Of a Blades and Devils part 5/6
The rest of the morning had passed by in a flash. Madison and Samuel had spent the time he was recovering to fill him in on more of the rules and particulars of the Grail War, although that was mostly explaining to him about how he had suddenly realised that he was Archer. Apparently it was because the servants themselves were aware of their class when they were summoned in the first two wars, and the knowledge of their class was passed onto their host. He should have been aware of his class earlier, but Madison had theorised that since he had been shunning his magic for such a long time he had begun to disconnect with the heroic spirit.
"I want to save people." He muttered to himself. It was only when he had remembered and embraced that old dream had he learnt of his class. Maybe that was something he and the spirit he was hosting shared, a desire to save people. Or perhaps he had that desire in the first place because he was hosting the spirit.
Other than that it was fairly easy to understand. Rules to follow, ways to remain secret and other such things. Samuel had given him his number, and Madison had given him the key and the code to her hotel room. The plan was to meet up after school and incorporate Issei into their plan for the war.
Although he may and up arriving later than expected. He was almost right about getting a detention for being late to school, what he didn't expect was to be chewed out by the student council president herself. She had been in the school office when he had arrived and had taken it upon herself to administer his punishment.
Sona Shitori was a no-nonsense sort of person, who was unforgiving of the antics of him and his friends at the best of times. He had just showed up after missing half the school day. In other words she wasn't happy with him.
"And that is even with your groups actions on top of it. This is your last warning, I will not tolerate any further misbehaviour."
With that said she studied him for a moment, as if trying to come to a decision. "I will be seeing you in detention after school today Mr Hyoudou."
What did she mean by seeing him in detention? He considered the question as Sona left the room. "Hold on is she hosting it herself?" He glance towards the receptionist who nodded.
"Dammit."
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"Hey Issei!" The voice of Matsuda came from down the corridor. "Where you been?"
Turning around Issei saw his friends hurrying to catch up with him. "Matsuda, Motahama. What's up?"
Motahama spoke up first. "Where have you been man? You missed half the day."
"We found an awesome spot." Matsuda continued "You have to check it out after lunch."
Normally Issei would have jumped at the chance to do what was being implied here, but right now…
"Sorry guys, not in the mood for that stuff right now. Let's just eat lunch."
With that his friends jerked back as if hit by a bolt of lightning. "What!" The pair cried out in unison. "Who are you and where's Issei?"
He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry guys, something happened with Yuuma last night and I don't fell up to it right now."
Matsuda leaned forwards slightly, eyes full of curiosity. "Who's Yuuma?"
Issei paused. He had told the pair about his date yesterday, and they had made more than enough fuss over it. Normally he would have said that they were pulling his leg, but the way the last couple of days had gone made him think twice. It was possible that Yuuma or someone else, possibly even the priest had done something to make everyone forget about her. Madison had said there was magic like that.
"Oh, I forget I haven't introduced you guys. Yuuma is a friend of mine, she drops by to visit family every so often. She needed somewhere to crash before she left for America last night."
The pair gasped, with entirely too much drama for such a small thing. "You!" Chocked out Matsuda.
"Know a girl." Finished Motohama.
"Yes. And no I don't peek on her, I've known her for so long it would be like doing that to a sister, or my mother."
The pair nodded at the response, they may be perverts but even the three of them had limits. Unfortunately that only extended to him being excused.
"Any idea when she's back in town, if she stays at yours then we would have so many opportunities to peek?"
Within seconds of uttering the remark Matsuda was lying of the floor clutching his head in pain. Behind him stood some members of the Kendo club, obviously coming to lunch after some practice. Motohama yelped upon seeing the arrival of their most fervent enemies in all matters perverted and tried to turn tail and run, but received only a bokken to the back of the knees.
With the pair down the girls turned their attention to Issei.
"You do realise I'm not in the wrong here?"
The club members shrugged in unison. One of them stepped forwards. "It's the principle of the thing." She said, readying her bokken.
Issei nodded, accepting the explanation. He knew what was coming and he knew the steps he had to take to avoid it. He shared a glance with his fallen companions who nodded their agreement with his plan. Issei steeled himself and initiated the tried and true tactic that the perverted trio had perfected over the years of their peeping.
"For oppia!" He roared, turning on his heel and sprinting away from the kendo club. This was the ultimate strategy of the trio. Leaving your friends to the beating so that you could escape.
"Matsuda! Motohama! Your sacrifice will not be forgotten!"
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"Mr Hyoudou, may I ask you a question?"
Issei looked up from the sheet of paper he was doodling on. "What is it Miss Shitori?"
Normally he would never call anyone around his age Miss, but there was something about the president that made sure everyone respected her, even to frankly ludicrous levels. He had even seen teacher addressing her as a superior at times.
She paused for a moment, unsure of how to proceed before asking her question. "There have been rumours going around about… Various event happening around town lately. I was wondering if you know anything."
