Fate/Grand Order story · Part 1.5: Epic of Remnant, Pseudo-Parallel World: The Stage of Carnage, Shimousa
Prima Cantica: Purgatorio (Middle)
Pseudo-Parallel World: The Stage of Carnage, Shimousa. Mid-Road
3 scenes, 321 lines
1. Before the battle
60 lines...The time has come.
The dark Jesuit sorcery I have performed here in the Katori Shrine has born luscious fruit indeed.
I now control seven knights from across time and space!
They are the shadows of figures who have made their mark on humanity. They are neither ghosts, nor evil spirits, nor vengeful specters.
Nor, of course, are they Heroic Spirits.
They are Seven Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, each of whom carries a blade made to cut this world to pieces!
Indeed, indeed. Now that we Heroic Spirits summoned by the Holy Grail have been paired with your sorcery...
...these seven knights, infused with my Curse of Annihilation, have become rare and exceptional beings.
They shall become your hands, they shall obey your every command, and cut down everything in their path.
They cannot be hurt, killed, or defeated by any manner of blade. They will merely rage on, killing every living thing they can find.
There are none in this entire plane of existence who can stop these tempests in human form.
The world of humans will end. There will be no salvation.
Indeed.
However...
We are missing one knight.
I am aware. The Heroic Spirit Swordmasters must number seven, including you.
Caster of Limbo! Lower the veil of night! Let the reaping begin!
As you wish.
Sun! Sun! Hear me, sun! I command you to set, and hide your warming light!
Set! Set! I command you to set! Close your eyes, and sleep! Slumber while night falls not!
Away with you, sun! Now is the time for we demons to run free!
Come, darkness, and scourge all living things!
Huh? What happened to the sky?
Why did it go dark again?
It might be storm clouds, or rainno... This isn't like what happened last time.
It's...night.
I can see the moon.
？！
It's true. It really IS night! I've never seen anything like this. It's far too early for sunset.
For that matter...what are we to make of THAT?
The moon is shining an ominous red!
...This can't possibly be good.
If the sky simply going dark is a sign that evil spirits are about to show up, then a bloodred moon can only portend something really evil.
Um, what was it... Bandits and burglars come out at night, and...
Oh, I remember! Grandpa said that when the moon's a different color than usual...
...that means there's going to be a lot of bandits!
That sounds dead-on!
So, more of those things will be showing up soon!
？！
Unfortunately, we can't face them head-on with Onui and Tasuke here.
Then we must hurry! I shall carry them myself! Now, where to go from here...
That way!
Goo ga, ga!
That's eastward!
Then let us run!
Hmm. I had hoped we could avoid trouble if we ran away as fast as we could, but it seems I was wrong.
No use grumbling now, Lord Inshun.
The creepy sky stopped us in our tracks, but we need to keep going.
...And after we do something about these guys in our way, of course.
My Command Spells are burning hot... Could this mean...!?
Musashi! Inshun! We can take them!
？！
My Command Spells are burning hot... Could this mean...!?
Musashi! Inshun! We can take them!
？！
Absolutely!
I'm not usually a fan of fighting for my life so many times in one day like this...
But I guess when you're up against ghosts, phantoms, and evil spirits who have no problem going after children, there isn't much choice!
There's no telling if these things can be reasoned with, so I guess they're just a roadblock for now!
Let's go!
2. After the battle
191 lines...There we go.
Um, Fujimaru, can I ask you something? The reason we were able to beat those spirits so much more easily than the others isn't because they were going easy on us...
It's because we had help this time, right?
What I mean is, unless I'm wrong, your allies did most of the work this time, right?
...You mean the Chaldea Servants.
I really couldn't summon them before.
？！
I cannot speak to the specifics, but perhaps that is because of me. This is merely speculation, but...
Since I am a Servant, perhaps I somehow helped to energize your connection, or caused something to happen when Lady Musashi and I crossed swords.
