Hmm.
This is quite the predicament.
Zekram warned me about him.
And seeing him in front of me now, I can say that those warnings were pretty spot on. He is, without a doubt, one of the strongest Devils I've ever met.
Admittedly, I haven't met many devils, but I've met the ''strongest'—that is my biological father. And as much of a monster as he is, I don't think Rizevim here falls short.
At least, that's what my instincts are telling me.
But that didn't translate into what kind of 'danger' he was, only that he was strong.
Should I piss him off so he gets angry and attacks me so I can grab what I need under his nose without issue? I thought I would have a bit longer before anyone showed up, so I didn't basically just start grabbing stuff yet.
I had a few documents, but I'm sure there were more valuable things lying around here that I hadn't had the time to sift through yet.
Make a hasty retreat?
Fight?
I had options.
It would be nice if I could kill him here, considering he's one of our enemies. However, killing him would not be…easy. In fact, he was at that strength level where if I wanted to force him to stay, it would be rather difficult.
Let's try the diplomatic course for now and see if I can't needle anything important out of him.
"So, would you believe me if I said I came here to join your faction and Evil Club?" I finally responded.
Rizevim cracked a smile. "Don't get my hopes up."
God, his happy tone makes me feel rather unnerved.
I had a feeling I wasn't going to enjoy this.
"No, no….." I trailed off. "I'm seriously here to join, but let's network the name a bit. Khaos Brigade? It sounds unnecessarily edgy and pedantic." I clapped my hands. "We should send out a survey asking about new names. Something to really wow the kids and draw in the younger generation."
"I chose the name." Rizevim replied.
"And it's a wonderful name." I nodded.
"Thank you." He said politely. "Though, there is the issue of new recruits." He looked thoughtful but didn't add anything else.
"Have you tried the internet?" I asked.
"Yes. Unfortunately, Ajuka keeps a stranglehold on it, and anything about our faction is quickly removed."
Huh.
"That's rough." I offered.
"It is what it is." He shrugged helplessly. "However, that's all irrelevant. I've been looking forward to meeting you. Do you know why?"
"Does it have to do with my handsomeness?" I asked him with a completely serious face.
The woman next to him choked a little. She looked tense, like she was waiting for a fight to break out any second.
"Not in this case, no." He continued to smile politely.
"Then I'm completely clueless." I admitted.
He swung his arms out. "Look at these Devils; what do you see?"
I glanced at the Devils, who were still kneeling down, as if they dared not to look up at him. "Underpaid, overworked?"
Rizevim blinked. "Katerea, we pay well, don't we?"
"Um….." She seemingly didn't know how to respond to that.
Rizevim frowned and then let out a sigh. "This is what happens when I lose one of my only competent underlings." His gaze turned back to me. "When you took Euclid from me, I had to hand over his work to other less proficient minions."
"Euclid?" I repeated the name. "Silver hair? Had a bunch of trained magicians? Kidnapped Venelana?'
Rizevim smiled as he nodded. "That's the one."
"Sorry, never heard of him. Maybe it was someone else?" I responded without missing a beat.
He just hummed as if not hearing me. "It's alright; even if he left some of his more important projects unfinished, I had someone help. Though, Loki too—that was also unfortunate."
"I think you're the first person to be sad that Loki is gone." I snorted.
"Perhaps." He didn't deny it. "Well, I'll get right to the point." His easygoing smile returned. "Why don't you join me?"
I knew that was coming in all honesty, but I was taken aback for different reasons.
"That's it? No grand promises of wealth and power. Maybe say that I'll 'rule by your side' or something cliché? To be honest, I'm rather disappointed; I've had much better offers." I crossed my arms.
If someone makes me an offer to switch sides to the evil team, I would think they'd at least make it worthwhile.
"Frankly, I'm insulted." I finished.
He rubbed his chin in contemplation before perking up. "How about I give you Katerea here? I heard you have a harem; this should fit your tastes, yes?"
"L-Lord Rizevim!?" She seemed just as surprised.
I scrunched my nose. "Isn't an offer supposed to be sincere? She's average at best."
"What!?"
We both ignored her indignation.
"I see your point." Rizevim acknowledged.
"I am not average!" She growled. "I am Katerea Leviathan! Heir to the true Leviathan name."
"5 out of 10." I stated firmly.
She squealed in indignation again.
