The fatigue from their previous conflicts was sketched all over Illya’s body, Saber on the other hand appeared to be nearly at full strength though the aura she excluded was far weaker than when she had fought with Assassin.
“Illya you’re tired. If Kiritsugu has charged the castle yet again, then leave this to us. We are still in prime form, please stay back and rest while we go and help him. Charging in while you are tired will only put you in more trouble.”
These were Sakura’s sincere words, she would never put her sister in danger and being so fatigued was a recipe for disaster.
Though Illya held a kind a smile her words were the opposite to what Sakura wanted to hear. “Thank you for your concern Sakura, but I can’t leave Kiritsugu off on his own, if he’s in trouble I have to go and save him. The only reason I came back this far to ensure that the gown was secured. But we can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Turning away from Sakura and towards her Servant, Illya spoke her command. “Saber, I want you to go back into the forest immediately so that you can catch up to Kiritsugu. With your speed that should be an easy enough task, even though your magical isn’t as much as it once was.”
Saber, who had been carrying the homunculus after Kiritsugu handed it over, gently set her down and turned to face Illya. With her calm demeanor and knightly stature she voiced her own opinion on the matter. “I refuse, my contract as a Servant is with my Master, Illyasviel and not with Kiritsugu. Though he might have been my Master once before those bonds are gone. I will not take place in such a mission of my own will. If you wish for me to do so, then you will require a command seal. But consider this Master. As Sakura stated you are clearly more tired than anyone else here, let us focus on guarding what we came here for, that seems like the most ideal option for us right now.”
A sad look came over Illya’s face. The rift between former Master and Servant must have grown very deep when they had once worked together. But she was not about to allow that rift to get in the way of saving her one and only father. No matter how much Saber might hate her for it she wouldn’t let him disappear again, not after all the things he had to go through to reunite with her.
Holding her hand out and showing the command seal on her hand Illya began to speak in a determined voice. “Very well then, Saber, by this Command Seal, I or-”
“Wait! Illyasviel please stop and think for a moment!” Maiya’s shout rang through the edge of the forest. It was enough to not only halt Illya’s command but also half the forest creatures wandering the trees above them.
“I know you’re concerned for Kiritsugu’s safety just as much as I am if not even more so. But please stop and consider those around you. We’ve been together for so long now, were those bonds really so weak despite our recent rift so as to cause this mistrust? I know you want to go and save him as soon as humanly possible and believe me. If it were not for everyone here I would have long gone in there myself. But if we wish to successfully accomplish this goal, we need to work together to do so. Therefore I would like to suggest a temporary truce.”
Using Illya’s continued silence as a sign that she was at least willing to listen, Maiya quickly glanced towards Sakura and then back towards Illya and Saber, Maiya managed to convey her intentions to Sakura.
Seeing as Sakura was the leader of their team she decided to speak up next. “Illya, Kiritsugu has raised me like his own daughter despite not being related by blood like you. He saved me from my former life all on his own rather than leaving me to die. So please, believe me when I say that I don’t want to lose him anymore than you or Maiya. Allow me to send Assassin in ahead, though he cannot sense Kiritsugu’s immediate location, Assassin is an expert at tracking and espionage. He can easily sneak by any stray homunculi far easier than Saber, and can even aid Kiritsugu to ensure his safety at least long enough for us to catch up.
The deep voice of Assassin who still hid amongst one of the nearby trees was the next to speak up. “And why should I help this man?”
Sakura replied, her voice strengthening with every word she spoke. “Kiritsugu is not just my father, but also the source of my inspiration for summoning you Assassin. I wanted someone who would be much more likely to adapt to the modern age, and you seemed like a prime candidate, and I am glad to say that so far you have not disappointed. But not only that, I’m sure Kiritsugu has a plan for ridding this forest of the Einzbern menace that currently occupy it. If we leave them be now they will simply regain their previous numbers and will continue to interfere with the war until we stop them once and for all. Attacking them while their numbers are thin from the constant fighting is our best option.”