At any rate, Fujimaru, I sense that your spells are back in working order?
You mean my Command Spells?
Yup. Now I should be able to fight like usual!
？！
Awesome. That's really great to hear.
Combine that with having Lord Inshun on our side, and evil spirits like these should be no big deal.
That said, we can't get careless. We need to keep our guard up until we know for sure that we're safe...
...Speak of the devil! I'm sensing an evil aura!
Indeed. How right you are. A good swordsman never lets down their guard, no matter how skilled they may be.
We are the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters. You will not find us so easily defeated as ordinary evil spirits.
Wh-who are you? I'm scared... Really scared...
Oh god...!
W-waah! Waaah!
Onui, get behind Fujimaru! These demons are nothing like the ones we just faced!
For one thing, they have flesh, and scents. Scents that speak volumes about what they are.
...This is the 16th year of Kan'ei. That scent shouldn't exist in a peaceful world where the Shimabara Rebellion is over.
It smells as though they just killed mere moments ago. They must be covered in blood from head to toe.
Hrrn!
...What a fearsome man. He is like an oni when he wields his spear. Any ordinary Heroic Spirit's Spirit Core would have been run through.
Be careful, everyone. This man means to kill us.
Haha, so you managed to deflect my spear with a single arrow. It seems Shimousa is home to many incredibly strong women.
Or perhaps it is simply where all manner of monsters assemble? One, two, three... Aha, so this is the aura imparted by other Servants.
Now that I have sensed their inhuman presence for myself, I see that it is a rather disturbing feeling!
Servants!?
So there were more summoned here besides Inshun!
？！
...Indeed. Indeed.
We are the Six Heroic Spirit Swordmasters.
Lady Shinmen Musashi, of the famed Niten Ichiryu. Lord Houzouin Inshun, a spearmen whose skill elevated him to the realm of the gods and the Buddha himself.
And the Master of Chaldea. Hehe, hehe. Hehehehehehe.
Pleased to make your acquaintance. We six knights have materialized in this world to transform it into hell.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Caster of Limbo.
What the!?
Musashi!
Behind you!
？！
Don't worry, I've got this!
She did it
？！
No, that was just a shadow. Her opponent remains unscathed!
...I am the Assassin of Paraíso.
Those brilliant flashes I heard tearing through the darkness must have been the sounds of your Niten Ichiryu techniques.
I must say, I'm a bit disappointed.
They cannot compare to those of us who know the blood and chaos of a turbulent world. ...Oh, my apologies. Come to think of it, you hail from such a world as well, don't you, Shinmen Musashi?
Not really.
I don't know about the Musashi from this world, but I never fought on any turbulent battlefield like that.
You're a shinobi who excels at stealth, right? How nice of you to show yourself in the middle of a battle like
...Hrn!
Did she just attack midsentence...!?
Her attack was blocked...!?
？！
...This must be the Heavenly Eye.
Once she lays eyes on her target, her next strike lands like fate crashing down. It is a blow all but assured to end her opponent's life, one of Shinmen Musashi's greatest, most formidable gifts.
Yet even that strike was blocked... How did you stop it?
...I am the Rider of Kālasūtra Hell.
I assure you, I did nothing special. I simply swung this sword as I saw fit.
If I place my sword here, the enemy's blade will halt. If I swing it here, the enemy's head will fly.
It's only natural I would understand that.
How could I hunt down oni if I didn't?
Hehe. Hehehehehe. What a strange monk you are.
(What a terrifying woman. That was the best I had, and she parried it like it was nothing...)
(I needed to take out at least one of them with that technique if we were going to stand a chance. ...I hate to admit it, but they're all stronger than me.)
(Sigh) Well this is just great.
Oh, but don't take that as an admission of defeat. I'm just surprised how you're all a little tougher than you look.
Defeating all of you now would be a real pain. All the more so if I don't kill you.
You all seem to know a lot about us, but unfortunately, we're still in the middle of our journey.
