"Exists" is a strong word. The question of whether the Evil Gods bound to Abigail and Hokusai ever actually existed is never truly answered. The Sunken Spiral Castle, at the very least, Does Not Exist (Therefore, There is No End to This World's Madness). But because of the way the human order works, it's possible that such things could retroactively come to exist...
The evil gods may or may not exist, but iirc, the outer gods are confirmed to exist in another universe "outside of the parallel worlds" (much like the difference zeltretch describes) that Lovecraft glimpsed at in his dreams in fate canon.
Given that and a few other things, I can see a shoggoth popping up.
"...And one of the other Servants on humanity's side spotted the Tarrasque running around with a woman on its back, so-" He concludes.
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅--!" Something snarls from deeper into the woods. In the distance, the sounds of trees smashing apart and collapsing grow closer.
"Oh, there he is now." Prelati says as-
"[Lord Chaldeas]!"
-a wildly spinning spiked shell rockets into the chalk wall with the force of a supersonic missile, grinding against it like a ridiculous reptilian buzzsaw.
I'm pretty sure the 'he' there is referring to Tarrasque, who is Marthas Noble Phantasm, and fits the description given both in form and use to a T.
The question is, is this Martha as one of Jalters Berserk Servants like in canon, or is it just regular Martha misunderstanding things the same way Emiya did in Fuyuki
The evil gods may or may not exist, but iirc, the outer gods are confirmed to exist in another universe "outside of the parallel worlds" (much like the difference zeltretch describes) that Lovecraft glimpsed at in his dreams in fate canon.
Given that and a few other things, I can see a shoggoth popping up.
(The Evil Gods and the Outer Gods are the same things.)
"Exist" has a very specific definition in Fate. Something which is within the Universe of Awareness exists while anything outside of the Kaleidoscope does not exist. Things can't exist within the Universe of Awareness unless it is part of the common sense, (The common sense is also called the Human Order) Outer Gods are antithetical to common sense and thus couldn't exist until Lovecraft wrote about something kinda sorta like them which made space for them to exist so to speak.
Alternate Worlds simply do Not Exist by Nasu's definition, even if they do by our's.
Salem said:
Raum: "Truth is useless. My key lies in superstition. Fiction.
Things that don't exist in this universe."
Zepar: "Things that don't exist in this universe...? Do you mean you're going to open paths to alternate worlds? Place that don't even exist in parallel dimensions?
That is beyond us. We were born of order and common sense. We are bound by this world's laws.
Even if there are universes outside our own, you have no means of reaching them, and no attunement to them."
Raum: "Indeed. But by sheer, mad coincidence, I won't have to reach it myself.
Humans, Zepar. Humans have already taken care of everything.
Happily, a fictional mythology describing the fever dreams of a single man just so happened to also describe a higher being from the outer universe.
The two aligned perfectly. And a tiny part of that being has left an imprint on this universe.
Even if every word of this man's story was nothing but sheer delusion, he still succeeded in opening a path.
This was, doubtless, a prophecy.
And in this mad prophecy I saw possibilities.
I will take this madness, this fiction, and make it real.
This new reality is what will save mankind."
The Mooncell has concluded that the means by which our Universe of Awareness (認識宇宙) -- fundamentally unstable by nature -- is stabilized across the Past, Present, and Future lie in the execution of "culling" and the formation of "records" (記録帯, Kiroku-tai, lit. "Recording Bands").
-a wildly spinning spiked shell rockets into the chalk wall with the force of a supersonic missile, grinding against it like a ridiculous reptilian buzzsaw.
"...That can't be right." Mordred interrupts. "There's no way that woman would do something like that. I met her in the same war that I ran into Siegfried in - I doubt she's even capable of feeling a desire for vengeance. She was that kind of 'saintly' person, after all."
"...Could it be another case like Fuyuki, then?" Roman asks. "A servant being twisted to show their worst side? A desire for vengeance would be understandable…"
"Heh. No, this isn't a case of [Blackening]. Mordred has the right of it. Jeanne was far too insane to have desired vengeance." Prelati replies. "In short, this version of her… well, it's far too tasteful to be a true [Alter]."
How could he know about Lovecraft if he's the 1400s varient of Prelati? The guy's still about in the 1990s, going by Strange Fake, but the Prelati of then isn't the Prelati the cast meet. Probably.
Well, this is Prelati speaking, mind you. He considers Jeanne's overwhelmingly pure character a kind of insanity, at least according to the full chant for Grand Illusion.
Fate/Strange Fake vol 4 said:
"O saint and knight who showed me a different madness, neither of you were mistaken!"
How could he know about Lovecraft if he's the 1400s varient of Prelati? The guy's still about in the 1990s, going by Strange Fake, but the Prelati of then isn't the Prelati the cast meet. Probably.
And assuming he's not, he could easily have learned it through the same methods he learned of Shoggoths and their ilk. Time tends not to mean as much if you're cracking a hole in the universe to go digging someplace very much Else.
Even if it's Prelati speaking, and 'insane' is an exaggeration, original Jeanne is a literal saint who doesn't even dislike the people who burned her alive for no good reason. Jeanne Alter's mentality is a lot closer to a normal human being's, in that sense.