A moment of silence had passed as Assassin thought through his options before his voice finally rang out. “Hmph, then as you command I shall follow. To leave these puppets wandering the vicinity of the war would be a crime most untrue. If you command it I will aid this Kiritsugu with all my strength.”
Though still a bit nervous to this plan Illya spoke up. “Ah, if you are going to help Kiritsugu then I saw him run off in that direction.” Pointing towards the deep and darkened forest Illya showed the invisible Servant the way.
Seeing the direction that Illya pointed in Assassin began to prepare, he only needed to hear the final confirmation. “Your order Master?”
“Aid Kiritsugu with all of your strength, see that he is kept safe and sound until either his goal is accomplished and he returns or we catch up ourselves.”
“As you command,” His presence finally began to disappear, the masked Servant would see that his mission was a success, such was his very creed.
Sakura, Maiya, Illya, Saber, and the homunculus were the remaining people. With time already short Illya wasted no effort in her own movements. “Saber please place the woman in our vehicle I will cast a few bounded fields that will hide her presence until we return, after that we will leave immediately to pursue Kiritsugu and Assassin.
Saber began to do as she was instructed. Seeing that her Master was still unwilling to change her mind she knew that even if she did obey it would only put Illyasviel in more danger. And though Saber was unwilling to charge towards Kiritsugu’s rescue on her own, if Illya were to come with her she would reluctantly agree to help.
Watching Illya quickly construct her bounded field, Sakura still couldn’t help but speak up. “I know that once you have made up your mind you have no intention of turning back Illya. But is there anything I can do to convince you to at least rest for a short period of time so that you might catch your breath and regain some lost magical energy?”
While still focusing on her work Illya refused to turn and face her sister. Rather she spoke up as her hands moved rhythmically to create the magic sigil. “I’m sorry Sakura, but you are right. Once I’ve made up my mind. I follow through to it till the end.”
With a final touch the barrier was formed and Illya immediately began to run towards the forest that she had just recently been so desperate to escape. “Come, Sakura and Maiya. I’ve already been to the castle once and Saber is quite familiar with the land surrounding it. If we hurry then we can make good time. The sun should be rising any minute now, it’ll be much harder to hide ourselves once darkness fades.”
And thus the group was off to save the man that almost all of them loved so much.
*****************************************************************************
It had been over fifteen years since he had last set foot in this forest. The memories of his failure to save his beloved still rang heavily in his mind even after all this time. As he ran through the all too familiar forest his innate bounded field sprung to life.
Through a combination of time manipulation and familiarity with his surroundings he had so far managed to give most of the homunculi the slip. For the ones unfortunate enough to be caught within his range had their brains splattered onto the forest floor thanks to a few well aimed shots from his machine gun.
Though they had increased parameters compared to that of a normal human, their quality as fighters was vastly outmatched by Kiritsugu’s own skill as a killer.
They moved like mindless machines unable to think on their own. As if puppets following a puppetmaster they mindlessly charged their prey unafraid of their own demise. They were nothing more than machines, so in a way, Kiritsugu almost felt an affinity towards them.
However that affinity only made him curse them all the more strongly. He would put them and the rest of this miserable forest out of its misery, and he had just such a tool for the job.
Eventually his efforts had proven their worth. Though fatigued from the constant running and combat he managed to make his way relatively unnoticed towards a faintly marked building deep in the Einzbern forest.
By this point he was nearly out of ammunition and his lone arm was greatly fatigued due to the constant exertion, but he had made it to his first goal. Quickly rushing inside the aged wooden door of the crumbling shack, Kiritsugu ran inside and went to work.
There was a secret stash of munitions and a few explosive materials that he had hid here long ago in case an emergency called for them but he never had time to return and grab them. And lucky for him that would pay off for him here and now.
But it wasn’t the explosives he was after. Rather it was a single bullet stashed safely inside a well crafted case underneath the ground. Though he had more of these munitions he hadn’t yet had time for them to arrive in Japan. The war had moved too quickly, and these special rounds needed extra preparations in order to be properly prepared for a battle.
