-"What are you thinking about, my dear Master?"-Red Assassin, sitting on her throne, asked rogue Ruler, who stared breathlessly into the projection depicting Caster's illusion.
-"I just can't help but admire the ways our Lord works."-He put his hands together for a prayer.-"Thy will will be done."
-"Sigh."-Assassin shook her head.-"But Caster, shouldn't your Noble Phantasm be something that harms opponents? Why is it helping him instead?"
-"This..."-Caster showed an awkward smile.-"Accidents are but an opportunity for unforgettable performance, my lady."
-"Yes, and improvisation is also part of a play."-She rolled her eyes.-"I guess bards and writers are unreliable in every era."
-"While unexpected, this can't be said to be a mistake."-Rogue Ruler ended his prayer and turned to the duo.-"Let's go. God's will needs to be done."
At the same time, in my original timeline.
-"A worthy opponent, no wonder Eno could face me so well."-Scáthach nodded after watching me and my Mentor fight.
-"That's the least of our concern."-Morgan responded.-"To be able to project their will and effectively hijack someone's Noble Phantasm from outside of this world..."
-"Your little knight is in quite a mess, huh?"-Medea smiled.
-"Mere gods."-Scáthach scoffed.-"It's not like I hadn't dealt with them before."
-"Those gods can't even compare to the power of those Carians, so beings that can make them afraid are something incomprehensible for us."-Morgan warned her.
-"So what? None of us will discard him, so we can only prepare and face what is to come calmly."
This silenced Morgan and Medea. They responded only after a moment to collect their thoughts.
-"Let's see what will happen. Knowing him, I'm more afraid that he will attract too many bees rather than that there won't be any allies on our side."
-"Our side? But I agree, someone should rein him in."-Medea's expression remained hidden under her cape, but her voice sounded as if she enjoyed her 'sister's' trouble.
-"That Carian Princes might."-Scáthach focused her gaze on the last Carian remaining in the illusion.-"From all of them, she gives me the strangest feeling. Kind of danger that I never felt before."
-"She doesn't feel that strong, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
-"All of them are mages far beyond any of us, but she has something else. She gives me a feeling closer to a god, yet different."
-"What matters is that she is on our side. We gathered all the data we could from this world. After Eno returns, we can start with our plan."
-"I'll need to return to my island."-Medea looked at Morgan.-"Would you mind lending me Eno for some time?"
-"After the war situation stabilizes."
-"I'll be waiting then."
While such conversations were happening, I stood face to face with Princess, who held my fealty. She remained silent with her eyes closed, so I waited. After a few minutes, she spoke.
-"Your hatred for gods."
Her words halted all my thoughts, and even my breath hitched.
-"I'm here to show this. Hypocrisy of it to be exact."-She opened her eyes and looked at me.-"You and I share the same disgust of the divine, and yet, our power was granted by them. As Empyrean, I'm an heir to godhood, but you are different; you can accommodate godly power in mortal form. This frankly miraculous power is your biggest capital, making your potential beyond what any of us can imagine. But it also painted a target on your back."
The air around us stagnated as a strange presence filled the surroundings.
-"I know that you tried to hide it, and if not for this illusion, even I would be in the dark. I believed that you simply lacked an opportunity to find your Moon, but you found something else: The Night. You saw something, something that pushed you towards Stars."
I remained still, looking up to where a dark figure was slowly forming.
-"Your powerful magical talent, it was something you gained then, am I right? Before you were good, but not a genius, your biggest advantage was the fresh perspective, but after you visited one of the Eternal Cities, you changed. You could use magic with ease, and I could no longer see through your fate. What did you see?"
I remained still, watching the looming giant. After a moment of silence, I spoke, my voice calm and clear, but underneath it, one could find a note of fear.
-"I saw a future that would never happen. A land twisted by time, enveloped by dark clouds. And that rain. Washing away everything, be it the history of the land or the spirit of its people. This was The Night, a power that made everything equal, a power that swallows and accepts all. Its reach was limitless; its potential, immeasurable. Its touch indiscriminate, affecting any and all things."
I turned my eyes to her.
