• Chapter #27: [THE BATTLE – BEGINNING]

…

As he sensed that the LightSeeker’s presence wasn’t focused on them anymore, the old man slowly cracked his eyes. His body hurt all over, it was like everyone of their highest ranking members fired a volley of powerful spells on his body simultaneously, with him not wearing any sort of defense. He didn’t expect the man to be that powerful, and it’s very bad news if they clash again sometime in the future.

His vision was blurry and painful, due to the amount of blood and dust that has gotten into his eyes. However, he could still make up the figure of the LightSeeker flying towards the place where the Deity was.

With a light groan, he freed his arm that was buried underneath the bodies of the twins. Gritting his teeth, he reached inside his inner clothes. Grabbing something, it revealed a Teleportation Scroll. Luckily, despite the onslaught of attacks, the sigil inside the scroll wasn’t broken in any parts, only the paper on it’s sides.

He brought his shaking hands holding the scroll towards his mouth. With a grunt, he channeled some of his mana on it, before biting and tearing it off.

A few seconds later, the 4 were engulfed by a blue glow, and a blue colored magic circle appeared beneath them, before they vanished.

….

*Cough!*Cough!*Cough!*

“… D.. D-Damn.. it…”

*Cough!*

“… Bastard…!”, The old man gritted out as he nursed his wounds. The other 3 was still unconscious and it seems that they won’t be waking up soon. They were lucky to escape from him, as he was more worried about the Deity. If he wasn’t, they would’ve likely died back there.

But what the hell just happened? Wasn’t LightSeekers supposed to be peaceful and full of reverence? The look that he had back when he crushed them was cold and merciless.

“I-I need to report this to ‘Dragon’…, th zodiac is now in conflict but this one is another problem.”, He choked out, as he shakily stood. Despite healing some of his injuries, he was still for worse. After all, he wasn’t an expert in Healing Magic.

He fished out something from one of his pockets, a crystal bracelet to be specific. Clipping it on his left wrist, he pressed it’s side and it began to ring.

*Ding!*Ding!*Ding!*Ding!*Ding!*Duuuuuuut…*

“Dammit Tatsumi! Pickup your stupid crystal!”, He screeched in frustration. To think that the man was actually planning to revive the Deity?! Does he want to obtain her power?!

“Tch… Why did the leader want us to create nonsensical chaos anyway…”, The old man mumbled in irritation. He was lost, their head just ordered them to create as much chaos as they can and steal the Ancient Relics that possess direct connection to the Ancient Gods.

He growled, before trying to contact Tatsumi again.

After a few seconds…

“Hiya! Dark Flame Master Tatsumi isn’t here yet! Please leave a message!”

It said, before shutting.

“Bastard! Is this supposed to be a phone?!”, He screamed.

…

…

“Kekekeke… Enjoy being shut up, clean freak?”, Tatsumi sneered, grinning at the injured and weakened Shido.

“What do you want?”, Shido growled out, glaring the man darkly. He had been bound, not just most of his physical power, but his magic and attribute as well. He can’t really do anything for now.

“The jeezer snake is really good at Spacial Magic huh…”, Shido muttered.

Tatsumi then gave Shido another grin.

“Heh! That’s right! And within that endless space is the burning sun which shines like m—“, Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Shido.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Now shut it, chunni shit.”, He said, rolling his eyes in doing so.

“You shut up, clean freak! You’re our slave now, so stop acting so holy and clean!” Tatsumi screeched at him, which made Shido wince. Then, he looked at Shido’s clothes and furrowed his brows.

“What the hell? When did you get changed?”, Tatsumi asked, inspecting him and notice a ring on his left hand, curious about this, but he brushed it off before noticing the leather bag besides Shido.

“Did you get it from here?”, He asked, as he reached to the bag besides Shido. Shido growled and tried to prevent him from getting the bag, however, he was still weak and was easily pushed aside. Opening it, Tatsumi was met with a sight of…

[Coat: 120 Left]

[Long Sleeves: 120 Left]

[White Shirt: 120 Left]

[Pants: 120 Left]

[Belt: 120 Left]

[Underwear: 120 Left]

[Socks: 240 Left]

[Shoes: 120 Left]

Aside from those, there’s also an assortment of tissue papers, wet tissues, baby powder, soap, facial wash, scissors, toothbrush, toothpaste, and even some nail cleaning and polishing equipments.

Tatsumi looked at it in shock, before turning to Shido.

“Aren’t you going too overboard?”, Tatsumi said to Shido in disbelief.

“Give that back, you dirty scum! And what’s wrong with it?! I’m a refined and clean gentleman!”, Shido cried out to him, he then reached something on his pocket.

“Unlike someone who just blabbers nonsense all day!”, He yelled, before pulling out a bottle of alcohol spray from his pocket and spraying it on Tatsumi’s eyes.

“Damn you! Don’t spray it on my eyes!”, Tatsumi growled, as he closed his eyes and turned away from the fume.

Tatsumi’s female companion, sighed at their antics, while the other Black Zodiac members just stared dumbfoundedly. However, they weren’t paid attention by the two as they continued to bicker.

