Silas -
I looked at the group of Masters and Servants sitting together and discussing plans
Medea and Sakura would go find Archer's Master and transfer the command seals from her to Medea. Lavy and Orihime would scout the area to find the whereabouts of other masters while they did that.
And when both sides were done, they would directly attack and face the other team.
Kazuma and Cid-kun would look out for them. Those two were busy discussing their own thing in a corner.
Archer's and Ruler's arrival had finally made them become serious about this whole thing. Actually, the very fact that they had been so casual about this whole matter was crazy.
This was a war which could summon Shenr… grant wishes of the winner.
Where was the hype?
Where was the focus?
Where was energy?
It was only now that two other servants, one enemy and one, the person overlooking the whole fight, personally came to our door that they had decided to get serious.
Well, better late than never. It's good that they are taking this seriously now.
As I was thinking of this, the door of the Restaurant opened with a loud bang.
"We have a problem."
"There is trouble. Please help."
The ones who said these lines were Rin and Jeanne, who looked like they had just run a marathon.
On a side note, how did Jeanne get tired by just a little running?
She was supposed to be a super strong servant.
I shook my head of the thought and looked closer towards them.
They had panic clearly written over their faces.
Rin was sweating clearly and even Saber who was standing behind her was looking tense and hurried.
I went ahead and addressed them. "What's the matter? Why are you both so tense?" I turned towards Tohru. "Please get them some water, would you?"
She didn't argue and went to the kitchen to get some water.
"We don't have time for that. There is huge trouble outside. We need to be quick." Jeanne quickly intervened.
"Oh! What trouble?" Medea, who had by now come to my side, asked curiously. Even the other servants looked interested.
"It's Shinji. He's gone mad. He will destroy the whole city! Lord El Melloi found out about Sakura. Everything is a mess." Rin spoke as quickly as she could. It's just that her words left us more confused than before.
"Alright alright. Take it one at a time. Breathe!" I raised my hands, trying to calm her down a bit. She took a deep breath to calm herself down but it was clear to see that the effect was only temporary. "Now explain one by one. What happened? What did Shinji do? And who is this Lord El Melloi? What does he want to do with Sakura?"
Just at that time Archer also stepped outside and Rin quickly jumped back. "Archer! What is he doing here!"
Behind her, Saber was already in a stance, ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Calm down, Rin. Archer is working for us now. He is out of the Holy Grail War. You can ask Ruler if you want to." I quickly got up and stood between them.
"What?!"
"Long story short. He was following you last time you came here. He was trying to find Sakura's whereabouts. He saw us talking and heard us mentioning Sakura. The next day he came here and well… he decided to quit the Holy Grail War." …and that world somehow. "Now he is an employee of the Crossroads Restaurant."
"It could be his scheme to let you have your guard down! Who knows…"
"We made him sign a magical contract which can bind even Gods." I interrupted her. "Now, can we get back to the topic at hand? What is happening here?"
Her face became serious once more as she was reminded of the current situation.
She continued. "Shinji! He's gone mad. He has done something, unleashing his servants to rampage through the city. I could feel his power from the other side of the city. It's horrible. Other masters have gone there to help but I don't think they would be able to do anything. We need help or the entire city will be destroyed!" She hurriedly explained.
The words brought frowns to our faces. Sakura and I exchanged looks and nodded to each other.
From what I have heard, that kind of behaviour was in line with how Ryomen Sukuna usually behaved. That means our doubt that he was inside Shinji was correct.
Sakura-chan's exam for promotion was to purify Sukuna.
She had even accepted the exam despite my unease.
She said that since she was participating in this Holy Grail War either way, what did it matter if she took out someone she was bound to fight sooner or later?
Gojo-sensei had looked positively elated with the idea.
That guy was crazy!
I understand what Nanami-sensei meant by that.
But Sukuna going on a rampage was not something any of us could have expected. From what Gojo-sensei had told us, Shinji had consumed just one finger of Sukuna. While that was still as strong as a Special Grade curse on its own, it was not strong enough to do what he was doing.
The question was, how in the nine hells did he get that strong?
"What is this 'something' that are you talking about?" Medea asked, looking far more serious now.
"I don't know. It has something to do with curses. The feeling… it was overwhelming! You can sense it if you step outside the doors of the Restaurant even now."
Medea frowned but didn't say anything. Instead, she quietly walked out of the Restaurant's door to check for herself.
I took that moment to ask Rin about other things.
"Who is this Lord Melloi? What does he want with Sakura?"
"Lord El Melloi is from the Clocktower."
I raised an eyebrow and Rin let out a frustrated sigh but quickly explained. "He's a higher up from the Magus Organisation. He is the one leading the mission to capture or kill the serial killer in Fyuki. He found out that it was Shinji and is now searching for Sakura to find more about what had happened at the Matou estate back then. I tried to reason with them, reassuring them that Sakura wasn't involved and even told them that I didn't know where she was."
