Since there are no libraries in this city, I imagine the main books and documents are at the Tohsaka residence, but going there wasn't a good idea, since they'd probably already summoned their Servant, and even though the war hasn't started yet, I don't want to reveal anything to any potential Masters.
In the end, we found a temple where there were some books of legends and things that only people with a lot of time would read, like poetry.
"There's hardly anything Greek, just Japanese stuff; who cares what I did, Susanoo, or the story of Tsukuyomi and Izanami?"
"I think you're confusing mythology," Akane commented, glancing outside to make sure no one came and discovered us. "Besides, why do you need to know about Greek mythology? Weren't you there? Not to mention, it was said that you possessed clairvoyance."
"The Throne of Heroes likes to play a few little tricks on summoned Servants, like occasionally erasing parts of their memories. As for the second point, it's not clairvoyance; it's more like seeing the future; only with the Eyes of God can I see the future, which I can't summon, not to mention that I only saw my daughter's life up until her death; I didn't see anything after that, so I don't know what happened," I replied, finding some dusty, abandoned books.
I passed by books on Norse, Aztec, and African mythology and finally reached the Greek ones.
"Let's see," I said to myself as I looked at the text, since this is supposedly how people perceive me. "I see; the historians did a terrible job since they never mixed up the history of my normal form with that of the Grim Reaper, but there are clues that say I'm the same person, which is why my existence on the Throne of Heroes wasn't divided in two. " I concluded, looking at the pages. "When I researched your daughter, I saw some things about you, and you came up as a possibility or a curiosity; some say you are the same entity, while others disagree; that's probably why you were only summoned as your Grim Reaper version, without your other abilities," he declared, looking at the pages he had open.
"Most likely," I said, continuing to turn the pages. "Well, here's the part about when I joined Olympus, my relationship with Aphrodite, Medusa, and Artemis, and my weird relationship with Athena; plus, it's all wrong. It says here that I was some kind of playboy, but that's a lie, or at least not in that way."
Akane stared at me when I finished showering.
"So it was a lie that you were with four women at the same time?" Her question left me speechless.
"No," I said sheepishly.
"Then what's written here isn't wrong," she declared, seeing my agreement, with a mocking tone that almost drove me crazy, but I decided to say nothing and keep reading.
Once I finished my part of the story, I got to Libra's, which I skimmed quickly since I was interested in knowing what happened after her death.
I saw that her bow ended up in Artemis's hands, and the bracelets ended up scattered throughout Greece and, later, all over the world.
I kept reading to see what happened to my grandchildren.
"What a surprise, Medea is my great-granddaughter," he commented curiously.
"Really?" Akane asked, taking the book from me.
"If you look here, it says that Aery, my granddaughter, married the king of Colchis, Aeetes, and they had three children: Apsyrtus, Chalciope, and Medea," he said, pointing to the information.
There's also my other grandson, Elion, who died young from a heart condition, but he had a son, who would inherit the Fusion Sword. The important thing about him is that he would be the one to kill Heracles.
Using the Fusion Sword, along with the blood of a centaur, he would fight Heracles to the death; indeed, Heracles was the victor, killing him, but the wounds were so severe and, combined with the poison, would take his life minutes after the fight, with both combatants dying.
The family tree then becomes blurred; I imagine that some of these descendants, whether from Aery or Elion, would end up with most of the bracelets.
I took the book from Akane's hands, who glared at me, and slipped it into the shadows so Kiss-shot could read it herself in peace.
The story of Aery's children follows the standard mythology, while Elion's tales end with his son; after that, nothing more is written about the rest of his lineage.
"Are you satisfied?" she asked, hands on her hips.
I just looked at her air of a high-class lady, which made me chuckle.
"Yes, I'm satisfied. We can go now; the guards are coming," I told her, and then I vanished, using my assassin's skill to disappear from the scene, leaving my teacher alone.
"What?" she said, surprised, looking around, trying to find me.
"Stop right there. This is private property. It's not a place where civilians are allowed," said a guard with a candle lantern while other guards with various bladed weapons pointed at Akane.
"Wait, I'm not doing anything. I don't even want to be here. They forced me." I saw my master lose consciousness, and I watched all of this from a corner in the darkness, unseen.
...