"Now, now, Katerea. I think that's a very fair assessment." Rizevim looked amused by the entire thing.
"I am the pureblood descendant of one of the Four Satans!" She scowled.
"...and?" I asked. "What else?"
"What do you mean 'what else'?" She seemed genuinely confused by that.
"Do you want to talk about 'strength'? You're what, barely into what Devils measure as 'Ultimate Class'? Who even are you? Out of the strongest Devils I know off the top of my head, I don't even know who you are. I know Devils my age that are stronger than you. Do you want to talk about something more basic like 'beauty'? Let me be clear, I was being generous."
Holy shit, she was actually stunned into silence, like this is the first time someone ever threw this in her face.
"No, you're some trash that has to prop up their ancestors' imaginary achievements." I rolled my eyes.
"How dare you!" She gritted her teeth as anger seemed to refocus her. "My ancestor's glory was—"
"Trash. They were trash." I interjected with flippant dismissal. "The legacy of your ancestors is of failure. The Great War, they lost. The remnants that gathered to form the 'Old Satan Faction'? They lost the Civil War thereafter. Even today, your pitiful faction hides away because you're too scared of the real powers. Your entire legacy is one of losers. What 'glory' do you actually expect?"
Was it mean? I don't think so; I wasn't exaggerating. And she was both my enemy and a member of the Old Satan Faction, a faction that is hated even by most devils.
I already didn't have much love for Devils, but the 'Old Satan Faction' was just utterly disdainful to the point where I felt insulted just by them existing in the same species as me.
Rizevim looked like he was watching an entertaining show. If he had popcorn, I'm fairly sure he would be happily munching on it right now.
There were a few beats where she froze, as if she didn't know how to respond.
I don't know why; I highly doubt this is the first time someone told her how trash she actually is. Hell, Venelana has told me how she's clashed with Serafall on several occasions and lost each time. I don't think Serafall would be polite in her physical rebuttals.
Slowly, I think her anger bubbles over.
It came with a raindrop hitting my face as clouds gathered above.
Even Rizevim looked up curiously.
The drizzling picked up into full-on rain.
However, most of the water seemed to swirl and gather before it hit the ground. It merged into a big blob behind her back until it took the shape of a large sea-like creature.
"Sea Serpent of the end—Leviathan!" She called out as the water formed into a particularly large sea serpent, albeit distorted and somewhat demonic looking.
It let out a roar, facing towards me.
I mean…it's an impressive spell.
Though it's lacking a lot of substance, I glanced at the spell circles she used for a moment or two and could see a few places she could optimize just based on that glance.
"How's this for mediocre!" She said smugly.
"5 out of 10." I gave it another honest rating. She let out a low growl mixed with frustration. "But here's a tip for you. Manipulating the weather is powerful." I held up a finger. "But you should be careful because someone can use your own spells against you. It's time for a science lesson. "Lightning forms from a buildup of electrical charge within a thunderstorm, which happens when water droplets and ice crystals collide and separate into positive and negative charges."
She was very considerate to just hand me a thunderstorm on a silver platter, wasn't she?
As if to punctuate my words, the sky rumbled with the sounds of thunder.
Rizevim glanced at Katerea and took a few steps away from her.
My finger that was pointing up arced slightly with lightning, just the tiniest crackle. Then I slowly lowered it to point towards her little serpent.
"Strike."
With an explosive boom, a large bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and hit her serpent.
She let out a shout as the water serpent blocked it.
It was still standing.
"Strike."
Another bolt of lightning dropped.
"Strike."
"Strike."
"Strike."
Her spell had completely dispersed under the barrage of lightning bolts, and she lay prone in a charred crater, twitching, looking a little unwell.
The faint crackle of electricity arced across the ground, sometimes zapping her as she let out a groan.
Dumbass.
She didn't even remove the impurities in her water spell, so it was still conductive to lightning. And it's fairly well known at this point that I use lightning.
I barely even had to do anything other than accelerate the natural occurrence of lightning that she set in motion already. And my Lightning Bolts were just directing them to where I wanted.
Rizevim peered over the edge of the small crater as Katerea climbed back to her feet, breathing slightly heavier.
Well, she is somewhat of an ultimate class; this wouldn't be enough to put her down, otherwise I would be even more disappointed. Though, I recall someone mentioning they were subsiding off power given by Ophis?
It really just encapsulated everything about her, didn't it?