Could this be about the Grail war? He had thought that every step was being taken to keep it secret, but could she of heard something about it? It seemed unlikely. After all after the events of the previous wars it seemed like something that could be picked up by an ordinary human would not happen without someone seriously dropping the ball.
"Sorry I can't say I have."
Turning back to the paper before him he picked up his pencil.
"I have heard from the kendo club that you are having some issues with someone called Yuuma."
He froze, that was completely unexpected. Why would the president take so much notice over something like this? Sure the kendo club had heard him talking about her but that was just the tail end of the conversation. Was it possible that she knew something about Yuuma? Madison has said there were other members of the biblical factions in town. Maybe she was associated with them, or was one herself.
"She can't be part of the Church." He thought to himself. "The only church in town belongs to the priest, and is filled with fallen. So angels are straight out. She can't be fallen, sure they're in town but according to Madison their recant addition and Shitori had been here for a while." So that left the devils. He knew that they had a fair few people working for them, or perhaps she could be one of the devils. She might have known some fallen had moved in and was aware that Yuuma was one of them.
"I don't see why that's any of your business."
Probably not the best way to get her to back off but he wasn't exactly given time to think of it, and he wasn't the most smooth talking of people anyway.
She gave him a look that was almost upset. "It is my responsibility as president to make sure that all students can learn properly. I implore you to tell me, if you do I will help in any way I can."
And here was the second question. Why was she beating around the bush? She must suspect that he was involved in the supernatural somehow, so why wasn't she asking outright? Maybe she also thought he didn't know and wasn't going to risk the knowledge of the supernatural from getting out. No, that couldn't be it. Devils would also have hypnotic abilities, so why wasn't she just asking? Maybe she was worried that he didn't know, but Yuuma was still connected him in some way? The favoured human of a fallen angel. It could cause all kinds of trouble if she went around messing with his mind.
But his meant he had an advantage, he was probably wrong in why he thought she wasn't willing to ask outright, but at the same time she wasn't willing to hypnotise him. It meant he could hold mould how she saw the situation, even if she didn't believe him.
"Look, I appreciate you trying to help but this is something kind of personal."
He allowed himself to be cowed by her silent stare.
"Okay fine. Look Yuuma is an old friend of mine and she asked me out on a date recently, nothing big it just didn't go well. That's all."
"Be that as it may, I think there is more to it than that. I insist that you tell me. I will give you another detention if I must."
He sighed and nodded his head, wondering what was going through her head right now. Well it was probably the same as what was going through his.
"Gotcha."
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"Sorry I'm so late, I got thrown in detention."
"Don't worry, we should have expected that." Came Samuels reply down the line. "Sorry we got you in trouble in the first place."
"It's fine. I'm heading over now, I shouldn't be long."
"Great, hold on wait a second." The line went silent for a couple of moments before Samuel spoke up again. "Madison wants to know if you want her to send a car for you."
"It's only a ten minute walk, why is she bothering?"
"She gets pretty impatient sometimes. I think she was expecting us to have the plan of action for the war partly done by now and she's getting tense. She hates it when stuff doesn't go exactly her way, even something as small as you being late."
He let out a small laugh. "Sorry that I'm holding you up. Tell her I'll sprint it."
"Don't bother, take your time. Maybe grab a bite to eat. It fun seeing her this wound up."
He heard the line go dead before slipping the phone back into his pocket. While Samuel suggestion to get something to eat sounded tempting, there was probably something he could get at the hotel, and he had a strange suspicion that getting Madison angry would not be a pleasant experience.
"How much are the lives of your friends' worth to you?"
Blinking in confusion Issei turned around to see an aged man standing behind him. He has the appearance of someone who spent far too much time working in an office. His hair was a greasy black, with more than a few streaks of grey, and his eyes a bright red.
"What do you mean?"
The man cocked his head. "I mean those two boys you are friends with. The ones you call Matsuda and Motahama. How much would you do to prevent their deaths?"
"They're my friends."
"Is that your answer?" The man asked with a raised eyebrow. "Would you do anything to anything to help them, or does your loyalty only extend to situations where you are not at risk. Would you face a man with power over you to assure their safety or would you draw the line at not helping them due to damage to your grades. I have met the selfish and the selfless, it is always interesting to see where people are on that scale."
Red eyes peered out at him. But despite the questions that he was asking Issei did not get the sense that he was judging him, but instead it seemed like he was honestly curious as to his answer.
"They are my friends, and friends have to look out for each other. Besides, even if we weren't friends I would still help them, even if it put me in danger. I would do it for anyone, if I had the power to change the outcome."
And it was true. His friends may be outrageous perverts, but then again so was he. And while he doubted they would do the same for him, he would never be able to forgive himself if he could have prevented something bad happening to them, or anyone else.
"So, you are one of those who would stand before death without knowing what you face. And to protect someone you will bring war down upon the world. I do not know if that is commendable or foolish, I only know that you will die here. I am Rider."
In the man's hands flames burst to life and coalesced into the shape of a sword. The flames subsided and in their place the man held a cavalry sword. Long and top heavy it was made to allow the user to deal us much damage as possible with a single slash to a target as they rode by.
