This World of Ours (Part 7)
It was a quiet morning.
High up on the mountainside of Misaki Town, and in the heart of a mountain was an odd structure. The building's atmosphere was encompassed by an eerie silence while unusual and otherwordly symbols that couldn't be understood by the common men flashes into existence every few seconds.
The structure was a workshop owned by an ancient Magus.
In this place separated from other human, an elderly man slowly lifted his head and glanced at the gloomy sky. 'What a strange feeling,' the ancestor of the magical lineage who owned the city thought.
The date is July 6, 1950.
Although it was already well past the rainy season of June, this region of the island nation of Japan still suffered from heavy rain. The ashen clouds remained motionless, as the unstoppable rain fall down from the heavens and smeared the entire town in watercolor gray.
Tap, tap, tap.
On this sunless day, a figure steadily hiked up the ghostly mountain. Dressed in a silver full body armor like a medieval knight, the man seemed extremely out of place. Just what was a knight doing here, hiking up a mountain?
Then, the armored man froze. As if like flowing water, the silver knight withdrew a wooden spike, a flask of green powder, and a orange marble from out of nowhere. Raising the wooden spike that gave off a bloodthirsty aura, the man impaled in into the ground in front of him.
Opening the flask, the unknown powder was scattered into the air. It was spread out to the area by the wind and the green quickly dispersed into nothingness. Seeing the powder gone, the orange marble imbued with indecipherable enchantments and magical power was dropped onto the wooden spike.
All of a sudden, an invisible barrier on the ground slowly materialized. The Bounded Field twisted into various shape, indicating that it was suffering from an unexpected outside attack.
The orange marble glowed and fused with the spike, turning the wood into a shade of black. The color was so dark, similar to the abyss which devours all sources of light. The space below the spike distorted slightly, and a mysterious force started to suck in everything surrounding it.
The Bounded Field gave out a silent cry, trying to resist the overwhelming strength of the wooden spike. Alas, it was not powerful enough. It ran out of energy within seconds, and was then pulled into the imperceptible hole.
"...So this is the Bounded Field erected by an centuries-old Archmagus. I guess it's not a figure of speech when it is said that he is infinitely close to becoming a Magician" The silver knight chuckled and watched the wooden spike crumble to ashes, proving the effectiveness of the barrier.
Ignoring the destroyed magical items, he continued moving forward as he avoided all surveillance and detection spells set up in the mountain. "Is he cautious... or simply paranoid?" The Magus owner must be a really careful man since many traps are separated individually and powered by their own Formalcraft circles.
He has also discovered five more secondary Bounded Fields in the area after the destruction of the primary one. They were easier to destroy, and he managed to erase them all without the use of any catalysts. However, he stopped moving when he was near the entrance to the mountain's core.
It was another barrier.
Unlike the previous Bounded Fields, this one was designed to alert its owner when it was changed. "He got me." The armored man could not demolish or tamper with it in any way because the alarm would be set off immediately.
The only remaining option was to brute force it. Nevertheless, there are two choices that he could make. First, silently remove it or tamper with it slightly, thus sending a message to the Magus that he wishes to meet him.
The second choice was to directly overpower it with vast amount of magical energy and short circuiting the barrier. The owner would be stunned by the influx of Prana and be fixed in his workshop in an attempt to find the reasons behind the sudden Prana spike.
The first is the peaceful way, and the second would without question place him in a hostile relationship with the Mage. The silver knight went with the second choice. Although one might usually be afraid to antagonize a Magus who is infinitely close to a Magician, the brave intruder did not care.
Then, immeasurable quantity of magical energy was injected into the Bounded Field. The whole mountain trembled for a second, and the barrier was demolished without a single chance to resist.
The armored man bolted towards the wooden building. His Clairvoyance saw through and scanned the entire structure. Spotting his target, a dark purple sword was equipped in his hand and the silver knight swung down.
Without warning, the elderly Mage inside witnessed the wall beside him being cut up like butter. It was not a simple wall. It was a blockage created with materials of high Mystery and reinforced with the peak of his Thaumaturgy skills.
