AStoryForOne
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Chapter 186
🕑 Added 2022-06-15 03:50:38 +0000 UTCPOV Ruler (Jeanne D’Arc.)
“Wilhelm!” I couldn’t help but shout as he stumbled out of Caster’s Noble Phantasm.
Saber had already jumped towards Assassin who had been keeping her at bay with various long ranged spells.
“Master!” His Servant was already on him as soon as the invisible walls faded. She scooped him up, immediately dodging to the side as magical attacks carved through the ground.
I was distracted, only barely noticing several objects fly by my head. I recognized the weapon, armament of the Church used to hunt things heretical to our teachings. Blades that carried with them the holy Sacraments to purge unholy entities.
And they were going straight for Wilhelm.
Wilhelm’s Servent tried to awkwardly wield her blade to defend, until a loud explosive sound rang out.
I glanced to the Master of Saber – Kairi as he introduced himself as. He held a gun aloft, smoke coming out of it as the magical bullets tore into the Holy weapons.
“NICE ONE, MASTER!” Mordred shouted, black chains sweeping down at her as she did her best to dodge.
I turned back to the other Ruler, my authority as the True Ruler of this war gave me his name, Amakusa Shirou Tokisada, the knowledge of his identity filled my mind due to the Grail’s machinations. I swiped my banner at him with my full force, he brought up his Katana to block it, though he couldn’t hold it for but a moment before disengaging.
“Why are you blocking me?” He looked surprised. “You’re supposed to be impartial; this is a fight between competitors.”
“You are not supposed to be in this War.” I countered, moving towards him again. I stabbed my banner towards his mid-section, but he swept it away with his word. “I am within my rights to remove you due to your origins as the last war’s Ruler.”
He flicked his offhand, more Black Keys appeared between his fingers as she slashed them down at me. I twirled my banner, blocking them with ease, and knocking the followed up blade to the side. He took that moment to try and threw them again towards Wilhelm. I slammed my banner down, the holy light enveloped me as I gathered it and thrust forward, shattering the Black Keys before they could gain any meaningful distance.
“WHY?” He looked utterly dumbfounded. “You’re protecting him!? He’s a demon!” Shirou shouted. “You follow the Lord’s teachings, he’s our enemy!”
“He’s my friend!” I swung my banner, hitting him in the stomach, blood flowed out his mouth as he get rocketing towards a nearby pillar. “He doesn’t deserve condemnation for being born what he is.” I slammed my banner down, looking at him get up, wiping the blood trailing down the corner of his mouth.
He was nice to me. Even with his relentless teasing, it never held any malice or malicious intent. He helped me when I was in need, and made sure I was taken care of. He even called me a friend….so what if he wasn’t fully human? He asked me before if I would think any less of him if I found out he was a demon. In hindsight, I could remember him looking a little sheepish when asking me that question, but my answer has not changed.
“I’m trying to save the world, and you’re protecting a defiler of it!” He swept his hand through the air, anger clear on his face. “You don’t deserve to be called a Saint.” He sneered.
“I never called myself a Saint.” I met his gaze. “I only did what I thought was right in my heart. And right now –“ I tilted my banner back down, it’s sharp pointing lining up with him. “ – It’s telling me to protect him from you.”
“Foolish.” He growled, turning towards Assassin who still sat on her throne. “Assassin!” he shouted, as if a command for action.
“I grew bored of this anyways.” Assassin raised her hand as Mordred could not approach with the various spells falling down on her and those black chains constricting her every movement. “My poison will liquify your insides. Die in the most painful manner possible.” At various spots around the room, gas began to burst out.
“Friendly fire! Friendly fire!” Caster shouted, but was otherwise ignored.
The areas that looked like they were patchworked together, were devoid of the poisonous gasses, but there was still enough that the place began to visibly fill.
“No….” I gasped out, watching this unfold. I turned towards The others who didn’t look like they had a means to deal with this. My Noble Phantasm should be able to protect them if –“
“You wanted to remove me from the war, then please stay with me until the end then.” Shirou gave a deceptively kind smile, sword in in hand, blocking my way back.
***
Wilhelm POV
I groggily opened my eyes, faintly feeling someone tugging at me, and lots of shouts going on. My head hurt bad, and my vision was still really blurry, not to mention the ringing in my eyes.
Concussion? Most definitely.
