After 9 years of FGO in Japan...Hakuno is a playable character! Okay, not officially yet. Not until part 3 of the summer event is done and we've only seen Male Hakuno in action. I'm sure Female Hakuno will display her gameplay in the final part of the summer event. Looking forward to this NA side!
All that was heard from the blinding light was a choir, a symphony of different music all forced to the same tune. When Bell opened his eyes, he recognized the Dark Eden before him, yet at the same time didn't. The foul garden led to a grand cathedral near it. He was lost, confused even as to where he was. Pipe Organs playing ominous tunes, the choir of people singing lyricless songs in deep, forceful tones, and the eerily quietness despite the sounds. "W-Where is this?" Bell asked, not expecting a response, but an answer came to him clear as day.
"This is Deus's inner world. A pocket dimension that stores his reserves of power of faith."
"Lord Elohim?" Bell asked in confusion.
"It is I, child. Be wary. We were absorbed by Deus in his attempt to steal me and my power to best your Captain in another battle."
There was a rumble from outside, shaking this twisted realm like an earthquake. Faint voices of Hakuno, the powerful thunderous tone of Deus, and sounds of battle continued. "Captain Hakuno needs me, what do we do Lord Elohim?" Bell panicked as the god's calm voice spoke to him.
"Explore this realm. This is the final bastion of Deus's power. Disabling the source of His strength will get us out of her and help the young girl in her current fight. She had used up alot of her strength to push Deus this far. If we don't do anything, she'll be enslaved by Him."
That was incentive enough for Bell. He knew his Captain was strong but even she had limits as a mortal. So with his trademark rabbit speed he ran forward towards the two buildings in this inner world. Descending deeper into the twisted mind of Deus, Bell noticed statues, crucified and the sound of voices singing a choir. There was a wrongness to them that set his hairs on edge. "Lord Elohim, what are these statues?" the rabbit boy inquired.
"...souls. Souls of mankind harvested by Deus to worship Him for eternity. They were robbed of wisdom and knowledge, of free will and reduced to puppets to satisfy His ego and grant Him strength. The fate that will befall our world if He wins." Elohim explained, much to the growing horror that was etched onto Bell's face. "We must make haste to the heart of this malicious realm and end this nightmare before it is too late."
And so he ran, the young aspiring hero ran with all his might, not caring for the oxygen escaping his lungs, of his muscles beginning to grow sore and tired. He had to hurry, protect his Captain and save the world from this growing threat.
Do not worry My young child. When My Order is set on this barbaric world, you will be its hero that will keep it stabilized.
Adored.
Respected.
Loved.
You will have a harem of lovely wives devoted to you. I can even bring back your grandfather as by My Word. Give up on this endeavor, and submit to My cause.
Deus's voice whispered promises that would have tempted Bell in the past. But he had seen what was in this God's twisted mind and the actions His followers did for His cause. The dream of an ideal was tempered with Hakuno's wisdom on reality and truth granted Bell perspective of what it means to be a hero. Even if the choices were wrong and people do not agree with you, follow the path YOU believe is right. No man, beast, monster or god should decide things for him. Heroes his grandfather told him were chaotic, fools that went against the norms of their time that allowed them to accomplish feats that made them heroes.
Going against a god in their own realm is something this fool was doing right now, for doing what he believes is right. And there, at the very core of the inner world were the same crucified statues-no, crucified souls singing that same choir. But these statues were older, more worn out over the passage of time as Elohim breathed in quiet horror.
"These must be His original followers. The first worshippers that created Deus as the God He is now."
"What do you mean?" Bell questioned.
"Gods were created by ancient spiritualistic mortals in primordial times. Through objects of worship and faith, we gods came to be. Worship things like the hearth is what created the goddess Hestia that you follow. After the newly born gods established a firm order on the world, they began to remake parts of the world they've conquered in their ideal images. Doing so, the ancient mortals that created us were wiped out in the aftermath. It was then, we realized we needed worshippers and followers to sustain our divine powers."
Elohim was revealing a deep secret about the gods to Bell and his amazement, shock and surprise took to it like a fish to a river. "Then they created mortal races to worship them, like us…" Bell realized as Elohim confirmed with a grunt of acknowledgment.
"Yes. With the connection I have with Deus due to Him hijacking my body, I saw His birth, His memories. He was once a version of me, a King of the Gods of a Pantheon. Subjugation by a different culture and their gods caused strife amongst the ancient humans that were created by us, made them hate the numerous divinities out there and sought only a single, all-powerful, all-knowing…perfect God. Me and my pantheon heard the wishes and prayers of our followers and decided to merge our existence and powers into the God they wished for."
"Creating Deus…" Bell whispered, looking at the worn statues more closely, noticing watermarks trailing from their eyes. No, not watermarks he discovered. They were tear marks. He wondered…
"As you can see, they succeeded. They wanted Order across the world, no more other gods to worship to. A purge of other pantheons to prove a singular God's superiority. They willingly gave themselves up to give their God the strength by offering their souls to become one at His side and joyously worship him."
"These statues say otherwise. They must have seen the atrocities Deus committed for their wish and…" Bell trailed off, noticing the Holy Sword that Hakuno created from the Hestia Knife was emitting a faint light. The statue choir here had begun to sing in a more sober tune, it sounded sad, as if they no longer found happiness as they sang.
"Your Captain is a paracausal human, someone that goes against the laws of existence itself that cannot be controlled. Deus fears her and her kind's power because they can one day undo His existence if they learned His darkest secrets. The blade holds fragments of that paracausal power within it, a sword that can sever the fallen god's lifeline." That was knowledge gleaned from Deus's memory, and the boy looked at the sword with a sense of ominous foreboding.
"What must I do?" he asked.
"To destroy the vile one and release the repentant many, you must destroy these statues-these souls to cripple Him. Unlike the ones we found on our way here, these ones have their knowledge and free will. They knew what they did was wrong and wish for atonement for the atrocities they committed when they created Deus. I wish not to force you to do this so I-!"
The Holy Sword sang in the air as Bell destroyed a statue, the ghostly light-the soul leaving it before evaporating into the aether and the world trembled. They heard a pained scream that came from Deus Himself as the choir and music violently turned into a chaotic mess as the battle outside was instantly changing to Hakuno's favor. "No Lord Elohim. This is something I must do for the sake of those out there. You cannot carry this burden alone." Bell breathed out as he began to liberate the souls of Deus's original worshippers and the inner world trembled from this act of desecration.
I will…Cut. You. Out!
Pain. Pain was what followed as Bell's very body was crushed by an unseen force. Bones were crushed, muscles torn, veins ceased to flow blood. If it were not for Elohim's power, Bell would have died right there and now.
"Flaming Lance, forward!"
Demonic flames engulfed the world, and a familiar figure of his Captain reaching out to him was the last thing he saw before darkness swallowed his vision.