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49.13% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 1157: Golden

章 1157: Golden

Though it wasn't 'within the hour', as Rin had previously stated, Vahn eventually picked up on an aerial transport that was preparing to touch down on the helipad located at the summit of the surrounding hills. What caught his attention wasn't so much the design of the transport, which looked like a combination between a helicopter and a plane, but the fact that Luvia had brought along someone that caused Vahn to instinctually furrow his brows. Even without the ability to sense the 'color' of a person's affection, that didn't mean Vahn had lost his ability to sense how strong people were. Though the person traveling with Luvia kept it concealed well, Vahn felt like their tiny flame was akin to a small star that was preparing to go supernova at the smallest stimulus...

Amongst those gathered within the study, only Artoria and Fenrir showed any reaction, the latter likely using his own senses to supplement her own. Rin also had a small reaction but hers seemed to be the result of Ishtar or Ereshkigal bringing the matter to her attention, resulting in Rin blinking in confusion before her face became slightly pale. Then, while holding her forehead, Rin complained, "That idiot...!" before looking to Vahn and asking, "How soon can we move to Avalon...?" in a hurried voice.

Vahn, however, shook his head, a smile visible on his face as he said, "I'll take care of it. Please look after Sakura and Mordred." As he said this, Vahn closed the book he had been reading with Sakura before handing her over to her mother. Then, before she could ask, Vahn looked at Mordred and said, "It isn't an enemy. Watch over your little sister and behave..." After that, Vahn ruffled Mordred's hair before leaving the study, accompanied by Artoria and Gray while Fenrir was left to 'protect' the children. Though a fight would undoubtedly break out, Vahn didn't think any damage would be done to the chateau and, even if things went south, the odds of any danger befalling those within were negligible.

The same red-haired woman from before, Sophia, was on her way to inform the group of Luvia's arrival but, seeing Vahn already heading over, she self-assigned herself to guiding them the rest of the way. Vahn remained relatively calm throughout while, compared to the demure and reserved woman he had come to know, Artoria had started radiating an aura of dignity that caused most of the staff within the chateau to lower their eyes by instinct. This caused Gray to also raise her head a little higher than normal, even though she didn't fully understand what was going on. She felt that asking would make things awkward and, seeing Vahn and Artoria both radiating a regal aura, she just did her best to keep her back straight and head raised, copying Artoria's posture as much as she could...

By now, the weak winter storm had already passed through the area, leaving fresh powdered snow covering most surfaces, the path leading to the helipad being one of the few exceptions. It was very apparent that the staff had done their best to clear it out, even going so far as to spread salt along the dark trail that cut through the white snow like a gently curved line. Towards the end of this path, wearing lavish winter coats, a group of blond-haired women were idling down the path, followed closely by a tall man with broad shoulders and sword-like eyebrows. While the three women had a very obvious relation to each other, the man stood out as he was around 198cm tall and looked like a bear that had been stuffed into a suit and given a human mask...

At the same instant that Vahn was evaluating the group, they were doing the same towards him, the only exception between the woman at the very front. The moment she saw Vahn, Luvia raised her hand and began to wave, shouting, "Yahoooo~! Vaaahn, I'm happy you came out to receive me~." As she identified Vahn, the two women following behind Vahn had their visions sharpen, especially the 'younger' of the two, at least going by appearance. Like Luvia, both women had golden-brown eyes and long golden-blond hair that had been painstakingly crafted into complex ringed-loops and braids.

The older of the two women was very clearly Luvia's mother as, even with her winter clothing, Vahn could tell she had an impressive figure, possessing both beauty and a physique that contained great power. She was slightly shorter than Luvia but her three sizes, which Vahn could easily peg with just a glance, were around 87cm, 56cm, and 88cm respectively. As for the even shorter woman behind her, who looked like a good match as Luvia's older sister, she was relatively petite compared to the other two girls. Though she had a veritable fountain of magical power hidden inside her 158cm tall frame, she looked to be the weakest and most frail amongst them, even as the other three gave her a comfortable distance as if they were afraid to offend her...