At this I looked at Archer. He was the one who knew more about that side than anyone else.
The guy understood what I meant and nodded, affirming her words.
Rin continued. "He didn't question me much but as you said, he was having me followed around. I think they didn't want to escalate the situation with Shinji on the loose. But today… today they came to my door, even threatening me directly. They wanted to know where Sakura was or… and then before anything else could happen, there was a large eruption of energy. He had to leave due to that and I met Ruler. I don't know how she knew about this place but I didn't tell her anything."
"She had come here investigating Archer's disappearance." I explained briefly.
Just then, Medea returned.
She had a serious look on her face.
"What is it?"
"It's not bad." She shook her head. The words almost made me shag my shoulders in relief. The keyword being almost. Medea continued. "It's far worse than that. The amount of power that is being thrown around would probably erase the whole city in a while. Even if it's not erased directly, it would corrupt and curse the entire city, turning them into monstrosities. We don't have much time. Whoever that is, is planning to do a mass sacrifice or just consume everything in the city to gain power. At this rate, the city will get destroyed before the end of the day."
My mouth hung open at her words.
"There is also the fact that the curse… it felt corruptive. Even I felt disgusted when feeling it. The feeling it gave me was not something of a normal human or even a monster but rather that of something greater. It would be for the best if we proceeded quickly and we did so quickly or who knows what might happen?"
Her words made everyone silent.
What the heck!
Didn't Gojo-sensei say that Sukuna was just a strong curse and that he was severely weakened right now?
Is this what you call severely weakened?
Someone who can make even servants like Medea feel danger?
That wasn't someone who can be called weak.
And Sakura was supposed to purify him?
"Please! Please, you must act. You must act quickly or things will get bad." Jeanne urged us too.
She then looked at Lavinia. "The Cross. The Lord's Cross can purify such curses with ease. Please, help us."
Lavy was taken aback by the request while Rin looked confused as fuck. She had not been there when Ruler came to the Restaurant yesterday.
She looked at me and I gave her a nod.
"Well, looks like the time for planning is over. We need to go out now." Medea smiled.
"Could have avoided it if we had planned earlier." Shtheo retorted.
…
You two were the ones watching idol shows all this time and you have the fucking nerve to say that?
Saitama just scratched his head. "Mah mah, I am not much of a plans guy either way. Let's just go and face whatever is in store for us."
"Hehehehe, you don't have to worry about that. I have already taken care of our side of the plans. You just have to punch the people I point you towards. I will handle the rest." Medea laughed.
"That so? Okay."
My eyes twitched at his casual reply.
You are going to summo… do an equivalent of summoning Shenron. Get fucking serious, dammit!
"Alright then, let's go."
"Take care of yourself." I said to Lavy, Sakura and Orihime and then gave them three rings which Ainz had given me. "Wear these. It will keep us updated about your current status. If you are in danger, we will know and can send backup."
Despite my decision to stay out of this whole incident, my mind just refused to let them go without more backups.
Ainz sensed my turmoil and came up with this method.
These rings came in pairs.
If the owner of one ring was in real danger, the other ring would light up.
The three girls wore the rings and Lavy gave me a guy while Orihime thanked me politely. Sakura also whispered a light thanks.
"If there is even a bit of danger, return or ask for help. We will all be ready here. No need to shoulder it all by yourself. I will always be there to help you."
Most of this was addressed to Sakura and she understood it too. She gave me a light nod.
I looked at Medusa urging her the same and got an imperceptible nod from her.
That was enough.
With that said, all of them left the Restaurant together.
I remained back with Rimuru, Ainz, Tohru, Shuna and the rest.
- Medusa -
The stench of curses hit her like a tide. She quickly turned her head in the direction where the said tide was coming from.
While she might not trust the witch Medea that much, she completely agreed with her words. The situation was far worse than they had imagined.
"Hmm? There are two servants infected with the curses while another one is fighting them, looking like it's being overwhelmed as well. Whoever that is, has the power to infect other servants. I think I understand what Medea meant by it felt like something greater. There is a hint of divinity… a very repulsive… corruptive divinity within those curses. We might be dealing with some kind of evil Divine Spirit here. We need to be careful when dealing with it." Eyurale said.
"Who goes where then?" Stheno asked.
"Hmm. Medea can take care of the situation with Archer. I know he has signed the contract but I still can't trust him. Get his command seals from his master. We can stop the madman till then." Eyurale suggested. "Is that fine with you?" She asked Jeanne and Rin.
"Yes. That's fine."
"And what will you two do?" She asked the two boys Silas had sent with them.