"Trace on."
In Issei's hands appeared a pair of swords. He had called them on instinct, and while he couldn't remember ever having used them before, they felt right in his hands. They were a pair of Chinese falchions. The one held in his left and was a pitch black while the one in his right hand was a pure white
He filled his body with magic, every muscle and nerve being reinforced by it, pushing them beyond the limits he had previously had. These swords had also been far easier to call forth than usual. Maybe the swords were just cheaper than was expected, but that still didn't explain his increased ability to improve his body. Perhaps it was because he had started to work with the spirit that he hosted instead of distancing himself from it.
He took a moment to glance around at the area they currently were. It was empty. While it may be a coincidence, he was willing to bet that Rider and made sure that they would not be interrupted.
It was Rider who made the first move. He shot forwards, far faster than Yuuma. But while yesterday he had only just been able to match her, now he was beyond her. Rider may be faster than him, but his reaction speed allowed him to keep up. So when the attack that would have removed his head from his shoulders sped towards him, it was instead deflected to the side with the black sword. Now with his heavy sword thrown to the side Issei cut upwards with the white blade.
While Rider's sword may have been far too heavy to allow him to effectively recover quickly, his speed more than made up the difference. He leaned backwards, with speed and limberness that seemed impossible for someone of his age, until the sword had harmlessly passed him by. Then he used his swords heavy nature to his advantage and allowed it to pull him to the side, evading a follow up strike from Issei's black sword.
The man quickly retreated several dozen metres before Issei had the time to press his advantage. And stood there, observing him, looking for a crack in his defences.
Issei took the time to analyse what he had learned in that brief engagement. The man was obviously faster than him, faster than Samuel even. And he was willing to bet he was physically stronger than him as well if the force behind the strike that he deflected was anything to go by, and his reflexes and flexibility were probably around Issei's level.
In any other situation Issei would have said that the man held a massive advantage. But the thing that was holding the man back was his sword. While it may be ideal to strike at someone from horseback, on the ground it was top-heavy and awkwardly long. It made his attacks slow and it was hard to recover from them. If the fight continued as it had then Issei would most likely win. But that was the problem.
The man was the Rider of the war, and thus it was natural to assume that he would have a mount of some description. The only reason he hadn't shown it yet was probably the fact that the mount would be his noble phantasm.
Madison had talked him through the concepts behind noble phantasms before he had left for school. Weapons or tools that had ascended along with their wielder into legends. According to Madison the rider class was known for having powerful ones.
As for him, he wasn't entirely sure what his noble phantasm was. No, it was less that and more that he had several. While that wasn't uncommon, his noble phantasms had no relation to each other, something that should be impossible. The swords he held in his hands now were noble phantasms. A pair of swords forged by a pair of married blacksmiths in China. But the Silver Arrow belonged to Robin Hood. Two completely different weapons, from opposite sides of the world, wielded by completely different people who had never met. It should be impossible for him to possess both of them, and many more besides, but somehow he did. While he was confident that he would have something to counter whatever Rider pulled out, he wasn't so confident that he would be able to use it effectively enough to counter Rider's noble phantasm.
But then he had no more time to think about the situation, because Rider had once again charged him. This time the strike came low, aiming for his knees. He flicked the sword to the side of him with his white blade and lunged forwards with the black. But Rider had already moved passed him and was now out of his reach.
Then he repeated the manoeuvre. Shooting forwards and targeting Issei with a lightning fast attack, but before Issei had time to perform an attack of his own Rider was out of his range. And he did it again, and again. Repeating it flawlessly, always preventing the possibility of a counter attack.
But it still wasn't getting either of them anywhere. He would always get out of the range of a counter attack before it was launched, but Issei always diverted the assaults without fail. But despite that Issei was still at a disadvantage. He was on the defensive and therefore could only react, that gave Rider the advantage of being able to choose how the conflict progressed. So in order to break the stalemate he had to be the one taking action.
He chose his moment when Rider had just past him. Instead of preparing a counter attack he allowed his swords to dissolve and called forth the bow he had used against Yuuma. But unlike the previous night he did not use the silver arrow. Instead he drew out a new arrow. It was bright red and filled with a violent mass of magical energy. Knocking it against the string he pulled it back and loosed it towards Rider.
Like his other abilities his skill with the bow had seemingly become instantly greater than it had been when he fought Yuuma. While it was far from the skill he utilised when using the silver arrow his skill had grown to the point where he had eclipsed Olympic athletes. So instead of missing completely as the arrow would have done just yesterday the arrow flew straight and true.
Rider turned just in time to see the arrow coming. He just managed to bring his sword up to deflect it. While normally that would be enough, Rider obviously hadn't expected the arrow to explode. It was an orb of blue flame and kinetic force that consumed Rider. But Issei didn't stop there. Instead he knocked another arrow and let it fly towards the centre of the still dissipating explosion. And then another, and another. Within four seconds he had shot sixteen arrows, each one detonating with the same power as the first.
