Chương 1147: Trap
Though everything had been going relatively smoothly, especially with the assistance of Luvia, Rin quickly found herself hitting a wall after Lord Animusphere's announcement. One of the only reasons she had been stuck in London was due to pre-existing contracts she had, both with private Magi and the Mage's Association. She also had properties of her own and various physical assets that required a lot of paperwork and bureaucratic hoops to jump through if she wanted to avoid being blacklisted completely by the Association.
Rin had been intending to cut ties with the Association but there was a significant difference between leaving on good terms and becoming a target for removal if she stepped on the wrong people's toes. Now, however, Rin found that her special passport had been voided while the Mage's Association had essentially drafted all current and former members into the war effort. Until she had met a specific quota of magical gems, which she herself had to provide and enchant, it was almost impossible for her to leave London without being captured and imprisoned by the Association's Enforcement Division. Currently, any attempts to distance yourself from the Association was the same as being labeled a traitor as, with the fate of the world on the line, the powers-that-be had become decidedly less lenient...
With an annoyed expression on her face, Rin sat in the back of a heavily reinforced black car, one of several in a motorcade that was intended to make it harder to pinpoint her location. Not just her own, but Luvia's intuition told her that someone was pulling the strings to force them into a difficult position. This was, while most Magi were able to just turn over the requisite materials, she had been asked to report to the Department of Mineralogy to enchant some of the jewels they had prepared for her. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that this was an attempt to lure her away from the Edelfelt Mansion but, as she lacked the status to outright refuse, Rin, accompanied by Gray and an entire team of Edelfelt Mercenaries, made their way to the Clock Tower.
While sitting across from Rin, Gray had a serious expression on her face as she held Add in her right hand and observed their surroundings through the window. She had also been given a quota of her own but, as she lacked any significant achievements in Magecraft, her task was to donate a portion of her blood on a monthly basis. Though this was obviously another 'trap', as she had previously been exempted from such things due to the unique qualities of her blood, Gray was accompanying Rin to the Clock Tower in order to avoid having a battle take place at the Edelfelt Manor.
For the time being, they needed to play the part of Magi 'loyal' to the Association as the time Rin had set to rendezvous with Vahn still nearly five months out. They didn't even know his current location and, much like the various Magus Families and Departments of the Clock Tower, their attempts to try and discern his location had all met with failure. Though they had the means to contact him during an emergency they were unable to overcome themselves, calling him to London was something each of them wanted to avoid now that the Mage's Association had placed a Sealing Designation on him.
Suddenly, the silence between Rin and Gray was interrupted by a small paper talisman erupting into green flames. This was a charm used to counter direct curses, meaning they were already under attack by an enemy that yet to reveal themselves. Rin released a tired sigh when she saw this before pulling out a pendant and chanting a tracking spell using the ambient magical energy created by the talisman. At the same time, Gray was communicating with the rest of the motorcade through a small phonograph that was set with an amethyst. The Tohsaka family had secret techniques that had been passed down through the generations, allowing nearly impossible to detect communication with any party that had the paired gemstone. Though she had made her own version, the same method she had used to communicate with Vahn via radio, that was only a prototype that likely wouldn't be of much use here in the heart of the Mage's Association.
After her spell had completed, several small strings of light began to flow from the pendant in Rin's hand, causing her to frown deeply as each of these strings indicated an enemy. Even at a glance, it was easy to see there were more than a dozen people directly hostility towards them. Then, just as the motorcade was about to split up to make it harder for the enemy to pinpoint which vehicle she and Gray were in, several reddish-black lasers struck the doors and windows hard enough to crack the magic resistant glass. Though it was still daylight outside, this didn't seem to deter their enemies much as there were several follow-up lasers striking the car and knocking it off course with their impacts. To her credit, the driver was able to keep the vehicle under control while a few of the other vehicles in the motorcade moved to flank and protect them.
Seeing what was going on, Gray's eyes turned sharp as she muttered, "They are trying to make us group up. Those spells were not intended to disable the vehicle outright..." As she said this, Gray activated Add, turning it into a metal gauntlet with extremely sharp claws. She pulled her hood around her head and was preparing to jump out of the sunroof as Rin reached out to stop her, saying, "There is a good chance you are their main target. Since they are obviously trying to capture us, splitting apart would only complicate matters. Let's entrust Luvia's guards to move us to a secure location before we take action."
