Taigong Wang Invests a God in a Foreign Land

...Good, good. Very good.

There is earth beneath my feet and sky above my head.

Energies of earth, metal, and water: check. Energies of fire and wood are looking good, too.

It would seem the Rayshift was a success, Master.

How are you feeling? Please don't hesitate to let me know if anything's amiss.

I'm glad to hear that.

？！

Hmm, looks like we arrived right in the middle of town. Are we sure these are the correct coordinates?

According to our mission briefing, we should indeed be near the small Holy Grail causing this Singularity right now.

Can you confirm, Lady Mash?

Yes. I'm confirming your coordinates right now and you're definitely at the mission location!

You're in southern Bavaria in the year 810, the exact point in time and space at which the small Holy Grail was detected.

I see.

Then we must take extra care not to let the nearby people come to harm.

Bavaria, huh.

... ...

Hm? Is something the matter, Lord Fergus?

...Uh, nah, it's nothing. I definitely don't suddenly feel like grabbing a beer or anything.

Ah, Bavaria, Germany! They're quite famous for their white sausages!

Oho, you really do know your stuff. Yes, I'm afraid you've got me dead to rights, hahahahaha!

There are so many foreign delicacies I never knew about when I was alive, but I know about them now!

Just hearing the name "Bavaria" was enough to get me thinking about their beer and sausages!

The only thing that could make it better would be if you were to pour me a pint, my fair Lady Tomoe! That would make it a feast even the gods would envy!

Oh my. That's very flattering of you, Lord Fergus...

B-but no, we mustn't engage in such frivolities! Not during a mission!

Hahaha!

Yes, sir!

？！

(I think we may have Rayshifted here a few centuries too early for the sausages Lord Fergus is thinking of...)

(But, no need to spoil their fun now!)

Oh? You're talking about feasts? Hehe, let's not get ahead of ourselves!

Still, I understand. Feasts are great. There should be one after every great battle.

But not for you, Taigong Wang.

Hm?

You and I haven't finished our duel yet.

Duel...? Oh, you mean our xiàngqí game?

Ahaha, is that what this is about, Nikitich? That's why you came all the way to the Command Room?

Unfortunately, I'm afraid I can't right now. As you can see, I'm on a mission with Master at the moment.

And should we throw a wrap party, I would stick around to wrap it up properly. No offense.

Wrap this, wrap that, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap. Ugh. What is that? You being passive-aggressive?

Is this your way of telling me to wrap up whatever it is my Spirit Origin fragments are still doing in Chaldea and leave already?

...I take it from your silence that I'm right.

Well fine, be that way. It's no business of ours when, or if, you decide to come back.

Oh, but do make sure you return Master on time and unharmed. Now, if you'll excuse us.

Haha. Well, you should head home soon too, Taigong Wang. If you don't get going, you'll be getting some of this. (Shadow boxing)

Okay, goodbye. Good luck, Master and everyone!

Sorry to jump in like that, Mash. I'm done now.

N-no problem...

... ...

...Hahahaha! I'm loving this energy!

Hmm. It's a shame, Lord Taigong Wang, but you can't stick around for a wrap party after all that!

I think you'll just have to let me arrange the feast with Master and Lady Tomoe while you go back ahead of us.

Yes, you should definitely do that.

Hahaha.

Hahahaha! ...But seriously, do it if you know what's good for you.

Hahaha.

Hahahaha!

... ...

Are...the two of you fighting?

What? Us? No.

Yeah, I wouldn't call this a fight.

Well stop it, both of you. We are in the middle of a mission, remember?

If the small Holy Grail really is close by, then a battle could break out at any time.

...Wait. Do you sense that?

Indeed.

There's something in the ground.

This magical energy signal is currently a hundred meters below us, but it's headed this way quickly!

Whoa!

Lord Fergus, please get ready to intercept it. Lady Tomoe, perch atop one of the nearby buildings and ready your bow!

