Chapter 25: Chapter 23: Holy Sword Part 3
Beta read by Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and Maglad.
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-Kuoh Academy-
"Wow! So this must be the famous Kuoh Academy. It's far bigger than our church! I think we could fit ten of those here with still some space left!" Standing outside the gates of the school, two hooded figures stood conspicuously while passing students kept throwing them weird glances. "Eh? Everyone is looking at us weirdly for some reason… I hope I don't smell bad or anything."
"It's because we're the only ones covering ourselves with white cloaks, and carrying large swords with us. Also there's the fact that you keep making a commotion."
Irina turned around to look at her partner with a small pout on her face. "How am I making a commotion!? I'm just observing the place before us and making some comments — also you're the only one with a giant sword on your back, I've just got this cute ribbon around my arm."
"You've been admiring this heathen's little school for the past hour. It's very clear to me that if your little friend was ever here, we've long since missed him. I refuse to wait any longer just for you to have a friendly reunion, when we have a meeting we need to be getting underway."
Xenovia said this with clear frustration leaking from her tone. After dropping off their luggage in their hotel room, both exorcists went to pay a small visit to Irina's childhood friend's house. They were welcomed by the happy couple who initially didn't even recognize the twin-tailed girl when she first appeared, but were soon overjoyed to see an old friend of their son's.
"He is definitely here. Issei's parents mentioned that he was supposed to be at school. They wouldn't lie to us. How could you even think of that?"
"I'm not suggesting that, Irina. Let's just… let's just get done with our meeting with the Devils and we can search for him afterwards if you want. Worst case scenario, we can just wait at his family's home, or come back here tomorrow."
"I'm not so sure that the second one is such a good idea anymore!" the latter explained. "If I talk to Issei in front of the Devils, they will get the idea that he is a very important person to me and could even use him against us. It's best not to give them that incentive and keep Issei's friendship with me a secret, at least for now."
The twin-tailed exorcist huffed, no longer looking at his partner but instead at their surroundings. Noticing a small group of collared doves perched on the branches of the nearby trees. A few let their wings flap experimentally as if preparing to take to the sky again, while the rest of the avians quietly sat in their perch while seeming to embody the tranquility they were known to represent in her faith.
"Oooh, this must be a sign from God!"
"What is?"
"Nothing~! Just thinking out loud."
A few seconds later, the handful of gentle birds flew away, making Irina's smile die down ever so slightly, and leaving her to briefly wonder if she'd jinxed things. Soon enough though she went back to speaking with Xenovia and argued about their next course of action. Five minutes before the time they had designated for the meeting, the exorcists were approached by two individuals.
"—!?"
A chill ran up Xenovia's spine as, for a brief moment, she sensed something very odd, but that sensation did not last long.
"It is rather suspicious to have two cloaked figures standing in front of the school and stalking the passing students for the past half hour. If I didn't know better, I would have called the cops about a couple of cloaked figures creeping on the students here," a grave voice spoke with amusement. The blue-haired girl turned her attention towards the two individuals who approached them, both of whom were taller than her and Irina, and the man had more than a head on all of them. He had white hair, glasses, and a casual attire that didn't draw any attention.
"…"
But the one that drew most of their attention, even if she did not speak a word, was a woman of incredible beauty. She had purple hair so long that it reached her heels, cascading down her back and loosely tied together toward the bottom. She wore a long-sleeved sweater, dark pants, and a pair of glasses much like those of the man next to her. Yet for some reason, she gave off an aura that made Xenovia instinctively wary of her.
"You two must be the exorcists sent by the Church," he asked, holding an envelope which both girls instantly recognized as one bearing the broken wax seal of the Vatican.
'That must be the letter Mother said headquarters sent to them to inform the Devils of our arrival.' Realizing who had likely just come to greet them, both of them tensed and turned more serious, as there could be only one reason why this person would hold such a document in the first place.
"You're one of them," Xenovia said with a not-so-hidden hint of disgust and distrust, pulling back her hood to show her face, and so did Irina.
The man just raised an eyebrow. "No, I am not a Devil if that is what you're implying," he said casually and tossed the empty envelope into a nearby trash can. "Both the Sitri and the Gremory heiresses are waiting for you. Just head down that path over there, and you will come across an older building — they are waiting for you inside on the upper floor."
Before he could properly finish giving his instructions, both Irina and Xenovia were heading in that direction, leaving the two behind.
{Break}
"I was honestly kind of curious about how holy weapons in this world differed from ours. I want to say it's because of the bandage around it acting as a seal, but the overall aura of the weapon is not as potent as I'd expected," Archer commented as he gazed at the two departing exorcists, right after both Sona and Rias had their little panic attack, especially at the realization that two exorcists wielding holy swords were at their doorsteps and they hadn't even prepared a thing, which caught them very much off guard.
Weirdly enough, the two 'guests' had not immediately entered the school premises, and just kept talking at the gate. Archer had watched them and waited, and still, they did not enter. He even had time to finish his only class for the day while keeping an eye on them, yet they still remained outside. Sona had given him the letter which mentioned their arrival along with the envelope with the Vatican's seal; and it certainly sounded like they were expected to play nice with these exorcists unless they wanted to create a diplomatic incident. As for their apparent patience, he assumed they were simply waiting for classes to end and the students to depart, which he did appreciate. But as he got closer and heard their conversation, it became clear they were actually searching for someone as well.
"They are regular humans," Rider noted, the intent of her words clear. She did not find these two to be a danger of any sorts.
"It seems so, but we still cannot underestimate them for that reason alone. Bringing holy swords directly into a meeting with Devils is in itself a threat, one they seem comfortable with the idea of backing up even with only the two of them. I don't think the Church is that stupid to send individuals if they weren't capable of at least inflicting rather serious damage if negotiations broke down completely, though they couldn't have accounted for our presence at said meeting." All the same, he would not treat them any differently from executors from his own world. Individuals who had received much of the same training as a certain fake priest pretending to play the role of the fifth Grail War's impartial overseer.
Though they were human, executors of the Holy Church had been trained to hunt down Dead Apostles and other kinds of entities related to them that disrupted the natural order with great fervor, and they were highly effective in that task. He would assume the same of this world's Church exorcists unless he had good reason to think otherwise.
