Located at the heart of the Fuyuki City Leyline, the 'vein' that allowed mana and spirit energy from the planet to bleed out into the atmosphere, a massive black spire stood, crested by six spined points curved inward like a crown. Though this was an a sub-dimension isolated from the outside world, it still had a 'foundation' in reality, being located a few hundred meters below the Ryuudou Temple and engraved into a circular stone pedestal that was precisely 50m in diameter down to the atom. As it was impossible to create a permanant connection to the Root, the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri families had all worked together in order to develop this isolated space more than two-hundred years prior. It had even taken the sacrifice of the then head of the Einzbern family, one of the iterations of Justeaze Von Einzbern, to complete.
In almost every other circumstance, it was nearly impossible to reach the location of the Greater Grail without severely damaging the Leyline and somehow 'slipping' into the interior through a crack formed in non-existent space. Merlin, however, had such a mastery of [Illusionism] that he was even able to fool reality, the environment, and even fate itself. For a brief moment, he was able to create an illusion that was entirely indistinguishable from reality, even from the perspective of the World itself. In that singular instance, by making it so that Vahn and his group had 'already' accessed the Greater Grail, he was able to slip through the surrounding nothingness, cutting through the fabric of nonexistence and cementing their presence within the Greater Grail's isolated sub-dimension.
From the perspective of everyone who had been teleported, they simply shifted locations in an instant but, in that same period of time, Vahn at least sensed something that Merlin had been concealing. Turning to face the white-haired Magus, Vahn saw the man produce a wry smile as he hid his hand in his sleeve. Other than Scáthach, who had been watching Merlin with an unwavering gaze, he was the only one to see the errant Mage's hand gain a transparent quality. However, as now was not the time to discuss the matter, Vahn just gave him a curt nod before handing Illya's body over to Heracles. In hindsight, he realized bringing her along might not have been the best choice but, considering she had an immortal existence capable of destroying the world inside her chest, which was 'technically' under his control, Vahn didn't think about it too much.
After having Heracles move away, Vahn turned to look up at the black spire that, for the time being, seemed like a stone obelisk with an incredibly intricate internal system comprised of tens of thousands of integrated magic circles. Behind it, a solid pillar of pure mana was flowing from one area of the void into another, reminding Vahn of the phenomenon he had observed when using the [Page of the Akashic Tome]. Since the pillar was likely what allowed the Greater Grail to access the Root, something that obvious emulated the 'real' Akashic Record, Vahn wasn't too surprised to see there were similarities between them.
Now that it had come to this point, Vahn gave a small nod before turning to Artoria, saying, "Since your [Excalibur] uses the Holy Element, it may be best to use your Noble Phantasm to try and break apart the Greater Grail...what do you think, Scáthach?" Since the latter should be able to discern even more than he could, Vahn wanted to see if Scáthach's [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground] could give them any insights into a better course of action. He was already prepared to try and seal the area with [Enkidu], all so that he could potentially 'absorb' the energy into his own body, but that would be a last resort.
Without taking her eyes of Merlin, Scáthach answered, "The Greater Grail itself should be simple to destroy. Angra Mainiuu, however, is a conceptual existence that should have never been allowed to exist as a physical or spiritual entity. After destroying the Greater Grail, it would be prudent to leave this place as soon as possible before placing a powerful seal in the real world. Though it would be impossible for the majority of people, there is always a chance someone could gain access to this place without using the key. If Angra Mainiiu is able to escape, its corruption could spread through the entire world if there is nothing to contain it..."
Hearing what Scáthach had to say, Vahn shook his head with a wry smile before placing his hand on Artoria's shoulder and saying, "Sorry, looks like I might have to steal the spotlight from you again..." Since it was apparent that destroying the Greater Grail wasn't necessarily the smartest decision, at least for the time being, Vahn had to pour cold water over Artoria's convictions once again. To her credit, she just gave a nod in response before holding [Excalibur] at the side once again...
Curious about what Vahn was thinking, Merlin inclined his head to the side and asked, "Have you already come up with a solution?" As even he didn't have a 'permanant' solution to the problem of Angra Mainiiu, Merlin was curious what an anomaly like Vahn might have come up with. What he never expected was for the latter to look back at him, shrugging as he said, "I'm going to let it try and absorb me..." This immediately caused Merlin's brows to furrow while Artoria, who had just decided to trust Vahn, instantly shouted, "What are you thinking!?" Even Circe didn't seem to think this was a good idea, flittering a few centimeters off the ground as she whined, "No, you can't do something like that...!"
In response to the two girls' shouting, Vahn winced slightly before holding up his hand and saying, "You're misunderstanding my intentions and looking down on me. Even if it's something like 'All the World's Evils', I'm confident that I'll come out relatively unscathed. Besides, do you really think I'm going to do something like sacrifice myself when my ultimate goal is to return to my original world and reunite with my family and children? Relax and trust me..." Though Vahn was asking them to trust him, he allowed his Command Spells to glow in order to remind them that he would make them listen if necessary. He genuinely wasn't worried about what Angra Mainiiu might do to him as, even though it would undoubtedly cause him extreme pain, there was ultimately nothing the entity could do to corrupt The Path and his Source Energy.
