Paradox Witch

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Beast I

Philyra's Cavern, E■■e ■f ■hi■t■

He could not move. The crushing edict of the cavern bore down on him, locking him in place. What threads of his will could escape, even with the strength of Nega Liberator, were barely even shadows of the true article.

However...

"Hear me, Lord of All Creation."

All of its avatars spoke in unison as it did.

There was something in those words. Something terrifying, something impossible.

The other who stood in the cavern froze in disbelief, as the seal shook. The seal pulsed. The seal strained.

"...so, they're pushing you that hard?"

"..."

It merely continued on.

A true release is impossible. A partial release is impossible. A fragmentary release is impossible. The abilities that can be output in this state are several orders of magnitude below the intended usage. In lieu of this:

"I announce."

_hope
"In my name representing law, I announce."

_LAST/End
"Everything will be corrected."

_{Agrios Eleutherios}
"Let the final laws be shattered."

-Initiate Artificial Noble Phantasm, false release.

---

Two Lyaeus were killed by tentacles wreathed in eldritch fire. @GreenGoat

Three Lyaeus were killed by a burst of light. @MrCellophane

One Lyaeus was killed by the coordinated assault of two great heroes. @Crusader Lord @Breo

A destroyer of civilization kept two Lyaeus at bay, not giving up even an inch to their coordinated assault. @floodtalon

Two madmen escaped another brush with death. @floodtalon @Yukitamas

The clashing powers of two armies, while not harming the Lyaeus, were enough to serve as a distraction. @Yukitamas @GreenGoat

It was a noteworthy turnabout. While not crippling, a sizable chunk of their forces were killed, negated, or otherwise tied down.

It grieved for those lost, as it swore to bring them back.

And so...

---

Lyaeus (6)

Miyama Plains

@Reflection@Sageage

The targets of Roland's attack were struck, but the results were below his expectations.

Yes, there was no doubt that the attack was a success. Magical energy flowed out of their bodies from the sides of contact, leeching into the arm and only further enriching Roland, but...the effect was far less than it should have been, given the sheer presence of these beings.

This was only natural, though. After all, their power was not magecraft. It was not a curse or a blessing. It was something beyond such trivial rules, it was the power of an Authority. To attempt to devour such a thing...even for a beast that could consume Age of Gods magecraft as easily as breathing, it was ultimately trivial.

Still, the magical energy being taken from the two Lyaeus was not insignificant, but they made no effort to prevent it. In fact, they moved only to grab those tendrils of Roland's arm, to keep it in place.

Because, as his Master charged forward to engage the Lyaeus, instead of staying beside his Servant in safety, that lone being could only smile. At the very moment where the Master's fist came into contact with the Lyaeus...

The two vanished from sight, from this place.

And with his Master whisked off to parts unknown, the three Lyaeus standing behind their assaulted counterparts acted. Their wills stretched out, and struck at the connection between Roland and the boar.

Even if the connection was deeper than they had anticipated, they could surely saw it away with enough time.

---

Lyaeus (4)

Church Outskirts

He could not sustain himself any longer.

Lightning strikes attacked those fighting him, but they failed to faze those freaks.

His magical energy was continuing to wane. Each moment made him weaker, which allowed the Lyaeus more openings, which only fueled that downward spiral.

This was not a glorious fight against Arturus. This was infuriating. This was despicable.

And yet, he knew. He knew that he would fall here.

"...fine. There's no point in being eternal if the world ends, and besides that..."

The Sword Emperor, facing death, steeled himself.

"I frankly would just like you all to lose."

He had analyzed them sufficiently. Not enough for a perfect observation, but sufficiently.

"A sustained connection would be infeasible. Make it a burst that lasts for a time after, so there isn't a connection to cut. Do not attempt to affect them, focus on strengthening those who can fight against them. Their abilities are degraded from what that source is, so prioritize dealing with this damnable defense."

He spoke aloud to nobody. Yes, besides himself and the Lyaeus, there was nobody who could hear him.

His body was already dissolving into motes of light. His death was assured.

And so, he lunged forward, moving to make one last pointless strike against the Lyaeus...

[Knight Tactics]

...and as they dodged that faked blow, he could only smirk.

His posture changed, and so he drove his own blade into his heart.

"...Wish received."

With that, the Sword Emperor reached his end.

---

Lyaeus (10)

DDD

@ManyThings@Cu Chulainn

"If that was the case, they would not have wished for me to enter them."

The Witch of Dun Scaith moved to attack it, to prevent its action. If it was alone, this would have surely succeeded.

However, it was not.

One of its allies who had stood in wait became active. With a blur of space, the Lyaeus appeared before its brother.

There was no attempt to dodge or counterattack, as those would provide openings. Rather, it took the brunt of Scathach's attacks without hesitation, the blows tearing into its body and bringing it to the brink. It did not have time to prepare any defenses or counteroffensives, and so it was helpless to do anything but ensure that none of her attacks reached past it.

At the same time, though...

In desperation, that boy had acted. In desperation, he had attempted to save himself. And perhaps there would have been a chance, were it not for one fatal mistake.

Yes, what he had done could only be called a mistake. What he stood against was something that had designed itself for a singular purpose.

[Agrios Eleutherios]

...in that regard, daring to place his humanity into his glasses was to create a new weak point.

Yes, for a being who shattered laws made by humans, this was perhaps the best possible thing to fight against.

And so, the glasses shattered.

The glasses all shattered, undone by the prayer to shatter all laws.

...given the sheer depth of connection made through those glasses, then, the feedback from having them severed was surely immense.

It would not be enough to kill him, but the damage to his mental energy and spirit were surely significant. For some time, at least, the Masters and Servants were deprived of those glasses.

---

Lyaeus (5)

Miyama Plains(?)

@Sageage

It took a mere instant.

No, perhaps less. It was not as though there was a delay, as though one state of affairs had been true in one moment and a different one in the next. Rather, it was something else.

The five became one. Perhaps they had always been one. United under the name of the Beast I, their wills made manifest. The very same force that was necessary to struggle against that.

Yes, the other cases could not warrant it. To utilize it within each of those other fights that were ongoing across the city would be foolhardy, as it was required for this one.

Not because he was the strongest, for he was undoubtedly not. The reborn paladin, the sword emperor, and the fastest hero certainly outmatched him.

Not because he was the most brilliant, for he was undoubtedly not. The great strategists of this war certainly outmatched him.

Not because he could save the world, for he could undoubtedly not. The humans of this world certainly outmatched him.

But because of that weapon he held---

[Agrios Eleutherios]

So thereupon the great Amaterasu, terrified at the sight, closed behind her the door of the Heavenly Rock-Dwelling, made it fast, and retired.

Those who, by permission of the Parcae, returned from the lower world...Father Liber; he descended for Semele, his mother, daughter of Cadmus.

The light of the heavens was obscured and all lands of the earth darkened, forming an eternal night.

He retrieved his mother from Hades' realm, gave her the name Thyone, and escorted her up to the sky.

Hereupon the voices of the myriad gods were reduced to mere flies in the fifth moon as they swarmed, and myriad portents of woe all arose.

Space bent. Time twisted. The texture that they stood upon warped.

For it is said, the god of this land was sealed in a cavern, and that when this occurred, there was a world without a sun.

For it is said, the god of another land ventured freely into the world of the dead, for he was the only god to know death.

For it is said, the impetus of that wandering star commands it: may all things be reduced and taken.

And so, the knight and the Beast stood within a new space, wrought by the hands of those intersecting stories.

A world without life. A world without a sun.

"I am sorry, but you will not leave this place, Grail Knight."

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Stage 1 OST

---

Lyaeus (10)

DDD

@floodtalon

A Saber appeared before one, and struck out against it.