Though she didn't agree with Rin's plan of action, as following protocol left you open to being lured even deeper into a trap, Gray still elected to stay behind. If Rin transformed and fought alongside her, there were very few enemies that would be able to contend against them. There was a limit to the level of attack their enemies could use without drawing too much attention so they weren't in dire straits just yet. After all, using Magecraft publically like this wasn't something that could easily be swept aside, especially if it involved high-profile characters within the Association, so, unless their enemies intended to cut ties with the Mage's Association while in the middle of London, the chances of them using any high-rank Magecraft was slim.
---
As expected, even after an additional ten minutes, there were only a few pot-shots fired at the motorcade while the Edelfelt security forces had already destroyed several golems and familiars. The fact that there weren't any Magi intercepted showed that this attack had been more of a means to shepherd them and discover which vehicle Rin and Gray were located in. To avoid playing into the enemy's hand, as there was a chance they were familiar with the various safehouses the Edelfelt family had prepared, the motorcade instead opted to use the alleyways on populated streets to transfer Gray and Rin to a new vehicle. Having a car driving around with several dents and holes in it was an easy way to get pulled over by the police so the Edelfelt security forces, seemingly having vehicles staged all throughout the city, were quickly replacing the damaged cars with new ones.
When asked to change cars, Rin shook her head in response to the tall man wearing a black suit and shades, explaining, "The Clock Tower cannot ignore this incident, nor can they force us to try and fulfill our nonsensical duties after being attacked like this. Gray and I will blend into the surroundings while the Enforcement Division converges on this location." As they were currently on a busy street that had a lot of pedestrian foot traffic, as London was very popular around the new year, it made more sense to Rin to break off from the security detail without leaving the area completely. Her intuition also told her that moving vehicles wasn't a good idea and, as it had never let her down before, Rin wasn't going to ignore her hunch just because it allowed the security detail to do their job more easily...
The large man's expression didn't change much at all when he heard Rin's explanation, remaining completely professional as he quietly spoke into his headset before nodding his head and saying, "We will leave some of our forces here while moving the rest into the surrounding city blocks. If an enemy tries to target you and Miss Gray, we will be able to box them in." Though this man was the current leader of the motorcade, he lacked the authority to 'force' Rin and Gray to follow his orders. Even if he didn't agree with what Rin wanted to do, Luvia had given her the highest authority when it came to her own safety.
As she was known for wearing vibrant red clothing, Rin changed into a beige-colored coat before undoing her ribbons and allowing her hair to flow freely. Then, after borrowing a pair of sunglasses from one of the security detail, she and Gray joined the foot traffic while the latter covered her arm with her mantle. Though she stood out like a sore thumb with her peculiar garb, surprisingly few people paid attention to them as Rin was currently using a spell to obscure the perception of others to make it harder to track them. This required them to have to dodge around a few people that nearly walked directly into them but Rin and Gray were able to reach the relative safety of a rather high-end department store without anyone sparing them so much as a direct glance.
After stepping into the warmth of the well-lit showroom, Rin rubbed her forehead with a tired expression, complaining, "That idiot should have left us a means to contact him directly...haaaaa..." Though Rin also wanted to complain about Luvia having Lord Animusphere publish his findings so soon, it was only a matter of time before the Mage's Association learned the truth. It was better if they deal with things on their own terms and try to reap benefits than being caught off guard by the movements of others. This matter was undoubtedly related to Svin as, with Bathomeloi Lorelei still away from London, Rin had serious doubts about any of her forces moving without her leading them directly.
Hearing Rin call Vahn an idiot, Gray lightly giggled while keeping her right arm hidden from view, even though they were standing out of sight from most other people within the store. She knew Rin just missed the 'real' Vahn as, even though the memory fragment was pleasant to interact with, it became increasingly clear that there was something 'different' about him. The real Vahn had a very distinct 'presence' surrounding him and, though their actions and mannerisms were identical to each other, Gray felt the time she spent with the memory fragment wasn't as meaningful as the short time she had spent at Vahn's side. It could be due to the fact that the memory fragment was always very relaxed while the actual Vahn always invested himself wholly in every moment, even though he was also very busy...
