Fate: Alternative (Highschool DxD/Fate): Chapter 42

Kuoh Town.

In the mountains of Enzou, in the rebuilt Ryuudou temple, it was a really peaceful night.

Issei Hyoudou was snoring away in his room, tired after spending hours playing games with his teacher, which somehow escalated into a mental training session where he endured a supernatural history lesson.

The poor boy felt like his brain would melt out of his ears after enduring the deeply complex history of the world he stumbled into a mere month and a half ago.

Thankfully, the boys' night out, which suddenly turned into training, ended on a happy note where the boy got to eat some really good food made by Shirou Emiya.

But now, in this tranquility, something changed.

The first one to notice, of course, was Shirou Emiya.

Within his room, the young man woke up with an alertness that he was used to, sensing a sudden change in his vicinity.

‘What was that pulse?’

Without hesitation, Shirou reached into the pocket dimension linked to his dagger.

And just as he did, he felt the pulse of dark energy again, allowing him to pinpoint the source, only for him to feel a wave of nautia.

‘What is going on?’

Then, the door to his room burst open as Issei rushed in with a panicked look on his face, his Boosted Gear already activated and glowing brightly as the dragon within snarled angrily.

“WHO DARES SNEAK INTO MY TERRITORY!??”

“SHISHOU! DDRAIG SENSED SOMETHING EVIL IN THE HOUSE! ARE YOU OKAY-“

Another pulse burst out from the source, the Class Cards that fell to the floor, making Issei and even Ddraig feel a burst of nautia.

Then, they heard it.

An ancient voice, whispering in a language they never heard before.  The malice in the voice creeping into their minds like dark, invisible tendrils, seeking to corrupt them from the inside out.

Chathru-paiti-disho vāiti

Yet, the voice would not win, because its targets were no ordinary people.

“I am the bone of my sword.”

[Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]![Boost]!

Shirou used his aria, instantly channeling the power of steel that is his very essence, nullifying the effect, while Issei boosted himself ten times in a row to strengthen his mind as he was taught, allowing him to ward off the corruptive effect.

With each word spoken by the dark voice, the class cards glowed with a sinister energy.

“Just what the hell is going on here!?”

“I don’t know, Issei. But I have a hunch.”

With a mere thought, Shirou manifested his combat clothing, his shroud, and body armor, before strengthening himself with Reinforcement, boosting his power even more.

“Go home-“

“No way in hell! I am coming with you!!”

“...Fine. But make sure to stay alert. Remember what I said about real combat?”

“Keep by distance and try to take out the enemy from the rear, supporting you from the back. But if you fail to hold the enemy back, join the fray and boost you as much as possible while keeping myself safe.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

With that, the two teenagers shot out of the temple, heading straight for the entrance to a mirror world that Shirou had scouted out last week, along with Rin and Luvia.

The very same mirror world, where something truly dangerous and bizarre was taking place.

———————————————————————————

“Chathru-paiti-disho vāiti”

The eerie chant rang out on the devastated clearing, sending chills down the spines of Rin, Luvia, and Miyu as they stared with wide eyes at Illya.

The girl who stared at everything with a vacant gaze, with a touch of indifference in her gaze.

And at her feet, lay the corpses of dozens of Assassin shades. Their forms, which should have faded the moment they were defeated, being consumed by a black mud that reeked of all the world’s evil.

A scene that made even the mindless shades flinch and run in fear, watching from afar as this creature turned their brothers and sisters into fuel.

Her crimson eyes replaced by golden orbs, and her mouth slowly twitching into a weird smile with each word uttered.

“Aka Manah Haoma-paiti”

“What is this? What happened to Illya?”

Rin and Luvia shared a worried look at Miyu’s stunned words.

“I don’t know. But whatever it is, it can’t be good.”

“Rin is right. Miyu, Sapphire, Ruby. Snap Illya out of whatever trance she is in. Meanwhile, we will cover you and make sure the other shades don’t interfere.”

“..Got it.”

"Yatha sritō. Man-yehe ava-stā-māi tūm aibi-vanyā?" 

[How Cute. You think you can stop my rise?]

Once again, the girls felt chills go down their spines as the ancient voice laced with unfathomable power rang out from Illya’s mouth, which was still curled up in that strange smile. Her vacant eyes stared at them with a hint of mockery.

Miyu’s grip tightened on Sapphire as sweat started to trickle down her face.

“Sapphire, what is she saying?”

“Unknown, Miyu-sama. It sounds similar to Avestan. The ancient language of the Iranian region. But it has not been in use for nearly two thousand years, so I can’t translate it all that well. Especially with the dialect being used, which seems to hold some kind of divine might.”

"Tava karshta-vazha hām-raithwan paiti-asni. Mazishtā-no-it. Anya-tatha paurvō-varena, du-afsh-mainyu tūm naēda vīspō-vīdu-ish. Mithō-karshta yatha tūm naēda maibyō tbaēshō." 

[You artifacts are always troublesome with your knowledge. But, no matter. Unlike your previous iterations, you don't have the power of True Magic, and neither are you as all-knowing. Mere imitations like you pose no threat to me]

Once again, the voice spoke in its unknowable language. Words that the girls did not understand, yet managed to pick up the mocking and insulting tone.

Suddenly, darkness surged as the mud at Illya’s feet flared up, combusting into flames, dinged in evil, and surged towards the girls.

“Sapphire!! Full Power!!”

“Confirmed!!”

“Ooh!! Don’t forget me!!”

Sapphire and Ruby shone with power as pure mana condensed into a barrier around the girls, protecting them from the flames.