"We will follow Medea-san and Saitama-san." The brown haired guy said. The other boy just nodded.
"Very well then. Off you go."
With that, both their groups separated, heading towards their respective destinations.
- Kazuma -
First part of the plan, successful.
Ever since he had heard of the Holy Grail War, a plan had formed in Kazuma's mind.
He had been roped into fighting with the Demon King of his world, a task he now knew was completely hopeless after having his hopes of an overpowered isekai adventure dashed.
Seriously, why couldn't he just have a cheat like Ainz-san and Rimuru-san or even Tanya… on second thought, he was better the way he was. At least he still had a dick.
The Holy Grail war could summ… grant the winner's wish.
Anything.
Man… had Saitama-san not called dibs and had there been any chance of his wish being granted, Kazuma would have jumped at the first chance.
He could have wished for a super overpowered skill or magic which would allow him to blast the Demon King to pieces and live happily ever after.
But even he knew that if he tried anything stupid, that crazy hot notElf Lady would rip him apart.
That's why Kazuma had changed his goal.
What he was aiming for was not the final prize but rather a servant for himself.
Yeah.
The servants were all heroes of legends and myths.
All of them had done great things.
If he could get even one of them as a servant, he could use them to beat the Demon King into a pulp and steal their kill at the last moment… cough cough… assist them in killing the Demon King, and get rewarded as a hero too.
A win win for everyone.
The fact that most of the servants were cute girls had nothing to do with it.
…
…
Alright, maybe it had… just a little bit?
To this end he had even tried to summon a servant the first chance he got but as it turns out, all the servants were taken already.
He was late.
But he didn't lose hope.
When Archer had come to the Restaurant, Kazuma had overheard a very vital piece of information.
Medea-san could steal servants from other masters.
She could transfer the Command Seals to other people.
That's when another plan formed in his mind.
He would help Silas-san keep an eye on everyone here with the help of Shadow-kun. In this time, if they managed to find another master servant pair, preferably with a cute servant, he would ask Medea-san to help him steal that servant from the master.
That way, their team would have to face one less enemy and even get one more help. A win-win for everyone.
For this reason, he chose to go with Medea-san the first he got. He had already talked to her and she agreed with it, even praising him for having a sharp mind.
As for Shadow-kun… he was weird.
To be honest, Kazuma had very complicated feelings about Cid or rather Shadow-kun. In a way, he reminded him of himself… only worse.
Fortunately for him, he didn't seem to be too interested in cute servants.
After all, he had so many cute girls around him.
Seriously… him…
Well, at least he wasn't an asshole about it like some of the other so-called heroes.
Sometimes Kazuma felt that Cid-kun didn't even know that those girls were throwing themselves on him.
Nah… that couldn't be!
After all… no one could be that dumb.
Even anime protagonists couldn't be that dumb.
So Kazuma had come out and had a heart to heart conversation with Cid-kun and they decided on a small deal. Cid-kun or as he was now, Shadow-kun just wanted to fight against other servants to test himself… simply said, the guy wanted to show off and in return, Kazuma could have whatever he wanted.
Kazuma had no problems with that as long as he got what he wanted.
They had come up with a very simple plan for this. When they meet any enemy Master-servant pair, Kazuma will pretend to be a Master and Shadow-kun will pretend to be a servant.
And no matter what anyone says, they stick to this story and beat the other party up.
"Archer said that their base was on the west side of the city near the Church. Let's go." Medea-san led the group and the three of them followed.
While on their way, several sounds of explosion sounded from the direction Sakura-san and the rest had gone too.
Damn… that sounds dangerous.
Seriously, he dodged a bullet there.
Yeah, he had no intention of fighting a corrupted evil divine spirit or anything along those lines.
He would at best snatch a cute servant and return back to the Restaurant, maybe get the big hitters there to help out.
Tohru-san and Milim-san could easily take care of this situation if they got down to it.
As they were walking, Medea-san suddenly paused.
"Come out. I know you are there." Medea-san looked towards an empty alleyway and said.
For a moment no one came out.
But just when it looked like Medea-san had made a mistake, two figures walked out of the alley.
Huge!
That was the first word that came to his mind when he saw the blonde girl with the ringlets. As for the other one, she looked exactly like Saber… just with a red dress.
Ah, she must be that Luviagelita Edelfelt girl that Rin was bitching about.
"My my… so hiding in wait here really was the correct thing to do. I was wondering why that serial killer who was hiding all this time and taking us out one by one would suddenly go crazy and start killing everything in the city. Then it struck me… could this be a decoy? Was he covering for someone? While he attracts the other master-servant pairs, the big fish there, his partners could attack and take down the remaining magus. And look at it… I am right."