A/N: This chapter contains spoilers for major plot points of Re:Zero's sixth arc. If you're worried about things like that, and aren't caught up with the translation, this is your final warning. I will not be giving any such warnings in future chapters. This is, as they say, the point of no return.
Anyway, on with the show.
34: With friends like these…
The forest surrounding us ignites almost instantly as flames and lightning spew from the massive turtle-dragon's shell. Rebounding off of the marble wall of [Lord Chaldeas], the Tarrasque spins across the forest floor, six legs erupting from its shell and transforming the surrounding terrain into a tornado of dirt, stone, and uprooted trees.
"Oi, oi… You've got to be kidding me here. Lugnica would be one thing, but something like this exists on Earth…? You're kidding, right?" I mutter in disbelief.
The Tarrasque's claws smash into the ground in a blur of motion I can barely track, and the earth cracks and fissures, forming a rippling shockwave that passes beneath Mash's shield. A geyser of dirt and stone erupts under her, sending her tumbling through the air with a cry.
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅--!" It roars, and shoots towards the airborne girl in another cyclone of spiked iron scales and fire-!
"As if I'd let you!" Mordred yells, her armored foot crashing into the beast in the opposite angle of its whirling motion with a burst of red lightning. I hear the now-familiar sound of tearing metal as the Dragon shreds through her boot, and see a spray of blood as everything below her right knee is reduced to a meaty pulp - but with the aid of the pre-built [Emergency Reinforcement] spell from my Mystic Code, she halts its spin for just a moment.
A moment is all we need. Ducking under a gout of flame and the swipe of its claw, Mordred grabs the beast by its shell with both hands, pivoting on her still intact left leg- "Master!" She yells.
"I'm on it!" I yell, tearing the final reserve of energy from within my Mystic Code. "[Murak]!"
[Murak] is a spell that I wasn't sure I'd be able to cast without Beako's help - but it turned out to be much easier to manage than our three custom spells. Simply put, it's another curse like Shamak, but while Shamak strips the target's senses, Murak strips them of their weight. It's useful when cast on allies or enemies, so there was quite a bit of practicing with it during our week on standby at Chaldea.
A small bolt of purple-black energy lances from my hand towards the Tarrasque. It's met in midair by a mote of golden light from Prelati's outstretched finger, and triples in size before impacting and rippling across the creature's shell. "Riders have Magic Resistance, so I'll have to lend you a hand!" the boy yells.
And then, Mordred hefts the Tarrasque into the air, and hurls it through the burning canopy. Flames and lightning shoot out of the shell in a vain attempt to correct its motion, but-!
"[Azoth... Blood Arthur]!"
- a stream of crimson light crashes into the Dragon, sending it sailing off into the clear blue sky.
"Woah, look at him go! So that was an anti-gravity spell, huh? Hey, I bet NASA would pay out the nose for something like that." Prelati laughs, but I ignore him, instead running over to Mordred to expend what remains of the [Emergency First Aid] spell in my Mystic Code, sealing her leg wound-
"Look out!" she yells, grabbing my shirt and tossing me out of the proximity of a sudden explosion of white energy.
"Thanks for the save-!" I say.
"Senpai, behind me!" Mash yells, her shield slamming into the ground between me and another magical explosion.
Within the burning forest, I catch a glance of a purple-haired woman with an angry face charging towards us, a cross-shaped spear-staff clutched in her hands, emitting another pulse of light.
She swings the weapon, and twinkling motes of energy appear in the air of the clearing, ready to explode-!
"You're wide open, idiot!" Roars Mordred, and with a burst of red lightning the Azoth Longsword is hurled through the air, cleanly punching through the woman's chest.
The lights hanging in the air twinkle and die out, as she stumbles forwards one, two, three steps, and collapses to her knees. As blood drips from her mouth, a serene smile takes shape on her face, and she mutters final words that I'm some thirty meters too far away to hear - before finally dissolving into a cloud of golden dust.
"...Wow! Really nice work, Mordred!" Prelati says with a nervous laugh. "That's Saint Martha down for the count."
I let out a breath I didn't notice I'd been holding. "Do we get a bit of a break, then?"
"Pssh. As if. Not that it wasn't ingenious, but that stunt you guys pulled with the Tarrasque damaged the illusion I put above the forest." The Caster replies. "We've got about five minutes before I run out of gas, and then we'll be up to our armpits in Wyverns."
"I'm confirming his analysis!" Doctor Roman interjects through the holographic link. "I'm reading upwards of forty low-strength draconic energy signatures headed towards you - and an additional high-level spirit origin! Evil Dragon Fafnir is approaching, about ten minutes out at his current pace!"
"Shit… That old man barely even slowed him down, huh?" Mordred mutters with a sigh. "Alright then. I've still got a bit of mana left over, so hand me my sword and then start running. I'll do my best to slow them down, so-"
"Not happening." I reply. "I've got no intent of leaving friends to die, so we'll just have to fight them all off and hope that someone comes to bail us out."
"Or… we could always take matters into our own hands and summon someone to help us!~" Prelati says with a wink.