Like Luvia and her 'mother', the petite woman behind them had her hair in complex ringlets but, while it was still golden-blond, it had started to fade into platinum-white around her scalp. At the same time, she had a very 'aged' aura and, though it was hard to tell at a glance, Vahn would be confident in placing her at over a century in age. Though her vitality showed no signs of burning out any time soon, it was slightly more chaotic and sputtery than someone more youthful, showing that she would probably cut into her own vitality if she ever went all out. She was long past her prime and likely used several treasures to preserve her youth, something Vahn figured he would be able to help her with if they could come to an accord...

Soon after that thought passed through his mind, Vahn produced a wry smile as Artoria stepped forward to cut down a surprisingly 'massive' reddish-black beam of light. Though he could have easily blocked it himself, Vahn decided to let Artoria play her part for once as, even during the Holy Grail War, he hadn't let her do much. She was his Knight Commander and, if he fought against every enemy from the start, it would probably start to weigh on her mind after enough time passed. It was also very refreshing to see her in her armor as, even though she had a youthful appearance, Artoria always cut a heroic figure whenever she threw herself headfirst into battle.

After Artoria deflected the massive [Gandr] into the surrounding forest, Luvia placed her hands on her hips, staring down at the petite woman as she complained, "Grandmother! That bad habit of yours is going to give Vahn a bad impression of our family...!" This only caused the petite woman to shake her head as, instead of responding to Luvia, she looked across the 70m distance and said, "So you're the man my Luvia has set her sights on...hmmm..." As she said this, the woman also cast her gaze over Artoria and Gray in turn and, even though she had already heard the reports, it was quite the sight to see the two girls ready to protect Vahn. What annoyed her was that, instead of dealing with her attack himself, Vahn continued to stand in the back with a casual smile on his face, lacking even the smallest semblance of fear in his unwavering gaze...

Understanding Luvia's Grandmother's intentions, Vahn gestured to the side before placing his hand on Artoria's shoulder. She and Gray both stepped off to the side as the snow in the surroundings began to retreat away from Vahn, followed by an exponential rise in pressure. Since he had seen the characteristic glimmer of 'doubt' and 'ridicule' contained within the woman's eyes, Vahn loosened the collar of his shirt, saying, "Come..." in a stern tone of voice. The Edelfelt's had always been the type of family that settled private affairs with physical and magical might, to the point that even Rin and Luvia practically fought every day the two had lived together...

In response to Vahn's overbearing choice of words, Luvia's mother began to laugh in an elegant manner, issuing an 'Ohohoho~' before remarking, "My, he seems like quite the catch. If I were thirty years younger..." As she said this, the woman cast a glance towards the tall man that Vahn assumed to be Luvia's father, the former Head of the Edelfelt family. Then, the biggest surprise of the day, the man very noticeably rubbed the woman's backside before smiling in a crude manner, the result of his physical appearance, not his nature, as he said, "It looks like I haven't been giving you enough attention lately..." This caused the woman to giggle as she moved closer to the man and joined him in walking off to the side. As for Luvia, she just crossed her arms without minding what her parents were doing, seemingly intent on joining the fight herself...

Instead of rebuking him, Luvia's Grandmother just gave a curt nod in response to Vahn's words before her magical power began to swell. In the same instant, reminiscent of Artoria's [Mana Burst], she formed a deep pit of debris with her step, closing the seventy-meter distance to Vahn nigh-instantaneously. He answered this by converging his domain all at once, putting great pressure on the woman's body as he directly grabbed her fist with his palm. Then, from an area near her hip, several thin reddish-black lasers shot up from just outside Vahn's blind spot. As he wasn't all that reliant on 'seeing' attacks from the start, Vahn guided her hand downwards with her momentum as he stepped to the side, evading the [Gandr] with room to spare.

With her back now facing him, Vahn extending out his palm, sending a [Primordial Rune] to embed itself into her winter coat. Had things gone as he expected, the rune would have temporarily made her weightless, causing her to spin around in the air a few times and exposing her to future attacks. What happened instead was, the figure of the woman seemed to vanish as Vahn's perception of time automatically caused the world to slow to a crawl. Her winter coat was left in the air, bereft of its wearer, as Luvia's Grandmother used it as an obstruction to hide the fact she had formed her hand into a fist, gathering an incredible amount of magical energy into her palm as she jumped backward to create some distance from Vahn.

