Capítulo 1051: 65
065 - Tactical Spiritron Burial
I'm sick and tired of this. I don't know how long it's been since I got dragged into this… place for the Golden Cunt to play cat and mouse with, but I want it to stop already. My body burns, my magic circuits burn, my brain burns and I just want to go back home with my girls.
To Jackie's catty behavior as she struggles to decide whether she likes me or not. To Altera's pragmatic efficiency and quiet appreciation for cuddles.
I want to grow closer to Ecchan and Medusa, I want to get to know Atalanta better.
I want to tease Rin into a flustered mess and maybe hear her answer to that proposal I was in the middle of making before I got dragged here. I want to frustrate Medea with my out of context knowledge and watch her confident façade collapse whenever I give her the romantic courtship she deserves.
I want to bask in Haku's boundless cheerful energy and pretend I don't notice her unapologetic obsession and yandere tendencies. I want to wrap my arms around Sakura and whisper sweet nothings into her ear, to feel her relax in my embrace and hum without a worry in the world. I want to bond with Illya like we never go to do growing up.
And I want to have victory sex. All the victory sex. One on one or all my girls at the same time. Both. Taking turns. Again and again. Until all my lovers end up dehydrated and walking funny for a week afterwards. Hopefully convincing some more girls to join in for the first time, too.
Instead, I'm trapped in some strange place that gives me Jurassic Park vibes, courtesy of an artifact that never appeared in the canon material I'm familiar with and looks like a blatant copyright infringement, trying to survive a lazy prick's annoyingly involved attempts at skewering me with overly-expensive cutlery.
'Wait until his ego pushes him into making a mistake and then exploit it with all I have', huh? That's not worth being called a plan. Rough guidelines at best, though I could've sworn they aimed in the right direction. But if Gilgamesh doesn't make a mistake…
Did he know what I'm hoping for? Did he really bother looking so closely, giving me so much credit? I'd like to think he wouldn't, but… The prick has systematically dismantled all my options without showing any opening for me to strike through. And the sad truth is that, until he does overextend somewhere, I really have nothing I can hurt him with.
Counting on the prick's ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is considerably more nerve-wracking when it's my life that relies on his uncanny ability for messing up in the end.
Unless…
"You know?" I do my best to sound casual and carefree as I dodge another attempt at killing me dead. I don't think I'm very convincing. "I've been thinking…"
"Oh?" Gilgamesh arches an eyebrow, apparently interested enough in what I have to say to pause the onslaught.
"[Corrosion] isn't nearly as effective as it should be, but the rest of my magecraft has become notably stronger in turn." I muse. "Wherever we are, Mystery is more powerful here than in the proper, real world, right?"
He doesn't really answer, but the way his smirk widens leaves little room for misunderstanding. Reinforcing mystery will inevitably weaken anti-mystery, which is an overall kick in the nuts for someone who has that as his specialty. Like Nobunaga. Or me.
"Are we in the past…?" I ask, before answering my own question with a frown. "No, this feels like a whole different texture."
My first thought is that we're somehow in the Reverse Side, or maybe halfway there, but that's so impossible it even leaves normal impossibility biting the dust. Granted, Gilgamesh isn't the sort who cares about impossibility, but there are easier ways to find yourself in a world that follows different rules.
Reality Marbles and Marble Phantasms are a staple of the Nasuverse, after all. And that might not be exactly it, but I'm sure I'm hitting close enough to home for it to make no practical difference. Now, if I was an egomaniacal prick who used to rule everything under Heaven and despises the current state of humanity and the world…
How would I want a custom-made world to be?
"Feeling nostalgic about the good ol' glory days of Sumer?" I finally ask, taking his oozing smugness as a sign that I guessed right. This gives me some ideas. "Huh. Does this still count as in Age of Gods, then?"
Gilgamesh's smile immediately vanishes. "What of it?"
"Did you know astrology used to be a big deal, back in the day?" Uruk isn't as far back in time as I would've liked, but it might be far back enough.
"…No."
"And me… I'm not exactly from around here, you know?" I don't acknowledge his protest and simply continue talking. "I've never tried borrowing things from the Outside, but I should have good compatibility with the process."
"Don't you dare…"
"Oh man! I never thought I would get to try this for years yet." I have plans for after the War, after all. Possibilities I've been exploring while thinking about what will come next. "My heart is not ready! But then again… I don't exactly have that many options anymore, do I?"
"Damn you stray, don't even think about it!"
"The theory is still a bit wobbly, but the symbology is fitting enough. And I should have a conceptual advantage." This is going to fail monumentally, I just know it. But it's still better than keeping this stalemate up until I fall over due to sheer exhaustion. If nothing else, it should give the bastard a good scare. And, in the increasingly unlikely possibility that I survive this, it'll make for a good experience to build upon later. "I should be able to jury-rig it, somehow. So let's try and see what happens, okay?"
I'm far from being in top condition, but it should work somehow, as long as I give it my all. Astromancy, here I come!
"O, fallen champion of Humanity
Blinded by Pride and Greed.