"We should get going; it would be wise to keep our guards up as long as they're in the vicinity of our Masters."
"They would risk initiating hostilities against Devils in their own territory?" Rider asked, not believing anyone could be that ignorant to forget their own current situation. "Whether holy energy is a Devil's weakness or not, it does not matter if they are outnumbered ten to one by enemies of strength similar to their own, even if we were to do nothing."
He gave her a side glance, "You would be surprised how reckless some people can be, especially if they are driven by a sense of inherent righteousness."
As he was about to head back, Rider stopped him in his tracks with a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, Archer gave her an inquisitive stare, wondering what the woman wanted to say. Even as he could see her pink eyes, it was difficult to discern what kind of emotions or thoughts were going on inside that head of hers. He made a mental note to always keep his interactions with her to a minimum, feeling it was dangerous to spend more time around her than necessary, and he worried he might inadvertently act as a catalyst to unlocking prior memories.
Fortunately, so far, she didn't seem to recall anything regarding past summonings.
"Yes?"
"I wanted to express my thanks for giving me these glasses. They serve their function quite well, and are very comfortable to wear. In fact they fit perfectly." Though she didn't say it outright, her words drove their hidden meaning well enough for him to understand what she was trying to convey.
"Good to know, though you don't need to say thank you or anything like that. I didn't do much; my Master was just worried that you might pose a risk to those around you even if you didn't intend to, and I had to provide some kind of insurance to ensure her peace of mind."
She simply nodded, making it hard for him to determine whether she believed his words or not.
"I spoke with the Gremory perrage's Queen very recently. You have taken quite a liking to the people of this world. I don't know if any other Servant would have done this much for people he just met," Rider remarked.
Akeno spoke with Rider without him knowing? That was slightly worrisome. That girl was one of the few who knew his true name, and while he trusted her not to willingly expose his secrets, he still worried that if such information ever made its way to Rider, it could unlock certain memories she might have that related to such a name.
"Did she? I hope whatever she has to say about me was not laced with false information about me being a saint or the like."
A small smile graced her face. "The topic never came up. And even if it had, I know full well you're no saint, regardless of your attire."
That answer made him start to worry on the inside, though he didn't show it outwardly, maintaining his composure as he gave the other Servant a light smirk.
"You sound so certain of that. Yet I doubt you ever met a saint during your life, so that begs the question of if you'd truly know one if you saw them. I could very much be one of the more obscure saints, nearly forgotten by the annals of history."
"Perhaps, but you just don't feel at all like what I'd imagine a saint would be."
"Is that based on my willingness to work with Devils?"
She didn't say anything to that, neither denying nor agreeing with his words.
"If there was indeed a system similar to the Holy Grail put in place in this reality, with a prize to grant anyone a single wish, what would you ask of it?" she questioned him.
Amia raised his eyebrow. "That's a rather odd question to ask another Servant, don't you think? Why should I even give you an answer since I remember specifically stating that I didn't have any particular wish for the Grail?"
Now he was certain; this woman had not given up on her attempts at figuring out his identity. He was comfortable with Rias and Sona, or even their entire peerages, knowing his name, but Rider was a completely different issue. Mostly because he was uncertain which memory in particular his name might trigger for her.
After all, in most of his summonings, he barely interacted with her much, and on the rare occasions in which they did it was primarily as enemies. Certain times he would be able to kill her due to her initial Master having no ways to keep her maintained with a steady stream of magical energy, and other times he would die before her. Those were the memories he could remember with some clarity, but he knew there were other instances where he was certain his actions would not leave a good impression on Rider were she to remember then. He was not so 'honorable' in combat, and there were even times where his blade would find its edge at Sakura's neck.
"Are you sure you don't have any wish to make? Not even to live again in a true body and be part of the happiness you seem to have found here? Also, don't think I haven't noticed how cagey you are with me on the subject of who you are. Your concealment of your identity goes beyond you being another Servant; you fear what may come if I were to learn who you are."
He did not provide her with any answer to, knowing full well this conversation — if it continued — would not end in his favor. So he disappeared in his spiritual form, making sure there was no one around to see it.
"…You can run and hide all you want, red bowman, but I will have my answers one way or another," she whispered.
Archer truly was a master at keeping his cards close to the chest, but no matter how carefully he schooled his expressions, Rider's senses went far beyond mere sight. Whether he be an enemy or even an ally from the past, Rider did not truly care, only being driven by simple curiosity and nothing more. For now though, she followed Archer's example and disappeared into her spiritual form to head back to where the meeting was going to take place with their Masters and the two exorcists.
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"Good evening. I hope your flight to Japan has been smooth. We welcome you to Kuoh Academy. Hopefully, you will enjoy this platter of tea and snacks while we talk," still in his spiritual form, Archer now stood beside Rias and observed the girl handle the situation with more diplomacy than he'd expected, given how panicked she and Sona had initially looked upon finding out the two holy sword wielders were already at their doorstep.
Sona also looked to be far more calm and composed than before. Her hair was perfectly combed once more, and no traces of dark circles or red irises could be seen. Whether that was due to her excellent self control or some supernatural recovery ability, he could not tell.
And speaking of Sona, she took the opportunity to speak next. "I would also like to add that we must apologize for not welcoming you when you first arrived at the airport. There has apparently been some latency with the letter from your superiors being delivered, and it was only just this very morning that we learned about your arrival here."
Archer watched the two women exorcists before him carefully. One had a neutral, almost distrustful glare, but the second one had shock written all over her face. He heard her name was Irina, a girl who also seemed to be in possession of a holy weapon of some sort, but he saw no signs of any weapon being held on her person, especially compared to the large wrapped package her companion was lugging around. Whatever holy weapon she had, it was evidently far easier to conceal under that cloak of hers.
"They really got to you…" the twin-tailed exorcist whispered as she looked at Issei. Archer found it curious how she looked both betrayed and hurt, while Issei seemed to be completely confused by her reaction, obviously not recognizing the person in front of him at all.