Doing his best to ignore the fact that Luvia's Grandmother had been wearing what looked like a lightly-armored leotard underneath her coat, Vahn's hands and forearms became covered in black scales as he 'vanished' from sight at the very instant a crimson-red laser cut through the ground, eating through several tens of meters of gravel and stone in an instant before causing the entire hill to shake as the ground exploded. All of the snow on the surrounding trees fell simultaneously, nearly at the exact same moment that Vahn had spiked Luvia's Grandmother towards the ground. To her credit, she managed to right herself mid-air in a surprising display of flexibility, but Vahn had already appeared right in front of her as she turned her eyes skyward.

With an excited glimmer in her golden-brown eyes, Luvia's Grandmother smiled, almost as if she were baring her pearly white 'fangs' for him to see. Then, causing the flow of time to slow once again, Luvia's Grandmother had red electricity run along her arms as she moved to intercept Vahn's palm strike to her abdomen. She was moving 'much' faster than should have been possible, the result of using [Time Manipulation] to forcibly accelerate her thought process and reduce the lag between mental commands and motion. It was an admittedly ingenious way to increase the reaction time of the human body but, with Vahn's Agility being ninety times that of a normal person, it wasn't a speed he couldn't react to...

Instead of allowing Luvia's Grandmother to deflect his strike, Vahn twisted his hands, grabbing her wrists in the process. Around the same time, at least from Vahn's perspective, her eyes began to slowly widen as he pulled her downward, bringing her center of gravity forward as Vahn raised his knee, connecting it with her jaw. He was aware of the peculiar flow of energy around her body and, as he hadn't gone all out, the chances she would take any considerable damage were slim, at best. Instead, his attack 'broke' on contact with her chin, diffusing most of the impact force but still sending her flying nearly ten meters into the air.

At the same time that he had sent Luvia's Grandmother flying, Vahn slapped his palms together, simultaneously producing nine links of [Enkidu] to form a sphere around her body at the apex of her ascent. This was in response to her mustering up a little 'too much' magical energy, far more than the small hill would have been able to take. Had she used it while he was in the air, Vahn wouldn't have minded it too much but, considering the amount of damage such an attack would deal to the surroundings, he would rather bring an end to their small skirmish instantly...

Seing the cage of resplendent golden chains, causing her own magical energy to simply 'vanish', Luvia's Grandmother didn't have much choice other than to simply land atop the chains and dangle in the air until Vahn decided to let her down. She had already heard that Vahn was capable of using the 'Chains of Heaven' so it wasn't all that surprising to her that he had whipped them out of thin air. If anything, she felt a little embarrassed to lose her cool, even though her expression could only be seen as one of mild annoyance to observers. Since staying in the cage would only exacerbate her frustration, she looked down at Vahn and asked, "How long do you intend to keep this up? Let me down this instant..."

As he intuitively understood making an enemy out of Luvia's Grandmother would be a bad idea, Vahn slowly withdrew [Enkidu], though not before raising a platform for her use, even though she could easily drop to the ground without injury. Then, as the platform lowered to the ground, Vahn already had her winter coat in hand, sans [Primordial Rune], handing it over to her the moment she landed on the ground. This earned him an appreciative nod from Luvia's Grandmother, followed by her stating, "I never doubted Luvia's judgment. Still, I wanted to see for myself what an Emperor from another world was like. If I hadn't already entrusted matters to this generation, I might even try to sink my teeth into you myself...hmmm..."

Understanding she wasn't really joking, as it was also very likely she was aware of his actual age, Vahn could only answer with a polite smile as Luvia ran over with an excited expression on her face. Then, just as her Grandmother stepped off to the side, Luvia jumped through the air, both of her heels together as she shouted, "Oshaaaa~!" while attempting a dropkick. Like her Grandmother, she was wearing what looked like a leotard under her winter coat, allowing her bare legs to be visible as she 'spun' through the air, fully intent on kicking him if he allowed it.

