593Author Note
Hello there and welcome to another chapter of Avalon Bond.
I know that it took me a while, and I truly apologize. I am tying to pick up the slack and update the stories faster.
Not much to comment on about last chapter, so let's get a move on, shall we!
Avalon Bond
Part II – Fate Grand Order
Chapter 45 – Camelot Part IV
Beta: Axel Emiya
The next day, the gang of Chaldea went back to give the Pharaoh their answer.
Of course, the pompous ass in Mordred's words felt offended by Ritsuka's rebuttal. Chadea's position was precarious at best, but pledging loyalty to the Sun King or any side for that matter was just not the way to go right now. Like in America, they had operated as a neutral party and it proved the right path. After all, as Arturia defended, when two parties are on direct opposite sides, there is always a third and most viable option, siding with neither. This Singularity was still in its baby steps. The Grail is in Ozymandias's possession right now, but getting the Grail alone won't solve the singularity. Defeating the Lion King does. As such, the party from Chaldea were immediately expelled from the city.
It wasn't until only the pyramid was visible, that Mordred stopped and turned to the rest, more precisely to Ritsuka.
"Okay, fearless leader, where to now?" Ritsuka looked at her in surprise as the rest was fixated on him as well.
"Oh, well, I don't really know, Mordred." The Knight of Betrayal just opened her mouth in exasperation, while Da Vinci merely chuckled.
"Fear not everyone, I am sure that Romani shall give us his assistance, at least to point us to a nearby servant source. In the meantime, allow me some time to fix my vehicle. It doesn't make sense for us to cross this desert by foot!" As such, just like in the beginning of the singularity, the great genius Leonardo Da Vinci went to work, while Bedivere merely observed, in surprise. Seeing the genius in action like this was a great novelty for someone who was born most likely ten or twelve centuries before the Italian Renaissance period.
As soon as the vehicle was up and running once more, the servants and master climbed aboard for them to leave once more, when they heard someone screaming at them.
"Oi! Wait for us!" Everyone looked upward to see Rushd and his mother approaching, before Rushd started skidding down the sand.
"Rushd! But I thought the Pharaoh had accepted to offer shelter for everyone." His mother soon arrived and bowed in respect, before turning to Mash and then placing her hands on Rushd's shoulder.
"You rescued us from the Lion King's grasp. The others decided to remain in the city, but…plus when Rushd found out you were leaving….he was already running away." The kid scratched his nose, as Mash and Ritsuka laughed.
"You should have remained under the protection of the Pharaoh." Rushd and Salia looked in surprise at Arturia's stern visage. "From here on out, we do not know what lies ahead."
"Not to mention the fact that right now we don't know where to head to next…" Shirou crossed his arms as he eyed Bedivere and the others. Salia, Rushd's mother, looked at her savior in the eye and smiled.
"Then it's a good thing we came…" She removed what appeared to be a pendant that was strapped to her neck. "This was given to me in a village of people who refuse to serve anyone. It was said to me that once in peril, to trust the pendant." Da Vinci then took a step forward and took the item from the woman's hand, before studying it. She began to turn it slightly right and left, while mesmerized by the beauty of the ruby inside. When she turned the stone facing the ground, his eyes sparkled in amazement to see the reflection on the ground.
"Wow, that's quite interesting…" At first, it only illuminated the ground red for a while, but after playing with it for a while, the drawings of what appeared to be a map appeared. "Would you look at that…indeed, you were right, Ms. Salia. Without this, we would be quite lost." The woman in question smiled and bowed in appreciation, while Rushd opened up a smile as he approached Ritsuka. Da Vinci, meanwhile, memorized the map in mere seconds. "So, let's resume our journey then. Andiamo! Shirou and Bedivere, could you both give us a little push…" The two adult servants looked at everyone else already up inside the vehicle and both released a sigh, before going behind and using their combined strength to move it.
The trip went fine and dandy to help them cross the desert with Rushd being a kid for once, enjoying the wind on his face.
However and much to Da Vinci's pout, once they reached the mountain side, they needed to climb. Of course, if given the time, she could turn the entire vehicle into a flight pad, but it would take only her.
The track upward took a quite some time and soon the scorching sun was replaced by dark skies and a crescent moon on the horizon. Shirou and Mash provided the fire and Mordred had the task of hunting whatever food she could find to then give it to Shirou to cook for everyone. Rushd was busy taking care of his mother…the overall climb had taken a toll on her already weakened state. So much so, that she had taken a a bite or two from Shirou's cooked meal for exhaustion to take its course.
