sword and that on any other day he would claim held an irrelevant amount of power, almost dwindling, in the form of a curse.

Muramasa wasn't a name the Aesir ever heard besides from Shirou's mouth and even then that sword was far too big compared to the katanas the redhead used before. For a moment, a single long second when the sword came in his direction, Loki felt only confusion when the shock finally wore off.

"A lifetime of dedication…" The god managed to hear Shirou just as the swing started to approach. "A strike to cut everything. Tsubame Gaeshi!"

Not a real Noble Phantasm but the skill of a man developed over sheer will and brutal repetition. A Mystery that challenged human understanding and physics with pure speed and technique. Magically speaking there was nothing special about the attack and yet there was no denying a simple truth.

Loki was baffled.

Took Sasaki Kojiro all his youth, from the moment he first picked up the blade, to develop Tsubame Gaeshi just because he wanted to cut a swallow mid flight after admiring the bird's speed.

And wishing to reach it.

Surpass it even if for just a moment.

Resulting into an attack so outside the box that a god could only look at it with confusion. A sequence of three attacks so fast and impossible that it wasn't like Shirou was using a blade but three. Three strikes so swift that there was nothing the Aesir could do to stop them even when they broke his barriers.

Physically speaking, even without Bellerophon, the magus was already superior to Sasaki and adding Divinity to the mix just pushed a technique capable of challenging a god to a whole new level.

A sword became three flashes of steel that struck at together with deadly precision; the first one was circular and bashed against Loki's walls, breaking them apart while locking him in place.

The second one was vertical, to both deflect the chains away before the Trickster could react while locking him into the cage of the first one while creating a ceiling so even him couldn't fly out of the trap.

While the third closed off the sides and also had nothing to challenge or stop it, the other strikes precisely got rid of Loki's defenses and left his body open for the third but not last strike.

Because they all were happening simultaneously, Sasaki Kojiro managed to create a technique that unleashed the three strikes at the same moment regardless of time and space thanks to the Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon.

Also known as Second Magic, Kaleidoscope.

Shirou perfectly imitated the technique and reproduced something as close to True Magic that a human could without actually being a Sorcerer.

And thanks to his Ascension the attack was strong enough that Loki finally took a hit.

Red blood was spilled from his unarmored right as the god felt his body moving against his will towards the side. Thanks to his Divine constitution, Muramasa couldn't truly divide the deity in half as it would any average man so he survived. But it was still a deep blow and he screamed in pain as the physics Tsubame Gaeshi ignored threw him inside a building.

Seeing his chance, Shirou dismissed Muramasa for Clarent while dashing towards the Aesir who found himself moving sluggishly. "Niflheim!" Opening his mouth the Trickster commanded the gelid air of his daughter's realm to create a shield.

Which was easily cracked for the roaring Mage while he pushed his sword forward and stabbed the god in the chest so hard that his sword emerged from his back as both men broke through the other side of the building.

Beating his wings, Shirou quickly course corrected in such a way they would crash on the ground where he could finish off Loki who didn't stay quiet nor accepted his fate. The Aesir shoved his hand on the armored magus' face and began unleashing dozens of small blasts and other spells to get rid of his opponent.

With the power his enemy was packing the Mage of Swords had no choice but disengage or lose his head. Since they were too close, several of the Trickster's attacks managed to rip apart the armor around his face before the redhead kicked him down and himself away, saving his own life.

Because Loki's blood was still red, 'I still haven't hit the Core!' Turning around in the air after restoring his mask, he called his Noble Phantasm again. "Clarent Radiant Road!"

However the Aesir outmaneuvered him by deflecting the mana again. Not without consequences for it was obvious the god's hands were burned but nevertheless he managed to survive. All that wasn't enough for the Mage of Swords to give up and so he descended from the heavens ready to skewer the deity head first.

Only to be interrupted by the last fifteen of the copies. "Foolish human!" They combined their powers into a huge magic circle that sent him inside a building which fell on his head.

Shirou emerged from the rubble a second later and they could do nothing before the redhead finished the last of them. 'Where is he?' Thanks to his speed he managed to kill the last copy in time to see Loki flying away. "Got you!"

Bellerophon voiced his agreement as they sped up towards the god, intending to cut him in half from behind. Those plans were interrupted when a flash of light came from the side revealing a magic circle that was charging a huge quantity of mana. When an invisible line was crossed, the energy was released and the magus was flung in the wrong direction.

He ended up crashing into a random house but his armor didn't break and Avalon had already healed any wounds by the time he got up albeit a bit slower than last time he had been thrown around by the god.

Mental fatigue was starting to catch up with him.

His body was in peak condition thanks to Avalon and the Holy Grail but his mind felt every damage and held all the pain. Consequently he was making mistakes while taking more time to think and the excess of mana was starting to be noticeable. Ignoring the constant torture he was inflicting on himself wasn't something he could do forever.

Perhaps that was why he didn't notice the magic circle on the ground until it was too late. He could only see a few lines too, the thing big enough to envelop the whole house before blowing up.

Shirou screamed in pain and fell on a knee while restoring his armor. "That was… a trap…" The first magic circle packed more punch than power while the second was supposed to finish him off. "He must have boobytrapped the city…" Fortunately the solution was simple and he just needed to fly and bombard the fake Fuyuki until he found Loki. Except the god beat him to the punch. "Tch… He heals fast too… As expected of a god, I suppose."

The Trickster was high in the sky, several kilometers above the fake Fuyuki, and glaring at the Mage of Swords with far more heat than before. Previously his eyes showed irritation and disdain however the new glare held pure hatred. Maybe because of the red on his clothes, his silver armor and robes ruined by his own blood, he also looked more dangerous.

Yet Shirou could see that the wounds in Loki's body were all closed but that was outshined by the murderous intent the deity was radiating. It was so heavy that it managed to force the Mage to take a cautious step back and raise Clarent defensively. Power answered to emotion and a mass of dark silver surrounded the Trickster.

"You impetuous human! You dare to harm a god?!" The night sky turned gray and silver as the power kept scaleting. The Mirror Dimension wasn't just reflecting the real world any longer but also its creator's might. "I will make you suffer! I have to make you suffer! Only then will this stain be washed away! Do you even understand what you did?"

Shrugging aside his nerves, Shirou silently began Tracing Married Blades beneath the rubble. "Oi, oi, oi. You are the one who took up the challenge after Fenrir left."

"Fool! That challenge means nothing! I'm a GOD! It is I who am at the top of the food chain! He who is above all creatures!" Pointing at the Mage, a mass of mana formed above the Aesir's finger. "And you… harmed me! This is utterly humiliating! A being not even a hundred years of age managing to hurt a god?! Unforgivable! Hell is a far too good place for you! I will rip your body apart before shredding your soul into pieces!"

"Is that what Odin wants?!" Shirou questioned to try and weaken Loki's resolve.

"Fuck what the Old Man wants! I don't care about whatever is his interest in you! Humanity has forgotten their place far too long! It is time for the gods to come back! For a NEW AGE OF THEM GODS!"

A storm of power began forming, the clouds spinning around in a vortex as Loki's aura grew until it took over the night sky. The kids gloves were officially off for the Aesir only wanted to make Shirou pay.

Despite the current danger the god was presenting, Mage couldn't help but ask, "Are you really mad I killed all your 'angels'?"

It was in a low tone but nevertheless Loki heard it and the storm surprisingly retracted as its creator asked in a low tone. "What?" A tone that could still be heard all around the globe if they weren't in a pocket dimension. That was the moment Shirou knew he made a mistake but the Aesir insisted, "Say it again, Mortal! Say it again! Did you call them angels?! Those fake gods like Azazel and his ilk?! NO! My creations were an investment, one you also ruined!" Slowly the furious deity raised his arms until they were above his chest where the wound once resided. Turning his hands almost as if he was about to pray or clap, he added, "Hundreds of years of work, more than your race's lifetime over one thousand fold and you ruined everything. That sort of insolence must be punished accordingly."

The silver aura returned with full force but much more refined and contracted around the area of the deity's hands. Wasting no time Emiya commanded two of his feathers to form his bow before turning Clarent into an arrow that was immediately fired. The Noble Phantasm got far thanks to Bellerophon and his quick thinking.

Just not far enough before a mountain size stone emerged from the ground to block it.

Sure the rock didn't last long because of the exploding Royal Sword but that was the least of Shirou's problems. While preparing another arrow, a Caladbolg as he believed that blade would be able to pierce any defense, the Mage found himself losing his footing which should be impossible.

"I am the Traveller Who Saw All Worlds. I am He Who Brings the Storm. The Ancient Knowledge is Mine. The New Knowledge is Mine…"

Except when the very land itself started falling apart and rising to the sky. Not just the earth but the asphalt, the buildings, the streets and the forests all began flying. Up they went but not towards the heavens in instead towards the god who commanded them.

God or not, no deity should be able to have such mastery over their Mirror Dimension.

It was a fake Reality Marble, a proof of ambition more than anything.

The deep desire of the gods to rule the World.

Yet the spell Loki was using wasn't manipulating the pocket dimension and instead it was pressing his Authority over everything in it. A trick not because he was a Major God but because he was an extremely skilled magician. One who, like his chant described, travelled everywhere in the Nine Realms.

More than one Legend spoke of the Trickster travels, alone or with company, meeting other magic users or using other gods' Artifacts in his shenanigans.

None spoke really of why.

Shirou would love to know, especially since he found himself dodging the ground trying to swallow him whole. 'He can't be trying to obliterate the city. There are easier ways.' The redhead remembered how his opponent actually was trying to preserve Fuyuki. Clearly it was for that spell. 'He probably can do the same with the real world. It isn't a matter of this being a pocket dimension that this spell is possible- no, even if he created the spell, this world would fall apart if it was too direct.'

Which was why his Reinforcement could easily break the stuff in the pocket dimension but the same couldn't be said about whatever spell Loki was using. Emiya's deduction was also correct; the god could reshape any city with it. Towards what goal was something the Magus learned a few seconds later.

For soon he had all the fake city of Fuyuki flying over his head, most of it had fallen apart while ripped off the ground but some of the bigger buildings still managed to hold together. The rest floated around creating several layers of protection that circulated the god like a ring.

There was enough rubble around that the sky was practically invisible, making Shirou grip his bow tighter before he pulled the arrow back. Around him there was just a desert with sand and the leftovers of a sewer system with no water. Leftovers because even that was taken.

However the redhead wasn't going to let himself be intimidated. Sure it was an impressive sight but it was just debris. Also his target was still visible, the deity's aura making him a bright dot in the darkness. What he needed to do hadn't changed either so he used his wings to recenter himself before taking his shot.

"Caladbolg!" The Spiral Arrow flew towards the god faster than it ever did, targeting Loki's head.

Only for its path to be blocked by dozens of stones which still weren't enough, space bending at the Noble Phantasm made its way, its power pulsing as the colors of the rainbow danced with black and white.

Regardless it still exploded too soon when a whole building got in its way, reaching the center of it before unleashing its payload to obliterate the obstacle that was soon turned into dust.

Another arrow was already prepared but before Shirou could shoot he watched as more of fake Fuyuki was torn apart to float above his head. There was nothing but destruction before his eyes as the light of the stars and the Moon no longer could reach him. Like if he was back in the Underworld but it was about to fall on him.

'It is almost like… the city is floating…' A distant part of Emiya's mind couldn't help but think since it was easy to imagine the whole thing over his head was an island.

Worst still, the spell wasn't done. "Witness this, Mortal. The knowledge I gained from the greatest smiths of the North. Hear the Beat of the Hammer and Form a New Shape!" Much of the rubble began to shift and move in a pattern that confused the Mage. He expected a rain of meteors but that would be too simple for Loki. "Nidavellir!"

One of the names which the Realm of Dwarves was called; powerful smiths that managed to create several unbelievable treasures like Thor's hammer, Odin's spear and a ring that could multiply infinitely among others.

Few stories survived of Loki traveling to that realm and also wasn't one of those Fated to attack Asgard during Ragnarok. However there were tales of him making bets with several dwarves and trying to trick them.

Famously Mjolnir ended with a shorter handle because of that.

Upon hearing the name of the spell Loki's intentions became clear to the Mage of Swords who immediately took flight and began unleashing all manners of arrows in the god's direction while calling forth his swords.

However he was basically fighting against Fuyuki itself as the debris truly began to fall like meteorites in his direction. Most of his arrows were blocked, exploding on the way before they could do any harm, and Shirou found himself separating his bow into swords to slash a huge wall on his way.

As in a literal wall from a random house that tried to crush him but that was just one of the many odd things flying in his direction. There were odd appliances, cars, lampposts, mail boxes and a whole train he had to fly around. Anything and everything that could be found in a city was used to try slowing him down.

After some struggle Shirou just pushed more power and started cutting whatever got in his way while making a beeline towards Loki who stared at his challenger with a fury that empowered the storm he created.

For every stone and steel was surrounded by his Divinity before flying towards the Mage like a representation of his rage. After a beat the armored magus moved to dodge only for the objects to turn towards him mid air. The previous attacks had been random and irrelevant however the new wave was different.