Lowering the bow, and allowing it to dissolve he brought forth the black and white blades one again, and fell backwards into a defensive stance. When the explosions finally cleared Rider still stood, although he certainly did not look healthy. One of his arms looked complete non-functional, missing almost the entirety of the flesh. There was more bone visible than muscle or flesh covering it. There were other injuries as well. Burn marks and wounds, but they weren't as serious.
Rider stared at him, red eyes shining with fury. An animal rage that seemed out of place on a human being. It was monstrous and unnatural, and despite the state Rider was in it still made him want to run and hide. And then he spoke.
When he had first spoken to Issei he sounded like anyone else. While the words he was saying weren't something you expect in everyday conversation his voice and tone were unassuming. Now it was completely different.
"I will end you."
He didn't yell or shout. Rider said the words at a completely even pitch. But they were not words. They were the clash on sword on sword, the fear of the solider, and the death throes of a man who has been run through but still seeks to end the one who killed him. Battles and conflicts, weapons of destruction and fire and blood. They were the sounds of war, warped to fit into the construct of words.
Flames burst to life around Riders feet, and he began to rise into the air. The fires grew ever larger and began to take on the shape of a horse. And then the flames scattered to the winds and Rider was left sitting upon his mount.
It was a blood red. Every single inch of it, from its eyes to its hair it was the crimson colour of blood. Fire still clung to its hooves, and filled its eyes and mouth. And instead of a mane there was only more fire.
And with the horse, with the noble phantasm, Riders spirits identity was revealed. One of the four horseman of the apocalypse. War.
"He rode forth upon a horse of red."
Rider said the words and the noble phantasm activated. Horse and rider charged forwards, flames surrounded them, swirling and building in intensity until they resembled more a meteor than a mounted man. And Issei found that he could not move. His legs would not budge and he could not throw himself to the side. He realised with a dawning horror that it must be part of the noble phantasm, an attack that rooted the target to the ground before it hit, preventing any chance of escape.
He could not move to doge it. He had no way to counter it. So he would have to stop it.
He reacted with something that was not truly instinct, but it wasn't led by thought either. It was as if something else was guiding him towards the most suitable option.
"Archer." He whispered, and he knew it was the correct answer. What else but the spirit that inhabited his body lead him towards something within his arsenal that he had never even glimpsed before?
"Trace on."
He brought forth the noble phantasm to the forefront of his mind. His circuits flared. All of them bursting into life and filling his body with warmth.
"Rho Aias."
Before him a flower with seven petals burst into life, made of violet light it shone with an unearthly beauty. Seven petals, seven layers of the shield that was the flowers true nature. An almost impenetrable defence. Each petal, each layer held the defensive power of a fortress wall. He knew on an instinctive level that this was the most powerful defence he had, if this didn't stop Rider's charge then nothing would.
And then Rider was right in front of him. When he had started his charge he had been almost fifty metres away, but know he was right on top of him. And in that time he had been able to call forth a shield. It may not seem like much but when he stopped to consider the time he had taken he realised that they had casually defied human limits. It hadn't even taken Rider a single second to cross the distance between them.
It hadn't even been a day and he had left Yuuma, an enemy that had almost killed him, in the dust. This was the power of a heroic spirit, the power of a servant. The power of the being that he hosted. And he had probably only scratched the surface of the powers that it gave him.
And then all time for thought was gone as Rider crashed into the first layer, and smashed through it. The second, third and fourth layers met the same fate. But upon the fifth layer the charge began to slow and the sixth layer reduced its momentum entirely. And then Rider was pressing against the seventh layer with no momentum behind him. And then Issei realised the condition he was in.
The shield was tied to the user's body, and in turn the user's body was ties to the shield. And damage that was inflicted onto the shield was reflected back onto the user's physical form. His arm was in almost as bad a state as Riders, and he felt as if all the ribs in his chest had been shattered and then stuck back together within his body. It didn't matter if the shield held, he realised, he was in such a state that Rider would be able to kill him easily.
But the shield may be broken still, despite Rider's charge losing all momentum the hoofs of his horse still rose and fell within the ball of liquid fire and force, as if it was running across an empty plane instead of pressed up against a shield.
He felt the final layer begin to give way, Riders horse slowly breaking away his last means of defence. And then it crumbled, the flower flickered and dissolved. Its power gone.
Rider let out a howl of triumph and brought his sword down. The blade that had once been useless and clumsy was now in the perfect situation. The sword, sheathed in liquid flame, came down upon his neck.
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The sword came down. Still cloaked in the liquid flame, it fell like a meteorite. A single stream of bright orange light that descended upon him. Then a bolt of blue energy slammed into Rider's chest.
Rider abandoned his attack on Issei in favour of retaining his balance on his horse. But the blue bolt of energy was obviously not designed for simply damaging a target. Instead the blue energy spread around his body. Then the energy solidified and changed into a sticky, goo like substance. Looking closer Issei could see that floating in the gooey mass were various green runes. They didn't glow, or let out any obvious displays of power but it was obvious that they were responsible for the magic he was seeing.