-"But what made me afraid was who I saw. I saw a nameless knight, champion of The Night. He wielded two swords, using sorcery and miracles, magic and fire. But he also held a third weapon."-I looked into Princess's eyes.-"The Dark Moon Greatsword."
My words made her widen her eyes.
-"He stood alone, guarding ashes of the past era. An empty shell that guarded duty no one remembered, for a liege who disappeared from all memories. No matter how beautiful the promise of The Night was, he couldn't enjoy it. He was everything that was left, broken and empty, but proof that it existed."
The figure above us started to move slowly, reaching its hand toward me.
-"Since then, I started to hate divine, as even such pure power as balance and equality led to nothing more than emptiness. I feared powers that even fate couldn't limit. But no matter how much I tried to distance myself from it, its mark was still left on me. There was no Moon to guide me, only The Night."
The hand stopped in front of me; in its palm lay a Rune. In the Lands between, runes all originated from the Elden Ring, but this one was different. It wasn't part of the glory of the gold, nor something that was discarded. It was the very sin of the Erdtree. So it held sole power and purpose to cheat a god.
-"This Rune was that mark. I researched it, trying to uncover its power, and found something terrifying. It held the same power as The Night."
-"But you didn't discard it."-Princess looked at my left arm.-"You used it, am I right?"
-"Yes."-I admitted it frankly.-"Because I lacked time, I used its property to fuse Glintstone and Originium. Thanks to that Rune, I survived and gained the ability to use its power."
-"So this is the hypocrisy of your hatred."
-"Yes."-I nodded.-"I fear that ending, as such, I rarely use the true power of the Rune, and yet, I exist only due to it."
-"I see. You no longer need to fear that power."
-"Why?"
-"Things have changed."-She looked away and extended her hand, on which a different Rune appeared.-"Elden Ring is broken, now each demigod possesses their own Rune."
I was silent, knowing that this must be connected to why I was sent away.
-"I won't talk anymore. I just want you to know that I still believe that you'll find your Moon one day."
With that, she left.
I stood alone in the now-empty illusion, thinking about everything that came to light, and what to do moving forward. In the end, I just sighed and decided to take it slow. Not to make any drastic changes, but to lower my walls and take more risks. No matter what, I couldn't let my fear and pride keep me in place.
I finally started to move, and as I was about to forcefully break this illusion, as it weakened noticeably due to manifesting all the Carians, another change occurred. Everything suddenly burst into golden flames. The warmth instantly enveloped me, not scorching but healing. But as the illusion burned, I saw something strange deep in the flame. A spec of black and red.
Before I could get a closer look, the illusion shattered, but that one spark burned itself into my memory. There was something more in this flame than I knew. But there was no time to wonder about it now, as the moment I opened my eyes, a heavy mace was centimeters from my face.
I instinctively jumped back, narrowly avoiding it. I looked around and saw a surprisingly great amount of destruction around me. In front of me stood the Berserker of Black, along with both Sabers and Black Rider. Little further away was Jeanne, who looked at me with a worried expression. Suddenly, the last few minutes of memories rushed to my head, making me understand what had happened to me while I was under the influence of the illusion.
Short story even shorter, despite being in an unconscious state, my body began to act intuitively, like during my training with Scáthach, easily dispatching the injured Red Berserker and engaging in a fight with Black Berserker due to her attack landing near me. With my strength being freely unleashed, she instantly fell into disadvantage; thus, she lured me toward fighting Sabers. Then the battle evolved into the Black trio against me, with Red Saber taking advantage to deal with them.
-"Back to normal?"-Red Saber asked after noticing my change.
-"You can say that."-I nodded.
-"Tsk. I hoped to kill at least one."
I gave her a side eye.
-"Eno!"-Jeanne rushed to my side.
-"I'm good, though I hope to personally 'thank' Red Caster later."
-"Thank Lord."-She was relieved that I was alright.
As I was about to speak to the Black trio, a harsh sound appeared from the Yggdmillennia Castle. We turned our heads toward it and were shocked to discover that the flying fortress had arrived over it at some point, and now it started to destroy the castle from above. Before anyone reacted, a holy glow appeared from the ruins, slowly flowing toward the fortress.
-"The Holy Grail."-Jeanne looked at it and mused.