'Decided to take matters in your hands?' Divinity itself controlled the flux of things and once again he found himself cutting everything to open a path. He was right to defend himself as the attacks were far more deadly than they should.

Simple mana could break that world apart but what the god was using was his Authority to increase his 'weapons' lethality. Even a barely sharp stone was suddenly as dangerous as the chains on Loki's arm.

Yet that wasn't the main attack.

Another trick was already being prepared.

One that would add a tone of irony and humiliate the magus.

Raising a hand with intent and power, most of the city began gathering into a single form. "You are the Mage of Swords, are you not?!" Soon the barrage stopped, leaving the redhead to stare at what the deity had made. The sky was open again except by a huge shadow that went too far and was too wide. "Tell me, what do you think of my sword…"

"It is… an abomination…" A mess made of many things, not hammered to perfection but jumbled together in the crudest way possible. His eyes processed the information, his Reality Marble recognized it as a sword yet it was ugly.

Ugly in appearance. Ugly in concept. Ugly in existence.

An insult of the greatest degree to anyone who claimed to be a swordsmith.

Above all that it was dangerous, the sort of weapon that shouldn't exist anywhere close to an island nation like Japan for starters. A single swing of it could cut the country in half and a stab would crumble it into pieces.

However they were in a pocket dimension and Loki was happy to go nuts. "An abomination you say? Good. That is how you should die! With a distorted thing especially tailored to crush your being!" Throwing his arm forward, the sword began to move as if possessed. Fast too, despite its size.

Immediately Shirou started flying away from that location, leaving fake Fuyuki for the ocean only to suddenly hit an invisible wall. While glad they were in a pocket dimension, he forgot it was a limited space and wouldn't extend very far. Loki had made it an arena for a challenge and its size actually was more or less what could be considered Fuyuki's borders.

'Well, this is bad…' Because he couldn't go any further without surrendering the challenge which would mean giving the god whatever he could demand from Medusa. And their contract had enough leeway to demand his life by design so he effectively had nowhere to run. "Okay, I can still do this."

Turning around Shirou saw the titanic size sword flying in his direction in a crude attempt of a slash that would just barely not shatter the pocket dimension. The thing was so big that just the tip alone could crush him anyway and it wasn't like the Aesir needed to aim the strike for it to succeed.

'Not like I am one for pride anyway so…' Focusing on a specific image in his mind he started smiling before running forward.

Mana bursted from his body as the Mage of Swords took flight towards the weapon in which Loki could only judge was a suicidal attack. He had reason to be confident and again it all came down to the size of his sword. Nothing that Emiya showed in their fight had the capability of even scratching that thing.

However it was his turn to make a mistake. In an attempt to humiliate Shirou the Trickster had used a sword, the worst of all options. His spell allowed him to shape any material which could be used or was molded by industrial means in any way he desired. Meaning he could do almost anything with it.

A rain of deadly spears, multiple constructs akin to golems, attacks with fortified buildings by making armors from scraps or just throwing the whole of Fuyuki on the Mage's head, any of those would have been better options than making a giant sword of any kind.

Yet Loki was blind by fury and wanted to teach Shirou a lesson; that no matter how much he struggled or fought, anything he could do a god would do better even if it was a mockery for all intents and purposes.

So a sword it was which meant that Shirou could comprehend it, his World could take it.

And use it.

"Trace on!" Ever since taking the Holy Grail everything had gone his way with barely any effort.

Not with a sword of that size, that thing was far too big and for the first time since Le Fay shoved the magic cup in his heart did the Mage truly push himself to make something happen.

It wasn't like he had enough pride to care about making that sword, so long it was useful.

Loki found himself stunned about such a fact, realizing the Mage of Swords couldn't be called a magus by any means. His craft didn't matter and the redhead was willing to make even something abominable. Didn't even hesitate to challenge a god with practically the same construct, basically shoving the lesson back on the deity's face.

Unlike the Aesir's sword that came from the sky's pushed by his Authority and gravity, Shirou's had to improvise so the weapons could crash. A single mistake and he could end up buried beneath the town's remains so the collision needed to be high enough to give him space to move.

Bellerophon was essential for that, creating a situation where Divinity fought against Divinity. Medusa's son wasn't a Major God like Loki but he was powerful. Enough that both sides nullified each other.

Yet something had to move the sword up and Shirou found himself grabbing the 'handle' the size of a house with his arms, obviously not getting even close to holding it properly, and pushing the whole thing with all the strength his Ascension could muster.

Something clicked in his soul and the sword, which still hadn't been fully projected, found itself moving until it was on the exact right angle making both blades collide. However it was truly an abomination no smith could approve, it only had size and weight, falling apart with the smallest contact.

Both sides cracked and started falling apart immediately as a shockwave finished leveling the land. It was followed by an explosion, not of fire but of stone as that sword's existence couldn't hold under those conditions. Shirou's sword disappeared an instant after impact leaving no traces.

The same couldn't be said about Loki's construct as dust flew everywhere. Sure, as a god, he didn't have much to worry about. It wasn't even an impairment to his vision since he could focus on the Mage's presence which was bright as a beacon. He quickly brushed off his surprise and frustration, a spell of invisibility coming into play.

"Hrunting!" Only to be caught off guard by the image of a red hound running in his direction. Raising his arms, Fenrir's chains intercepted the arrow but it was too close for comfort and the god was blown back. "Hrunting's Bloody Hunt!"

And it wasn't a single shot as several more hounds from its pack emerged from the dust, hungry for blood. Without wasting a motion the god controlled his chains to intercept them while retreating. He still trusted the dust to hide himself, not understanding how the Mage was pulling off his trick shots even if he recognized the Noble Phantasm's name.

However, recognizing wasn't knowing and Loki hadn't cared for Beowulf or his blade.

That was why every single shot was a successful hit forcing the god to blood throw around to mix up with the dust and create a more dense cloud of red smoke. Unfortunately for him the attack wasn't done and eight more swords pierced his construct's fallen debris, making their way in his direction.

Accepting there was no hiding from the Mage of Swords, Loki raised his arms and focused on destroying the arrows before they got too close. He managed seven and deflected the last one in his arm unleashing another explosion on his face. The sight of his blood dripping from hand only made him madder.

"I am-" Whatever he was about to declare was lost when he noticed a blur from the corner of his vision. He began turning and saw a sword moving from the corner of his eye.

Shirou had moved quickly, Last Stardust carrying all the way behind the distracted Loki while Clarent returned to the world. It was supposed to be a strike from the back that would take the god's neck but the Aesir still could barely keep up with him. At least enough to find the magus before the deed was done.

Realizing he was about to lose his head, a fog of rage descended on the Trickster's mind and his body began to change. Magic alone couldn't stop the Royal Sword nor he had time to lift any barriers. Not that he needed since his body began moving instinctively because of his fury.

The Noble Phantasm drew a few drops of blood but soon Shirou's eyes grew wider than saucers once he saw the god's body transform. He had managed to evade the deity's senses until the last moment but the sudden danger had triggered an unexpected reaction that snatched victory from his grasp.

For Loki no longer looked human, growing proportional to a building in the blink of an eye until Clarent no longer could reach his neck. Which made little difference because the new scales on his body blocked the sword's edge. Gold scales that belonged to a dragon with a huge back, wings and limbs.

Curiously his neck was actually small, giving him a somewhat humanoid appearance if one were to ignore the lizard-like features like the long snout or tail or the three horns on his head. all pointing back with one emerging from the center of his forehead.

Shirou definitively would never forget the teeth which were in full view like a shark's when the newly transformed Loki turned and shouted, "YOU!" while unleashing a huge fireball from his throat.

The Mage of Swords managed to dodge, speeding up while looking at his opponent's new form. "A dragon! Why always dragons?!" Pulling his wings back to straighten his form, the redhead accelerated further while making a long turn. His goal was attacking from the back again and he did by pulling out his bow. "Clarent!"

An explosion of silver covered the god's back for a few instants but the attack was so irrelevant that not a single scale moved out of place. In fact it only enraged the Trickster who turned around while swinging his claws. Bellerophon turned his rider's body fast enough to avoid it, both noticing the giant size didn't slow down the Aesir.

It only gave him more range and options when he opened his mouth to shout, unleashing fire with every word. "I am going to cook you alive! Munch you slowly! Rip you apart limb from limb!" The fireballs were dangerous, but the Mage evaded them easily enough. "Grr… Argh!"

Loki launched his whole body towards Shirou who immediately flew up to avoid him. Despite his size the god kept up the pursuit, both of them flying into space in the blink of an eye. But the Mirror Dimension didn't go that far and soon the redhead hit another wall, forcing him to turn around.

Placing his feet on the pocket dimension's ceiling, the Mage shot himself downwards while Tracing dozens of Married Blades. It promised to be a repeat of his clash against Fenrir yet the magus added something else to the mix. A new sword that was strong against dragons, "Ascalon!"

Bronze took over the white as Bakuya began reflecting the Dragon Slayer attribute. He wasn't sure that was going to work, Rossweisse had warned him the god's transformation wasn't absolute. Even if she just spoke about power and complexity, there was an argument if weaknesses fell in the latter category.

So he wasn't really surprised when his swords began bouncing off the golden scales, just disappointed. "Couldn't have been easy, could it?" Positioning Georgios' sword on his bow, white returned to his armor when the arrow flew. "Ascalon!"

The Mage took his shot and the arrow reached Loki's left eye before exploding, distracting the god which opened an opportunity for him to escape. Only he failed for the Aesir had his other eye open and managed to ignore the pain to hit him with his enormous claw.

Shirou felt as if all the bones of his body had broken while flying towards the other side of Fuyuki. 'That defense- that color…' He remembered an armor like that. "You turned into Fafnir of all things?!"

"DIE!" No longer Loki was willing to indulge him, frustration and anger taking over his being while a fireball the size of a mountain left his mouth.

Thankfully Avalon was still doing its job which allowed Shirou to turn his body back towards the draconic god with his arm forward. "Rho Aias!" The flower bloomed in its normal pink color, the Mage choosing to not use Pegasus Formation.

It wouldn't last long, the Divine flame punched through it in seconds, the Mage's right arm suffering in the process when it broke again. Even his armor didn't come out unscratched because the blow pack of the Conceptual Shield falling apart took its toll on him. However all that was worth it because while he barely held back the attack he survived.

Meaning that Avalon could patch him up again so long he got rid of the fireball.

Which came to be because of the reason why he didn't Project his shield by using the Married Blades; he was working on them since the manifestation of the giant sword and had sent hundreds to attack the dragon just a few seconds prior.

And the Mage of Swords kept making them constantly, his mind in overdrive as he Traced his weapons while distracting a god. Once his shield fell, the blades came from behind dancing to their usual tune. All charging forward where he sends every sword on his wings to lead the charge.

The vertical rain of metal extinguished what was left of the fire as the swords still falling from their previous clash gained new life. The draconic god found himself surrounded from all sides but was too angry to care. Instead of defending he found himself giving chase regardless of the danger.

Soon he would learn that was a mistake for while his scales had some of Fafnir's defense boosted further by his Divinity, Bellerophon's ability negated most of that leaving him with less protection than the Dragon King.

Who was already weaker than Fenrir and so enough Married Blades could harm him.

There were also some still on the floor that while they couldn't fly towards their pairs they would still empower the ones above and Shirou had spread them all over the fake Fuyuki before the god raised the city.

Leaving hundreds of swords on the floor giving strength to just as many aiming to take the deity's life.

It was like acupuncture but without the care and precision. The dragon's body soon resembled a porcupine as dozens upon dozens of swords stabbed him everywhere. Wings were torn into shreds forcing him to use magic to stay in the air as his scales broke one by one.

'There we go!' Shirou Traced a new pair of wings and flew towards Loki once again, the arm used for Rho Aias also recovering its armor as he prepared the final blow. "Trace on!" More swords appeared around him as he grabbed a pair and prepared his strongest attack.

But the Aesir wouldn't give up so easily and launched another fireball in the Mage's direction. Kicking one of many Kanshous, the redhead dodged the attack from above while several of his weapons gathered and combined.

"Overedge!" The spell was called and giant forms of the Married Blades grew further as they magnetized with each other. A clearly desperate Loki raised his right claw to block the blow. "Kanshou!" Only for the giant black sword to sever the limb from a vertical swing, its size also managing to also stab his leg leg. Pulling his other arm from behind, Avalon hadn't fully finished the job but he didn't care. "Bakuya!"

Because the attack was aimed for the heart, or where the heart should be. It was the place where both Medusa and Rossweisse assured him most gods kept their Divine Core. Since it was similar to a human's heart and devil's core, it made sense on the redhead's mind so he went for it for a second time.

However Loki still only bleed red and so he knew the attack was a failure.

Still he was close enough to the draconic god and in position for more attacks, every Married Blade existing basically guarenting all his hits would pierce his defenses. 'Since it isn't the heart, I am going for the neck again!'

Letting go of the pair, the Mage of Swords exploded with power while he made another pair of Married Blades. He immediately turned them into their base Overedge forms, the giant wing-like swords, no longer planning to combine them with other pairs. With so many Noble Phantasms around, that would be enough to cut off the Aeisir's head.