The two more bolts followed the first and Rider and his mount were almost entirely encased in the blue substance. For a moment at least. Rider once more erupted into flames and reduced the goo to little more than a strangle smelling ash, but it had given Issei the time he needed to retreat.
Madison lowered her hands and grinned at him. A wide and full smile that didn't seem to mesh with the girl he had met that morning. She was shaking slightly, her smile bestial. Even from where he was he could see that the veins in her eyes bulging. Samuel had said that she was the war's Berserker. Back then it was hard to picture, but now he saw that it fit.
Madison slowly circled around Rider, who seemed content to allow her a chance to reposition herself. Issei realised why a moment later. Rider's arm was visibly healing. What was once little more than scorched bone was now almost completely healed.
Madison eventually stopped her circle when she stood before Issei. She took a moment to take a couple of deep breaths before speaking. "Do you know who he is?"
He nodded. "War. One of the four Horseman of the apocalypse."
Instead of seeming scared at facing such a powerful heroic spirit Madison seemed… Relived?
"Good, he won't die quickly then."
At that moment Riders healing was fully completed. And once again he activated his noble phantasm.
"Upon a red horse he rides."
He shot forwards, the flames enshrouding him and his stead were, if anything, more powerful than when he charged Issei the first time. He was on them in an instant. An overwhelming rush of flame that would destroy anything in its path. Madison caught it.
She planted her feet, raised her hands and stopped Riders charge. Her hands locked onto the rains around the horses head and they held firm. Cracks formed beneath her feet, but she did not move. And it was only when the horse had stopped running, and the flames had disappeared from around the horse and rider did she attack.
She brushed a gloved hand along her thigh. On both the glove and the spot she touched runes began to glow. She pulled a fist back and snapped her leg outwards.
The motion had clearly been enhanced by the runes and it was less a motion and more a burst of force that pushed Rider and his mount backwards. Her hand glowed with a crimson light, the air vibrating around it, and then she struck.
It was slow. Slower than Rider, slower than Samuel. Hell it was slower than him. In any other situation it would have missed completely. Fortunately for her Rider and his mount were of balance. While Rider managed to force his horse into a flurry of quick backwards steps Madison still grazed Riders leg.
There was a flash of crimson light and Rider let out a shriek of pain. The rune transferred itself from Madison's gloved to Riders leg and stayed there. Letting out waves of crimson light. Rider screamed and screamed, even as his mount quickly escaped Madison reach so that she could not continue the attack.
"It causes pain if placed on living tissue." Madison explained, discarding her jacket. Various other runes began to glow across her clothing. "I set it up to transfer to the first thing it touches after its activation. He won't be able to get rid of it easily. It has an incredibly complex structure with dozens of redundancies. You would need to be a master of rune craft to figure out how to negate it."
She seemed to be telling the truth. Rider was bellowing in that horrible voice made of war. Shrieks of pain and agony that made Issei wince just hearing them. The Rider raised his sword and removed the leg just above where the rune was located.
"Or he could just do that." He pointed out.
Madison scowled. "Can you still fight? That was my only way of truly hurting him. Most of my other runes and codes are too weak to be offensively used. I can defend, but I can't attack him in return."
He considered the question. He wouldn't be able to hold a sword, or draw a bow string. But he felt the strange instinct that was the spirit that he hosted pushing him towards a solution and he nodded. "I won't be able to do much, but I can do something."
She nodded before returning her attention to Rider. His leg had already fully healed, but the burning anger in his eyes had not subsided. Then, with no warning Rider once more activated his noble phantasm.
This time it made the other uses of his noble phantasm look like he was messing around. The flames turned from a fiery orange to an unnatural blood red flame. It swirled around Rider, reaching far higher than the houses that flanked the street. Through the flames Issei could see Rider's horse dissolve and become part of the firestorm. Rider hovered at the centre of the storm.
He grinned. And then he charged.
Rider's noble phantasm at its true power ceased to be a simple attack empowered by heat and kinetic force. Instead it became more akin to a command. When he had used it against him and Madison it was powerful. Powerful enough to be classified as anti-army, from what Madison had told him at any rate. But this was something different.
War was one of the four horseman of the apocalypse, he rode forth at the end of the world. His noble phantasm in its true form would end the world. Not in the sense that it would destroy the planet, but that if it was turned against someone it could be considered their apocalypse. An anti-unit attack that ensured that the thing it was directed against was caught in a personal apocalypse. Born from a man who had glimpsed the star of creation and had tried to imitate its power. This was an attack that could not be defended against, for how can you guard yourself from the end of the world?
And he somehow knew this Madison did too. While there are subtle and unexpected ways for the world to end the apocalypse that is brought by war is not subtle it is loud and obvious. It is something that everyone can see coming, but no one can prevent. War was known to all it killed.
Rider had crossed in the time that they had used to process what was going on. Faster than any of his previous charges. The crimson flames danced around him in a massive tower of heat. A heat of every weapon in the world being brought to bear in the ultimate war.