Trash that does her best to look good in front of others, but there's nothing worth noting.
"It seems I must offer an apology." Rizevim spoke. "I didn't realize how insulting it was to offer Katerea here as a gift."
Katerea looked up at him with rage-filled eyes that turned to disbelief at his statement.
Oof.
I think she took more damage from that one comment from him than my lightning bolts.
"Lord Rizevim, I—"
"Quiet." He responded sharply, a stark contrast to the tone he was talking to me with.
And shut up she did.
She looked too terrified to even utter a word.
"I think we're a lot alike, you and me." He turned back towards me.
"Oh?"
"I asked you before what you thought about when you saw these Devils." He gestured to the still prostrating Devils. They hadn't even run away when Katerea threw her little tantrum. "I'll tell you what I see. Disappointment."
He held up his hand in a gesture to snap his fingers.
I acted quickly, grabbing the closest one to me and yanking him back before holding my hand out to block something as he snapped his fingers.
All the Devils except for the one I grabbed and Katerea had their heads explode.
"You saved one?" Rizevim raised an eyebrow. Not that he was surprised I was able to, but that I bothered in the first place. He rubbed his chin, and a look of realization dawned on him. "I see. I suppose he would have some value to you." The old Devil said it simply, as if it explained everything. "You see, I hate devils."
I threw a talisman behind me as it slapped against the head of the devil I saved; he went limp, unable to move.
Didn't want him to try and run away or anything.
I guess Rizevim saw my obvious actions. I could get a bit of information I may have missed if I had someone interrogate one of their people that was working on whatever it is they were doing.
"So, you hate yourself?" I asked. "I'm a half-devil; do you only half hate me?" I was being a smart-ass on purpose because at this point, things were already at a point where leaving peacefully wouldn't be an option.
"I should correct myself. I hate most Devils." He reiterated. "Ironically, I don't dislike the current Lucifer, nor his fellow Satans. It's unfortunate that we're on opposite sides, but I don't hate them. At the very least, compared to the vast majority of my fellow Devils, they seem to be closest to what a Devil should be."
"Strong?" I rolled my eyes, knowing where this was going.
"Ah." He held up a finger. "Not quite right. Strength is, of course, important. But more important, the most important thing for a Devil to have is their will."
Alright, color me confused.
"That is, their will to be a devil. A devil doesn't care about 'morality.' A devil doesn't care about 'justification.' They don't care about 'consequences.' They don't care about 'good.'" He started ranting. "A true devil does what they want when they want, how they want."
He held his arms out as if announcing himself. "People think I'm evil, and I wouldn't disagree. We're creatures of desire at our core; we seek our desires above all else. To reach out and take what we want—that is what makes a devil a devil. And that's why the natural state of a devil is to be evil. And when you're evil, you can just take everything valuable. Wealth, status, honor, glory. They're yours."
"....."
I'm surprised.
I'm shocked.
I'm flabbergasted.
"So, you're evil just for the sake of being evil." I pointed out the logical conclusion of his little rant.
To be a devil is to be evil. I am a devil; therefore, I am evil. His conclusion is that I am evil because I am evil.
"Yes." He smiled like he found a kindred soul.
"...what part of me do you think is evil?" I asked him, genuinely confused, there.
He let out a short sigh. "Well, there are some things to work on, of course. I used to think those Satans were slowly inching towards my ideal, until you came along. You simply do what you want, don't you? You fought gods just because they were in your way. You killed how many people because it achieved your goals? How many Devils today can say they would do that? They all care about such fleeting and imaginary things like glory, or honor, or status. My counterpart, your father, could rule as a king unopposed, not answering to any of the pathetic flies buzzing around his head if he simply decided to. All the meager devils living their pathetic lives based on promises of something grander instead of just taking it. You…you just took all of that without anyone's permission."
I wanted to rebut, but in hindsight, he wasn't wrong about me there.
I frankly didn't answer to anyone I didn't want to. And I didn't prop myself up with a faction behind me; rather, I joined the Youkai by association instead.
From a certain perspective, I must look like a natural disaster to a lot of other factions.
Huh.
That's…something that's going to weigh on me for a bit.
He stared at me, a wide grin, like he was waiting for me to agree with him.
"Stupid." I let out a long-suffering sigh. "I think I understand you now. You were born with the power of a 'Super Devil,' as people say. You were born for greatness; having had everything you ever wanted at your fingertips. How old were you when you realized you could fight and kill gods, I wonder?" I shook my head. "Though, it also shows the biggest flaw in your little world view."
His smile slowly morphed into a frown. "And what's my flaw?"
"You don't understand the weak." I answered. "Freedom is a byproduct. Desires are motivation, something to push us forward, not bind us to mindless depravity."
His lips twitched. "And you consider yourself among the 'weak'?"
"I wasn't born strong. I wasn't handed everything. I was most assuredly lucky plenty of times. But I bled, I sweat, and I lost things I couldn't even begin to describe the preciousness of getting to where I am now. And that's why I can say for certain that it's always been about choice. It's always been about being able to choose for myself."
I think I sound kind of preachy right now, but for some reason, his ideals irked me. So, I talked a bit more than I initially intended.
"I'm…disappointed." He said quietly. "I'm disappointed you still have such a naive outlook. But you're young; I think I can be amicable and ignore some foolish youthfulness."
It seems like his real personality was starting to poke through.
"Right, I humored this long enough. I think this is the part where I tell you to fuck off." I reached my threshold for fucks to give.
"It's unfortunate that we can't see eye to eye just yet." He shook his head. "Oh well, we'll have plenty of time to talk in the future. Let's tie up a loose end first." He smiled, raising his hand in the shape of a gun with his finger pointed at me. Then slowly he moved it towards the Devil, still bound just to my side.
"Bang." He spoke casually, and with it an eruption of demonic power filled my vision.
I threw up four different shields as quickly as I could in that fraction of a second of warning I had. His demonic energy blasted right through my barriers like they were made of paper.
Instead, I touched on the Hogyoku, and my aura burst out to meet it as I stood in front of the Devil to block it.
I could feel my aura deplete quite a bit before the momentary passing of his blast.
I let out a low growl as I ripped the shredded remains of my sleeve off my right arm. It was a little burnt and seared, but it'll heal fine in no time. It didn't even really hurt, but I was annoyed more than anything.
A glance at the Devil at my side let me know that he was okay. But my eyes trailed backwards at the destruction his little blast caused.
Behind me, and as far as I could see, there was now a swathe of forest that was no longer there.
Suffice to say, there was nothing left of the little excavation site. Even the Seal was now gone, and I didn't even know what to make of that. Was it good or bad? Who knows?
"Hoh, it's rare for someone to use their body to block one of my Demonic Bullets." Rizevim chuckled.
"Demonic Bullet." I stood up straighter. "Isn't that one of the most basic Devil 'spells'?" I say 'spell,' but really, it was more like molding demonic energy into a shape and firing it in the most brutish method possible.
Because the speed and power behind it were frankly ridiculous. I don't think I could gather magical energy at that speed. It kind of reminded me of how The Blue utilizes similar 'spells.'
"Yes, you see—"
I waited for him to open his mouth to respond as I took out the True Longinus and thrust it towards him. There's no point in drawing this out; True Longinus vs. a Devil—the Anti-Christ—just made sense.
The holy power burst out as the spear elongated. It bridged the distance in a blink of an eye, and I could even see a hint of shock flash in his face as it approached him.
Just before it reached him, though, his frown turned upwards into a grin, and his Demonic Power suddenly shot up to the sky in a torrent. It was more like a volcanic eruption than a release of power.
It was enough that it dyed the world in its baleful hue. It even blew away the thunderclouds that the idiot had created from before. I saw her also get swept up and blown away far off into the distance.
I had to brace myself from the sheer force of it too.
There are few times when I genuinely have a moment where I consider retreating from a fight. But the sheer amount of Demonic Power he was releasing was…astonishing.
If a regular devil was a cup of water, then even my biological father would be close to a bathtub. But Rizevim, he felt more like a swimming pool. Obviously, Demonic Power didn't equal strength, but he had an obscene amount.
I felt the spear in my hand vibrate, like it was fighting for its life.
And it wouldn't budge an inch.
"How interesting." His voice cut through as his torrent of demonic energy stopped cascading outwards. Slowly, his body became visible again, and I could see it.
The spear was forced to stop in front of his extended hand.
His own sleeve had been torn to shreds, but rather than being hurt, it was like veins of some vileness pulsed up and down his arm.