Arturia was looking around, searching for Bedivere, before finding him taking a seat on top of the hill by himself, while staring at the moon.
Sir Bedivere's focus was absolute, but right now he wasn't sitting on top of a cold mountain at night.
He was staring at King Arthur's back as he looked down from atop her castle back in their days. It was moments like these that validated Bedivere's existence. To see her be at ease with her accomplishments, despite never openly placing herself above her subjects in any way. The smile she showed him upon turning was what he aspired to see every day. It became a memory he would treasure…but also a memory that haunts him upon the memory of his treason resurfaced. Soon, he narrowed his eyes and looked down in remorse…feeling anger at himself for what he did…what he ended up doing it to her…
"…Something on your mind, Sir Bedivere?" Bedivere looked up in surprise as Arturia approached him. "Mind If I take a seat? You look like you could use the company?"
"Ah Asao, I…" Arturia, though, negated with her head and looked deeply into his eyes.
"Don't…as I said before, you and I are the same…there is no need for any honorifics here."
Bedivere looked even more conflicted but kept his mouth shut as the King of Knights took a seat next to him, before both contemplated the horizon in quiet.
"It's truly a beautiful night, isn't it?" He looked at her and his eyes widened at seeing her peaceful smile. "These singularities we are participating in for Chaldea with Ritsuka…it has truly blessed us with different sights and adventuries. So far, we have traveled around the world in different time periods…met with incredible and noteworthy figures from history…history that even predates our own…though I can't help but linger on our time back home." Bedivere looked surprised at that. Even Arturia considered it surprising. "Of course, I wasn't mentioning what came about once the dark period has began, but…pulling the sword from the stone…unifying our people, building Camelot…forming the Knights of the Round Table…seeing the happy faces of everyone…it was truly honorable."
Bedivere found himself reminiscing as well, somehow more at ease.
"Indeed…honorable is the correct word, my liege, true." Arturia looked at him sideways half annoyed and half amused.
"I could order you not to call me like that…" Bedivere smiled back, but stopped once she stopped as well. "We shall get into the bottom of this, Sir Bedivere…and make this King Arhtur see reason. You have my word on that."
Bedivere nodded, before Arturia got back up.
"I shall leave you be, then…Shirou's cooking is something I don't want to miss and Mordred tends to want it all to herself, so I must hurry."
Now left alone once more, Bedivere stared at the moon in front of him once more, in deep resolve for his mission.
===Next Day===
Their travel resumed the next day, with Rushd aiding his mother. She has caught a fever from overexerting herself.
They needed to reach the destination as soon as possible to get her a suitable place to rest and receive treatment.
Shirou has been using small doses of healing magecraft, but she needed to rest and they couldn't afford to stop right now.
Luckily, it didn't take very long for them to find what appeared to be a small looking village on the other side of the mountain and better yet a full path for them to reach. At this point, Shirou had to carry Salia on his back as they slowly climbed the last steps to reach the village. However, their track soon stopped once a good amount of arrows stopped them. Mash immediately summoned her shield to protect Ritsuka and the others, while the others looked upward to see who attacked them.
They could see a lot of archers with dark clothes and what appeared to be a servant dressed in a black cape and a white mask that was visible on his head region.
Arturia looked straight at the familiar image of a similar looking servant she met at the Fourth Grail War.
"…I thought that something was off…to think that there are servants here…this is not a place you belong. Leave at once!"
"…Assassin!" Everyone turned to Arturia as she eyed the black cape looking servant.
In her mind, as well as her link with Shirou, memories of the Banquet of Kings scene when the multiple face Hassain appeared, before being killed by Iskandar's Noble servant in question looked straight at Arturia for a while, before his eyes moved towards Bedivere. Removing his dark and disfigured arm from within his cape, he pointed a finger straight at Bedivere.
"That happens to be a Knight of the Round Table…an ally of the Lion King. All the more reason for you lot to be begone this instant…"
the Assassin then moved his eyes towards the unconscious woman that Shirou was carrying and the frail looking boy in front of them. Assassin saw the familiar red pendant strapped around her neck and eased up on the threatening glare. Still, all of this could be no better than a trap to lure the enemy inside their village. "I won't say it again, turn around and leave or else…"
"Please, he is not allied to the Lion King…we had all escaped the Holy City!"
Ritsuka argued their case, but the Assassin type servant wouldn't budge and even urged the archers to attack.
Shirou realized that the servant was focusing on Salia and attempted to reason with him.
"At least, allow us to place her into a proper bed, she needs treatment as soon as possible." The Archers stopped as Assassin looked up at Shirou. "I had tried treating her, but she felt ill on our journey. She needs water and rest."
"Cursed Arm…" Bedivere heard a familiar voice approaching, before Arash appeared beside the Assassin servant. "I can vouch for them…let them through." Arash said so with a smile as he eyed Bedivere as well as the others. His eyes found Shirou's and looked surprised for a good second, before smiling once more as he eyed Bedivere. "Hello there Lucius, we met again, huh." With that, the archers retreated and even Cursed Arm Hassain, allowing the group from Chaldea to finish their travel. As soon as they entered the village, Hasann urged Shirou and the others to follow him, so that he could take Salia to one of the unused houses, while urging his subordinate to bring in some food and water.
While Shirou stood by to take care of her, with Rushd, Mordred and Mash, the others went to talk to Cursed Arm Hassann in his personal tent. It didn't take long for them to explain everything that happened, going from their encounter at the Holy City until their meet with the Sun King, before coming here by following the map hidden inside the pendant.
"It sounds mostly farfetched to hear someone say they escape the grasp of the Holy City. It's almost unbelievable." Ritsuka nodded.
"It is, but we are telling the truth…Shirou and Mordred battled up against Sir Gawain…and…" Ritsuka then turned to Arash who was seating by Hasann. "Shirou said that some of the arrows that attacked the guards from the Holy City weren't his. He said that someone else was throwing them from a distance." Arash nodded, now truly wanting to chat with this Shirou person as he grabbed his bow that rest by the wall.
"True, I was there to aid you all, along with some of our own. It was the time I met Lucius here. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Arash Kamangir, archer servant."
Bedivere cleared up his throat.
"Back then, Arash, I had lied about my name, my apologies. I am Bedivere." Arash then introduced them to Hasann as the Village Chief, who bowed slightly.
"I apologize for my rudeness before, but I only did it so to protect the residents of this village. They are people who refuse to serve both the Lion King and the Sun King. Now, please get some rest, we can talk more at a later date."
Hasann got up and left them to their own devices.
When Arturia walked out of the house, she turned to see Hasann standing there.
"You look surprisingly like the Lion King, Saber." Arturia turned to inspect the former Assassin with a knowing smile.
"So, you remember me as well, Assassin." The Cursed Arm Hassann nodded.
"I happen to be one amongst many of the Hasann line, the line of the Assassins. Although, I wasn't summoned personally in that Holy Grail War, once you summon one of us, you summon all of us." Arturia at the time, saw many appearing at once, despite being only one servant. Back then, none of them dared attack either her or Irisviel, so right now, she has no reason to be antagonized by the servant next to her. "I must say, it's quite surprising to see two versions of the King of Knights…care to explain?"
Arturia crossed her arms as she looked forward.
"I don't have all the details, but something happened to this version of King Arthur, that distanced her life from what happened to mine. Thus, different versions of us emerges. I had already faced a third and a fourth version of me in other singularities, so this is not new to me." Hassann nodded, before looking around. He then looked at the King of Knights and bid her goodbye for now, before walking away and leaving her to her own devices.
===With Shirou===
After making sure that she was taken care of, Shirou left the house they had chosen to rest and recuperate in order to gather some water and some food for later on.
It was explained to them that each and every adult living here must do something to aid the rest.
In Arash's words, those that don't work, don't eat.
As such, Ritsuka and Mash were busy trying to catch a few fish in a nearby stream, togeher with Rushd. Mordred and Arturia went hunting. The Knight of Treachery found the experience to be quite satisfying. In Britain, it's well established that the son joins the father on hunting trips. In their lifetime, these experiences were almost impossible to have with the King. Nowadays, however, there were merely father and son hanging together.
The others were doing their own thing, with Da Vinci mostly talking to Romani about the new servants they had met, as well as their plans moving forward.
Back to Shirou, he was found near the stream where Ritsuka and Mash were fishing.
After Ritsuka and Mash caught the fish, they gave those to Shirou to be cleaned properly. With a projected kitchen knife, Shirou gathered some rocks on the ground and placed the dead fish on it to clean. Arash was close by, handing by the wall with his arms crossed. The Persian hero was just content in observing the newcomer go about his task with utmost care and skill. Arash's eyes saw plenty going on upon looking at Shirou with his personal skill. When the redhead samurai servant finished cleaning the fish, he had placed the fish tight up inside a net to be then cooked for the entire village later tonight.