Unfortunately for the shades, they had no such protection.

They did not even have the time to scream before the flaming black mud consumed them whole, along with the corpses at Illya’s feet.

At once, the Assassin Class Card materialized, indicating the defeat of the Heroic Spirit. Yet, once again, the mud surged forward and consumed it whole.

“That Class Card!?”

“Damn it! Illya! Snap out of it-“

“I don’t think that’s Illya anymore, Rin.”

Luvia’s guarded words forced Rin to confront the reality that she did not wish to.

Despite her attitude and dismissiveness, there was no doubt that Rin had grown to care for the girl who was dragged into this quest by Ruby.

That was exactly why it was so hard for her to face her right now. A small part of her, the mage that was trained her entire life and was part of the Clock Tower, demanded that she end the threat right now. It demanded that she use the trump card that she inherited from her father to vaporize the girl then and there, ending the threat once and for all.

Yet, the majority of her very being recoiled in disgust at such a thought. Instead, she felt extremely concerned and terrified for the girl, knowing that whatever was puppeting her now was an extremely dangerous and evil force based on the sheer pressure they were feeling from the darkness.

The two teenagers glanced at each other.

“Our failsafes?”

“Our failsafes. But, the price....”

“...I know. But, we don’t have any choice at the moment-“

Suddenly, darkness once again surged, this time slamming straight into the barrier being maintained by Sapphire and Ruby, sending cracks across its surface.

Yet, it was not the attack that caught their attention. Instead, it was what floated in front of Illya.

“T-The Archer card? What is she trying to....? My god!”

“J-Just what the hell are you?”

"Tūm āsu vīdu-ish, aperenāyu."

[You will know soon enough, young one]

The Archer card floated above Illya’s right palm, while the recently acquired Assassin card floated in her left palm, both of them covered in the dark, corruptive energies surging across the girl’s body and surroundings.

And then, they saw the sight that would haunt their nightmares for all time.

Dark flames erupted from Illya’s palms, intending to drain their powers dry.

The cards resisted. Their built-in failsafes by a certain family fighting back. Yet, even their ingenious magecraft that was strong enough to capture fragments of divine spirits was no match for the genuine article.

Or rather, a genuine article born from a fake. A contradiction given physical form.

The first card to fail was the Assassin card. Its magecraft came undone as pure power errupted form it, releasing the shade contained within it into the world once again.

Yet, the moment the shade was released from within, the dark mud at Illya’s feet surged and devoured it whole, making the girl make a twisted expression dripping with a perverse glee.

Then, her gaze moved on to the Archer card.

Thankfully, before she could repeat the action, something else happened.

“Magical providence, oh natural master of this world, return all to its origins”

“Rule Breaker!”

An iridescent, jagged dagger shot forward at speeds that would put supersonic missiles to shame. Yet, Illya easily moved out of the way, displaying the unnatural power controlling her, as well as the annoyance of the being controlling her, as her expressions twisted.

"No-it adha zruvan han-du-varenti-māi. Shāiti-m bar-ish paiti dām-idāt, yatha azhem manō-vanyā. Pas-cha ham-ya-thma-hya."

[It is not yet the time for our destined clash. Rejoice in your victory at this moment as I enjoy my own victory. For we shall meet again.]

With those words spoken, Illya extended her arm as the mud surged, forming a barrier around her while her mana swelled.

Just in time for another Rule Breaker to slam into the darkness, held by none other than Shirou Emiya.

"Eredat-at erezatem-cha asna-cha khshathra.Paiti-dis-at asmanem-cha, dareghō-varena paiti. Vāitish vāta-vaza, asha-no-it raochā-paiti.Chathru-paiti-dvarō hant, upara-at aka-mainyu-paithya.

[Let silver and steel be the essence. Let this darkness be the foundation. Let the wind rise as a wall to block the light. Let the four gates close, and from the crown, come forth the path to the void.]

Seeing that his enemy was up to something, Shirou did not hesitate for a second.

“Issei!”

“On It! [Transfer]!”

[Boosted Gear]! [Transfer]!

Power surged through Shirou’s body as he pushed through the mud.

Yet, it was already too late.

“Tava urvan manō-karshta, tava tbaēshō vāiti-māi.Sravas-vazha, dregvant-at marez-at!Zrayō-at aka-manah, an-agra-at tamah,Vastra-vazha dregvant-maēthman.”

[The soul shall be my blade, The hatred shall be my breath. Heed the call, O fragment of the Light! And fulfill my wish! From the sea of dregs, from the boundary of nothingness, I Clothe myself in the shroud of the fallen]

In the handful of seconds it took to push through the mud, flames surged within Illya’s open palm.

From the flames emerged a card that looked exactly like the class cards that Shirou Emiya had with him. Yet, the image on it was unlike anything the girls had ever seen.

It was a haunting image of a man, bound with chains, cloth, and nails. The very depiction of profane torture being performed on an innocent.

The Avenger Class Card.

The moment Shirou saw that card, dread filled his very being. The expression that the being controlling Illya saw and grinned.

Then, the mirror world shattered, exposing them all to the chaos of the dimensional gap.

“Shit! Miyu!”

“On it!”

“Opening the gateway!”

Illya fell to the ground like a puppet with her strings cut as the Avenger card flew into the chaos of the dimensional gap, while the Archer card fell silently into the open gateway.

Unfortunately, nobody had the time to think about the class card as they jumped into the gateway to escape the collapse of the dimension, while Shirou grabbed Illya.

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Author Notes: My very first attempt at writing a horror scene. I don't know if it turned out good or not so I leave it up to you guys.