Against a Saber-class Servant, a lone Lyaeus lacked the requisite speed to outmatch it, let alone that it was already preparing something that had been so rudely interrupted. However, five of its kind were waiting for such an occurrence, and so one charged into the fray. The swing of that war god's sword moved to cleave the Lyaeus in two as it approached, but as that attack met its mark, it stopped, halting at the being's skin.

The force behind the attack changed, converted into 'something' that flowed into the Lyaeus.

At this proximity, she could tell. What it was converted to, it resembled the Ether Servants were composed of, but not quite. It was not mere magical energy, but something on another level entirely.

Of course, she would not have time to mull over that, as the Lyaeus's hands moved to grip the sword that had been leveled against it, grabbing its blade with no regard for self-harm. She could not tell what, but something in her Saint Graph was being sawed away at, as long as that grip on her sword was retained.

The Lyaeus she punched, then, took the brunt of her attack. It was sent sprawling back, reeling from the blow, but it did not die. In fact, her blow had encountered more resistance than should have been expected; the force of her punch went through, but there was some part of it that had mitigated the remainder. It was hardly difficult for her to deduce what the cause was, given the instincts that roared in her mind about the nature of these beings.

The injured Lyaeus let out a low sigh, its preparations cut off.

"...very well, white titan. This time, allow me to be your death."

Such were its words as it charged forwards, forming a pincer attack in tandem with the one gripping her sword.

---

@Breo

A hero appeared at a speed that eclipsed possibility. Yes, they knew the hero's nature, but that did not equip them to deal with such ridiculous speed any better.

That primal spear thrust forwards, to pierce its target. However, like the war god's sword, it came to an abrupt halt at the skin, all of the energy behind that mad charge stolen in an instant.

Yes, for a weapon that bore the title of 'forger of civilization' to breach that wall...the very notion was absurd.

But, an interruption was an interruption nonetheless. Though, in this regard, Achilles was surely less fortunate than Altera.

For, while Altera's interruption brought her a moment of respite, Achilles's saw his target acting, thrusting that miniature sun forwards to ignite it. Even if he was able to use that divine speed to save himself, he would only be dooming the hot springs that stood behind him.

---

@GreenGoat

...troublesome.

As Gilles charged, they could only think that.

How very troublesome. Severing that line could perhaps be done if it was the source, but these mere emanations could not cut apart the Servant's existence like that. The Berserker himself was a 'door'; to close that door would require time and attention that they simply did not have.

The fire was equally troublesome. Magecraft was magecraft, but with the limits of these emanations...

One stepped forwards to meet his charge. The flames burned at its body, searing it away, but nonetheless it stood stalwart. Its hands stretched out to grip the Berserker even as it was immolated, tying him down in place.

However, in spite of that, the damage it took with each passing moment was nothing if not significant. It was not enough to immediately kill the Lyaeus, not with their aptitude to survive, but an extended period of exposure would not fare better for them than it would for anything else.

So then, they had to act quickly.

Knowing that, the second Lyaeus focused in silence.

Yes, to close the door was too difficult, but that was not the only answer-

---

@Cu Chulainn

Chiron's student really had grown.

Ah, what a pity. He had been wanting to give the boy some lessons of his own, now that training had completed. How best to perfect his magecraft, where to travel to learn from other experts, how to do a proper wine tasting.

...but, that was all in the past. He was no longer Dionysus.

"He must be proud of you, Gin."

Truth be told, the Beast felt some pride for the boy as well. He was, undoubtedly, a 'human hero'. That much was apparent in how he curbed that bakkheia. Had Chiron made him do something similar in his training? It wouldn't put that past him.

Still, though.

Those magic armaments, they were raising the Servants' 'meaning of existence'. If allowed to persist for too long...

The Lyaeus whose mental interference had been interrupted changed gears. Its eyes fixed on Gin. On his hopes, on his determination, on the lines connecting him to all those who had joined his cause.

Shatter all edicts. This is the heart of the Beast I.

And so, its mind stretched out to cut those lines. To break those damnable glasses.