"Um… Chaldea's summoning system needs a leyline, and the nearest one is…" Mash's eyes widen. "...Right here! Prelati-kun, you were able to transport us with that level of precision!?"
"Haha! Go on, praise me more! Praise me more!" He gloats. "Oh, but before that, you should see about turning that wall of yours into a ceiling, because my illusion's about to give out, and then it'll be raining discount dinosaurs for the next forty days and forty nights. I'll handle the summoning circle, so don't worry about that!"
"Uh, don't we need a catalyst, though…?" I mutter as he hastily draws a circle in the dirt. "If I use my body as the catalyst, someone nasty will probably show up, no two ways about it."
"It's fine, it's fine!" The alchemist reassures me as he draws an eye in the center of his poorly aligned pentagram. "We've got the planet pulling in our favor, and France itself to serve as the catalyst! There's no possible way someone who'd actively hinder us from saving the world could show up right now!"
"Oi, these lines aren't even straight! If we're counting on this to help us survive, isn't half-assing it like this a problem!?" I say, pointing at his poorly drawn magic circle.
The Caster grins and snaps his fingers, and the circle suddenly changes shape to a much more complex affair full of straight lines. "Ta-da! A high quality, high speed magic circle! Just have to draw a basic circle and illusion the rest into place."
"...I thought you said you were low on mana." I deadpan.
And then the light vanishes from the sky, blotted out by a curtain of leather-winged serpents.
"...Goddammit, Prelati!"
"Just hurry up and repeat after me!" The boy yells frantically as the white wall of [Lord Chaldeas] interposes itself between us and the sky. "Let silver and steel be the essence! Let stone and the Archduke of contracts be the foundation! The ancestor is mother Atë!"
Impact after impact begins to shake the wall protecting us, and I repeat his words.
***
"Return from the stars, to serve this world! And though your eyes are locked upon dreamlands beyond, You shall be bound to the Earth! I shall speak for humanity!" I yell as Mordred jumps using her good leg and impales a wyvern that had made it around the wall to the ground a few feet from me.
"Time's up, you know the rest!" Prelati yells, intercepting another wyvern with a flying tackle.
I open my mouth to tell him that I do not, in fact, know the rest - but what tumbles from my mouth instead are the last two lines, coming out of my mouth all on their own.
"From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power! Come forth from the ring of restraint, O Guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"
And blackish-purple light pours forth from the Magic Circle as a form takes shape.
"...Fuck." I blurt out as I start to make out his appearance.
Green robes, greasy brown hair tied back in a braid, and sickly green eyes. A young boy, about the same size and age as Prelati.
There's no possible way someone who'd actively hinder us from saving the world could show up right now - Prelati said that. Prelati said that, and yet-!
The eldest Sin Archbishop of Gluttony gives a sharp-toothed smile. "[Foreigner]-class, Roy Alphard-!"
I'm out of command spells. I'm going to die, if I'm lucky! How is he even here!?
-And then, Roy blinks, face suddenly shifting into a scowl. "No, that ain't right, you. The hell's with that name and class, you?"
My eyes widen even further at his words. It can't be. "Are you freaking kidding me...!?"
His body twists and distorts, a crimson kimono replacing the robe as he grows several feet in size. His hair takes on the appearance of a curtain of fire pouring from his scalp, as his eyes change to blue as bright as the sky. "There it is. That's the right shape. And for that 'name and class' stuff, well, you oughtta know that by now, young fish."
Yeah. I know. I know this man, for sure. The leftover [Memories] of a dead man, conjured up into human shape by the Pleiades Watchtower, and devoured by Roy Alphard. And yet, despite being Gluttony's natural prey, despite not even being properly alive at the time… those memories overwhelmed Roy's existence and swallowed him in his entirety.
It wasn't surprising, though, since it was someone like him. He was the legendary hero of Lugnica, after all. The strongest legend of that world, if not the strongest existence within it.
"[Sword Saint]... Reid Astrea." I mutter.
"Oi, I already told you. Don't need titles like that, you. I'm just a [Stick Swinger]." He replies, rolling his eyes.
I should be terrified. I should be running for my life. This man has killed me a few more times than I'd care to admit, after all. And yet, seeing him standing there…
Why do I feel such a sense of relief?
"Senpai… I…!" Mash yells, drawing my attention to her - legs and arms shaking as dragon after dragon slams into [Lord Chaldeas].
"Oh, good outfit, you! Like that a lot, you!" Reid calls out with a grin, swaggering up to Mash. "Ah... drop the wall for now, you. Don't need somethin' like a shield."
"E-eh?" She asks, the strained look on her face replaced with a confused one - and as her focus slips, the wall vanishes, and a seemingly endless tide of winged serpents surges towards us.
Facing the dragons, Sword Saint Reid laughs, and draws his blade.
Orleans is Dragon-slayer party town, so Reid is here now. Surprise!
HAHAHAHAHAH. When i read that the sin archobisp was here i was like ¨NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT HIM!!!!¨ Then this guy showed himself.
Of course this give me bad vibes.. that means that the other si archobisp could be summoned.... so aside for beako subaru and their allies. Their enemies have a chance to be summoned.....