Without allowing any argument, Vahn turned to look back at the Greater Grail before saying, "Once I sublimate the Greater Grail, wait for my signal before using your [Excalibur] to hit it with full force. I imagine this space will begin to break down pretty quickly after that, so make sure you're ready for a second jump, Old Man..." Vahn's last words were directed towards Merlin who, regardless of the fact that it might further fracture his existence, simply returned a smile in return before saying, "Do not worry, I am already prepared to alight at the first sign of trouble. Go, Vahn Mason...I am curious to see if you are truly capable of doing something that should be impossible..."
Surprising almost everyone present, Vahn began to laugh after hearing Merlin's words, followed by him plainly stating, "I've been doing the 'impossible' for years. This might as well just be another Monday for me..." With that said, Vahn stepped forward before placing his hand against the hard surface of the Greater Grail. This caused a similar 'pulse' to what had occurred in the illusion created by Merlin, followed by the steady beating of a heart. Slowly but surely, the grail began to morph into a far more 'evil' form before Vahn's hand began to sink into the previously hard surface. Almost as soon as he sank in just a little bit, a powerful suction jerked his body forward before fully enveloping him within the surprisingly viscous and foul-smelling internal structure of the Greater Grail...
A few things happened after Vahn's body was pulled into the Greater Grail, the first among them being a powerful pressure that seemed intent on compressing his body into its small form. At the same time, however, Vahn's sense of touch began to rapidly fade before, instead of pure darkness, he found himself in an empty space. The pressure on his body faded away, taking with it the burning sensation of his skin melting away as he landed soundlessly on a blue-black plane. When his feet touched the 'surface', a pulse of runes spread through the area like ripples in a pool before a figure formed a few meters away from him. When Vahn saw who it was, he couldn't help but release a dry laugh before greeting, "Long time no see, Akasha..."
Looking as distinctly synthetic and 'alien' as he remembered, Akasha had formed wearing the same grey-black dress that seemed to be part of her actual body. This was the first time he had seen her standing so Vahn was a little surprised to notice she was actually a little taller than him, a perfect 200cm. Though she had the semblance of what could be called breasts, combined with the curves you would expect from a woman, he had the distinct impression gender wasn't really a factor to the existences beyond the Root. Her 'dress' actually left her abdomen and pelvic mound visible, showing that Akasha's body was more like a doll than anything more 'biological'. This, combined with her neat bob-cut hairstyle, bisected down the middle with a non-refractive black and light blond only further added to her alien appeal. Of course, the thing that stood out the most was her eerie smile and her vibrant red eyes that had small lines of runes running through their depths...
Apparently choosing to ignore Vahn's greeting, Akasha tapped the empty air in front of her as she explained, "My superiors have been closely observing your activities after entering the experiment. The power you have displayed is beyond our initial classification. In order to ascertain the nature of your existence, my experiment and classification have both been upgraded to grant me greater authority. For this, you have my gratitude..."
Though she said she was grateful, Vahn felt that even Scáthach was more expressive than Akasha as she continued to tap on various different windows that had appeared before her. She seemed to be analyzing a great deal of information, likely pertaining to him. He wasn't even remotely surprised to know they had been observing him, especially since they could probably use the same skills he had been 'gifted' as a tracking beacon. Since they needed to be able to determine when he was actually up against one of his targets, it was obvious his actions were being heavily monitored. Because of this, Vahn had been careful never to mention anything related to The Path, even though he also made no real efforts to keep its functions hidden. This was likely what had caught their attention as, no matter what kind of scan Akasha had used on him, there was no way they would be able to probe The Path and its functions...
After sorting through whatever information she was going over, Akasha swiped her hand across the air, dismissing all the windows before saying, "Your primary objective has not changed. However, as the parameters of the experiment have evolved, I have been tasked with updating you on your own status. Termina Nasua has given you a Priority Classification of [A]. You are now able to act freely within the Root without restriction. Currently, identifying you has become the highest priority of Root Designation: Akasha. To facilitate this, the Heaven's Feel ritual has been modified so that you can contact me by coming into contact with the Greater Grail. I have been authorized to assist you to the fullest extent of my abilities. Keep in mind, however, that I cannot use power greater than what is contained within the Greater Grail at the time of contact."
Vahn had been silently listening to Akasha drone on with his focus split between listening to her and trying to analyze the surroundings. When he heard she was going to be 'helping' him, however, his attention shifted back to her as he asked, "Are you saying I can essentially make a wish?" This caused a few runes to flash across Akasha's eyes before she nodded her head and answered, "According to the information I have access to, I believe this would be an accurate interpretation. However, I have been expressly prohibited from granting you access to anything that could modify your existence. The purpose of the experiment is to observe your natural evolution so I am unable to provide the means to 'increase your strength' outside the bounds of our initial agreement."