I narrowed my eyes because even with exerting more force, the spear wouldn't budge. The veins on his arms wiggled and burst out of his skin; the strange, vile energy started to creep up the spear itself.
The Holy Power around the Spear abruptly dissipated, and the elongated shaft snapped back into place.
It returned to me, whole, but I couldn't feel a hint of Holy Power from it. And despite my best efforts, I couldn't get it to extend again either.
"I admit, I wasn't sure how it would work on that." He said, pointing at my spear. "It took quite a bit of my demonic power, but that's something I don't lack. How do you like it? My bloodline that I inherited from my father that unfortunately wasn't passed down to my worthless son. The Denial of Miracles. I can reject the creations of God, and all his precious sacred gears become worthless."
I looked at the spear again silently. It wasn't broken, just…turned off temporarily.
The Spear of God had been turned off.
Even so, that was a rather inconvenient ability he possessed if he wasn't lying. That meant that even the Boosted Gear wouldn't work against him. I was suddenly out two of my best trump cards.
He was able to stop the True Longinus barehanded; that wasn't just because of his supposed 'Denial of Miracles.'
He was strong.
I put the spear away.
I was far from out of options or neutered.
"If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you get." I took out my Staff of Magnus, and a giant magic circle shone to life underneath me as my magical energy surged out.
He smiled and laughed happily as his wings shot out. He took to the sky, and more of his 'Demonic Bullets' appeared around him, ready to fire off instantly.
I was ready to summon my Authority and Zanpakutō as well. I hadn't seen the full breadth of his abilities yet, but just from that small exchange, I could more or less guess that dragging it out would be a poor choice. He felt like the type that excelled in drawn out fights.
I need to—
Both of us suddenly jerked our heads to the side as we both seemed to sense something approaching.
And it was coming fast.
Something flying? No, it was more like a missile being shot through the air; it was only as it got closer that I realized it was a person.
My eyes widened as I saw the expressionless face of Father Swole as he flew right past us and hit the ground some hundreds of yards away.
It was hard enough that the ground shook violently at the impact, and there was a faint breath of Holy Power that carried along the path he came in on.
I think both of us were bewildered enough that we didn't immediately start our fight.
Father Swole stood up, brushing himself off like it was no big deal.
"Greetings, my young friend." He said to me rather politely and earnestly before turning to Rizevim. "Sire of Lucifer, you don't belong in this world. Return to the hell from which you spawned."
Rizevim seemed to frown before clicking his tongue. "How annoying. I suppose I'll leave for today. But I have a feeling that we'll be meeting again soon." He casually waved his hand, and a teleportation circle emerged underneath him, and he disappeared.
Even the crazy idiot could see that the odds had shifted considerably with the addition of Father Swole.
"Father." I greeted him back, as it would be rather rude of me at this point if I didn't. He seemingly came here to 'rescue' me? I think?
Not that I think I needed rescuing.
I think I could have killed Rizevim if it came to it; it just wouldn't have been easy.
"As grateful as I am for some 'support,' how…?"
"How did I arrive?" He asked as I just nodded dumbly. "I used the Sancta Bombarda." He said simply.
I understood the meaning of the word; it translated to "holy canon," but that just left me with more questions. "What is the 'Sancta Bombarda'?
"Oh, you don't know." He seemed to blink in realization, as if it were common knowledge that didn't need explanation. "It's the easiest method of travel for me when methods such as teleportation are unreliable and traditional flight is too slow to manage."
"You…were shot out of a cannon." I realized what he was saying. "From the Vatican, they shot you from a cannon all the way to Sweden."
I wanted to call it utterly ridiculous, but he very clearly walked off being shot from it just now. If it's stupid and it works, does that make it stupid? It definitely gets around issues like not being able to fly and stopping methods of teleportation.
I couldn't even begin to contemplate the power a cannon of that level must need. I wouldn't be surprised if it took a few hundred exorcists to power it enough to shoot him all the way here.
You know what?
That's far from the strangest thing I've heard today.
"How did you know I was here?" I leaned against my staff.
"One of the Church's sacred duties is to watch for movements from the Anti-Christ." Father Swole responded. "The moment his presence is felt in the world, it's my duty to respond. And I fear your battle would have ended with the destruction of this country."
The Violence of Heaven indeed.
I frowned, because he may not have been wrong if we kept the fight here. I would have done my best to drag it somewhere else, but Rizevim may not have been accommodating.
