(Titus's (Takeru) POV)
In the dim room, a tall monk stood, his posture rigid as stone, his eyes shut tight. To the casual observer, he resembled a statue, his breath imperceptible, and his heartbeat silent. Yet, amid this stillness, the subtle tap of his finger betrayed his living state. It seemed as though nothing in the entire universe could rouse him except for one person.
"I have been waiting for you," the monk intoned, his eyes opening as I entered the room. He opened his eyes and let his presence silence everything else. The wind outside, the flapping of leaves; everything came to halt.
"Abe-no-Seimei, you son of a bitch!" I spat out the words, my anger flaring. My gaze burned with contempt. I no longer saw the skilled mage known in Japanese history; instead, I beheld a fraud, a psychopath, and a human garbage. I then said, "Emperor Toba was not afflicted by any ailment or illness, nor was he cursed by Tamamo-no-Mae. It was all your doing, wasn't it?"
I had visited Emperor Toba's chamber before coming here, discovering peculiar star-shaped seals in his eyes. It was the mark of a magecraft called Onmyoudou which is one of Thaumaturgical Systems that is predominant in Japan and a variant of the Chinese school of Thaumaturgy that uses the concept of yin and yang as foundation. This system that excels at divination, curses and the like, its most famous practitioner was none other than Abe-no-Seimei.
It was evident that this monk was responsible for cursing him and the demise of this Heian period.
"Oh, spare me your indignation. I wasn't concealing anything from you. You were well aware, yet you chose to let her be betrayed before playing the savior."
His words cut deep, highlighting my own inaction despite suspecting Tamamo was being framed. It was true that I overlooked the whole situation but something other puzzled me still. Why was he so fixated on Tamamo?
Tamamo had mentioned encountering him before, but he had ignored her as if she were invisible. Now, however, she sensed a predatory aura emanating from him, as if he desired to tear her apart when he revealed her Divine Origin.
"I am seeking redeeming myself, but that doesn't quell my curiosity. Why are you so fixated on her? What do you want from her?" I demanded, my voice sharp.
"If I tell you there's something within me that hungers for her, would you believe me?" Abe-no-Seimei's words sent a shiver down my spine, prompting me to chant protective spells. I sensed something disgusting within his words.
He removed his robe, revealing dark markings on his chest, resembling magical seals. I felt a flicker of recognition but lacked concrete answers.
"Almost a hundred years ago, I faced a witch from the west who placed this cursed seal on me. Do you know anything?" He asked. "If you can undo this seal, I will help you stop the marching army, coming for your wife's neck."
I had no idea what he was talking about. Although the markings resembled some magecraft we practiced in modern times, I was clueless of the current crest on his chest.
"Let's end this!" I said, my finger raised defiantly.
"Gandr!" I channeled magical energy into my forefinger, forming a concentrated, hazy black orb that I subsequently fired like a bullet. It was an offensive spell I had learned from Rin. I shot two orbs, not expecting significant damage, but to my surprise, they obliterated the armored warriors into smithereens.
I was bewildered at how these small bullets proved so effective against Abe-no-Seimei's reinforced familiars. Even the onmyoji widened his eyes in astonishment.
"So, you do possess the means to break my curse! How dare you deceive me?!" Abe-no-Seimei roared, retaliating with a powerful spell.
BOOM!
Luck was on my side as I narrowly avoided the blast. It was my first encounter with a master mage's high-level spell, and my successful evasion left me in awe.
Abe-no-Seimei fired the same spell once more, but I swiftly dodged it again. This time, I wasted no seconds and retrieved a gun from my Inventory. It was the same weapon Kiritsugu Emiya had used in the anime, loaded with Origin Bullets. How I obtained it was a tale for another time.
I aimed at Abe-no-Seimei, who promptly deployed a barrier to block my bullet. To our mutual surprise, my shot sliced through his barrier like a cake and grazed his cheek.
"It won't happen again!" He snarled, conjuring more barriers. However, my bullets penetrated his defenses once more, hitting him square in the head and heart.
"Cough! How... can... this happen..." Abe-no-Seimei gasped, his body contorting in agony. His veins also popped followed by shower of blood. Then his pleas for mercy faded into silence as his breath ceased.
"It's over?" I questioned, although I had expected a more formidable challenge. Despite my victory, unease lingered in my heart, casting a shadow over my triumph.
*CRACK* *CRACK*
The sound of bones shifting echoed through the room as Abe-no-Seimei's body contorted grotesquely.