Finally understanding the peril he was in, and abandoning the fog of rage over the fact a mortal was beating him, Loki realized if anything wasn't done his death was assured. Self preservation instinct finally had surpassed pride and the god understood he needed cunning to win instead of power.

After all, he was the Trickster of Asgard.

Just before Shirou's decapitated Loki, the Aesir's body shrunk at an extremely rapid pace. "Can see where Fenrir's got that!" Emiya exclaimed before throwing both blades downwards.

The deity returned to his regular form, his clothes no longer ruined by blood, and used his son's chains to bash away not the swords going in his direction but every single other Noble Phantasm in a radius around himself.

He had deduced correctly Shirou's couldn't fully control the Married Blades which was correct since even their Overedge forms were still Kanshou and Bakuya so they would always prioritize each other over any target.

While that annoyed the magus he just Traced another pair and accelerated his descent. The Aesir reacted by using his remaining hand to send a black ball of energy his way. The redhead tried to cut it but the energy instead wrapped itself around him, pressing his body against itself.

Shirou could feel his veins bulging as his bones tried to pop from his skin, forcing him to pause his attack and use Bellerophon's Divinity to counteract whatever spell Loki had thrown his way.

Once he was free the Mage of Swords looked down and saw his opponent crashing on the devastated land, kicking up a new cloud of dust. Pulling his arms back he threw his new pair of Noble Phantasms before making two sets of fresh ones, bombarding the Aesir with each before resuming his charge.

A final pair of Married Blades arrived in his hands as the rest of the weapons began to follow their latest incarnations. Loki stared at the descending Mage with anger as his eye grew back and his arm twisted until he had a new hand.

Ignoring all that, Shirou crossed his swords and prepared himself to destroy the god's head before suddenly a fog emerged from the deity's cloak. With his previous trajectory the attack still shouldn't miss but the redhead found himself just shy of hitting his target. But he caught a glimpse of his shadow and dashed towards it to finish everything off.

"To think a mortal would push me this far." Loki's voice was somehow more gruff and heavy but he grew silent as a bombardment of Noble Phantasms began falling everywhere around them. Despite the fog, the Trickster still had the magus on his sights and lightning exploded from his body before he threw a punch the magus' way. "Teaching you manner's won't be enough," the armored magician moved to dodge but suddenly he saw something emerging from the fog, Fenrir's chains, "I will first clip your wings," Bakuya came to intercept but ended up with his arm trapped, "and then teach you the only lesson humans should never forget!"

A second later several Married Blades fell around the deity but were pushed back by a huge shadow and the lightning. Gritting his teeth, Shirou kept up his dash and finally reached his target.

The problem was that he didn't hit the neck but the chest. To be fair, Loki had grown quite a bit over the last few seconds. "Are you kidding me?"

Not just size like his son, instead the god had shapeshifted into something else, someone else. Someone so tall that even if Shirou had aimed for the head he only managed to hit the mountain of a man's huge chest with room to spare.

Four meters of height, or thirteen feet, the Mage of Swords was pretty sure he was looking to another god. It wasn't just the size but the powerful frame that could make bodybuilders cowl in embarrassment for even thinking they could show their muscles around. Several tattoos and scars marked his body, the former in the shape of runes like Odin's.

While the latter showed indication whoever the man was had faced all manner of beasts and warriors. The muscles of arms and torso had marks of swords, axes and fangs all around his skin. Several of them over his vitals as proof of how many times he came face to face with death.

His red hair was long, reaching his back tied in a low knot, with functional braids around his forehead to make sure it wouldn't impair his vision. An almost as long beard adorned his face and reached his chest, stopping just shy where Shirou had cut him.

Dark metallic arm bands covered his arms beneath Fenrir's chains, not part of Loki's armor but belonging to the person whose face the Trickster was imitating. It was easy to tell because they carried several symbols of clouds and lightning. Much like his belt that had a bolt of lightning and a hammer crossed with each other.

"Now…" The god's voice had changed not only with the transformation but all hatred from the Aesir had turned into a cold chill. "Now the lesson can really begin."

Contrary to before Loki wasn't using magic, at least none that the Mage could tell. Instead he threw a punch, his fist covered by Lightning. Bakuya was raised to the magus defense yet, despite hundreds of its kin surrounding the pair, the white blade shattered instantly. Nor was it enough to stop the hit which kept moving, forcing Shirou to twist his body to avoid it.

His escape wasn't unnoticed and despite being slower, the Aesir was smirking with satisfaction. "Like a little fly, just waiting to be squashed."

Slamming his right foot on the ground, Loki threw an uppercut followed by several jabs that Shirou tried to block with his swords. Yet each of the Married Blades broke upon contact, the man's brute strength alone more than enough to smash the Noble Phantasms. Worst yet, the Trickster's Lightning was growing stronger and it was about to have an effect.

When the Mage was forced to block another attack that would have hit his collarbone, his swords shattered again which was already expected but something extra happened. The god's Lightning managed to pierce through Bellerophon's defenses and the magus' nervous system suffered for it.

No matter how well Shirou could ignore pain, his nerves were triggered at the wrong time, ruining his footing and dropping him to a knee. 'No-' A fist connected with his head and the redhead saw stars before losing consciousness for a moment. 'I think… I am in trouble-'

His body was in the air before he could do anything about it, Bellerophon doing his best to turn their wings down to stop the involuntary flight while they fixed the armor's helmet which had been demolished revealing a healing face.

"Oh no, you are not getting away." Loki pulled his arm and Fenrir's chain started carrying the magus back. Lightning tried to travel through the chains but it was too long and the deity couldn't use it as well as another particular god. "Lesson isn't over until you are dead!"

He didn't need it anyway, not with the body he was using could just break the Mage in half with every punch. First he obviously would deal with the armor leading him to dash again at his target in the middle while the chain kept pulling. A devastating punch landed on the magus' stomach, pushing his back into the impression of a fist.

Suffice to say his organs were ruined but Loki knew he wasn't going to die with just that. 'Such a curious healing he has, fufufu.' His grin turned feral when he grabbed Shirou by the arms and began pulling. He broke both limbs and the redhead screamed from the sudden pain. "Don't be such a… what would he say? Wuss, was it? Yes, don't be such a wuss!"

Another punch connected to Emiya's face, breaking the new helmet in half and sending several teeth flying. The Aesir watched the healing process with interest while delivering a kick. Unfortunately that body wasn't adequate for that quite of attack, its upper body was far more bulkier than the lower half.

Ideal to dash and sprint but kicking ruined his balance.

Nevertheless the blow was still enough to send Shirou crashing to the side until Loki twisted the chain around his arm and pulled back. "Are you learning, human? Is the lesson finally sinking in?" Using his magic he wrapped the other chain around the redhead's other arm before pulling both back forcing the magician in his direction for a mockery of an embrace. One that ended with another fist in his gut, forcing him to vomit blood. "Gods are just better. Superior! The true rulers of this World!"

Letting Emiya fall to his knees, the Aesir clapped his head which ripped off his eardrums for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Then the Trickster stopped, feeling how an energy as warm as the Sun inside the Mage restored his body. The god held him by his head, his hand big enough that it was like an average man holding a kitten's head.

"This is where you belong, on your knees before me." Loki said with satisfaction, chuckling at how easily it was to turn the tables once he calmed down. "However, the most curious thing here is that you are still alive." Lifting Shirou by the neck, he chuckled at the young man's struggle as he held his arm with one hand and tried to stab it with the other. "Still didn't learn? Well then-" A knee met the armor's torso which crushed it together with its owner's ribs and newly restored organs. "-I will have to be more throughout. Especially if you truly believe you can defeat the might of Thor, God of Thunder."

"Thor?" Shirou managed to ask with a whisper. "Is that… that the-"

"Yes. Yes!" Loki threw the Mage upwards before jumping after him and delivering a hammer blow with both arms that sunk him on the ground. He then landed on the redhead with a foot, smashing him deeper into the impression of his body. "Yes! This is Thor's power! His muscles to be precise!"

Sure enough the Trickster neither had Mjolnir nor any weapon that could reproduce its prowess. He wouldn't know how to use it either, his son's chains only useful because his magic could guide them. His Lightning, result of his magic and not an Authority, was also several times weaker than the Strongest Warrior of Asgard.

However none of that stopped him from using Thor's mass as he wished. Of all forms he could shapeshift, that was by far the strongest and one of which he knew best.

Fitting considering he was one of the Strongest, something Shirou realized bitterly. 'I got rid… of Fenrir… just to end up with a two bit fake Thor… Hehe… Can't say anything about fakes… I think I am losing my mind…' His body barely finished fixing itself and he felt a hand break his shoulder, fingers sinking in his flesh, lifting him off the ground. "Ahhhhh!"

"But I have to say, this healing of yours is… something else." Loki's punched again, holding back just enough to not rip off Emiya's arm. "It is faster than a god's! And it doesn't waste energy too! Fascinating!" Another hit connected, one which purposely aimed to break every single one of the Mage's ribs. Then the Trickster raised him higher to watch the restoration. "I am starting to understand how you grew arrogant. This golden glow… I have never seen anything like it before…"

Without any care the god shoved his finger on Shirou's chest and began poking around, almost ripping his heart apart. But the Aesir, despite having Thor's form, was a magician first and foremost so he was using magic to examine the magus. The redhead could feel foreign mana invading his organs but was too busy screaming to do anything about it.

"Hmm… It isn't in your body but your soul… Something conceptual…" A grin began growing in his face. One utterly evil which was out of place in a god like Thor. "It doesn't belong to you, does it?~ No, it doesn't. Was it something your goddess gave you? Serpents have medicinal-" Loki frowned and looked to his right seeing a familiar black sword stab his shoulders. "You just don't learn, do you? Stubborn mortals."

"Actually…" Shirou managed to grin at his enemy. "I did. Meteor Rain…" Only then did Loki notice that every surviving copy of the Married Blades had moved above his head with a couple of hundred additions. "Last Stardust!"

Additions the Mage of Swords had used to call the rest and prepare his counter attack.

In the next moment Shirou kicked the burly god's body, launching himself backwards while his swords fell on his enemy's position. Lightning and mana formed barriers around the deity but his Noble Phantasms broke them down in seconds while the magus prepared his bow and arrow.

"Caladbolg!" It was closer than he was comfortable with but Emiya refused to give the god space to do anything. Unfortunately his plan failed when Loki did something unexpected, he punched the Spiral Sword out of existence. "What the-"

"How many times must I remind you that you are just an arrogant human?!" Destroying the few blades falling on his person, the Trickster looked no worse for wear. Whatever small wounds he had, smaller than they should be thanks to Thor's form, simply closed down in instants. "And you aren't facing just me anymore but also Thor's strength. Did you know that he once changed several maps during a tantrum? By accident? I may not like this form but I chose it for a reason."

"Why not use that form all the time then?" Shirou questioned while pulling another arrow only for his arm to be pulled forward. "Shit!"

"Hahaha, trying to keep me talking? Classic!" Once more he felt the might of the God of Thunder when Loki delivered a hook from his right. The Mage's body spun around as his legs stopped working, forcing him to fall on his exposed face. 'I wanted to study his healing some more but keeping him alive is a mistake. Is that what Odin saw in him? His resourcefulness? His ability to make Noble Phantasms is impressive but no match for a god.'

Yet Loki couldn't help but feel that something was off.

As if he was being played.

Yet it didn't matter for he developed a good amount of hatred towards Emiya Shirou. "A good attempt. Enough to earn you death. Aren't I a good god for sparing you the suffering?"

"After all this… Please tell me it was sarcasm." Turning around in a flash, Kanshou and Bakuya almost reached the Trickster's neck.

Only for the giant to slap the magus' head, sending him down. "More like a jest. Not that a human like you deserves that much." He kicked the Mage one more time, to see if he would stay down but the young man tried to get up immediately after. 'Healing or not, his pain tolerance is impressive. If I could use more magic, I could keep him imprisoned while making some tests… Leaving Thor's form is too risky. I refuse to allow this human to catch me off guard once again…' Approaching his target one last time, Loki raised his body before grasping his head. "Looks like whatever questions I have left, I will have to get them from your corpse. On the other hand this is quite appropriate, don't you think?" He began squeezing slowly, watching the helmet cracking with glee. "Medusa's Champion, dying from losing his head!"

Another pair of Married Blades tried to cut off his arm but he destroyed one with his free hand and the other wasn't enough without other swords backing it up. There weren't enough to save him, not anymore. The god had made sure of that by destroying as many as he could with his aura or whenever he moved.

'I felt in my skin what those swords could do. Do you think I would allow such an existence now that I know it is sacrilegious enough to harm a god?' Loki was slow, waiting for the moment where the Mage would struggle in agony before using his full strength to crush his head like a balloon. 'No swords, no space, no chance. So dies Medusa's Champion.'

Yet Shirou wasn't done. 'I need to time this right.' Most of his swords couldn't save him from that situation but there was one which could do the trick. He only needed to make sure his head was still on his shoulders by the end of it. "Durandal!"