I feel bad for the Chaldeand bad for them.... Also for a second i was imagining that the Wale for Re zero will appear in this setting.
I guess it was a high stress situation so it's sort of understandable, but did Subaru really not notice the modifications Prelati did to the chant? Well, the result isn't too bad I suppose, although I admit I know nothing about who this is.
I guess it was a high stress situation so it's sort of understandable, but did Subaru really not notice the modifications Prelati did to the chant? Well, the result isn't too bad I suppose, although I admit I know nothing about who this is.
I doubt he missed the modifications - Prelati literally says 'you know the rest' at one point, meaning they both know Subaru knows the normal chant and that that was not it. But it's easy to assume it's compensating for a lack of catalyst, or Prelati's janky illusion circle, or even just an outright attempt to summon a Servant well-suited to the situation.
And I do wonder what Prelati's thinking at this point, given it looks like he tried to summon a bad news Foreigner (because he doesn't want the Solomon-flavor apocalypse but lol that doesn't mean he's good for people) and instead got... someone really weird. Who already knows Subaru, and vice-versa. Which Prelati probably didn't know about, given whatever knowledge base or observation magic he has probably couldn't tap Lugnica for intel.
I don't know much of Re;Zero, but I believe the sword saints are super strong swordsman/woman in-setting. So, this'll likely help a lot against the dragon horde - a second saber has been gained
The shockwave when Reid launches himself into the oncoming army of wyverns nearly knocks me off of my feet. Three swipes of his blade, quick as lightning and gleaming as bright, wipe out the first five of the dragons with ease. Then, as gravity finally starts to take hold, he anchors his sword firmly in the gut of a wyvern, hanging from the creature as it tries to keep itself aloft.
Using only the absurd strength of his right arm, the Stick Swinger catapults himself further into the air. For a brief instant, I see his sandaled feet make contact with the head of one of the still-living beasts, finding him a foothold amidst the swarm of leather-winged serpents.
And from there, his dance begins.
From dragon to dragon, the First Sword Saint jumps. Sword outstretched, a crimson ribbon trailing in his wake. He cleaves and butchers and maims, tearing through scales, claws, and teeth, as if they were all rice paper. Blood rains from the sky, along with entrails and organs, showering the flames of the forest-fire below with enough liquid to quench the flames.
It's absurd. It's patently ridiculous. There had to be a more optimal way to fight them. Something like this, where he bounces off their heads to gain altitude like a certain red plumber, is completely beyond the pale. This whole scenario feels more like something from an action schlock movie than something from real life.
"...Amazing! Senpai, who is this amazing person? He's fighting that whole army alone like it's nothing!" Mash exclaims.
"...Goddamn showoff." I mutter, rolling my eyes as I walk to where Mordred is sitting in order to apply much-needed healing magic to her leg. "Don't praise him for something stupid like this. Reid's got a trick that extends his sword's range anyway. He's probably just decided on a whim to give himself some extra challenge like 'kill every wyvern without touching the ground'. Honestly, this guy…"
The communicator on my wrist beeps, translucent blue hologram springing to life as the sleep-deprived face of Director Olga Marie Animusphere takes shape. She heaves a sigh that breaks off into a small fit of coughing, before continuing in a raspy voice. "S-so he's a friend of yours Natsuki? That's… a relief. There was a bit of panic on our end when we heard his class, but since the alien planet you visited seems like it was Earth-like for the most part we can probably push it aside for now."
"Oh, you're up already, Director?" I say with a smile.
"I wasn't sleeping! I wasn't sleeping! D-don't make fun of me, you bastard! I'll dock your pay! I'm the Director of Chaldea, so treat me with respect!" She screeches, sounding almost as if her voice box is tearing.
"Well, it's not like I joined for the money in the first place…" I mutter scratching my head. "Still, to answer your question… yeah, he's from the Other World, but I wouldn't say he's a friend or anything. Heck, if he thinks he can get away with it, he might kill me for… being ugly, or something? I can't remember the exact excuse."
Exact terms aside, I still don't know whether the reason he was disgusted enough to kill me was something to do with my innate nature, or if it was about the nonsense Louis was pulling at the time. Deep down, I want to believe it was the latter, but…
"Ugh, so not only do you summon a damn [Foreigner], but it's also one you have a bad history with!? Idiot! I figured out our broadcast wasn't reaching you, but you ought to have known even without me telling you that you shouldn't have thrown in those sketchy lines near the end of the summoning chant!" She groans.
"...That's confirmation, then. Since command didn't tell me to stop, I assumed it was an Astromancy thing. But if you say you were telling me to stop, and it was just that I couldn't hear you…" I turn to Prelati with a sigh. "I think I'm getting the hang of how you work, so let's hear your strangely reasonable excuse for this."
"Haha! You know, a proper Mage would have killed me by this point. You're a Hero to your core, huh? Well, it's not like I dislike that. In fact, I like that quite a bit! That's right, that's right, stay a Hero. I love Heroes the most." He winks at me, ever-present smile growing a bit disconcerting.
"That's nice and all, but it's not the requested reasonable explanation. I'll punch you, you damn brat." I deadpan.
