Chapter 180: Sakura & Demon (5)
"You lowly dog... Your heresy against the King will not go unpunished. I will remember this..." Those were Gilgamesh's dying hate-filled words as his body was disappearing in particles of light. His bloody figure was a little hunched, but he refused to kneel.
Only for that moment, it was the true King of Heroes speaking, and not the mix that had been before. For a moment, a look of sympathy flashed through Seth's eyes. He was not at all pleased with his actions against Gilgamesh, mainly because they were something he would be absolutely mad about if they were done to him.
Even so, he still didn't let it get to his head. After Altera's death, he had resolved not to nitpick when it came to what he had to do to come out victorious.
Apparently, and very well according to his opponent's personality, his look only worked to infuriate the Archer Servant even more. There was little Seth could do about that, so he merely stopped witnessing his end.
Instead, he gave a casual glance at the interesting kid that shared a sort of premonitory vision with him. His torso had numerous holes courtesy of Nobunaga, and he was on his merry way back to the Throne of Heroes like Gilgamesh.
The said Servant just clicked his tongue once he noticed his staring before looking the other way. "I do not know what that was, but it sure looks like the prelude to a terrible story with an equally terrible setting."
His extremely deep voice, which was unbecoming of someone with his appearance, carried a sense of tiredness and annoyance with it. Whichever might be the case, he did not treat it as some sort of hoax. Rather, he knew it was something he would have to deal with in the near future.
As for the clown, Okita had beheaded him after Gilgamesh shot him with a spear on his back 'by mistake'. In truth, Archer was aiming for Seth, but after the latter dodged, the stray weapon found its way into him.
Leaving that aside, it didn't take much longer for the other two Servants to fade away completely, leaving the three of them alone in a ruined and devastated city. Both the King and the Kingslayer had caused most of that damage with their fight. Gilgamesh, despite not being his original self, hadn't pulled any punches, even going as far as summoning multiple Divine Constructs from his Gate of Babylon.
The only thing he had avoided using was his most powerful weapon, but aside from that, he didn't hold back. It was fortunate that he wasn't his original self, or it would have taken so much more to defeat him, and even then, the chance of victory wasn't guaranteed.
Seth released a sigh once their enemies were gone, relaxing his muscles in the process. The King of Heroes had used many weapons capable of preventing regeneration, many of which had successfully pierced him. Without many alternatives, he had to force his body to close the wound by a crude method like doing pressure with the surrounding tissues.
Now that Gilgamesh had died, though, his regeneration could finally activate once again. It was slow, but it was better than nothing, more so when he would probably be fighting right after this. Another reason not to care about cleaning the bloodstains on his persona.
"It's over, huh? I never want to fight someone like that again..." Okita said in a low tone while looking a little tired from all the physical effort. Her gaze told wonders about how much she wanted the next battle to be the last.
"Indeed it is! Thanks to you, I have finally recovered most of my powers. All according to plan, wahahaha!" Nobunaga walked to the front and giving her back to them, but she turned around, she was met with the flat stares of both Seth and Okita, causing her to protest in indignation.
"Hey! What is with that look?! It's at times like these where you are supposed to feel shocked and gasp at this totally unexpected turn of events!" Their eyebrows raised in synchrony, clearly believing something was wrong with her brain.
"We totally expected it, though..." Saber's statement caught her off guard for some reason.
"Wha-?! No way!" Her expression turned really weird for a second. As if they had just spoken in an alien language to her.
"If you are stoping the farce I assume you can't absorb more Servant." He hadn't planned for it, but if she grew impatient and decided to finish this once and for all, he was more than up for it. There weren't words to describe how much he regretted being here in the first place.
"Hmph. Naturally, I can't. You ruined all the fun by not letting me kill every single Servant. You have someone you care about in the last group, right? That would explain a lot." Seth's eyes narrowed, giving Nobunaga the satisfaction of guessing what was on his mind.
"No matter! I still have enough power to defeat you two, and more so when you just went through an exhausting battle!" Okita frowned at this. While it was true that the black-haired girl also fought with them, she was the one who exerted the least effort. The Divine Spirit next to her fought a monstrosity of a Servant, and her... Well, she had her own problems...
"Are you ready?" Seth asked in a low voice to his remaining 'ally'. If anything, he knew Okita wanted to stop Nobunaga at all costs, so there wouldn't be any trouble with them fighting together. What's more, he only had bad blood with Nobunaga herself, not with the Saber Servant.
She gave a firm nod at the same time that Archer acted. A smell of sulfur began to surround the area. Little red and orange sparks were ascending from the ground up as Nobunaga's eyes shone with greater intensity than usual.
Before any of them had the chance to do anything, a wave of fire assaulted their vision. None reacted, since they didn't feel any attacking intent from it.
When they regained their sight, what greeted them was a burning inferno. A mountainous landscape. A temple in ruins with charred bodies laying down, obviously dead. It was something that normal people would call a nightmare.
Nobunaga was levitating in front of the burning temple while laughing manically. For some reason, she was naked as well, but Seth and Okita had seen enough of her for that to not surprise them in the slightest.
There was a moment where the black-haired man saw the faint image of a charred skeleton of considerable proportions behind her. 'So this is what people feel when I imitate them? Revolting, truly.'
"How are you feeling?" Okita asked her companion with a frown adorning her face. She was aware of what this space caused on those who held Divinity or a great amount of Mystery, so her question was not out of place.