And once more Madison caught his charge.
She stood firm against the crimson rush, remained standing as the flames washed over her and then grasped Rider by the shoulders and stopped his charge.
Issei could see the flames warp as the pair struggled. One moment they were just an oddly covered fire, the next a mass of swords and spears, entire armies bringing their power to bear against her. The next they were monsters, roused from ancient slumbers by the final war and desperately struggling to survive. Then they were a hail of gun fire and missiles and atomic bombs, all contained within the area of the flames. Every weapon that could be brought to bear in war was. This was the war that brought forth the end of the world. An attempt to imitate the power that sundered earth and sky. It may be lesser, no it surely was lesser, but it was still a power that eclipsed almost all others.
And Madison was holding it back.
Creatures and weapons of unimaginable power lashed at against her. The cut furrows it her flesh, which simply vanished. It wasn't like Riders regeneration, it was like the injuries shouldn't have existed in the first place so they were removed.
This wasn't Madison struggling against a simple charge, it was two noble phantasms vying for dominance. And he wasn't sure who was winning.
And then the flames vanished and Rider was left hanging in the air, gripped tightly by Madison.
"Now, Archer!" She roared.
He quickly threw of his shock. He reached into his mind and felt the spirit guide him towards a set of suitable swords. The he manifested them in the air around him.
Eight silver swords burst into existence. Each one was created by an old magus and given to his most trusted bodyguards. They were no sharper or stronger than any ordinary sword, but when the eight were used together.
With a mental command the swords shot into the air, spiralling around each other. And as Rider threw himself from Madison's grip. They thudded into the ground around him. Madison jumped backwards, out of the circle of swords. Rider tried to follow her, but as he was about to leave the circle a sickly yellow wall of energy sprung up in front of him, throwing him backwards.
The magus who had crafted the swords was researching numerus creatures, in order to help contain them he had made the swords for his bodyguards so that catching one if it escaped would be much easier. Normally it wouldn't be powerful enough to contain a servant. But they weren't servants. While they may wield the power of them, they were still restricted in ways the servants of previous wars were not. There was a point where they couldn't channel the power of the spirits well enough to completely match the power of the originals. There was also the more mundane reason that Rider was running low on power. He had used his noble phantasm three times, even if the first two he wasn't going all out. And he had regenerated from more than a few minor injuries. He had had too completely regrow two limbs, all of that put together can't have been cheap or easy to perform.
And he was right. When he had a chance to look at Rider he saw that the man was panting. Taking in lungful's of air. His legs were trembling slightly and the fire in his eyes had died down to that of slowly cooling embers rather than the raging inferno that it had been.
Madison nodded at him from her place in front of the barrier. "Good work Archer"
"Nice one!"
Turning around he could see Samuel sprinting towards them down the street. Of course his definition of sprinting was much faster than a normal humans.
Within a fraction of a second Samuel was doubled over next to him panting for breath. Madison glanced backwards. "Punctuality is essential Saber, especially in war."
Raising a hand in apology Samuel gasped out a reply. "I ran into a couple of exorcists. I think they were working with Archer's Fallen. Couldn't tip them of about the War and they wanted to throw their weight around a bit. We were near the church though so the priest stepped in."
Madsion frowned. "The Fallen and their followers are becoming a problem. Do you think the Devils are aware of their presence?"
Samuel shrugged. "Probably, but they don't want to make a scene. They may just leave it alone until the Fallen make the first move."
Then, turning to Rider, he let out a whistle. "Any idea who this guy is?"
Issei nodded. "War."
"Seriously?" Samuel questioned, a hint of shock in his voice.
"Yep."
He drew the Claymore from his back. "Sorry to make you do all the work."
Madison nodded, then turned away, looking slightly green.
Issei stepped in front of Samuel, raising an inquisitive eyebrow form the Scot. "Wait, wait! He's trapped! We don't need to kill him!"
Samuel shook his head sadly. "Yeah we do Issei. I don't like it, hell I hate it. But we have to. If it helps this guy isn't innocent. Remember when we were talking in the lift, I said that some of the contestants were monsters, I was talking about this guy. I fought him last week, granted he didn't use his noble phantasm. He killed an entire family in order to give him time to get away. This is the kind of person I was talking about. They will do anything for the Grail."
Issei, faltered. This man had killed people. He had tried to kill him too. Maybe it hadn't sunk in before but he was no saint, if anything he was exactly the opposite. Still…
"I want to save people Samuel."
The boy nodded. True understanding in his eyes. "I know, and killing him will save even more lives."
And no more needed to be said. Perhaps it was because of the spirit that resided within his body Perhaps he had always understood that sometimes people have to die to save even more. Like a soldier on a battlefield, killing an enemy to save his squads life.
Maybe it was just that the thought of this man had killed an entire family left him with no drive to save him.
Samuel gave him a bitter smile as he passed. He stepped into the circle. Issei turned away, not wanting to see what would happen. There was a brief clash of swords, Rider's last stand, before Samuel stepped out of the circle.