Xenovia's sword appeared in his hands a millisecond before he finished calling its name. Of all weapons he had on hand, the blue blade wasn't the strongest nor the easiest to Trace. Every time he did so to train with his lover it was like something was missing, something fundamental.

Because his Durandal wasn't indestructible yet its Miracles were spent. Maybe it was its nature as a fake, something he could break with a thought, that made it less than it should. Maybe it was his lack of Faith or something else he could never understand.

Certainly it wasn't something missing with the sword itself for he could even Trace Caliburn and only chose to not do so because the blade wasn't powerful enough to make a difference against a god since Avalon took care of his healing while Clarent was stronger offensively.

Nevertheless Durandal was the sword he chose because of a feature developed by its original user, Roland. Once manifested the Noble Phantasm unleashed a wave of pure Holy Energy that didn't surprise Loki. In fact the god was confident Thor's body could withstand whatever the Mage threw at him.

He barely had paid attention to the short fight between Xenovia and Fenrir so when the energy became somewhat solid, a blade of its own that didn't just disappeared, the Aesir found himself shoved off his feet.

That was the moment Shirou couldn't misstime, if he made a mistake then the god's fingers would at least take the upper part of his skull. Fortunately his armor hadn't truly broken so he managed to dismiss his helmet's existence and move his neck forward, escaping his predicament.

Infuriating Loki once again which led the Aesir to push back against Durandal's light and punch the sword of energy to the side. It vanished but before the fake Thor could attack again, the Mage forced another sword to appear to keep him at bay.

"You are just stalling the inevitable!" Declared Loki just before bashing the Noble Phantasm's power away and twisting his arms to utilize the chains around them.

Shirou fixed his legs for stability before shouting, "Durandal!" calling once again for the blade of energy to stall the deity.

Using that particular Holy Sword like that was a waste of energy but the Holy Grail had a lot to waste. In fact the redhead was sure the thing was still being filled with mana despite his constant use of Ascension and the several Noble Phantasms he Traced during the fight. Not that he could complain since it was feeding his offense constantly.

Yet a truth was quickly known to him, 'Loki is right. I need something else.' He doubted any of his swords could truly bring down the god, not while he was using Thor's form. 'If I don't have any alternative… if I lack any sword… I just need to make one.' More mana poured as he prepared himself for his last gamble. One which could easily take his life. 'First I need materials and for that…' "I am the bone of my sword!"

Shirou could feel his soul react at the Aria but there was a click on his head as if the wheels on a clock had been greased to perfection, its mechanism moving so smoothly there was no waste in its motion.

Nothing else was required, the steps were already taken.

For the Holy Grail made Shirou's stride gigantic.

"My True Self Lies, In Unlimited Blade Works!"

Flames extended from his feet and began consuming the Mirror Dimension, much to Loki's surprise who felt his pocket dimension being overwhelmed. 'This is impossible! No man's boundary field should be able to break a god's!' Returning to his real form, the deity raised his arms and tried to fight back but was easily consumed. 'That was-'

Next thing he saw wasn't Fuyuki, neither real or fake, but a field of lush green and swords everywhere the eye could see. The sun was at its peak making the place shine with a gold hue and the same could be said about magic which the Aesir felt tingling his skin.

That wasn't a place that existed in the World nor was it a realm made by gods.

Instead it was a realm of the soul, or at the very least a realm that took shape because someone's soul developed in an impossible fashion making it a singular existence better not ignored.

A Reality Marble, fully manifested.

And that changed everything.

"Wait! Wait! Stop, Emiya Shirou!" Loki raised his hands, showing no tricks, just as hundreds of swords appeared around him. Most of them stayed in place, floating in the skies, while a few dozens fell between both men. 'So many weapons…'

Each with power of their own, some familiar and others not. He saw Noble Phantasms, magic swords and blades of every culture. Every single one of those falling ended up planting themselves on the chains' links, locking them in place. A preventive measure that showed not hostility but caution.

Loki could respect that, had to respect it, because the opportunity before his eyes was too unique to let it pass by. Suddenly the reasons for recent machinations and why gods were in Fuyuki made far too much sense in his mind. A Reality Marble also explained how he was able to just make Noble Phantasms out of nowhere.

Even a god as he couldn't just Project weapons of Legend out of the blue, magician or not.

Standing straight and pulling his hair back, Loki made himself presentable. "Emiya Shirou… It seems I made… an error of judgment."

"Oho? Is that so?" Shirou couldn't help but question. "Weren't you just trying to teach me a lesson? Maybe after ripping me apart somewhere? Squish my head? Or maybe I hallucinated the whole thing."

"That is where my error lies. I thought you were a simple random human. I had no idea you were… so much more than that." The god replied, his arms wide open. "This is the proof that you are so much greater than humans can be- No, that you are evidence of how high Humanity can truly fly. Medusa couldn't have chosen a better Champion."
Pausing to study Loki, Shirou allowed most of his swords to fall on the ground. He could see the Aesir was being honest and even if he had doubts, he had questions. "All this was Odin's plan, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was." The silver haired deity lowered his arms and offered the magus a honest smile. "I had no idea why he planned all this. He strongly suggested, implied, that attacking you and forcing you to owe him a favor, to beg for his help, would be the best for Asgard." Every word was true, to a point. "Now we can see his intent was pretty clear. That is, if you know what can happen when a god and a human with a Reality Marble join hands to each other?"

"Azazel filled me in on the details." Shirou dropped his Ascension and immediately felt his body burn because he was using less mana. Something he corrected a second by directing most of it into Unlimited Blade Works and his right arm. "True Gods, right?"

"But do you understand what it means? Once a god fuses with a compatible human, they are free of their Legend and with a Reality Marble… we can control the World."

'There it is…' Shirou fought hard to not roll his eyes as he already expected the direction the Aesir was going. It made sense that Loki and Odin had the same intentions when he considered everything. 'Not that I can do anything about it right now. Things aren't going as planned.'

Emiya was feeling the specters around them, even in his world. They were there, no sense of peace to be found but only rage weighing in his heart trying to crush him. He had dropped his Ki, lowered his defenses and yet that was all he could get because there was something between them.

Unlike his own emotions, Shirou couldn't grasp the specters' anger since it was just out of reach.

For there was a barrier between his heart and theirs.

Shirou knew what it was and for the first time in a long time he felt true fear, not for himself but for the people who cared about him. People he would leave behind since the Mage of Swords could understand what was protecting him. How could he not when that protection was with him his whole life and stronger than ever.

Meanwhile the magus struggled, Loki talked. "Emiya Shirou, Odin's plan was to attain True Apotheosis with you. He manipulated us." To say the speech was unexpected would be a lie. "By placing us against each other, he gave us a chance to become greater than him. To become a True Magician God who is able to manipulate the fabric of Reality with a snap of his fingers." Extending a hand, the Aesir revealed a sincere smile free of malice. "I can tell your heart is honest, so is mine. Let us join hands, our souls, into one almighty being!" Waving his arm around, he concluded, "I can feel. This world waits anxiously to be completed! To connect with someone such as me! We are already almost there!"

Again the god wasn't lying because the mana tingling in his skin was him trying to connect with Unlimited Blade Works. Or at least trying to build the initial bridge to facilitate their union. His desires, his greed, demanded that they initiated it as quickly as possible so he could become a being beyond Complete.

Yet only his side was building the bridge. "Can't you feel my spirit resonating with yours? You must, you wouldn't have lowered your weapons otherwise."

A heavy silence fell between them as the god offered his hand for the magus to take. Neither knew how to initiate the process but there was a feeling guiding his actions. That same feeling was shared by the other side who understood that if he took that hand, things would start moving.

Yet Shirou squared his shoulders and asked. "So this was Odin's whole idea? He gave you the plan and you executed it?" Loki nodded, his smile still eager. "Why?"
"For Asgard's sake, why else?" Replied the god with honesty.

"Everything?" A slow nod was the confident response. "Even the part where you threatened my friends?"

Cracks began appearing in Loki's smile but he kept pushing, "Your friends were in danger because Odin deemed it was necessary. Claiming that a man like you would only feel despair if cornered." He was happy to throw the other god under the bus. It was the same thing the One Eyed God did, after all. "He tricked me too, you must realize. Only now can we see how obvious his plan was."

'Can't really deny that.' Yet that wasn't Shirou's focus. "Doesn't change the fact that you did try to kill everyone."

"Yet nobody died."

"Because of luck…"

Feeling a small deal of hostility, Loki's smile vanished. "I only let my son loose under Odin's instructions."

"Are you implying that if Odin hadn't come up with the idea you would have played nice or something like that?" Shirou questioned rather forcefully, the air growing tense. Unlimited Blade Works was almost reflecting its owner's mood as his hand came to his chest. "Not to mention that to escape, you threatened to destroy Fuyuki!"

Standing straight and abandoning his amicable expresion, Loki hid his hands in his cloak. "It was a necessary measure. I think anyone would agree that to escape the White Dragon Emperor, one shouldn't spare the effort. Also, why are you upset? Your city is fine."

"True, true…" The time was approaching and the Mage could feel it. 'I need to work fast but…' Just attempting what he wanted to do was taking a toll on his body. The Holy Grail was too much. 'This is it, huh?' "So you wouldn't have destroyed my town if it wasn't for Odin's plans?"

"Of course not. I have nothing-" A violent gust of wind interrupted the god, making him frown.

"For someone so honest, you are a really good liar." Shirou commented while pointing to the Aesir. More precisely something behind him. "Unfortunately for you, one of my first creations is a lie detector."

Looking behind him Loki came upon the sight of the only sword Emiya kept pointing in his direction. A mystic code made of gold whose purpose was not to but and not really a weapon but a sort of decor: Truthbearer.

Anger returned to the god's chest as he looked back at the source. "We can still become one."

Shirou felt something in his chest, in his soul, and grasped it with all his will. "Heh. What makes you think I would ever join with a person like you who wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone for his goals."

Loki gritted his teeth in frustration as he began preparing as well. "Not anyone! The being we will become will gladly protect your loved ones."

"Yeah. That is great." The Mage of Swords offered a serene but apologetic smile. "It is just… I don't like the idea of sacrificing others."

"... Then I will have to kill you…" Flames surged on his hands but his mantle completely hid his magic.

He didn't realize that Shirou could feel it anyway, making him glad he wasn't about to kill an unarmed man. "It is what it is." His left hand began pulling and a gold glow like the sun began emerging from his chest, surprising the Aesir. Between the two of them, the magus' preparations were way far ahead. "But that is why we do what we must, don't we?"

There was some sympathy in his words, Loki could tell as much. He could also tell there was no changing their course of actions.

For the god understood the man before him wasn't one to sell his principles. "So be it! You shall die here and now, Emiya Shirou!" A fire so hot the very air around him grew distorted emerged from his hands for his most destructive spell. "I shall destroy you and this world!"

Throwing his arms up in the air, a bright red Fire surged from the god's hand in an arch which converged above his head. A huge flux of power accumulated into a ball in seconds making a second Sun appear in Unlimited Blade Works. It was so hot the grass around them began turning to ash even as it formed several kilometers above the ground.

Despite the weight of that power, Shirou focused on his own spell. "That looks dangerous. I am glad you didn't use it in Fuyuki." The object in his soul began leaving him and the redhead began feeling a pain unlike any before. Even worse than the pain of his 'birth', the Holy Grail began breaking his body which was losing its healing. "Really, thank you."

"Huh?! Are you really that much of a fool? An attack like this would destroy more than a mere city? Most of Earth's surface would become inhospitable if other gods chose to not interfere." It was his most powerful spell after all. Using it on Earth wouldn't just expose the moonlit world, it would be a declaration of war. "Prepare yourself to feel the strongest flame and become ash, Emiya Shirou!"

"Maybe. Or maybe not!" With a roar Shirou finally pulled Avalon from his body completely. Its sudden presence inside the Reality Marble had several effects.

While its existence shone brightly, the world grew dim and the swords' shadows grew larger because of something beyond the light of his Sun or Loki's spell. A darkness that wasn't there before began emerging creating a dense black and red fog that began enveloping Unlimited Blade Works in full.

Loki paid no attention to that as his eyes were locked on Avalon. "Fae…" He managed to barely recognize the words in the sheath, words which told him exactly what it was. 'That means… those blondes! The witch and-'

Unfortunately for the god he allowed himself to be distracted which gave Shirou enough time to pull himself together. Pushing his body to its limits, he could feel himself about to explode as the Holy Grail kept pushing too much mana.

Without Avalon it was only a matter of time before he fell apart which was why he spread all the power he accumulated to his Reality Marble. 'It is coming… They are coming… I can hear you…' Whispers reached his ears and after blinking he was no longer in his soul but back in the past. 'None of you escaped our hell, did you? You are all stuck here!'

He was back in the land of fire and darkness born from a botched ritual of unknown origin.

Back to the hell where he could see dozens of people burning around him.

Dying everywhere.

He heard their screams and grew sad for they couldn't express anything else.

He doubted they could even share his view as they all only could keep giving him their anger.

Only then Shirou understood what it was, it was the frustration, the fury upon looking at him and seeing he was alive when they weren't.

That he was saved unlike the rest of them.