"Hehehehe, do you really have such an overactive mind or do you just like to hear the sound of your own voice?" Medea-san laughed.
"Ohohohoho, quite a sharp mouth there servant. Unfortunately, it looks like in your group, you are the only one with the mouth. So who is your master? That brown haired kid cosplaying as an adventurer, the hooded guy or is it that caped baldy?"
"Hey! What do you mean cosplaying as an adventurer! I am an adventurer. A hero, you know. A hero." He protested but neither of the women looked at him.
"My Master is Saitama-san over here. Although I will say, I like the way your servant looks." She smirked.
"Oh! You, my lady, have good taste." the other Saber said, stepping forward like a prince of some kind.
What is this?
Yuri?
Oi Medea-san? Stop flirting with his future servant.
"Hehehehe, while I would have loved to play with you any day, I am in a bit of a hurry today. Let's move this date to a later date shall we? Oh, on a side note, could you tell me the whereabouts of a girl. A blue haired girl, Ciel? She's with your group, isn't she?" Medea-san asked.
The girl suddenly became serious and took on a defensive stance. "How do you know about Ciel?"
"Ah, that's for me to know and you to find out." Medea-san laughed. "Anyways, we need to leave. See you later." Medea-san tried to move but the girl blocked her way.
"Not so fast, Red Team! You are not going anywhere today. Saber!"
"My, how unfortunate. To encounter a true patron of art and having to fight her. Truly, this world is a tragedy." The Saber said as she drew a sword.
Suddenly Shadow-kun stepped forward, drawing out his… Crowbars.
He looked at Medea-san and Saitama-san and spoke. "You two go forward. We will manage this."
"You sure?" Saitama-san asked.
"Hmm." Shadow-kun nodded, turning to face the Saber servant and her master.
Medea-san and Saitama-san turned towards him.
Kazuma patted his chest confidently. "Yes. Leave this to us. I am also a hero after all. Oh and Medea-san, you remember our deal, right?"
"Hehehehe yes. Yes, I remember. Are you sure this is the one you want?"
"Obviously."
"You have a great taste."
"Thank you." He bowed a full ninety degree and then turned towards the enemy master-servant pair, drawing his trusty sword… Chunchunmaru.
"So her name is Medea? The legendary Witch of Betrayal?" The girl asked but Medea-san expertly ignored her as if she were air. The action only served to anger the girl even more.
Medea-san and Saitama-san left and the other Saber tried to stop her but Shadow-kun clashed with her, stopping her in the way.
"Who are you?" The ringlet master growled and questioned.
"My name is Shadow: he who lurks in the shadows to hunt the shadows."
…
…
…
…
Kazuma felt his ears turn red from embarrassment but he held on with experience. He hadn't been in a team with Megumin and Darkness for months without any results. This much second hand embarrassment was a daily thing for him.
"Shadow? Hides in the shadows? Then an assassin servant? What kind of Assassin fights head on like you? Saber, take care of him quickly. We need to catch up with that witch Medea. Archer is no longer with Ciel. They must have done something to him and now they are targeting Ciel as she is weakened."
The Saber servant looked at Shadow-kun once more before she began attacking in earnest. Shadow-kun however wasn't pushed back.
He met her blow to blow.
After a point, both of them had been reduced to blurs, only appearing when they clashed with each other.
It looked like something straight out of a Dragonball fight… dammit… he was not jealous. He was not jealous…
Just as he was thinking of this, he felt danger and jumped back, right on time for something to crash in the place he was sending chunks of ground flying in the air.
He looked closer when the dust dissipated and it turned out to be that same woman.
Seriously?
What's with that strength?
Was she another darkness?
Huge boobs and monster strength?
And from the looks of it, she didn't have the disadvantage of a bad aim either.
"Hah! You dodged it. Didn't look like you could. I guess I will have to put in more effort." The girl said, cracking her fingers menacingly, the action only serving to make those two gigantic balls of flesh giggle hypnotically… no, Kazuma… don't get distracted.
"This is just too stimulating for an adolescent virgin like me. Stay calm Kazuma… Don't be seduced by her womanly charms!" He talked to himself and then looked at the girl. "I am warning you." he said, putting up his trusted Chunchunmary in front of him. "I'm an advocate of true gender equality, a guy who has no problem doling out a drop kick to a female opponent."
"Ohohohoho, then let's see you try." The girl laughed and was about to dash towards him but Kazuma was faster. He raised his hand and used his magic.
"Freeze!"
The girl raised her arms in front of her eyes to protect her face but his target was never her eyes. The next moment, the girl slipped and fell on her face as the ground under her had frozen into slippery ice.
Kazuma wasn't stupid enough to give her a chance to get up so he continued barraging one spell after another.
"Bind! Create Water! Lightning! Freeze!"