As he had never expected Akasha to be able to help him do something like increasing his power to Tier 5 in a single leap, Vahn wasn't all that disappointed to hear her clarification. Just knowing he could ask for almost anything else was more than enough, especially since there were plenty of means to increase his strength within the Root itself. To better understand what he could request, Vahn pulled a table and a set of chairs out of his Inventory, causing a massive volume of runes to flash across Akasha's eyes as he asked, "Mind answering a few questions for me...?" This was met by an immediate nod by the alienesque woman before, without even moving from where she had been standing previously, she appeared sitting in the chair in an instant.
With his own understanding of Space and Time being far inferior to Akasha's, Vahn decided to just walk over and sit down nstead of pointlessly trying to show off. After taking a seat, he pulled out some tea and snacks, pouring a cup for himself and Akasha as he asked, "Can you explain any other restrictions I need to be aware of? Like, if I asked you something crazy like giving me access to the Throne of Heroes, would that be allowed?"
Though she had been attentively watching each of his actions, Akasha didn't even waste a single microsecond before answering, "It has been observed that you are able to alter causality and fate by coming into contact with the variables that had been assigned to help regulate the system. Providing access to the Throne of Heroes is within my authority to approve. In order to access it, however, you will need to establish an 'Anchor' and a 'System' on the same scale as the Greater Grail."
Seeing how she didn't even hesitate to answer in the affirmative, Vahn's brain was abuzz with thoughts of how he could use this to advantage. He was already intending to make an organization to rival the three major powers in the world. Though the assistance of his current Servants would be extremely useful, he knew it probably wouldn't be enough to completely unroot the darkness that existed behind society. If he could potentially summon a limitless number of Servants, however, it became a far more practical goal. From the moment he was able to establish a base of operations and establish a 'System', he would already be well on his way to achieving his goals...
With thoughts of the future in mind, Vahn was almost tempted to ask if they could grant power to someone like Fenrir but, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Vahn just as quickly dismissed it. Even if they could make her an all-powerful existence, he didn't want anyone messing around with one of his Subordinates, especially one as irreplaceable as Fenrir. This also meant he couldn't really ask her to empower any of his other Servants as, without asking for their consent beforehand, Vahn didn't want to make such decisions for them. What this didn't prevent him from doing, however, was asking, "The existence known as 'Primate Murder'...is it possible to separate him from Illya and keep him sealed away?"
Once again, Akasha immediately answered, "It should not have been possible for a human or a homunculus to become the vessel of Primate Murder. As this is an anomaly within the system, I am not authorized to separate the two. It is the decision of my superiors that such cases are meant to be observed from start to finish without interference. This same principle applies all anomalies that have come into existence as a result of your inclusion within the experimental field."
Based on Akasha's words, Vahn was able to conclude that it was his existence that had led to Illya and Cath Palug being fused. Now he felt guilty about her situation and, even though he had already decided to help make her happy, Illya had been elevated on his list of priorities. With that in mind, Vahn decided to clear some things up, asking, "The Holy Grail War...was it affected by my presence?" Since there were 'a lot' of abnormal occurrences, including the participation of several still-living entities, Vahn felt the need to hear it directly from Akasha.
As she was ought to do, Akasha immediately answered, 'Yes. Before your entrance into the timeline, the Sixth Fuyuki Holy Grail War would have been intervened by the Holy Church on the eleventh day. This would have caused open conflict between the Mage's Association and the Holy Church, the final result being the dismantling of the Greater Grail after the Fuyuki City Leyline was partially destroyed in the final clash between Artoria Pendragon and Gilgamesh. Initially, there were only seven Servants, consisting of the Goddess Ishtar, Cú Chulainn, Medea, Heracles, and Hassan-i-Sabbah."
Feeling that his tea suddenly became rather stale, Vahn released a sigh as he set the cup down on the table and reflected over the past couple of days. Though he knew his presence could 'greatly' affect events that would take place in a Record, he hadn't expected his relatively small Karma to have such far-reaching effects. At the same time, however, Vahn felt this was only natural as, even before he had truly decided to help out Rin, he already expected to have a significant impact on the world. He was even planning on uprooting the organizations that have kept humanity pacified, essentially changing the fundamental nature of how the world was run. It was a given that the flow of fate in the world would react in accordance with his intentions...
Deciding he would think more deeply about his future requests to Akasha, Vahn kept it relatively simple this time around by asking, "Though you might not be willing to 'intervene', can you do things like reviving all the people that had become innocent victims during this Holy Grail War? If you can undo the damage to the City, that would also be extremely helpful." This, however, was immediately denied by Akasha, explaining, "It would be possible to create artificial lifeforms that would be able to emulate the existence of the lives that had been lost, but there is no way to guarantee the same soul would be implanted within an active timeline. Without any fate, each of them would die within a few months time. It would match your intentions better if the existence of those who were killed is erased from the timeline entirely. This will erase any memories pertaining to their existence from the minds of everyone inhabiting the timeline."