I'll use my arts to evacuate the townspeople. Once I have...

Master! Give me your hand!

？！

Sì Bú Xiàng!

Mo. Mo.

Hold on tight, Master! We're taking off!

Mo. Mo!

Okay, this should be a good spot. See that, Master? It's coming.

？！

Taigong Wang already covered most of this, but yes, Senpai!

A large hostile is headed your way from directly below!

That's the hostile!

And seeing how much magical energy it has...it looks like it possesses the small Holy Grail!

Got it! Haha, believe me, this thing is hard to miss!

My footing's a little less stable now, but no biggie! As if the ground could be any obstacle while I wield Caladbolg!

Master, Lord Taigong Wang, I am in position. Ready when you are!

So, we have Lord Fergus and his sword up front, Lady Tomoe and her bow in the back, and us as the mobile strike force. Excellent.

We can absolutely do this, Master!

？！

Excellent work, both of you. Now the big boss is ripe for the picking. On which note...

Take this!

Hm?

The enemy's magical energy is weakening! It looks like

Hmm, that cannot be good. Lord Fergus!

Hraaaaaahhh!!!

Nicely done, Lady Tomoe! Although...

Indeed, I felt no resistance whatsoever. It was as though I was shooting at mist.

What do you make of this, Lady Mash?

...I'm afraid I've lost the enemy's magical energy signal. I can't detect it any longer.

I knew it!

Then I take it the enemy hasn't actually disappeared yet?

That's right! If you had defeated it, then the Holy Grail would be showing itself somewhere nearby now.

But there's no sign of the Holy Grail anywhere. Which means

Most likely, yes.

Hmm, I don't know. I don't feel any rumbling, so maybe not.

？！

That thing was practically foaming at the mouth to kill us just a moment ago. Now there's not a trace of it. Damn.

This means it is smart enough to know when to run away. We must remain vigilant.

It looked to me like some sort of monstrous insect, though I couldn't tell whether it was a spirit monster or a divine one.

It certainly didn't appear demonic, but it was also accompanied by skeletons, so who can say?

That was a serpent, right?

...It's very possible.

？！

It has different names in the East and West, but the point is, it may be a kind of dragonkin.

？！

Where I come from, we call it a jiāo, but in Japan, I believe creatures like that are known as mitsuchi, or mizuchi?

Yes, that's right. I believe they are serpent gods that spit venom and attack people.

Oh, I have also heard that they bring rain, since they are also waterside gods.

Yes, that's often how they're described out in the East. Though that doesn't seem to be the case in the West.

Hmm.

I did hunt a few serpents back in Erin, and now that I think of it, I guess there were some that lived near water.

I see, I see.

？！

Indeed, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. Regardless, we know we're up against a formidable foe, so we should be cautious.

Especially since there is a real possibility that we're dealing with a dragonkin.

Now, let's see... From what I can tell, all traces of the monster's magical energy have been neatly erased.

Perhaps it can move at an extremely high speed. It certainly didn't appear to have any means of traversing the air...

It was quite nimble for its size, but no, I saw no sign of it taking flight either.

Take a look at this, everyone. There are tracks everywhere from where it crawled during the battle.

But now that it is gone, so are the tracks.

Hey, you're right. Good eye, Lady Tomoe. I'm impressed.

Oh, this is nothing. Lord Yoshinaka taught me much more about the basics of battle!

Haha. Well, you know what they say. The couple that fights together, stays together!

...Man, I'm jealous!

Hmm. So there's no sign of it flying away, and no trace of it having employed some other means of escape.

And while it may have been able to pull the wool over my eyes, it's very unlikely it could do the same to both of you.

We should rule out the possibility that it simply fled at high speed. It would be difficult for it to move so quickly without a trace.

In that case...

...maybe it used something similar to your earth evasion art?

Certainly what I would have done in a situation like this, though I didn't see any signs of such an art being used.