Unfortunately, such a thing was no obstacle for a Divine Construct. The silver knight stormed into the building and grabbed the shocked Magus. He swatted a cane-like Mystic Code off the elderly man's hand and slammed him into the ground.
Seeing that the Mage was caught off guard and knocked out cold, the assailant took off his helmet and revealed a head full of white hair. Activating Clairvoyance, his piercing red eyes glowed green once more as he searched for his objective.
There!
He raced forwards a table while ignoring piles of precious magical knowledge and materials. "This is it!" On top of the vintage wooden desk lied an ancient manual, seemingly existing before the beginning of time. "The path to Root, the path to the Fifth Magic!" The armored man exclaimed and touched the mystical tome.
However, the space distorted the moment he came into contact with the prize. "What?" A giant hole was opened above him. "Oh come on-" With a pulling force that greatly surpassed the one he produced earlier, it swiftly sucked him and the mystical tome into the endless void.
Ding!
Emergency quest alert!
Quest: The Great Holy Grail War
Objective: Be victorious as a Servant
Rewards: A way back home, 200 SP, 100,000,000,000 EXP
Ah, fuc-
-x-X-x-
Pitter-patter.
"Hello, My Lady."
Where are you, big brother?
Pitter-patter.
"It's not good to stay out in the rain like this, you might get sick."
What happened to you? Why did you disappear?
Pitter-patter.
"Would you like to join me for dinner?"
...Your superior told me that it's normal for Enforcers to go missing... but didn't you promise to watch over me forever? What happened to our oath? Are you going to abandon me to... them?
Pitter-patter.
"We can have a sumptuous feast at my mansion-"
Father has died, big brother.
Pitter-patter.
"-or would you prefer to eat out instead?
It's quite young for a Mage of such caliber to die in his seventies... but I guess anything can happen.
Pitter-patter.
"My Lady? Are you listening?"
Karl has taken over the family... and that scum wants me to marry some bastard from another family...
Pitter-patter.
"...Alright, I'll visit you another day."
I can't go against him, because he's the new family head...
Pitter-patter.
"Goodbye, My Lady."
I don't want to marry some random guy! So please... please come back and save me...
Pitter-patter.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
... I miss you... I want to see your face again...
Pitter-patter.
...big brother.
-x-X-x-
To: Barthomeloi Ionna
From: Pontius El-Melloi Archisorte
Subject: Short Report on Fenric von Leiqritus
Date: October 17th, 1950
On July 6, the 33rd Enforcer of the Mage's Association, Fenric von Leiqritus, went missing during Assignment #I-4654. His task was to hunt the Sealing Designate, Caesar Davidoff, in the island nation of Japan.
However, we have lost total contact with him in under a week, and after a month of being missing in action, two additional Enforcers were dispatched to search for the missing second son of Leiqritus.
Although the pair quickly discovered the base of the Sealing Designate, they were not able to find the figure of Caesar nor the missing Enforcer. A battle seemed to have taken within the compound, and the outcome of the examination was that the Sealing Designate was assassinated by Fenric before he could cast his spells.
The traces indicated that the 33rd Enforcer has decided to rest in a nearby city for a day. He then moved onto the road between the ruined and recovering Fuyuki City and the neighboring Misaki Town.
Unfortunately, the trail ended in the woodlands, where we presumed that the Enforcer was attacked. Since there were no signs of magical evocation nor any marks of blood, it is highly likely that he was subdued by a hostile with superior physical prowess.
We have also questioned Fenric's classmates and family members on the man's morality and trustworthiness. From the results of the inquisition, he did not have any reason to betray and escape from the Association, nor did Caesar had any valuable items on him that warrant the greed of the disappeared man.
Thus, I sincerely request a search party to be sent after the missing Enforcer due to being a long-time friend of the last Leiqritus head. The child is not a bad Magus, he is adept at the creation of Formalcraft circles, and quite informative on the topics of Astronomy.
I believe that losing Fenric von Leiqritus is a loss for the Clock Tower, and more importantly, the Mage's Association as a whole, so I'd like to ask the Vice Director for this small favor. I will also shoulder all the funds needed for the mission.
Thank you for sparing your time reading this.
-x-X-x-
The Great Holy Grail War.