With what he knew of the soul, Vahn was able to understand the inherent truth within Akasha's words. Thus, even though he felt extremely apologetic to the people who had lost their lives, Vahn released a tired sigh before saying, "Do it..." This caused Akasha to lift her hand, tapping a few runes that had appeared within the air on a monitor that seemed to appear at her convenience. When she was finished, without skipping a beat, Akasha stated, "This action did not require any power. You may make another request."
Vahn didn't know if he should be happy or sad with Akasha essentially admitting that she had erased the 'existence' of thousands of people without any effort at all. Knowing he couldn't really change the facts, however, Vahn gave a small nod before asking, "Can you return Angra Mainiiu to wherever he came from before the Einzberns summoned him? Also, since you're supposed to be helping me, how about giving me a catalyst to serve as the core of my own 'System' later on? Though I could eventually collect the required materials myself, it would save a lot of time to have something on the level of the Greater Grail without having to produce it. Since I'm certain your superiors want to see what I'm capable of as soon as possible, I imagine they wouldn't be too interested in watching me waste time collecting simple materials..."
This time, Akasha didn't answer immediately as, deep within her red eyes, seemingly infinite strings of runes began to pour down like rain. A few seconds later, she answered, "Angra Mainiiu is one of the 'common factors' that cannot be erased. Sealing him away is not an issue but my superiors want to see if you are able to destroy him through your own efforts. You will be afforded a ten year period to make preparations before he will be released upon the world. To compensate, your request for a catalyst has been granted. Since your failure would result in the destruction of mankind, the Counter Force, Alaya, has been assigned to assist you. Your Classification and Priority have been upgraded to supersede the objectives of other regulatory entities."
As she spoke, Akasha's hands moved around at speeds faster than even Vahn's eyes could follow, her fingers seeming to tap every rune on her 'keyboard' simultaneously. By the time she was finished speaking, she blinked for the first time Vahn had ever witnessed before saying, "This request has consumed 94.71853% of available reserves. Is there something else?"
Vahn's mind had blanked after hearing Akasha mention he only had ten years until the world would essentially be forced to face its doomsday. He wasn't even given the time to alter the nature of his request, emphasizing the fact that Akasha's superiors had truly changed the focus of the experiment to observing him. Now, in a single instant, Vahn felt like he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. This caused a profound chill to spread through his mind, followed by an extreme level of frustration knowing that there was virtually nothing he could do to prevent the 'Administrators' from messing with him. If they were willing to let entire worlds be destroyed just to see how he would act, Vahn knew there was little else they wouldn't do just to see how he would react...
After suppressing the urge to simply eject from the Record, Vahn released a heavy sigh before doing his best to muster as much resolve as possible. He had already fled his home and, as Record Tiers had a lot of similarities, Vahn knew he would probably face similar difficulties in other Records. Since he had already made several promises, he decided to simply do his best to face whatever Akasha's superiors threw at him. At the very least, this would serve as a powerful stimulus to help his strength increase. Since Sub-Space Orbs would practically increase the time he had to around 60-70 years, Vahn believed he would be more than prepared to face Angra Mainiiu and whatever followed him...
Feeling marginally more determined, Vahn looked into Akasha's emotionless red eyes and asked, "Can you convert the remaining energy into something like magical cores and gemstones? I'm sure your records show that I require precious resources to supplement my abilities. I'm already at less than half the reserves I had upon entering the Root..." Vahn let his words trail off as, even before he had finished his question, Akasha simply waved her hand. This simple motion caused a massive gemstone the size of a small hill to appear right next to where they were seated. It had a subtle blue glow and, even at a glance, Vahn was able to tell that it was almost a pure amalgamation of mana.
While Vahn was staring at the giant gemstone, Akasha's eyes changed to a golden color as she stated, "We will observe the conversion process directly this time. Please proceed." This snapped Vahn out of his stupor, causing him to issue a wry smile before he went through the process of breaking the hill into smaller fragments that could be thrown into his Inventory. Akasha didn't say anything throughout the entire process which, by the time it had been completed, afforded Vahn a commendable 473 million OP. Since he assumed she would want some data that could actually be used, Vahn explained, "This was enough to replace about a quarter of what I have used thus far..."
As if she hadn't expected him to be 'cooperative', Akasha blinked a second time before nodding her head and tapping a few runes on her screen. When she was done, Akasha dismissed the interface before giving her unnatural smile and saying, "Your cooperation is appreciated. When you next need my assistance, please contact me through the Root once again." Then, with her business completed, Akasha closed her eyes before 'sinking' into the bluish-black floor once again. After this, Vahn found himself back within the confines of the Greater Grail but, the moment he was aware of the burning pressure once again, it faded away immediately thereafter. From a strange golden rune that had appeared on the back of his hand, a singular pulse of energy passed through the Greater Grail as if it had erased the corruption of Angra Mainiiu in an instant. At the same time, now drained of its energy, the Greater Grail began to crack and fracture around him...allowing Vahn to see the shocked and confused faces of his companions...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Look at me...I'm the MC now','Not sure if gusta...','This is what is colloquially known as a 'Bruh' moment')
(A/N: I wasn't going to write any more this week, as this chapter bring me up to 116k words, but I got bored and couldn't resist xD.)
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE
Having never really cared about the Greater Grail in the first place, Fenrir was the first to recover from her momentary shock. While everyone else was gawking, she happily pounced forward, shouting, "Master is the best~!" in a happy tune. Vahn caught her out of the air with ease, a wry smile on his face as he said, "Well, things didn't go as planned, but this isn't the worst outcome..." At the same time, Vahn ran his fingers along the inside of Fenrir's ears, rubbing the most sensitive part and sending shivers running up her spine. Akasha had left him feeling a little shaken, something Fenrir was obviously aware of, so it was comforting to have her at his side...
With Fenrir destroying the tension in the atmosphere, Artoria released a tired sounding sigh while Circe, with a pouting expression, flitted forward and asked, "What happened? Could it be that you're super amazing~?" As she asked this, Circe inched closer toward Vahn and Fenrir, leaning her head in as if she expected to be pet as well. Though this caused Fenrir to use her tail like a horse trying to smack away a fly, Circe didn't seem to 'notice' her, a sure sign that she was willfully ignoring Fenrir's existence. Since Vahn wasn't really in much of a mood to humor her right now, he plopped his hand rather heavily on her head and ruffled her silky pink hair as she said, "If you don't want to return to the other side, behave yourself for the time being..." Though Circe obviously wasn't inscribed on the Throne of Heroes, as she had never died, Vahn knew that she would dissipate and return to the Reverse Side of the World without him serving as an anchor to keep her here.
In response to Vahn's words, Circe's expression became like a bullied child as her big eyes began to water slightly, accompanied by deeply set brows and a frown so pronounced her chin wrinkled in an adorable manner. Vahn felt like she was using a mental attack against him, even if there weren't any ripples within his heart or mind indicating foul play. As a result, he began to gently stroke her head as he softly said, "Don't cry...sorry..." Since it was rather 'mean' to threaten her with banishment just because he wasn't in a good mood, Vahn felt a little guilty for bullying this tiny Demi-Goddess. Of course, when her frown immediately turned into a placated smile, these feelings lessened a great deal...
Though he decided it was necessary to come up with a means to 'discipline' Circe in the future, Vahn set aside that matter for the time being as he looked towards Merlin. Before any words could form on his mouth, however, a blinding flash of light appeared in the air where the Greater Grail had stood previously. All of the surrounding space became tinged with a bluish-black color as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Surprisingly, Vahn noticed that neither Scáthach nor Merlin was affected by this phenomenon, both merely showing mild surprise as they looked towards the course of the blue light. There, hovering right behind Vahn, what appeared to be a nascent blue star with two orbital discs revolving around it had appeared.
While everything else seemed to be moving several hundred times slower than normal, Vahn easily turned his head towards this new entity, asking, "Are you supposed to be Alaya...?" Though he had never seen it before, the golden rune on his left hand was currently glowing with greater intensity than before. Given the circumstances, especially with how his troubles seemed to be compounding, Vahn felt like this could be none other than his new 'assistant', the Counter Force assigned the task of ensuring humanity's survival, Alaya. Since it was radiating an incomprehensible amount of energy, even though he couldn't actually 'sense' anything, Vahn knew it was a force that he could never oppose in normal circumstances...
In response to his question, the peculiar blue star answered in a distinctly synthetic voice that sounded like several men and women speaking softly in concert. There was even a feeling of 'awe' that accompanied the voice as it answered, "I am the manifestation of humanity's collection desire to avoid extinction. You are my Master, Vahn Aldrnari Mason, designated Type Omega. What are your commands, my Master?"
Though the voice sounded emotionless, Vahn had the strange impression that Alaya wasn't all that fond of him. It could be due to its awareness that he was the 'reason' why humanity was in danger but, as it was unable to go against its 'programming', Alaya was now stuck listening to his whims. In a way, this made Vahn the most powerful entity within the world, even though he expected that Alaya wouldn't exactly jump at the opportunity to obey him...
Having heard the way Alaya addressed Vahn, both Merlin and Scáthach showed different degrees of surprise on their faces. This was quickly followed by 'realization', causing Scáthach to produce a rare smile as she muttered in a voice that only Merlin could hear, "He must have come from beyond the Root. This is why my [Wisdome of the Haunted Ground] is unable to see through him." In response to this, Merlin gave an affirmative nod before smiling as he added, "Truly an existence outside the flow of fate. I've always wanted to see what an 'unknown' future was like...ufufu..."
While Merlin and Scáthach were having a conversation of their own, Vahn continued to stare up at Alaya in deep thought before asking, "What exactly can you do for me? Your ability to influence time will undoubtedly come in handy, but I can't exactly bring you around with me in that state. Won't your presence cause all of the 'old monsters' hiding in the shadows to come out of the woodworks?" As Vahn had already discussed the existence of Alaya and Gaia with Rin in the past, he was aware that most prominent Magus were aware of them. In fact, other than tirelessly attempting to reach the Root, the most 'important' task of any Magus was concealing themselves from Alaya. Since one of its primary functions was to prevent humans from gaining enough power to potentially wipe each other out, Alaya took 'exception' to any Magus trying to gain access to Administrative Functions not intended for their use...
In response to Vahn's words, Alaya flashed with a brilliant blue light, causing Vahn's brain to buzz when the light faded away to reveal a petite blue-skinned 'girl' with white hair, violet eyes, and a similar style of 'clothing' to what was worn by Akasha and other Administrators. She looked like a 'doll' that had been mass-produced on a factory line, even though her expressionless face was almost 'flawless' in its structure. What stood out the most, even compared to the strange sight of seeing 'clothes' formed from flesh, were her two pointed ears, both close to 15cm tall, poking out from the top of her head. Though they weren't covered in hair, giving them a sleek and almost jade-like quality, they complimented the slender, cat-like tail that was poking out from the back of her 'dress'. Like the ears, her tail almost seemed like a perfect blend between flesh and metal while, at the very end, there were even two small white prongs, much like a plug...
As if to answer the question on Vahn's mind, Alaya stated in a cold, now feminine, tone, "The data provided by the Root indicates you have an interest in the structure of Executor and Administrator vessels. In recognition of your willingness to fulfill your duty, I have been granted access to the vessel of an Executor, Lower-Grade. As for the assistance I can provide Master; I am able to perform Administrative functions in exchange for mana and other resources that are of equivalent value. It is possible to enter into a contract in exchange for immediate assistance, but I am prohibited to take any action that would directly grant you an increase in power."
Hearing Alaya's explanation, Vahn realized that Akasha had noticed when he had inspected her body within the intermediary space of the Root. Though it was certainly helpful to be able to 'investigate' a physical vessel that qualified as a Tier 5 item, the fact it was even vaguely feminine made him feel as though he was being bullied. Since Akasha and her superiors would undoubtedly want to analyze his 'mana' and blood directly, he expected they were trying to entice him by giving Alaya access to a female form. This wouldn't have been too much of an issue, especially in exchange for having an unbeatable ally, but the fact she was a 'loli' made Vahn want to crawl into a hole and just reflect on his past actions...
There was a good chance that she was just trying to be 'cute' right now, as a Tier 5 should be able to easily change their form, but it was still a troubling thought to consider that Akasha and her superiors thought his preferences were in young girls. This was likely due to his intimate relationship with Fenrir, Nobunaga, and, most recently, Artoria. They were all around 150-154cm in height, possessing lithe figures with modest breasts, exactly the same as the current Alaya. The biggest problem was the fact that 15cm of Alaya's height came from her biometallic rabbit-like ears, making her actual height seven centimeters shorter than Circe, a mere140cm...
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Vahn gave Alaya a final glance from top to bottom before saying, "That appearance will attract attention in the real world. Can you not stay invisible and carry out your other duties until I call you?" Knowing that Alaya was virtually omniscient, Vahn figured he could just call her in the moments he actually required her presence. Alaya, however, seemed to have different 'orders' as she shook her head in a mechanical fashion before answering, "Unless I reveal myself to them directly, normal humans, Magus included, cannot perceive my existence. Only entities that exist outside the standard axis of time would be able to sense me..."
When she was saying the last part, Alaya stared towards Scáthach and Merlin, eliciting a smile and a wave from the latter. Since both were inarguably 'beneficial' to the survival of mankind, Alaya chose to ignore their existence instead of trying to eject them back to their 'prisons'. Even if she wanted to, however, Alaya was prevented from taking action against the anomalous entities brought into the timeline by her new 'Master'. Since they would need the help of powerful allies to have any hope against the coming crisis, as she was also prevented from calling her Counter Guardians, Alaya was helpless to do much beyond following her Master's whims. Her only comforts were the knowledge that her Master seemed intent on ensuring the survival of humanity. At the same time, the vessel that had been given to her would allow her to persist even after humanity was destroyed. As it was preloaded with the genetic material for all humans born after the Era of Gods, she could always recreate humanity if it was annihilated. Even with functionally limitless power, one of the few abilities she did not possess had been the creation of life. With this newfound capability, Alaya was able to begrudgingly accept the task she had been assigned...
Understanding Alaya's words to mean she would practically be following him around, most likely to observe him even closer than the system could normally, Vahn released a heavy sigh. Just as Alaya comforted herself, he too found some small comfort by reminding himself that Alaya was almost like a weaker version of the system shop that also had nigh-omniscience within the Nasuverse. Since she would probably 'have' to listen to any orders he gave her, Vahn figured he hadn't actually gotten all that bad a deal. After all, Alaya was genuinely feared by both the Mage's Association and the Holy Church. The latter even 'worshipped' her to an extent, considering her akin to the 'Will of God' within the mortal world...
With that in mind, Vahn felt more hopeful of the future as he gave a small nod towards Alaya and said, "For the time being, just tend to your other duties. Until I have a better understanding of your nature and abilities, it would be best for you to observe for the time being. My other companions would probably have a heart attack if they knew I had such a powerful existence subordinated to me..." Though it wasn't accurate to call Alaya his subordinate, as he had never gotten a notification from the system, it wasn't far from the truth. Unless Akasha's superiors intervened again, she was unable to go against the directive that had been assigned to her. A concept like 'loyalty' had no meaning to an existence that only lived to serve a specific purpose which, in this case, was to follow his orders...
Showing no sign of perturbation at essentially being told to 'stay out of the way', Alaya gave a small nod before time seemed to begin flowing at the standard pace. This was immediately followed by everyone except Circe looking at Alaya with shock and borderline hostility. Before things could get out of hand, however, Vahn gestured for them to remain calm and quiet, saying, "I will explain later." This caused Circe to tilt her head adorably, her face filled to the brim with confusion, while Artoria gave a reluctant nod in response. As for Fenrir, she just glared at Alaya until Vahn gently guided her to look away to avoid drawing attention to the peculiar blue-skinned girl hovering behind him.
Taking this as his cue, Merlin had a pleasant smile on his face as he asked, "Shall we~?", his staff already tapping the ground. Since the Greater Grail had already been destroyed, though not before losing all its power, there was no need to stick around any longer. Vahn swept up the fragments into his Inventory it one smooth motion before nodding his head in response to Merlin's question. With that, the entire group vanished from the sub-dimension which, lacking its connection to both the Root and the real world, quickly collapsed behind them. Not even Angra Mainiiu had remained inside as, likely to ensure he would have to face the entity directly, it had been removed from the Greater Grail before he had the opportunity to try and destroy it...
---
After arriving back at the Ryuudou Temple, the first thing Vahn did was give a brief summary of what had happened after entering the Greater Grail. Since Akasha and her superiors would probably be annoyed with him if he mentioned their existence, Vahn explained that he had essentially come into contact with the Root. He described the strange space that he had visited, detailing his encounter with an unnamed entity that seemed to represent the 'will' of the Root itself. As this was actually the truth, just without naming Akasha, Vahn didn't feel too guilty about manipulating the information a bit. To explain how he had acquired the assistance of Alaya, he revealed that Angra Mainiiu could only be sealed away for a maximum period of ten years before being loosed upon the world. With that in mind, their highest priority was obviously preparing for the manifestation of Angra Mainiuu by establishing a force that would be able to directly oppose him...
With both Merlin and Scáthach surprisingly supporting his version of events, Artoria and, though she couldn't see Alaya, Circe both accepted Vahn's words at face value. Artoria had already agreed to help him make the world a better place so it was a given she would stand at his side in the battle against Angra Mainiiu. As for Circe, she just wanted to remain in the current time axis and have fun since, back in her own timeline, the only thing she did to pass the time was lounge about on her island waiting for sailors to randomly appear. The present was far more interesting to her, especially since Vahn was her currently the object of her rather 'peculiar' affection...
Since he wanted to avoid having the same discussion several times, Vahn shelved most of the issues until later. The most important things right now were making sure each Servant that wanted to stay in the modern world had the means to anchor themselves as, without mana pathways linking them, there was a real chance they could dissipate if he didn't give them mana in time. Vahn was intending to give [Spirit Choker]s to everyone who decided to stay as, even if it wasn't enough to power them through an intense battle, it would allow them to stay manifested without needing him to 'recharge' them as often. Vahn was beginning to feel that things were quickly developing in a similar manner to how they had in Danmachi as, even though he 'technically' didn't have any active relationships right now, he was still sleeping with five different women...seven if counting Ishtar and Ereshkigal within Rin's body...
Setting aside that matter as well, Vahn turned his attention towards the most mana-heavy existence present, Heracles. He was currently holding Illya's sleeping body with just his massive hands, almost as if he were 'presenting' her, not carrying her like a princess. Vahn wanted to ensure he was able to stay manifested as it would be much easier to keep Illya happy if she wasn't forced to separate from one of the few 'positive' influences she had in her life. The problem was, Heracles ate up a massive amount of mana and, now that he didn't even have Command Spells, Vahn would be hard-pressed to replenish the massive hero's reserves without preparing a veritable tub of his blood...
After the matter of Command Spells crossed his mind, Vahn blinked in remembrance before looking through his Quest List and checking the status of his Repeatable Quest: [Cup of Heaven]. He had more than met the requirements to complete the Quest so, without hesitating on the matter, Vahn quickly submitted the Quest before accepting it anew. Not only did this give him twenty of a unique item called [Artificial-Command Seal], something he assumed would be extremely helpful, but the second item Vahn was given caused his eyes to widen in shock. Since he also got a nice boon of OP, Vahn couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his face as his eyes passed over the description of the [Grace of the Root] a second time...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
[Repeatable Quest: Cup of Heaven]
Rank: S
Completion Grade: SS
Objective(s): Become a Master within the 'Holy Grail War' (1/1), Defeat the Servants of all Rival Masters(10/6), Obtain access to the Greater Grail(1/1)
Optional Objective(s): Obtain the Servant of a Rival Master(6/6), Destroy the Lesser Grail(0/1), Destroy the Greater Grail(1/1)
Rewards: 10,000,000OP, 1x[Grace of the Root], 20x[Artificial-Command Seal]
Grade Rewards: 60,000,000OP, 6x[Seal of Binding]
[Grace of the Root]
Rank: Unique
Use: Allows the user to make any wish within the world's power to grant.