So, y'know, you could always let us go, and we can pick this up again another time, right?
My, oh my. Hehehe.
That's so sweet of you. Here we are trying to kill you...
...but you have no intention of killing us. You don't even intend to protect yourself.
You know that you cannot beat us, so instead, you're summoning up every ounce of courage you have to let the children behind you escape with their lives.
What a kind person you are. It's wonderful to see.
...But unfortunately for you, we are not human, and cannot be moved by human emotions.
We are Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, and thus, we have no compunctions whatsoever about killing you.
In fact, we'll begin by killing the three humans cowering behind you.
...
...She looks oddly familiar.
？！
Well done, well done. Even fairy-tale heroes would stand in line to watch you fight!
I can't believe you're still alive and talking after crossing swords with Kālasūtra. I guess people from the Tokugawa era aren't totally worthless after all.
Surely you cannot be serious? (Sigh)
The only sort of people who live decent lives in the Tokugawa era are the ones like those children over there. Atone for your shameful lapse in judgment by killing yourself, insect!
Ahahahahaha. Sorry but no, Kālasūtra!
(That voice is coming from up in the trees... I can't see her, but I can tell she's formidable too... In fact, her aura is somehow even more evil than this other woman's.)
(Oh man, it's enough to make me want to cry... Hell, if Lord Inshun weren't here, I think I'd have already burst into tears.)
Well, don't sweat the small stuff. I think it's great that we have Heroic Spirits with hands as dirty as ours.
I don't mind people like that at all. In fact, I rather enjoy them, hehe.
But...
None of that matters. We're all way too far gone. Hehehehe.
We don't need anything anymore. Not money, or fame, or the moon, or grace...
It can all just melt away for all we care.
!
Get back, Musashi!
A flash flood!? No, wait...
Have a little taste of my special brew. Touch it, and it'll melt your mouth, your hand, and everything else.
This must be dark sorcery!
Was that her Noble Phantasm!?
How'd she use it without revealing its True Name!?
？！
Lady Musashi, make sure that Fujimaru and the children stay safe! This is a matter best settled between Servants!
Let me handle this! Behold what the Houzouin-style is truly capable of!
This is the pinnacle of the spear; the Eleven Forms that were never once defeated in all my life! The Oboro Urazuki!
Everyone's okay...!
Inshun, you deflected that flood with your spear!?
？！
...That's what I did.
Indeed, there is nothing my cross-shaped spear cannot pierce! The six Heroic Spirit Swordmasters, was it? Step forward, if any of you dare!
From here on, I shall be fighting to kill. Whether you be oni, or god, or the Buddha himself, my spear will not hesitate to pierce you.
...!
...I am the Berserker of Saṃghāta Hell.
I'm impressed, Houzouin. Ooh, and you're handsome, too. Even if I didn't reveal its True Name, I never thought you'd be able to stop a droplet from my Noble Phantasm.
Especially since you don't even have a Curse of Annihilation yourself.
Such an alluring voice...
Sure sounds familiar...
？！
My, my. Did you hear that, Berserker of Saṃghāta Hell? That child there seems to recognize you.
It seems there is more to him than meets the eye. Like an insect you can't...quite...squash.
It sounds like...
I've heard your voice before too...
？！
Oh. Oh?
Kālasūtra. Saṃghāta.
Enough playing around. Are the great Heroic Spirit Swordmasters incapable of remembering their lord's orders?
Limbo, you were supposed to ensure everything went smoothly. Why do any of them still live?
Paraíso, Inferno, that goes for you too. You should know better than to toy with your prey.
Yes, sir.
I'm...terribly sorry...
My apologies. You are right, of course.
I don't remember signing up to be anyone's lapdog. I thought the agreement was that we could handle things however we wanted?
You little
Hey, sorry to interrupt your infighting, but if you're all having a bit of a falling out, would you mind if we went on our way?
Yeeeah...didn't think so. Don't bother. I know what you're gonna say.