Opening the case, Kiritsugu breathed a small sigh of relief as he confirmed that his stash had not yet been compromised. The single bullet, the origin round lay safely stashed away in perfect condition just like the day he hid it there.
“Is this why you staked your life to return? For that weapon?”
His body began to react before his mind. Dropping his bullet he began to reach for his weapon only to realize that it was already too late. Cursing the fact that he was greatly limited in his carefulness due to his single arm he came face to face with the always floating mask of the Assassin.
“Sakura’s Servant!? What are you doing here?” Kiritsugu was surprised at this new development. He hadn’t seen Sakura or rather, he didn’t even know she was in the forest at all. So why was her Servant here?
Unmoving as always, the mask spoke so as to clear things up. “Kiritsugu Emiya, relax. I am under orders from Sakura Emiya your daughter, to server as your protector until your mission is accomplished. Though my mask often says otherwise, I will act as your shield until the moment I am told otherwise.”
Though it was difficult to believe someone as shady as Assassin, Kiritsugu had little choice but to do as such. This was Assassin after all. If he had truly wanted to kill him he would not have bothered with revealing himself and explaining his situation. And besides, though there were few people Kiritsugu trusted, above all else, if his family said so he would believe their every word.
It was one of his newfound weaknesses, a crack in his armor, but it was also a source of his greatest motivation and strength. “Our goal is the heart of the Einzbern castle in its basement. Though I am familiar with the old layout the Einzbern might have changed things around while I’ve been gone. I will need to get there if we are to stop the homunculi. I am familiar with how the Einzbern homunculi operate after working with them for a short time. They are creating a great deal of them very quickly by sucking the lifeforce out of this forest. Though they can create a lot of these puppets very quickly they are nothing more than that. They require a controller, a puppet master, in order to continue functioning. My goal is to take out that puppet master and then critically injure their manufacturing capabilities to stop the production of any more homunculi for the duration of this war. Do you understand?”
Kiritsugu himself was unsure if the mask could actually understand what he was saying. It never moved and only spoke when necessary. And deep down he still couldn’t help but feel a bit bitter that the source of his missing arm was also due to these so called old men of the mountain.
Yet it seemed as if this time the Assassin he spoke too was perfectly willing to go along with his scheme. “Very well then, as you know the way more than I do, I shall have you lead the way. But before that, we have some unwelcome guests surrounding this abode. In a most unjust way they intend to wait for you to leave and will then trap and murder you. I am unsure if they have to notice me. Shall I deal with them?”
This sudden emergence of homunculi explained their relative quietness as of late. But it also showed that indeed their numbers were finally beginning to run thin. “No, Assassin, I will engage them as well, guard the premises for the moment while I prepare. When I give the signal I will throw one of these and we will charge out of the door with the intention of finishing them all off as quickly as possible. Make sure not a single one escapes as they will likely continue to hunt either us or your Master down.” Though he had not yet asked, if Assassin was here then Sakura and Maiya were surely nearby.
“Very well then.” The mask vanished and Kiritsugu could no longer sense his presence but he was sure that it was around following his command. Pushing those thoughts aside he quickly began refilling his lost ammunition while preparing their escape.
In just a few minutes he stood nearby the door flashbang in hand. Whispering in the darkened room he muttered his words. “three… two… one…”
The instant he reached zero he quickly pulled the pin of his projectile threw it out in front of him, reached for his automatic rifle and charged out the door.
**************************************************************************
Their travel through the dark forest was slow but steady. Though Illya had previously expressed fatigue after she had had a chance to rest her speed and energy seemingly returned to normal.
Secretly however, Sakura doubted that Illya was actually ok, the fatigue had to be catching up with her. But she was unwilling to go against the determination of her sister. Any more delays and Kiritsugu might end up in a worse situation, or Illya might run off on her own with a weakened Saber. Neither of these options were appealing to her or Maiya.