Which was why only he could be truly affected by the park.

By those who couldn't be saved.

Faces began filling Emiya's mind as he saw men, women and children in several states of despair, their final moments before everything grew dark and only resentment over dying remained.

A resentment they threw at him.

Shirou understood not everyone who died in the tragedy became a specter, only those who truly fell in despair and cursed the World. He could not blame them for he understood their wrath over the World's cruelty. Nor could he give them their wish, to let them punish him for having survived.

So he just took it all in without hesitation, opening the space Avalon left in his soul for all the rage, resentment and sadness those souls refused to give up allowing it to enter his heart without resistance.

For a moment it was like his heart was beating so hard it was about to explode but the next he saw them again, the faces of the departed: he saw how some struggled for themselves, who suffered for others, he saw their pain, their final moments, their acts of courage and kindness before the ritual consumed everything.

Which made no sense but Shirou saw it all the same, not understanding that those memories were already within him. That someone else, something else, survived the ritual and it was inhabiting his soul at that very moment. When the specters touched a wisp of that presence, there was a connection.

A connection which allowed the Mage to return enough for them to move on.

Leaving behind all rage and resentment for him to use. 'Thank you.' Another blink later and Avalon was falling on the ground as his body pulsed with mana. Unlimited Blade Works shifted and the fog vanished as every sword in his world began moving. 'I can feel it, the cumulation of our feelings, of your lives! I will use all of it. Together we will bring down a god.'

Raising his right arm, Shirou felt a pull of something beneath his feet and heard strange whispers in his ears before completely ignoring them. Despite his desire of honoring the fallen for a bit longer there was no time as he felt the Holy Grail giving him more than his body could take.

The only way he was living was using what was given, something he began immediately by channeling as much mana as he could afford on his right limb. His Reality Marble shifted and in his mind's eye he saw all swords he ever forged, faced or used starting to shake before transforming into energy.

Something that Loki noticed upon looking around and realizing his Fire wasn't the only one around. "Planning to try something similar? Are you truly arrogant enough to fight a god's spell with the same Element, Emiya Shirou?"

"Nah. Just using the fire… to forge something new." One of Shirou's eyes began crying blood since one of his blood vessels popped, forcing it close. His hair also changed from red to a dull white as his body overheated. "This is the result of hundreds- no, of thousands of hours of Humanity's toil to forge and create. The History of Unlimited swords will converge on this moment to create something beyond a god!" An excited grin grew in his lips. "Time to make a mad man's dream a reality!"

Fire began converging on his right hand, the steel of all swords on his Reality Marble combining into something beyond his wildest imaginations. Muramasa's ambition had finally bore fruit even if it was hundreds of years later and in the hands of someone else. Yet the sword wouldn't be exactly what he dreamed.

No, Muramasa's dream was of a weapon capable of severing anything and everything, including Karma, which was impossible for the Mage of Swords in that moment since he lacked too many things.

Shirou couldn't truly reach that high for he lacked knowledge, skill and was improvising everything while using the 'Wish' of his Holy Grail to push himself as close to the impossible as possible.

Unlimited Blade Works helped in the endeavour, soul and mind working in sync to reach a mad man's dream.

Loki witnessed the birth of something incomprehensible to his eyes: a red blade that pulsed with the fury of hundreds of specters and the heat of thousands of swords poured in its existence. There was no real handle and so Shirou was forced to hold the metal with his naked hand as the flames finished taking shape.

And its edge was sharp.

So sharp that when it came into existence it was like the air had been cut.

'Not complete… but will do.' Instinctively Shirou knew that was the most powerful sword he had ever conceived. A creation so mighty that any other Noble Phantasms in his possession paled before it. 'Now you need a name…'

Because its power was tremendous, carrying the might of every sword he ever saw stacked into each other and enhancing one another, A True Name needed to solidify its Existence. A power so great that its red blade and orange edge glowed with a huge intensity surpassing even Bellerophon's aura despite not holding any Divinity.

For the first time Loki felt intimidated but he brushed it off and pulled his arms back. "A human defeating a god… Is only possible in their dreams! The armies of chaos gather here! The Order shall be uprooted and all shall know Devastation! Muspelheim!"

The Realm of Fire where the main bulk of his forces for Ragnarok would come from, an army of fire giants led by Surtr who was a giant even to his people. Owning a flaming sword capable of striking down gods and more, together with the Trickster they were Fated to bring down Asgard.

The small star Loki made began descending like a meteor, its target clearly the redhead.

If it ever hit the ground all of Unlimited Blade Works would burn.

However Shirou didn't focus on it, all attention towards the blazing sword in his hand. "All or nothing." He pulled his arm back in what felt like slow motion as his body screamed at the smallest of moves before taking a step forward and roaring. "Essence, understood! Foundation, converge! Forging techniques, beyond my limits! Reach a new Threshold! Fuyuki Muramasa!"

A name given in honor of those who had fallen, of the place where they met their end but also lived happy lives before tragedy struck. For they all were from Fuyuki; him, the other victims of the fire and the fire itself. The land was their connection much like Emiya hammered their emotions into his blade.

With a clumsy one handed swing, he attacked the god and his star.

Both attacks clashed and Unlimited Blade Works burned.

…

Back in Medusa's Temple, the boundary field connecting it to the World Serpent's lair began blinking rapidly before falling apart revealing Rias Peerage, Vali's group, Odin and Rossweisse, several of them looking slightly exhausted.

Exhausted and stressed. "Well, that was a waste of time." Vali decided to comment while cleaning his shirt.

"Hah! Told you so! Well, I told Medusa so." Odin informed with a playful but smug grin.

"It wasn't that bad. Jormungandr-san was nice." Asia tried to look on the bright side of things.

"Nice but oblivious." Rias lamented with a frown. "I still can't believe his only suggestion after all this was 'get Thor'." She was summarizing because it wasn't just two words the World Serpent gave them.

No, the Dragon King went on a huge tirade about muscles for brains, annoying fathers, cried a bit about nobody visiting him, then spoke at length how Thor could hit so hard that even Loki was forced to submit more than once.

"Well, it was something." Akeno said after a shrug.

"Something useless. We can't bring Thor here without risking the city." Her King retorted.

Vali laughed at her predicament. "Fuyuki may become rubble anyway without him." He turned to Odin and questioned. "So, can you get your son or we need to make a call."

"Lord Thor must be on Asgard so calling him is possible." Rossweisse decided to answer, knowing her god wouldn't want to. He noticed a glance from him but since it played in his plans, he allowed her to talk. "It wouldn't take long to make the right set of runes–"

"But we have other solutions. Safer solutions than my mapmaking son hanging around this fine city." The Old Man of the North decided to interrupt, determined to not allow his eldest son in Fuyuki.

"Can we never go back there?" Koneko asked while her body shivered. Embracing her was Kuroka who was in the same state. "That was scary."

"Very scary." Gasper nodded in full agreement

Ise sat down on the ground and clicked his tongue. "That guy wasn't scary. He was… lonely."

"And bored." Bikou added while scratching his chin. "Can't blame him. No TV or games or even a book. Just a cave and sleep… My old man told me about when he was stuck under a mountain and how he once scratched his eyes out of sheer boredom."

"Urgh. I don't think I needed to hear that."

"Honestly, I found it all an… enlightening experience." Arthur commented while Add chuckled. "And it wasn't a good thing we broke Jormungandr's monotony?"

"I completely agree, Arthur-san." Asia couldn't help but smile.

Which made Ravel click her tongue. "It was still a waste."

"No need to be so bitter." Kiba offered his fellow Knight a smile but her scowl only became more pronounced.

But Luvia could see his words weren't just optimism, even if she failed in securing any jewels. "We learned a lot about Loki and the relationship with his children. If Jormungandr is correct, Fenrir is being coerced and not attacking us of his own volition."

Rias raised a brow at her Rook's words. "Are you suggesting that we free the Wolf of Ragnarok?"
Everyone paused and stared at the blonde. "It is a possibility-"

"A foolish one. You want to let a God Slayer on the loose?" Odin slammed his spear on the ground and glared at the devil magus. She didn't flinch but just barely. "He is also my Weakness. Is that a convoluted plan to assassinate me?"

"Lord Odin, please, there is no need to react like that." Yet Rossweisse felt her skin crawl since she knew Shirou's plan was something like that. 'Is that a thing where they plan to seek dangerous monsters when they don't have any better solution? Visiting the World Serpent, plotting to release Fenrir. What's next? Trihexa itself?'

"Stupid suggestions aside, perhaps now you are ready to listen to reason." Odin was eager, it was easy to see to those who knew his plan.

Which made his Valkyrie feel even more conflicted over everything, something Akeno noticed. "Hey, don't worry."

"How can I not? My god is plotting and Shirou is…" She didn't want to say it but hoped they were right and the redhead somehow was able to deal with Loki.

The ravenhead offered a gentle smile but deep inside she also couldn't help but feel anxious. Despite all preparations and plans, the enemies were gods and while their part went along nicely, it was the Mage of Swords who took the burden of battle against such a dangerous foe.

Nevertheless the charade was almost done. 'Should I confess now? Tell everyone what we did?'

Before she had a chance of making his mind, Odin looked around before calling to her. "High Priestess, tell me, where is your goddess?" His tone was full of suspicion.

'Did he notice…' Once again Akeno raised her best smile. "Something wrong, Odin-sama?'

"Where is Medusa?" He asked even more bluntly. All eyes shifted to between him and the ravenhead except Vali's who folded his arms and chuckled in amusement. "She must have already felt our return. Where is she?"

"On the temple? Perhaps taking a nap?" Akeno suggested, not really replied.

"Are you playing with me?" The Aesir questioned back while focusing on his left ear. 'I can't hear Muninn.'

A thing few knew was that both of his familiars shared the same thoughts to an extent, allowing each to know what the other heard or seen throughout the globe to avoid the repetition of information.

In his ear he had a shrunken Huginn while Muninn was sent somewhere else for communication and vigilance. So long they were in the same world, the pair could relay to the other whatever they heard or saw to Odin's ears and there was nothing stopping them from relaying the information to someone else.

So when Odin checked with his familiars and got no immediate answer, every instinct he developed over his long life screamed there was something wrong.

Pieces of the puzzle also started falling neatly together into a picture he didn't like; Medusa's insistence of trying Jormungandr, the eagerness of some of his party with emphasis on Akeno and Arthur since their opinions were oddly in sync, adding to the fact the latter's sisters weren't present.

But the piece bothering him the most had to be Rossweisse who was acting far more shy than usual. "Where is she?"

"Again, she is probably just taking a nap. Maybe Shirou-kun cooked something." Koneko perked up at the idea.

Only for Rias to shut it down. "Akeno… what are you not telling us?" The ravenhead was far too flippant. Not even playful but aggressive with Odin.

"Miss Himejima, I think this is enough." Arthur decided to say and the priestess let out a sigh. "As things stand, it is already too late in either case."

"Arthur-san?" Asia was the first to notice the somberness on his face.

However Vali chose that point to laugh once again. "Hahahaha! So this was all really a set up! Amazing!"

Ise turned to his Rival, confusion evident. "A set up?"

"Where are they?" Odin demanded, his voice cold.

"Lord Odin-"

"Silence, Rossweisse!" Patience gone, the god's eye glared at Akeno. "What did she do?"

"'She'? Fufufu. Shirou-kun is right," for the first time in a while the hybrid's smile was honest, "you gods tend to underestimate us far too much."

"Akeno, stop playing around." Rias ordered and for a second the Queen grew quiet. "They aren't in the temple, are they?"

Again the ravenhead let out a sigh and was about to speak when, "If you want answers quickly, it would be best if you flew to the park," Arthur interrupted with an even tone.

"The park?" The pureblood redhead's eyes grew wide with horror. "But Loki-"

"Hihihihi. As Arthur said, you all better get going. If you fly high enough nobody is gonna see you all." Add chimed in and for a moment, everyone froze.

Until Odin's body suddenly vanished with a gust of wind and they all turned to him flying away. "Lord Odin!" Rossweisse's outfit changed to her armor and with a wave of her hands two swan-like wings took form on her back before she followed the god.

"Buchou, what do we do?" Ise questioned but Vali pulled off his sacred gear and began following the god as well.

"Why ask permission?! We are going to witness something incredible today! Hahahahaha!"

Rias clicked her tongue and opened her wings. "We are going to have words later."

Akeno nodded and did the same, both flying away as the rest of their peerage and much of Vali's group took to the skies. Most but not all, Bikou stayed behind looking at Arthur who was returning to the temple.

"Don't you wanna go? I can give you a lift."

"Thank you but it isn't necessary. If everything went as planned, you all will be back here in a short while." His piece said, the blond went inside while the monkey yokai created a golden cloud and jumped on it to catch up with the others. "Do you think we bought enough time, Add?"

"Hmm… Who knows…"

"Add, give me an honest opinion." Arthur gently asked as he removed his shoes and stepped inside the temple. "We managed to stall for almost an hour, that is plenty, right?"