'Perhaps it's for the best that Yuuto isn't here for this. I am pretty certain he would have been openly hostile towards these two if he saw those blades behind them.' Even after their many training sessions. The blonde still harbored quite an intense hatred for all holy weapons. And while Archer could say with certainty that his self control had improved as he learned to focus and channel his anger, the rage itself had not diminished in the slightet.
"You know her?" Rias asked her Pawn, the latter observing Irina with squinted eyes before hesitatingly shaking his head. "I am sorry, Buchou. I do not recognize her at all."
It certainly didn't seem to be the case with the other side, who was further visibly offended by his words. "You seriously don't recognize me, Issei? Don't tell me you forgot all those times we spent together when we were kids, playing all those games in my house when you would come over almost every day? How could you, Issei!? Those were cherished childhood memories!"
"We used to play together?" That only served to make him more confused than anything else, his mind visibly overworking trying to recall any person matching her description in the past. It wasn't until he looked at her once again with squinted eyes that a small light of recognition flashed before his eyes. "No, it cannot be," he said with a quivering voice, visibly recalling something but also having a hard time believing it was the truth. "Irina, that Irina!? I thought you were a boy!" he screamed, his statement spreading across the room as it brought back a smile on the girl's face.
"Yay! You remember me after all!" A joyful expression now presented itself on her face, completely taking over the previous expression of shock. "I can understand why you are confused. I used to dress a lot like a boy, and my hairstyle was also different. I believe that's what they call a tomboy, right?"
Safe to say, Issei was in full disbelief, having a hard time accepting that as the truth as more and more memories of his time playing with the boy in his memories now looking back, he could see more and more similarities between them. "Why didn't you ever say you were a girl back then?"
Irina shrugged at his question, giggling as it made the boy even more frustrated. So far, she seemed to be obviously easier to communicate and get along with.
'I see, and what do you think of the weapons, the sword the other one has?' she asked, her hands clenching every time she took a peek at the wrapped blade behind Xenovia's back.
At that question, Archer shrugged. 'Nothing unusual to add if that is what you're wondering. I don't need to tell you that the weapon has holy-based attributes, and it is most likely sealed away. So unless I see it without anything to cover it, then I can't say much, unfortunately.'
It did not possess any domineering amount of energy in his opinion, but without actually seeing the blade unsealed he couldn't make any judgment as of yet.
'Indeed, as long as it is a holy weapon, then it does not matter which one of the Excalibur fragments it is. Either one is dangerous and deadly against us Devils. I have called Yuuto, Akeno and Koneko to return, they should be here any second.'
He nodded, the exorcists came at a rather unfortunate time when Rias didn't have her full Peerage present unlike Sona.
"…?"
Wait, he just noticed a rather thing his Master said that nearly escaped his attention.
'I'm sorry, can you elaborate what you meant by one of the Excalibur fragm—'
"Enough!"
Xenovia exclaimed, her arms striking the armchair and leading some of Sona's peerage members to take on a defensive position only for their King to calm them down. He was also certain that Rider was standing close to Sona in her spiritual form, choosing to not announce her presence like him.
"We have not come here for idle chitchats, so I will not waste any time. Recently the Excaliburs that were kept in the Catholic Church Headquarters Vatican, the Protestant Church and Eastern Orthodox Church were stolen."
"What?"
A myriad of different emotions shown on everyone's face at the same time. Shock on most with confusion with Issei and Saji, Archer sharing the same sentiment. Thankfully, Saji asked the question brewing in his mind.
"Excalibur? Isn't that the sword from that English story with the knights of the round table? Though I'm pretty sure it was supposed to be some legend."
"You are very much correct, Saji. Excalibur is a prominent weapon in the Arthurian stories, the sword in the stone that could only be pulled by whoever is chosen to lead Britain to glory — which happened to be Arthur Pendragon. But it is very much not a legend, the sword is real and a very powerful relic whose power was only rivaled by Durandal." Sona explained diligently, to which all the three boys listened carefully.
Rias added more to her explanation, "It is said that at one point in time, Excalibur was shattered during the Great War. Seven parts were recovered which were forged into new Excaliburs held by both the Protestant and Catholic Church."
'Were you familiar with Excalibur before this, Archer?' Rias asked using their connection. 'If we were to face the exorcist, it would be quite the advantage that you could replicate a copy of Excalibur from your world, though that would make you a target of the Church.'
He chuckled, 'Master… why are you so certain I would even hold such a weapon in the first place? I'm not from the Arthurian era. Also yes, that blade's legend holds great presence as well.'
'Ah, it was just a hypothetical question.'
The Servant of the bow sighed, 'Even if I wanted to, I can't replicate the Excalibur from my world.'
'Eh? Why not? You've projected a holy weapon during our training period, the ones you called Black Keys.' She recalled those accursed weapons that instilled the fear of god onto everyone in the field. Emerging from nowhere and carrying no presence, able to immobilize anyone as long as it struck their shadow.
Even if they destroyed one then ten more emerged… and more…
Archer shook his head, 'With a large enough source of Magical Energy, I can replicate many weapons but not Excalibur. I won't bore you with the details as its history is quite vaste, but know that it is not something that can be destroyed even by the likes of gods. Honestly, from the sound of it, the Excalibur in this world and mine are two completely different weapons only holding the same name — nothing more. Excalibur from my reality is the pinnacle of holy swords, whose only equal is the strongest demonic sword - Gram; though honestly even Gram comes short of it. At no point was it ever considered to have another holy weapon 'rival' like Durandal.'
Comparing Durandal which was an A-rank Noble Phantasm with Excalibur of all swords… and for this world's Excalibur to be broken… unbelievable. Caliburn and Rhongomyniad came to mind, but even those paled in comparison at the end of the day to the Sword of Promised Victory.
'That sounds terrifying,' Rias had to admit. 'Do you think you'd be able to fight against King Arthur who wielded the sword?'
'My world's version? No. This world's? Who knows, but regardless, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a full on attack from either versions of that sword.'
Rias wondered just how powerful the Excalibur from his world was while Sona continued to converse with the two exorcists. With Issei pointing at the wrapped sword behind Xenovia.
"So, is that also one of the Excalibur fragments?" Issei asked, Archer sharing a similar curiosity as in his eyes the blade resembled more something Heracles would wield.