To get a better vantage out onto the streets, Rin and Gray moved to the second floor of the store so they could view the pedestrian traffic from above. From this location, it was easy to see the Edelfelt security forces and, though Rin assumed they had already explained the situation, she decided to go ahead and contact Luvia directly. Since the was almost guaranteed that their enemies had watched them walk into the department store, Rin didn't bother using magical means and just pulled out her cell phone before turning it on. Once it had booted up, she dialed Luvia's number from memory as none of the temporary phones they had were updated with any contact lists.
It didn't take long for Luvia herself to pick up, answering the phone by asking, "Are you and Gray safe?" In response to this, Rin had a wry smile on her face as she answered, "Yes. How is the little one? Has anything happened at the Mansion?" Though it was extremely unlikely anyone would try to attack the Edelfelt Mansion directly, Rin couldn't help worry about Sakura during an emergency like this. Fortunately, Luvia immediately answered, "She is currently holed up in her room after eating lunch. You should hurry back so she doesn't have to worry about you too much. If you need me to, I can send a helicopter to your location..." Even if the consequences would be a little bit troublesome to deal with, Luvia wasn't too worried about any fines she would incur from the government as she had more than a few connections within Parliament who would cover for her.
While thinking about whether or not to alight to the roof and have Luvia pick them up, Rin felt a tingling sensation in her temples just moments before Gray pulled her aside. Immediately after this, the glass they had been looking through was shattered into an incalculable number of pieces as a pale golden 'beam' passed right where Rin's abdomen had been previously. Then, several seconds after the projectile had already pierced through the second floor and into the first, the sound of a loud rifle echoed through the area. This caused the pedestrian's below to begin scrambling about like startled ants as several more rounds were fired into the second floor of the department store, trailing behind Rin's and Gray's evasive actions.
As the projectile being fired toward them were able to easily pierce through the second floor, the two girls did not rely on standard cover to protect themselves and instead moved deeper into the building's interior. Rin cast a physical barrier around them that would be able to shield from even high-caliber rounds before relinquishing her body over to Ereshkigal once they reached sufficient cover. Though another round pierced through the walls, this time targetting Rin's head, it was intercepted by the barrier before the latter outright shattered. A flattened golden projectile fell to the ground immediately thereafter and, though it was largely destroyed in the collision, it was easy to sense the ambient Magical Energy radiating off of it.
While Gray placed the bullet into a small container, Ereshkigal used her peculiar spear to easily intercept a few more rounds that had been fired towards them. This seemed to deter their attacker from wasting more precious ammo as they actually couldn't see where 'Rin' and Gray were located. They had no way of knowing that Rin had transferred control to Ereshkigal and, though the latter lacked in Agility compared to most Lancer-Class Servants, her perception as a Goddess granted her the same limited omniscience as her sister. Unless the rounds fired were anti-divine in nature, they wouldn't even be able to harm her from the start but, as it was better to be safe than sorry, she had no intention of tanking one directly.
After several long seconds of silence, Ereshkigal looked towards Gray and said, "Rin wants you to try and contact Luvia again..." is a somber monotone. She had never been very sociable and, now that her host was endangered, Ereshkigal was more than a little upset. Though she could preserve Rin's life, even if the latter suffered fatal damage, this would require the use of her Death Divinity, an act that would require her to enter a deep slumber as she slowly recovered. Without the Greater Grail, she and Ishtar were extremely limited in the amount of power they could use so Ereshkigal deeply resented the person who tried to fatally wound Rin...
Since it was hard to refuse the words of a Goddess, Gray nodded her head in response before trying to use her own cell phone to contact Luvia. Before she could even type three digits, however, the power within the department store was cut while even the screen of her phone cut out. This caused Gray to frown as it implied their enemy had either used an EMP or had activated a powerful barrier to try and trap them. There were muffled sounds of explosions outside so she assumed it was the latter as this kind of attack simply defied logic otherwise. It was clear to see that their enemy had a lot of sway within the Mage's Association, but that didn't mean they could just act with impunity, especially after the announcement of Angra Mainyu's emergence...
