Though Merlin claimed it would only take a few minutes, Vahn and Co had already been waiting for more than twenty as a rather awkward atmosphere permeated through the area. Fenrir kept herself distracted by playing with the dozen or so piglets running around in the room while, near the center, Vahn sat lazily next to Circe while Artoria sat in a far more 'proper' manner at his side. The sleeping Demi-Goddess had yet to wake up but, as a result of her relatively defenseless state, Vahn was able to see the strangely arranged Magic Circuits on the inside of her wings. Though he could understand their structure, there were a few principles that he wasn't able to comprehend at his current level. As he couldn't even figure out the mechanic that made her thin tunic and skirt automatically obscure the vision of others, however, this wasn't all that surprising...
Artoria was usually a very patient woman but, as if Merlin was her natural weakness, she eventually muttered, "That fool probably got sidetracked by a stray cat or something..." This caused Vahn to laugh in a lighthearted manner, resulting in Artoria showing a slightly embarrassed expression since she had been talking to herself. To keep the conversation flowing, Vahn leaned back so that he was supporting himself on his palms as he mused, "This all feels a little anti-climactic, doesn't it? I'm half expecting an army of golems or something to show up at any moment..."
With a curt nod of affirmation, Artoria quickly responded by saying, "That would be nice. Though I do not wish for any innocents to be harmed, the fact I have barely even fought during this Holy Grail War leaves me feeling uneasy. It felt like I was the central figure in the previous two instances...haa..." Remembering how chaotic things had been previously, Artoria felt like something was 'wrong' with how smoothly this Holy Grail War had been. Though she knew this had a lot to do with Vahn and the various anomalies that had been present this time around, it felt strange to simply be waiting for the arrival of Merlin and Illya. Even if she knew there had been a very real possibility the world could have been destroyed, Artoria had the impression that would never happen with Vahn around...
Turning her head, Artoria found that Vahn had been watching her with half-lidded eyes and a small smile on his face, causing her to swallow instinctually before asking, "Is there something, Master...?" In response to this, Vahn playfully mused, "To think my King of Knights is sad that she wasn't able to be the center of attention...don't worry, I'll make sure to pay lots of attention to you later." At the end of his words, Vahn gave a small wink that caused Artoria to inhale a deep breath before saying, "You...you should discipline yourself better...this is neither the time nor the place for such remarks..."
Giving a small shrug in response, Vahn then laid back against the floor with his hands behind his head as he stated, "Unless you're someone like Merlin or Scáthach, you never know what the future might hold. Leaving things unsaid will just lead to regrets if something did happen...besides, other than a few piglets, there isn't anyone here to complain about a few flirtatious remarks..." Since he was currently monitoring everything in an 8km diameter, doing his best to try and detect Merlin, Vahn wasn't worried about being caught off guard. Even if he was in a relaxed state, he was fully prepared to engage any enemies that might appear before them.
Though she had a look of conflict on her face, Artoria eventually released a sigh before saying, "It is important to rest when one can...even during long campaigns, I always tried to encourage my men to relax between battles. I suppose this is just another example of the same principle..." As someone who had lost to Vahn in an extremely short period of time, Artoria realized she didn't have too much room to criticize him. She was very aware of how powerful his senses were so, if an enemy were to attack, he would be prepared to engage them even before she was. With that in mind, Artoria let her shoulders sloop a bit as she allowed her armor to dissipate.
Seeing Artoria relax, Vahn's smile increased in size as he remarked, "Though you cut a striking figure in armor, I still think you look far more elegant in that dress...hahaha..." Since he had seen her flinch at his compliment, Vahn felt an irresistible urge to laugh. Then, as he was genuinely curious, Vahn sat up before asking, "By the way, Artoria, can you tell me what kind of battles you fought during your time? Since you were born during the Era of Man, I find it difficult to conceive what kind of enemies would have required you to lead an army against. If the Knights of the Round table were even half as strong as you are, I can't help but wonder what kind of enemies you had faced..."
Even though Nobunaga's memories had cleared up a bit of his confusion, the fact that powerful figures seemed to all but 'disappear' from history bothered Vahn. He knew the powers behind the scenes had been altering events to make them seem less 'fantastical', but the fact that such battles had been forgotten to time didn't make that much sense to him. After all, there were millions of people who had been there to witness events like Lakshmibai's revolution while the entire country of Japan had been subjected to Nobunaga's conquest. The fact they became relatively 'weak' in the history books, even though word of mouth alone should have been enough to carry their legacy, was something that genuinely confused Vahn...