With no hesitation at all, Xenovia pulled out her blade. "This is Excalibur Destruction, it is under the control of the Catholic Church."
Instantly, every devil in the room flinched backwards, the holy energy within the blade causing an unpleasant feeling crawling on their skin. As for Archer, as soon as his sight came into contact with the blade a new addition was instantly added to his Reality Marble along with all of its secrets.
It's material, process creation and basic structure.
All of it made a single thought emerge in his mind.
'That's it? This carries the name of Excalibur?'
Disappointment, that was all he felt at the moment.
For what was presented before him was no weapon forged representing the crystallization of mankind's wishes, but a mystic code or at best an equivalent to a D-rank Noble Phantasm. Its ability to store energy and unleash it in a minor wave of destruction, though impressive, was held back by how fragile the material of the blade was.
He was certain that even a reinforced Kanshou and Bakuya were more than enough to shatter them.
'I'm in a world where Excalibur was not only destroyed but also turned into basically mystic codes… one whose shape looks like something Berserker would wield to crush rather than cut.'
The disappointment was enough to make him want to genuinely laugh, just thinking of calling them Excalibur fragments becoming nothing but a joke he wanted Saber to be present and see with her own eyes at this spectacle.
A king's sword made to protect humanity turned into a simple toy.
Irina also took out something that looked like a long rope. That rope started to move as if it were alive, changing its shape right in front of everyone and turned into a katana.
"Mine is "Excalibur Mimic". I can change its shape into anything I want so it's really useful for carrying around. Just like this, each "Excalibur" has its unique ability. This one is in the possession of the Protestant Church."
"Irina, there's no reason to tell these devils the ability of Excalibur, is there?"
"Ara Xenovia. Even if they are devils we still have to form a trustworthy relationship with them in this situation. Also, even if my sword's ability is revealed, I won't fall behind all the devils here."
A second addition was added to his Reality Marble once more, this one being even weaker in comparison to Excalibur Destruction — an E+ rank equivalent at best. Having no offensive abilities and held no difference to the countless nameless Noble Phantasms in his arsenal.
"…"
Archer wanted to take a seat and contemplate what went through the head of the fool who turned one of the Excalibur fragments into this joke. The more he thought about it, the more tired he got mentally.
'Now I really want to show these to Saber… the shock factor might have been big enough in a battle for me to be able to get a killing blow during the Fuyuki Grail War.' Even though he thought of it as a joke, Archer didn't completely dismiss such a plan.
While he was swimming in his own thoughts, the others continued their speech.
"T-That is indeed quite a fearsome blade. Also, we were not made aware of this news, certainly I can understand why the Church must be worried. But I still fail to understand how this relates to both of you coming back to Kuoh. Surely you don't expect those blades to be present here of all places?"
"Rias is right, both of us keep a close eye on our territory and other than a small group of rogue Fallen Angels that have been taken care of, there have been no sightings of anything remotely close to a holy sword. We Devils would immediately sense weapons of that caliber near us."
Xenovia was not swayed by either of the heiress's words, placing Excalibur Destruction to the side without sheathing it as if using it as a way to pressure those before her. Irina on the other hand, turned it back to a cute arm band, the transformation making Archer release another sub.
"We have reason to believe that whoever stole them came hiding in Kuoh.
"Funny you should mention the Fallen Angels, as we have reason to believe that the one who stole them to be part of the Grigori."
Rias' and Sona's eyes widened at the answer.
"Fallen Angels? It makes sense, high ranked Devils wouldn't really have any interest in weapons they can't use. But this is indeed a very worrying piece of information." Sona mentioned and Rias having a similar reaction as both worried internally about such an event taking place in their territory. "Is it another group of rogue Fallen Angels?"
Xenovia shook her head, "We know the main culprit who stole the Excaliburs. One of the leaders of Grigori, Kokabiel."
"Kokabiel… One of the leaders of the Fallen Angels that survived the previous wars since ancient times. This is bad, to have a Cadre involved is not something we can handle."
Emiya liked how Sona handled the matter, even with a Servant by her side she did not become arrogant enough to overlook such details and underestimate the enemy.
As for whether or not Rider could handle a Cadre or not, that remained to be seen. Having to idea of what a Cadre was capable of in the first place made it hard to gauge the end result.
"Our request… No. Our order is to not to have any devils intrude in the battle between us and the fallen-angels for the Excaliburs. In other words, we came here to tell you not to interfere with this incident."
Ah, so that turned out to be what they wanted. Archer initially suspected the church was sending exorcists here to interrogate the Devils with the belief that they were the one who stole the Excalibur as he listened to the entire story.
Honestly, he saw little issue with their suggestions. The less his Master got involved with such things, the less enemies she would make. But that was disregarding her role as an owner of the city, where any incident still fell on her head.
'Be careful, Master. I may not be familiar with the details of the inner workings of the three factions but even I can see this being a major diplomatic manner that must be handled warrily. Do not let your pride take over.'
The red-headed girl clenched her hands before taking a deep breath.
"I'm afraid we can't do that, as co-owner of Kuoh it is our responsibility and duty to handle such matters that can cause further conflict between the factions."
The Sitri heiress was next to speak, "It is also our duty to handle any false accusations involving matters of such magnitude. To me it sounds like you are under the belief that we are collaborating with the Angel of Stars."
"The headquarters think that it might not be impossible." Xenovia said with a monotone voice, through her eyes holding enough suspicion to confirm her beliefs.
The tension rose in the room, as the Servant of the bow continued to advise his Master to remain calm.
'I know, Archer. But it's just… they are being unreasonable here.'
'Ignore it, remember that you also need to look after your peerage.'
Rias closed her eyes as Archer saw the redhead gather her thoughts, "If you know that I am the sister of a Satan, then it means that you have lots of connections with the higher-ups in the Church. Then I will say it. We will not form an alliance with the Fallen Angels. Never. In the name of the Gremory house. I will not do something that would tarnish the name of Lucifer!"
It had become a contentious situation for both sides.
Though Xenovia strangely chuckled.