You there, the guy in the cloak. You must be the leader.
...
I can already tell you're not the type to tell us your objective and look for a point of compromise.
Our objective? That should be quite obvious.
First of all, you will hand that spearman over to us.
...Me?
Correct. After that, we will massacre every living person here. All who encounter the Heroic Spirit Swordmasters must die. There will be no exceptions.
If you think you can pull that off, go ahead and
Of course we can pull that off.
Did you truly think the six of us incapable of doing so, woman?
...
(That sly fox. Never mind all six; any one of these people could pull that off. But if we just surrender, they'd end up killing us all the same...)
(Fujimaru, Fujimaru.)
(Words alone will not be enough to get us out of this. Should I fight all six of them, I will not be able to guarantee Onui and Tasuke's safety.)
(These are not ordinary Servants. I cannot put my finger on it, but there is something highly unusual about their nature.)
(But that makes me a good match for them.)
(In part, because they evidently came here seeking me. Of course, that isn't the only reason.)
(It's my first time fighting them, but my Noble Phantasm should be able to handle them...so I ought to at least be able to buy them some time.)
(Listen closely. I want you to let me handle this on my own.)
You mean, run away while you act as a decoy?
(Exactly!)
But, if you do that...
(Unfortunately...I do not believe there is any other way.)
？！
(If you make a run for it, Musashi is sure to follow. That is as it should be.)
(You must carry Onui and Tasuke on your back. Are we clear?)
...All right.
？！
(Good. I'm counting on you.)
...Hahaha! Listen up, you villainous oni calling yourselves Heroic Spirit Swordmasters!
You certainly do reek of blood! It is as Lady Musashi said: none of you are fit to live in a peaceful world!
How fortunate that you evidently have business with me! As one who practices the teachings of the Buddha, it is abundantly clear that you could all use a good lesson!
There you have it, Lady Musashi! The rest is up to you now!
Lord Inshun!?
Fujimaru, run!
Hold on tight, Onui!
Don't let go of Tasuke!
？！
Oh god, don't let them get us... (Sniff)... H-huh!?
!
Go, Musashi! You must protect Fujimaru and the children!
...Thank you, Lord Inshun! I'll be sure to pay you back for this with interest!
...Good. Now we can fight without restraint.
So, you've chosen to let yourself be used as bait, Houzouin Inshun.
Give it up. Your plan has no hope of success.
Well, I don't know about that. It is true that your swordsman aura is immense. I believe it's on par with my own magical energy.
I can also tell that you are a true master of your art, a person with monstrous abilities much like Musashi. Be that as it may, it matters not for my purpose here.
Even as we speak, there is a young man carrying young children while making his escape, and they are accompanied by a swordsman of incredible skill.
It falls upon me to ensure their safe passage. And that is exactly what I shall do.
I see. ...Then you shall soon be dead.
3. Before the battle
70 lines...This was certainly reckless.
But Inshun had no intention of fighting a losing battle.
He had every confidence in his Noble Phantasm.
The Oboro Urazuki, Eleven Forms. The ultimate cross-shaped spear technique.
A form that Inshun had devised himself in response to his master In'ei's Fifteen Forms.
An invincible spear technique capable of adapting to any opponent or technique! The accumulation of all his training, said to be on par with the Buddha himself!
...!!!
Whether using it against an opponent he had never fought before, or against any sort of weapon, armament, or technique, Inshun would never lack the advantage.
He would parry, counter, or evade anything his opponent threw at him, and follow it up with a fatal strike.
A great feat, eminently worthy of leaving its mark on humanity and enshrining him as a Heroic Spirit. Ordinarily, no mere human could hope to achieve it.
And yet, Houzouin Inshun had done so.
Thus, as a Lancer, Houzouin Inshun was certain that he could fight calmly and with precision for as long as needed, no matter what sort of impossible offensive the mysterious Heroic Spirit he faced might use.
...Luck was even on his side in a number of ways.