Madison reached into her pocket and threw an iron disk at Samuel He caught it in mid-air and stepped back into the circle. There was a brief rush of heat. Samuel burning the body. He stepped out of the circle once more and nodded at Issei who allowed the swords to dissolve.
He heard Madison dialling something on her phone. "Pick us up in an hour. Bring a change of clothes, and bring Grønn Duk." Putting the phone away the retrieved her crumpled jacket from the pavement. "Come on." She said, turning the pair. "Let's get something to eat."
----------
Assassin grinned. Rider was dead. An enemy already removed from the war. And in the process he had revealed the greatest threat in this war. An alliance of three. Now that was an unexpected development. Saber, Berserker and Archer. This did not bode well.
Assassin was confident in the noble phantasm that the class possessed. The Angel of Assassination was a truly powerful ability, and if it was activated, even three contestants working together would not be able to best it.
But there was still the disappointment of Rider. He was powerful, but easy to predict. Assassin had hoped that he would be the dominant force in the war. Someone like him was easy prey for the noble phantasm that the Assassin class possessed.
Still something seemed off about that encounter. If Rider had immediately used his steed then Archer would of most likely perished. He was holding back, but for what reason? It was infuriating, an unknown in an event that was already full of unpredictable variables.
Still, she had arrived in the city and the proper formalities should be paid to the 'owners'. Which was why she was here. Knocking twice upon the door of the occult research club Assassin waited patiently for the 'owner' to open it.
The door was flung open, and standing before her was the face she hated above all other.
"Rin!" Rias let out a happy shriek. "It's been so long! How has England been treating you?"
She forced a smile onto her face. "Rias. It's been fine at the Clock Tower, I just needed a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere gets a bit too tough to bear sometimes."
Rias clapped her hands, and beckoned for Rin to enter. As the invitation was given, she felt the Angel of Assassination activate. If she wanted to she could kill her now, but that was not a wise course of action. Better to wait and bide her time, using the Gremory heiress as a shield against the contestants of the war.
The devil smiled at her "It would not do to leave my contracted magician out in the cold, come in."
Rin kept the facade of a smile upon her face. Stepping into the house she felt the secondary effects of the Angel of Assassination activate. There were three others in the mansion. Kiba was relaxing in a bath, Akeno was preparing tea in the kitchen, and Koneko was taking food from the fridge.
She followed Rias into a sitting room, filled with plump and comfy chairs and sofas. She was about to shout out something, most likely to ask Akeno to bring some tea. Rin raised a hand to stop her. "Sorry but I can't stay long. Is it okay to drop of my bags, I am having some delicate research material being transported and I want to pick it up directly."
Rias smiled "No, of course. Would you like some help, or is this a magi thing?"
She faked a smile at Rias's jab at magi's secretive nature. In actuality the research material that she was picking up was actually tools for the war that would not be practical to keep in her bags. Still the paranoid nature of magi worked in her favour here and gave a convenient excuse.
"Well it's a big project and until its finished…"
"You don't want anyone to see it unless you know it's going to work as well as you hope?"
She nodded in confirmation. "Yes. Although I am almost on the verge of a breakthrough."
Rias leaned forwards, "Could you give any hints, the last time you finished a project it really did help the combat strength of my peerage, those gems that absorb excess mana from a spell and funnel it back into the holder were brilliant"
She kept her outward appearance friendly, but inside she was seething. When the Lucifer had given her family's land to his sister it had also come with another condition, that she would be his sister's contacted magician.
Her father had accepted of course. She couldn't fault him for that. It had been an option between accepting or having the entire family destroyed. She had been only seven when she had met Rias, she had instantly hated her. Smiles and happiness. Treating her like a member of the family. It sounded strange, and in any other or from any other person Rin would of taken it for what it was, a declaration of friendship.
But from her, the one that had taken away everything her family had worked for. Her casual happiness was sickening, the way she immediately treated the land as her own and offered no apologies. At the time she was young, yes. They both were. And she had grown thinking of it that way, so it was no surprise it wouldn't change. But that didn't stop her from hating the devil. The casual dismissal of her and her family. And now the creations and projects of her family were little more than this girls playthings.
But now all that would change. The Grail War. Her family's greatest accomplishment All had thought it destroyed But it still existed, in a different form yes, but it still survived. The greatest accomplishment of modern mage craft. So great that even the three factions had moved to destroy it out of fear.
She wanted to yell and scream but instead she simply raised a finger to her lips. Her family's vengeance would come soon enough. She would reclaim what had been lost. Her next project was the Grail War. She would reach the Akasha records, the ultimate aim of any true magus. The secrets she would learn, magic and truths all-powerful. She would rebuild the power of her family, take back her land, free herself from her forced service to this girl, and escape the sword of Damocles above her head.
"I guess you will just have to wait and see."