Akane's POV
Stupid assassin, how dare he do that to me? I thought he was my comrade in this war, but it turns out he's just a rat.
I'd heard the Assassin class was the worst in the previous Holy Grail War. Lucky me, he might not even be strong; next time I see him, I'm going to beat the crap out of him.
"Good skill in magic combat," I heard a voice say behind me.
Startled, I couldn't help but turn around and punch my attacker, only to see the assassin move his head to the side, dodging my powerful magecraft punch.
"How dare you face me after abandoning me?" I complained to him.
"What did you want, for me to kill him? That's what I should have done if he showed up, to maintain the mystery and my identity," he replied.
"Well, no," he said, sounding a bit calmer, "but you were able to get me out of there quickly."
"And not being able to see you fight? Forget it. What kind of fighting style is that: sumo, jiu-jitsu, or karate?" my servant said, making strange gestures with his hands.
That somehow reignited my irritation.
"You're a..." I started, grabbing him by the neck and beginning to strangle him. "You'll see how embarrassed I am. Now all the guards will be looking for me. I won't be able to walk peacefully through the streets, just to see how I fight."
"Relax. ah, yes to peace, no to war. I had to see if you were capable of defending yourself, and it was a good opportunity. Someone save me," he began, his voice distorted as I squeezed his vocal cords.
"Your excuse doesn't affect me at all. Now die," I said, venting my frustrations of the past year on my servant.
...
*The next day*
The sun's rays woke me. I was very tired; I got out of bed, which was actually a sofa with some blankets, to get ready for the day. I noticed that Assassin was nowhere to be seen.
"Was yesterday a dream?" I wondered to myself.
"No, it wasn't," I heard a voice that made me jump. Assassin materialized in the doorway, exactly as I had summoned him the night before. "Good morning; it's already noon. You really like to sleep."
Generally, that would have irritated me, but yesterday I had released all my frustrations and anger by berating whoever was in front of me, so what he said didn't bother me.
"With how frantic you were last night, it's normal that you were tired; were you on your period, or have you not had sex in years and are you repressed? It's normal; she's like 40 years old and a spinster; it's a terrible shame," Assassin commented with all the calm in the world.
I take it back; now I'm very annoyed and irritated.
"FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I'M 20 YEARS OLD, NOT 40," I yelled at her, throwing a chair that was next to the armchair where I had placed a glass of water.
"Oh, no, a chair," she complained as she took the blow to the head, breaking the chair.
The attack was super effective, winner Akane Aozaki.
...
I was walking through the village, trying to act as normal and inconspicuous as possible, trying to go unnoticed.
"Hey, did you hear that the temple was invaded last night?" I overheard a conversation in the distance.
"Yes, I heard it was someone dressed as a woman; it was probably to throw the guards off their scent, but they definitely took them all down; they must be very dangerous," the other replied.
"Yes, we should be more careful at night, according to what Tohsaka-dono said," the other replied.
I just wanted to dig a hole and hide when I heard their conversation.
"Ha, they think it was a man dressed as a woman who attacked them; you can be sure machismo saved you," Assassin said next to me, laughing at the situation.
"Shut up, it's all your fault," I said, annoyed, to which he responded by ignoring me and going to a vegetable stall.
"Or see which of these vegetables you're going to buy, or anything," he said. "Let me tell you, my food is something that was recognized even by the gods themselves," he told me.
I just went to his side, not really wanting to do anything; we were only there to get some quick supplies for these seven days of the war. Today is the beginning of the night, and it would be best to avoid being in public during these days.
The idea is to rest and plan during the day and fight at night.
We also looked around the town, something I hadn't done these past few days; I just hope I don't run into Takeshi; it would be awkward.
...
I put on something warm and comfortable for tonight; honestly, I was really nervous. It's not like I've never been in a fight, but the thought of someone summoning a Servant, some ancient hero capable of killing me in a second, was something I'd been thinking about a lot.
"Don't be nervous; you should be fine with me by your side." That calmed my nerves a little—"or so I'd like to say"; it only doubled my anxiety.
"What? what do you mean?" I asked.
"You may have summoned one of the best assassins you could summon, but that doesn't change the fact that my defense is super low. I don't have a shield or anything like that; if one of these crazy people manages to summon a top-tier Servant, I'll most likely only last two hits and die."