Though it was dark within the department store, the area was lit up by the glowing red aura around Ereshkigal's spear while her two maroon eyes cut through the darkness with a cold light. Gray's own stark blue eyes also glowed slightly in the darkness, especially when she unveiled her gauntlet and began channeling her own magical energy. She was capable of using [Mana Burst], just like Artoria and Mordred, so her body was shrouded in a blue aura that functioned almost identically to [Cantus Bellax], the only major difference being that [Mana Burst] added an explosive effect to attacks that could ignore defense.
Amidst the sound of muffled explosions, a loud crashing sound could be heard as part of the ceiling collapsed. From the debris, a vibrant bluish-white light could be seen, illuminating the surroundings like a high-oxygen flame. It was because she sensed this presence that Gray had activated her [Mana Burst] and, now that the person she least wanted to see had appeared before her, she instantly kicked off the ground with enough force to leave a crater that nearly collapsed the second floor as she charged the figure before it could get its bearings. In response to this, the figure dashed back with swiftness few Servants could manage, breaking through the cloud of debris to reveal a form reminiscent to a Werewolf that was comprised almost entirely of bluish-white flames.
At the same time that the figure dashed back, it released a feral howling sound, combined with the words, "Gray, stop...!" This caused a soundwave to spread through the department store, destroying displays and knocking over products before passing through Gray and causing her [Mana Burst] to dissipate. Without missing a step, however, Gray just reactivated her skill as she kicked off the ground once again, changing Add into the form of a long spear as she shouted, "I'll never go back to you, Svin! Leave me alone...!"
As she shouted, there was a veil of moisture over Gray's eyes but it paled in comparison to the amount of conviction contained within as she attempted to stab Svin in the stomach. This caused Svin's expression to turn even more feral as he attempted to grab the spear with his unnaturally long arms, an action made possible due to his combination of Beast Magecraft and Reinforcement. In this form, he could even outpace a fighter jet and, unless his opponent used Silver weaponry or B-Rank Magecraft, he would be able to instantaneously regenerate from almost any wound. Gray's Mystic Codex, however, was capable of ignoring his regeneration since it carried the Holy Property, giving it greater potency than even sanctified Silver...
While the tip of Gray's spear cut through his pectoral muscle, Svin was able to divert the trajectory of her attack, using the same motion to kick her hard in the ribs. Her [Mana Burst] dissipated nearly the entire impact but it still sent Gray's body tumbling through a series of wardrobes, splintering them into small wooden fragments while Svin wrangled with the disobedient Add. Unfortunately for him, he was not afforded the type to apply the seal he had prepared as Ereshkigal, not content to just watch the events play out, had stabbed her spear into the ground as she finished chanting, "Fall into the embrace of the Underworld. Kur Kigal Irkalla..."
In what seemed like a singular instant, a reddish-black pulse spread through the area, changing the surroundings into a seemingly endless graveyard that was filled with various tombstones and cages. This caused Svin's eyes to widen as he exclaimed, "Reality Marble!? You...who are you!?" Without deigning to respond, as the idea of speaking to another man left a bad taste in Ereshkigal's mouth, she pulled her spear from the ground before charging toward Svin and swinging it in a large arc. To his credit, he was easily able to evade her relatively slow attack but, as he was already trapped within her terrain, Svin quickly found his calves and feet pierced by thorned vines made out of malignant reddish-black energy.
Experiencing an extreme amount of pain, made worse when he tore his limbs free in his attempt to evade even more vines, Svin's eyes began to burn with an even more vibrant light as he shouted, "You stay out of this! Gray is mine...!" Following this outburst, Svin released a loud roar in an attempt to dissipate the Reality Marble but, without even fluctuating in the slightest, Ereshkigal's Underworld domain persisted. Though Svin was undoubtedly very powerful for a Magus, it was extremely foolish to try and destroy a God's domain while they were present within. In this place, she had the highest authority and, greatly enhancing her own power while slowly draining away the vitality of any enemies trapped within. Thus, in response to Svin's howl, Ereshkigal's eyes had an even colder light than before as she muttered, "Less than a beast..." The moment these words left her lips, a large cage formed around Svin's body while he was mid-howl. At the same time, a smaller cage appeared within her left hand, this one showing a smaller version of Svin that was spontaneously shrouded in blood-red flames that caused his actual body to begin burning in turn...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP security forces','Dat intuition though...','Ereshkigal has a strong bias against other men xD...')