When Shirou turned, he saw Arash looking at him from a distance.
"I was wondering if you would ever approach or just stand there, watching me. Arash is it?" The Persian Hero nodded with a smile.
"It is and you are Shirou Emiya…I was masking my presence, but you knew I was here, huh? Interesting."
Shirou nodded. With Muramasa's skill, he could feel the very earth beneath his feet like it's second nature.
"From one Archer to another, I know what's like to keep a safe distance." Arash whistled as Shirou's black bow materialized on his back from pure prana.
"Well, color me impressed, another archer servant…though, you are no regular servant, are you Shirou?" The redhead samurai looked at Arash, wondering what he meant, before the man explained. "Once a mere magus from a foreign land, from a distant future, now a full time servant carrying a spirit from the land's past." Before Shirou could attempt to counterclaim Arash's accusations, the man himself pointed to his eyes. "Don't worry, Clairvoyance at its finest."
"Oh, I see…well, you have me at a disadvantage, since you appear to know a lot about me and my little about you." Arash hummed.
"One thing I find particularly interesting, Shirou…and it's something we seem to share…a very interesting, but unfortunate disposition for self-sacrifice."
At this, Shirou chuckled.
"Your eyes can see that much, huh…well, it's not a trait the others appreciate about me so much."
Shirou lost count on how many times Rin, Taiga and even Arturia complained about that…
"True, it's not something to be proud about, I am afraid. Trust me, I know that by experience."
Once the gathered food has been hunted and prepared, the entire village had gathered around at night to appreciate the prepared meal as well as a good enough shelter for everyone. Ritsuka, Mash and Rushd were together, making their own batch of bread, while Da Vinci, Mordred, Arturia and a much livelier Salia stood together, just content in observing the others enjoying themselves. Arash and Bedivere were having their own chat. Soon, it became too late at night as both Mash and Ritsuka had fallen asleep right next to Rushd.
For now, everything seemed peaceful, but the more seasoned fighters knew that the enemy would strike any minute now.
===Next Day===
Just like everyone suspected, indeed the Lion King has made her move in the dead of night.
Once morning reached the village, Ritsuka was seen conversing with Cursed Arm Hasann about their leader, the ultimate Assassin servant, known as the Old Man of the Mountain. The group were alerted when Arash came running at them, with grave news about the West Village suffering an attack and that Serentiy of Hassan, the one responsible for the West Village's protection was taken hostage towards one of the Lion King's forts. Cursed Arm Hasann let out a sigh in distress.
"They didn't take long to act, it seems. We need to find a way to rescue her." Before anyone could ponder on their actions, Ritsuka placed a step forward.
"We'll go and rescue her." Arash and Cursed Arm Hassan looked at the teen master.
"Alright, I shall guide you. Arash, please protect the village in my absence." The Persian Archer nodded.
"I shall stay as well to help Arash." Everyone turned to see Shirou volunteer, before he turned to Arturia and Mordred. "I can't help but wonder if this is some sort of ruse to lure all of us away from here."
"This is Agravain's doing, I am sure of it." Arturia pondered aloud and Modred nodded. "He is the strategist behind the Knights of the Round Table and someone who isn't above using subterfuge as the others." Arturia then looked at Shirou. "I am afraid that Shirou is right. We can't all go. This village's defenses would rely only on Arash to guard it." Shirou nodded, before turning to Ritsuka for confirmation, who nodded back. Ritsuka, then, looked back at Cursed Arm Hasann.
"Right, let's go then." Shirou and Arash stood side by side as they observed the others march away.
"You know, for some reason, I wonder why you had decided to stay...it's not like another Archer would mean much of a difference."
Shirou turned to his fellow Archer servant with a smile.
"Your clairvoyance is strong, but it's unfortunately limited to the person in front of you." Arash looked at him in wonder. "It does not work on someone who's hidden within." Arash looked on in surprise when Shirou summoned two identical - and foreign to the Persian archer's knowledge - swords, both with black hilts, before strapping both on each side of his waist. "I venture that you work best at a distance, so please count me in for close combat purposes."
The surprise ceased in Arash's eyes as he now could see what Shirou was talking about.
Looking at Shirou's eyes once more, his eyes showed Arash info about a different entity altogether.