[Glad you’re back, brat.]
Ddraig…?
[No time for that, you’re in danger.] Ddraig’s voice sounded urgent. [Chug a Health potion, and use that spell you used on that Hydra back in Kyoto.]
The spell from Kyoto……Hydra….poison?
My head was spinning, and it was hard to concentrate on any one thing. I followed his commands, shuffling around awkwardly and shakily pouring a health potion into my mouth. I think what little Magical Energy Avalon had left was working its magic as well.
Maybe I should –
[Focus, use spell.]
Right, right.
I took a breath, and whatever was supporting me shifted. I heard a familiar voice, but I couldn’t really acknowledge it at the moment.
Taking Talismans out of my Ring, I awkwardly threw them into the air. "God of the east sea, Amei. God of the west sea, Shukuryou. God of the south sea, Kyojou. God of the north sea, Gukyou. Gods of the seven seas, fend off a hundred demons and drive back the fierce disaster.”
My breathing picked up, and I felt increasingly light headed, even more so, but I didn’t feel the spell actualize.
[You’re still holding a Talisman.]
Oh…..right.
I fell to my knees and slapped it on the ground. “Order.” I finished the casting.
Even with my vision foggy, I could see the glowing pentagram that formed on the ground, and looking up, the blurry one that took to the ceiling.
[Good, now heal yourself.]
I continued to follow his directions, calling upon the strongest healing spell I knew and placed it against my head.
The ringing began to subside, and my vision started returning to normal and the whole world wasn’t spinning anymore.
I could feel my Aura working fully since I was no longer in that mental world. Working in tangent with my own healing and the effects of the Healing Potion.
“Raikou?” I looked up at my Servant holding onto me.
“Master.” She looked very happy to see me lucid.
I still had a killer headache, but I don’t think my skull was cracked anymore.
I surveyed the room. Jeanne was trading blows with Shirou, and Mordred was dashing around as Assassin tried to snipe at her with Magecraft.
Looking up, it appeared my spell was purifying this poisonous gas that was seeping into the area.
My eyes then landed on Caster who’s head slowly turned towards me.
“Shakespeare.” I growled, standing back up.
“Haha, my boy, what a great showing.” He clapped awkwardly. Though that little bit of awkwardness disappeared after a moment, and a smirk adorned his face. “Well, I can tell when it’s time to take a bow.”
“I’m resisting the urge to run you through.” I said evenly.
“I suppose I won’t be able to see the end of this magnificent play.” He sighed, flipping his hair back. “For the record, you were perhaps my favorite actor in this production.”
“I am filled with joy.” My dry tone was very evident by his mirthful chuckle. I was angry, but…..it was hard for me to bring up that rage that bubbled beneath the surface. At this point, I just wanted it to be over.
“Caster, you pathetic hack, do something productive!” Assassin hissed towards her teammate.
“Shut up you damn hag!” Mordred roared, slicing through some malevolent looking chains that shot out of the ceiling towards her. Another barrage of condensed Magical Energy in the form of lasers bombarded her as well.
Her Lightning erupted as she tore through the magical attacks, but still was having trouble approaching the woman sitting on the throne.
Caster hummed to himself, not even shaken by the glares being sent his way, and the absolute blood lust that Raikou was projecting towards him. “I admit, I am partial to tragedies. I feel like they elicit a purer emotion to my audience.” He turned to me and smirked again. “But I can enjoy the occasional happy ending.” He sent me a wink, taking out a quill.
I raised an eyebrow, but my instincts were telling me not to do anything. That I wasn’t the target of his mischief. “My Ability, Enchant, allows me to add properties to personal items.” He weirdly began to explain. “A play wright knows how to bring out the story in everything.” He grinned, writing something, etching words into the stone of the throneroom. “But, who says they all have to be beneficial?”
He flicked his quill to the side, ink flying off. Almost immediately, the whole area shook, crack forming in the walls, on the ceiling, and even fissuring the ground.
The word that appeared was easy to read.
‘Shatter.’
“CASTER!” Assassin slammed her hands on her throne, a massive magic circle appeared above her head. The air shuddered at it discharged down at her own teammate.
He didn’t fret, nor even try to dodge out of the way.
“A gift, to a fan.” His smile was somewhat warm as he looked at me once more. “Now, I believe it’s time to exit stage left.” The beam of power tore through the spot he was standing, eviscerating him on the spot.
Dammit Shakespeare……how am I supposed to hate you after doing something like that?
I shook my head as piece of the place began to fall down from on top. This patchwork room that looked barely held together by Assassin’s will, it was unraveling at the seams.
My lips curled up. “This is your place of power, the reason you won’t leave your throne isn’t because of your arrogance. It’s where you’re at your strongest.” I turned towards Assassin.
What Shakespeare did, it diminished her in a way, her link to this place was lessened as destruction engulfed it. That meant, she was weakened, even more than she was by having to hold this place together like she had been before.
One last 'fuck you' from the famous playwright himself.
She sneered towards me but didn’t’ speak, her attacks towards Mordred picked up exponentially.
“Kairi.” I spoke towards the man who had been standing nearby, almost protectively. “Got a command seal left?
He smirked, raising his hand up revealing two more. “Ready when you are.”
I took out the Staff of Magnus from my ring, slamming it onto the ground. “Mordred.” I called out, slamming my staff down to create a shield around both me and Kairi for extra defense.
Assassin’s eyes widened, perhaps sensing the danger. “Master!” She called out.
“Assassin, by the power of this Command spell, defeat your opponents.” Shirou called out while still fighting off Jeanne.
The Magical energy around her burst forth, her fingers pushed together and a massive Magical Circle speared at the top of the ceiling, shattering my Pentagram that had been still dealing with the lingering poison.
She laughed widlly. “Within my Throne Room, I can even summon one of the children of Tiamat!” She declared, a huge figure burst through the magic circle, seemingly appearing from an ancient age. “Basmu!” The snake-like creature that burst out roared at everyone. Liquid dripped from its body, disintegrating everything it touched.
Debris falling all around us, the Snake’s eyes locked right onto us and swept down.
“Raikou, as your master, I command you.” I swiped my hand through the air. “Use as much Magical Energy as possible and release your Noble Phantasm!”
She drew as much as she could through our link, and used the reserved she had left, her purple lightning crackled around her. “Ox-King Storm Call – The inescapable net of Heaven!” She called out, lighting bolts falling from the sky, and those clones of hers appearing once more.
They all leapt up into the air, their divine lighting tearing into the creature made of that poisonous liquid. It roared in fury, in pain and anguish as Raikou’s Noble Phantasm made quick work of it.
That thing, it was probably only at a fraction of its true power due to the conditions of her place of power.
“A child of Tiamat?” I scoffed. “Maybe so, but it was lessened to such a degree, it probably wouldn’t even qualify as a Divine Beast.” I held my staff up. “Kairi.” I called out.
“Saber!” He shouted, holding his hand up. “By the power of this command seal – Slay the king!”
Mordred’s aura magnified exponentially. A conceptual alignment with her own legend of slaying a king. She exploded from the spot she was in, the remains of what was the Divine Beast were utterly disintegrated as she burst through, her blade pushing right through Assassin’s heart in the blink of an eye.
“AAAAAH.” Assassin screamed, blood spraying from her mouth.
“DIE YOU BITCH!” Mordred roared, pulling her sword upwards. Her sword sliced through Assassin’s upper body, and she collapsed in her chair. There was no menacing declarations, or heartfelt goodbyes, Assassin’s body began to dissipate.
A moment was all it took for several Black Keys to fly towards Mordred.
The knight jumped back, leaving behind her dissipating body, only for Shirou to jump up and reach out towards her. “Semiramis.” He said quietly, but enough to be heard.
Ah, that’s who Assassin was. It makes sense now.
“It’s over, Shirou.” Jeanne declared, walking up to us.
“Why…..” He looked up, watching her motes of mana disappear. “I’m trying to save everyone, why are you all trying to stop me.” His gaze swept the room, landing on me. “You.” He singled me out. “It’s your fault, it’s the machinations of evil that are standing in my way.”
“My fault?” I snorted. “Do you even know what ‘saving the world’ means? Are you just going to wish on the grail and hope for the best?”
“I would stop them from dying!” He shouted. “A world where everyone is happy, everyone is good, and everyone is perfect. There won’t be any death, no destruction.” He eyes turned dark. “And I would exterminate all evil and create a new, pure world.”