"Top-tier Servant?" I questioned.
"Yes, servants, who are practically guaranteed to win; examples: Heracles, Achilles, King Arthur, Gilgamesh, Karna, Arjuna, and Ozymandias; maybe something more Japanese; it could be Musashi Miyamoto, Takeda Shingen, or Yamato Takeru," he informed me, listing many names.
I recognized some; others I didn't.
"But seriously, how unlucky do you have to be for one of these to appear, or even more than one?" I didn't like his question; it was a recipe for bad luck.
"It doesn't matter; it's already night, you have to carry out the plan we made," I told him, to which Assassin just nodded and dematerialized.
Assassin explained that his class focused more on sneakily attacking masters and the occasional servant if possible.
I talked to him about killing people; it wasn't something I didn't know, but if it were up to me, I'd prefer to avoid it. He agreed to that, but if we were going to attack the servants, we needed to know what we were up against.
The idea is to try and spy on the fights between Servants, wait; recognize them; and, if possible, attack stealthily when no one is looking.
We also agreed that if the Servant was too much for the Assassin, I would definitely target the Master, since my Servant is very limited, as is his weapon; according to him, it works like a summon, so using it costs mana, which by default drains me as well.
We didn't have time to go over those details, since we didn't want him to be low on magic energy tonight, so if anything happens, Assassin, just attack to try and scare off the enemies and retreat with me.
We also have his companion, whom he hasn't shown me yet, since she's the same as his weapon, but she's there in case of emergency if we need a hand.
With everything ready, I left my workshop and started leaping across the rooftops as quietly as possible.
"Hey, I recommend you stop jumping from now on and walk the streets in the dark; I sense a presence nearby, and it would be best if you weren't discovered," I heard a voice in my head.
"Understood," I replied, jumping into a dark alley. "Where are we going?" he asked, since he could sense people's presence here.
"There are several places, like that forest with the fenced-off field or that other temple on the mountain. I have an idea of who might be here, but if we follow the plan, then we have to go after the Servant who's calling for battle," the Assassin replied.
"Where is that?" I asked again.
"Follow my instructions to the letter; that way you won't be discovered," he ordered.
I had no choice but to obey and do as he said; I had to walk and pass through a few walls between houses and some properties. Finally, I ended up in a small forest, hidden among some large trees.
At first, I didn't understand what Assassin meant, but as I headed toward the location he indicated, I could sense the Servant's presence. It was an obvious call to a trap, or at least that's what I thought. my Servant thought it was simply a battle call.
When I arrived, I saw a person dressed in white with a hood, holding a spear and a katana. It was a little difficult to see through branches and other vegetation, but that was the price of remaining anonymous.
"That katana is deceptive. " Assassin appeared beside me. "Just because it says 'saber' or 'lancer' doesn't mean they only use a spear or sword, but from a distance, I can tell it's a Lancer."
"Do you have any idea who it is?" I asked.
"No, but if I want to know who it is, I need to get closer. You stay here; it's relatively safe. I can go there thanks to my class, which makes me practically invisible to everyone, even Servants. Anyway, I'll let you know if anything comes up," he said, to which I simply nodded.
I watched him leap from tree to tree, disappearing from my sight and my trail. Meanwhile, I continued watching the scene of the possible Lancer.
Dante's POV
I leaped from branch to branch, positioning myself at a safe distance to hear any words emanating from the Servant's location.
I heard nothing but familiar sounds, likely spying on and observing the situation. I could eliminate them, but that might draw attention to me.
"Boo, how boring. I thought this would be a real war, but no one has shown up," the Servant said.
I immediately recognized the person as a woman, but beyond that, nothing else—neither her clothing nor anything else that could tell me who she was.
How infuriating that the Throne of Heroes only erased my memories of the Fate franchise for this summoning. If I had those memories, I might already know who she was. The Throne probably thought it was too good an advantage.
I don't know how she managed to determine I was an extradimensional being; she probably saw my memories and knew that, hence the removal of them.
The servant was sketching on the ground while he waited, only to stop abruptly and look ahead; beneath his hood, I could see a smile.
I had also noticed someone approaching.
"Finally, someone shows up before me; I thought you were all cowards," said the servant with the spear.
At that moment, the figure of a person walking appears; he immediately recognizes him as a servant.