It is the Fourth Holy Grail War in an alternate timeline of the Nasuverse. Based upon those of Fuyuki, it takes place in Trifas, a city on the outskirts of the Transylvania region of Romania.
Fuyuki's original Third Holy Grail War took place around the time of the beginning of the Second World War, but the ritual failed due to the Lesser Grail being destroyed.
Afterward, Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, a Magi supporting the Nazis, found the location of the Great Grail in the caverns underneath Mount Enzou, and it was removed using military aid from the Nazis.
The Three Families and the Japanese Imperial Army fought to thwart the theft, but they were left in a weak position due to having been weakened by the Holy Grail War. With their opposition defeated, the Greater Grail was successfully taken by the Nazis.
Nazi Germany had planned to utilize it to allow them to rule the world as they saw fit, but Darnic interfered during its transport and took it for his own Yggdmillennia family.
Records of battle for it were only known to Magi and its whereabouts thereafter were not known to anybody, leading to speculation that it may have landed in the hands of the Imperial Army or raided by the Soviet forces.
The Great War makes use of the reserve system set up within the Greater Grail. While it would have likely exhausted the leylines of Fuyuki, Trifas's land is positioned on the best leylines of Romania, and they have been stockpiling magical energy at a higher speed than Fuyuki to the point of calling it an inexhaustible amount.
As a highly abnormal situation, it makes for a very different battle than the Fuyuki Wars. Rather than each Servant having to form separate strategies, teams of Servants allow for Servants like Berserker, Assassin, and Caster that would normally have difficulty surviving in single combat to show their full potential.
This is the war that I am about to be dropped in, and not as a Master... but as a Servant this time.
Although I do not know what has happened when I touched the records which kept the Fifth Magic's path to the Root, is it clear to me that the only way back is to either complete the quest or achieve the Second Magic myself.
That is near impossible in merely a few decades.
I do not know how time flows in alternate dimensions, and I do not have the years to spend on discovering that because of... Charlotte. I may be a heartless person, but I am not someone who will go back against a sincere promise I made.
It is the first oath I swore in this life, and I do not want to betray that. Even though the rewards from the System is plenty, I genuinely hope that I can protect someone I truly value for once.
Even if this life is one full of lies built by myself, I will not abandon her.
Class Qualification:
Saber: 14%
Lancer: 14%
Archer: 19%
Rider: 15%
Caster: 19%
Assassin: 18%
Berserker: 1%
Ahhh, so I really have to be a Servant.
Is the System a sadist? Always letting me spin this Wheel of Fortune... does it not know that I hate depending on everything relating to the concept of 'luck'? I simply can't stand letting my fate designed by chances.
Fine.
Spin, spin, spin. Spin my fate, spin my destiny, spin for the end of this boring tale. Oh-
Rider: 15%
Heh. I guess it's not that bad to be-
You have been chosen as the Rider of the Black Faction!
Did I say bad? Oh sorry, I mean worse! Horribly worse! This unbelievable, Astolfo is gone. That makes one of the more effective Servants from the Black Faction disappear! Why wasn't I chosen for the Red Faction?
This is... seriously bad. The lineup of the Red Faction can easily decimate the Servants of Black if they were to all go serious without suffering from internal conflicts. Honestly, only two Servants from the Red team is needed to completely annihilate the opposite side.
Fortunately, Saber of Red is a strong and understanding person. Additionally, she is not entirely on the Red's camp. Spartacus isn't much of a problem as well since he can be lured to fight against Mordred and Jeanne.
The problem is the remaining ones.
Although Shakespeare may be a weak Servant, his Self-Preservation is one annoying Skill seeing that he can escape from all harm as long as he preserve the safety of his Master to the lowest possible degree.
His magical abilities are also troublesome in a team fight. He can easily enhance his allies and cause unimaginable psychological damage to any Heroic Spirits who have a traumatic or tragic past. That Anti-Unit Noble Phantasm is also called an Anti-Heart Noble Phantasm that breaks the spirit of any and all great men for a reason.
Atalanta is an Archer who uses a bow. Yes, she uses a bow, and that makes her very menacing- Okay, I am just joking. She's a strong Archer, and can utilize her skills very well in a team fight.