The first spell bound her as she was trying to get up and she fell on her face again. The next spell doused her bound body and threw her rolling away. Then lightning zapped her and finally froze her into a statue.
Finally seeing the girl frozen, Kazuma took a breath of relief.
Damn… that was intense.
He stepped forward to check on her lest she died.
That would be a problem.
As he stepped forward, he noticed that the girl was actually quite cute. If only she didn't have that snobby princess thing going on, she could have been quite a catch.
Unfortunately, every rose has a thorn.
Don't be sad, Kazuma.
You are doing this for Saber.
Just as he reached the girl, however his body moved on his own, the auto-dodge he had learned from the Monk Class activating as a gust of wind passed by him.
Behind him, an explosion rang out as the girl crashed into a wall again, this time tearing a hole in the wall. When the dust cleared, the girl stood in front of the half torn wall, a look of rage on her face clear as day to anyone to see. Her princess dress was now wet and sticking to her body. There were cuts and bruises on her body and her dress was destroyed at some places.
White.
Pure white underwear.
As one would expect from a princess.
It was just that the look on her face chilled him.
She looked at him as sweat trickled down Kazuma's back.
That hit could have snapped him into two and there wouldn't even be an Aqua to revive him this time around.
No.
He had to go beyond his current tactics. It was time to bring in the big guns.
"A magus. You are a magus pretending to be a warrior. I was almost fooled for a second. And so many quick activations spells. You are a talented magus, despite your below average looks."
"Oi, what was that about my looks? I am not below average. I am totally average." He retorted almost on instinct. "See, I am giving you a last warning. Give up. Give me Baeber… Saber and we end things right here or I will be forced to use my strongest, most incredible, unbeatable magic."
"Give it your best shot." The girl gritted her teeth and roared back.
"Your wish then. Don't tell me I didn't give you a chance."
The girl didn't say anything, just letting out a shout, slamming the ground as she shot towards him.
Kazuma used his trump card this time. "Steal."
The next moment, he felt something soft in his hands.
He turned to look at the hands and saw it.
Pure white… double D.
"Hyaaaaaaaaaa!" At the same time, there was a shout in front of him.
The girl was holding her chest which was threatening to burst out of her clothes.
Kazuma fought off the nosebleed and his smile turned into a full blown smirk. "Hahahaha. See. I warned you. Now, what should I go for next? He wiggled his fingers.
The girl stepped back in fear but the next moment he saw a glint of light in her eyes. She was preparing to attack but Kazuma was one step ahead.
"Bind! Create Water! Lightning! Freeze!"
This time the magic hit true, freezing the girl in place but Kazuma took no chances. He jumped on her and then used a final Skill, "Drain!"
Her mana started getting drained and her struggles weakened immediately.
So she was using some kind of Reinforcement Magic and not pure brute strength like Darkness… how foolish.
While he was draining her mana, the battle on the other side was reaching its peak as well. "Holy crap! Those two are really going at it."
And they sure were.
It was like a fight straight out of some anime. One moment, they disappeared from one place and the next they appeared in another. Each clash sent shockwaves in the area destroying anything nearby.
He had to use his Skills to even have a glimpse of the battle.
Damn… Shadow-kun was actually serious about fighting a servant on his own.
The closer he looked, the more they seemed to be dancing with each other, just that this dance was not about performing, rather trying to kill each other.
Kazuma got lost in that dangerous performance and that short lapse in attention gave the girl he had captured a chance.
She raised her hand as the symbol on her hand shone brightly. "Go on Nero. Use your full power and destroy these bastards!"
Dammit!
Kazuma jumped towards her but it was already too late by then.
A huge burst of energy blasted out from Saber's body.
Kazuma looked as both of them had suddenly stopped, standing at a distance from each other.
What is this?
A classic anime watch off!
She is trying to power up.
"What are you waiting for Shadow-kun? Grab her and beat her up before she can do that. This is not an anime. Don't you know how Vegeta fucked up for letting Cell power up like this?"
His words were ignored by both the fighters who seemed to be busy vibing with each other at this moment.
Dammit!
"Umu, you are a worthy opponent! I would have liked to continue this fight and enjoy myself but it seems my master has been caught and she won't be able to fight anymore. Since that's the case, how about we finish it with one big climax scene?" Saber said.
Shadow-kun however just nodded.
"Umu, I didn't misread you. Very well then feast your eyes upon my magnum opus. This is the best I can be."
"Behold my glory...
Hear the thunderous applause...
Sit down and praise... My Golden Theater!
Kingdom of Heaven and Hell...
My heaven, reconstructed! This is where the limelight shines!
Aestus Domus Aurea!."
Shadow-kun looked at him and spoke. "Take that girl and make some distance."