So, this creature disappeared without a trace, including its magical energy. Hmm.

All right. Let us say this creature hid its magical energy signal with Presence Concealment or a spell with a similar effect.

It could also have achieved similar results with its spirit form, but it didn't. We can at least rule that out.

Now, with that in mind, I

U-um, excuse me, Taigong Wang? Could I ask you a question?

Of course. What is it?

Well, it's just... How can you be so sure it didn't use its spirit form?

Granted, the data on our end shows no signs of it doing so either...

...but if the enemy's body and magical energy completely disappeared, then I don't think we can completely discount the spirit form possibility!

Yes, that's true.

But the thing is, it didn't use its spirit form. At least, not this time.

!

You mean... You know that because...

？！

Is something wrong, Lady Mash?

Hehe. No, it's just that she finally realized.

Should it prove necessary, I have a spell I can cast instantly which allows me to see nearby spirit forms clear as day.

After all, if I had been summoned as a Caster instead of a Rider, I almost certainly would have been a Grand Caster!

？！

Ahahahahaha.

I do not fully understand what you are talking about, but a Grand Caster does sound like a very impressive thing to be, Lord Taigong Wang!

Y-yes, it absolutely would be! If we had one around, we could analyze their spells and use them to

...Huh? What's that, Da Vinci?

A Grand Caster's spells cannot possibly be reproduced, no matter how clearly the instructions are laid out?

Only the Caster themself knows how they really work? I see... That's too bad.

Well, we already knew we weren't dealing with an ordinary creature here. Now, what were you going to say after "with that in mind"?

Oh, right. As I was saying...

Our foe has erased its magical energy and vanished from our sight, all without using its spirit form.

It didn't fly, and it couldn't have used Rapid Movement without leaving behind a trail.

Which means...

...the thing in possession of the Holy Grail has somehow turned itself invisible...

...and is observing us even as we speak.

Huh!? Then it's still around here!?

Truly!?

You're right. I can hear it slithering along the ground... It's moving away from us, and quickly!

Over there! It's headed directly northeast from the plaza!

!

Good question... I'm afraid I still don't know enough to say for sure.

Hahaha, what a coincidence, Master. I was just thinking the same thing!

？！

So we should go after it, but cautiously. Do I have that right!?

？！

Understood. Then I shall go on ahead!

This is the place. I am sure of it.

I heard the creature enter this building. It has yet to leave.

Yes. It appears to be a chapel. I still can't detect any hostile magical energy signals in here, but

Yes, Senpai! It would seem this is a chapel!

I still can't detect any hostile magical energy signals in here, but

？！

... ...

(A chapel...)

(Given what we saw earlier, it seems safe to assume the creature led us here intentionally.)

(Now then, I wonder what we'll find in this place.)

Lady Tomoe is right. Those doors have obviously been forced open.

See the hinges? Even though they're made of iron, they look ready to snap right off.

I could take that thing out from here, as long as you don't mind me taking the building with it.

Hmm?

Oh, right.

？！

Master! Get behind me!

The hostile's signal is enormous! It's the same one we saw earlier!

Let's get it!

Agreed!

？！

...Wait, Master. I think we should fall back for now.

Master.

？！

Thank you, Master! Now, come on, Lord Fergus! Lady Tomoe!

Right! Let's go, Lady Tomoe!

Understood!

We'll meet back up at the town square! That work for you, Lord Taigong Wang!?

Sounds good!

？！

...Aw man, am I the only one who ran all the way here!?

Lord Taigong Wang told me I was to serve as a lightly equipped Archer for this mission...

...so I made my way here by leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

That's totally fine. I'm glad to know we have a skilled Archer who can so easily reach the rooftops to provide cover.

I expect our enemy feels differently, though. Man, these tacticians sure do come up with some wild plans.

I'm sure he had a good reason for suggesting we retreat, so I've got no complaints at all.

Aside from how he flew in here on Sì Bú Xiàng's back seemingly without a care in the world!

Why didn't you run here, too!?

Sorry, but I am a Rider, you know! Besides, I needed a way to bring Master here with me...

...and riding tandem was the best way to accomplish that! Oh, hold on, Master. We're going to land now.

Mo. Mo. (Gently floating)

？！

Not at all.

？！

...Good question.

Aaand here it comes!

Magical energy signal approaching! It's coming in from the ground in front of you, rather than beneath you!

!

What was that? For a moment, it seemed like this entire area changed somehow.

Senpai! Senpa...! We're losing...nnection! ...Vinci!

We need to hurry and

(We've been shifted out of phase!)

This is...not good.

I'll spare you the details since it's an emergency, but the important part now is that retreat is no longer an option.

Our only choice now is to fight, but I doubt we'll be able to win.

Huh!?

？！

Okay... And? Are you saying we're screwed?

Oh no, not at all. I just need you to hold out for a little bit while I prepare an emergency escape for us.

Good luck, everyone! I'm counting on you!

？！

The enemy is still alive!

Even after I crushed its heart, it continues to heal its wounds! What in the world is happening!?

Now I see. Interesting! So that's the gimmick!

Haha, no wonder the great tactician from the East was so discouraged! Now I'm even more glad I got to be a Servant!

...Well, what can I say?

Yes, you have. Thank you.

？！

It took a little time to tweak this so I could use it in this distorted space but it's ready now.

Here goes.

All right, everyone, stay close to me! Lady Tomoe, Lord Fergus, if I'm not mistaken, I believe this will be your first time experiencing this!

One... Two... Three!

Whooooooa! What's happening!?

O-oh my! Am I...floating!?

？！

That's right! This is my earth evasion spell!

I'm flying! I am really flying! If only Lord Yoshinaka could see this!

Whoooa, this is fast! I could get used to this... In fact, I think I'm already hooked!

Haha, I'm glad to hear it. Reactions like that make all the magical energy casting this spell took worthwhile.

Now, let's go!

So, that was earth evasion.

Nice. Very nice. I'd love to try that again if I ever get the chance.

It was almost...as if I had become the wind itself! I love it!

I'll have to remember this feeling the next time I kick back with a nice cold ale!

Oh yes! I still find myself overcome by that experience!

I cannot wait to tell Lord Yoshinaka all about this! Thank you so much, Lord Taigong Wang!

？！

？！

？！

...Of course.

I had a feeling about this mission, which I'm sad to say has turned out to be entirely accurate.

That thing refused to die no matter what, yes?

It may not be truly immortal, but it's achieved something close enough through mimicry.

I'd guess it's a kind of Folklore Defense, or a variant of such.

Folklore Defense, huh. Those things are a real pain in the ass, right?

？！

That's right. Which means this opponent will be difficult to defeat with brute strength.

While there are of course exceptions to everything, it seems safe to say that hacking and slashing at it won't be enough.

Well, damn. I love a good fight, but I'm not much use when it's time to use your head instead of your sword.

Neither am I. Puzzle games have always been a weakness of mine...

My thoughts exactly.

Good question.

？！

I can't say for sure, but I think that creature wanted us to fight it inside that chapel.

I think there's something inside it's hoping we will break.

Something it cannot break itself, but that we can.

I see. And what would happen if we did break it?

Beats me. Maybe it becomes a true dragonkin, or attains genuine immortality.

Either way, this is going to be quite a hassle. Good grief.

If we thought this minute Singularity would go away on its own, we could just Rayshift home and ignore it, except

We do not presently have any means of contacting Chaldea.

Correct. That creature contaminated this space and shifted us out of phase, which means we're trapped here.

We can't ask to be Rayshifted home, and even if we could, Chaldea has no way of tracking our coordinates.

So we'll need to figure out a solution on our own if we ever want to go home again.