The biggest problem lie within her forbidden Noble Phantasm, Agrius Metamorphosis: Boar of Divine Punishment. The pelt of the Calydonian Boar gave her incredible boost, elevating her to the levels of a Berserker-class Servant.
That's fine, I can still deal with her if given enough time. However, here's when the true 'trouble' starts.
Semiramis, the Wise Queen of Assyria's Hanging Gardens of Babylon isn't something I can destroy alone. Astolfo was supposed to be the best card against Assassin of Red's EX-Ranked Mana blasts, but that's now gone. On the bright side, I am completely immune to all her certain-kill Noble Phantasm's poisons thanks to Arash's Skill.
Then... Achilles and Karna... I can't kill them, and they can't kill me. It's like a Mexican standoff between defensive type Noble Phantasms: My Heaven's Feel and Avalon, Siegfried's Armor of Fafnir, Achilles' Andreias Amarantos and Dromeus Komētēs, and lastly, Karna's Kavacha and Kundala.
To win this crazy war between fourteen Heroic Spirits... I really have to use my foreknowledge and play dirty, don't I?
...I guess it's finally the time to invest all my saved up points into the physical stats.
-x-X-x-
Name: Fenric von Leiqritus, The Third Magician
Level: 30
Prestige Level: 1
EXP: 57,274,136,106/107,374,182,400
Strength: 53.4 (28.4 + 25)
Endurance: 53.6 (28.6 + 25)
Agility: 65.9 (40.9 + 25)
Od: Infinite/Infinite
Circuit Quality: EX
Circuit Quantity: EX
Circuit Composition: Dynamic
Origin: Limitlessness
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Void, Distortion, Soul, Space, Time
Sorcery Trait: Divine Chant
Innate Talent: [Infinite Potential], [Absolute Composure]
Titles: [The Third Magician], [The White Death], [Merchant of Death]
Skills: [Analyze], [Heaven's Feel], [Blessings from the Ends of the World EX], [Robust Health EX], [Human Anatomy Understanding EX], [Riding A+++], [Presence Concealment A++], [Marksmanship A++], [Magecraft A+], [High-Speed Incantation A], [High-Speed Divine Words A], [Eye of the Mind (True) A], [Divinity A], [Mana Burst A], [Aptitude for Slaughter (Tools) A], [Torture Techniques A], [Protection of the Fairies A], [Territory Creation A], [Human Observation A], [Clairvoyance B], [Magic Resistance B], [Information Erasure B], [Mystic Eyes of Force B], [Presence Detection B], [Item Construction B], [Enchant B], [Familiar Creation B], [Bow and Arrow Creation B], [Protection from Arrows B], [Projectile B], [Dragon Slayer B], [God's Resolution C], [Golden Rule C], [Self-Modification C]
Noble Phantasms: [Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia EX], [Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World A++], [Arondight: The Unfading Light of the Lake A], [Arondight - Overload: Breaking All Restraints - Overloaded Light of the Lake A++], [Desperate: Silenced Snow E]
Reality Marble: [Seas?: The Ever? (45%)]
Familiar(1/1): [Zerureusu]
Status Points: 0
[Analyze]
Rank: -
The skill to learn about an object or person by observing them.
[Heaven's Feel]
Rank: -
The skill regarding the instinctive usage of the Third Magic.
The soul will no longer experience dispersion as true immortality is realized making the soul into a high-dimensional planar being capable of interacting with the material world as a mental body without having to return to Akasha. The practitioner will acquire an unlimited source of magical energy due to the soul becoming analogous to a perpetual motion machine.
[Blessings from the Ends of the World]
Rank: EX
The skill automatically given to the wielders of Rhongomyniad since the one who possesses the Holy Lance that exists as an anchor to the planet, is receiving divine protection from the Farthest Ends itself.
At this rank, other than Mana and Luck, all parameters temporarily rank up during battle.
[Robust Health EX]
The Skill that are made up of anecdotes of "not receiving a wound on the battlefield" and "never becoming sick even once since birth". It is also a composite Skill and includes Poison Resistance.
At this rank, Endurance ranked up and attacks received have their damage reduced.