"How much distance?" Kazuma asked instantly. He didn't want to be anywhere near this place when the ultimate moves of these two monsters clashed.
"As far as you can."
"Okay. See ya." The next moment he was already running away from the area with the girl tucked on his shoulder, the fastest his legs could carry.
Almost five minutes later, he was at a safe distance from the battlefield when he climbed a tall tree and took out his binoculars and looked at the fight.
In place of the abandoned part, stood a large stadium.
No… it was not a stadium. It was a theatre.
Saber's sword suddenly lit up with flames and then began the battle.
They began clashing again, only this time it was not just Saber attacking Shadow-kun but also the entire theatre itself. It was as if the whole place was plotting against him.
Chairs were falling somewhere, carpets wrapped around his feet or sometimes even chandeliers fell from the sky on top of Shadow-kun's head.
He was dodging everything easily but the effect was showing. He looked like he was struggling after a while.
Saber struck out once more, this time the blow was enough to send him flying. He landed on a balcony where the chairs bent and attacked him as if spears of iron but Shadow-kun was already ready and fended off everything with his crowbars.
Kazuma was using his Lip Reading Skill to hear what they were saying.
"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful performance! Now come, it's time to end this play."
"Indeed. The end has come. So let me be the one to pull the curtains down on this performance." A spherical zone of energy burst out from Shadow-kun's body, covering the entire stadium, the entire park. "Observe! And witness for yourself, my earth rending, sky shattering, supremely ultimate, and unparalleled attack. I… am…"
Kazuma wasn't able to read the last word as the entire sphere lit up with a bright light.
For the next scene, he didn't need the Binoculars as the entire city should have been able to see it if they just looked out of their windows.
A pillar of light rose from the place where the two of them were fighting, straight into the sky.
It was like the explosion spells of Megumin… only bigger.
Much… much… much bigger too.
The pillar lasted for almost a dozen seconds, lighting up the entire town in its purple light as if it were morning again.
And when the light faded back… Kazuma could see the place… the park, the stadium… everything was gone.
Even the girl who was with him and struggling all this time, had gone quiet. Her mouth opened in shock, unable to be closed after witnessing the scene in front of them. None of them spoke anything. Almost a full minute later, he remembered something and quickly looked through his binoculars again.
Dammit!
Had Shadow-kun gone kaboom to take out Saber too?
That was not how it was supposed to happen?
He didn't want Shadow-kun to die.
Although a big average, he was also a part time member of the gaming club in the Restaurant. He was a good friend too.
Not to mention his Baeber.
He looked around and suddenly paused as a figure appeared to be standing in the middle of the park.
Shadow-kun.
He was alive.
Kazuma picked the girl up and she didn't resist one bit. He placed her on his shoulder and ran towards the park again.
"Oi Shadow! The hell. We decided not to kill Saber!" He shouted the moment he noticed that Shadow was safe and sound.
He however didn't reply to him and looked in a certain distance, towards a heap of soil and rocks.
Kazuma followed the gaze and found nothing out of the ordinary about the place so he let down the girl and jumped towards Shadow.
He took out a Healing Potion Silas-san and Rimuru-san had given everyone before they left the Restaurant today.
"Are you injured? Do you need a potion?" He asked but Shadow kept looking at the ground, at the heap of soil and rocks.
Suddenly, the rocks and soil burst and out jumped Saber, scaring the living crap out of Kazuma.
Kazuma was sure that had it not been for his increased stats, he would be sitting in another meeting with Eris-sama, dying from another heart attack.
"Y-y-you're alive!"
- Rin Tohsaka -
They raced towards the place where the battle was taking place.
Every step they took towards it, the heavier the curse in the air was becoming. The sound of explosions became louder too.
A while later, they finally reached the spot and the scene was straight out of some horror movie.
"This… this is horrible! How can they do this?" Ruler cried out at the sight in front of them. Others didn't speak but their silence spoke more than enough about the scene here.
Corpses lay everywhere.
She recognised some of them as the mages and church exorcists who had come to investigate the incident, but most were people she didn't recognise at all. Although she doubted many would be able to recognise anyone from the heaps of human limbs scattered around the area.
It looked as if they were chopped by a large blade in a clean strike. That was the work of Shinji.
There were large gashes and crevices everywhere on the ground.
Rin noticed that the gashes were far bigger than before, almost as if he had gained power from somewhere.
Then there was the curse that was almost saturated in the air.
"At this rate even the corpses of the fallen will get corrupted and rise. We need to purify this or at least destroy the corpses completely." Ruler said.
They were about to discuss what to do when something happened, taking them all by surprise. The very air around them seemed to twist and in the next moment, two figures were thrown out.
It took her only an instant to recognise the identity of the two.
Lord El Melloi and his servant the King of Conquerors, Iskander.