"Hn, hearing that is good enough. I had to warn you just in case that Kokabiel is hiding himself in this town along with the three Excaliburs. If something were to happen I would be the one to be hated by the bunch in the Church headquarters. Well, we won't ask for cooperation. If you were to form an alliance with God's side temporally, then it would affect the balance of the three factions. Especially if it's the little sister of a Satan."
Though Rias was not willing to back down, "Do understand we are in a difficult position as well. If no action on our side is taken to ensure these weapons do not end up in the wrong hands then many will suffer the consequences. At least allow us to have someone to accompany you in this mission."
"You mean bring along a spy that will keep monitoring us and tracking our actions? No thanks, do not take us for fools. Irina, let's go." Xenovia grabbed her sword, putting an end to the meeting before either side reached a definitive conclusion.
'Master, would it be accurate for me to assume that a Cadre is an existence close to the level of Grayfia?'
'Eh? I-I guess so. Ten winged entities are those who have gone through the Great War and survived, that alone is impressive enough. This is not even accounting for the fact that Kokabiel slaughtered hundreds and thousands of high-class Devils. Even an ultimate class devil could die at his hand.'
'Then these two are doomed to die.'
Archer in his spiritual form scoffed at these two. He doubted these blades were enough to go up against a Cadre, these blades alone were not enough to kill Grayfia who would be especially at a disadvantage against holy energy — and they expected to take down a Fallen Angel Cadre?
Even the Executors sent by the church to hunt down apostles we're not this suicidal.
'Should we stop them?'
'I wouldn't bother, they will not listen to you regardless of what you'll offer. If death is their wish then so be it. Your duty is just to make sure whatever this Kokabiel is planning does not come to fruition. In the worst case scenario, when eventually these two will die, we will need to retrieve their swords before Kokabiel gets his hands on them… that is to assume if we cannot handle him ourselves — which I highly doubt.'
Rias was taken aback at Archer's opinion on the matter, to casually disregard the two exorcists' lives without hesitation was odd to say the least. It made her recall the dream she had once more, one where the young boy wanted to become a hero and save everyone.
This… where had that boy gone?
'Can you kill a Cadre?'
'…I can. If this Kokabiel is not an entity far...far above Grayfia then I'm fairly confident with my chances. Rider alone should be enough to deal with this matter, you haven't truly seen what she's capable of.'
'I could say the same with you.'
As the two exorcists were about to leave, Xenovia looked towards Asia who had stayed hidden and quite most of the time behind Issei. Making herself as tiny and unnoticed as possible.
"I thought that maybe it was you. Are you the "Witch" Asia Argento? I never expected to meet you in a place like this." Xenovia said, making Rias frown at her choice of words.
Asia's body shook after she was called "Witch". That word, related to a painful time in her recent life. Irina seemed like she noticed the blonde as well and stared back with curiosity.
"Are you the rumored "witch"? The former holy-maiden? You are said to have the power that can also heal devils and fallen angels, right? I heard that you were sent somewhere after getting exiled, but I never thought you became a devil."
"U-Ummmm… I… I…" she stuttered, her eyes roaming around the room in search of someone. "T-They are my fa-fami—"
"—It's okay. I won't tell the higher ups what I saw here, so rest assured. People who were around the "Holy-maiden Asia" will also get shocked as well."
Xenovia had her own piece to add as well. "But to become a devil. The one who was called a 'Holy-maiden. You fell to the lowest place you could. Do you still believe in our God?"
"Xenovia. There's no way that she, who became a devil, still believes in God."
The more Archer listened, the more his eyes narrowed. They were basically trying to start something right now, he noticed the red faced Issei who was about to lose control of his temper any second if these two didn't shut up.
"No, I can smell the "belief" from her. It might be an abstract way of saying it. But I'm sensitive to these things. There are people who betray the teachings and still have guilt within them because they couldn't forget the teachings. I can feel something similar coming from her." Xenovia said it with sharp eyes and Irina stared at Asia even more with interest.
"Is that true? Sister Asia, do you still believe in God even if you have turned into a Devil?"
Asia replied to that question with a sad expression, "…I-I just can't put it aside. I believed in it for my whole life…"
Hearing that, Xenovia scoffed, "Is that so. Then you should be cut down by us this instant. If it's now, I can cut you in the name of God. Even if you have sinned, our God will forg—!?"
"Enough," as she was about to raise her blade towards the former nun's throat, a sudden chill once again ran up her spine as she heard a loud metallic screech of two blades meeting one another. Her sword halting in place as it felt she touched an immovable iron pillar.
Before her eyes, the air shifted as a familiar figure appeared. No longer wearing regular clothes but vested in a dark armor coupled with a red shroud where her senses picked up another sensation she was familiar with.
"You!"
The 'teacher' who welcomed them at the gates, now blocking her blade with a black blade — one that exuded no demonic nor holy energy.
Archer ignored their reaction, merely speaking with a silent yet clear tone. "You have made your stance clear on the matter. Best you return and not purposefully cause any unnecessary conflict… especially by pointing a weapon at my Master's peerage member."
Hurriedly the girl backed away, her gaze more hostile as she glared back at him. "You've been spying on us this entire time, Devil!"
"S-Saint-sama is not a devil!" Asia spoke up from behind Archer, though her voice was unable to be heard anymore by those next to her.
He'd told her plenty of times that he was not a saint, either.
Regardless, it was clear to him that Xenovia was too hot-headed for her own good. Making his previous belief that she would die on mission even more valid.
"Is that a Holy Shroud around him?" Irina, having sensed the presence of holy energy around Archer also exclaimed with surprise, her comment only making Xenovia squint her eyes at him.
Though before she could utter anything else, the floor lit up with two summoning circles where two individuals emerged from them. Akeno and Yuuto had returned from their duties after having gotten Rias' message — Archer cursed their timing.
It couldn't have been the worst moment!
"Is everything okay Ria—!" Akeno, who looked worried, froze in her spot as she stumbled upon the scene of Xenovia holding her blade towards Asia and Archer, the former hiding behind him. "You dare hurt them!?"
"Holy swords!"
A similar change happened with Yuuto, both Devils soon showing pure fury as lightning and a new kind of sword appeared in their hands respectively.