[Human Anatomy Understanding]
Rank: EX
The skill that allows one to have a grasp of the inner workings of the human body, like a piece of precision machinery.
At this rank, all actions intended to heal through Skills, Magecraft, etc, and even the soul, are improved. One is able to target enemy vitals with extreme precision, and all damage inflicted is increased. In addition, all damage received by the user is reduced.
[Riding]
Rank: A+++
The skill denoting the ability to ride mounts and vehicles.
At this rank, all vehicles and all creatures, including the Dragon Kind, up to the level of Phantasmal Beast and Divine Beast can be used as mounts.
[Presence Concealment]
Rank: A++
The skill to hide one's presence.
At this rank, it is possible to disappear completely and become almost impossible to be detected, even against a Servant's perception. However, efficiency will decrease once preparations to attack are taken.
[Marksmanship]
Rank: A++
The skill of all-round shooting techniques, which includes quick drawing and trick shooting by means of small arms.
At this rank, targets can be accurately hit from 7 kilometers away. Extreme focus can result in hitting a target up to 21 kilometers away.
[Magecraft]
Rank: A+
The skill on knowledge about modern Thaumaturgy. Increases learning speed by 80%.
At this rank, all branches of Magecraft have been grasped as many advanced spells are created and learned.
[High-Speed Incantation]
Rank: A
The skill to speak magical incantations at an accelerated speed.
At this rank, it is possible to cast High-Thaumaturgy at the speed of a Single Action spell.
[High-Speed Divine Words]
Rank: A
The skill that assists with magical incantations via a power to activate Thaumaturgy without the use of Magic Circuits. The language of the Age of Gods, back when words played a heavy role in spellcasting. As such, it is a power long lost by modern magi. It is particularly useful for direct attack magic.
At this rank, by using a language from the Age of Gods, High-Thaumaturgy can be cast at the speed of Single-Action spells.
[Eye of the Mind (True)]
Rank: A
The skill of a heightened capacity for observation, refined through training, discipline and experience. A danger-avoidance ability that utilizes the intelligence collected up to the current time as the basis in order to predict the opponent's activity and change the current situation. This is not a result of talent, but an overwhelming amount of combat experience. A weapon wielded by none other than a mortal, gained through tenacious training. So long there is even a 1% chance of a comeback, this ability greatly improves the chances of winning.
At this rank, analysis of the opponent with absolute calmness is possible. Additionally, many battle experience has been accumulated. The skill is further boosted by [Absolute Composure].
[Divinity]
Rank: A
The skill that measures whether one has Divine Spirit aptitude or not. At high levels, one is treated as a mixed race of a Divine Spirit, and the level declines when the Heroic Spirit's own rank as a Monster or Demonic Beast raises. It can also decrease due to one's dislike for the gods. It also has an effect which reduces special defensive values called 'purge defense' in proportion to the Divinity's Rank.
At this rank, one has reached the Throne of Gods and will become a Divine Spirit after death because of the influence of Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World.
[Mana Burst]
Rank: A
The skill that causes an increase in performance by infusing one's weapons and body with magical energy and instantly expelling it. Simply put, recreating the effect of a jet burst by expending large amounts of magical energy.
At this rank, even a stick can become a weapon of great power. A normal weapon that is not on the level of a divine Mystery can be destroyed in one blow. Can also raise one's defense several times over.
[Aptitude for Slaughter (Tools)]
Rank: A
The skill for the slaughtering of humans.
At this rank, implements used gain a plus modifier in their damage dealt against 'humans'.
[Torture Techniques]
Rank: A
The skill that represents one's possession of outstanding torture techniques.
At this rank, plus modifiers are added when using torture tools to deal damage. Because it strengthens bloodshed and agony, further damage is continuously added after the ordinary damage.
[Protection of the Fairies]
Rank: A
The skill which indicates the blessing from Elementals, the capacity to increase one's Luck in dangerous situations. Activation is limited to battlefields, where it is possible to perform feats of arms.
At this rank, one's luck can be greatly increased during combat.
[Territory Creation]
Rank: A
The skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus, such as for the purpose of collecting mana.
At this rank, creation of a 'Temple', which is superior to a 'Workshop', becomes possible.