She and Saber quickly caught them but didn't have time to check on their condition as what followed them was a wave of purple mist.
Rin's instincts shouted at her to run. That mist was dangerous. If it touched her even a bit, she would die.
She was about to warn others but someone had already taken action.
Ruler had jumped forward, a flag in hand. She slammed the flag onto the ground and chanted. "O' Flag, protect my people! Luminosité Eternelle!"
A spherical dome of light erupted from Ruler and surrounded them, blocking the purple mist coming towards them.
She watched in equal parts awe and horror as the mist swept over the fallen bodies of the people, melting their bodies into a black liquid… no, a black mud of some kind.
The most horrifying part however was that the mud then transformed into dolls, golems like an oni.
In a matter of moments, there were dozens of oni made of black mud clawing at the barrier made by Ruler.
Their hands shattered the moment they touched the barrier but they reformed again, continuing their attacks.
Rin could see that the flag which was holding the barrier was starting to turn dark and crumble from the edges.
For a moment Rin didn't know what to do or say.
It was at this time that Sakura stepped forward. She turned towards the orange haired girl. "Orihime-chan, could you please heal those two first?" She asked, pointing towards Lord El Melloi and Iskander.
She wanted to stop her. That was the man who had been searching for Sakura, probably intending to her, maybe even interrogating her about everything but holding her tongue realising the current situation. It wasn't time to fight about those things. They needed all the hands they could.
The two men were in dire states.
Lord El Melloi was breathing heavily, a deep gash on his side and the skin of his hand looked like it was melting away.
Iskander… he looked worse.
Black veins were invading his body, slow inching their way towards his center, tainting him into something else.
The girl quickly nodded and got to work.
Rin and Saber laid their bodies on the ground and moved back.
The girl raised her hands towards the two and spoke. "Sotten Kisshun, I reject."
As she finished her chant, her hairpins turned into sparks of golden light and transformed into what looked like little pixies, gathering at two sides above the bodies of the two men.
They formed a golden barrier and Rin could see their injuries healing at a visible pace. Even the black curses that were inching and worming their way in the body of the King of Conquerors began receding.
Minutes in, they opened their eyes, their bodies jumping to action instantly.
They jumped back from their position, ready to attack.
Both Stheno and Eyurale also jumped to defend their masters.
However they paused when they realised where they were and who was in front of them. "Tohsaka? And is that Sakura Matou?" Lord El Melloi asked.
"I am." Sakura stepped forward and replied. "Unfortunately, the current situation doesn't allow us to have a detailed introduction. We have to stop this mist from spreading before things become out of control. You two seem to have fought the enemies. Can you tell us anything about the mist?" She asked.
Lord El Melloi looked at them for a moment and then looked at the scene around them and finally his shoulders shagged. "That's… the Noble Phantasm of the Oni we were fighting. I think it's Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji. It can cause various ailments in the body of anyone who inhales it. In large quantities, they even melted the bodies. The most dangerous part however is that each enemy that falls to the mist… just adds to their numbers. Not to mention the monster who is their Master. Shinji Matou. He seems to have been possessed by something. That monster… it can use attacks and even a pseudo-reality marble type of skill which is capable of taking down thousands of enemies at once."
"Yeah… that's a nasty piece of work." Iskander shook his head. "Unlike usual masters who supply power to their servants, this man seemed to be siphoning power from them instead, further increasing his powers."
"Just… what kind of being is that?" Lord El Melloi asked, looking at Sakura.
"He's Ryomen Sukuna, an evil Sorcerer from the Heien Era. He's extremely adept in curses, so much so that he was called the King of Curses. When he died, someone separated his souls in twenty pieces and made phalactaries with them. He… I mean Shinji Matou was somehow possessed by one such piece." Sakura spoke, her tone even.
Even Rin was taken aback by the information.
She had not known about that. Ryomen Sukuna? The King of Curses?
"What is his goal?" Lord El Melloi asked. "And how do you fit in in this whole scenario?"
"He seeks destruction. He thrives in it. As for my role… I am here to kill him." Sakura replied, totally calm.
"This is not some kind of joke. You think you can take on that monster? You don't know what you are facing. Those three took on Iskander's Reality Marble hundreds of thousands of servants, warriors who had served in his army when he was alive… and decimated every one of them, turning them into a twisted, deformed and tainted mockery of themselves. You think you can take someone like that on?"
"Yes."
It was just one word but the calmness with which it was delivered made even Lord El Melloi falter for a moment.
"Hurry up. I won't be able to hold them forever. The more this mist spreads, the more people will get corrupted and the more the attacks will increase. Their power increases exponentially alongside the casualties." Ruler suddenly shouted, stopping their arguments.
Sakura turned towards the blonde girl. "Lavy, please."