？！

？！

Naturally!

Now that's what I like to hear! If you hadn't after all that time we bought you, I'd've punched your lights out on the spot.

Yikes, you aren't joking, are you!? I didn't realize we had another of Nikitich's ilk here with us!

Please, tell us what to do, Lord Taigong Wang. We cannot keep putting Master in danger.

And we must reestablish comms as soon as possible so we can let poor Lady Mash know that he is safe!

She must be out of her mind with worry right now!

I couldn't agree more, Lady Tomoe. Let's go exterminate that overgrown pest once and for all!

Don't worry, it's simple. All we have to do is find out what it really is.

The phase shift is centered on this town and extends for several kilometers in all directions, so we can safely assume that area to be the monster's territory.

It's almost certainly a typical local legend, which means we should be able to learn more about it at any nearby historic or otherwise famous locations.

...A cave, you say? One a traveling priest is known to have visited?

Wonderful, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Traveling holy figures are the source of many Mystics and legends.

Abandoned ruins on the city's outskirts, hm? And you say they used to belong to the lord of this domain?

Oh yes, that could absolutely be the place. Authority figures are often associated with notable records and legends.

An old abandoned fortress? I see...

Yes, famous battlefields do often attract monsters. Well, usually ghosts and dead spirits, but not always.

Sounds good to me. Let's check it out.

I found this on a wall in the cave. It appears to be an inscription.

There wasn't much of use in the ruins, but I did find this letter hidden inside a wall.

And I found this old book left behind in the deserted fortress.

Good, good. It looks like we have all the pieces we need!

？！

Leave it to me. I've already cast a translation spell that should do the trick.

Now, let's see...

Hmm, hmm. ...Hmm?

... ...

...Aha, now I see. So that's how it is.

All right, I have the gist now.

To begin with, it's called "The Dark Writher."

According to the old priest that stopped by the cave, it's an extraordinary supernatural being.

Perhaps an ancient local deity or something similar.

According to these ancient Germanic legends, it feared not even the wrath of the great Odin...

...and its ravenous maw was said to devour anything in sight.

The old lord of this domain says The Dark Writher first appeared here about a hundred years ago.

Thanks to the valiant efforts and sacrifices of a holy dispatch from Rome...

...the creature was eventually weakened and driven deep into the ground, where it was then sealed away.

And according to the book from the fortress, that chapel near the town square is the seal keeping it locked away.

So if the chapel were to be destroyed, The Dark Writher would come back to life deep beneath the ground.

It would immediately swallow the whole town, then lay waste to all of Bavaria.

And there you have it.

Wait!

Then, that monster we fought was actually

Not the actual monster, huh.

So it was just a shadow of the thing sleeping deep in the ground? No wonder we couldn't kill it.

Quite right. A shadow cannot be killed. Such is the nature of the Folklore Defense now facing us.

Hmm...

So it was that shadow that absorbed the Holy Grail and trapped us here?

Most likely, yes.

It wanted us to destroy the chapel, which would break its seal and allow its real body to return to life.

I'd think the thing would've just smashed the chapel itself, but I guess it couldn't do that for whatever reason.

Anyway, now that we know the trick, the solution is obvious.

Why don't we play along?

If we can't kill its shadow, we can just kill its real body.

So we break the seal, drag it up onto the battlefield...

And then, we kill it for real.

There! Done and done!

？！

Oh. Right.

Ah... Frankly, I was thinking the same as Lord Fergus.

You were, Lord Taigong Wang?

Hell yeah!

However, I also agree with you, Master. We can't sacrifice the town just to get to the creature.

So we'll need to destroy it without bringing it up to the surface.

Oh?

Interesting. It sounds to me like you already have a plan in mind, Lord Taigong Wang!

？！

Thank you, Master. Once we've defeated this monster as efficiently as possible...we will celebrate in style!

There you are.

The Dark Writher. I know little about you but it is clear that you are quite old as monsters go.

Your shadow is bad enough, but I'm sure your real body is on the same level as a Divine Beast.

So maybe you're even a Divine Spirit.

Regardless, it's clear you want that chapel destroyed...along with the seal holding you in place.

And since we can't kill your shadow, we have no choice but to do just that so we can challenge your real body.

Of course, your real body sleeping deep underground may not be immortal...

...but I'm sure it's still quite strong.

Yes, yes, I know. I can't tell what it is you're saying, but I can tell I'm right.

... ...

...You don't think I'm a threat to you, do you?

No, no, no need to tell me. I have a sixth sense for these sorts of things.

Well, if you believe you have nothing to fear from me, I suppose I'll have to demonstrate your error!

...The Kunlun Mountains belong to Yuanshi Tianzun!

Invested in the fish-tailed golden crown and the crane robes, unite the heavens and the earth as one! An immortal aura, godly and pure! Divine Xian of paradise, descend now before us!

In my hands lie the peerless treasured blades! Encompassing geography and astronomy alike, the eight trigrams lie within me!

With them, I am on equal footing with a Divine Xian!

...Et cetera!

？！

If the situation calls for it, yes!

King Father of the East, Dongwanggong. Flame Emperor, Shennong. Queen Mother of the West, Xiwangmu. Mother Goddess, Nüwa. I hope you can forgive my impertinence for returning your expertise at a later point!

...Protected memory space, ultra high-speed connection!

Force remove target's Folklore Defense!

Force connection to target's soul via terminal!

And while I'm at it, from this point on, sustain the target with metal energy!

Look, Master! Something is happening to the shadow creature's magical energy!

It's definitely getting weaker! And that's not all!

That thing doesn't seem like a shadow of itself anymore. I can sense a real heart beating in a real body!

Did it work, Lord Taigong Wang!?

Oh, yes, absolutely. I set it up so that any attacks made on this terminal will affect its real body!

It's a kind of sympathetic magecraft, to put it in Frazer's terms! Basically, I'm amazing, and you should all be impressed! Hahahaha!

So then, if we defeat that shadow

We can kill the creature buried in the earth! Hell yeah, Lord Taigong Wang!

？！

Oh, it was something all right!

And as a bonus, I enhanced all your weapons as well. There's nothing like True Samadhi Fire for taking down monsters!

Seriously, you won't believe how well it works on opponents that've been forcefully imbued with metal energy!

All right, Master. Just say the word!

？！

Understood!

It's time to finish this!

...Can you hear me!? Can you hear me, Senpai!?

This is Mash Kyrielight! We just now managed to restore our comms!

What's the situation!? Are you all right!?

？！

？！

Hey, yeah, there it is! Great job! All right, go ahead and start the retrieval process, if you wouldn't mind.

Haha, ever the slave driver when it comes to Heroic Spirits, I see! I wouldn't have it any other way!

Activating Holy Grail retrieval Mystic Code. Since Lady Mash is not here to do the honors this time...

...I hope you do not mind if I collect it in her stead.

Go for it! And let me know if you have any questions, 'kay?

Not to worry. I took the time to read the manual from cover to cover before we left for this mission.

I'm so glad you're okay, Senpai.

I really want to ask you all about what happened, but I'll wait until things have calmed down. For now: congratulations on another job well done!

？！

O-oh? What's this about, Taigong Wang?

...Ahahaha. So you knew, huh?

？！

？！

... ...

......

...It's true. I did.

I'm so sorry, Master.

I didn't want to worry you, but I'm afraid I got carried away and may have overdone it a little.

I won't be coughing up blood or anything like that...

...but, if I am being entirely honest, I could use a full day or so in the recovery pod.

I-it's that serious!?

？！

Well, you know...

...Uh...

...The thing is...

...even I like to show off every now and then.

That's it.

... ...

That really is all there is to it.