….

“They’re here…”, Lisa said, as she opened her eyes. She could feel their presence approaching the walls she erected.

“Supreme Ranks…”, Lisa added, assessing the opponents power levels. This is troubling, she could hold back one, but for two to appear is very bad.

“Mayers… Hurry up…”, She muttered worryingly, they really need Mayers right now.

“Lady Yumie, everyone, those guys are…”, Emilia said, as a black aura surrounded her body and her pupils were nowhere in sight. She was using the Dark Arts technique, [Foresight].

“Dangerous…”, Yumi and Yuki finished, preparing to summon their respective abilities. As Yumi prepared her blade, it glowed in golden light. Meanwhile, her sister Yuki prepared her Supportive and Defensive Magic.

“Be careful… They’re much more powerful than us.”, Hiro warned, as he took a stance and raised his Tyrant Blade.

“Is Shido alright…?”, Emiya voiced out her worry while she prepared her magic as well.

“I’m worried about Kogi…”, Misa also expressed her concern about her childhood friend, as she took out a Summoning Crystal.

“I hope they’re alright.”, Ayumi said, as she tried to listen on any other odd sounds coming from the snowstorm.

All of them were expressing concern on their other comrades, all while preparing themselves for the upcoming battle. They need to give everything the have. After all, even with the scale of Yumie’s technique, it’s not enough to mislead two people with similar ranking as her.

A few moments of silence passed, all were too focused on where the enemy was.

*Crack!*

—! Everybody tensed as soon as they heard the ice wall crack.

*BOOM!*

*Rumble!*

A part of the ice wall exploded, sending small shards of ice and dust everywhere. Luckily, the fragments were too small and far away from them.

Everybody now focused on the dust at the area of the explosion, as sounds of footsteps could be heard and silhouettes of two people could be seen within it.

It didn’t take much time, but the enemy finally walked out of the settling dust cloud, revealing who they are.

The first one, was a tall and slightly muscular man, wearing a brown cowboy hat, which had a red band and ace of spades card on it. He also wore monocles, that on a closer look, actually has lines and numbers similar to those of sniper scopes, as well as a red bandana that covered his mouth and nose like a mask. His clothes were the typical ones seen on cowboys, having a brown leather jacket, white long sleeve polo, black belt with a silver buckle, brown leather pants, and boots with sprockets.

His orange eyes stared calculatingly at the Union members before him.

Besides him, is a tall, but more muscular man. Unlike the old western look that his partner had, he was the opposite. The man wore a seamless and fitting futuristic astronaut suit, which is white in color and had purple glowing lines running all throughout it’s form. His black visor also covered his face, making it impossible to see what he truly looked like.

“W-What’s with those outfits..?”, Hiro sweatdropped. For him, the two looked like they just came out of a cosplay convention.

“Focus.”, Lisa reminded. Despite their looks, she knows that the two were powerful, after all…

“Heya! Pshh... It’s been a while, Ice Queen.”, The man in the astronaut suit greeted. However, his voice sounded like it he had spoken through a radio.

“AstroSuit…”, Lisa frowned, narrowing her eyes at the man.

“Hmm! Looks like you remember me.”, He nodded in satisfaction.

“Oh yeah, this is my partner. You can call him Ace.”, He added, pointing at the cowboy besides him with his thumb.

Another tense silence passed, as the two just stared down. Then, AstroSuit clicked his tongue.

“Tsk… Ace.”, He regarded his partner.

“You know the plan right?”, He asked, with Ace nodding to him in confirmation.

“Good. Remember, you assist me while I get the sword. Make sure none of the brats get in my way.”, AstroSuit specified.

“I know that.”, Ace spoke, as he pulled out his guns.

The first one was a pistol, having the same look as a .44 Magnum. It had a polished silver color, and an ivory white grip. However, some of it’s parts gave off an eerie red glow.

The second one was a shotgun, similar to the DX – 12 ‘Punisher’. It had a black finish and two barrels. Like the pistol, some of it’s parts were also glowing, but were yellow this time.

The situation became even more tense, as the other Black Zodiac Members also appeared behind them.

*Sigh*

“Well, we’re already behind schedule. Seriously, we didn’t expect him and had to fetch him before we could get here.”, AstroSuit sighed, as he gestured to the other Black Zodiac members behind them.

They slowly parted, now revealing Tatsumi, who was grinning as he held a tied and injured Shido. They stopped walking after a while, then, Tatsumi gave a kick to Shido’s back, making him fall and kneel to the ground. Shido turned around and gave Tatsumi a dark glare and a growl. However, he was dismissed by Tatsumi, who sneered at him.

“SHIDO!”, Emiya cried out.

“You bastards!”, Hiro’s mouth foamed in anger. His hands were shaking and the Tyrant Blade now held it’s crimson and black miasma in response.

“Heh! Angry aren’t ya? Looks like your plan didn’t go according to your plan!”, He mocked at them, receiving varied looks from others due to his statement.

“And it looks like you’re lacking someone.”, Tatsumi grinned evilly in amusement.

“You’re also incomplete… Where’s the Bound Serpent?”, Lisa asked, narrowing her eyes.

“He has some business to take care of, but now worries! He’ll be joining us soon enough!”, He shouted, before throwing his arms into the air.

“Soon, your light will be consumed by my flames!”, He cried out dramatically.

Lisa, Hiro and his group frowned. Of course, not just them, but the others as well. What nonsense is he spouting again?

Shido, who really can’t tolerate Tatsumi, turned to him will he was distracted. He then built force, and as soon as Tatsumi brought his head down from facing the heavens, Shido sprung and hit Tatsumi’s chin with his head.

This resulted in Tatsumi being knocked back and falling to his ass. However, with Shido being sealed off, it had little effects and only made Tatsumi angry.

“Y… You bastard!”, Tatsumi growled, glaring at Shido hatingly as he stood up.

“You shut your trap!”, Shido roared back in response, standing up and stomping his feet in defiance.

Suddenly, wooden vines sprouted from the ground and smacked both Tatsumi and Shido’s head.

“You two, this is not the time for that.”, The woman, who was Tatsumi’s partner said, as she walked towards them.

Tatsumi looked at her with a betrayed expression. As if saying that why would you smack your partner who just defended himself?

However, he was ignored by the woman, who now focused on Lisa.

“Hmm… Mayer’s not here.”, The woman raised an eyebrow.

In response, Lisa just shrugged her shoulders.

“I see.”, With a snap of a finger, Ace charged right in, aiming his pistol at Hiro.

*Bang!*

A glowing red bullet was sent towards Hiro. Luckily, he was able to block it with the Tyrant Blade. However, the force still sent him back.

*Bang!*Bang!*Bang!*

Ace wasn’t done however, as he sent a multitude of bullets towards Hiro.

As the two were fighting, Tatsumi’s partner also took on a stance and prepared her magic.

[Forest’s Bind]

A multitude of thorny, wooden vines erupted from the ground and headed at high speeds towards Lisa. However, she also prepared her own magic.

[Crystal Mist]

Cold winds blew forth, hitting the vines that was heading towards her and instantly freezing them in place.

“Hmmm… As expected.”, The woman nodded, before she turned to Tatsumi.

“Take care of the others.”, She ordered, making Tatsumi grin in delight.

“Of course!”, He cried, before summoning his magic and charging in.

“Not so fast!”, Misa’s voice cut him off. Looking about, she was riding her White Tiger summon.

“Heh! That’s a nice kitten you have there!”, Tatsumi mocked, before a fire wall erupted from the ground, halting the beast.

“Hiyaaaa!”, Kurumi’s cry alerted Tatsumi. Grinning, he raised his palms towards the charging girl and send a torrent of flames towards her. This made Kurumi halt and drop, slightly singed.

[Convalescence]

Yumi’s voice echoed, and Kurumi was enveloped in a blue glow that healed her wounds. Besides Yumi, was Emiya protecting her.

Tatsumi looked at them for a few moments, before snickering. Garnering confusion from them. It then turned into laughter.

“Gahahahaha! It’s true then! That Hiro guy actually has a harem! Come on girls, show me your love.”, He cried out. This earned him frowns and tick marks from the females.

…

Meanwhile, Yuki immediately put herself in between Hiro and placed her shield on the incoming bullets. Besides them is Ayumi, who was helping them detect the bullets.

Seeing Ace still distracted, Hiro tried to go and rescue Shido.

*Slash*

“Guh!”

*slash*

“Argh!”

*Slice*

“Ah!”

He quickly cut down the stragglers. However, as he was about to reach Shido, an arm suddenly grabbed him. Hiro turned and tried to cut it, but his sword was caught by another arm.

It revealed to be AstroSuit.

“That’s a nice sword kid.”, He commented, before pushing Hiro away and sending him tumbling. Hiro quickly recovered and stood up, taking up a stance and preparing for AstroSuit.

“Heh”

[Weight Regulation]

Hiro widened his eyes in shock, as his left arm and the Tyrant Blade suddenly felt extremely heavy. He let out a gasp as his left arm and sword crashed on the ground.

“ARGH!”

Hiro screamed out, as the Tyrant Blade crushed his right hand. He clenched his teeth, glaring at AstroSuit hatefully.

“W-What ability is this…?!”, Hiro gritted out. He can’t even nurse his right hand, as his left hand was also pinned useless.

“I’m no mage kid…”, AstroSuit begun.

Skills, are different from magic. Magic is extracted from the mana which is around the world, everywhere and can’t be seen. Skills meanwhile, is developed from a person’s Attribute. Strengthening one’s Attribute will result in stronger Skills and won’t deplete easily. Meanwhile, Magic does deplete, as the world regulates how much mana a person can take in at an amount of time. The more powerful they are, the more mana is allowed to be given to them. Also, a single magic spell will remain in that state only and would require the creation of another to magic spell to create an upgrade. However, a single Skill can be altered by it’s user many times they want to, and even change it’s effects.

“But I’m quite skilled at using Gravity.”, AstroSuit finished, amusement dancing in his voice.

[•END•]

Revised by BaNaeNae