"Well, I think I'm out of questions for now." That wasn't true; I still had a great many more questions. I was just mentally exhausted.
At least my little Devil prisoner was still alive and kicking, so…I win, technically?
I'm calling it a win.
"Unfortunately, my arrival led to the death of a wild animal. There is a boar still intact; would you care to join me for a meal? I would be remiss if I wasted the life of one of the Lord's creatures."
"Shit, I'm down."
What a strange day.
[line break]
Non-Canon Omake: The Little Dragons, Part 2
The two siblings stared at the recently summoned Servant.
Likewise, Caster stared back at them.
Gyneth was smart; at least she told that to people. Gwyrde liked to think he was smart too, even if he didn't have to reassure people of it as often as his sister.
That is to say, both of them knew a fuck-up when they saw it.
"....."
"....."
"We didn't summon you." Gyneth finally spoke up, breaking the silence. "You should go back home; it was just a misunderstanding."
Morgan Le Fay raised a single eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Yup." There was clear nervousness in her tone.
"It seems this one has Command Seals." She pointed at Gwyrde. "Those are just tattoos. He's a big fan of…." She sort of fizzled out. "Gwyrde, back me up here." She nudged him.
"Sorry, I'm just surprised that you're acting rationally right now." He looked at his sister like he was looking at an alien.
Essentially, he was taken aback that his sister wasn't flirting with…her.
"Yeah, I think I came full circle and sobered up pretty quickly." Gyneth replied casually. "Maximum effort."
"Children." Caster spoke up, oddly annoyed but also amused. She couldn't recall the last time that people just lied and ignored her right to her face. "I'm curious. Who are you, and why do you look so…familiar?"
"Maybe you saw me in your dreams." Gyneth replied automatically, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Gyneth."
"Right, sorry. Sorry." She quickly corrected herself. "It was a reflex."
"Escape plan Delta." Gwyrde whispered.
"What—"
"Carnwennan!" Gyneth yelled out, pulling an ivory-colored dagger sheathed behind her back, and turning invisible. The Noble Phantasm given to her by Alter after they found it some years ago.
"Mana Burst: Destruction!" Gwyrde roared. His mana exploded out in the familiar hue of Power of Destruction. It wrapped around him, and he shot towards the opposite side of the room and jumped through one of the windows.
Morgan sat there.
She blinked once or twice.
This was becoming a day of firsts for her. She wondered if there was ever a time when a couple of children thought they could run away from her.
It was a rather novel feeling.
Gwyrde hit the ground, causing the concrete to crack and shatter under the force. He then shot forward, disappearing down the street under the early morning moon.
He got several blocks away before his sister reappeared from her Noble Phantasm-induced invisibility.
"Alright, I think we escaped." Gyneth said cheerfully.
"Yes, well done." Morgan's voice came, standing right next to them but a few meters away.
They both stilled.
"If I pretend she's not there, do you think she'll go away?' Gyneth asked.
"You can try." Gwyrde offered.
"Begone, MILF!" Gyneth closed her eyes, pressing her hands against her head.
"It worked." Gwyrde told her.
"Oh god, have I been burdened with the power to banish away MILFs?" Gyneth asked in horror. "No wonder I can't get laid."
Morgan stood there silently, her expression slowly turning sour. "Perhaps a…small punishment is in order to understand proper decorum in the presence of a queen."
"Round two!" Gyneth called out, about to reach for her Noble Phantasm again, but stiffened when she realized it was missing.
"Are you looking for this?" Morgan held up the familiar dagger. "My sister's little toy—I'm more than familiar with how it works."
"...can I have that back?" Gyneth asked. "I need it to run away from you."
Morgan ignored her, humming in amusement. "I'm oh so curious now. Why do you have my sister's toy? Why do you both look so similar to her, and to me for that matter? And why do both of you give off the feeling of dragons?"
"Training." Gwyrde replied.
"Lots of training." Gyneth nodded.
Morgan rolled her eyes at their antics, but then everything sort of snapped into place. Her eyes widened as she stared at the two of them. "No…..are you both…?"
"Gwyrde, it's time for our last resort." Gyneth said carefully. "I'm going to use my secret weapon."
"If you start taking your clothes off, I'm going to tell Mom."
"Listen to me, Gwyrde! No one, and I mean no one, wants to fight a naked person!" She argued as she started to unbutton her shirt.