They wore white, antique Japanese clothing; had long, bluish hair braided like mine; and had orange eyes. I couldn't tell if they were male or female, but if male, they looked very effeminate.
"I don't think they're cowards; sooner or later someone was going to answer your call, but this time it was me," the new Servant said; their voice didn't help reveal their gender.
"A new Servant has appeared, Master. Do you have any idea who they are?" my master asked.
"No, but I've already noted down all their characteristics to look up information later if they don't reveal their identities in this battle," he replied, and I didn't think we'd find out who these two were right away either.
"I imagine you're Lancer, aren't you?" the new Servant asked.
"If you say that despite having my katana in hand, it must be because you know, right?" I countered.
"If you say that despite having my katana drawn, it must be because you know, right?" "Precisely," replied the one now identified as Saber, displaying a very peculiar sword.
I saw his sword; this Saber certainly looked Japanese, but his sword wasn't a katana. It had a very strange design, with many curves in its blade, as if mimicking the movement of the sea itself.
"Very well, I, Lancer, by the great honor of duels and war, challenge you to a duel to the death for the Holy Grail." The now-identified Lancer almost shouted.
"I accept your challenge," he said calmly, coldly, and calculatingly, as if wanting to kill someone were just another ordinary day, or perhaps it was simply for the sake of combat.
Saaber lunged forward at great speed, his sword ready to slice his enemy in half; Lancer, in response, did the same.
Lancer's spear and katana clashed with Saber's sword, creating a stalemate.
Saber leaped into the air, twisting and landing with a vertical slash. Lancer stepped to the side to dodge, then spun around, ready to charge with his spear, which the swordsman blocked with his own sword.
The two warriors clashed completely in battle, everything else becoming irrelevant; their focus was one hundred percent on each other.
With their movements and tactics honed on the battlefield, they weren't mere servants of war; they were war itself.
I saw it in their movements and in their eyes; neither of them thought; they acted solely on instinct and pure muscle memory. They were both monsters.
They appeared evenly matched, but that was only on the surface.
Lancer attempted to pierce Saber's chest, which he blocked, only for seven different weapons to appear above the androgynous swordsman, ready to impale him.
You could say he knew that if he didn't do something, he would die or be seriously injured if he tried to escape this attack as he was now.
A large amount of water appeared from Saber's sword, which managed to deflect all the weapons above him. This caused Lancer to leap back, only for Saber to aim her sword at him, sending all that water directly toward her.
In response, Lancer's spear burst into flames and managed to intercept Saber's water attack.
Saber glanced at the weapons around her, which were beginning to vanish, then looked at Lancer's fire-encased spear.
After that, they stared at each other, then lunged to clash again: Saber with a sword wrapped in water and Lancer with a fiery spear.
Just as they were about to collide, a voice rang out.
"I see you're having fun; let me join in," the new voice said.
They both stopped dead in their tracks, only for something to fall between them, destroying a large part of the place.
Akane's POV.
I saw someone fall between the two of us, Servant, stopping the battle.
Once the smoke cleared, I saw three Servants in the midst of a deafening silence.
"Master," Assassin said to me telepathically.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"I think we lost," he said with complete sincerity.
I was stunned, not understanding why Assassin said this, until I noticed the new Servant's appearance.
A young man in red and gold armor from some Chinese dynasty, a red scarf, red hair, and...
A monkey's tail with a red staff.
"Damn."
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Hey everyone, I'm letting you know I'm taking a few days off—five days, to be exact—since I'm feeling a bit physically exhausted. Plus, I got in trouble today because I woke up with red eyes again, and they're blaming my computer for it.
I also want to use those days to work on the system for this fic. I'll be honest: the system is only good for traveling between dimensions and buying useful items, but I always thought of it as a secondary or even tertiary element in Dante's adventure. However, some people seem bothered by this; I don't know why, but that doesn't change the fact that the system is practically useless.
I'll be thinking about some objects or things I can use to make the system more useful; I'll also be looking into Dante's stats, which I haven't done yet, but I'll get around to it now.
Finally, I'd like to ask if you have any ideas for improving the system, like a new option or something new it could do, that sort of thing. I can justify it with a system update; any idea is welcome, but I'll only consider something that fits the fic's concept and where I want to go in the future.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter; see you in 5 days.