"Right, right… Well, my thought process went something like:" He holds up a finger, acting as if he's about to give a serious lecture - and then, suddenly the Alchemist throws his arms wide with a laugh. "Wouldn't it be fuuuun?~"
My fist lands on the top of his head.
"Ow! Okay, okay, there's a reasonable explanation!" He says. "Look, getting a bunch of legendary heroes to fight against human history is really hard - they're heroes, after all. So our enemy altered their spirit origins and slapped Madness Enhancement onto the lot of them. Make them crazy, make them strong, make them destroy the word. With me so far?"
"...Sure." I sigh.
"Well! You may not be aware of this, but thanks to the writings of a certain coward," he spits with a brief scowl that soon returns to his usual manic grin, "-a lot of Foreigners have been given domain over Madness. So I figured, if we can count on the Planet to give us someone aligned with our goal saving humanity, then why not tweak the ritual and force the summoning of a Foreigner to gain a conceptual advantage over our enemy?"
"Ugh, it's not like I can fault his reasoning…" Olga says. "Poor communication aside, rigging the system like that is a pretty clever move… Except, how did you know a Foreigner would appear? As far as I know, this is the first confirmation that they even have Spirit Origins, let alone summoning them from the Throne of Heroes."
"Hm? Well, I didn't know if a true Foreigner-class Servant would show up, but as for aliens being spiritual entities, that's-"
He's interrupted as Reid lands, knees bent, a few feet away.
"There. How's that, you? Didn't even touch the ground once." He says.
I sigh. "I was thinking you were going to do something cool since you had actually drawn your sword this time, but in the end you just goofed around like always. I guess it'd be hard to use an impaled dragon as a handhold if you were using chopsticks, but…"
"Huh? Course I could do it, you. I can do anything. Just didn't want to, see? Cuttin' fools down with chopsticks is one thing, but stabbin' stuff with em… that's for little kids, you. 'S bad manners, stabbin' with chopsticks." He explains in his usual condescending manner. "In any case… Hey, you. Hottie with the shield, I'm talkin' to ya."
"E-eh!?" Mash says, blushing and pointing to herself. "U-um, are you talking-?"
"Course I'm talkin' to ya, you. Who the hell else would I be talkin' to, you?" Reid rolls his eyes. "Get over here so I can touch your tits, you. Got a good five minutes til' that big one gets here, so hurry up."
"Eh." Mash does her best impression of a deer in the headlights of a car. "Um, did you just say-?"
"Said I wanna touch your boobs, you. Come here so I can do it."
"Oi, leave her alone, bastard!" Mordred calls out from her seat leaning against the boulder in the clearing's center. "Who the hell taught you to talk to girls?"
"Huh? I'll get to you later, you. Just wait your turn, armor girl." He says.
"Who the hell are you calling a girl!?" she protests.
"What, want me to make you a-?" He begins to say yet another unforgivably crude line, only to get interrupted.
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅--!"
With a fierce roar, the remaining burned-out trees on the north side of the clearing are uprooted and sent scattering around from the sheer force of the dragon's arrival. I barely dive to the ground in time to avoid having my head smashed off.
The Evil Dragon Fafnir smashes into the ground like a meteor, the green symbol on its chest burning like an alien star. Dirt and stone sprays through the air, and the hurricane conjured from its impact tears at my skin.
Blue flame smolders in his jaws, and then pours forth with such speed and force that it more closely resembles a laser beam than a jet of flame. And as the fire shoots from his jaws-!
"The hell's that supposed to be, you?"
Reid's blade flashes in a bright arc, blue glinting off his steel. An impossible strike, so perfect that I feel as though my sense of sight will be cleft from my brain. A blow that cleaves space and time, creating a black void in its wake that swallows up Fafnir's fire breath as if it never existed.
"What's with that, you?" Reid scoffs, approaching the Dragon. "Makin' fun of me, you? Don't wear costumes on the battlefield, you."
A claw falls on him like the hammer of a god, and his blade crashes against it, like an impossible bladed anvil.
"Uh, mister Stick Swinger! His scales make him pretty much invincible, so-!" Prelati starts to advise.
"Huh!? This crap, some kind of invincible armor? What, you stupid as well as ugly, you?" He scowls in response as his blade wipes another gout of flame from existence. "Just gotta cut the armor off, dumbass. In other words..."
He grins, tearing the eyepatch from his eye.
"Take that stupid thing off, you."
His sword slides effortlessly through Fafnir, and the Evil Dragon shatters.
***
Fafnir melts - scales, flesh and bone, sliding off, transforming into gold coins and gemstones.
The Evil Dragon disintegrates into a hill of treasure, and at the peak of that mountain of gold, a short, fat, balding man with a beard stands stark naked, in total shock.
"He severed the curse!?" Prelati exclaims. "That's…!"
That's right. It was mentioned before. The Evil Dragon Fafnir had once been a normal Dwarf, whose phenomenal greed had transformed his body into that of a dragon. But for Reid, who was able to sever the connection of my Cor Leonis back in the Watchtower, something like that must have been easy pickings, huh?
"The hell's this, you? Wearing money as armor, is that some kind of stupid metaphor, you?" Reid says with a laugh, picking up a handful of coins and letting them pour out of his fingers.
"You… don't touch.. my goooold!" The Dwarf howls, coins flying to his limbs, becoming scales and muscle once more. He scrambles towards Reid, fire pouring from his jaws, and-!
A splatter of red dye covers the pile of coins.
"That's just gross, you. Put some damn clothes on before running at a guy, you. You'll make people twitchy otherwise, you." Reid mutters to the corpse.
Slowly, as the wind blows, corpse and gold alike slowly dissolve into blackish-purple powder.
"Eh? The money disappeared too?" Mordred mutters. "What happened to 'you can't take it with you', huh?"
I chuckle. "Well, with the big threat out of the way-"
"Nah, that ain't it, you. The big one… just got here, young fish." Reid mutters.
"What do you-?" I start.
"This reading-!" Olga yells. "Enemy Servant, two kilometers out!"
Red and black bolts of light - no, arrows! - tear through what's left of the northern treeline, and once more I find myself thrown by Mordred so I can land and take cover behind Mash's shield.
Light as though hundreds of stars are being born fills the clearing as the Stick Swinger's weapon clashes with the onslaught of projectiles. At some point, reid starts laughing like a maniac.
"What's this! What's this, what's this, what's this! Who the hell is this guy!? Gettin' fired up here, you! Better be as good with a blade as you are with a bow, you! Hurry up and run out of arrows so we can fight like men, you!"
The arrows suddenly stop.
In the distance, I hear a faint response, a cry of pure agonized rage.
"Aaaarrrhhhhhh!" increasing in volume. Growing closer, and closer, until-!
A hole in space breaches the smoke and flames surrounding us. A hole in space, in the vague shape of a human form. A slanted red line glowing where his eyes should be, barely visible through the black fog pouring from his form. And gripped in each hand, covered in a spiderweb of glowing red lines-!
"Are those cannons!?" I shriek.
"Aaaahhhhhhh!!!" Roars the monster that I can only assume to be a Berserker, and hell takes shape in what remains of the once-tranquil forest clearing.
Sorry for the wait. Classes have started up again for me, which means I've been busy and sleep-deprived. Also Reid is hard to write and I'm not sure I did him quite right. Still, gonna aim for Monday for the next one.
Lancelot doesn't get a jet in Medieval France, because that's stupid. He gets cannons though. Those have been invented by 1430s France.
Bio:
The eldest Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, from another world. Embodying the concept of [Bizarre Eating], he rampaged across the nation of Lugnica, devouring the [Name] and [Memories] of anyone he encountered, with no particular objective or pattern.
...Of course, with all that being said, Roy Alphard is basically irrelevant here. Shortly before his death, he ate the [Memories] of Lugnica's oldest hero, Reid Astrea. Perhaps Reid's memories proved to be too potent for Roy, or perhaps Roy's already mixed-up and fractured psyche finally reached the limit of how many lives it could hold - regardless of the cause, the result was that Roy lost his existence, and Reid returned to the world of the living for a time.
...On an unrelated note, Reid's parameters are lower than those familiar with his exploits might expect; in short, this is because he's not manifesting as 'the Servant Reid Astrea', he's manifesting as 'the Servant Roy Alphard, imitating the Human Reid Astrea'.
Parameters
Strength: D+ (B)
Endurance: D (B)
Agility: B++ (A)
Mana: E (B)
Luck: E (EX)
NP: EX
Class Skills:
Existence Outside the Domain: B
Riding (Mabeast): A
Personal Skills:
Animal Communication (Mabeast): A
Affection of the Witch: C
Roy is tainted by the Witch of Envy's Miasma. Most animals and people with good senses will find him repulsive, and some may even attack on sight.
Leaper's Technique: B
The talent of the 'Leaper', Dorekell, acquired through the Authority of Gluttony. Of course, it has manifested as a skill here, a testament to just how much Roy and Lye made this ability their own. Even if a certain Hero of Earth were to steal his Noble Phantasm, Roy would still have access to this skill, albeit at diminished rank.
Allows the user to boost his speed to a ridiculous degree, to the point that he seems to be teleporting around the battlefield. Fundamentally, it's a similar, but not identical, technique to the [Reduced Earth] skill held by Okita Souji.
(It goes without saying, Reid will probably never use this skill.)
Palm of the Fist King: B
The technique of the gladiator Neiji Rockheart, acquired through the Authority of Gluttony. As with the [Leaper's Technique], frequent use has allowed this to manifest as a skill.
Greatly increases unarmed combat skills, culminating in Neiji's crowning achievement, a palm strike that bypasses mana-based defenses entirely. A blow that he was only able to use once, in his clash with Lye Batenkaitos, one minute and twelve seconds before he was devoured by Louis Arneb.
It was but a single step. A mere glimpse of a divine martial art, a technique that would require [No Second Strike]. But such a dream will probably be forever beyond Neiji's grasp…
(Again, Reid will probably never use this skill.)
Eye of the Mind (True): A
(Instinct: C)
(Emptiness: B)
(Sword Saint: B)
Noble Phantasms:
???
Rank: A
Type: Anti-Army
Range: 1-200
Maximum number of targets: ???
???
Gluttonous All-Devouring Serpent: Gluttony
Rank: EX
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1
Maximum number of targets: 1 Person
The Authority of Gluttony, as wielded by Roy Alphard. By touching the target with his left hand and reciting their full name given at birth, Roy can devour their [Name], [Memories], or both. Giving an incorrect name will instead cause violent illness that, against any serious opponent, will probably prove fatal.
Those who have their Memories eaten will obviously become amnesiacs, and those who have their names devoured will be forgotten by the world around them. Those who have both consumed will fall into a coma and become impossible to rouse.
Incidentally, should Roy lose access to this Noble Phantasm by some means, [Lunar Eclipse], [Solar Eclipse], and [█████ ███████] will also be lost.
(Since he thinks it's gross, Reid will not willingly use this ability.)
The Serpent Devours the Moon: Lunar Eclipse
Rank: -
Type: Varies
Range: Varies
Maximum number of targets: Varies
A Sub-Phantasm of [Gluttony]
Roy can utilize the abilities of those he or his siblings have devoured using this Noble Phantasm. This includes techniques, personal skills, and even some Noble Phantasms. Spirit-bound Weapons (I.E. Rem's Flail) are also fair game.
(Reid has access to this, but beyond using it to conjure up the sword of some random schmuck, he probably won't use it much.)
The Serpent Devours the Sun: Solar Eclipse
Rank: -
Type: Anti-Unit (Self)
Range: -
Maximum number of targets: 1 Person
A Sub-Phantasm of [Gluttony].
Roy can take on the form of anyone he or his siblings have devoured using this Noble Phantasm. This allows him to utilize abilities that may be impossible with only [Lunar Eclipse] - things like Siegfried's [Armor of Fafnir] or Heracles' [God Hand], that is, abilities bound to the body itself.
Of course, depending on the ego of the person he's taking the form of, there is a significant risk of Roy losing his existence.
(When summoned as a Foreigner, this Noble Phantasm is always active, trapping Roy in the form of Reid Astrea.)
???
Rank: -
Type: Anti-Existence (Self)
Range: -
Maximum number of targets: 1 Person
"In any case… Hey, you. Hottie with the shield, I'm talkin' to ya."
"E-eh!?" Mash says, blushing and pointing to herself. "U-um, are you talking-?"
"Course I'm talkin' to ya, you. Who the hell else would I be talkin' to, you?" Reid rolls his eyes. "Get over here so I can touch your tits, you. Got a good five minutes til' that big one gets here, so hurry up."
"Eh." Mash does her best impression of a deer in the headlights of a car. "Um, did you just say-?"
"Said I wanna touch your boobs, you. Come here so I can do it."
He's scum, more or less. Basically a run-of-the-mill thug or bully, but with hax sword skills. A better person than the archbishop whose body he hijacked, but considering Roy ran around essentially erasing people from existence because they taste good, that's not exactly a high bar.
What's happening? What's happening? I can't see - there's black metal in front of my face. I can't hear anything other than a high-pitched ringing.
I'm on the ground. How did I end up on the ground? The black shifts away from in front of my face - ah, so it was Mash's shield. Looking at it now, it seems she tackled me to the ground. That's good. I might have died otherwise.
Even as I stand up, I can't make out what's happening - the air is so full of dust and ash that all I can see is faint sparks here and there, accompanied by the distant noise of metal clashing against metal.
"...pai! ...still… afe…!" Mash yells as she grabs me by the shoulder and drags me behind her shield. I mutter out a quick apology as I squint through the cloud of dust to try and find our other allies, and figure out where that Berserker is.
"...Uuuur!" a garbled voice screams, and the dust cloud is blown away in a burst of sheer force as the Berserker swings one of the cannons he was wielding earlier, smashing it into the ground.
A wet slap echoes accompanies the cratering thud as red liquid sprays out of the crumpled mass of metal and meat beneath his improvised club, painting the earth bright crimson.
"Ah." I mutter numbly.
Frantically, my eyes scan the clearing. From the roots of a tree lying on its side to my right, just a little behind Mash and myself, I see a faint fog of blackish-purple dust - falling off of a discarded mass of meat and guts tangled up in it - at the top I can see a mop of white and red hair.
"Aaah."
We didn't have anyone like that with us. We didn't have anyone with white and red hair in our group.
And where Reid had been standing when the Berserker arrived, just ahead of us and to the right, in the center of the crater from his opening salvo… there's a charred pile of flesh.
"Aaaah!" I yell, shaking my head. Damn it! Goddammit, I can't pretend I don't know what's going on here! I can't close my eyes to it! That's right, I know, I know okay! That meat pile is Reid, the mess hanging from those roots is Prelati, and that twisted mass of metal and meat at the center of the clearing is-!
"Hope… n't thinking you... just yet, you!" The First Sword Saint calls out as he cuts his way free of the charred flesh surrounding him in a spray of blood and strange black sludge.
...Ugh, somehow I still feel relieved, even though I hate the guy. Come to think of it, that meat pile had been a bit too big to match the rest of the pattern.