The cube stayed quiet for a moment, mulling the words. "For the fight to start, sure. For it to end? Well, that was what the Geas with Loki was for. Any interruption from his side is favorable to us. Better saying, to Emiya Shirou. Kakakakaka! That Mage… he is insane. Almost as insane as Merlin. Can't believe you let your sisters hang out with him…"

Either a joke or implication, those words annoyed the eldest Pendragon sibling who flicked the Mystic Code with anger. "Shirou swore that my sisters wouldn't come to any harm and, considering the whole plan, it was more than evident he spoke true."

Yes, the conspiracy to kill a god spearheaded by the Mage of Swords and backed by Medusa was all to set up the conditions for a fight where Loki couldn't run and nobody could interrupt without consequences.

From planning to free Fenrir based on his Legend and the sound of swords hitting what Shirou deduced were chains to fighting one on one against a god, everything was calculated.

Everything else, the Holy Grail, help from Altria, Le Fay and Rin, even Rossweisse's contributions, was to tilt the odds in his favor because while Loki needed to be taken down the young man didn't want to die.

However the motive for their distraction, Arthur and Akeno, wasn't because of Odin but of Rias who wouldn't want to risk Shirou. She lived with powerful people her whole life and would understand better than most the risks of facing a god. They couldn't let her interrupt the fight for that would be Loki's victory per the Geas.

Odin's victory.

"Still can't believe you went along with all this. Or that you let the Lioness and Tiny Witch follow the Mage into this madness."

Arthur stopped to ponder Add's words. "Fay said he could do it if we helped. I trust her words more than him."

"Hihihi. Once upon a time believing Le Fay's words could start a war- Auch!"

"Don't mistake my sister with Morgan. How many times have I told you that?" He began shaking the cube for good measure, making sure the message sunk in.

It never did and wherever they passed laugher could be heard.

…

"It's almost over, isn't it?" A nervous Xenovia questioned as she and the others watched the dome of teal flame dance.

"Most likely. My Champion wouldn't have used his Reality Marble otherwise." Medusa pointed out but the goddess sounded uncertain.

However nobody could really disagree with her deduction when almost everything had gone as planned; Loki formed the shimmering barrier for his Mirror DImension, the copy of the god offering to open a hole for them to watch the fight just as he called Fenrir and ordered him inside.

After ten or so minutes after the Wolf of Ragnarok went in, they all watched the clone frown before he placed his hands on the boundary field to strengthen it. Medusa was about to call out a foul since that would go against the spirit of their agreement but before she could that god was drained out of all his mana and fell apart.

Fenrir emerged from the shimming barrier, ripping a tear in the pocket dimension before landing on the park proper. The women were worried for a second, worried for themselves and Fuyuki because if Shirou was wrong there was a chance the God Slayer would decimate everything.

Yet the Mage had been correct that while a predator, Loki's son shared no interest in his father's schemes. Better yet he was intelligent and terrifyingly so, enough to understand who released him and what to do after being freed.

That intelligence was the reason why Fenrir threw a look around before shrinking to the size of a horse and running away as fast as his legs could carry him. "Emiya-kun was right? He is never going to let me live this down?" Rin half complained, half joked at that moment. "If he gets the chance. That was the easy part."

Despite danger it was obvious the Legendary Wolf was an unwilling participant in the fighting which made it easier, or even possible, for others to survive him so long as they were careful and smart.

Loki, on the other hand, had just lost his most powerful weapon and was going to be angry.

Something they knew for sure when the Mirror Dimension kept standing even if the Trickster's Champion had departed. Which meant they predicted his actions correctly yet again and the real Aesir was hiding somewhere very close to Fenrir. Also implied that the deity took his place as the Champion.

Just as planned.

For several minutes they waited, mostly in silence but sometimes trading observations or offering small talk. At some point Xenovia asked if either Medusa or Le Fay had some way to allow them to watch the battle like the clone implied.

It was the goddess who said, "I don't know how to make a Mirror Dimension or mess with one." The frustration at her inability was evident and eyes shifted to Le Fay who shook her head making it clear she had nothing.

So they returned to the waiting, the bluehead swordswoman pacing back and forward with impatience. Her lover was inside the barrier, fighting against a god, just a few meters of distance so her irritation was understandable. Same with Medusa who folded her arms and tapped her finger while glaring at the shimmering air as if it would open a window.

Altria found herself looking in the same direction with stoicism but not as much as Leysritt who pulled off her weapon and stood in front of the boundary field like a guard. Yet the blonde could see how her legs were tense.

They all were tense and it took almost an hour before there was any change: Loki's boundary field suddenly twisted and compressed before falling apart to give way to a new one.

One that Medusa, Xenovia, Liz and Rin had seen several times in the past, a sign the fight was coming to its climax. It was what prompted the former Exorcist to question if the fight was almost over and the goddess to assure her that her Champion wouldn't use his final card otherwise.

Because that was a desperate attempt nevertheless, his last play versus a god.

"So this is a World Egg…" Le Fay whispered in wonder while examining the boundary field. 'Teal, much like the basic color of mana. Makes sense since, unless with Bellerophon, it is also his color. The radius is many times smaller than the previous boundary field, more or less the size of a tennis court- Wait, Altria mentioned he made an even smaller World Egg before, in an apartment. Considering how much energy this thing is letting out, that is impressive.'

Anyone with eyes who knew a little about magic could easily spot the differences between a normal boundary field and a World Egg, even if it was just Shirou's; the former was always static, almost like a fortress or the walls of one, while the latter looked like a more compressed dome with waves of energy moving around it.

Waves that reminded the smaller blonde of a flame but just teal in color and somehow more contained. "It doesn't look like an egg…" Le Fay heard her sister pointed out with a hand on her chin. "Why is it called 'World Egg'?"

Medusa chuckled before replying. "It is something to do with a few traditions about snakes.'

"And it is sorta of an egg, Ria." Le Fay couldn't help but say. "Think about it; beneath its shell lies a whole world, just waiting to burst forth. It has its own ecosystem, particularity and rules."

"Except those rules are exclusively bound to Emiya-kun." Rin informed, knowing that a fellow magician would be dying to know more. "He also can't control everything in there either: gravity is the same as Earths, there are no living creatures… The horizon was really infinite last time we tried to measure it… More or less."

"We couldn't reach its Sun. We left Unlimited Blade Works every time we tried." Xenovia remembered when she and Shirou tried to fly beyond the clouds only to find themselves unable to. "It is like the sky is also infinite."

"It is on its name, Unlimited Blade Works… on the other hand it also makes sense because a world or not, it isn't a part of a solar system so everything that exists there is limited to what a human can portray. Fascinating."

Le Fay began approaching the World Egg just before Lesyritt stabbed the ground in front of her with the back of her halberd. "Don't."

"I just want to take a better look."

"Don't."

Seeing that the homunculus wasn't going to allow passage, she turned to Rin. "Did you try to study the Reality Marble from outside?"

"A couple of times but we couldn't make heads or tails out of it… No, wait. That is wrong." Biting her lip, the twin tailed magus felt a headache approaching.

Medusa decided to put some of the witch's curiosity to rest. "As far as boundary fields go it is rather chaotic, strange, and just using magic won't break it…" The goddess added, to indicate the maid was only being cautious. "But if you pay too much attention to it, you end up getting invited inside."

"'Invited'?" Altria questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you mean dragged?"

"No, I mean invited. Studying this World Egg is like studying Shirou himself… And he would never force anyone in his world unnecessarily. It is just… welcoming to friends. Obviously we haven't tested it on enemies but Loki either isn't trying to escape or can't so in this scenario he is containing the danger." The Goddess of Snakes said with confidence before releasing a deep sigh. "Looks like time is running out. The others are back…"

A moment of silence fell and Rin couldn't help but feel a ball of fear creeping in her stomach. "How long- how long do you think we have… before Odin shows up?" She wasn't even remembering anyone else.

Medusa closed her eyes to watch the temple for a second before saying. "He will be here-"

From his departure to the party it was just an instant and the Old Man of the North landed in front of the goddess with an aura of murderous rage, his single eye blazing with power while he raised to his full height before the purple haired deity.

"-shortly. Hello Odin."

"Don't 'hello Odin' me you insufferable Wench."

"Ouch, I almost felt that." Medusa replied coyle while Vali, Rossweisse, Akeno and Kiba landed behind the older god. From the corner of her eye she saw the rest arriving but her gaze never left Odin. "But I would recommend you to not start anything because-"

"Because you already started it? Because you tricked me into playing fair while you cheated?!" Were his words while Rias and Kuroka arrived with Koneko in tow.

"Not very fair to say that when you were the first one to play dirty. Hurts when the shoe is on the other foot, doesn't it?" Ravel, Luvia, Gasper and Ise who helped Asia land next but all could only watch the gods interact. "What undignified stance from you, Odin. You made the first foul and just because we played at your level, you started crying!"

Bikou landed at last and almost lost his foot when Gungnir slammed on the ground. "Silence, Wench! This is too important for me!"

"Lord Odin-"

Rossweisse tried to say something but Rias lost her patience. "Medusa, Odin, one of you better explain what is going on." She moved to stand between the gods but a gelid aura stopped her tracks. "Odin! Are you trying to start a war-"

"Quiet! These games are over! The time for politics is dead!" His power began crushing everyone and Medusa felt her knees shake. "This little girl dared me to meddle in things beyond your comprehension."

To her credit Rias tried to push back against the Old Man of the North but when she called for her aura it was easily crushed. "I can assure you… my comprehension is… quite high."

"Lord Odin, I suggest you stop throwing a tantrum before you break the contract." Altria tried to be respectful but the second she could stand her hand was in her blade.

Not that would help much against the One Eyed God's attention. "What contract?"

"The one Loki sighed." Medusa announced to all while they began to spread around and gather their power to not be crushed under the Aesir's presence. Like the others, the goddess was also getting ready but while doing so she also drew a parchment from her hair. "A Challenge of Champions! Between me and Loki! Here are the terms!"

"Medusa!" Rias began to panic. She knew little necessarily about those sorts of challenges but the problem was rather obvious. "Who thought about this insanity- Why am I asking?! Why is Shiro fighting Fenrir?!"

Bikou began laughing. "Is he a mad man or what?"

"... Shirone, stay away from that Mage, he is a bad influence."

"Nee-san…" Koneko wanted to defend her friend but she couldn't really disagree.

Even Odin was confused as his anger diminished and he paid more attention to the contract. "If you wanted to-"

"Before you say anything, I should tell you that Fenrir is already out of the picture." Medusa revealed with an smug expression, making Rossweisse gasp in shock.

"Wait, that insane plan worked?" The Valkyrie closed her mouth with both hands.

But it was too late. "Treason!" Declared the god, pointing his spear at the silver haired maiden. "You dare to betray Asgard?! To share our secrets?!"

"There were no secrets shared."

"Don't try to cover her, Little Goddess." Considering she was almost his height recently, that could only be an insult. When the Aeisir turned back to the other deity, he found Vali in his path. "Step aside, Vanishing Dragon. That girl tricked Loki and the Mage of Swords wouldn't challenge him without having some sort of ace in his sleeve."

"Like that?" The hybrid pointed his thumb towards the unusual boundary field in the vicinity. "Looks a lot like an egg, doesn't it?"

"Shirou-kun used his Reality Marble…" Akeno observed with wonder. It wasn't the first time she saw the boundary field and every time she did it made her spine tingle.

"So this is it? Doesn't look like much to me?" Bikou commented while approaching only for Leysritt to get in his way.

"Don't touch."

"Jeez. Kay, kay. No reason to be mad."

"She isn't mad, just cautious." Xenovia informed while holding Durandal in a firm grip. Her eyes, almost everyone's really, were still stuck in Odin.

Who glared at his Valkyrie as she cowed under his gaze. "Oddities aside, you should stop this challenge." His eyes shifted back to Medusa. "There is no way Emiya Shirou can defeat Loki."

"Medusa…" Rias was conflicted as a part of her wanted to agree while another disagreed. In the end she heard the rational part of the argument. "Why did you risk Shiro like that? Even if he is stubborn as a mule, this plan wouldn't have gone forward without your help."

"Rias, your concerns are valid but Shirou saw this as the best way to corner Odin and Loki. To stop their plans."

"Either case, they shouldn't be fighting. There was no need for that…" The Aesir moved to stand in front of the World Egg. Once again Leysritt moved to protect it but nobody believed she had the ghost of a chance of holding the Old Man of the North back.

Fortunately that was something they accounted for. "Just so you know," Medusa started, freezing the god in place, "if you disrupt the challenge it is considered forfeit from your side."

"... I am not on Loki's side."

"Tell that to someone who believes it." Everyone paused as the gods matched gazes once more. "You want to become a True God and you think Shirou's Reality Marble can make it happen. You roped Loki into helping you corner him into a deal."

""What?!"" Rias and Ravel exclaimed, almost everyone else equally shocked.

"Wait a minute. What does this have to do with a fight?" Ise asked what some were wondering.

"Doesn't matter." Vali decided to say. "What matters is that Odin here conspired to conner Shirou into a settlement… and then got conspired against in turn." The hybrid laughed out loud as the devils and his friends watched the god in horror or concern. "This is just delicious! And the best spice, their plan is to kill Loki!"