*CRACK* *CRACK*...
Slowly but steadily, the figure that had once been Abe-no-Seimei rose, casting a shadow over the room. Meanwhile, I stood frozen, engulfed by an overwhelming sense of dread. The new entity's presence was suffocating, rendering me speechless and immobile. All I could do was gaze at the entity before me.
It was a young girl with blond hair, tied in a familiar bun. Yet, her dense crimson eyes and limbs resembled those of a monstrous creature. She bore a resemblance to Nero, but I knew her true identity. She was the nightmare that haunted Nero, the creature that had devoured my and Nero's child. She was the 'Monster' Tacitus and Merlin had warned me about.
She was the Whore of Babylonia, a sinister entity from the FGO Arcade storyline.
"Hello~! Father," she greeted me, her voice sending shivers down my spine. But before I could react, something struck me, hurling me into the air. I had no sense of the distance I covered until I crashed into a tree.
"Cough!" I spat out a mouthful of blood, and the next moment I was drenched in it. A deep cut marred my chest, blood flowing like a river. Dizziness overwhelmed me, so I quickly retrieved the jewel Rin had given me, allowing its healing power to mend my wounds. Yet, I had lost a substantial amount of blood and was still in the midst of recovery. Despite the striking pain coursing through my body, I somehow managed to muster the strength to sit up.
When my senses finally returned, I saw her standing before me.
"You're quite fortunate, father~. But don't worry, I'll inflict as much pain as I desire while keeping you alive. After all, I must repay you for bringing me into this world, hehe~!" She taunted.
Countless questions filled my mind, but in that moment, nothing mattered. I couldn't move and I knew my end was near; I was no match for her. It was time to accept my fate.
"Maria the ripper!"
At that moment, a child's voice filled the air, and a dark shadow kicked the Whore of Babylonia away.
"What the…" The monstrous entity rolled several times but emerged unharmed. Before she could reach me again, a mist enveloped my surroundings, and suddenly, I was in Jack's arms.
She carried me a few meters, creating distance from the beast before gently setting me down. It was the time I was finally able to breathe properly and came to my senses.
"Mommy! Bad news! More than 150,000 warriors are marching toward Miss Tamamo-no-Mae. You have to leave and save her!" Jack urgently reported.
A pang of despair washed over me. These warriors were no ordinary humans; they were enchanted familiars, empowered by none other than Abe-no-Seimei, or rather, by the Whore of Babylonia. Even though Tamamo-no-Mae was stronger than ever, she was also pregnant. I was just running out of time.
I clenched my teeth and raised my hands toward Jack. "I command you with all my command spells! Use your noble phantasm at full strength and…" Tears welled in my eyes. "Sacrifice your life to stop the Whore of Babylonia at all costs…!"
"I will, mommy~! This is goodbye from all the children you saved." Jack the Ripper kissed my cheek before vanishing into the darkness. It was the last time I saw that child ever.
Wiping my tears, I mounted my horse and galloped toward my home. Amidst the turmoil in my mind, one thing was clear: I had to protect Tamamo and the child in her belly.
After covering some distance, I received a notification.
[Servant 'Jack the Ripper' has been eliminated.]
I bit my lips, mourning the loss of that innocent child but I couldn't waste any time. I rode on until I was halted by an unexpected yet familiar face.
"You're not going anywhere, little guy!" Kazusa-no-suke laughed, swinging his giant sword. "Today, you'll meet your end by my ha-…"
BANG!
Before he could finish, I drew my gun and shot him in the head. Blood spurted, and he fell dead. With that, I expended the last of my Origin Bullets.
My attention turned to the army of 50 warriors behind late Kazusa-no-suke. Clad in full body armor and enchanted by magecraft, they were no ordinary soldiers. They were the embodiment of chaos and destruction, created by the Whore of Babylonia.
"What the hell is going on?!" I screamed, drawing a rocket launcher from my Inventory in desperation. I had no understanding of the situation at that moment, but I knew I was engaged in a losing battle.
---
*Huff* *Huff*
I didn't know how much time had passed since I fought the enchanted army and somehow emerged victorious. I shouldn't have been alive, yet there I was, on my weary horse, marching straight toward my wife's location.
I had lost my right hand and my entire left arm, yet I was somehow still breathing. I had shed a lot of blood, but I clung to life. To make do, I had fashioned a makeshift hook with my right arm to hold the halter of my horse. The pain was excruciating, but it paled in comparison to the hope that drove me to reach Tamamo.