Thou art now the Enemy.
I hereby declare under the celestial sphere.
Thou hubris shall be brought low.
By mine own hand, amber light and starfire.
This is the Coronal Rank Designation
Humanity's Defense Celestial Sphere
[Grand Order: Anima Animusphere]!"
The stars in the sky aren't those from five thousand years ago, whatever pocket reality we're in is nowhere near big enough to encompass the whole universe, but… that doesn't really matter. The stars themselves are just as powerful as they were in the past. It's our capability to manipulate them and exploit their power from Earth that has disappeared.
In this little piece of near-prehistoric Mesopotamia, stuck in the far past, the capability still exists.
It's probably not as stupidly powerful as it would've been if we'd been casted further down into the past, but I'm not trying to annihilate the Mighty Morphin' Zeus Megazord, just a self-entitled manchild carrying more blessings than sense.
I don't exactly hold the secrets of the Animusphere family magecraft either but, as we've previously established, replicating magecraft is far from impossible for a talented man, once you know what it's supposed to do and what the basic underlying processes are.
My awareness expands as I recite the verses, half-assed self-hypnosis borne from hastily-crafted lines backed by symbolism and willpower -the thaumaturgical equivalent of duct tape and prayers- allowing me to reach for the stars. Gently, carefully, I push them into previously purely-theoretical formations that should allow me to tap into their power to call forth untold destruction.
The world waits with bated breath…
…
…
…
… But the stars refuse to budge.
Of course nothing happens. Too many 'maybe', too many 'somehow', too many 'it should work', too many 'with some luck'. There's a limit to how feeble your foundations can be while still getting results. And Greater Rituals aren't particularly forgiving when it comes to that.
The blonde cunt arches an unimpressed brow. Well, I'm screwed.
Give me a break, this wasn't just a long shot, this was a Hail Mary. The fact it didn't work isn't something to act surprised about. I have poked a bit around the ideas behind the Animusphere Magecraft, because Astromancy would be damn useful if I'm ever in a position where I can actually use it, but it was hardly a priority. The plan was to give it a more in-depth investigation after the War was over.
I like to be prepared, but there's only so many hours in a day and an opening to use this during the War was vanishingly unlikely. Joke's on me, I guess.
I only tried because it was too good a chance to pass up and was honestly out of options. And now I'm too spent to even keep my [Reinforcement] going. I guess this is the end of the line, some bets just don't pay off. Looking up to lock eyes with the floating jerk, I let out what might very well be my last words.
"I regret nothing."
"Oh, don't worry, Stray. I'll make you regret it." Maybe knowing that I don't have the power to shoot another spell, he allows his golden armor to materialize around him, spreading his arms as golden portals fill the whole sky. "[Gate of Babylon]!"
Even now, he refuses to break out his true Noble Phantasm. So I wasn't even good enough to make him serious, eh? And things were going so well before this jerk came along… Looks like my power fantasy in a death world is a scam as expected.
Then, as I draw what I honestly expect to be my final breath, a frown mars my executioner's unfairly perfect features, his eyes shifting away from me as he turns towards the side. I'm too lost and tired after trying to survive for hell knows how long, so I couldn't even begin to guess what lies in that direction, back in the real world.
But when the countless golden portals filling the sky start to flicker out and vanish? Well, I have a good idea what's going on. I'll have to do something nice for Rin, once we're done with this whole mess.
Barbatos(?)
I raise a hand in front of my face, examining the perfectly manicured dainty fingers and the fluffy forearm fur. My nails are so glossy that I can see my face reflected on them. It's a beautiful face, a pretty face. Inhuman, yes, but I've never been human anyway.
My thoughts also run free, faster and more complex than ever. This form… I can tell it's temporary, only possible by spending enormous amounts of power I won't have at my disposal for long. I pushed too hard and too fast in my desperation and this is an [Evolution] I wasn't ready for. A terribly risky action that could've easily backfired, but it can't be helped. When faced with certain death I couldn't not risk it.
Death is a scary thing. Even scarier than the (Omniscient, Omnipotent Star) Golden One. But now that I've gone through this, the shackles of fear have shattered. My mind is clear, unburdened for the first time since… Has it ever been this clear before? I can't remember.
Soon enough, the pool of energy I have at my disposal will run out and I'll go back to my previous form. Not so strong, not so smart, not so beautiful… But it's not like going back will take away what I do while I'm like this.
This is my chance to achieve things, to build bridges, to make apologies and hopefully friends, while the (Omniscient, Omnipotent Star) Golden One doesn't hold any power over me. The (Girl Who Feels Like Kin) Empty One told me that (Senpai) the Warm One would save me, so I need to ingratiate myself with his (harem) people.
And I need to do it fast, before my power runs out, before I return to how I was before. My lesser self might not understand what I did or how, but she will accept it. Even if she doesn't, she won't have the power to fight back anymore.