"Well, color me impressed…" Arash said with a smile as he turned to provide the villagers their set of orders.
===With Arturia===
The track towards the fort where Serentiy was held hostage was slow. Hasann was the one guiding their path throughout the mountains.
"Arturia-taichou…" The King of Knights turned to Mash as they walked throughout the night. "If we do encounter one of the knights, you're going to reveal yourself?"
The question truly made her pause.
Indeed, this would be the first time that she would have to face her fellow knight in battle. Usually, she would ask Shirou to trace her assassin dagger, but using it against any of her compatriots just wouldn't feel right. She quickly gathered the article of clothing she had upon arriving at the Holy City, before covering the upper part of her body. Remembering the fights at the Holy Grail Wars, when she would cover her sword with invisible air. Against the stronger servants, focusing prana on her sword like this was ill-advised, but for the moment, this would allow her to use the element of surprise if needed be.
After making the arrangements, she turned to Mash.
"You're right, Mash…showing myself right now is too reckless." Mordred could only humpf at such a need for secrecy.
"There is no need for such a thing, father, leave it to me, I will beat them all with Clarent without breaking a sweat."
Mordred backed down, however, when she saw the stern look from her father.
"You said the same thing about Lancelot and passed out soon after facing him. You are not to underestimate your fellow knights, Mordred."
The Knight of Treachery visible pouted at being scolded.
Cursed Arm Hasann stopped walking and urged everyone to stop as well. They were a few meters away from their destination.
"We are about to arrive at the fort where Serenity is hidden. I will go ahead and deal with any archers on the walls."
Hasann, then, vanished from view while the group took up hiding at the base of the fort. Just like Hasann foretold, there were two armed giants with knight armor standing guard on top of the fort's highest standing point. Hasann materialized from behind them and materialized a black dagger, before thrusting right into the back of the creature's neck, killing them instantly. The Assassin servant then swiftly jumped towards the passageway from the top of the fort to find the entrance. Ritsuka, meanwhile, used a rope and a hook to climb upwards, while the other servants used their own skill to climb.
They had landed on another passageway that was perpendicular to the one used by Hasann. They began to run throughout the passageway, without making any noise.
Arturia was the one that caught on to the sudden shift in the air as a spear was sent flying straight towards the lot and would have easily skewered them all if she hadn't used her hidden sword to parry it. Everyone turned in abrupt surprise at the sudden motion as Arturia stood guard, while facing her foe. It may be nighttime, but she recognized that spear any day.
It span in the air for a while, before it travelled back to its wielder.
She narrowed her eyes at the sight of perhaps the most trusted Knight of the Round Table, Sir Percival, standing on top of the fort's rooftop. Gray haired, light gray overall clothes, strapped by a belt that covered a black piece of fabric underneath. Arturia however frowned once she saw the man's overall visage. It wasn't the peaceful looking expression she had grown used to seeing, but a deranged look, with narrowed eyebrows and teeth grinding.
"Sir Percival!" Before Arturia could address her subordinate, Bedivere appeared in front of her with his small sword in hand.
The man, however, appeared to be quite deranged and even snarled at Bedivere.
"Bedivere, everyone, go right ahead and find Serenity. I shall deal with him." Bedivere and Mordred looked at Arturia in surprise. "Get going, already!"
Arturia's urge had reason as the Lancer servant turned Berserker by the Lion King charged straight ahead with his spear Longinus glowing yellow, with the promise of slicing Arturia in two, before the King of Knights parried the attack. Mordred let out a notable 'tsk' at the image of her father clashing against Percival's spear and urged everyone to run as well. Mash and Ritsuka soon followed the Knight of Treachery, but Bedivere remained for a few seconds as he watched Arturia's back for a while, before turning and following the others.
Arturia observed as the others left, before resuming her focus on the 2nd seat of the Round Table, behaving more akin to Heracles in the Fifth Grail War.
"It truly breaks my heart to see you like this, Sir Percival." The man could only snarl at her and Arturia wondered if her attempt of reasoning was more for her sake than his. "Summoning such a gentle soul like yourself and then turning you into this…I can't help but wonder what has gotten into her mind to dishonor your legacy like this…" She stopped talking once Percival's spear glowed once more as the man flipped in the air and delivered a vertical attack with as much anger as he could muster. Arturia was however used to this sort of opponent and merely diverted his weapon's trajectory with her sword, making Percival smash half of the bridge they were standing on.