Gwyrde was about to retort, but the words died in his mouth as he realized that he honestly couldn't argue with her logic.
Rather quickly, blue ropes manifested and wrapped her up tightly.
"...why is she taking her clothing off?" Morgan asked incredulously.
"She was dropped on her head as a child, repeatedly." Gwyrde answered.
Morgan paused, looking them both over. She was, in all honesty, absolutely bewildered by the sight of them. That is to say, she now realized they were the children of her sister.
There was a vast array of questions that suddenly flooded her mind. But all of them seemed to be pushed to the side at the most obvious.
She shook her head in a newfound exasperation. "If you were so concerned, why did you not simply use the Command Seals on your hand?" She pointed out the most obvious point that they seemed to utterly ignore.
Morgan was beginning to wonder if they were both a bit touched in the head.
Gyneth stopped her struggling on the ground, then looked at them, just as Gwyrde did as well.
"...."
"...."
"That would be most dishonorable." Gwyrde said without hesitation. "I will not use such despicable means to force or harm you, especially after it is partly my fault you are here in the first place."
Morgan stared at him silently for several moments before speaking again. "...you are my sister's child."
".....hello Auntie." Gwyrde said awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you; I've only heard good things."
Morgan snorted at that.
"Mfphmp." Gyneth said something too, still bound tight, even her mouth.
Frankly, their words right now were barely even registered at the moment.
"That…she! After all the things she's said in the past. With how much of a prude she is!" Morgan was having trouble finding the right words now that it was confirmed. "No wonder I sensed something so familiar from the summoning!"
The infamous witch let out a long sigh. "That one looks strikingly similar to my sister." She pointed at Gyneth. "But why do you…why are you so different? Your eyes should have had that same ethereal green inherited by her Fae Blood, at the very least."
Gwyrde smiled awkwardly. "Um…." He scratched his cheek, his earlier anxiety sort of disappearing entirely by her presence. "We…technically don't have the same mom."
Morgan's head snapped to Gyneth, who managed to undo her spell. Morgan was startled, mostly because she didn't expect a child of her sister to have magical talent and knowledge.
"Dad seduced two versions of Mom." Gyneth said plainly. "His mom is Momma Alter, an altered history version of Mom." She explained, pulling off the ropes completely and standing back up after brushing herself off. "She's sort of…corrupted?"
"Her mom is the King of Knights." Gwyrde pointed at Gyneth. "My mom is the Tyrant of Knights, and her sword is Excalibur Morgan."
Morgan's mouth hung open. "...two versions of my sister?" She was more than aware of how this was possible. She was one of the foremost magic users in the history of the world; something like alternate versions of a person was basic knowledge to her. "Two!? My stupid, prudish sister was seduced twice!?"
The two kids just awkwardly looked away.
"My stupid, prudish sister who didn't even know that men can stand up when they urinate!?"
"That's an oof for Mom." Gyneth winced. "Wait, wasn't Mom pretending to be a man?"
"Yes, she was!" Morgan scowled.
Both the siblings felt a little awkward after that revelation.
"And a corrupted version of my sister's sword is called Excalibur Morgan!? That brat!!"
Morgan seemed to focus on the more important bits.
"Hmph." Morgan just scoffed in annoyance. "I didn't plan on participating in this farce, merely investigating the…oddities you two put off." Her lips thinned considerably as she looked at both of them. Her tone carried a strange chill to it. "I suppose I shall be staying for a period then."
The two siblings blinked.
"You're…going to help us?" Gyneth asked, skeptical, somewhat ignoring her threatening tone that accompanied it. "Aren't you supposed to be evil? You know, take revenge. Do something to make Mom angry. Tie me up and have your wicked way with me?"
Morgan shot her a glare; she didn't miss that last part but decided to ignore it. "What? If I wanted to harm you, do you think you could stop me? Though, my dear sister deserves some…retaliation for her arrogance." She finished with another disdainful snort.
The two siblings looked at each other, sharing the same feeling.
Gwyrde took out Caliburn, pointing it at his aunt. "Don't threaten our mom."
Morgan was startled again, obviously recognizing the sword. It didn't take a genius to understand that someone reforged it, and she could guess who.
Though the fact that he could wield it, Morgan's evaluation of her nephew increased. It made his 'threatening words and gestures' have a touch more bite than she would actually like to admit.
However, if she was startled by Gwyrde, she was frozen by her niece.