The girl took a deep breath and suddenly the air headed atmosphere around her dissipated, replaced by something different… something very dangerous.
Lavy, as Sakura had called her, walked towards the end of the barrier.
Ruler exerted her power once more, repelling the surrounding enemies once more and the girl stepped out.
The golems of black mud let out a shriek as they healed, rushing back towards her. Just when Rin thought she would get poisoned and melt away from the poisonous cursed mist or get ripped apart by the golems, something happened that blew everyone's mind.
Her body lit up in purple flames which spread rapidly from her body.
The flames directly engulfed the mist and the golems, turning them to ash without any resistance. The flames didn't stop there, it continued spreading. Wherever it passed, the golems and mist were burned away.
Curses which had been suffocating to them were getting erased as if they were nothing. The scene was extraordinary.
"The flames… it's cleansing the place. Wherever it passes, it's erasing all curses and negativity." Lord El Melloi said from the side, looking at the scene with utter interest.
"No. It's not just cleansing the place. Anywhere the flames pass, the mist and curses avoid. It's as if they are afraid of entering. What exactly are those flames? Who is that girl?"
"She is the one who bears the Holy Cross of the Lord, the very one on which his son was crucified. The flames you see are the Holy Flames of the Lord. No curse can corrupt it." Ruler said from the side.
The Holy Cross!
That… that Holy Cross?
What the hell?!
Just what kind of things do those people keep with them?
And just who is this girl, that she can have such a thing and use it as if it were nothing? Anyone else would have gone mad or burned away with the flames and yet, she was standing there as if basking in the sun on a beach. A part of her called bullshit if not the reverence in Ruler's voice which made her words unquestionable.
She was not the only one who was stunned by the reveal.
Even Lord El Melloi looked flabbergasted.
"That's impossible. Even if such a thing actually existed here, it would be with the Church, under their strongest security, not on some random teenage girl." he argued but the words had no effect on Ruler.
Neither were Sakura or any of the servants bothered by the argument.
While they waited for a reply, the girl was doing her work.
She had surrounded the whole place, the entire hill and even the surroundings until the Fuyuki river was surrounded with a ring of holy fire.
"This will keep mist from spreading outside." Ruler said. 'But the source of the cursed mist is somewhere up there. This will continue until the source is destroyed. We have to find the source and destroy it."
"I will take care of the rest. Thank you for your hard work, Lavy." Sakura nodded at the girl who seemed to be breathing heavily.
Using such a power over such a large range must have exhausted her. She came back and sat down near Ruler before looking at the servants. "Please hold the barrier until Sakura-chan is done with the cleanup."
"Hmph, so much fuss for such a little thing." Eyurale scoffed but she didn't deny the words and helped fortify the barrier. Stheno followed her.
"Saber, be ready to assist Sakura." Rin commanded. "We have to face the mastermind behind this now."
It wasn't going to be an easy fight.
And almost as if waiting for her words, three figures walked out of the burned forest.
Two girls, oni with pale skin and red nerves which covered their whole body and in between them was that bastard… Shinji Matou.
"My my, look at all the faces that have gathered here. Tohsaka and even you, dear little sister." Shinji said in that sickly voice of his.
It sent chills down her spine for several reasons.
"Did you suddenly gain confidence to stand against me? Have you forgotten your manners… the same manners that were drilled into you in the Matou Manor? Is it because of that bastard? That scammer chef? Oh, I don't see him here. Where is he by the way? Wait… let it be. I will be paying him a visit after this war either way. I have an old grudge to settle with him. No one lays a hand on Shinji Matou and gets away. I will take my time torturing that bastard. But don't worry. I won't kill him. I will remove his limbs, one at a time and then I am going to take you in front of him as he watches. You like him, don't you? Then I will use you to break him. I will…" His words were becoming distorted, almost maniacal as he spoke.
He, however, couldn't finish his words as a suffocating aura erupted from Sakura.
Curses.
It was similar to the curses which had been radiating from Shinji but in her case, they were far more controlled. Unlike the ones from Shinji these curses didn't corrupt anything. Instead, they just engaged in a battle with the mist, both trying to kill each other. The shadows in the entire place began to move, shift. They looked as if demons were hiding in darkness, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"Hehehehahahaha that's it. That's the look. Get angry. Rage. The more you rage, the more I will enjoy breaking you. Are these people your friends? How about I begin with them? So is this everyone you have brought to face me? Is there anyone else? Go on, call them. Call everyone you can."
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
No sooner did he say this, a massive pillar of light erupted from the other side of the town. The purple light dyed the entire Fuyuki in its colour almost as if someone had switched on a big light or morning had come several hours in advance.
Wasn't that the place where Medea and that baldy had gone to?
x_x_