[Human Observation]
Rank: A
The skill of the technique that observe and understand people.
At this rank, it is not simply observing but the capacity to hypothesize about one's livelihoods and preferences, and even the lives of people whose name are unknown.
[Clairvoyance]
Rank: B+++
The skill that connotes superior visual perception and dynamic occipital capture, such as to supplement the long-range aiming of projectile weapons.
At this rank, keeping track of fast-moving object within a range of five and a half kilometers is possible. Invisible targets can be seen and walls can be seen through. Due to a limitless body capacity, when Reinforcement is used on the eyes, the range can be greatly extended.
[Magic Resistance]
Rank: B
The Skill that grants protection against magical effects. Differing from the Resistance effect that merely rejects Magical Energy, this ability cancels the spells altogether.
At this rank, spells with a chant below three verses are canceled. Even if targeted by High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals, it is difficult for them to be affected.
[Information Erasure]
Rank: B
The skill for the removal of information regarding the perpetrator's true identity, abilities, and appearance from the records and memories of all eye witnesses, including the opponent, following the conclusion of an engagement.
At this rank, this effect is enforced even if the battle took place in broad daylight or was recorded by devices such as digital recordings of a closed-circuit camera. However, evidence of the engagement is not removed from the scene, and by way of logical deduction, the perpetrator's identity may be revealed by examining those evidence.
[Mystic Eyes of Force]
Rank: B
The skill where one has possession of Mystic Eyes, capable of imparting magical effects upon a subject and interfering with the outside world. The Mystic Eyes of Force can manipulate kinetic energy to a certain degree.
At this rank, kinetic energy can be better controlled through the usage of magical energy and Psychic Power. However, living beings cannot be affected.
[Presence Detection]
Rank: B
The skill to detect other Servants and local mana sources.
At this rank, it is possible to detect anything within 4 kilometer via total magical energy output. If used on things at close range, an equal or lower rank of Presence Concealment can be nullified.
[Item Construction]
Rank: B
The skill to manufacture magical items, from implements of war to items for daily use.
At this rank, various weapons and items from all branches of Magecraft can be crafted.
[Enchant]
Rank: B
The skill to endow concepts to items.
At this rank, moderate and useful functions can be added to items with sufficient Mystery.
[Familiar Creation]
Rank: B
The skill that allows the user to create a familiar and control it from a distance.
At this rank, creation of ordinary Magus familiars and average synthetic beasts becomes possible.
[Bow and Arrow Creation]
Rank: B
The skill for designing and creating a bow and arrows.
At this rank, bows and arrows can be made quickly. Although unlimited quantity of arrows can be made with magical energy, the creation of bows still need physical materials.
[Protection from Arrows]
Rank: B
The skill to deal with projectiles, an increased defense against ranged attacks by predicting the projectiles' trajectories through exceptional means, such as hearing the sound of air being cut, or sensing the killing intent of the enemy.
At this rank, it is possible to track down ranged weapons with eyes alone and defending against any long range attack is possible if visual confirmation of the opponent is made. However, the skill does not apply to wide range attack types where the attack range of the weapon explodes on impact, or a direct attack by a weapon that has simply long reach.
[Projectile]
Rank: B
The skill for the destructive power of throwing projectile weapons.
At this rank, thrown projectiles have the same destructive power as firearms.
[Dragon Slayer]
Rank: B
The skill provided for those who have took down a member of the Dragon Kind. It is not a talent given from heaven, but from killing a dragon. It can be said that the anecdotes themselves have become this Skill.
At this rank, grants greater improved attack power and defense power against members of the Dragon Kind.
[God's Resolution]
Rank: C
The skill privilege for the right to use Command Spells against Servants.
At this rank, two Command Spells are granted for each Servant that participates in the Holy Grail War.
[Golden Rule]
Rank: C
The skill that refers to the measurement of one's fortune to acquire wealth.
At this rank, one can live a lifetime untroubled by money.
[Self-Modification]
Rank: C
The skill to remold one's own body or merge one's own flesh with body parts of others. The higher the ranking in this Skill, the further away one is from being a proper hero.
At this rank, physical performance can be enhanced, and the replacement of body parts including the heart is possible.