(A/N: I'm still resting today but, after waking up from a long nap, I felt like writing a chapter while relaxing in my bed. I hope you enjoyed it (^ _ ^)~!)
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Chương 1148: Ruthless
With a blood-curdling scream, Svin began to lash out against the surrounding cage while trying to purge the flames from his body. Even in his fully transformed state, Ereshkigal's flames seemed to completely ignore his resistances as an unbearable pain wracked his entire body. It felt like his soul itself was burning, causing Svin to enter into a maddened berserk state as he punched and kicked furiously at the surrounding cage.
From the side, Gray had already risen to her feet after recovering Add, now in the shape of a rather vicious looking scythe. Hearing Svin's scream was harder on her than she expected as, even though she hated what he had become, they had been good friends for many years. Seeing someone you used to consider one of your only friends being burned alive wasn't easy so Gray clutched the sides of her hood, pulling it over her eyes as she covered her ears to try and muffle the sounds. This was all she could do to prevent herself from asking Ereshkigal to show mercy on Svin who, even though he had held her captive in the past, had been an otherwise good man...
Unlike Gray, Ereshkigal's gaze didn't even fluctuate in the slightest as she continued holding out the pale-golden cage, endlessly feeding it flames that were intended to purify the soul. Though this was supposed to take a long period of time, easily exceeding thousands of years, she could accelerate the process to use it as an attack. The flames themselves dealt no physical harm and instead burned away the sense of self of the user so that they could be reincarnated once again. When the blood-red flames dissipated, Svin would still be alive but everything that made him the person who he was would no longer be present. Since she could tell that Gray didn't actually want to kill the feral man, this was the only mercy Ereshkigal decided to grant him.
Amidst the blood-curdling screams, several pale-gold beams of light tore through the darkness, creating small spatial cracks within Ereshkigal's Reality Marble. From the outside, the Reality Marble looked like a massive black sphere that was covered in a series of incredibly complex runes and, though it was very difficult for people to pass through the shell from the outside, it was far from impossible. As a result, a young woman with blond hair and blue eyes broke through fragmented space, following closely behind by a man with sleek black hair and pitch-black eyes. The bullets had apparently been fired from the surprisingly young girl who was geared from head-to-toe in tactical equipment that made her look like a military junky. However, with a set of four differently styled pistols, complete with an assortment of grenades, it was easy to understand she wasn't just playing around...
Ereshkigal didn't mind people breaking into her Underworld as, now that they were present within, there was little they could do within her dominion. She just brandished her spear towards the pair, sending waves of thorny red vines twining through the seemingly endless graveyard that forced them to take evasive action. In response to this, the blond-haired woman pulled out an ivory-colored pistol that was slightly larger than the other three. It had golden runes carved along the sides and, when fired, created a dazzling white light that drew a lethal arc towards Ereshkigal's heart. Instead of trying to evade it, however, Ereshkigal tilted her spear into the trajectory, deviating it from its course as she observed the young woman with cold eyes.
Seeing her attack deflected so easily, the blond-haired girl shouted, "Fuck! This bitch isn't simple. Bradley, what the hell are you waiting for!?" Though she didn't seem any older than fourteen or fifteen years old, the girl had a rather foul mouth that caused Ereshkigal to frown slightly as she sent another wave of vines towards her. At the same time, the man identified as Bradley covered his right eye with his gloved hand, speaking in a low and eerie tone, "Demon King's right eye...it is time to claim another victim..." Following this, he lowered his hand to reveal a triangular rune burning within while the black of his iris spread to cover the whites of his eye.
Faster than she was capable of reacting to, Ereshkigal felt a strong pushing force pass through her body that knocked her back several meters. Then, atop her left breast, a similar red rune had been embedded into the fabric of her raiment and an area of her skin. Though it was obvious that Bradley had been aiming for her heart, Ereshkigal's expression turned even colder as a reddish-black aura began to expand outwards from her body. Her maroon eyes began to turn a striking blue color at the edges as she looked towards Bradley and stated, "You defiled the body of this Goddess...you will burn...!"