Since it was a rather amusing attempt, Vahn held up his hand and, as he was still in his Xuanwu form, completely negated the force of her kick. He knew the Edelfelt's had a policy about potential suitors being able to defeat them in combat and, while it was just a formality at this point, Vahn used the moment when Luvia was confused by her arrested momentum to step to her side and catch her in a bridal carry. Unless he wanted to cause unnecessary tensions, especially with Luvia bringing the rest of her family along, Vahn knew he needed to put on a bit of a show.

Having already made up his mind earlier, Vahn used the moment when Luvia was slightly flustered to lean in and steal a kiss from her lips. Since her parents had already committed quite the faux pas of their own, Vahn assumed they wouldn't mind too much even if he was a bit 'heavy-handed'. As a result, their relatively tame kiss turned into Luvia waving her hands excitedly before grabbing the sides of his face like a vice and reciprocating with a surprising amount of vigor. For a brief moment, Vahn felt like he had been ensnared in a trap but, after nearly suffocating herself, Luvia eventually released his face, her own gaining a ruddy hue as she licked the saliva from her lips and commented, "I knew you would come around..."

Hearing Luvia's remark, Vahn issued a lighthearted chuckle while, after having closed the distance, Luvia's mother joined him in laughing while her father, significantly less enthused, sternly stated, "My little girl chose you, so I have nothing to say...if you make her cry-" Before he could continue, Luvia's mother elbowed him in the ribs a little harder than necessary before adding, "I expected to see my grandchildren soon...ohohohoho~." With that parting remark, she pulled her husband along towards the chateau, waving toward Artoria and Gray in passing.

Throughout this entire series of events, Luvia continued to hold onto Vahn, apparently enjoying the princess-style treatment, even though her dress had hiked up to reveal her fair and long legs to the crisp and freezing air. She seemed to agree with her mother, not minding the presence of others as she unashamedly stated, "I want at least two children, one to become the heir of the Edelfelt family and another to strengthen ties with the Imperial Family. I imagine I'll need to settle things with Rin to determine which of us gets to be the Empress. We'll also need to talk about the rights of succession before too many children start popping up. Ooooh, there is so much to do~! I'm so excited!" Toward the end of her statement, Luvia snuck another kiss before curling up in Vahn's embrace and giggling in excitement...

While Vahn was somewhat stupefied by Luvia's reaction, it didn't really show on his face as, while she had been speaking, Luvia's Grandmother was staring directly at him. When her granddaughter had finished her rambling, she plainly stated, "I'm certain we'll have plenty of time to talk in the future but I'll go ahead and introduce myself and those two nitwits. My name is Oliviagelita Edelfelt, the current 'Lord' representing the Edelfelt family. Those two you met earlier are my daughter, Junelita, and her muscle brained husband, Samuel."

Though Samuel had been the previous Head before Luvia, it was only because her mother had sustained an injury on a battlefield, damaging her Magic Circuits and causing her to 'pass' on her Magic Crest by having sex with Samuel, the man who had saved her. Until Luvia was mature enough to take on the title for herself, her father had carried the burdens of the Edelfelt family while Junelit and her mother managed their finances. As for why they had been left in charge, the Edelfelts had a secret that Vahn would very soon come to learn.

Though they were well-known for seeking out strong partners, the 'true' secret of the Edelfelts, which had led to their almost meteoric rise, was that their first-born descendant always carried the [Golden Rule] skill. This was why, even though Luvia had been relatively young at the time of becoming the Head, she had been instantly placed in charge of the families finances as, for the first time in their five-hundred year history, she was the only descendant to have the [Golden Rule: EX] skill. In a way, by allowing Luvia to marry Vahn, instead of the other way around, it was like giving off generations of their family's fortunes to an outsider. It was for this reason that Luvia herself intended to have two children, one to captain the Edelfelt family and the other to support the Empire into the far future...