His only opponent was the swordsman in the cloak. The other five Heroic Spirits did nothing but observe the battle from afar.
They did not do this in order to go easy on him. In all likelihood, they were simply ill at ease about working with each other.
Whatever their reasons for doing so, the other Heroic Spirits staying out of the battle got Inshun thinking.
Their bloodlust was tremendous, and they had positioned themselves in such a way as to make escape impossible.
First, he shall dispose of this one enemy.
That done, it would be possible to find a way out of his predicament, make his escape, and reunite with Musashi and the others
...What say we finish this, Houzouin?
Fine with me.
Very well then.
...Hraaa!!!
...!
The cloaked man no doubt believed he had defended against the attack. There was no mistaking that his katana had blocked the tip of Inshun's spear several times.
But he was wrong. In fact, Inshun was matching his own strikes to the man's movements. It was impossible for any to defend against this blow.
...I see. I should have dodged instead of parrying, huh.
I can't believe you fell for such a simple trick. It seems I've misread you, Houzouin Inshun, if only slightly.
I have pierced your heart. Farewell, anonymous swordsman.
...Anonymous, hmm? Ridiculous. Your every action is ridiculous, Inshun.
None of it more so than your mindless imprudence.
Did you truly think your admittedly incredible, but woefully human, technique would ever work against us?
What...!? I...I can't move my spear!
I admit, that attack would have killed a human, or any other Heroic Spirit for that matter.
No human can survive having their heart crushed. Few Heroic Spirits could withstand their Spirit Core being shattered.
Indeed, your spear was sharp enough to even fell a god, or the Buddha himself.
Unfortunately for you, my sword has surpassed even the gods and the Buddha, and ascended to true supremacy, to the realm of Empireo. Resign yourself, Houzouin.
...My Cursed Name is Saber of Empireo.
Ghh!
Limbo, finish him off.
Hahahahahahaha you got it! Go on, my little pentagram, devour his light!
What...is this...!?
It can be such a pain to capture people with good instincts. You shouldn't be wandering around as a mere Heroic Spirit, Lord Inshun.
You were summoned to Katori Shrine as nothing less than the seventh Servant!
Really, it's very simple. We need you to be reborn and join us as a Heroic Spirit Swordmaster, whether you want to or not.
It is unfortunate that you developed a sense of freedom when you were summoned, unlike the rest of us...
I cannot move my limbs... Is this some sort of curse!?
Now let's see, which Curse of Annihilation should I infuse you with? Let's try this one!
What the...!? Stop it... What are you doing to my Spirit Core!?
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
I shall remake your Spirit Origin, your will...everything about you!
Soon, you too shall serve our Lord Sorcerer, and our king in hell!
In the name of Lucifer, the great Satan himself!
Aaaaaahhhhhh!
Now fall into the abyss and become one of us!
O Satan, our great devil king and rightful ruler!
Now, please accept our seventh, and final, offering!
Soon, we shall bring the world of humans to an end. There shall be no salvation for anyone, anywhere!
The Heroic Spirit Swordmasters endowed with the Curse of Annihilation shall lay waste to everything in sight! They shall be invincible blades of destruction!
Inshun's spear had found its mark.
It truly had destroyed the swordsman's heart. That much was neither illusion nor trickery. He had indeed succeeded in killing his foe.
Had the swordsman possessed the flesh and blood body of a living being, or the etheric body of a Heroic Spirit...
...he would have died instantly.
He would have, had he only been an ordinary living being or Heroic Spirit...
(Now I see. So this is the power of their karma. Indeed, I had never thought to cut what cannot be seen... This is the realm that my spear has not reached!)
(This...this is bad. This is very, very bad. There is no way to fight creatures like these.)
(Run away, Musashi. Onui. Tasuke. Run away, and do not stop, Fujimaru.)
(...Whatever you do, do not let yourselves be caught.)
That was his final thought...
...as Houzouin Inshun plunged into darkness.