Seemingly undaunted, Bradley gave a creepy smile in response as he venomously stated, "You have already been marked by the Demon King's eye. Only death awaits you, false Goddess...!" With this exclamation, Bradley pointed a finger-gun towards Ereshkigal and made a 'pa' sound with his lips. This caused the rune on Ereshkigal's body to sink slightly into her skin, burning the fabric of her raiment and flesh in the process. When this happened, a series of events that surprised everyone was set into motion as, instead of immediately being killed like she was 'supposed' to be, Ereshkigal was able to resist the rune's attempts to pass through her body, pointed her spear towards Bradley with a vicious look in her eyes.
Much like his own attack, which instantly affected anything within his line of sight, Bradley hadn't even processed what happened by the time a seering sensation spread through his body. It was only after the pain hit him that he noticed the fact that Ereshkigal's spear had extended more than thirty meters to pierce him straight through his diaphragm. The malevolent aura that accompanied the spear quickly began to encroach upon his body, bringing with it an indescribable pain that he was unable to voice due to having his diaphragm pierced. He could only painfully gag as his body was consumed by ghostly flames that began to suck him into Ereshkiga's spear as the blond-haired girl shouted, "You fucking bitch! Let him go! Stop it! I said stop, stop, stop...!"
With her bullets being consumed by the reddish-black aura surrounding Ereshkigal's body, the girl could only scream and curse as tears began to build up in her eyes. In response to her outburst, Ereshkigal coldly explained, "You lack the conviction to lose your life...and are afraid to see your friends die...you should not have become a killer...death is not a tool you can use to get your way..." As a Goddess of Death, Ereshkigal had little tolerance for those who used it as a means to get their way yet, when forced to face their own, they became like petulant children and lashed out at others instead of accepting the responsibility for their actions.
In response to Ereshkigal's words, the blond-haired girl pulled several grenades from her belt as she shouted, "Fuck you...!" Then, with tears pouring from her face, she attempted to throw the grenades towards Ereshkigal to interrupt her attempt to absorb Bradley and the perpetual burning of Svin. The moment the grenades left her hand, powered only by the meager strength of a relatively normal human girl, a barricade of thorny vines emerged like a wall just a few meters away from her. This caused the grenades to impact against the flaming vines, rebounding them towards the wide-eyed girl as she quickly pulled a cord in her vest and crouched down in a fetal position just moments before the grenades erupted around her...
After a series of thunderous explosions, Ereshkigal moved the wall of vines while reducing her spear to a normal size once again. Now, at her hip, there was a 5cm long cage that had a small flame burning inside of it as, keeping her promise with Bradley, she would allow him to experience the slow-burning of his soul until nothing remained of his Ego several hundred years down the line. Though this may seem unbelievably cruel from the perspective of some, there was a price to pay for defiling the body of a Goddess and, at least before the Age of Men, this was how all souls in the Underworld were treated. She had seen billions burn within the cages of her dominion and, though she had often tried to come up with methods to ease their suffering, Ereshkigal had no empathy for Bradley after his indiscretions.
By the time the smoke and debris cleared away, there was a battered and bruised young girl laying on the ground, not as a result of the grenades themselves, but due to the red vines that were tightly binding her body. These vines were made from the ghostly flames of the Underworld given physical form, making them virtually impossible to resist without having Holy or Anti-Divine armaments. As a result, the blond-haired girl was left crying on the ground as the vines buried themselves into her body rather mercilessly.
It wasn't until Rin stepped in, feeling more than a little perturbed by Ereshkigal's cruelty, that the girl was given any lenience. Since they needed people to be held accountable for this blatant attack in broad daylight, she had Ereshkigal stop short of killing the girl. Svin had already collapsed within his cage with a dull expression on his face as drool poured from his slightly parted lips. The previously blood-red flames now burned with a similar bluish-white as his Beast Transformation but, instead of being a proponent of his own abilities, this simply represented that he had already been purified. As Ereshkigal didn't know the customs of the world all that well, even with the knowledge she obtained from the Holy Grail, she ultimately conceded to Rin's request before returning control back to her.
Emerging naked within the department store, as Ereshkigal was no longer present to keep her Reality Marble manifested, Rin felt incredibly embarrassed as she pulled a set of clothes out from her storage bracelet while doing her best to ignore the burning pain on her chest. There was still a rather vicious triangular ringed wound burned into her left breast and, though she felt somewhat sorry for the young girl that had experienced much worse, Rin didn't empathize with Bradley's fate all that much. Though she would probably calm down after the adrenaline wore off, she felt he 'needed' to suffer for a bit before she ultimately had Ereshkigal allow him to die in a more peaceful manner.