"Aaaah!" The humanoid shadow roars, tossing his cannon aside and taking up a sprinter's stance, his head twitching with madness.
"What… you? This thing… Daphne's [Black Serpent], you. Qualifies this brat… Rider class. ...nasty, but it works as a shield in a pinch." Reid says as the ringing in my ears finally dies down.
...The [Black Serpent]. One of the three great Witchbeasts created by the Witch of Gluttony, the only one of the three that I hadn't encountered until now. It was supposedly the worst of the three, so terrible that even the venom that leaked from its fangs had a hunger of its own and hunted prey as if it were alive.
I guess it makes some kind of twisted sense. Even if Roy Alphard didn't ride the thing in life, he was still plenty connected to it - Alphard is, after all, one of the stars in the [Hydra] constellation.
I'm brought back to reality as the black tar pooling around the serpent's corpse bubbles upwards, rising, the Witchbeast's venom seeking food to sate its hunger.
"None of that, you." Reid mutters, swiping his sword and wiping the creature's remnants from existence. I breathe a quick sigh of relief - I've been eaten by Daphne's kids enough for one lifetime, thanks.
"AaaaAAAHHH!"
My brief relief turns to panic as the Berserker suddenly shoots into action - rocketing straight past Mash and I, his clawed fingers digging into the fallen tree that Prelati's now-dissolved corpse had been hanging from.
Mash raises her shield, but he ignores us entirely, opting instead to charge down the sloping crater towards Reid, tree clasped in both hands, black and red lines swiftly covering its entire surface.
"...Hell's that supposed to be, you?" Reid says with a roll of his eyes, cleaving both the tree and the shadow covering it in twain, his blade gleaming with white light as it stretches a good ten meters to cut the whole thing. In a single upward strike, he annihilates the Berserker's weapon.
"Think you can intimidate me with size, you? Don't be so damn clumsy, you!" He roars, charging through the storm of leaves cast into the air by his strike, and towards the shadowy Berserker.
A shower of blood erupts from the swirl of leaves. Reid tumbles through them, his body a mangled mess, slashed to ribbons by absolutely nothing.
No. Not by nothing. By the leaves. Looking at them closely - the same black and red corruption that had been covering the tree, had reached the leaves as well.
"Gkh, you… not swinging the stick, but the leaves too, you…?" Reid mutters as he collapses.
"Aaah." The shadow rumbles, drawing something from its waist - a musket, I realise, and now that I can see it, I can actually make out four or five more hanging off his belt. He points the gun at the Sword saint's head - he's going to execute him, I realize.
He's going to die. Reid Astrea was defeated in combat, by a cheap trick, and now he's going to die.
"[Minya]!" someone yells, and a flurry of purple spikes are launched at the Berserker, forcing him to dodge and turn his attention to his attacker.
"AaaaAAAH!" the Shadow yells, head twitching, as he turns to stare at me.
Ah. It was me. I fired that spell, without even realizing it. I saved Reid's life, as though he weren't someone who I've had only negative experiences with. As if he were my friend.
"Is this...goddammit. Is this you as well… Flugel?" I mutter.
Mash glances at me quizzically, but I don't have time to explain myself. The Berserker charges us, rapidly drawing and discharging four muskets with the speed of a modern semi automatic rifle, but Mash's shield catches each shot - and then he's upon us, clawed hands catching Mash's shield as she swings it at him, threatening to tear it from her grasp.
Now. It has to be now. While he stares deeply into her eyes, burning red slit boring into Mash's gaze as he slowly tilts his head.
Right now, while he's preoccupied-!
"[Invisible Providence]." I whisper, and slowly, my unseen hand creeps, through mash's shield, through the black fog surrounding him, through the black armor covering his body, through his ribcage, and-!
At the very moment I find his heart, he just happens to slide backwards. A loose pebble. A stroke of [Luck]. That's the only thing that saves his life, as my [Invisible Providence] crushes the center of his breastplate.
And then, his gaze snaps to me. His hand shoots out, and before I can dismiss my unseen hand, he grabs it by the wrist, red lines creeping over its surface.
And then he tears, and all I can do is scream.
What is this what is this what is this.
It's like he unplugged a cork in my soul, and black bile is pouring out. It hurts, it's excruciating, what is this, how could he, how could this happen, in the face of my diligence, in the face of all the effort, of all that I've done to get here, how could he take it from me!?
"My brain… trembles…" The words tumble past my lips as tar fills my throat.
"Senpai!?" Mash yells, head whipping to stare at me, but that's a mistake, yes a mistake, truly, truly, truly, truly, truly, a mistake-!
Four black hands erupt from the Berserker, and cling to her, and then she's sailing away, thrown through the air, and there's no one between me and him.
"Ah, Mash Kyrielight. How… slothful of you." I mutter deliriously as black smoke and tar pours from every orifice and my spine contorts and twists itself and the Berserker reaches for my neck and finally-!
[Love] envelops me.
Lancelot can steal Witch Factors with Knight of Owner. So that's fun.
Next chapter Fridayish. Wise up! for [Black Serpent] sometime tomorrow.