I glimpsed the rising sun and the falling night a few times, but I had no concept of how much time had passed. Was it a week? A month? I didn't know, and truth be told, I didn't want to know. All I could do was pray fervently to whatever gods might be listening, asking them to keep Tamamo safe and grant me the chance to see her one last time. I survived by consuming the provisions I had stored in my inventory, but I was well aware that my time was limited.
And soon, that time came.
I awoke to the putrid stench of death assaulting my senses. My horse stopped, also unable to bear the smell. Yet, I covered its nose with a spell and urged it on, seeking just a bit more distance.
The vibrant green leaves and brown wood of the forest had turned to red, the ground littered with chunks of flesh and dead bodies of warriors. Some were burned to crisps, evidence of a savage beast's rampage. Claw marks adorned some of the corpses, and I knew whose claws had left those marks.
My anxiety grew as I urged my horse onward, the landscape becoming increasingly macabre. The more ground we covered, the more bodies and chunks of flesh we encountered. Memories of my time with Tamamo flooded my mind—moments of love, moments of hate, the loss of her innocence, and the anticipation of our child.
Finally, we emerged into an open field. I recognized these plains; they were near our home. But the grassy green fields had transformed into a sea of red, as if roses had bloomed everywhere the eye could see. The moon shone brightly, illuminating the center of the field where a woman sat.
"No..." I whispered, dismounting from my horse. My steed fled, but I continued to drag my battered body closer. With each step, the figure became clearer. And then, I saw my wife in full view.
There was Tamamo-no-Mae, sitting serenely in the midst of the crimson plain. But the sight tore my heart apart when I saw her state. Arrows and blade cuts covered every inch of her body. Her once-beautiful blue kimono was now soaked in crimson. Chunks of her fox ears and tails were missing, and an arrow protruded from one of her eyes. But most devastatingly, she wasn't breathing.
"Tamamo!" I cried, running towards her. I stumbled several times before finally reaching her. I called her name, rubbing her cheek in a desperate attempt to rouse her. "Tamamo! Please... open your eyes…"
"Takeru... sama..." Tamamo slowly opened one eye, responding to my call. A surge of joy washed over me, but my tears continued to flow.
"Thank goodness..." I smiled through my tears. "Don't worry. I'll take you... far, far away... we'll build a happy family... I'll never leave you..." I was lying to myself. Truth to be told, I couldn't even move an inch.
Tamamo offered a gentle smile despite her battered state. She embraced me, and together, we wept for the last time.
"Takeru-sama... thank you, but this is enough..." Tamamo smiled, her voice soft. "Takeru-sama... I now understand why my tails have grown so rapidly..."
She began to explain her growth, the rapid development of her tails, and the reason for her increasing strength.
"It seems like... Amaterasu foresaw this and granted me the ability to return to my full strength, to fight... the Beast of Humanity..." She continued. "But even then, I saw myself losing. I knew I wouldn't grow strong enough in time and would be defeated, consumed by that beast…"
"Please, stop talking..." I pleaded, cursing my own weakness. I had lost my first love, and now... I wanted to pull her away. I wanted to end all of this. I wanted to live once with her, but my body refused to respond.
"Takeru-sama... don't blame yourself... this is our fate," Tamamo whispered, caressing my cheek with her clawed hands. Despite their lethal potential, they felt gentle and warm. "I have always been envious of Nero... She was your first love, yet she gave you so much... Compared to her, I feel like I've given you nothing..."
"Just... shut up!" I cried again, urging her to stop talking but I couldn't.
"As a parting gift, I will give you something… that will help you defeat that beast…" She said, lifting my face to meet her eyes.
I then saw her glowing with the same aura as when she first grew her tails. But this time, her tails started to dissolve into beautiful particles of life.
"Let's live again and build a family. Next time, even after my thousandth reincarnation, I will still fall in love with you…."
With those words, our tears mingled, and we drew closer until our lips met. I tasted her blood, a bitter reminder of our circumstances, but I was powerless to change it. The last thing I saw was the clear moon before hundreds of enchanted arrows rained down from the sky. I felt pain, but it was insignificant compared to the agony of losing someone precious for the second time.
[You have died.]
[The mission has been successfully completed.]
[...]
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Whelp, I know people are gonna blame MC but I would like you continue to read ahead. If you still think that the world revolves around MC like rest of fanfics or novels then I don't think you should read this. Further more, I will be dropping the drama from this chapter. Grinding incoming.