"Our time has long ended. We were relieved of our duties, and so our Authorities were stripped away from us. As much as I am a special case to this, it doesn't change the fact that the World is trying to kick me out of the planet's surface. I get the same feeling while being here. As if I were in a place I shouldn't belong. If you want an analogy, it feels like I am inside an ever-shrinking box that will eventually deform me into nothingness." That he had a way to counter it was left unsaid, but it was most likely that Okita already knew he had something up his sleeves.
"Understood. I will take the front. Can you give me support?" Saber's request puzzled him a little. He worked best in the frontlines, and he didn't really know what to do to help her in the first place. To say that he didn't understand what she gained from this was an understatement.
His puzzlement must have shown on his face as Okita decided to clarify. "This place brings her Anti-Mystery and Anti-Divine abilities to a whole new level. I know you are fast, but a single bullet from her could really cause you harm. I am a mere human, and my Mystery is practically non-existent. I am best suited to fight her in close quarters."
Seth's brows furrowed a bit after hearing her. She definitely made a point, but he was still not entirely convinced. "If this is her world, she would be able to summon a gun from wherever she likes. It is kind of pointless whether I stay away from her or not."
"That is not actually the case. She can only point her guns to a place she is physically seeing, so she can't shoot you in the back. Plus, the farther they are from her, the more difficult it is to control them. It is not much, but it is the little information I could gather after being around her." She reassured him as much as she could, which seemed to have made the trick... barely.
"If you say so..." His voice carried a bit of uncertainty, but at least he complied. "But if you are going to go about it like that, then I can't leave one of your coughing fits to chance. Come here for a second and show your back to me."
Although confused about what he was planning, she did as he asked, albeit with a little caution. Nobunaga was still laughing maniacally while still expanding her Reality Marble, so they had a bit more time to plan their strategy. As much as she would have liked to attack now, it wouldn't be that easy.
Now that she was closer, Seth placed a hand in the middle of her back. Okita tensed slightly but showed no other reaction. Meanwhile, the black-haired man closed his eyes as he activated one of his Authorities. It was a bit challenging at first, considering where they were in. Even so, he preserved in the end and was able to do what he wanted to do.
Saber felt a strange sensation coursing through her body and into her Spirit Origin. It didn't feel like anything concrete. When she thought it was creepy, it would become pleasant, and vice versa. When she felt it being aggressive, it would become calm, with the opposite holding true as well. All in all, it was a memorable experience.
Nothing would prepare her for what came next, though. The moment something akin to a fog began to hover around her Spirit Origin, she started feeling strangely energetic. Any tiredness she had until now was gone. Any trace of weakness was gone. And any sign of her illness...
Her illness was...
It was...
...Gone...?
She turned her head so fast that it wouldn't have been strange if her neck had broken. Her widening eyes peered into his slowly opening ones. Gold gave way to red as he stared back at her with a small amount of confusion.
"Why are you suddenly crying?" Saber didn't answer even when the scorching heat vaporized the water dripping down her cheeks. Her mouth was as open as her eyes, trying to formulate a reply but ultimately failing.
Yes... How could he know? How could he know that this illness had been plaguing her her whole life. While others laughed on the streets, she was lying weakly on a bed. While the others went about their daily lives, she had to stay coped in a place that looked like a prison from her perspective.
...While her companions from the Shinsengumi went to do their job, she had to watch them wondering if they would ever come back. Her outstretched hand was never able to reach their backs.
As she lost them one by one, she could do nothing about it. Nothing...!!!
Seeing her stigma, her curse, her burden disappear just like that... It brought her mixed feeling, but it was mostly... relief. Her shoulders could finally stop being so tense.
In the end, she could only mutter a quiet "Thank you" to him. However, it was enough to convey the endless gratitude she had for him for what he had done.
Seth merely nodded, now understanding a bit more of her problems once she released all those negative emotions she had been holding onto. "It's no issue. Though be warned that this is temporary. The cover over your Spirit Origin will maintain itself because we are technically in a different world. Outside of this Reality Marble, I would have to keep my Authority continuously active for it to keep working."
Although saddened that this was not a permanent thing, she still felt extremely glad, as well as happy. The truth of the matter was; when this was over, she would have to return to the Throne of Heroes anyway. Her happiness was destined to be short-lived. Even so, this small moment was enough for her to outshine all the suffering she went through in her life.
He separated a bit from her and extended right his arm toward the sky. He didn't even try to make use of the fire surrounding him as he knew the laws of Nobunaga's world wouldn't allow it. Instead, he used his own Fire Authority to congregate vibrant red flames on his hand—flames that took the shape of a bow.
Once it was fully formed, he grasped it in his hands before positioning it forward. This was the answer he had come to when it came to supporting Okita. Not the best, but it would do.
He gave one last look at the swordswoman that was wiping her tears with the sleeves of her kimono, once again asking the question he asked before. "Are you ready to get this over with?"
Saber gave him what could be considered an ugly smile, taking into account the red around her eyes and a bit of snot. However, her whole spirit screamed 'cheerful'. "Leave it to me! Okita will do her best and lend you her sword!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
FinalPath
FinalPath In case you are wondering, no. I did not miss a chapter. It was purposely done so for future events related to the fight.
At the end of the next chapter/beginning of the following one, we go to London. Sayonara ^^
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone