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29.03% Campione of Uruk / Chapter 9: Chapter 8: The Truth Revealed and Advice

Chapter 9: Chapter 8: The Truth Revealed and Advice

Godou and Erica followed Shirou into a room that had a large table with Illya already seated at it.

"Please, take a seat. We have much to discuss," Shirou said before seating himself at the head of the table, with his companions taking the seats closest to him.

Godou and Erica sat next to each other, each unsure of what to do.

Godou was afraid, not only of Shirou as another Campione, but each of his companions as well. All of them made him feel like he was facing down a heretic god and because he believed that all were supposed to be human, the fact they could make him feel like that unnerved him greatly.

Erica didn't know what to say or do. She was clearly the weakest one there, so forcing their way out wasn't an option. The 5th clearly knew which god the grimoire corresponded to, what her plan was, and, based upon what his servants said, didn't regard Godou as being worth the effort of having his guard up. Given how blank the 5th's record was and taking account that the heretic gods slain by the 5th were confirmed to be of different natures, even though not one name was secured, negating Godou's trump, he probably was correct in acting that way. She had no control over the immediate future of Godou and herself and it was most likely her fault for coming into conflict with the 5th.

Shirou spoke first, "while I didn't think that we would meet this soon, it presents a good opportunity. But before that, tell me, do you have any idea what this is Godou Kusanagi?" holding up the Gorgonian.

Before Erica could react, Godou answered honestly, "uuuuhhh... not really no."

While Erica had to restrain herself from throttling Godou, Shirou and his companions could only sigh. Rin was the first to speak, "I didn't think it would be possible, but a Campione even dumber than Salvatore Doni has appeared. He would at least ask what something he is supposed to guard is even if the Naples incident proves that he won't react appropriately."

Erica stiffened. She had heard about the Naples incident. Salvatore Doni had destroyed a grimoire he was supposed to protect and it resulted two gods descending. One fled while the 5th killed the other and beat Doni to a bloody pulp shortly afterward. The only information of the gods was that the one that fled was a mother-earth goddess while the one slain was a Deity of Steel.

Godou didn't know anything about the Naples incident but managed to understand that he had somehow committed an act that not even Doni would be dumb enough to do. The fact that they considered Doni smarter than him, even for a second, unnerved him greatly. Wasn't the Gorgonian supposed to only be a symbol of his strength as a Campione?

"Based upon the stupid look on your face, I'm guessing that they told you that it is something along the lines of a symbol of your strength? It's not. It is the third most dangerous magical artifact in the world, and is the subject of a prophecy that the world is going to end after this grimoire is reabsorbed by the goddess whose power is contained within." stated Shirou.

Blood drained from Erica's face. Not only would Godou do his best to never touch it again, the fact she all but lied had been revealed. He would listen to her less and the 5th would keep a close eye on them to prevent future attempts by her to force Godou to act like the Campione that he is so desperate to deny being.

Godou, on the other hand, was panicking about the prophecy, "bbbbut then shouldn't we destroy it?"

"Your sister is right. You really don't know anything. Grimoires can't be destroyed, not by mortal or Campione. The only way to prevent the end of the world is to defeat the goddess after she absorbs the power from the grimoire. The only ones capable of resisting the prophecy are Campione," replied Illya, speaking for the first time.

Godou flushed from embarrassment, only to understand the meaning behind what was said, "so the one chosen to confront the goddess was me?!?"

"A poor decision, we agree. Huh, it is so sad when senility appears at such a young age in mages. Especially for one who has yet to reach 20 like that girl there," spoke Sakura, gesturing toward Erica.

"You think I'm senile," question Erica, her voice icy to the degree that even Godou noticed. She had NEVER been insulted to even a fraction of a degree that she had that day.

"It is the only logical reason we could think of that you would pit a Campione with less than a month's experience against the strongest mother-earth goddess in the world, even without taking the poor compatibility into account. Unless you have suffered brain damage recently," responded Rin.

That stopped Erica in her tracks, "Poor compatibility? What do you mean?"

"The goddess involved in this event is a tripartite goddess, meaning unless you have her original name, the authority of the warrior with the golden sword will only be able to damage one of her three aspects. Do you know her original name?" questioned Shirou.

Everyone turned toward Erica, awaiting an answer. Faced by everyone, Erica could only drop her head and admit the truth, "no." She knew a lot about the goddess in question, but the original name eluded her no matter how much she tried.

"This is not a game. Failure means the end of the world. Entrusting something to someone who doesn't have the ability to reliably obtain victory, not to mention denying their destiny, cannot be done. Give your title of Diavolo Rosso to someone else. You're obviously far too young," said Shirou.

Erica could only continue to hang her head while Godou sought clarification, "what would count as the ability to reliably obtain victory?"

"Possessing multiple authorities from gods of steel. Due to the relations between mother-earth goddesses and deities of steel, a Campione with multiple authorities from deities of steel will hold a massive advantage against any mother-earth goddesses. The two currently living Campione who fit in this category are Shirou and the idiot Doni," responded Rin.

"Want some advice? Go home. Finish high school. Decide how you want to live your life after finishing your basic education. We, on the other hand, have a goddess to fight. Show yourselves out when you're ready," said Saber.

Shirou and his companions stood up and left the room after Saber finished speaking, leaving Godou and Erica in silence. After a few minutes, Godou spoke, "they're right. No matter what you claim, I'm not ready for something of this magnitude. I'm going to go home and focus on school."

Erica remained at the table for several minutes after Godou left, lost in her thoughts. What hurt wasn't the fact she lost, it was the fact that they were completely correct. Godou's trump couldn't defeat Athena on its own. If the two faced each other Athena would likely win, bringing about the end of the world. And it would have been due to her inability to give Godou the required information, her ego in thinking that she could meddle in the affairs of gods and Campione, that would have caused it. She was nothing more than a spectator. Just like with Verethragna. She had forgotten her place in the world, and her mistake would have resulted in the suffering of countless others.

She was eventually able to will herself to go home. Upon arriving she went straight to bed without eating. She couldn't bring herself to do anything else.


Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Shirou vs Athena

After leaving Godou and Erica behind, Shirou moved to the garage while the others followed him.

"I assume our strategy hasn't changed from the original plan?" questioned Illya.

"There is no change. We trap Athena in the Unlimited Blade Works while she absorbs the Gorgonian and we kill her there," replied Rin.

Shirou followed up, "cut the chatter, we need to get far enough away that nobody uninvolved is caught up in this. We're moving out."

""""Hai!""""

On a clifftop overlooking the sea, several miles from any form of civilization:

Shirou was sitting down, waiting with the Gorgonian in hand. Athena was getting close, based upon the pulses of divine energy the Gorgonian was giving off. None of Shirou companions were visible.

They were waiting for the signal to activate the bounded field that would prevent Athena from escaping while she was dragged into the Unlimited Blade Works. It was a tactic used against four of the heretic gods they had encountered over the years and it had worked every single time.

The only sound that could be heard were the waves against the cliff. Just before sunset, Shirou's voice rang out, breaking the silence, "So you've come, Athena."

Thirty meters ahead of Shirou at the edge of the cliff, space distorted briefly, revealing a young girl. She was pale-skinned, to the degree she looked unhealthy, and wore a white shirt, yellow sweater, and plaid skirt in addition to a cat-ear hat.

Silence returned, at least until Shirou spoke again, "or would you prefer your true name of Nyx?"

Shock briefly flashed through Athena's eyes, replaced almost immediately by calm. Then Athena responded, "Impressive. One struggles to remember when that name was last used to refer to oneself. You have done your research, godslayer. To answer the question, once I reabsorb the power of the Gorgonian, I will be Nyx. Until then, I am only Athena."

Nyx, goddess of night and the underworld. The mother-earth goddess all others in Africa and Europe can be traced back to originally. And she was about to be reborn from Athena.

Shirou spoke calmly, "is there any chance I could convince you to leave peacefully if I give you this?" as he held up the Gorgonian.

Athena shook her head, "your brethren was the one who took the snake away from me. Blood is required for compensation for his act."

Shirou sighed, "well before we begin, catch," he said, throwing the Gorgonian to Athena. She caught it, this time the shock did not dissipate as quickly as before.

Looking at the stone disc in her hand, Athena spoke again, "strange. Why did you return the snake to me?"

Shirou answered simply, "it belongs to you doesn't it?"

Athena tilted her head, baffled by the simple logic, "it would appear that you are a child of Epimetheus. But this one does give gratitude for your honesty. Prepare thyself, for the ancient queen walks this earth once more!"

A vortex of darkness erupted around Athena. She could feel her self changing, returning to who she once was. But even as she felt her strength increasing, she could hear words, unlike anything she had ever heard before.

"My body is made out of swords

My blood is of iron and my heart of glass

I have overcome countless battlefields

I never have and never will retreat

I walk this path without fear, for I am not alone

Though the path is difficult, we will endure no hardship

There is no need for regret, for this path is our choice

Thus bring forth the Unlimited Blade Works"

The words almost felt like steel was contain within them. There was no other way to describe them.

When the vortex of darkness dissipated, the newly reborn Nyx was greeted by a sight she almost couldn't believe.

All of the scenery had been replaced with a grassland. The sun was high in the sky, not at sunset as it was earlier. But what shocked Nyx was the blades.

An uncountable number of blades covered the landscape. Every type, every variation of sword was present. Quite a few were magical. Several even felt divine, but there was something... off about them.

Located to to around Shirou Emiya were four statues. They appeared to be made of the purest marble but they were life-sized and true to appearance. They were statues of Illya, Rin, Saber, and Sakura. Directly in front of Shirou there was a sword unlike any of the others. When her wisdom informed her of the sword's identity, Nyx's eyes opened as wide as they could go and she couldn't disguise her shock in the slightest.

It was the Sword of Divine Salvation.

IT WAS THE Sword of Divine Salvation.

The sword of the King of the End, the strongest god of steel in existence. The anti-Campione god, the one with an absolute advantage over the devil kings. Only one thought occupied Nyx's head.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THIS.

To start with the world was something even a high-class god would struggle to create. The big problem was that it showed clear signs of being a mortal magic. There was some divine power in the world, but the power that created it in the first place is mortal. Shirou Emiya had created this before he became a Campione.

Gods stand at the pinnacle of the world and a human cannot match them. That was the truth accepted by all beings mortal and divine in nature. But this world was a direct contradiction of that statement. Nyx knew many gods, including herself when she was Athena, who are weaker than this power even without the divine power contained within. Simply put, Shirou Emiya was stronger than a god even when he was just a mortal. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?

Then there was the Sword of Divine Salvation. It wasn't an illusion, it existed, it owed its allegiance to Shirou Emiya. He had usurped the authority known as the Sword of Divine Salvation. But how and when? One possibility ran through Nyx's head, but it was even more ludicrous than the meaning behind the world the 5th Campione created.

Was the first god killed by him the King of the End?

The King of the End was like a god to other gods. He is the strongest being in existence and none could match him. But for some reason, Nyx couldn't shake the feeling that the ludicrous idea was in reality the truth.

Nyx calmed herself. She wasn't going to go down without a fight, "Pick up that sword and lets get on with it."

"No."

Of all the things Shirou could say, she never imagined he would say that, "WWWHHHAAATTTT, WHY?"

"Do you know what this sword represents?"

The calmness in Shirou's voice cut through Nyx's confusion, drawing her undivided attention, "enlighten me."

"This sword represents when hope has been completely lost and the only remaining option is destruction. I refuse to accept that hope can ever be completely lost. I will only draw this sword after trying everything else. Now, lets begin," Shirou said as he summoned a pair of black and white swords to his hands.

A massive grin appeared on Nyx's face and she drew a scythe from the darkness of her shadow.

Then a shockwave rang out as the two clashed.

Nearly an hour later, Nyx finally collapsed to the ground.

Both Nyx and Shirou were in bad shape, but Nyx's condition was clearly worse.

She had fought will all her might and Shirou countered everything and surpassed her. It was without a doubt the best fight of her entire existence and she had no regrets.

Nyx felt a shadow fall over her. Looking up, she saw the 5th Campione standing over her with a blade in his hand. It wasn't the Sword of Divine Salvation, it was still embedded in the ground near the four statues. Nyx smiled and spoke, "what are you waiting for?"

Shirou spoke one last time, "I'm sorry."

Nyx closed her eyes and spoke her last, "you have no reason to feel sorry for me."

Shirou swung the sword down and the battle between god and Campione came to an end.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Hydratooth Hydratooth

Thoughts on Reality Marble incantation in comments please

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