“How utterly ridiculous.” I spat out. “And you’re supposed to be a saint from my homeland? Do you have your head so far up your ass that you believe that bullshit?” I dismissed the shield, ignored the collapsing building, and took steps towards him. “You want to take away free will, how is that fulfilling your duties to your god!?”
“What would you know, demon?” He snarled.
“More than you about how the world works.” I rolled my eyes. “You want to take away humanities potential to make yourself feel better.”
“Potential?” He spat out. “What use would potential be when no one would ever be sad anymore, no one would ever have to worry about being killed, or dying, or losing those they cherish?”
I shook my head. I almost pitied him. “You won’t take my word for it, then lets let your god be the judge.” I looked into my ring. For some reason, I could feel a faint pulsing of a certain spear I had stashed away.
For some odd reason, I felt like I could actually touch it without being smote into dust.
I summoned the Divine Spear out of my ring.
“W-what!?” Shirou shielded his eyes, an action mimicked by the others as well.
It was…..warm.
The light of this spear I held in my hand. It wasn’t hurting me, but I could also feel that if I tried to use it, that would quickly change.
No, it wasn’t supposed to be me right now.
I turned towards Jeanne, who looked at me with befuddlement. “You lot can settle this between yourselves.” I tossed it towards the Saintess.
“Wilhelm?” Jeanne squeaked out, catching the spear.
“Behold, the Spear of Destiny. The weapon that pierced the side of Christ.” I introduced.
“Why do you have that?” Shirou looked at me in what looked like horror.
It’s not surprising, that’s probably one of the most powerful relics of their religion. And it was sitting in the hand of the son of Lucifer – in their eyes that is.
I ignored him and continued. “It even possesses a small piece of the big man himself.”
Jeanne hefted up the spear, and the world was dyed in a holy air. There was a strange resolve in her eyes, almost ignoring the fact that she held something that should be sacred to her beliefs. “Amakusa Shirou Tokisada.” The spear slowly began to point towards the former Ruler Servant.
Her words were……soft, yet they held a certain authority to them. The room shook more than it was before, the ceiling, was ripped off in a gust of wind, the sky outside becoming ever so clear.
I had wondered why this place still persisted, but I didn’t have time to create a concrete theory. Perhaps just due to the residual power that was running this ridiculous Noble Phantasm, and it had yet to run its course.
My thoughts were quickly cut away as I noticed the phenomenon in the sky.
The clouds above began to swirl around us. It felt like a higher presence descended upon the entire area.
Was the piece of the Abrahamic God inside the spear resonating with his counterpart in this world……uh oh.
A massive pillar of light slammed down from the heavens, encompassing both the Saints, the Ruler servants who walked behind the banner of the same God.
This light, it stopped a fraction of an inch infront of me, almost like it was being…..considerate of my unique nature.
As the light began to fade away, Jeanne stood there, standing upright with the spear at her side and Shirou was on his knees, looking up at the sky.
“Was I really wrong?” He asked quietly. “I just wanted to save people from suffering.” His head slumped down and his body broke down into motes of mana, drifting into the wind.
Jeanne watched him drift away a somber look on her face. “Your heart was in the right place, Shirou. Rest now.”
Leave it to Jeanne to look at the best in people, even when they try to kill you and doom the world.
I wonder what happened in that moment of literal divine intervention.
Actually, I don’t want to know.
I’m done, this has been a trying few days.
At this point, I just want to summon the woman I love, and hug her until my arms fall of.
Now where the hell is that Grail?
***
And with that, we wrap up the fighting of this war. MC did an 'uh oh' with the spear, should be interesting to see the side effects in the long run. The spear contained the DxD God's dying will, and it had the 'ability' to both judge the user and the person they were facing, to weigh their ambitions against one another.
Comments
Kloud Paradizo
That's totally okay 😊 I am just kinda missing her 😁
AStoryForOne
Going to be a few more chapters to settle most things before he brings her back.
Kloud Paradizo
I hope that we can finally meet Scathach again in next chapter!! 😊😊😊
LithiumWar
Zerak, they give the magus the POTENTIAL to do that... But most magi are only slightly more intelligent than normal people. It's whe they do something like parallel processing, which allows one to make copies of their mind and set them to their own tasks. If all of them focus on one this then they would be considered one of the best in that subject. Its a multiplicitive increase as well, 2-4-8-16-32-64-128 and so on.