After rejoining with Gray, the latter had a concerned expression on her face as she asked, "Are you okay?" She could only imagine how painful a large burn on the chest could be but, surprisingly, Rin just gave a wry, albeit pained, smile as she answered, "This doesn't even make my top ten. At least, if there is a scar, I can get Vahn to remove it for me...ahaha...ha..." Mentioning Vahn made Rin miss him a lot more than normal as, if he were present, neither of them would have had to go through such an experience. This sentiment seemed to be shared by Gray who, after looking towards the collapsed body of Svin, muttered, "I want to go back to the Mansion..."
---
Shortly after the battle had come to an end, several members of the Edelfelt security forces entered into the virtually decimated department store. After 'securing' Rin and Gray, they were alighted back to the Edelfelt Mansion as, even though they should have arrived long ago, the Enforcement Division had yet to arrive. This indicated they had been paid off or that someone above Svin had pulled some strings to delay their response. Now, though the Enforcement Division would undoubtedly try to lay some blame on Rin and Gray, they would have to go through the Edelfelt's since, after this farce, there was no way either girl would listen to the 'demands' of the Mage's Association.
This was a fiasco that could cause just as much a stir as the new of Angra Mainyu's descent as, with the current tensions within the Clock Tower, even minor events could get blown out of proportion. If it was publicized that the Aristocratic faction within the Clock Tower was already trying to forcibly capture people, to the point they weren't even paying attention to the Laws that had governed the Association for more than two-thousand years, it would cause a great deal of chaos.
To try and skew the facts in their favor, several noteworthy figures within the Aristocratic faction decried Svin as an errant element who, feeling pressured by the world's end, had lost his mind and allowed his elevated status to get to his head. At the same time, however, rumors of Gray's 'true identity' began to circulate around, causing some within the Association to try and demand that she also be given a sealing designation. Even more than Gray herself, however, they wanted to get their hands on Add as, even though Svin had never revealed the truth of its identity, rumors of its true identity riled up several of the more powerful Magus families. Securing one of the most powerful weapons in the world for themselves, especially with the end of the world on the horizon, was of imperative importance to any family that still considered themselves separate from the Association.
At this point, the only thing keeping some of the more powerful families from storming the Edelfelt Mansion was the fact that Luvia's Grandmother was still alive and, unless they intended to send some of their heavy hitters out, it was impossible to use lower-class Magi, golems, homunculi, and familiars to try and directly face off against the Edelfelt's mercenary forces. Even if they did send out their family's main forces, this attempt would be a significant loss of face for any family that resorted to such actions, especially during these chaotic times.
As the Edelfelts were one of the ten most powerful Magus families, while also being considered one of the most wealthy, antagonizing them for the sole purpose of 'stealing' a single weapon would send unstoppable waves through the Magus Community. This could potentially send the entire community into a Civil War as, if even the upper echelons of their society were willing to go to such extremes, everyone would begin to panic even more.
Due to these reasons, other than lobbying to have Gray given a sealing designation and having her 'willingly' relinquish Add, there was little they could do without Luvia giving in to the pressure and turning Gray over to them. As the Edelfelt's were famous for their obstinance and loyalty, however, even normal students didn't believe she would crack and turn over one of her allies, especially when it seemed like the Clock Tower were blatantly displaying their corruption. In fact, instead of showing any signs of bowing down, Luvia issued a public statement, requiring the Clock Tower administration to be held accountable for their own words.
With the Association Director just recently announcing that such actions would not be tolerated, Luvia refused to let the matter just lay. Even though the Aristocratic faction claimed that Svin acted on his own, there were very few people who even remotely believed this. Though Zelretch wasn't a part of the Mage's Association, the fact he had made an appearance at the Director's side showed they were at least cooperating together. There was no reasonable justification for them allowing a member of the Clock Tower to cause a scene in public, especially when the 'catalyst' behind the attack was the very 'quota' they were requiring every member of the Association to fill.