Unaware of what was going through the two drill-haired women's heads, Vahn listened to Olivia talk about various things he needed to be aware of as he carried Luvia towards the chateau. As she had been alive for 97 years, Olivia knew the inner workings of the Mage's Association quite well and, though it wasn't really comparable to Luvia's [Golden Rule: EX], she had the same skill at B-Rank. Her own mother had only had the skill at C-Rank and, by consuming various treasures, June had been able to increase it to A-Rank. As a result, their family had constantly been on the rise and, in order to protect themselves, they had built a 'business empire' as a Mercenary Family.

To protect the secret of the family, they always trained their primary descendent to be one of the most powerful Magi of their generation, sparing 'literally' no expense to produce a suitable heir. After all, regardless of how much money they spent, the existence of Luvia's [Golden Rule: EX] guaranteed they would always be wealthy. The hardest part was 'protecting' that wealth, a duty that would now become Vahn's in the future. Since Luvia would essentially be the 'face' of his forces in the outside world, the chances of her being attacked were astronomically high. Though this wasn't anything new, and they were more than prepared for a fight, things could change drastically as the world approached its potential end...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Da Vinci needs to get her hands on that Osprey...','Vahn over here bullying 'children'...(>,...,<)','Two girls with [Golden Rule], one with 'Body', the other with 'Wealth'...')

(A/N: For those that are confused, Luvia essentially has a powerful 'intuition' that allows her to know whether or not an investment is worth making. When she looks at Vahn, there is 'literally' limitless potential for returns. This is also why she was okay with Olga being brought into the fold as, even if Olga herself isn't necessarily the best investment, the things that came with her made it more than worth it xD...)

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章 1158: Frigid

In a cold and icy land, several hundred meters above sea level, a tall figure that seemed to compete against the mountains in the background could be seen navigating the treacherous snowfields as it slowly ambled up the mountainside path. With bronzed skin that had an appearance similar to wrought iron, this monstrous figure stood out against the pure white backdrop, even more so due to the fact that it was barefooted and bare-chested as the cold icy winds broke against its body. There was even a layer of steam rising up from its body, obscuring the two passengers using its shoulders as a rock-hard seat cushion. Contrasting the almost monstrous 'creature', who could even tower over a Grizzly Bear, the white-clad figures on its shoulders could even compete in beauty against the tall mountains and scenic view that spread out in the vast valleys below...

Following behind the peculiar trio, riding a large white horse that completely disregarded the sub-zero temperatures as it slowly trotted behind the mountain-like man leading the way. This steed also had an impeccable beauty seated upon its back but, unlike the mother-daughter pair above, she cut a rather heroic figure as her long ankle-length hair, now set in an extremely long three-strand braid that danced in the wind, seemingly without a care for the 'actual' wind blowing against it. Instead, it flowed with a natural grace that, with its peculiar black and white design, would have caused anyone lucky enough to view the strange procession to believe they had graced upon a Goddess and her escort...

Now, halfway to their destination, the leading figure, Heracles, slowed to a stop. Kenshin rode her prided steed, Houshoutsukige, to a position standing next to him as, a few dozen meters up the path, a group of golems formed of ice and snow slowly took shape. As she prepared a spear, Illya held up her hand to stay her action, stating, "We are not powerless. This is our battle to fight..." With that said, several strands of Illya's hair began to move of their own accord before separating from her scalp as she chanted, "Engel Note, Angel's Poem..." Following this, the strands of hair formed into the shape of four peculiar birds, each taking on the form of a stork, ibis, sparrow, and falcon.

Hearing her daughter's words, Iris released a sonorous giggle before hopping off Heracles' shoulder and adding, "That is right, isn't it, Illya? Its time we start fighting for what we want instead of wishing against hope that it will come to us..." Hailing from a family whose Origin and Sorcery Trait were 'Wish-Granting' and the 'Flow and Transfer of Power', combined with the fact they specialized in the production of Homunculi, the Einzberns had always emphasized on 'dignity through defense'. They were never the type to seek out conflict and instead focused on using advantageous terrain to their advantage.