"Stop, both of you!" Archer exclaimed, yet the two did not listen which made him look towards the worried Sona. "Rider!"
On command, chains formed from thin air and wrapped itself around Akeno before pulling the girl back but missed to Knight who used his speed to dodge it at the last second.
"…"
Unbothered, Rider reappeared in front of the blonde boy as if she'd teleported, moving fast enough that even Xenovia and Irina couldn't see her move. A powerful leg sweep aimed towards Yuuto's guts, the latter instinctively using his sword to block it only to go bug-eyed as the blade shattered on contact and he felt like he was about to vomit his own guts.
"Gah!"
He collapsed on the floor right next to Akeno, just barely able to stay conscious.
Rider turned around, giving Archer a thumbs up before grabbing the boy by the scruff of his shirt and dragging the two out of the room.
"…"
Both Sona's and Rias' mouth hung open, a similar reaction with the two exorcists who found themselves to be overwhelmed by the quick changes of events.
"J-Just who the hell are you!?"
Xenovia now was even more cautious of the white haired man, Irina taking a battle ready stance as well. But to their surprise, they say the man dismissed his blade before looking down upon them.
"That is none of your business, I believe both of you have overstayed your welcome. I remember you were just leaving, the door is right behind you."
***
A few minutes passed, after the exorcist duo left the room, Sona and her peerage left to prepare for the Kokabiel situation while Archer stood near the gates making sure the two would leave.
"I'm surprised to see you can still walk, Yuuto." He gazed behind, finding the Knight limping towards him with a hateful expression. "Good thing she held back enough to not break all of your bones."
"Why did you let them go!?"
Not in the mood for any jest, Kiba Yuuto shouted at Archer and pointed at the path where Xenovia and Irina went. "They had Holy Swords with them! They'll use them against us and harm Buchou!"
"So? I can create Holy Swords too if you recall, and those so-called Excaliburs they have are not much of a threat, so you really don't have to worry about them." The confusion on Archer's face made the boy frustrated, clenching his hands as words failed to come out of his mouth, incredulous at the Servant's apparent inability to understand. Meanwhile, Archer continued.
"A couple of good strikes from either Kanshou or Bakuya would be more than enough to break either one of those weapons. Humph, using those to break one of the seven swords in this world that bears the name Excalibur… I never thought I'd say such a thing once in all my existence."
He got a weird look from the Knight at saying that, and just shrugged.
"To give you a brief explanation, the Excalibur from this world differs greatly from mine. So much so that it feels accurate to state the only similarities they share are their names."
"It is a cursed blade that needs to be destroyed for good! Excalibur brings nothing but misfortune to those around it!"
He didn't expect that the Servant would chuckle upon his declaration, "Oh, truly? Then perhaps the Excalibur from this world holds more in common than the one from mine than just the name after all."
Whether it be the Artoria he met during the Holy Grail War or other versions of her, rarely had any one of them lived what could be said to have been a 'good life'. Only a few who stayed away from the path of being a king by pulling Caliburn and later wielding Excalibur ever got to live out any semblance of normalcy.
The same went for most of the Knights of the Round Table to have gotten a 'good ending'. Then again, they'd consider dying for their King to be an honor in itself, yet that did not change the reality that the one who wielded the blade and their closest confidants had all been required to make great sacrifices of some form or another.
"If there is something you want to say, then do it. I can't understand your reasoning if you keep quiet like that. Don't think I haven't noticed how you've been reacting whenever I used the Black Keys as well. A past history with holy swords, I reckon?"
"It's… It's…" once again he tried to speak but held back, a cold look flashing before his eyes before it vanished. "I'll tell you later, but before that I want to share with you something else that happened after I left to complete my contracts."
"Your clients canceled your service or something? I recall Rias mentioning you mostly served married women with massages and other similar services." Truth be told, he did do a double take when Rias mentioned that the first time. Even though it wasn't his business dealing with Yuuto's life, it did make his thoughts spin with many questions that he ultimately decided were better left unanswered.
"No, I'm afraid that's not the case." A dark expression showed on his face, one that carried a hint of sorrow and disgust. "It'll be easier if I show you."
.
.
.
(A few minutes later)
"Well this is a grim sight."
Emiya couldn't help by comment as he walked inside what could only be described as pure horrific carnage.
Stepping foot inside a luxurious house where the inside walls were painted red with fresh blood. A flailed body of a woman held by nails hammered through her wrist on the wall, all traces of clothing shredded a multitude of wounds and cuts. A cross shaped burn imprinted in the middle of her forehead where her eyes were gouged out.
Yuuto, still disturbed by the sight, chose to sit outside on the balcony while Archer investigated the place.
"I found her like this on arrival. I've checked the security cameras and all of them were wiped completely, I don't know who could have caused this as she did not have any enemies as far as I'm aware. I wanted to stay longer but then saw the message from Buchou and teleported back." His face turned green as the stench of iron filled his sensitive senses.
The boy watched how Archer looked unaffected by the scene. Carefully observing the victim's body with the ever present frown on his face.
"You did the right thing, to me it looks like an obvious bait to lure you in. Whoever was behind this probably was hoping for you to appear and lead you into an ambush." Archer removed the nails, the bloodstained body dropping on his arms as he gently put her down. "The cuts were caused by a small dagger; most likely, two different weapons were used as other cuts are much deeper and cauterized. Whoever did this tortured her alive as none of the vitals were touched, despicable."
"You seem awfully calm about this, Archer."
"After living the life I had, one tends to become desensitized by such sights. I guess I'm numb to it all, but that does not mean I don't find it abhorrent."
"…"
He walked around the room, looking for any clues that could help him figure something out. "Strange, no signs of forced entry, the door is perfectly fine and no shattered windows. Either the killer took his time to lockpick his way in or was let inside willingly by the woman. So we can disregard the possibility of it being a stray as well."
"Good thing I'm the only one this happened to, Koneko seemed to be alright after I called her."
"But why you?" Archer asked, "Any enemies you have that want to get revenge?"
"Probably, perhaps it's those exorcists. They asked Asia to kill herself basically." Yuuto answered to which the Servant shook his head at that question.