She took advantage of his momentum and positioned herself to deliver a quick and fatal blow that would have freed him from such a nightmare.
Her sword however stopped as Percival used the base of the spear to block her attack and followed up with another attack that forced her to back away.
"Hmmm, even driven by madness, I can see that your skill with the spear is not lost, my friend."
Of course, the answer was only another snarl as the man advanced once more, this time with a series of attacks that kept Arturia on the defensive. The noise of metal hitting against metal echoed in the clearing as the duel between the two knights continued. Sir Percival was the only one of the Knights that favored the spear instead of the sword, but Arturia had enough experience as a servant to battle against Lancers of all places in history. As such, despite the ample maneuvers and different attacking patterns, the King of Knights managed to anticipate most if not all of them. Her sword would pierce his defense and draw blood, but that only served to antagonize her opponent further.
While in the midst of their duel, Arturia's resolve softened at the splitting image of the peaceful warrior compared to the crazy maniac that now appeared in front of her.
Seeing him like this had only increased her desire to settle this singularity once and for all, to set her knights free from this madness. Arturia then saw as Percival had created a long distance between them, before focusing a huge amount of prana into his spear. It began to glow a brighter shade of yellow, before turning into bloody red. The sudden size of the spear had quadrupled as Percival focused the rest of the prana into his legs for the necessary propulsion.
Arturia only watched as the knight filled with madness enhancement charged like a bullet with his gigantic spear straight towards the King of Knights, with the promise of passing right through her.
===With Ritsuka===
It didn't take long for the rest to find the entrance of the fort as they searched the hallways to find the prison cells.
Most of the cells were empty, exception for one. Ritsuka eyed a small looking figure strapped to the wall with dark skin and purple hair. They saw the mask resembled the Hassann line, before Mash smashed the prison cell lock. Ritsuka got inside as soon as the door opened and saw the black chains that trapped Serenity to the wall. He was about to grab the chains to see if he could get her loose, before Mordred stepped in front of him to stop him.
"Idiot, can't you feel the prana residue from these chains. It's enough to entrap a servant…what do you think a mere human could do, huh?" Mordred snorted, before removing the Clarent and breaking the chains. "These chains are from Agravain's Noble Phantasm, Iron Punishment. If you grabbed it, you would suffer the same fate as this servant." Ritsuka stepped back a bit at Mordred's stare at him, while Mash helped Serenity back up. The skeleton mask soon fell on the ground, though, revealing Serenity to be a teen girl at the same height as Mash.
She opened her eyes in surprise just as Ritsuka approached to check up on her.
"Are you alright?"
Serenity blinked a few times in wonder as her eyes glued on Ritsuka. She blushed, however, as he grabbed her hand and his face was too close to hers for comfort.
"A…ano…please don't come close to me…my breath, my saliva, is like poison."
Ritsuka, however, merely looked at her not backing away, which made Serenity even more uncomfortable.
"We need to leave."
Ritsuka turned to see Bedivere and nodded, before grabbing Serenity and placing her on his back, despite her blushing like crazy at being touched by someone else.
The group left the prison cells and reached what appeared to be a large hallway. Mash had quickly ran in front of Ritsuka as the giant knight beasts attacked her at once. She used her shield to block and attack then, while Mordred joined the fray, attacking them all with her Clarent. The Mash and Mordred combination dealt with the first fray of opponents quite easily and would have dealt with the rest, until a black gloved hand urged the other beasts to stop, just as Mordred fell into battle position.
"So…its's true then…the Knight of Treachery had appeared to oppose the King once more." Mordred snarled as the calm and deep voice of Sir Agravain appeared from behind the horde of knights. "Not only that, but it appears that you sided with the master of Chaldea. That's quite unfortunate. On the other hand, it's truly fitting in the end. You are only being faithful to your core, isn't it Mordred? After all, there is no possible fate for the son of the King other than being the one responsible for Camelot's downfall." Mordred snarled at the man's piercing words.
Despite knowing about the man's skill and torture and interrogation, her insides began to burn at the memory of glares she received back then.
"That's enough Agravain! You are the one aiding this amount of madness to continue unimpeded. You say Mordred is the Knight of Betrayal, but what does that say about you?" Agravain turned to Bedivere.
"Hmmm, Bedivere…we're only seeking the path to preserve humanity. The King's actions are absolute in this very purpose. Therefore, those who oppose the King, are against the salvation of humanity." Agravain then waved his hand as the same iron punishment chains took control of the horde of Knight beasts, turning them all into his puppets to control. For Mordred, this was more up her alley rather than fight a losing battle of attempting to win a conversation with Agravain.
Clarent glowed in deep red hue as the Knight of Treachery attacked the black knights of Agravain with all her might.
Still, she noticed that this time, the enemies were more resilient and took more damage, forcing her to take things up a notch, which to her was just fine.
Agravain soon noticed when her sword formed a giant pillar of red light, as Mordred got rid of all his creatures in one swing, as well punching a hole in the wall behind them.
===Outside the Fort===
As soon as Ritsuka and the others left with Serenity on Ritsuka's shoulder, they all turned upwards to witness the level of damage caused by Percival's attack. It was enough to blow the entire fort's rooftop into nothing. The group from Chaldea looked around frantic to see what happened to Arturia, only to see her appearing from the fire and the rubble caused by Percival's attack. The man's Noble Phantasm was powerful indeed, but his madness made it difficult for him to adapt his trajectory, once the opponent move to dodge.
Of course, Arturia didn't come out unscathed, with a good piece of her armor missing, before reforming it thanks to her link with Shirou.
"Arturia-taichou…are you alright?" Mash approached the King of Knights who was busy looking around to see if Percival was still around.
Seeing as she couldn't feel any servant nearby and their mission was accomplished, the group from Chaldea left towards Hasann's group ran far and fast to reach the village as soon as possible. Serenity had just confided to Cursed Arm Hassann that due to Agravain's technique, she ended up revealing the location of the Azrael Shrine and the East Village.
Arturia worried abotut Shirou's safety.
If Agravain's MO rang true, then he would be sending the heavy hitters to raid the village. Gawain, Lancelot, Tristan…they could be attacking the village right now.
===With Shirou===
True to Arturia's worry, indeed Agravain had ordered an entire army to raid the East Village.
Arash had taken care of securing the villagers by sealing them inside the Azrael Shrine's entrance, while Shirou worked his way through the knight beasts with his swords. The village was in flames, unfortunately, as the two servants worked their way into defeating the majority of the enemies they could. Arash soon joined him in the fray, using his arrows to deal with the attackers. However, Arash had to dodge an incoming sword attack from none other than Lancelot himself.
"An underhand attack…not particularly chivalrous coming from a knight of the round table." Lancelot fell into battle position.
"An enemy is an enemy…the means don't matter." Lancelot advanced on Arash…
"Then allow me to face you instead, Sir Lancelot." The Knight of the Lake had to sidestep as Shirou's twin katana emerged from his blind spot. "Arash, please deal with the others, I shall face him."
The Persian hero nodded as he ran to kill the rest of the beast knights with his arrows. Lancelot narrowed his eyes at the newcoming opponent.
"Who are you?" Shirou chuckled at the question.
"Giving you my name won't mean much, I am afraid, but not introducing myself does not bode well with me. My name is Emiya Shirou, a pleasure to meet the great Lancelot. I had heard all about your prowess with the sword." Lancelot wasn't very thrilled as he kept on glaring at the redhead samurai.
"You're right, your name tells me nothing. I will just have to take care of you quickly, before dealing with Arash."
Lancelot soon advanced with a swing of his sword, before Shirou blocked it. Lancelot was surprised to see that his opponent was meeting his strength without skidding not even slightly. Shirou had even pushed Lancelot back by using his both swords, before attacking Lancelot who went on the defensive. The dance of sparks echoed in the clearing as Lancelot found himself studying the opponent's fighting patterns. "I must admit I had underestimated you, Emiya Shirou, but this is the end." Shirou's tracing ability soon observed as Arondight began to glow in dark blue hue, just like he saw the man use with Mordred.
Lancelot became surprised when both of Shirou's swords burst into flames as he met Arondight Overload's attack head on.
The others soon arrived to see Arash dealing with the beasts, when Arturia saw the light of Lancelot's attack up the hill. She and Mordred immediately ran, knowing that Shirou was engaging against Lancelot. When she arrived, she saw Shirou and Lancelot grinding their swords half-way. Lancelot was truly impressed with his resolve as Shirou kept toe to toe in both skill and strength. Despite Shirou being the enemy, he couldn't help but respect a worthy opponent.
"As loathe as I am to admit, but despite you being the enemy, I can't help but feel a kindred spirit upon clashing swords with you." Shirou smirked, while in locked swords.
"Likewise…though, unfortunately, the circumstances don't allow us to prolong this duel."
Lancelot was surprised when Shirou used blunt force to push him once more, before his fist glowed in bright blue prana. Lancelot felt his chest armor crack under the almighty punch as he was sent flying down the mountain, courtesy of Shirou's punch. The others managed to defeat the rest of the beast knights, before Arash appeared by Shirou's side with a hand on his shoulder.
"You are no mere Archer servant, are you Shirou!?" The redhead samurai servant only nodded at the Persian hero, before Arash looked around.
"Well, the village is pretty much ruined, but at least we managed to push them away this time."
Da Vinci looked around with a smile on her face as the others appeared to be safe and sound.
However, she was surprised when Romani's frantic voice came through their intercom.
"Everyone, a huge spike of energy had just pierced the sky…you all need to leave, right away!"
True to his warning, the sky turned black filled with dark clouds as a bright yellow swirling energy surged, piercing the clouds and charging straight towards the East Village. Arturia looked at the pattern and gasped, recognizing it as the energy of her holy lance, lost in ages. The others could only look, as the mighty energy of the Lion King's Rhongomyniad slowly but surely travelled towards the East Village and the Shrine. Its size was monumental and none of the servants had anything in their repertoire to block it.
Not even Mash's shield could block it. Arturia wondered if the full might of her Excalibur could be enough, but she doubted it.
Arash happened to be the only one with a smile on his face, albeit a familiar one that only those with the same mindset could understand its true meaning.
"Well, it appears that this friendship wasn't meant to last very long, Shirou…" The redhead looked at the Persian hero in surprise as he walked towards the binding light that would soon obliterate the mountain. "However, I venture that with you around, my duty here is fulfilled. Please refrain from doing that self-sacrifice of yours any time soon. Leave that to little old me." Arash then focused enough prana to use one last arrow…the one arrow that made his lore famous throughout these lands.
Arash placed the arrow in his bow's string and began his chant.
"O' Holy Lord of the sun Rays…one who bestows all wisdom, majesty and strength!" Arash pulled the arrow as he aimed. "O' Shining Lord. My heart, my thoughts...and my accomplishments be examined. Now, creator of the moon and stars... My deeds, my end. Behold my Spənta Ārmaiti…." Arashi was surprised when Shirou appeared by his side, interrupting the man's chant. Shirou's full prana became visible for all to see as he focused on summoning Caladbolg II.
"…at least, allow me to stand by your side in your final moments, Arash. From one self-sacrifice to another."
Arash looked at his fellow Archer servant and nodded with a smile as he resumed his final chant.
"…As I unleash this Final arrow, let my very being... be shredded into dust." Shirou pulled Caladbolg as soon as Arash finished his chant, focusing on as much prana as he could muster, just as Arash screamed.
"STELLA!"
In less than a second, both missiles travelled straight towards the energy of Rhongomyniad, as Shirou lowered his bow. Arash's final moment of glory had truly inspired his heart, despite the man was no longer by his side. He didn't need to worry about it not working. Just to look upward it would mean doubt…it would mean that Arash's sacrifice was for nothing. No, he had poured every bit of energy he had into his own arrow as well…his one didn't reach as high as Arash's, exploding it upon impact with Rhongomyniad and removing a little bit of its momentum.
Arash's Stella, though, kept on going high and up in the sky, until it reached the core of the Lion King's energy.
The second blast was enough to fully stop the sacred lance from destroying the East Village and the Shrine where the Old Man of the Mountain rested.
Arash's arrow was even enough to dissipate the dark clouds and the sun appeared in all its majesty.
Shirou stood there, contemplating the moment as Arturia approached by his side.
He looked upward to focus on the bright sun that illuminated the village, now saved thanks to Arashi's sacrifice.
Author Note
Well, that's it for now.
I had pictured the ending scene in my mind multiple times and really wished to transport into paper. I really hope that I was able to do that. Arash's technique, unfortunately, results in his death, so there was no possible way to stay true to the story and still save him. I don't know if another technique can top the Lion King's Final Judgement Attack, at least not the one used in this singularity, being all powered-up. Please tell me your thoughts. I really wish to finish this singularity in two more chapters.
Lastly, I have recently created a P-atreon account for those who wish to follow my stories more personally, sending suggestions and occasional polls to help me.
Also for those who wish to make a pledge there, it will be highly appreciated.
P-atreon Account: Anime-Enthusiast
Next update: Cursed Eyes