----------
She walked along the well-worn path. When she had first begun to walk this path, so many centuries ago, it had been overgrown, tangled roots made it treacherous to travel across during the brightest parts of the day, let alone the dead of night as it was now. But that was then, now her walks to her master's side had worn away the roots and obstacles and it was smooth and safe.
Her clothes were stained with blood, she idly realised. She had needed to leave her territory for a few days in order to make arrangements for transport to Japan. Her master's enemies had thought it a good time to launch an attack against her. They were wrong of course. She was created to be the perfect tool for her master to gain freedom. It would not do if she could not survive to see her work through.
The moon shone overhead, rays of silver breaking through the canopy of the trees above her. Sherwood this place had once been called. Her master had ordered her to move her access point to the other side of the planet here centuries ago. It was a smart move, there was an abundance of ley lines that made defending this place far easier than the previous location.
Still, she had preferred the old place. It had been her master's home. It felt wrong to abandon it to the greedy hands of those that scrabbled at her master's coattails. But it could not be helped, she had ensured that everything of even the slightest value had been taken or destroyed.
A fox burst from the undergrowth to the side of her path. It was lean and fast, with a silky coat of fur. A healthy specimen. Magical as well. Spells and enchantments were placed upon it in abundance She allowed herself a moment of quiet appreciation. It was good work. Most magi didn't devote familiars the attention they deserved. Taking a more quantity over quality approach. But the fox was moving far faster than any car, with a nimbleness that was even more astounding. Still it mattered not, for it was running from a predator. Legs pumping, lungs aching, moving as fast as it could to escape its fate.
The predator caught the fox. It was a forgone conclusion. A single massive clawed hand grasped the fox's tail and though it up into the air, and as the fox fell the jaws closed shut over it.
She observed the predator, one of her master's creations. He had given it a name but she had forgotten it long ago. Instead she called it predator, for that was what it was. It was a mass of black liquid metal, held together in a roughly bipedal form. It was easily over ten feet tall and a dozen clawed, hooked and weaponised limes stuck out from its torso. Seven legs provided momentum for its movement, each with a different number of joints. It had no eyes upon its misshapen head, it didn't need them. Instead the entirety of the roughly spherical mass was filled with a toothless mouth.
She could see the fox struggling as it passed down the predator's throat. Small motions disturbing the liquid metal, sending ripples across its entire form. Then, as the fox reached the core of the predators being, the struggling stopped. Then the predator's chest convulsed and the fox was expelled.
Where there had once been a natural creature there was instead another mass of liquid black metal. While it still held every detail of its original form, down to the tiny hairs and crooked whiskers, it was all formed of the liquid metal. The fox thing fled into the forest. Most likely to fulfil the role the predator had assigned it. Probably assimilating more creatures within the forest.
"An angel was here." Intoned the predator. It was a melodious sound. Like a hundred thousand harps being played together, and in such a way as to form words. Such beauty in its voice fitted the predator. For it, like she, was a creation of their master. And because of that simple fact they were perfect. How could they be anything else?
"What did you do to it?" She wasn't personally interested, but her master would scold her if she wasn't aware of what occurred within her own territory. Still, she could she could guess what happened to the angel. It was the predator after all, it was perfect, but limited in its application.
True to her predictions an angel of liquid metal descended from the trees to land gracefully besides the predator.
"They may move. Almost all were already looking for an excuse to attack."
Her warning was received by the predator who let out a note of confirmation. "Then they will fall, and the fallen will become mine."
Nodding she continued on her walk. "Very well. If necessary I will activate Sentinel and Guardian."
The predator let out a fast tune of annoyance. "It will not be necessary."
She nodded in acknowledgment. If that came from any other she would call it a boast. But it came from the predator. It was no boast, only simple fact. It would not be able to stop the like of the four Satans or the Archangels. The queen of the Clock tower was far beyond what it could best with its current form. But that was just this body. For centuries it had spun its web across the forest, the country. If one was to face the predator it would face hundreds of thousands of bodies. Every single one with a different form, with strength and power shared between them. While one of those great foes could certainly beat one body, could assuredly best a hundred, a thousand? A million? Even they would fall.
"Be that as it may, I will still activate them when the time comes. They may be our lesser but they have their purposes. We cannot allow our master's escape to be jeopardised because of our hubris."
The predator released a melody that spoke of grudging acceptance. "As long as Hunger remains asleep then I will comply." Then, seeing no more reason to remain, dissolved into hundreds of thousands of liquid metal insects and disappeared into the forest. The angel broke into a variety of small mammals and joined the predator.
She continued her walk to the clearing where her master waited. It took more time than actually passed. She crossed more ground than there actually was. And it took more energy and focus than a simple walk should. A walk that should have taken a matter of minutes took a thousand years. But then she broke through the spells that her long gone sibling had set up around the clearing.
But this was only the first part of her walk. For visiting her master was no easy task. He had been imprisoned and while they may be able to yell at each other though the bars they would have to be on the same side of the planet to do that. Her master was on the other side of the world.
Her master was in Avalon.
And so, like she had done so many times before she crossed over to the other side of the planet, and continued on her walk to visit her master.