"Unlikely, you know that." While he held his opinion about Xenovia, she did not seem the kind to do such a thing. Not to mention the wounds did not match the weapons she used. Other than Excalibur Mimic, but he dismissed that thought as he still believed for this to have not been their fault.
"You can't argue that the timing is odd, they arrive and now suddenly one of my clients is killed with a cross burned on her forehead." he insisted.
"While I agree those two are suicidal fools here on a death mission, that doesn't mean they'll just go around killing people and leaving behind such a scene. Hm, I'll check somewhere else."
Disappearing from his spot, Archer jumped on top of the roof where he got a clear view of the terrain below. His eyes searched for anything he could use till he spotted something interesting.
"Footprints," near the pathway close to the living room's window. "Someone jumped out in a hurry, he went that way."
He followed them, easily tracing them back until it continued down an alleyway. Archer raised an eyebrow, the killer was kind of too obvious with his intent but he was curious who it was. So without further ado he took the turn and tilted his head just in time to dodge a thrown dagger aimed right for his eye.
"Tch, I fucking missed!"
A voice shouted, Emiya spotted a man dressed in priest garb at the end looking at him with a twisted smile — clothes soaked in blood that was not his. White hair and an unfamiliar face, holding a particular blade on his right hand that held the same feeling as the Excaliburs Xenovia and Irina showed.
Another Excalibur, great, "Excalibur Rapidly… of course it was given such a name."
"Eh? Who the fuck are you? I thought I made the perfect bait for the ass-wipe Devil prince without making too much commotion. Fuck that big tittied magical girl! It's her fault I have to put a mouse trap and I didn't even get a Devil! Also how the fuck did you know about this sweet baby?" the man said while showing off his blade.
He certainly was a foul-mouthed individual, Emiya just crossed his arms. "You are…?"
"Freed Sellzen! Not that it matters as I'll drill a hole through your brain for working with Devils, you fucking pumpous mage!"
Archer felt like he heard that name from somewhere but couldn't recall honestly — not like it mattered.
"I was worried Yuuto was being targeted by a dangerous individual, turns out it was nothing but a clown… hah, what a waste of time."
Archer's answer only enraged the man.
"THE FUCK DID YOU SAY TO ME BITCH!?"
{Break}
-Underworld-
(Two days earlier)
It all started with a deep breath, days' worth of effort gathered for this one last chance. Begging and pleading with those he called his allies to help him in his endeavor, refining the already written formula into something usable, not prone to exploding into smithereens.
"For the element silver and iron, the foundation stone and the Archduke of Pacts, and for the great mistress, Lilith."
The cold shock sensation of the blade he brought for this occasion cut through the surface of his palm, leaving behind an acute pain that made him nearly bite his own tongue.
"Raise a wall against the wind and close the gate in four directions."
The glue of the surrounding magic circles hummed with power as it slowly but surely started to consume more and more of his demonic energy. The once-destroyed castle, which he had convinced his brother to repair once more, served as a room for him to experiment once again.
"Come forth from the Crown and follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom."
How much he longed for this occasion, his greed further fueled by the display put forth by Rias during the rating game. To see the raw power and influence she wielded with mere words was astounding. He yearned to possess such a weapon by his side to fulfill all of his desires and to conquer all who stepped over him without a second thought.
"Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill."
The glue of the surrounding magic circles hummed with power as it slowly but surely started to consume more and more of his demonic energy. The once-destroyed castle, which he had convinced his brother to repair once more, served as a room for him to experiment once again.
"Repeat five times, but when each is filled, destroy it."
How much he longed for this occasion, his greed further fueled by the display put forth by Rias during the rating game. To see the raw power and influence she held with mere words was astounding. He wanted to possess such a weapon by his side to fulfill all of his desires and to conquer all who stepped over him without a second thought.
"Heed my words."
With this, not only can I get the perfect maiden of my dreams but also one who controls the power to dominate even these fools of the old Satan faction! The humiliation he had to go through just for them to help him perfect the bits that were missing and provide him with enough resources to start the experiment, the chance to summon once more without alerting his brother.
"My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny."
He could feel his reserves dwindling, even as a high-class devil born from a noble lineage. His regular reserve couldn't sustain this rate of absorption. He could only imagine the kind of trouble the likes of Rias and Sona must have gone through, given there was little chance either of them could possibly hold power that far beyond his.
"If you abide by this feeling and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning"
Thankfully, I came prepared this time. One of the many hooded female figures, who were part of his spirit, came forward holding trays filled with rows of bottles. Not wasting a single second, he grabbed one of them and chugged down the contents in a flash, the soothing sensation of the liquid streaming down his throat followed by his demonic energy recovering at a much faster rate.
"I hereby swear that I shall be all the ruler in the world."
It was here, unlike the last time, there was no sight of fire, no signs that pointed to an imminent explosion about to happen. Each inscription upon the walls and floor glowed in unison and uniformly. The added and changed parts barely holding on yet working nonetheless.
'I swear, I do not need the blessing of the Ouroboros dragon to have my revenge on all of you filthy devils. Nothing but losers who lost against Sussex and my brother and continue to stay delusional about a future filled with grandeur and taking back the underworld when they can't even hope to match my own power soon enough.'
A greedy grin showed on his face as the process seemed to move along nicely. His limbs shook with excitement as the glow in the middle grew brighter by the second.
His blood continued to pool in the center until he clenched his hand, feeling and knowing deep down that this was more than enough.
"Thou, who art trapped in a cage of madness, and I the summoner, who holds thine chains!"
He spoke the final lines of the summoning chant, his face going pale as even after chugging down more recovery potions, it did little to help him keep up with the rate of absorption from the magic circle. Yet he did not care, finding the strength to grin like a madman as the process seemed to reach its final stage.
"Hahaha! This is it! This is your call to come forth, oh beautiful maiden who once served the biblical father, rise from the dead and kneel down before me, who chains your fate to mine. Serve me with both your mind and body for eternity, for I shall have you by my side as the world falls under my fe—urgh!"
It happened in an instant, his breath filled with the suffocating presence of smoke that emerged from the center. "Oh no, it failed again!?" He couldn't believe it, all the hours of work and begging, all for naught, cursing his fate as his body barely held in place before he noticed something unexpected. "Fire?"