Choice made, I focus my full attention back to the situation I'm in. All the thinking went through my mind in a faction of a fraction of a second and my (future harem sisters) opponents barely had time to form defensively around the (Head Wife) One Painted In His Colors. They now stand together, studying me warily.
I can't blame them, but I'm no longer their enemy. I need to communicate, to explain my hows and whys, my circumstances and motivations. I need to convince them of my sincerity and assuage their distrust. The first step though, it's to speak out.
I open my mouth, ready to—
!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!
Before I can make any sound, something breaks in the background and I know I failed in my task. A feeling of impending doom grips my chest like the frozen claw of a winter devil. My vision swims, my lungs fail to bring in air and my knees give out under me as panic rises and my hearts stop beating.
I am going to die!
I thought I was smarter, that I was free from the (Omniscient, Omnipotent Star) Golden One. I was only smart enough to fool myself, the fear is still there. I feel my arms wrapping around my knees and my wings try to hide my body. An unbearable pressure tightens my throat and a burning itch prickles my eyes.
As my eyes start leaking water, a strange, convulsive choking sound escapes my lips.
I don't want to die!
Tohsaka Rin
I make my way towards the church through deserted streets. Eyes on the target, I do my best not to think of the bored housewives that are no doubt watching how I cross the city in a dead sprint from their windows or the sort of rumors they will spread afterwards.
Honestly, it's not all that hard, I have more important things in my mind. Like the fate of all the children orphaned during the Great Fire of Fuyuki ten years ago. Too much has happened in too little time for me to stop and process that particular reveal but now that I'm actually going to do something about it…
In spite of the sweat drenching my clothes and the soft burn of excessive exertion all over my body, a shiver goes down my spine when I think about them. Kidnapped and vanished from the system, stored more than kept in a dusty basement, where they are being kept alive with the specific purpose of suffering.
Because prana is being distilled from their pain. Prana to feed the ego of an ancient king, a Heroic Spirit who doesn't even have the excuse of his continued existence being on the line. King Gilgamesh has been reincarnated and has a body of bone and flesh.
The prana is used to maintain access to his Noble Phantasm. The children are being tortured so he can afford a luxury. And probably to give the sadistic fake priest a boner. Another shiver goes down my spine. Bad thoughts.
I have failed my duties as Second Owner, have I? I have failed hard.
Finally, at the top of the hill I'm climbing -because of course the sadistic fuck lives on top of a hill, so I have to run uphill- the church comes into view.
I wish I could get these kids out, take away the years of mindless torture and find them a good home where they could grow up happy and well cared for. But only the Blue can turn back the hands of the clock and she's both hard to reach and motivate.
… She might be up for saving some children if the rumors are true, but I'm not sure I'd be comfortable reaching out for her if the rumors are true, anyway.
Probably for the best, things tend to end up going down in a ball of fire wherever she's involved.
Reaching the last building before church property, I lean my back on it to catch my breath and (delay the inevitable) consider the situation. The place is empty, with some wards that have Emiya-kun's signature all over keeping people away and disinterested. They would've come crashing by Sunday when everyone tried to attend the sermon, but I somehow doubt that'll be a problem after I...
…I'm stalling.
They're dying already. They've been dying a protracted death for ten long years already. I cannot save anyone here. The most I can do is make their pain stop and make sure nothing remains behind to form a lingering grudge over the place.
"Archer." I call out, keeping my words short (so my voice doesn't waver) because I'm still a bit short of breath. "Let's end this."
Archer materializes by my side, face stoic as ever. The tensed bow in her hands and the sudden spike on her pull on my prana reserves are the only signs that she's acknowledged my command.
"I am Destruction.
I bless nothing.
I protect nothing.
I save nothing.
I just erase… completely.
[Star of Tears, Photon Ray]"
The same pillar of light from the last time falls from high above, engulfing the church building like it once consumed the Matou Mansion. The attack pours down for a good thirty seconds before receding, leaving nothing on its wake.
If Gilgamesh had left something behind to protect the place, it must have fallen before of Altera's raw destructive power like the building itself.
That's it, the innocent victims are free, for a given degree of freedom. They won't suffer anymore, at the very least.
"Rest in peace."
At my side, Altera makes a small noise of displeasure I only recognize as such because of the time we've spent together. "I leave no pieces."
"That's… Nevermind." Giving up the pointless argument, I pat her head instead. "Good job, Archer."
"N!"
I feel myself smiling as the tension leaves her body and she leans her head into my hand. Watching her like this, nobody would believe this adorable little girl is behind the rumored gas explosion that killed the Matou patriarch and just eradicated the most popular Christian church in the city.
… Fuck, I forgot to deploy a Bounded Field to keep the fireworks concealed. Emiya-kun's wards were only there to keep people away and they're gone now anyway. What's wrong with me? I know this was an emergency, but that's no reason to become sloppy!
I let out a long sigh, leaning my back on the wall and slowly allowing myself to slide down until I'm sitting on the floor, facing the still smoldering crater where the church used to be. Even small cover ups are a headache and this is bigger than anything I've had to deal with before.
Estado de energía semanal
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