A film of space constantly dividing in on itself, each division overlaid with imaginary space. That was the essence of my absolute defense. After facing Medea, I even incorporated Divine Mysteries into it, using magecraft that enacted a fraction of a deity's authority upon reality, moulding the very texture of our world.
No magus of the modern age could breach something like that. No weapon was capable of covering the nigh-infinite distance contained within that film, stretching like an entire world between myself and all around me.
At least, that should have been the case.
My defense had logic. A blasted logic entirely removed science, but a logic still.
Gae Bolg re-wrote that, being pierced through the heart was a forgone conclusion.
That cursed spear was given to Cu Chulainn by his teacher, and human hands had fashioned it.
That didn't sit right with me at all. Nothing was supposed to come this close to killing me so instantly. I charged into the maws of death, knowing that they could not have me without a struggle. Against that damned weapon, there had been no struggle nor fight, just brutality.
"Comparing yourself with a renowned hero of legend like that is surely the height of deluded stupidity. May the Lord guide you, and deliver you from these thoughts one would usually need copious amounts of drugs to entertain."
Caren knocked the back of her palm against my arm, letting her head hang slightly as she inched closer under my umbrella. A normal person might do that to avoid the cold rain gently tapping against the asphalt but Caren probably enjoyed that sort of thing. She was clearly pleased when a sudden chill wind made me shiver earlier.
"I know magus are meant to be the anti-thesis of conventional 'sense' but still…" She let her words hang for a bit. "That's no excuse for being this irrational. No, because you're a magus, you should approach this with a clearer head."
I gripped the lukewarm handle of my umbrella, dragging my gaze across the curve ahead in silence. Briefly, I caught a glimpse of the Sun's shadow behind the tasteless clouds that had rolled in some time last night.
I went straight to to bed, deciding that there was no need for me to be there for whatever discussion Rin wanted to have with Sakura over at Shirou's. A good night's sleep had certainly… put things into perspective.
"You fought someone from the heretical Age of Gods, and lived."
"Survived." I corrected.
She shrugged. "No difference."
"All the difference, there's no point to just making it out. He one-shot me and now I can't even get him back for it."
It was an embarrassing truth. I was proud of Nobunaga for her actions, but they left me with a certain distaste. I should have been able to get up faster.
"You lived."
"Shouldn't ha-"
Before I ever even finished my words, Caren pursed her lips and punched my shoulder like a petulant child. I rubbed the un-affected place where she hit me.
"You didn't hold back at all. I was joking!"
"Hmph!"
She huffed and looked away.
"Someday, I'll summon that shite myself just to kick his bloody teeth in. Better yet, I'll find a way to go to the past, and steal his teacher."
"That's absurd."
"I'm doing it. Besides, I heard Scathach is supposed to be super hot."
"…Manslut."
Damn.
"You need to hold back more."
"Hm." She turned her head away again.
I couldn't help a chuckle, "Are you going for a tsundere act now?"
Caren was weirdly supportive these days. She hadn't even done anything perverted last night when I came back, just readied dinner and a change of clothes.
The priest girl opened one eye to glance at me. "Is it working?"
"Nope. Mostly cause I know you're as rotten with your words as I am… Actually, no, I'm still trying to catch up to you." I laughed, messing up her hairdo with my free hand. Suddenly, she grabbed that hand.
"You not dying is good enough."
"Fine~"
There and then, I uttered a quiet prayer for whoever decided that throwing hands with myself was a good idea since I was no longer keen on holding back for a fun time. At the same time, I decided I needed to improve my defense.
My love for magecraft would never blossom if I didn't live long enough for it. Mystery was vast and spread across the world. To attain it all, longevity was a must.
"Now if only there were a convenient method for immortality somewhere around here."
Caren's eyes widened a bit, "I think you may have taken my words a bit too seriously. Oh Lord, forgive me for my lack of caution."
"Nevermind that, we're almost there."
The Fuyuki Church came into view the moment I rounded the winding road leading up to the hill it was built atop. The recent rain had washed away even the smidges of dirt, and now the pristine white structure seemed to shimmer. Condensation gathered on the windows, and I saw dark shadows flicker within.
As though its proprietor was expecting me, the gates to the compound were left open. The moment we walked through them, the air shifted. It still carried the scent of wet earth and wildflowers, but now there was a foul taste on my tongue. Like with the Matou household, boundaries held great significance to the practice of magecraft.
The 'vile' air spoke much about Kirei Kotomine.
I rubbed my nose, "I see it. He's your father. This makes sense."
"I would appreciate it if you spoke of me as what I am."
"That's exactly what I'm doing though."
"Please, I'm an angel."
Huh… wasn't that what I'd said-… Ohh, I was rubbing off on her. That was nice.
"I would like to live in this place." She looked around.
I snickered. "That's expected."
Shaking my head, I pushed open the double doors and walked inside. The disgust welling up in my heart ramped up when I laid eyes on the inside, even though nothing had changed. As before Kirei stood at the forefront, one hand behind his back, another carrying an open Bible. His dark eyes studied me for a moment before passing to the white-haired girl beside me.
I expected… something. Annoyance. Elation. At least, surprise. He… just didn't care at all. He looked at her as though she were a stranger. When she became uncertain and gripped my sleeve, I saw amusement flicker through his gaze.
"Hello, father." She whispered.
…There was some well-veiled resentment in there.
"Hm."
His lacking response made her even more uncertain. In turn, I noted even more amusement in his demeanour. He was… enjoying her inner conflict.
"You don't care at all?" I spoke out finally. "Come on man, after I even went out of my way to bring her here."
"Apologies for the trouble then. I do not know her."
"And I don't know him." Caren bit out, "But I'd like to be there when you inevitably break every bone in his body."
He reeled faintly at that, closing the book in his hands shut. "How may I help you, my son?"
"You couldn't have told me that you gave Bazett permission to come after me?"
"Ah, I am a neutral-"
The quiet Church suddenly began flashing red, strong gusts of wind hammered against the windows and kicked up dust.
"-party. I trust she failed if you are here?"
"You knew already. Don't fuck with me, mate. Where's she at?"
His lips parted, but no words came out. The air above him rippled, then turned to gold. An engraved sword shot out, aimed right for my head. An inch away from my face, the sword froze, hanging idly. No, it was still moving, but the distance had become too vast for it to strike me.
"Presumptuous to ignore this King for your petty trifle, mongrel." The annoying voice came from one of the pews behind us.
When I glanced over, King Gilgamesh of Uruk sat there, one arm sprawled over the headrest. He held a bejeweled goblet in the other hand, filled to the brim with a blood-red wine that matched his eyes.
For a moment, I was silent.
Then,
"Sorry, I genuinely didn't notice you there."
Somehow, my heartfelt apology insulted me. Of course, I had a massive grin on my face as I voiced it, but the apology was still a true one. He really was bratty. A King was supposed to be magnanimous and all that.
"How dare you-"
"Oh come off it, you drama queen. Stop acting like the world revolves around you."
"It does." He flicked his wrist, half a dozen more swords shot my way. As before, they all froze, farther this time. "An interesting trick."
I tapped a finger against my head, "Have you gone senile, you old bat? I told you it revolves around me now. You're a relic of the past. Shut up before I actually make a display out of you."
To my unrestrained insult, King Gilgamesh narrowed his gaze. His eyes shimmered.
-
Hope you enjoyed.
See y'all next year, fellas.