A tiny source of light appeared for a split second before expanding across the entire room. Unlike prior attempts, this was no uncontrolled explosion destroying everything in its path, but a sight he had never seen before. One that brought Diodora a great source of joy as he once again couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Hahaha! I did it! I truly did it! My pure maiden is finally here!" He couldn't control his breathing, panting harshly while observing the summoning take place right before his eyes. The magic summoning circle grew brightly to the point of forcing him to shield his eyes.
"Why is it taking so long? Just come out quickly!" he shouted, looking at his palm with glee as the command seals glowed with a bright red color. The design resembled that of his family's clan, separated into three segments. "If I recall, this should be another source of power that can make my servant more powerful. A pseudo-wish-granting element according to the notes."
Finally, after nearly reaching his limit, the young devil saw the first sign of his servant, who started to emerge from the middle. Strands of blue hair attracted his attention for a brief moment before he felt something was very wrong.
"…"
His prior face of pure joy morphed into one of disgust and disappointment as what appeared before his eyes was not the pure maiden that he desired. It bore no resemblance to Joan of Arc nor any of the prominent maidens from legends. It looked so far off from what he desired that Diodora wondered if the summoning hadn't gone wrong in some way. Did he miss something once again? No! That couldn't be possible!
"Why do I always have to end up with the short end of the stick? You're nothing but an ugly mutt, your face I do not even recognize from any legends, so you must be a weakling," he wanted to scream, shout at the sky for the unfair treatment, but held back his anger as at least this person was not completely useless. Looking down at his command seals, a particular idea emerged.
Bringing his hand up, Diodora spoke out loud, "By this command seal, I order you to become the strongest being in the underworld! Make it so that your strength is unrivaled and your tenacity dominant enough to crush any opposing opponent that will come in our way. I want you to be the most powerful!"
The sensation of his hand on the back heating up did not go unnoticed, one of the lines disappearing into a faded mark before the aura around the summoned servant grew stronger.
"I have a lot of expectations for you, though I would prefer to kill you right now and restart the summoning process to bring forth a beautiful maiden suited for me." Unable to hold back his anger, the young man swung his fist at one of the veiled women near him. The tray of potions fell to the ground as its contents shattered into pieces.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
His foot repeatedly struck her body to relieve more of his built-up resentment. Nothing but a small whimper sound came out of her mouth as she didn't even try to protect herself.
"When I'm done with those fools in the old Satan faction, I'll have that bitch Katerea serve me as her master and give me all the resources they have for a second summoning. There's nothing that says in the notes a Master can't summon twice. It must be her fault; she must have tampered with the magic circles in some way to make sure I wouldn't get a maiden…"
As Diodora continued to grumble, the young man failed to notice the previously still summoned servant twitching. A sudden chill rushed up his spine as the room was filled with an uneasy atmosphere. "Eh?"
A roar like no other assaulted his ears, forcing him to backpedal as he stumbled and fell onto his butt.
"What is wrong with you!?" he demanded an answer from the servant before him, yet received nothing but the sound of an animalistic growl emerging from the man. Eyes devoid of humanity stared back at him with pure rage, madness, and hunger. The rustling sound of his gold armor acted like a haunting echo as he walked closer and closer.
"What, what are you doing? Are you defying your master!?" What was going on here? Didn't the note say that upon summoning a servant, they were completely loyal as long as the summoner possessed the command seals?
Yet it didn't seem the person before him could even hear his voice, let alone understand his words.
"Stop him! Do something, you idiots!" His fear getting the best of him, Diodora ordered his peerage members to intervene against this man.
The mindless puppets rushed forward in unison, their movements swift and coordinated as they attempted to restrain the berserk servant. "Raaaaaaargh!" However, their efforts were futile against the sheer strength and ferocity of the rampaging warrior.
Another roar instilled fear within everyone's heart as he dispatched them with brutal efficiency, ignoring the blades that barely scratched his armor nor pierced his skin and only ended up getting easily grabbed.
"Aaaargh!"
With pure horror Diodora watched before his eyes one of his peerage members get torn into town two pieces as the monster tore her apart in one move. Bile rising from his stock as face got splattered with her blood and remains.
"NOOOOO!!! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
His screech did little to stop the newly summoned Servant from advancing, bringing a similar fate to every single member of his peerage.
Torn apart as if they were made of paper.
Chunks of flesh ripped away as this thing showed no hesitation to feast on them like a dog. A monster in human form, where there existed no clarity within those blackened eyes of his.
Heads crushed with a single stomp, closing the distance between them ever more regardless of how many attacks Diodora desperately hurled towards him. "AaArgh! Why aren't you listening to your Master!? This isn't how it should work! You are a Servant! Nononono! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!!"
Snot and tears streaming down his face as the boy glared back at the individual with both hatred and despair. The mark of his second command seals glowing brighter as a pulse of red energy spreads across the room and engulfed the Servant's body, halting him in place as he seemed to struggle with his following action.
His second Command Ceal losing color before fading away.
Seeing the sight an expression of glee came over Diodora, "Y-You can't m-move anymore can you? Hehehe…hahahahaha!!! You're going to pay for destroying my collection! I'll have your skin ripped fro—AAAAAAHHH!"
His words were cut short as a sickening reached his ears followed by a tsunami of mind numbing pain from his foot. The large man stomped on his heel, flattening like a pancake as Diodora tried to escape. "WHY ISN'T IT WORKING!? AAAAAAHHHHH!"
His demonic energy covered hands getting caught by bloody before getting completely twisted with his bones sticking out. "STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!"
Unable to hold on any longer, he lost all strength in his body and fell at the mercy of his tormentor. The low growl filled with killing intent tried to go further with his action but found himself unable to do so.
With his last vestige of consciousness, Diodora felt his collar being pulled. Body dragged away from the bloody room that resembled a slaughter chamber with no means to stop this… this thing. Each step caused a low thud, disappearing within the darkness of the castle.
A trail of pitiful whimpers left behind as the young Devil wondered with his last thoughts; what went wrong?
--------
The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 2 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.
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