"Vali!" Le Fay shouted in warning as Altria pulled her back and the park grew much colder.

"Oops. Sorry, wasn't he supposed to know that?" If anything the growing fury of the Aesir only amused him more. "Not that it matters. Damage done, spilled milk or something."

"You did that on purpose." Akeno pointed out while she and the others prepared for a fight.

Ise gave his Rival a look of irritation. "You're a dick."

But before things could escalate they all felt a shift in the air and turned toward the World Egg which began pulsing erratically, 'lightning bolts' of mana jumping around in an unpredictable fashion that forced everybody back.

Then Unlimited Blade Works began falling apart, its World Egg cracking as the park around it was damaged even further. Then a blast of flame burst out of the thing in the form of a tower so high it was like the night turned into day for a single second. A single lone second that put everyone on guard.

Because they felt the might of a god going all out and then being snuffled like a candle blowing in the wind.

In moments the Reality Marble had vanished completely and only the two combatants remained.

One breathing, the other wasn't.

Rossweisse dropped to a knee and held her heart. "Lord Loki… is dead…"

The woman didn't even need to look at the corpse to say as much, she felt a starking void in her chest that, when associated with the sight before her eyes, could only exist because one of her gods was dead.

Loki was a sorry sight to be sure but the deity was Fated to be tortured day in and day out by a snake dropping venom on his eyes until the end of times which was only possible because of his Divine body.

A body that shouldn't die even if it lost a gallon of blood, had its limbs torn apart or lost most organs.

Yet he was dead and the Valkyrie didn't know how. "He did it…" Rin said in wonder before Rias, Akeno, Xenovia and Leysritt dashed in the Mage's direction. "Emiya-kun really did it!"

"A god is dead." Kuroka whispered in wonder.

"Heh, not the first." Vali commented while he kept an eye on Odin who looked stunned. Ise let Asia go and she rushed to Shirou who was obviously not in the best condition.

Because both sides had suffered in their final clash with the former redhead's body almost as wounded as the god's, the two warriors ending up in puddles of their own blood albeit the deity's was bigger and of a different color.

'He did… He hit the Core…' Medusa couldn't help but stare at the deceased god with wonder for her Champion had managed to break through his defenses and hit his 'weak point'.

Not that a Divine Core was weak by any measure, it was literally a god's hardest part to be destroyed with so many protections that it would be easier to hit and destroy the world's smallest diamond with an equally small needle.

But the proof of Loki's Core being destroyed was evident for all to see. "Gold blood?" Questioned Ravel.

"A god 's blood. Or the blood from their Core." Bikou spoke with disbelief. "And a human managed to hit it… That is just…"

"Hehe. Hard to miss with an attack like that." Vali commented as he approached the dead Aesir and, avoiding touching it, motioned to the huge gash on Loki's body. "Wonder what sword he used…"

A huge slash like the one in the Aesir's body went from his shoulder to his waist and was extremely clean going through his body, separating much of the upper torso from the rest.

Neither bone or magic survived the hit and Loki's last expression had been one of confusion which he kept until his life expired instantly for he wasn't ready a blade to reach him nor for his Core to shatter.

"Shiro! Shiro! Talk to me!" Rias tried to stir her lover but his eyes were closed and he looked more dead than alive. "Asia! Asia!"

"Buchou, calm down!" Akeno worked with EM but there were too many wounds, internal and external. Worse yet, "His body is falling apart! Le Fay!"

"What did he do to himself?!" Rias could only see the mess Shirou's body was but knew it was literally only the surface which wasn't a pleasant sight.

The Mage of Swords was bleeding everywhere, several burns covered him with his right arm surviving basically as charcoal. Fittingly his body temperature was too high, high enough that any normal person would have fried from the inside. His left hand was the least wounded part of his body and was holding something covered with soot.

Something that was shining a weak golden glow.

"A lot of things." Xenovia answered as she watched over with worry, her eyes going from her lover, to Odin and back to the former. For the moment the Old Man of the North appeared to be in shock.

Initially he was but at that point the Aesir was paying attention to everything and trying to keep a few things hidden. Unfortunately he wasn't capable of doing so because Vali wanted to confirm those exact things and did so unexpectedly; he kicked Loki's head and a loud crack was heard.

"Vanishing Dragon!" Despite his misgivings the Trickster was an Asgardian and the mistreatment of his body infuriated Rossweisse. Until she saw something emerging from the god's ear, a familiar crow. "That is-"

"I suppose that leaves us without any doubts." Vali declared with a smirk and they all heard Albion chuckle. "You are behind all of this."

[As expected of the Original Trickster of Asgard. Fufufu.]

"This isn't the time for that! Someone help here!" Rias moved to place Shirou's head in her lap as Asia and Akeno worked. Koneko and Kuroka arrived soon, the nekomatas flinched upon feeling something inside his body.

"Nya? What the- He is about to explode!"

"No, Nee-san. His body is taking in too much power."

"I know that but… this is just."

"Le Fay move your ass!" Xenovia ordered in desperation but the witch was already approaching with a cold but detached look.

After a second she let out a sigh, knowing things were about to go down hill. "Liz, please step aside." The maid obeyed immediately and the blonde began to move towards the unconscious magician's left arm. Or really to the thing buried besides him which he held with all his strength. 'He left it behind but refused to let go. A good thing because otherwise his life would have been forfeit.'

Yet there was barely any light when she touched the object, almost as if it was falling inert or losing its powers which should be impossible. Something else was going on but since there was still a spark in there, something keeping the Mage of Swords alive, she knew it was his best shot.

So, keeping his hand firmly on the Artifact, Le Fay waved her wand and unleashed a small gust of wind to clean the soot revealing something perfect to everyone's eyes. There was no better way to describe it for it was a complete symmetrical object without a single flaw.

A beautiful sheath that seemed far too captivating to be a mere object; most of its body was made of 'gold' that was more valuable than the metal with blue decorations in the form of several lines that crossed each other at several points.

Upon being revealed, even if it didn't show any power, there was an aura of nobility, perseverance and tranquility around the Noble Phantasm, almost like it was inviting everyone to Paradise itself.

Safe to say most of the present had ever seen anything like it nor could they comprehend its Existence. A treasure of incomparable value that held a Miracle not of Divine Origin but the embrace of the World itself.

A glance was all a god needed to remember its name. "Avalon…" Odin whispered, recognizing the sheath from a distant memory over a thousand years old. "So it was here… The key…"

"Avalon?" Ravel questioned. "Wasn't that-"

"King Arthur's Scabbard! Avalon the Ever Distant Utopia!" Kiba was sweating and in a bit of a panic.

"Well, that explains the… inconsistent healing." Vali whistled in appreciation as he stepped over Loki's body and began approaching Shirou's.

[With something like that, it wasn't for nothing he was confident in facing a god.] Albion mused with admiration. [Only way to kill him is…]

[Aim for the head.] Ddraig concluded his Rival's thoughts. [Nothing else will work if Avalon is at full capacity.]

"But that is impossible!" Kiba shouted immediately. "Avalon can only work with King Arthur! Nobody else! That would mean that Shirou is King Arthur!"

"Kiba, calm down." Luvia placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe some of the healing survived over the years… and we have seen Shero get hurt before."

Since the Rook was correct, the Knight managed to control himself. 'Right. Right, he can't be King Arthur… But then how did Avalon-' Kiba's eyes grow wide as he began looking at a particular person.

He wasn't the only one as Luvia, Koneko, Rin, Vali and Bikou did the same. They all were staring at Altria and failing to see her expression. Head was low and hair hiding her eyes, she held Clarent's handle so tight her hand was already bleeding.

Meanwhile some of the present began understanding the implications of the Mage's previous actions, the witch, who knew the complete truth, ignored it all to hold Avalon close to the former redhead's chest.

Le Fay slowly held the sheath above Shirou's heart and tried to push. "Huh? It isn't working."

"What is wrong?!" Rias demanded in a panic as she could almost feel her lover falling apart in her arms.

"Avalon isn't returning to his soul."

"Why? It was there before!" Xenovia also was growing increasingly worried. "Avalon has been with him most of his life! His father saved him with it… Why isn't it working?"

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know?!"

"Rias-"

"Shut up, Akeno!" Born To Be Wild manifested behind the Heiress rather forcefully. Half formed, the Stand grabbed the witch's shoulder but the girl barely reacted. "You all went along with- with- with this suicidal plan! You better don't let Shiro die or else-"

"Calm down, Gremory." With a hand, Vali destroyed her construct and freed his friend. "We don't want him to die either and Avalon seems to be keeping him alive, if just barely."

"Is it running out of power or something?" Ise asked while raising his hand. "Maybe I can Boost it?"

[It isn't like that, Partner. Avalon is an Artifact of the highest order. It is something even beyond sacred gears.]

"It also isn't something that just… runs out of energy." Le Fay tried to use her mana on the scabbard but it was rejected. "Avalon is both the name of the Land of the Fairies and their greatest masterpiece. An absolute defense capable of rejecting any harm to its owner no matter what. Be it Magic, Time or even Divine, Avalon can block them all."

"But it should only work with King Arthur…" Akeno tried to not do it but ended up glancing at Altria before immediately turning back to the witch. "At least at its full capacity."

"Correct, but even then it is still a powerful protection and healing to anyone who has it… But it is fighting back. It doesn't want to return to Emiya Shirou."

"Then is Shirou-san going to die?" Asia asked with sadness and some looked at her with horror. But the former nun's words also carried a tone of truth and since she had been working on the Mage with her sacred gear the whole time she was sure that was a fact.

"What a waste." Odin mumbled before glaring between Shirou and Loki. "All that just to not say 'no'."

Medusa grew angry. "You were trying to force him to say 'yes'!"

"So says you." Both of his crows flew high as the god's anger began surrounding his body. "I could be trying to negotiate with Loki this whole time as far as you could tell."

"I had eyes on you the whole time! You never had a chance-"

"A girl like you doesn't know enough to say what I could or could not do!" Odin's power tried to silence the goddess.

But she was ready that time. "Just because you are more powerful, doesn't mean you are infallible. I had eyes on you the whole time since our first meeting. My children told me of your every step! Every move! The fact we saw nothing is evidence that your words are false!" The purple haired deity glared with far more intensity than the Old Man expected. He tried to find some sort of counter argument but that only led her to keep going. "You allied with Loki to manipulate Shirou! He being here is only possible because of you! Because of the connection you two share! Your Origin-"

"Silence! I won't have-"

Suddenly a gold light began emanating from Avalon, one so strong it was almost blinding. "My eyes!" For someone like Gasper it was blinding and the former dhampir moved to hide behind Kuroka who didn't mind extending her protection to him.

Most devils felt similar if reduced effects and even some of the others couldn't deny the Ever Distant Utopia's glow was growing stronger in a rhythm as someone approached the sheath with cautious if not hesitant steps.

Because Altria managed to piece together the truth her own sister and Emiya Shirou tried to hide from her, especially because she had been around every time the latter had healed from several fatal wounds.

From their fight against Zolgen, their own match, his struggle against the Red Raging Dragon and most recently his challenge to Loki. Every time the Mage had come close to dying, Avalon had healed him beyond acceptable parameters since he wasn't King Arthur.

Then he invited her into the conspiracy, only requesting her present while avoiding giving any real reason to why. Altria just didn't look too deeply because Le Fay asked her not to do so after the witch and the magus traded secrets back when the Holy Grail had been delivered.

Already suspicious about pretty much everything, Avalon's presence and invitation just affirmed what she already suspected. The young woman could tell that the beacon to Utopia wasn't for anyone but her. Somehow the scabbard knew who she was and its Existence was presenting itself to 'King Arthur'.

Finally Altria kneeled before Shirou and raised her hands. "Give it here." Once she made the request, Avalon's light diminished to manageable levels.

"Please, don't." Rias' voice was weak. She was almost begging. "Shiro… he needs it."

Altria offered her a glace but her focus was on Le Fay who said, "Avalon isn't the Sword of Selection who gets to choose who owns it. The Ever Distant Utopia can only belong to Artoria Pendragon, King Arthur." Her expression grew sadder as she stared at her sister. "Ria, I-"

"Just give it to me." The older woman ordered with a serious expression, one not harsh but decisive which led the witch to do as asked.

When Avalon reached Altria's hands it was like her shoulders had grown lighter out of nowhere and her body received a jolt of energy so strong it took a will of steel for her to not jump in place.

Then, while a new sense of peace flooded into her, she felt her body change.

She wasn't transforming or anything similar but physically she was definitely becoming the best and most complete version of herself. For Avalon rejected anything that could bring harm to the user and its full capability did more than just heal wounds. Sure its basic healing was superior to any other form of the same but it still had limits.

But once in Altria's hands, once reunited with the reincarnation of Artoria Pendragon, all of the shealth's functions were unlocked.

Time stopped affecting her body in that instant for age was a weakness.

Scars from years of training vanished for they were imperfections and vulnerabilities.

Cells once too damaged or lost regrew in a better fashion, making her muscles stronger.

Even the Dragon Core in her breast began working more smoothly as whatever damage mana ever did to her body disappeared without a trace.