As a result of Vahn's inquiries, Artoria began detailing some of the battles she had participated in to try and unite the British Isles. Though she wasn't particularly fond of talking about the past, the fact she had spent the last few days trying to learn about Vahn made it hard to refuse. If nothing else, it was a better way to pass the time than simply watching Circe sleep. Since it also prevented Vahn from randomly flirting with her, Artoria decided to keep him distracted by answering his questions without embellishing too many details. Surprisingly, after around half an hour, Artoria found it was strangely therapeutic to talk with him, almost like she was 'releasing' tensions that were deeply ingrained into her body...
---
By the time Vahn sensed an almost imperceptible fluctuation within his domain, it was near 3 AM. He was starting to get worried whether or not Merlin was even going to show up. Though listening to Artoria talk about her past was rather insightful, tonight was supposed to be the last night of the Holy Grail War. If they continued delaying things, the involvement of the Holy Church would only increase, making it far more difficult to end the war on their terms. Fortunately, with a little under three hours left before sunrise, Merlin appeared out of thin air, the sleeping Illya curled up in his arms. She was only around 135cm tall so, while Merlin wasn't all that tall himself, she looked like a small child when wrapped up in a blanket...
As if to answer an unasked question, Merlin showed a slightly awkward expression as he explained, "I have been dealing with other small issues so I never had the opportunity to secure any clothes for the young lady. I'm certain you can help to facilitate, yes...?" Since Illya's clothing had been destroyed during her transformation, the best Merlin had been able to do was provide a blanket to wrap her body. As he 'technically' existed as a Ruler-Class Servant right now, he lacked the [Item Construction] ability so, unless he went out and stole some clothing for her, something he 'literally' couldn't do, Merlin was rather helpless to deal with her situation.
Artoria quickly took Illya from Merlin's arms before moving her far away like a mother fleeing with her child from a criminal. At the same time, Vahn handed over a change of clothes to Fenrir before looking Merlin directly in his eyes and saying, "Try not to peek this time, Perverted Old Man..." Since now wasn't the time to get 'even' with Merlin, Vahn was allowing his rage to mature within his heart until they were in a less tense situation. Though he might not even be able to do anything against Merlin, at least under normal circumstances, Vahn felt like it wouldn't be all that difficult to ensnare him in a trap before exactly 'vengeance' against the so-called 'Magus of Flowers'.
Feeling as if he was currently the target of everyone's ire, Merlin awkwardly scratched his cheek with both eyes closed and an awkward smile on his face. Then, while Fenrir and Artoria were helping Illya get dressed, he turned his attention to Circe and saying, "She should not have slept this long. Maybe the dream I gave her was too pleasant...?" When he asked this question, Merlin's eyes began to glow with a subtle pink and purple hue, something Vahn saw flowing around in Circe's head a moment later. As he had seen how Preasia's abilities affected other people, Vahn could confirm without any doubt that Merlin had the ability to manipulate people's dreams. Unlike Preasia, however, he was an extremely powerful Illusionist who could even drain energy from people while they slept as a result of being Half-Incubus...
Though he wasn't sure if Merlin could hear him right now, Vahn warned in a serious voice, "If I ever find you sneaking into any of my companions' dreams without their permission, do not think I will let you off. Had the circumstances been even slightly different, there is a good chance we would have already become enemies after what you pulled. Even if you think you are unkillable, I can promise you that there are worse things than death in this world..."
With his eyes still glowing, Merlin looked at Vahn with a slight smile on his face as he remarked in a somewhat hazy tone of voice, "That is good...and yes, I am very aware of that fact...I will take your..." As if he forgot what he was going to say, Merlin's eyes lost focus towards the end of his words as an amused smile quickly spread across his lips. Then, before Vahn could inquire, Merlin suddenly said, "I almost feel guilty about having to wake you up...now, now, all good things must come to an end my dear. If you spend all your happiness in memories and dreams, the flavor of life will become bland..."
Vahn had no idea what Merlin was talking about but he was able to deduce his words were directed towards Circe. The latter had started to roll around as if she were uncomfortable, a frown on her face as she apparently refused to wake up. Unfortunately for her, Merlin wasn't a novice in his profession, resulting in Circe releasing a frustrated groan before lifting her body lazily and rubbing her eyes. Her ears drooped somewhat adorably and, after rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Vahn got to see the sight of Circe yawning with both arms outstretched before she began to stretch her body, seemingly without regard to her surroundings. If not for her clothes working in overdrive to protect her dignity, both Vahn and Merlin would have gotten quite the view by the time Circe turned her pink-green to her surroundings.
When she saw Merlin standing on the side, Circe's face formed into a pout but, no matter how hard she tried to place who he was, she had no memories of ever meeting him. The only thing she knew was that he was annoying, resulting in Circe quickly ignoring him as she beamed towards Vahn and mischievously inquired, "Did you do anything to me while I was sleeping? I'll know if you're lying~."
With a clean conscience, Vahn shook his head but, after remembering this wasn't entirely true, he quickly explained, "Your wings were sprawled open while you were sleeping so I studied them a bit. I didn't touch you though, at least after laying you down on that futon..." Following Vahn's finger with her entire head, Circe saw she was laying on a surprisingly comfortable black mat that was far softer than any bed she had ever slept on. Though she was a little 'troubled' that Vahn had peeked at one of her most sensitive secrets, she instantly decided to forgive him, though not before saying, "Since you peeked, I'm going to take this futon as compensation. But really, Vahn, you shouldn't pry into a lady's secrets without her permission...I'm a...maiden..." As these words left her mouth, Circe blinked in confusion before a rosy blush crept up on her cheeks.
Vahn was about to ask what was wrong but, before the words left his mouth, he heard a voice echo in his mind, ("My...you are hard to contact...fumuu...well, anyways. If you are willing to hear it, I would advise that you not pry into what Lady Circe is thinking about. She is a delicate woman so it may not end well if you pressure her too hard...") Then, before Vahn could send a telepathic message of his own, Merlin brought him to stunned silence by explaining, ("I felt bad for her so I allowed her to have a dream where she was able to experience the 'happiness' of a woman. Since she seemed fond of you, I decided to have you be her partner. So long as you don't mention it, everything should be fine...")
'Hearing' what Merlin had said, Vahn didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he stared back at the man with an incredulous light in his eyes. He couldn't fathom how Merlin thought it would be a good idea to allow Circe to have such an experience, even in her dreams. The fact she had been unwilling to wake up was like seeing an entire army of flagbearers marching across an open plain. Because of this, Vahn was almost certain that Merlin was messing with him, even if he didn't really understand the man's reasons for doing so. It could be a way to 'test' him but, considering his actions thus far, Vahn couldn't even fathom why the errant Magus would do such a thing. The only thing that seemed to make sense, at least from a certain perspective, was that Merlin was being passive-aggressive toward him after he slept with Artoria. Though he would probably do the same towards any boy that wanted to get with one of his daughters, Vahn never expected to be on the receiving end of such treatment out of the blue...
Uncertain if he should even follow Merlin's advice, as the Magus could just be setting him up even further, Vahn repressed a sigh before reaching out his hand and just patting Circe's head. This made her ears twitch adorably but, instead of focusing his attention on her, Vahn continued to stare at Merlin as he asked, "When will we be entering the territory of the Greater Grail?" As a result of him 'ignoring' her, Circe began to glare at Merlin with an accusatory look, even as her ears waggled up and down. This caused Merlin to blink in surprise before allowing his characteristic smile to appear as he replied, "We can go after the little lady wakes up. You still need to transfer her Command Spells over to your body. Though you may be intending to destroy the Greater Grail, having more Command Spells could prove useful if there are any unforeseen incidents."
After hearing Merlin's explanation, Vahn gave Circe's head one last rub before rising to his feet and saying, "Let's get this over with. The sooner everything is resolved, the faster we can move on to more important matters." With that said, Vahn helped the pouting Circe rise to her feet as, regardless of whether or not he was trying to divert her 'hatred' towards Merlin, it would be rude if he just left her seated before walking off. This brought a happy smile to her face as she flittered behind him, a little too close for comfort but not really in the way.
Seeing Illya wearing a pair of animal pajamas, Vahn felt a brief twinge of pain in his chest before suppressing it moments later. Though she wasn't one of his children, seeing a small girl that he knew had struggled her entire life was enough to break Vahn's heart. Just the fact that she had a scar running across both eyes and the bridge of her nose, even though it was faded, made him wish he could kill Gilgamesh a second time. With that in mind, Vahn slowly traced his thumb across the scar on Illya's eyes, a gentle rainbow light flowing from the tip and into her skin. By the time he had swept his thumb across her face, Illya's scar was nowhere to be seen. Later, depending on how comfortable she was with it, Vahn intended to heal the scar on her chest as well...
From the side, where he had been watching with a surprisingly serious expression, Merlin suddenly muttered, "That energy...you are capable of using True Magic in its purest form...how peculiar..." As his Source Energy was always interpreted as the highest form within a Record, Vahn wasn't surprised that Merlin would also misidentify it. Since there was no reason to correct him, Vahn ignored his remark before 'stealing' the Command Spells on Illya's arm. This brought his total to seventeen, a somewhat ridiculous amount from any normal standpoint. If he used them all, Vahn felt that even Circe would be able to beat down someone like Berserker with her bare hands...
With that in mind, Vahn focused on two new connections that had appeared, one belonging to Heracles and the other, much larger presence, belonging to Illya. Though it was technically Cath Palug that was supposed to be under his control, they were essentially one and the same unless he intended to use yet another [Fate Severing Knife]. Since this would have the effect of releasing the currently genocidal 'Primate Murder' on the world, however, Vahn elected to save his billion OP for more pressing matters. His current priority was destroying the Greater Grail, completing his Quest, [Cup of Heaven] in the process. He had actually fulfilled most of the objectives already so, after gaining access to the Greater Grail, Vahn would be able to earn a few additional rewards.
After picking up Illya's exceptionally light body in his arms, Vahn focused his mind and used two of his Command Spells to summon Scáthach and Heracles to his side. Scáthach had informed him several hours ago that she had completed her mission so Vahn had her guard the Manor with Nobu and Lakshmibai while they were waiting on Merlin. Now that they would be entering the space of the Greater Grail, he figured it was best to have their strongest fighting potential available. After all, with the form the Greater Grail had taken in Merlin's illusion, Vahn didn't expect it would willingly allow itself to be destroyed.
With the sound of a small thunderclap, the colossal Berserker and the comparably petite Scáthach appeared right in front of him. The former had a steamy red aura flowing around his body as he stared down at Vahn, almost as if he were trying to intimidate him. As for Scáthach, she turned her head to look at Merlin before wordlessly pulling out a weapon Vahn had never seen before, even if it was similar in form to her [Gae Bolg]. Instead of being red, however, it was a deep purple color that caused Merlin to frown slightly as he held his staff in a slightly defensive posture and said, "Now, now, there is no need for such hostility...I assure you..."
Without returning a word of her own, Scáthach continued to stare directly at Merlin, making it very apparent she was prepared to strike him down if he tried anything. Though she had been caught off guard previously, that wouldn't happen a second time. To Merlin's credit, he seemed to quickly intuit that Scáthach wasn't going to suddenly skewer his body. Though it wouldn't have been able to kill him, it was hard to stay calm in the face of the legendary [Gungnir]. Now that Scáthach had set him as her target, there were no actions he could take to evade her blow. Even if he teleported to the other side of the world in another dimension, the spear would still find purchase and cause him an extreme level of pain...
Deciding it was best to hurry things along, Merlin gave a wry smile before tapping his staff on the ground a few times and saying, "Well now, shall we move on to the final act? I wonder if this will be the overture to a new heroic tale...or the symphony accompanying the end of the world~?" With that said, Merlin tapped the ground one last time, causing a massive spell circle to encompass the entire room for a brief moment. Then, in a flash of light, the only 'people' left within the room were a group of piglets piled up around Circe's futon as they silently snoozed without regard to the severity of Merlin's words...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Knowing Merlin, he probably rode the train...','Never underestimate the petty nature of a Father when it comes to their Daughter...','Scáthach be like, "Try me, bitch..."')
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Located at the heart of the Fuyuki City Leyline, the 'vein' that allowed mana and spirit energy from the planet to bleed out into the atmosphere, a massive black spire stood, crested by six spined points curved inward like a crown. Though this was an a sub-dimension isolated from the outside world, it still had a 'foundation' in reality, being located a few hundred meters below the Ryuudou Temple and engraved into a circular stone pedestal that was precisely 50m in diameter down to the atom. As it was impossible to create a permanant connection to the Root, the Einzbern, Tohsaka, and Makiri families had all worked together in order to develop this isolated space more than two-hundred years prior. It had even taken the sacrifice of the then head of the Einzbern family, one of the iterations of Justeaze Von Einzbern, to complete.
In almost every other circumstance, it was nearly impossible to reach the location of the Greater Grail without severely damaging the Leyline and somehow 'slipping' into the interior through a crack formed in non-existent space. Merlin, however, had such a mastery of [Illusionism] that he was even able to fool reality, the environment, and even fate itself. For a brief moment, he was able to create an illusion that was entirely indistinguishable from reality, even from the perspective of the World itself. In that singular instance, by making it so that Vahn and his group had 'already' accessed the Greater Grail, he was able to slip through the surrounding nothingness, cutting through the fabric of nonexistence and cementing their presence within the Greater Grail's isolated sub-dimension.
From the perspective of everyone who had been teleported, they simply shifted locations in an instant but, in that same period of time, Vahn at least sensed something that Merlin had been concealing. Turning to face the white-haired Magus, Vahn saw the man produce a wry smile as he hid his hand in his sleeve. Other than Scáthach, who had been watching Merlin with an unwavering gaze, he was the only one to see the errant Mage's hand gain a transparent quality. However, as now was not the time to discuss the matter, Vahn just gave him a curt nod before handing Illya's body over to Heracles. In hindsight, he realized bringing her along might not have been the best choice but, considering she had an immortal existence capable of destroying the world inside her chest, which was 'technically' under his control, Vahn didn't think about it too much.
After having Heracles move away, Vahn turned to look up at the black spire that, for the time being, seemed like a stone obelisk with an incredibly intricate internal system comprised of tens of thousands of integrated magic circles. Behind it, a solid pillar of pure mana was flowing from one area of the void into another, reminding Vahn of the phenomenon he had observed when using the [Page of the Akashic Tome]. Since the pillar was likely what allowed the Greater Grail to access the Root, something that obvious emulated the 'real' Akashic Record, Vahn wasn't too surprised to see there were similarities between them.
Now that it had come to this point, Vahn gave a small nod before turning to Artoria, saying, "Since your [Excalibur] uses the Holy Element, it may be best to use your Noble Phantasm to try and break apart the Greater Grail...what do you think, Scáthach?" Since the latter should be able to discern even more than he could, Vahn wanted to see if Scáthach's [Wisdom of the Haunted Ground] could give them any insights into a better course of action. He was already prepared to try and seal the area with [Enkidu], all so that he could potentially 'absorb' the energy into his own body, but that would be a last resort.
Without taking her eyes of Merlin, Scáthach answered, "The Greater Grail itself should be simple to destroy. Angra Mainiuu, however, is a conceptual existence that should have never been allowed to exist as a physical or spiritual entity. After destroying the Greater Grail, it would be prudent to leave this place as soon as possible before placing a powerful seal in the real world. Though it would be impossible for the majority of people, there is always a chance someone could gain access to this place without using the key. If Angra Mainiiu is able to escape, its corruption could spread through the entire world if there is nothing to contain it..."
Hearing what Scáthach had to say, Vahn shook his head with a wry smile before placing his hand on Artoria's shoulder and saying, "Sorry, looks like I might have to steal the spotlight from you again..." Since it was apparent that destroying the Greater Grail wasn't necessarily the smartest decision, at least for the time being, Vahn had to pour cold water over Artoria's convictions once again. To her credit, she just gave a nod in response before holding [Excalibur] at the side once again...
Curious about what Vahn was thinking, Merlin inclined his head to the side and asked, "Have you already come up with a solution?" As even he didn't have a 'permanant' solution to the problem of Angra Mainiiu, Merlin was curious what an anomaly like Vahn might have come up with. What he never expected was for the latter to look back at him, shrugging as he said, "I'm going to let it try and absorb me..." This immediately caused Merlin's brows to furrow while Artoria, who had just decided to trust Vahn, instantly shouted, "What are you thinking!?" Even Circe didn't seem to think this was a good idea, flittering a few centimeters off the ground as she whined, "No, you can't do something like that...!"
In response to the two girls' shouting, Vahn winced slightly before holding up his hand and saying, "You're misunderstanding my intentions and looking down on me. Even if it's something like 'All the World's Evils', I'm confident that I'll come out relatively unscathed. Besides, do you really think I'm going to do something like sacrifice myself when my ultimate goal is to return to my original world and reunite with my family and children? Relax and trust me..." Though Vahn was asking them to trust him, he allowed his Command Spells to glow in order to remind them that he would make them listen if necessary. He genuinely wasn't worried about what Angra Mainiiu might do to him as, even though it would undoubtedly cause him extreme pain, there was ultimately nothing the entity could do to corrupt The Path and his Source Energy.
Without allowing any argument, Vahn turned to look back at the Greater Grail before saying, "Once I sublimate the Greater Grail, wait for my signal before using your [Excalibur] to hit it with full force. I imagine this space will begin to break down pretty quickly after that, so make sure you're ready for a second jump, Old Man..." Vahn's last words were directed towards Merlin who, regardless of the fact that it might further fracture his existence, simply returned a smile in return before saying, "Do not worry, I am already prepared to alight at the first sign of trouble. Go, Vahn Mason...I am curious to see if you are truly capable of doing something that should be impossible..."
Surprising almost everyone present, Vahn began to laugh after hearing Merlin's words, followed by him plainly stating, "I've been doing the 'impossible' for years. This might as well just be another Monday for me..." With that said, Vahn stepped forward before placing his hand against the hard surface of the Greater Grail. This caused a similar 'pulse' to what had occurred in the illusion created by Merlin, followed by the steady beating of a heart. Slowly but surely, the grail began to morph into a far more 'evil' form before Vahn's hand began to sink into the previously hard surface. Almost as soon as he sank in just a little bit, a powerful suction jerked his body forward before fully enveloping him within the surprisingly viscous and foul-smelling internal structure of the Greater Grail...
A few things happened after Vahn's body was pulled into the Greater Grail, the first among them being a powerful pressure that seemed intent on compressing his body into its small form. At the same time, however, Vahn's sense of touch began to rapidly fade before, instead of pure darkness, he found himself in an empty space. The pressure on his body faded away, taking with it the burning sensation of his skin melting away as he landed soundlessly on a blue-black plane. When his feet touched the 'surface', a pulse of runes spread through the area like ripples in a pool before a figure formed a few meters away from him. When Vahn saw who it was, he couldn't help but release a dry laugh before greeting, "Long time no see, Akasha..."
Looking as distinctly synthetic and 'alien' as he remembered, Akasha had formed wearing the same grey-black dress that seemed to be part of her actual body. This was the first time he had seen her standing so Vahn was a little surprised to notice she was actually a little taller than him, a perfect 200cm. Though she had the semblance of what could be called breasts, combined with the curves you would expect from a woman, he had the distinct impression gender wasn't really a factor to the existences beyond the Root. Her 'dress' actually left her abdomen and pelvic mound visible, showing that Akasha's body was more like a doll than anything more 'biological'. This, combined with her neat bob-cut hairstyle, bisected down the middle with a non-refractive black and light blond only further added to her alien appeal. Of course, the thing that stood out the most was her eerie smile and her vibrant red eyes that had small lines of runes running through their depths...
Apparently choosing to ignore Vahn's greeting, Akasha tapped the empty air in front of her as she explained, "My superiors have been closely observing your activities after entering the experiment. The power you have displayed is beyond our initial classification. In order to ascertain the nature of your existence, my experiment and classification have both been upgraded to grant me greater authority. For this, you have my gratitude..."
Though she said she was grateful, Vahn felt that even Scáthach was more expressive than Akasha as she continued to tap on various different windows that had appeared before her. She seemed to be analyzing a great deal of information, likely pertaining to him. He wasn't even remotely surprised to know they had been observing him, especially since they could probably use the same skills he had been 'gifted' as a tracking beacon. Since they needed to be able to determine when he was actually up against one of his targets, it was obvious his actions were being heavily monitored. Because of this, Vahn had been careful never to mention anything related to The Path, even though he also made no real efforts to keep its functions hidden. This was likely what had caught their attention as, no matter what kind of scan Akasha had used on him, there was no way they would be able to probe The Path and its functions...
After sorting through whatever information she was going over, Akasha swiped her hand across the air, dismissing all the windows before saying, "Your primary objective has not changed. However, as the parameters of the experiment have evolved, I have been tasked with updating you on your own status. Termina Nasua has given you a Priority Classification of [A]. You are now able to act freely within the Root without restriction. Currently, identifying you has become the highest priority of Root Designation: Akasha. To facilitate this, the Heaven's Feel ritual has been modified so that you can contact me by coming into contact with the Greater Grail. I have been authorized to assist you to the fullest extent of my abilities. Keep in mind, however, that I cannot use power greater than what is contained within the Greater Grail at the time of contact."
Vahn had been silently listening to Akasha drone on with his focus split between listening to her and trying to analyze the surroundings. When he heard she was going to be 'helping' him, however, his attention shifted back to her as he asked, "Are you saying I can essentially make a wish?" This caused a few runes to flash across Akasha's eyes before she nodded her head and answered, "According to the information I have access to, I believe this would be an accurate interpretation. However, I have been expressly prohibited from granting you access to anything that could modify your existence. The purpose of the experiment is to observe your natural evolution so I am unable to provide the means to 'increase your strength' outside the bounds of our initial agreement."
As he had never expected Akasha to be able to help him do something like increasing his power to Tier 5 in a single leap, Vahn wasn't all that disappointed to hear her clarification. Just knowing he could ask for almost anything else was more than enough, especially since there were plenty of means to increase his strength within the Root itself. To better understand what he could request, Vahn pulled a table and a set of chairs out of his Inventory, causing a massive volume of runes to flash across Akasha's eyes as he asked, "Mind answering a few questions for me...?" This was met by an immediate nod by the alienesque woman before, without even moving from where she had been standing previously, she appeared sitting in the chair in an instant.
With his own understanding of Space and Time being far inferior to Akasha's, Vahn decided to just walk over and sit down nstead of pointlessly trying to show off. After taking a seat, he pulled out some tea and snacks, pouring a cup for himself and Akasha as he asked, "Can you explain any other restrictions I need to be aware of? Like, if I asked you something crazy like giving me access to the Throne of Heroes, would that be allowed?"
Though she had been attentively watching each of his actions, Akasha didn't even waste a single microsecond before answering, "It has been observed that you are able to alter causality and fate by coming into contact with the variables that had been assigned to help regulate the system. Providing access to the Throne of Heroes is within my authority to approve. In order to access it, however, you will need to establish an 'Anchor' and a 'System' on the same scale as the Greater Grail."
Seeing how she didn't even hesitate to answer in the affirmative, Vahn's brain was abuzz with thoughts of how he could use this to advantage. He was already intending to make an organization to rival the three major powers in the world. Though the assistance of his current Servants would be extremely useful, he knew it probably wouldn't be enough to completely unroot the darkness that existed behind society. If he could potentially summon a limitless number of Servants, however, it became a far more practical goal. From the moment he was able to establish a base of operations and establish a 'System', he would already be well on his way to achieving his goals...
With thoughts of the future in mind, Vahn was almost tempted to ask if they could grant power to someone like Fenrir but, as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Vahn just as quickly dismissed it. Even if they could make her an all-powerful existence, he didn't want anyone messing around with one of his Subordinates, especially one as irreplaceable as Fenrir. This also meant he couldn't really ask her to empower any of his other Servants as, without asking for their consent beforehand, Vahn didn't want to make such decisions for them. What this didn't prevent him from doing, however, was asking, "The existence known as 'Primate Murder'...is it possible to separate him from Illya and keep him sealed away?"
Once again, Akasha immediately answered, "It should not have been possible for a human or a homunculus to become the vessel of Primate Murder. As this is an anomaly within the system, I am not authorized to separate the two. It is the decision of my superiors that such cases are meant to be observed from start to finish without interference. This same principle applies all anomalies that have come into existence as a result of your inclusion within the experimental field."
Based on Akasha's words, Vahn was able to conclude that it was his existence that had led to Illya and Cath Palug being fused. Now he felt guilty about her situation and, even though he had already decided to help make her happy, Illya had been elevated on his list of priorities. With that in mind, Vahn decided to clear some things up, asking, "The Holy Grail War...was it affected by my presence?" Since there were 'a lot' of abnormal occurrences, including the participation of several still-living entities, Vahn felt the need to hear it directly from Akasha.
As she was ought to do, Akasha immediately answered, 'Yes. Before your entrance into the timeline, the Sixth Fuyuki Holy Grail War would have been intervened by the Holy Church on the eleventh day. This would have caused open conflict between the Mage's Association and the Holy Church, the final result being the dismantling of the Greater Grail after the Fuyuki City Leyline was partially destroyed in the final clash between Artoria Pendragon and Gilgamesh. Initially, there were only seven Servants, consisting of the Goddess Ishtar, Cú Chulainn, Medea, Heracles, and Hassan-i-Sabbah."
Feeling that his tea suddenly became rather stale, Vahn released a sigh as he set the cup down on the table and reflected over the past couple of days. Though he knew his presence could 'greatly' affect events that would take place in a Record, he hadn't expected his relatively small Karma to have such far-reaching effects. At the same time, however, Vahn felt this was only natural as, even before he had truly decided to help out Rin, he already expected to have a significant impact on the world. He was even planning on uprooting the organizations that have kept humanity pacified, essentially changing the fundamental nature of how the world was run. It was a given that the flow of fate in the world would react in accordance with his intentions...
Deciding he would think more deeply about his future requests to Akasha, Vahn kept it relatively simple this time around by asking, "Though you might not be willing to 'intervene', can you do things like reviving all the people that had become innocent victims during this Holy Grail War? If you can undo the damage to the City, that would also be extremely helpful." This, however, was immediately denied by Akasha, explaining, "It would be possible to create artificial lifeforms that would be able to emulate the existence of the lives that had been lost, but there is no way to guarantee the same soul would be implanted within an active timeline. Without any fate, each of them would die within a few months time. It would match your intentions better if the existence of those who were killed is erased from the timeline entirely. This will erase any memories pertaining to their existence from the minds of everyone inhabiting the timeline."
With what he knew of the soul, Vahn was able to understand the inherent truth within Akasha's words. Thus, even though he felt extremely apologetic to the people who had lost their lives, Vahn released a tired sigh before saying, "Do it..." This caused Akasha to lift her hand, tapping a few runes that had appeared within the air on a monitor that seemed to appear at her convenience. When she was finished, without skipping a beat, Akasha stated, "This action did not require any power. You may make another request."
Vahn didn't know if he should be happy or sad with Akasha essentially admitting that she had erased the 'existence' of thousands of people without any effort at all. Knowing he couldn't really change the facts, however, Vahn gave a small nod before asking, "Can you return Angra Mainiiu to wherever he came from before the Einzberns summoned him? Also, since you're supposed to be helping me, how about giving me a catalyst to serve as the core of my own 'System' later on? Though I could eventually collect the required materials myself, it would save a lot of time to have something on the level of the Greater Grail without having to produce it. Since I'm certain your superiors want to see what I'm capable of as soon as possible, I imagine they wouldn't be too interested in watching me waste time collecting simple materials..."
This time, Akasha didn't answer immediately as, deep within her red eyes, seemingly infinite strings of runes began to pour down like rain. A few seconds later, she answered, "Angra Mainiiu is one of the 'common factors' that cannot be erased. Sealing him away is not an issue but my superiors want to see if you are able to destroy him through your own efforts. You will be afforded a ten year period to make preparations before he will be released upon the world. To compensate, your request for a catalyst has been granted. Since your failure would result in the destruction of mankind, the Counter Force, Alaya, has been assigned to assist you. Your Classification and Priority have been upgraded to supersede the objectives of other regulatory entities."
As she spoke, Akasha's hands moved around at speeds faster than even Vahn's eyes could follow, her fingers seeming to tap every rune on her 'keyboard' simultaneously. By the time she was finished speaking, she blinked for the first time Vahn had ever witnessed before saying, "This request has consumed 94.71853% of available reserves. Is there something else?"
Vahn's mind had blanked after hearing Akasha mention he only had ten years until the world would essentially be forced to face its doomsday. He wasn't even given the time to alter the nature of his request, emphasizing the fact that Akasha's superiors had truly changed the focus of the experiment to observing him. Now, in a single instant, Vahn felt like he had the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. This caused a profound chill to spread through his mind, followed by an extreme level of frustration knowing that there was virtually nothing he could do to prevent the 'Administrators' from messing with him. If they were willing to let entire worlds be destroyed just to see how he would act, Vahn knew there was little else they wouldn't do just to see how he would react...
After suppressing the urge to simply eject from the Record, Vahn released a heavy sigh before doing his best to muster as much resolve as possible. He had already fled his home and, as Record Tiers had a lot of similarities, Vahn knew he would probably face similar difficulties in other Records. Since he had already made several promises, he decided to simply do his best to face whatever Akasha's superiors threw at him. At the very least, this would serve as a powerful stimulus to help his strength increase. Since Sub-Space Orbs would practically increase the time he had to around 60-70 years, Vahn believed he would be more than prepared to face Angra Mainiiu and whatever followed him...
Feeling marginally more determined, Vahn looked into Akasha's emotionless red eyes and asked, "Can you convert the remaining energy into something like magical cores and gemstones? I'm sure your records show that I require precious resources to supplement my abilities. I'm already at less than half the reserves I had upon entering the Root..." Vahn let his words trail off as, even before he had finished his question, Akasha simply waved her hand. This simple motion caused a massive gemstone the size of a small hill to appear right next to where they were seated. It had a subtle blue glow and, even at a glance, Vahn was able to tell that it was almost a pure amalgamation of mana.
While Vahn was staring at the giant gemstone, Akasha's eyes changed to a golden color as she stated, "We will observe the conversion process directly this time. Please proceed." This snapped Vahn out of his stupor, causing him to issue a wry smile before he went through the process of breaking the hill into smaller fragments that could be thrown into his Inventory. Akasha didn't say anything throughout the entire process which, by the time it had been completed, afforded Vahn a commendable 473 million OP. Since he assumed she would want some data that could actually be used, Vahn explained, "This was enough to replace about a quarter of what I have used thus far..."
As if she hadn't expected him to be 'cooperative', Akasha blinked a second time before nodding her head and tapping a few runes on her screen. When she was done, Akasha dismissed the interface before giving her unnatural smile and saying, "Your cooperation is appreciated. When you next need my assistance, please contact me through the Root once again." Then, with her business completed, Akasha closed her eyes before 'sinking' into the bluish-black floor once again. After this, Vahn found himself back within the confines of the Greater Grail but, the moment he was aware of the burning pressure once again, it faded away immediately thereafter. From a strange golden rune that had appeared on the back of his hand, a singular pulse of energy passed through the Greater Grail as if it had erased the corruption of Angra Mainiiu in an instant. At the same time, now drained of its energy, the Greater Grail began to crack and fracture around him...allowing Vahn to see the shocked and confused faces of his companions...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Look at me...I'm the MC now','Not sure if gusta...','This is what is colloquially known as a 'Bruh' moment')
(A/N: I wasn't going to write any more this week, as this chapter bring me up to 116k words, but I got bored and couldn't resist xD.)
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