A certain ribbon-like, intertwined white spear was pointed at her.
"Is my sister insane?" Morgan said under her breath, staring at the spear. "She gave you that."
Gyneth just smiled smugly.
"Truthfully, Mom was tricked into giving it to her." Gwyrde said helplessly. "Otherwise, Mom would have never let her have something like that. It's also sealed in like a hundred different ways.
"Don't tell her that!" Gyneth hissed. "You're ruining my image! I'm supposed to be threatening. How is it threatening if she knows it's sealed?"
"You really are both her children…" Morgan said softly, as if it was settling in properly. "My sister's children…" A lot of the tension seemed to evaporate.
The two siblings felt a strange sense of grief from their aunt and lowered their weapons. If they were on guard and skeptical before, they began to slowly relax in her presence.
They both understood that their 'aunt' didn't carry any…hatred, or at least, there was no direct disdain or desire to harm them.
In fact, most of her 'threats' so far felt rather hollow.
"Well, since it came to this, I guess we should finish this Grail War, or whatever." Gyneth sighed helplessly, putting her spear away.
"...you just want the grail." Gwyrde eyed her as Gyneth looked away.
Morgan looked at the two of them again, still having trouble connecting the two with her sister. But she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, they were her sister's kids. She defaulted back to her usual demeanor, a sly smile forming on her face. "If you ask me nicely, perhaps I would be willing to assist in your efforts, for a price~"
"Mom did say she had some regrets about this war. Maybe we could – " Before Gwyrde could finish, Gyneth interrupted.
"Oh, fuck!"
"...what?"
"I forgot that Mom is here too!"
"....."
"Don't look at me like that. I was…preoccupied with other thoughts." Gyneth huffed.
"And I'm sure they all involved Aunt Medea." Gwyrde said dryly.
"Some of them involved Aunt Rias." Gyneth admitted.
Gwyrde facepalmed.
"Children." Morgan hissed, feeling her eye twitch. "I do not like being ignored."
"Kind of hard to ignore those hips, Auntie." Gyneth blurted out, utterly silencing the ancient witch.
Gwyrde shook his head. "Please don't flirt with my Servant; it's making things awkward."
"What is wrong with my sister's children!?" Morgan stared at them both.
"I could make a list." Gyneth offered.
Gwyrde sighed. "Just…ignore my sister. She only wanted to come here to summon a specific servant to get laid. She didn't really think through anything else. Medea isn't actually our aunt, just…an aunt figure."
Morgan, for perhaps one of the first times in her life, was stunned into silence one moment after another.
"Aunt Rias is, and I still want to stake my claim."
"Dammit, Gyneth, I was trying to make things less awkward. And you need to stop flirting with Aunt Rias."
Gyneth rolled her eyes. "It's fucking Morgan; do you think she's going to care? How about we ask big sis Mordred, huh? And I ain't some weirdo; Aunt Rias hasn't rejected me yet, so it's still fair game."
"Wait, she hasn't?" Gwyrde blinked.
Gyneth shot him a big smirk, then glanced at Morgan, her smirk growing wider. Particularly because Gyneth was now twirling her dagger in her hand.
Morgan's eyes widened briefly, and she looked down to notice that the dagger she had been holding was replaced by a stick, and she hadn't even noticed.
The witch now realized that they were intentionally distracting her.
They got one over on her.
Her, Morgan Le Fay.
"Sup, bitch." Gyneth flashed a peace sign.
Morgan felt her eye twitch in a strange fusion of respect and the distinct desire to drop her from a very high place.
Gyneth turned around, flipping her hair haughtily. "Let's go find a better place to set up shop."
"Very well, we need a base. And we need to come up with a plan if we're really going to fight." Gwyrde began walking away with her.
"I'm going to style on a bunch of boomer Magi. Do you think I can give one a heart attack if I flash Grandpa's name and pull out a Glock, shouting that 'I cast bullet' every time I shoot it, calling it True Magic?"
Her brother just sighed in exasperation.
Morgan hesitated for a moment as she watched her niece and nephew walk away.
She had a lot of things to say, but eventually, she just pursed her lips. The sound of her heels clicking against the concrete echoed across the early morning streets as she hastily went to catch up with them.
[Line Break]
A/N
Basically Rizevim and Wilhelm meet and their ideologies oppose.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / astoryforone
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