Though it was a bit extreme, Luvia openly postulated a question that sent ripples through the majority of the Association, asking, "Does the Clock Tower now have sovereignty over all the other families? Will the 'quota' in the future start to include the lives of its affiliates just for the sake of benefitting those at the top? Are they going to start arbitrarily issuing Sealing Designations just so they can 'justifiably' rob the possessions of other Magi...?" These were questions lingering in the hearts and minds of many of the more vulnerable members of the Association, especially after having to show up and have to their blood drawn for uses they couldn't even see...
In response to Luvia's demands, a directive came from the Director to change how the quotas were met as they originally had no part in deciding what was requested. This task had been left to the various Lords and Department Heads previously but, as could have been expected from the start, there were a number of Aristocrats exploiting this system to benefit their own family. Now, all of the Department Heads were required to gather together to determine what contributions each large family would have to make while the blood requirements for students and lower-class Magi had been significantly reduced.
To encourage donating more, students could exchange their blood for increased access to the Spirit Grave Albion. Previously, only fourth and fifth-year students that had some achievements would be able to gain access to the 'Dungeon' located beneath the Clock Tower but, as now was the most opportune time to increase the capabilities of all its Magi, a special exception had been made to allow students to 'buy' time. Though their access was still strictly regulated and required to hand over most of what they harvested, they still stood to benefit greatly compared to how things had been in the past...
At the same time that the directive had gone out, the Association Director also contacted Luvia's Grandmother directly. They didn't make any demands persay, as the Edelfelt family had never been shy to confrontation, but promised that the matter of Gray's Sealing Designation would be buried while the individual quota requirements would be significantly reduced. In exchange, the Director hoped that Luvia's Grandmother would prevent her Granddaughter from saying anything that would sow even greater discourse within the Clock Tower. She agreed to do this, but only after having the Director promise to allow those associated with the Edelfelt family greater freedom in exchange for increased financial support and a few artifacts her family had secured over the centuries...
After coming to an accord, Luvia had gone relatively silent as, even though she was the Head of the family, she was very respectful of her Grandmother. There was also the simple fact that they had colluded together on this matter before she met with the Director so, after the meeting had come to an end, Luvia shared the good news with Rin, Sakura, Gray, and Olga. The latter had already been in touch with her father and, after a series of long discussions, ultimately agreed to ally herself directly with the Edelfelt's. Among the other three girls, Rin felt a great deal of relief as, with the Director's promise, she would be able to leave London without drawing too much attention. After the previous attack, any action taken against them would almost immediately throw the Clock Tower into even greater turmoil so they had a lot of freedom to move, at least until the current status quo changed once again.
With that in mind, Rin didn't waste any time to renegotiate the terms of many of her contracts, using Luvia's backing to even get out of the majority of them. Though some of her clients were less than understanding, they eventually showed leniency after entering into a direct contract with the Edelfelt family for even greater benefits than what Rin alone could offer. Then, though it was much sooner than she expected to leave, Rin, Sakura, Gray, and Olga were alighted from London via helicopter to the Edelfelt's private Manor in Northern Ireland. The Manor served as both a stronghold and the center of operations for the family's Alluvial Gold mining in the region. It was a native alloy that could be found in streambeds, a very rare amalgamation of Gold and Silver that could be used to produce extremely valuable armaments due to its inherent purification capabilities.
While the others were being secured in a safe location, Luvia still had her own affairs to deal with as, even though there was a lot going on in her life, she was still the Head of the family and needed to deal with their business partners. Now was actually an ideal time to reap several benefits and, much like her Ancestors, Luvia wasn't shy at all when it came to fishing in troubled waters. After all, there was a reason many of the other Aristocratic families referred to her family as the 'most elegant hyenas above the ground'. If she panicked like the other families and missed out on all these new business opportunities, Luvia felt like she would have betrayed hundreds of years of her heritage. Since this also allowed her to draw focus away from Rin and the others, Luvia was more than willing to play the shark swimming amongst panicked fishes...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dayum, Eresh, you scary...','The Edelfelts aren't afraid to flex xD...','Luvia is not easily spooked (o 3 o)...')
(A/N: It is amazing how tired you can feel when you sleep a lot xD. I'm feeling much better today but, as everyone seems almost too worried, I'll go ahead and take it easy today as well. There will still be another chapter later, however, so look forward to it (^_^)~!)
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