I observed it carefully, trying to get a glimpse of its principles. I could feel its power; something that could affect the fabric of reality was nothing to scoff at, but I lacked the understanding to comprehend more than that. Like an amateur admiring a work of art, I could see its beauty, but couldn't describe its techniques and unique elements.
-"Well, we need to go. See ya!"-Rider of Black jumped on his Hippogriff and, after picking up Saber, flew toward the flying fortress.
Jeanne looked at me, her gaze conveying what she wanted to say.
-"Go. I'll deal with matters on the ground."
-"Thank you."-She nodded and rushed forward.
-"Well, how do I get on it?"-Red Saber spoke her thoughts aloud.
-" That's the fun part, you don't."-I smiled.-"Come with me, I have work for you."
-"And I should listen to you why?"-She rolled her eyes.
-"Because you have nothing better to do, and I might be able to help you get there later."
-"Whatever."
Two of us started to walk toward my tower, leaving only the Black Berserker standing there. After some distance, I explained my plan to her. At first, she was skeptical, but her Master made her agree with me, as a member of Clock Tower, saving fellow mages was something he had to do.
-"Sigh, sure. Just don't betray me later."
I looked at her, eyebrow raised.
-"Don't you dare to say anything!"-She quickly understood my look.
-"Right. Just rest for now and get ready to act when the time is right."
-"Got it."-She walked to the nearby free spot and sat down.
I didn't have this privilege, as the moment I returned, I had to help deal with the wounded. As I worked, I also got the detailed data about the saved homunculi. In total, 638 homunculi were saved, of which 145 were disabled due to loss of limb, 375 were in critical condition, and the remaining healed enough to assist with taking care of others. I estimated that around 120 more would die before dawn, bringing the survivors to little over 500.
To be honest, I felt lucky that I didn't have to deal with so many homeless and purposeless people later, but for someone like Luvia, it shouldn't be a problem. I didn't mind wasting some energy if that could make Jeanne feel better. With such useless thoughts, I continued to heal those in need.
Two hours passed quickly. During this time, I watched the situation on the flying fortress, waiting for an opportunity to strike, and after a rather tragic betrayal of Black Lancer by his Master, I decided it was time to act. I woke up the sleeping Red Saber, and the two of us teleported to the fortress.
-"Ugh, can't you make this more pleasant?"-She covered her mouth, or at least the place where her mouth would be on her helmet.
-"Some are just more susceptible to the 'turbulence' during the teleportation. It's like motion sickness, can't do much about it."-I shrugged.
-"So, what now?"
-"We'll move to where Red Masters are. If someone stops us, you deal with them. After I took them away, you can do what you want."
She nodded, and we started to move. We passed through empty corridors one after another, not meeting any issues at first, but as expected, some enemies started to appear later. They were nothing more than simple Dragon Tooth Warriors; a simple strike from either of us would destroy them instantly, but they showed that we were detected. After passing a few more corners, we met the first real stumbling block.
-"Would you look at this, two rats scurrying around my palace."-Spoke an elegant but extravagant woman.
-"Assassin of Red."-I recognized her quickly.
-"Pleasure to meet you, Little Angel. Would you mind leaving?"
-"Sadly, can't do so."
-"Sigh."-She shook her head in disappointment.
-"Ok, there is no need to continue those false pleasantries. Go, I'll deal with her."
I nodded and continued forward. I ran another hundred or so meters before finally arriving at a closed room. I broke the doors down and surveyed the inside, watching out for any dangers. Luckily or not, only five unconscious people were inside, surrounded by poisonous mist that kept them comatose. It was too weak to affect me, so I simply ignored it and started to cast teleportation to return them to the tower.
Nothing interrupted me, and so, I evacuated them and returned to the ground in a matter of seconds. In the tower, I checked them for any injuries, and while they were safe and sound, their Command Spells were stripped, eliminating them from the War. It would seem that everything happened as I expected. I could help but sigh at the slowly worsening situation.
I checked the time, and there was still some time before sunrise, though not long enough to do anything major. I could only hope that nothing more would happen tonight, but everything I saw tonight told me that peace was the last thing I would be able to get.