When she had been a Justeaze-Type Homunculi, Iris was able to use a veritable infinite amount of magical energy, so long as she was on the grounds prepared by the Einzbern family. Illya's case was even more extreme, given that 70% of her body was comprised entirely of Magic Circuits. Though her output was limited, she had a theoretically infinite amount of mana, so long as she was in contact with the planet. Even before her fusion with Cath Palug, she had been an existence similar to a Nature Spirit but, now that the rather adorable Beast of Gaia resided within her, Illya was closer to a Divine Spirit than a human or Homunculi.

While Illya's familiars zipped around at high speeds, shooting small laser-like bursts of Magical Energy that accurately targetted the 'core' of each golem, Iris extended her palms outward, her body glowing with modified Magic Circuits that were almost identical to her daughter's. Her wrists and forearms were covered various different types of storage bracelets, each containing a large amount of purified precious metal. Da Vinci had yet to help her design a system that would be able to neatly organize all the metals so, until then, Iris wore several accessories that matched the type of metal they held. This time, she pulled out a cubic meter of refined gold, an amount that would have been valued at nearly seventeen billion pounds on the market...

Though this was her first time benefitting from it, Iris enjoyed the tingling feeling of magical energy from the planet steadily flowing into her body through the soles of her feet as she shaped the cube of gold into a glimmering titan that was nearly 10m in height, albeit with large gaps that gave it a similar appearance to a clockwork machine than her traditional wire golems. Then, after establishing a mental link with the massive metal creature, Iris released a sonorous chuckle as the 'Golden Titan' extended its hand, the fingers extending faster than bullets to pierce the heads and torsos of any golem that formed to block their path.

Not to be outdone by her mother, several other strands of her hair began to rise before separating themselves from her scalp. Now, instead of four familiars, she had a total of twenty that darted around, some piercing directly through Golems with their bodies while others continued to fire small bursts of Magical Energy to instantly defeat her opponents. She didn't like using this skill too often, as the fear of going bald existed in the back of her mind, but Illya knew this was an irrational fear, especially with the regeneration provided by Cath Palug. As for why she used her hair instead of precious metals, it was due to the fact that using 'biomass' allowed her to transmit her Magical Energy into her familiars with greater ease. Though they were relatively fragile, the normal human head had as much as 100,000 strands and, with each strand rivaling an average Magus on its own, Illya was confident there were few enemies that could survive her assault...

With Iris' Golden Titan acting as a shield and vanguard, combined with Illya's small army of highly mobile familiars, the group's pace hadn't changed much compared to before they were attacked. Now, it was just a matter of seeing how the 'residents' of the mountain themselves reacted to their presence as, for the time being, the group only had to deal with the 'automated defenses' of the Einzbern family. Eventually, they would enter into the 'Territory' of the Einzbern family directly, separated from the rest of the world by a powerful magic barrier that completely obscured the massive stone fortress-castle that not only dominated the peak of the mountain it was built upon, but several hundred meters below the surface as well...

---

After an hour of traveling up the mountain path, a pulse rippled through the ground that caused the golems barring their path to cease forming. Then, from a space further up the path, several figures appeared from an area where there had previously been 'nothing'. There, a group of Homunculi that all had similar features, each superior to more than a hundred standard Magi, stood behind the only 'unique' figure among them. While the Homunculi were all females, possessing ruby-red eyes, white hair, and lightly armored Maid attire, the person leading the way was a young man with similarly white hair but pale blue eyes. He had the appearance of a boy between 14-16 years of age and, though his eyes seemed to possess no light, he still had a grimace on his face as he shouted, "This is the territory of the Einzbern family! What business do you have that necessitates breaking into our lands and disrupting the peace!?"

Though the EInzberns specialized in the production of Homunculi, there were numerous Artificial Humans and advanced Golems in their employ. Whenever they found 'suitable materials', usually in the form of a defeated enemy Magus, they would recycle the body before replacing its brain and organ's with magically enhanced organs harvested from their own 'failed' Homunculi. As a result, the Einzberns were able to expand into other fields of Magecraft to make it harder for their enemies to ever get a true grasp of their capabilities. They were also the first family any 'prestigous' Magus family went to if they lacked the means of transplanting consciousness themselves. In exchange for defense contracts, materials, and other necessary goods, they would help Magi past their prime inhabit a new, oftentimes more powerful, body...

Hopping off Heracles' shoulder, Illya walked forward with Iris following closely behind her, her head raised high as she shouted, "My name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, Ninth Head of the Einzbern family! I never relinquished my title, nor did I pass it down to a descendant of Einzbern blood! I order you to grant my party free passage up the mountain to meet with Jubstacheit von Einzbern!" At the same time as her shout, Illya channeled her Magical Power through her body, causing her face and body to glow with a red light that sent a 'pulse' through the snowy terrain. For a brief moment, even the wind had been kept at bay by her overwhelming Magical Power, causing the young man to widen his eyes in response.

Unlike the Artifical Human boy, the Maids behind him were programmed to follow the commands of the 'true' Einzbern heirs, the only exception being when the current Head gave them a direct order. Thus, even if he had wanted to refuse Illya's request, the boy fundamentally lacked the authority to muster them into action. If Illya was who she claimed to be, which wasn't exactly an identity anyone could just 'fake', any action he took against her could get him recycled.

Unlike standard Homunculi, whose ego was suppressed a great deal, most Artifical Humans within the Einzbern's 'employ' had much greater freedom. This was because, without the ability of a few to 'express' themselves, the Einzbern's knew it would be impossible for them to keep pace with other reputable families. Even implanting a mind and soul into a new vessel had its limits as, with age, the soul itself seemed to grow weary and desire death. Thus, in the present day, every 'true' descendent, sans Illyasviel, had already died long ago. Only their creations remained as, to prevent any kind of infighting, the Einzbern family had never allowed for the existence of Branch families and vassals.

Even if he wanted to bar her passage, the boy was not willing to take any action against the massive Golden Titan and the aerial fleet of Familiars without the support of the Homunculi behind him. As a result, he fixed the previous scowl on his face, masking his expression with a completely neutral one as he gave a gentlemanly bow and stated, "Please...allow me to escort you, Lady Einzbern..." With Jubstacheit being the 'acting' Head, as Illya seemed to be contending the title, he simply couldn't refer to her with that title. This didn't bother Illya in the slightest, however, as she answered with a curt nod before commanding, "Send a group ahead to inform Jubstacheit of mine and my Mother's arrival. I'll not be kept waiting in my own homeland and territory..."

Though Illya hadn't been to the Einzbern Castle since before she participated in the Fifth Holy Grail War, she still had vivid memories of its existence deeply implanted into her mind. During her 'conversion' into the vessel for the Holy Grail after her Mother's death, a grievous sin that Jubstacheit should have never allowed, she had become more of a Homunculus than a human. When she had died, having her heart removed by Gilgamesh, they had made even more modifications to her body before giving her a new life. At the same time, she was stripped of her title and, as if to punish her failure, turned into even more of a tool that, even now, could bring about the world's end.

She masked it well, but Illya had a phenomenal amount of hatred towards Jubstacheit and the current Einzbern family. If he intended to contradict one of his primary objectives, Illya was determined to rip the head from Jubstacheit's shoulders for corrupting the Einzbern family into a 'tool' for his own personal use. After all, even compared to the Artificial Humans within the Einzbern family, he was nothing more than a Golem that had been given human form, supplied with an Artificial Intelligence and all the knowledge of the Einzbern family.

At no point in history had Jubstacheit ever been a descendant of the Einzbern family, meaning he never had a 'right' to become the Head. He had essentially stolen the title in his endless pursuit of 'recreating Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern', the primary function he had been given more than eleven hundred years prior. The current Jubstacheit was the Eighth generation model, the version that had been created by the Seventh when it took over the family two hundred and fourteen years ago. He had been the one to instate the 'Heavens Feel Ritual' and, ever since then, the Einzbern family had been on a constant downward spiral. If not for the existence of one of their greatest secrets, Das Rheingold, the 'greatest treasure', they would never have been able to persist as long as they had. It was a veritable 'infinite' source of wealth as the treasure took on the form of crystallized gold that, so long as it was provided with magical power, would continue to grow indefinitely...

While making their way up the mountainside, Iris turned her singular Golden Titan into a group of seven humanoid Knights, one for each of the Homunculi that remained at the Artificial Human's side. She had no intention of attacking, even though she showed a 'disarming' smile that, despite its elegance, also promised violence if it was necessary. By nature, Iris hated conflict but, if it was to protect her most precious treasure, she would become an enemy of the entire world, much less the Einzbern family. As for Illya, she had her Familiars fly around the area, scouting the terrain to make sure there were no 'unexpected surprises' laying in wait. Though some nearly fell from the sky after passing through the invisible membrane of the barrier surrounding the castle, Illya was still a Magus of the Einzbern family. She was able to quickly reestablish control, earning a cautious look from the Artificial Human who had been closely observing to see if she would 'slip' up...

With tensions in the air reaching a palpable level, the group continued until, somewhat surprisingly, they passed through a second barrier further up the mountain pass. Irisviel kept Illya calm by placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder, even though the latter had a determined, albeit adorable, look on her face as she looked up at the massive castle in the distance. It had the appearance of a large cathedral that had been converted into a fortress-castle later on. Though it was a rather fantastical sight, Illya felt like she was looking at a hallowed graveyard as, even though she intended to treat the Homunculi within as humans, they were currently nothing more than 'lifeless' dolls, unable to do anything more than carry out the will of Jubstacheit. As for everyone else, they were all 'guilty' for choosing to follow Jubstacheit, even as he nearly led the Einzbern family to extinction...

By the time the group made it up the mountainside, crossing a large stone bridge that spanned a massive chasm, there were already hundreds of nearly-identical Homunculi waiting for them, many outfitted with halberds, spears, and other rather archaic forms of weaponry as they watched Illya's procession make its way inside. Even completely surrounded, Illya had a fearless expression on her face as, with the protection of the [Effigy of the Hero] and Alaya, her only concern, her mother, was well-protected. As for herself, she wouldn't die no matter what methods they tried to use against her as, unless Cath Palug separated from her body, she shared its immortality. The only prize for their treachery would be death and the hands of the seemingly unstoppable Beast of Gaia who, unless Vahn or Merlin arrived, would continue to tear apart the mountain...

Though they made quite the show of power, none of the Homunculi attempted to bar their passage as the Artificial Human led the way into the castle's interior. Here, several other Artificial Humans were present, most having already lost the light in their eyes as, on average, the majority of them were well over a hundred years old. At this point, they were nothing more than the hands and feet of Jubstacheit, any 'true' loyalty towards the Einzberns having long faded with the vast majority of their emotions. Still, as Jubstacheit was still 'loyal', only carrying out his programming to a heinous extent, there was hope that they might be spared Illya's wrath.

As she passed by the mostly foreign faces, Illya saw a few she recognized, none she held a positive opinion toward. Other than her few personal Handmaidens, who had been killed more than ten years ago, Illya had nobody she was close to within this cold and desolate place. Thus, with her gaze gaining an icy glimmer, Illya continued forward until she found herself passing through the double-doors of a large and predominately empty room. The only piece of 'furniture' present was a stone throne, atop which sat an old man who seemed to be carved from the same material with how rigidly he sat.

With bridged white hair forming two long fringe bangs that extended to his collarbones, complete with long hair that flowed down to the small of his back and a split beard that was reminiscent of a frozen waterfall. At first glance, the man seated on the throne had a regal yet ancient look, his face permanently affixed with judgmental scorn that seemed to look down on the rest of the world. His pale-purple eyes, however, completely lacked the light of life while his ceremonial, robe-like attire, complete with accents of actual gold, gave him the look of a priest. With the only other decorations in the room being hundreds of candles, each painstakingly arranged so they always burned at the exact same height, stepping into the room almost felt like stepping into an ancient site where Gods older than time were worshipped...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The future must be grabbed with one's own hands...','Mama bear will bite if her cub is threatened (O,...,O)...!','A place filled with thousands of people, completely lacking the feeling of life...')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

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