And so they chose to travel together slowing them down in the process. Using her connection to Assassin, Sakura was able to track their general location. It was clear that he and Kiritsugu were headed for the Castle.
But that was not an issue, what mattered now was dealing with the enemies in front of them. As they travelled through the woods the homunculi who opposed them came at them in waves.
From what Sakura could tell, the homunculi themselves were grouped into two classes. The warriors who branded well crafted lances and halberds of reinforced steel. They charged directly and mindless at their prey and though their speed and strength was great they were no match for Saber’s blade or from a few well timed shots from a gun. It was Illya who revealed that though they were numerous in number, the production speed meant that their lives were extremely short and their mental capacities greatly hindered.
They would have trouble evading bullets as such a technique was unfamiliar to them and the Einzbern in general. That’s where the other class came into play.
With silvery steel wires the magi of the Einzbern homunculi wielded were quick and difficult to detect. It was mostly due to Illya’s ability to sense them before even Saber and Saber’s ability to react to danger, that they could be cut down or destroyed before they came close to their prey.
The distance that these magic wielding warriors held made them difficult to take down with ordinary pistol shots. They required Saber’s Magic Resistance in order to quickly fend off.
Thanks to the combined efforts of everyone using their unique talents to sense, detect, defend, and then annihilate their attackers the group was safely moving throughout the forest.
But still, Sakura couldn't help but feel that this all felt wrong. Everytime she was forced to stare down the face of one of the silvery haired, red eyed homunculi she couldn’t help but be reminded of her own sister.
It was beginning to take a mental toll on her. But she had to stay strong, for Kiritsugu and the rest of her family. She would do her best to suck it up and keep moving. The darkness of night was finally fading as the trees were illuminated by the faint morning sun. They would be at the castle soon.
Just a little longer.
**************************************************************************
Dawn was beginning to arrive and on the outskirts of the forest a single women dressed in a simple yet elegant dress of purple was walking along the quiet nightside road.
She had sensed the great magical energy from some mighty attack, and whether or her own will or through the will of someone else had decided to make her way towards the forest.
Beside her the invisible knight that acted as her protector followed along in silence. Always curious about the women’s thoughts he simply followed her whims curious as to what the women who had no mind of her own might react to new impulses.
It was therefore that the woman was the one to first spot the freshly made tracks of multiple vehicles leading into a small group of trees. Curiously tilting her head at something new she wandered over to discover that there were two vehicles one black and one grey that were covered in an energy very similar to her own.
“Rider… Sense familiar… Energy…”
Walking over to the cars she stopped when a thin invisible wall appeared in front of her. It was a magical bounded field, one that was designed to prevent the discovery of the vehicles and a field that would prevent any normal humans as well as ordinary magi from immediately noticing the vehicle’s presence.
But this woman was no ordinary magus. With a single outstretched hand and a pulse of magical energy the entire barrier was destroyed. Shattering uselessly to the ground as if it was made of paper the girl continued to walk forwards ignoring the faint chuckles of her nearby Servant.
The woman could sense the presence of someone nearby, curiously she walked up to the nearby black car and peered into the tinted window where she saw another woman, passed out and lying down on the leather car seats.
The woman inside the car was wearing a greatly concealed maid dress of European origin, but her face and hair were completely revealed as she peacefully slept.
“Well I’ll be damned, you know, that woman looks a lot like you Master. If her hair and eye color had a more purple hue why I might even go so far as to say that you two could be close sisters!”
“Sisters? Family?” Her curiosity further raised, the Master of Rider put her hand to the car window and tapped as if to wake up the sleeping girl.
Behind her, Rider appeared, a giant of a man he also held his own hand out. But instead of tapping the window like his Master he gently placed his thumb to her shoulder before letting out an impressed sigh.
“Huh, not only are you two similar in looks, but composition as well, that girl there is nearly identical in every way! Why I’d say you two were actually sisters! Hmm, why not take her with us to the old man? He might be able to explain this to us.”
“Sister?” Without a change in rhythm or emotion the Master of Rider continued to gently knock on the window. If it wasn’t for Rider she probably would have continued to do that for the rest of her days.
With a loud crash the window was easily destroyed by Rider’s fist. The barbaric man then proceeded to touch his outstretched thumb to the car itself before nodding approvingly.
“This vehicle seems to be well within my capabilities. Come Master, hop in. We’ll go to the old man’s place and see if he can shed some light on the subject!”
Unlocking the door with ease, the giant known as Rider adjusted and then jumped into the driver’s seat. Finding it still a bit cramped he decided to bear with it if only give his Master a more comfortable ride.
The woman on the other hand slowly walked towards the passenger side seat where she also sat down before immediately turning to face the sleeping woman before gently tapping her on the head and uttering a few words of curiosity. “Sister? My sister?”
Though the car had no keys, Rider was not concerned with such a thing. Ripping open the underside of the steering wheel he easily ripped and combined a few wires together. In under a minute the car sprung to life.
“Come Master! Let us go and discover these hidden secrets!”
Thus the pair quickly drove off with their new ‘friend’ before anyone could notice they had even been there.
**************************************************************************
Kiritsugu was familiar with how much stronger Servant’s were compared to Servants. He had seen them fight and even fought an Assassin before though he only managed to barely escape death thanks to the arrival of distraction.
But he even he was still impressed by the efficiency as to which the masked Servant took out his targets. By the time Kiritsugu had taken out five of the homunculi the Assassin had taken out fourteen and had approached the fifteenth, a spear wielding homunculi.
Uttering a few words that he could not make out Kiritsugu watched as the Assassin covered the final homunculi in an invisible cloth revealing his black and spider like body in the process.
Immediately afterwards the homunculi ceased its attack and it’s body jolted before seemingly returning to normal and bowing to Assassin.
Assassin was not a Servant that could fight head to head with one of the knight classes. Even though his parameters were greatly increased thanks to his extraordinary compatability with his Master in a direct head to head fight he would almost certainly lose unless he planned ahead or received outside help.
This was evident during his fight with Saber in the past few days. No matter what he did or what tactic he used he was destined to fail once he revealed himself to his enemy and challenged them to a straight fight. Both the Servant and Master were aware of this, but this only brought another question to light.
Why would they fight such a hopeless direct fight in the first place?
The answer was Assassin’s Noble Phantasm, Zabaniya ~ Duel Judgement. His two sided robe that granted him one sure surprise attack but also allowed him the chance to even control a Servant. If covered in the correct side of the cloth he could erase their minds and supplant his own mindless obedience into their very souls. They would become nothing but mindless husks who would answer Assassin’s every beck and call.
This was the technique he was setting up for use against Saber if only those blasted puppets hadn’t appeared and halted their fight.
The homunculi that Assassin now controlled would serve as his second set of eyes and ears. Because of it’s simplistic mind it was all too easy for Assassin to subdue and control. Using this enhanced familiar he could use it’s every sense just like he could his own and could even fight at normal strength while mentally controlling the newfound puppet.
It was a technique developed over years of intense mental struggle with two dividing forces. A technique that once activated on an actual Servant would give him the edge he needed to ensure victory to both himself and his Master.
But the day where he actually succeeded at taking control of a Servant were still far away. For now he needed to focus on ensuring the protection of the man before him.
“This homunculus will help to protect you and will act as a secondary shield for your body. Unfortunately my ability is limited to one at a time, as such I recommend we make haste immediately before any more of them show up.
Nodding in agreement the two of them left the decayed shack and began to head towards the Castle.
**************************************************************************
With Assassin’s aid, Kiritsugu’s progress quickly hastened, evading most of their foes with ease. Leaving the majority of the fighting to the hidden Servant, Kiritsugu had yet to even fire a single bullet after their previous encounter with the Homunculi ambush.
It wasn’t that he wanted to save his ammo, rather before he could even take sight of one their heads were impaled with daggers or their heads chopped off from the spear of their former allies.
They had made great strides and eventually after what seemed like an eternity the two of them finally laid eyes on the grandstanding castle of the Einzbern.
Like a shining beacon in this still dark forest and Assassin’s ability to detect those around him. The three figures made their way inside one of the first floor windows doing their utmost to make sure that no one followed them.
Unlike before, Kiritsugu’s new target was the basement of the Einzbern Castle. He believed that the manufacturing plant had to be located there. After all, he was very much aware that the Einzbern were their strongest in dark enclosed spaces like that.
Maybe had expected more resistance, or maybe the Einzbern hadn’t noticed them yet. Regardless, their path through the brightly lit castle halls was met without opposition.
And eventually they made their way to the darkened stone steps that hid the goal Kiritsugu was searching for. However before they entered Kiritsugu spoke up.
“Assassin, your goal was to protect me until my task was completed. My goal was to reach these stairs, so your task is complete. Go and aid your Master, tell her to escape this forest before any more homunculi arrive. I am more familiar with how the Einzbern operate. Tell her I will quickly disable the machine and make my escape. But if that is not enough, then leave your puppet by my side to act in your stead. That should be good enough for you, right?”
“Very well then, I will do as such, I wish you luck in your task.” In a business like manner the mask’s presence began to fade as Kiritsugu watched. With the lone homunculus by his side, he breathed another sigh of relief.
His mission was almost at an end. There was just one more thing for him to do, and Illya as well as the rest of his family would be safe from the Einzbern threat for a long time to come. Glancing around once more he entered down the stone steps into the dungeon below.
‘Just one more thing to do. One final task.’**************************************************************************
Sakura and company were nearly at their goal, or so Illya believed when the white mask of the Assassin appeared directly in front of them.
Before Sakura could react Illya’s nearly panicking voice was the first to speak up. Perhaps it was the built up fatigue over the night but her voice sounded nearly delusional from the stress.“Assassin!? What are you doing here? Where is Kiritsugu? Why isn’t he with you!?”
Sakura spoke up next. Though she wasn’t sure if it would calm her down she had to give her voice as much as reason as she could in order to keep her own calm. “Ilya calm down, I’m sure Assassin has his reasons.” Turning to face the masked figure Sakura replied to her Servant. “Assassin, what is going on?”
The mask was as emotionless as always, his voice deep he replied to them. “I am still observing Kiritsugu with one of my familiars. He has reached his destination and will finish his duty before making his leave. He suggests that you Master as well as the rest of you make your leave from this place before the homunculi can regroup and attack. He will follow after he finishes his job.”
Maiya spoke up next. “Assassin, did he mention how he intended to take out the Einzbern forces?”
“He mentioned that he is in control of a weapon that will be able to take out the core of the Einzbern manufacturing capabilities as well as the heart of the homunculi hivemind.”
Illya’s continuously worried voice only grew more worried with each passing second. “A weapon!? If it’s one of the modern weapons that he uses then the destruction it could create would be immense. Kiritsugu, you intend to go off all alone and leave to me all over again…? No… No..! NO!”
Her hands began to shake, as she stared off into the distance. Illya didn’t know what she would do if he left her again. She wouldn’t know how to live on. She would do everything in her power to save him, even the world itself would be a high enough cost if it meant she could save that useless man. For he was he father, and the man she adored most of all above anyone else.
With her hand outstretched yet again she began to utter yet another command to her Servant
“Saber! With these Command Seals…!.”
There was still time, if Sakura moved quickly enough even she could stop Illya from using it. But what would the cost be? If Illya was stopped their bonds might never truly be repaired especially if it meant Kiritsugu’s death.
But if the Seal was activated, Kiritsugu’s plans to stop the Einzbern intervention in this war might come to a halt. With just a few seconds remaining the time to act was now.
1. Stop Illya!
2. Allow Illya to save Kiritsugu
3. Write in...
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