Perhaps because of that, or perhaps because Avalon could fix 'King Arthur' on a genetic level, Altria's hair began growing brighter. The platinum blonde changed into pure gold treads that were able to shine even in the night as her Noble Phantasm pulsed one last time showing its satisfaction.

For two sides of a whole finally had met again and she caressed her scabbard with wonder.

Before it turned to horror as the implications of everything slammed on her head.

"Please…" A voice snapped the blonde from her musings. "Please, save him." Rias begged with tears in her eyes knowing the only one who could do it was Altria.

Who looked at Avalon with understanding, knowing that by just taking it away from Shirou's vicinity she had pretty much doomed him to die. In fact his breathing grew more labored and his body began twitching in agony. By that point Asia was desperately trying to keep her friend together and Ise gave her a Boost when she began to falter.

A patchwork job, that was the best she could do regardless

'She isn't under any obligation to do anything.' Ravel realized with sadness. 'Avalon is one of the most powerful Noble Phantasms. It is fair to say that if she keeps it…'

'She is one of the Strongest now.' Vali felt Avalon's power in Altria's hands and instinctively knew that in a fight, he would have little recourse to beat her. 'Azazel once told me that, after I met Altria and the others, that King Arthur was able to use Avalon to separate herself from Reality and block everything.'

"Absolute defense. The capability to reflect anything harmful." Odin observed with caution.

"Altria…" Le Fay whispered. "You need to-"

Instead of giving her sister any attention, the blonde turned back to the Mage and gently placed her Noble Phantasm in her chest. The scabbard had an instant effect and several of the burns began vanishing. Several but not all since his right arm was still charcoal to anyone's eyes.

"Return to him." Altria's soft voice got a reaction, the Legendary Scabbard flowing into the Mage's body like if made of water.

Soon its light had vanished and Shirou opened his eyes before taking a deep but sudden breath. The first thing he saw wasn't Rias' relieved face nor the celebrating Xenovia or even Asia holding his hand trying to keep him together. No, the first person he saw was the image of Artoria Pendragon but less stern and more confused.

Her lack of armor and present school uniform erased any notion she was a dream or his 'sparring partner' but actually the figure of Altria Pendragon who looked more ethereal than before.

Beautiful and noble like Artoria was supposed to be. "I am sorry."

The young woman stared into his newly gray, almost silver, eyes and nodded her head. If anything her confusion had only grown but she took a step back from him to allow the Mage to stand.

Avalon did its job splendidly, fully healing the exhausted white haired man who slowly got back on his feet with some support from Rias and Akeno. His arm quickly returned to normal and every wound he had vanished without a trace. Didn't fix his hair or eyes, their natural colour consumed by the heat and transformed by his mana.

"So you live." Odin spoke before anyone else could. His aura was heavy and cold. His eye colder. "We have matters to discuss."

"Kinda rude, don't you think, Odin?" Bikou exclaimed while preparing his staff. He wasn't the only one getting read as Ravel drew her swords and Leysritt changed her posture to a defensive one.

Then they all felt the All Father's might, his presence crashing on their shoulders one more time as his power pretty much exploded from his body. "Silence, monkey. This doesn't concern you. Any of you. I have business with the Mage of Swords and him alone."

"Then you will have a word with me!" Medusa raised her power to fight back but she wasn't in her temple and was almost crushed instantly. Knees shaking, she kept her head high. "Loki's agreement-"

"Was Loki's and he… is dead." Odin's tone was dark and sinister as his eye began glowing ominously. "A human killed a god."

"Yeah! Isn't that great!"

"Vali, seriously…" Ise let out an exasperated sigh while preparing the Boosted Gear.

A growl silenced them, Odin wasn't amused. "Out of the way, dragons!" Suddenly a gust of wind tried to blast everyone off their feet only for several runes to block it. "Girl… you are just proving yourself a traitor."

Rossweisse flinched but stabbed her spear on the ground to push her god's power back. "Lord Odin, you can't do that! You are about to start a war!" Her body surrounded with energy, she empowered her runes further. Mana waved around her as she prepared to contain her god. "For Asgard's sake, for our Pantheon-"

"Silence your tongue." The silver haired woman's voice was gone, just like that. "All I do is for Asgard's sake."

Shirou glared at the god, fury coursing through his being. "Funny, Loki said the same thing. You and him are cut from the same cloth." The god and the mortal exchanged glares of rage. "In more ways than one."

Then Odin gave the Mage one look of irritation. "You are overstepping, Emiya Shirou."

"And you tried to trick me. To manipulate me into becoming one with you by placing my loved ones in danger." He hugged Rias' waste while trying to muster his strength. Fortunately the Holy Grail could keep him in the fight so long Altria was around despite exhaustion. "I am going to tell you the same thing I told Loki; I am never going to join hands with a god willing to harm people for power."

"Are you sure about that?" It was Luvia who questioned. "I mean, Shero, this is True Goodhood we are talking about. You would be immortal and pretty much invincible."

"Listen to the blonde devil. She knows what she is talking about." Yet Odin remained ready for a fight. He wasn't foolish enough to think words could sway Shirou.

If they were, trickery and coercion wouldn't have been needed from the very beginning.

"My answer stays the same. I won't risk any part of me becoming a god like you, someone ready to sacrifice others. You and Loki are the same. That was why he didn't fight back when you imprisoned his sons and threw his daughter in the cold to be its queen."

The night grew darker as Odin's body bulked up, the old man's appearance slowly changing into one of a warrior. "Then you shall die. I cannot allow someone with a Reality Marble walking around for another god to take."

Opening her arms, Medusa began fighting back. "That you think a god can take him alone says alot about you."

But her power was quickly suffocated by the Aesir's. "A young goddess like you should know her place."

"Lord Odin!" Rossweisse finally managed to find her voice by unleashing her full power.

Which only enraged her god. "Girl, You Are Dismissed." Weakness struck the Valkyrie when her spear broke in her grip into hundreds of sparkles. All of which moved to join Gungnir, making its power raise slightly albeit insignificantly. "I don't need anyone who will stand on my path. Your services are no longer required and you are free to die as you please, even if it is by my hand!"

Because all Valkyries who served Odin received a copy of Gungnir which was the strongest spear the Norse had to offer. Once having worked for the god, even if they didn't learn much about Primeval Runes and left for any reason, the women could keep the weapon to boost their offense.

However Rossweisse had been dismissed, fired, and so the weapon returned to Odin because whether it was a copy or not it was still Gungnir.

Losing her spear shocked the Valkyrie to the point her hands began shaking but quickly got a hold of herself and prepared for a fight. A fight she was pretty sure they had no chance of winning because it took everything Shirou had and a very complicated plan for Loki to be brought down.

And Odin was many times stronger than Loki.

[Balance Breaker!]

"Peerless Armor!"

"Serpent Eye!"

Nevertheless the Valkyrie wasn't alone as the two dragons, the knight and the priestess called for their own powers to help counter the Aesir's.

"Hahaha! Tonight we are fighting a god! What a time to be alive!" Roared the Vanishing Dragon.

'We have a chance.' Rossweisse thought as everyone prepared for combat. 'With this many people, the two Heavenly Dragons and a goddess, not even-

"Are you all underestimating me?" Odin asked back as his power grew exponentially as runes began surging everywhere. "I am the King of Asgard! All Father of the Norse! God King of War and Magic! I am ODIN!"

A blizzard took over the park and that time nobody managed to stay on their feet as the Aesir prepared himself to deal with Shirou. Gungnir aimed for the Mage's head as magic began fluctuating around its tip. Some moved to attack him or deflect the telegraphed blow but the storm kept them at bay.

Leaving a straight path between him and Shirou, the magus still glaring at him defiantly while mustering his mana.

For all intents and purposes Odin knew the group before him had no chance of winning; sure the Mage of Swords managed to defeat Loki and Vali was a fully realized Vanishing Dragon but they were far from their peak with the former being exhausted while the latter needed to use Juggernaut Drive to even the odds.

Everybody else wasn't a problem due to lacking power with the only exception in Altria if she retrieved Avalon once more. He doubted she would since that would kill the Mage but that was his goal regardless so even if that happened victory would go for the god. Medusa also was too far from her temple so she was basically a non entity powerwise.

In fact it was obvious fighting him was never part of the plan.

Unfortunately for everyone Odin could be quite petty and Loki's death made things worse.

There were no reinforcements coming and the Old Man was aware of most if not all of their tricks since Muninn returned, telling him everything that happened on the Challenge of Champions.

With all factors accounted for, Odin knew that a quick decisive strike to the Mage's head then the fast deaths of Altria, Vali, Medusa and perhaps Ise would eliminate all threats before he started cleaning up the rest.

And so with his target insight, Gungnir prepared for slaughter.

"Know this is nothing personal! All of you shall die for defying-"

Only for a loud howl to cut his train of thought and undo his blizzard, much to the Aesir's shock.

"No! No! You can't be here!"

All turned around to a figure illuminated by the Moon, a huge black wolf with familiar yellow eyes stared straight into Odin's soul. It was without a shadow of a doubt one of the Strongest, the one Shirou broke free during his fight with Loki and the god's original Champion.

Who had returned to Fuyuki upon realizing he was finally free but the person who freed him would need help against his father. He didn't expect the Mage to win the fight and was already planning to rip the Mirror Dimension apart to grant the magus victory. After all, he was smart enough to know his father was in the wrong and deserved losing.

Fenrir returned in time to watch the Mage of Swords fight for his life and chose to wait for the result of his struggle. When the young man lived, the Legendary Wolf prepared to depart only to feel Odin trying to attack his savior and his friends. They were supposed to be allies so he was about to let the Aesir go but his actions changed everything.

And the debt still needed to be repaid. "You left! You left! Why are you-"

"Well, that is what I call a bad situation. For you, I mean, not for us." Rias moved to stand in front of Shirou despite the magus' protests. Xenovia also pulled him back with Altria, Rin and Le Fay who noticed his exhaustion. "So, what is your move? I don't think Fenrir will stay quiet if you finish that thrust."

It would kill her first anyway and she wasn't relevant enough to the Aesir. If it was Mage then at least the god could take the risk and run away after the strike.

Yet Fenrir was showing his allegiance with his enemies which included the devils meaning that even if he killed Rias, the Legendary Wolf would be more than ready to start Ragnarok then and there.

'It isn't just her…' Odin watched Leysritt standing in front of the Heiress, Akeno by her side ready to take the blow, Kuroka and Koneko prepared to block it if needed. Not only them but there was the rest as well, Bikou a step from attacking with his staff, Luvia holding eight gems full of power, Kiba and Ravel's swords pointing in his direction while behind them Gasper unleashed his sacred gear trying to contain the god. 'The moment I attack, everyone else will do everything they can to pin me down. Fenri won't miss that chance.'

Already snakes were arriving from all over Fuyuki as Medusa powered them up. He tried to counter with his runes but Rossweisse knew his tricks and broke them apart with just the slightest hesitation. What he needed was a fast attack to reach his goal but nobody was willing to give him the chance.

Especially the two Dragon Emperors; the Red One looked ready to commit murder if given the chance while the White One was eager to get things started if more guarded as his wings were positioned to protect the others.

Yet it was him who said, "Please, please, try something." Anyone could guess Vali was smiling. "Make my day."

"There is no shame in retreating, Odin. Definitively not when you are surrounded." Altria drew Clarent from its sheath, her eyes blazing with resolve. "But if you do insist on fighting, be ready to die by our hand."

Gritting his teeth with fury, the Old Man of the North glared at everyone one final time before his lone eye rested on Fenrir who was just waiting, begging, for the fight to start so he could swallow him whole as foretold.

Definitely the Legendary Wolf was the biggest threat.

Previously only Loki's presence kept the All Father of the Norse safe but with the Trickster's demise the only thing keeping the Divine Beast back was some sense of honor the god didn't know he had.

Leaving him no choice but to recognize it was his loss. "This isn't over."

Huginn and Muninn emerged from the shadows of Odin's clothes, surrounding him with their feathers before departing from Fuyuki completely. Medusa confirmed as much when she closed her eyes to feel around the city and shook her head as a sign the older deity had really left.

Despite that there was still Fenrir to deal with, their bodies turning to the wolf who stood at a safe distance, looking at them not as prey but with curiosity. "So… we aren't fighting him again, are we?" Ise asked cautiously.

Almost as if to answer his question the Divine Beast looked Shirou in the eyes before offering him a nod of respect to then leave the area at full speed. For a few seconds they could feel the Legendary Wolf's power in the distance but a while later it was gone like the wind.

"That is 'no'." Koneko couldn't help but to be relieved, a sentiment shared by the majority.

Not Rias who turned to her lover with disappointment, concern and righteous anger. "You have a lot to explain." She turned to Akeno, Altria, Le Fay, Medusa and Rin, the only one who flinched at her glare. "All of you."

Fairly enough, they didn't challenge her on that.

…..

Well, site has been strange over the last few months, swalloing some stuff, not sending messages, messing up with the archive when its converted to be posted. For the first time I had enough energy to fix stuff before posting here but still sorry if the last few chapters were rather ugly or if I missed anything.

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Apprentice of Life or

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