Restriction: Vahn Aldrnari Mason
[Artificial Command Seal]
Rank: Unique
Use: Allows the user to gain an additional Command Spell.
Restriction: Only Servants originally summoned by the user can be affected.
[Seal of Binding]
Rank: Unique
Use: A consumable item that changes the status of a Servant to reflect the user as their original Master. Range: 10m
-----------------------------------------------------------------
With the [Grace of the Root] and the [Seal of Binding], Vahn now had multiple solutions to a problem that had genuinely concerned him only a few moments prior. By making Illya the Master of Heracles again, she could use her monstrous magical power to easily keep him bound to the present. He could even give her a few [Artificial Command Seal]s to make sure she could summon him during an emergency situation. Though she was functionally immortal at the present moment, Vahn knew there were bound to be powerful individuals that would desperately want to get their hands on Illya. In the event she was somehow captured by someone who could seal her, even temporarily, her immortality would quickly become another source of suffering...
Deciding to hold on to the [Grace of the Root], as having an extra wish laying around was extremely useful, Vahn pulled out a [Seal of Binding] before turning his attention to Merlin and asking, "Can you wake up Illya? I think our sleeping princess has gotten enough rest at this point..." Since she had been asleep since Merlin 'saved' her the previous day, it had been well over twenty-four hours since Illya had opened her eyes. Now that he knew he was one of the factors that had led to her current situation, Vahn was determined to try and help Illya find happiness. If she wanted a family, that was something he could easily provide her until she was stable enough to be separated from Cath Palug.
Without trying to talk him out of it, Merlin smiled in response to Vahn's words as his eyes flashed with pink and purple light. From within Heracles' palms, Illya began to stir awake much faster than Circe had, a good sign from Vahn's perspective. The first thing she did was touch the area around her eyes, an action Vahn quickly interpreted to mean she was curious if her scar had been healed. Deciding it was best not to show any apprehension towards her, Vahn pulled out an ornate hand mirror before handing it over to Illya with a smile. Though she was somewhat hesitant at first, Illya eventually reached out with her tiny hands, gingerly accepting the mirror as she muttered, "Thank you..." in a demure tone of voice.
After accepting the mirror, Illya quickly confirmed that her face no longer had a rather vicious scar running across it. This caused her eyes to mist over, immediately followed by a few sniffles as she fought back tears. Though she was ultimately successful in keeping them at bay, it was easy to see she was extremely relieved to have her face healed. Even though she had a young appearance, Illya was still a girl and, though she had never had much of a reason to appeal to others, she still felt better now that her scar was gone. Though Vahn was tempted to mention he could heal the one on her chest, he decided to leave that until much later. For the time being, he figured it would be more than enough to mention, "I'm going to make you the Master of Heracles again. I do not have the mana to keep him manifested and I figured you would be happier with him at your side."
As if her healed face was no longer a pressing concern, Illya showed an expression of surprise and uncontainable excitement as she asked, "Is that true!? Can you really give Berserker back to me!?" Though her expression became dour when Vahn immediately shook his head, this was only until he smiled and explained, "From now on, you should call him Heracles. To answer your question, yes, I do have the power to make you a Master again." As he said this, Vahn handed over the [Seal of Binding] before explaining its use. Not just Illya, but Merlin seemed genuinely surprised by the fact that the small black stamp Vahn had handed Illya had the power to subjugate Servants. They were even more surprised when he pulled out what looked like temporary tattoos, each with a small red symbol on them that looked like a part of a Command Spell...
Following Vahn's instructions, Illya was able to successfully claim ownership of Heracles before having three [Artificial Command Seal]s placed on her hand. When all of this was completed, she was no longer able to keep back her tears as, even though Heracles had no real reaction to it, she threw her arms around his neck and began to sob loudly. Since crying was usually a 'positive' sign, Vahn watched Illya and Heracles with a gentle smile on his face as, from the side, Artoria had a similar smile on her face as she whispered, "You did the right thing, Master. That girl deserves a little bit of happiness for once..." To this, Vahn gave an affirmative nod before casting a glance toward Fenrir, one which she immediately understood. Until Illya was a stable existence, she would do her best to protect and care for the girl, just as she had done for Preasia in the past...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'It seems like History is beginning to repeat itself!?','TFW even an emotionless and hyper-rational system thinks you are a lolicon...','Fenrir will Protec the smol floof')
https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)
paypal.me/Einlion
Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT