บท 2: Book 1: Records of Magus Killer - Chapter 2 - How it All Started (2)
Together, they went to the meeting room, where several people were already waiting for them. Most of them were the same age as Genzou, while some were already in their late years of life, judging by their appearance.
They all looked at him with curiosity before nodding their head in agreement.
All of them were aware of his status, strength, and lineage; after they sat down, Yotsuba Genzou started to talk.
"The reason why I have called you all here, including the savior of my daughter, is the retaliation against the Dahan. They must perish, especially Kunlunfang Institute."
Yotsuba Genzou's voice was laced with pure venom and hatred against the Kunlunfang Institute when he thought over the matter.
"The problem is our small numbers. With rough estimation, every member of Yotsuba can take more than a hundred enemies himself, but how many of us would fall? We need to plan this perfectly to prevent an unnecessary loss of lives."
Yotsuba Eisaku was always the skepticist one among the Yotsuba siblings.
"I have already thought about this. This is the reason why I have invited Mr. Emiya here, who could be the best assassin than Magus Killer of Clan that is famous for training the best assassins."
Yotsuba Genzou stated with a smile while he looked at Emiya Kiritsugu, who just nodded in agreement. If the Yotsuba would start a war with Dahan, he would gladly join in; he also had some scores to settle with the Dahan himself.
"If I may say something, I have several ideas about reducing losses of Yotsuba to a minimum. It is a project that took decades to create, and soon, this discovery would make waves in the world."
The Magus Killer took out a small ruby-colored Gem from his pocket before he spoke while looking at the Yotsuba leadership gathering.
"This is artificially created ruby with Magic, enough Psions and Pushios with some ordinary coil compressed together into this little miracle. What is special about this Gem is that it has a spell recorded inside it. When you take this Gem and throw it, the Sequence will activate and release the spell."
Kiritsugu explained about the Magic Gem.
"Watch."
He threw the Gem on the ground, and a small fire was created, as everyone watched this in wonder and shock.
"We could use gems with highly Explosive Magic recorded there to bomb important governmental places in Dahan. Also, we could record Healing Sequences so the person performing the tasks could use the Gem to heal himself. Defensive Magic should also be possible, though you must constantly feed it with Psions."
Kiritsugu explained the workings of Gem Sequence Magic to the higher-ups of the Yotsuba Clan.
"The only thing to activate the Sequence Gem is to insert Psions into the Gem. My father started this project, and now, after more than twenty years of research, it is soon nearing completion."
After he finished his explanation, silence took over the place.
"Such a wonderful invention; Norikata always was talking about some secret project of his but never told me what it was. This could give us a great edge over our enemies. How many could you manufacture? Also, when do you intend to marry my daughter? How strong a spell could the gem bear?"
Questioned Genzou curiously, while with he mischievously hinted at the possible union of the two Clans.
"Not many; even though the creation process is not hard, it is extremely laborious, as I need first to create the Gem, then record the Sequence, and finally optimize the release sequence of the magic code. If I have more people, I estimate the production rate would speed up considerably."
The Magus Killer answered the elderly Yotsuba naturally as he played with the Gem in his right hand.
"Your second question, I would ask her hand for marriage after half more years, though I can affirm that I love her. The third question is that the gems could hold powerful spells, but not only up to a small scale AOE spell."
As he talked about his newest invention, he totally forgot what he said in the middle. His research was his passion; Genzou knew that and used it to his advantage.
Some people in the room chuckled, while some laughed at his misfortune of falling into Genzou's teasing traps. Of course, the only person who wasn't saying anything was Maya, who was red from embarrassment.
"If you marry Maya, I will give you my blessing."
Genzou said shortly after hearing his answers, while Kiritsugu just nodded his head in agreement; they proceeded to discuss detail about minor details of the plan.
"It would be my honor, father-in-law."
Even though Kiritsugu was coming from the Clan that was essentially speaking extinct, he knew very well that arranged marriages were the norm among the Magic Clans not only in Japan but also across the entire world.
After that, they continued the discussion and possible plans for the Dahan Invasion.
"Genzou-sama, did you hear about Jiedo Heigu?"
Jiedo Heigu was one of the more mysterious people in the Dahan, but he was also one of the most important ones and also, the one with tremendous political and military influence.
"Not much. Not many people had heard of Jiedo Heigu; he was rather an unknown person who wasn't known to the public, and even in the Dahan, he still remains a relative mystery. Still, he was far more dangerous than more people walking on Earth. Only that he was one behind the scenes to kidnap Maya."
Even the Clan Head of the Yotsuba Clan had limited information about the leader of the Kunlunfang Institute, Jiedo Heigu.
"In the underworld, there have been rumors he has been developing some kind of Magic that can prolong life. Seemingly, he has developed it at the Institute, and his research notes should be still there."
This brought shock to many presents, as the Magic that can prolong life was extremely rare, rarer than the phoenix's feather.
"Are you saying?"
Everyone wanted to be immortal or live for a very long life, and because the Magic returned only shortly, nobody knows if the Magic prolonged the life of Magicians.
However, there were already some research that Magicians should live longer lives compared to non-Magicinas. Basically, it worked like this: the more Psions someone's body had, the longer lifespan he should have, but it was still far from Immortality.
"Yes, during the raid on the Kunlunfang Institute, it would be best to take all of their research data and practically the entire Institute. They have researched their extreme usages of Ancient Magic; who knows what they have there."
Kiritsugu then made a pause before continuing his speech.
"Surgery of Perpetual Youth is apparently able to prolong life significantly and give a youthful appearance. It is a surgery that consists of implanting the Magic inside of someone who then continually applies it. This Magic succeeded in obtaining perpetual youth but could not give genuine immortality. However, suppose the person the Magic is performed on doesn't have the aptitude. In that case, the compensation for staying young is to consume their life force. Even if this Magic didn't increase lifespan, it could be used as a foundation to create the Magic that could prolong life."
He didn't mind revealing this much and contributing to the Yotsuba; as soon as he became one of them, he would become one of them. Kiritsugu knew that either way, the Emiya Clan was finished and being assimilated into the Yotsuba Clan wasn't the worst fate of the Emiya Clan.
"Good, you would make a perfect son-in-law. Do you know what?... after everything is done, I will announce two things. First, Maya is to become my Heir officially; she is more suitable for the role of Family Head than Miya. Second, that one would be your engagement with Maya."
Genzou said, shocking Kiritsugu and Maya.
It was apparent that elders of the Yotsuba had discussed possibilities of succession together, and between Maya and Miya, Maya was better suited to be the Family Head compared to her sister.
Her sister was more of a researcher, and her dream was to create the best magical research institute in the world and push the limits of Magic Engineering to new heights. Unfortunately, she was also very unsociable and wasn't really suited for the position of the Clan Head, as she preferred to tend to her research rather than other activities.
Also, with Kiritsugu marrying Maya, he would become the husband of the Yotsuba Clan Head; in turn, he would also be bearing the name Yotsuba.
With this, the Yotsuba Clan would have a huge increase in strength as people such as Magus Killer are highly sought after by various powers and recruited at all costs.
'With Maya's Magic, those two would be future pillars of Yotsuba. Soon enough, Yotsuba would be strong enough to stand alone against the rest of Master Clans and Associates Families together. And if they have a child, he would have the gift of god by the prophecy. The second coming of Mahesvara is near...'
Thought Genzou in his head as he looked at his daughter, who was now scolding her boyfriend for getting her into an embarrassing situation.
"Genzou-sama, if I may, I have one more idea. I believe it would be profitable to join hands with the Military. That way, we could plunder all resources from Dahan. As we would be responsible for moving them across Dahan, the Japanese navy could help us move them back home and would only need to give them one-fourth of the loot."
While the power of the Yotsuba Clan was tremendous, they still lacked numbers.
"From what I see, the Military is already not fond of Ten Master Clans as they often stand above them, so this could be a good opportunity to make better relationships with them, and as Yotsuba has very few allies, the alliance is also possible. Not talking about the fact, if we loot everything in Dahan, they would never recover from this, as it would take decades to make up for the damages."
Many in the room were surprised at the ruthlessness of the youngster and even his greedy plan to loot everything valuable in Dahan. Of course, with help from the Military, it would be possible.
They could loot valuables, gold, magic equipment, and many things that would be hard to move around either way.
Dahan was large, and even though Yotsuba was strong enough to overshadow them, their scale was far times smaller, so having help in the transportation of the loot was good.
Many of them nodded their heads in agreement, as with this plan, they could bring far more things from Dahan; they would either steal or loot and even make a good impression on the National Defense Force and forge good relationships.
"That is a pretty good plan. I will contact the National Defense Force about this and ask if they would lend us several of the battlecruisers that could be used as transportation means. Dahan has rich resources; looting them would significantly boost Yotsuba's power."
Yotsuba Genzou decided after giving the idea some thought.
"Hmm, that is a perfect proposition. Originally, we wanted only to focus on things that could be easily transported around. Still, now... we could take anything we want from them. After Dahan fell into chaos during the first wave of attacks, anarchy took over the country. They won't be able to maintain order, and it would be even easier for us to move across it."
***
"Hey, Maya... are you alright?"
Kiritsugu asked Maya as they were sitting on the bench and looking at the already frozen lake together. It was the end of October, and winter was especially very cold due to the drastic drop in temperatures in the past years.
"I am just thinking."
Muttering the girl quietly as she hugged his arm.
"Imagining thinks... what would happen if..."
Yotsuba Maya said quietly while Kiritsugu hugged her and kissed her forehead.
"Don't. Don't think about possibilities with a bad future. Rather, think about the good possible future that awaits us."
He whispered as he looked straight into her eyes before kissing her on her lips.
"Better?"
He asked affectionately as he gently caressed her hair, to which she blushed a little and then nodded her head in agreement.
"Hey, Kiritsugu... what do you want to do in the future?"
Questioned Maya as she snuggled close to him as they watched the stars.
"Never thought about it, actually. I never made plans for the future, as I have always thought I would die during some assassination contracts. But now, I will probably finish my father's Gem Sequence Project."
He said quietly because this was the long-lasting wish of his father, Emiya Norikata.
"This little thing will change the world..."
Indeed it would, because the Gem Sequence Magic would start the new Magic Revolution because the appliances of the Gem Sequence Magic were only limited by the imagination.
"Otou-sama said that, after everything was done, he would make some reforms in the Clan. He even proposed that you should take the position of Elder, as the Enforcer of the Yotsuba Clan. The rest of the master clans are starting to get distrustful of the Yotsuba. They fear that soon, they won't be able to contend against our Clan."
Compared to her sister Miya, Maya was very well versed in the political situation of Japan and the complicated relationship between the various Magic Clans of Japan.
"It is understandable. You have great potential to reach greater heights than High-Order with your Meteor Stream. Genzou-sama is a High-Order Magician with a terrifying mind-controlling ability of Tactical-Class. And if you count me after I marry you, I too would be Yotsuba. Magus Killer, High-Order who managed to assassinate Strategic-Class High-Order Magician... and soon enough, I would too reach Strategic-Class after I master the Strategic-Class Magic."
The man in question looked at the moon while he was talking.
"I wonder how our child would be... would he be strong too?"
Maya pondered as her cheeks flushed slightly red.
"Of course, they would surely be a Born-Specialized Magician with strong abilities. You know, if a Born-Specialized Magician reproduces, their descendant, too, would be a Born-Specialized Magician. However, there is another reason why I want to go to Kunlunfang Institute personally."
The Heir of the Emiya Clan had a grim expression on his face as he thought over it.
"?"
"From what I have heard, Dahan has been doing experiments with Ancient Magic on Born-Specialized Magicians to let them develop another Magic Calculation Area. They named it the Calculation Partition Project. There are rumors they have invented a ritual that can be used on the pregnant subject; if the child growing in the womb is not a BS Magician, then nothing would happen. If the child is a BS Magician, then after being born, it would have two Magic Calculation Areas, one dedicated to Innate Magic and one dedicated to Modern Magic. The price for the ritual is human sacrifice; the best usage is Magician and strong one, the stronger, the better, as it could increase the chances of ritual succeeding and also, the strength and abilities of newly created Magic Calculation Area."
Kiritsugu explained to her the situation with the Born-Specialized Magicians and how their Magic Calculation Areas worked rather differently compared to the ordinary Modern Magicians.
On the contrary, she was listening, holding her breath, and pondering over her most possible future husband. During the time they spent together, she learned a few things about the man that they called Magus Killer.
Kiritsugu was similar to Yotsuba Genzou; both of them valued family incredibly and would go to any lengths for them.
He was a very kind, non-conflictual, and carefree person.
But when it came to the family and their protection, he could turn into a ruthless demon who would kill anybody to protect his loved ones.
It has been shown, during a fight between him and her former fianceé, where he broke most bones in his body and nearly crippled his ability to use Magic, it was his "gift" for running away from Zhou Lang when they kidnapped Maya.
"Then we could kidnapp someone from Dahan and imprison him or keep him alive until we would need."
Compared to her twin sister Miya, Maya was more ruthless and bloodthirsty; she was a fighter; if not for being drugged during her kidnapping, she would have killed a good amount of them.
"For now, the most important thing is to prepare for retaliation. As Genzou-sama gave his blessings, I could already be considered a Yotsuba. For that, I am going to ask him for some favors. And I will also go help with making plans; assassinations are my best forte..."
He grinned at her.
"World War III is already nearing its end. Countless countries have been destroyed, and more than 6 billion people died during this war. The next few years would create new foundations for the new Era and new geopolitical situation on Earth. We have already taken Okinawa back, separating from the influence of the US. Soon enough, everything will calm down. For now, the most important thing for Japan is the cultivation of magicians. Even blind people could see our advantage lies in our superior quality of magicians, especially those from Ten Master Clans. And if everything goes according to the plan, then the standing of Magicians in Japan would be elevated to new rights after the attack on Dahan."
He muttered while looking at the shining moon. After a while, Kiritsugu sent Maya to her room and went to his own one that was prepared for him. From what Genzou-sama told him, it would be permanently his until they married.
Then they would live together.
For Kiritsugu, it was a bit weird feeling to have a safe roof above him. After his father's death, he was constantly on the run or closed in the research lab for the last several years.
"Hey boy, do you want a cup of tea?"
A voice belonging to Yotsuba Eisaku rang, who was sitting in the traditional tea room together with his older brother, Yotsuba Genzou.
"That would be great, Eisaku-sama."
Kiritsugu sat down next to two of them cross-legged as Yotsuba Eisaku poured him a cup of green tea that smelled aromatic.
"It's a delicious tea."
He sipped from his tea while complimenting the extinguished taste of the green tea.
"Yes, it is. I make it myself. From growing tea leaves to harvesting and processing them."
"Eisaku-sama, Genzou-sama, when the preparations would start?"
If they wanted to strike against the Dahan, they needed to act as soon as possible.
"Week after. For now, we need to find volunteers who would participate in this mission, and then you, as the most experienced assassin here, should train them and their coordination for the mission. After we have everything prepared, we will start, and Dahan will be soaked in blood."
The Patriarch of the Yotsuba Clan was already organizing everything, but even with all of their power put into this endeavor, it would take them at least one week to organize everything.
"You should go. And don't try anything funny, boy. Don't you dare sneak out of your room and go to Maya... wait till you are married."
Said Genzou as he looked at the teen with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"So, what do you think, Eisaku?"
After Kiritsugu left the room, both brothers started their discussion about future clan development.
"He is good, outstanding. He is a fighter, warrior, and survivor. If it wasn't because Maya was kidnapped, who would have thought that the Magus Killer was, in fact, a 19-year-old teen? Same as the rest of the Emiya Clan, shame they died of."
The younger brother said his thoughts.
"Yes, far more suitable for my little girl than that cowardly trash. He is a strong man and intelligent, ruthless if needed."
"In the future, if the prophecy is true... then Yotsuba would be really strongest."
"Yes... the second coming of Mahesvara is near."
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