---

Lyaeus (30)

Remnants of Troy

@Kyuuzen@BlueHelix@Undyingregret

Those Lyaeus targeting Ilya, initially attempting to bog him down, seemed to shift their actions after a few moments. While unharmed from the strikes of his sword, they dropped off from their position, allowing the hero to depart.

Perhaps the most concerning thing was their abrupt change in action.

For the Avenger a short distance away, though, the attack was unceasing. Trespassers on this ground could not be permitted, after all.

The three Lyaeus, clad in holy light, cut through the air towards Dido. Magecraft from the Age of Gods manifested as they ran, but they made little effort to avoid it.

The bursts of light struck them head-on, and were taken in by their bodies. There was perhaps some damage dealt, but what was achieved was negated by the energy that was absorbed. It bought perhaps an extra sliver of time, but that was not enough.

The three Lyaeus closed the gap, and reached out towards Dido. There was no doubt, with this level of proximity; the purification of Amaterasu would wipe her greatest weapon away in a single fell swoop.

...of course, that would only come to pass if they made contact to begin with.

---

Lyaeus (3)

Off the Coast

@MrCellophane

They had begun their approach, limited though they were in movement along water. If they succeeded in reaching the ships, the battle would be decided. Neither the Strategist nor the homunculus had any recourse at that point.

"Am I supposed to be insulted you only sent three? Seems like whatever metric you used to decide on your numbers has some kinks in the system."

-However, they would not reach that target.

In the sky before the fleet, a great magic circle formed in the sky. The spell-like waves it emitted were certainly noticeable by any magus in the city, even if they could not see the circle itself.

The bombardment of Fisher's fleet drove into that magic circle and seemed to dissipate into its structure. However, this magic circle was not a shield to stop the bombardment...

...but rather, a barrel to amplify it.

Fisher's Noble Phantasm and Elena's calculations to optimize the procedure, Shaytanea and Raphiel to serve as the basis for power, Ys to be the cornerstone that realizes the principle.

Let the tree drink of those wells of men, monsters, and gods.

Midgard within the city. Helheim at the fringe.

Asgard within the Moon, crafted by silver.

Vanaheim within the sun, crafted by gold.

Niflheim within Mercury, crafted by quicksilver.

Muspelheim within Venus, crafted by copper.

Svartalfheim within Mars, crafted by iron.

Jotunheim within Jupiter, crafted by tin.

Alfheim within Saturn, crafted by lead.

All on this day, where the new sun meets the cosmological snake.

Yes, dredge out everything you can to create something unprecedented, and with that power-

"Alright Ys, let's go! Super Electromagnetic Shrapnel Cannon, fire!"

The elated scream of a homunculus filled the air, before that magic circle pulsed, and the amplified might of the greatest artillery force in the war was released, a terrifying burst of magical energy that cut through the night, consuming the harbor.

...wait, what was with that naming sense?

---

Lyaeus (4)

Shinto Outskirts

@Crusader Lord@Kyuuzen

...ah, so that was it.

As they had arrived at the site of the Master, with her Servant fast approaching, they understood. So that was the nature of this war, the lines reaching out from that vessel made it clear enough.

It had been wondering from the beginning. Chiron had seemed to know, but it had been unable to leave that bar as the original designation, and so it was in the dark until this moment.

"...child of nature, I do not wish to fight you. You and your Servant may join me. Is your wish not also for the salvation of humanity?"

Perhaps, to an Einzbern, those words were more fatal an attack than anything it could deliver.

---

Lyaeus (4)

In Pursuit of Nikola Tesla and Darius III

@floodtalon

The Archer had fled.

And so, they pursued. There was little else to say. Even with Tesla's aptitude to Disengage, the Lyaeus were able to at least match his movement speed, something that became all the simpler with those intermittent jumps in space they seemed able to accomplish.

However, they did not overtake him. It was as though something was being prepared as they pursued, but as for what that was...

---

@Yukitamas

The Loser King evaded the great burst of a sun.

His aptitude to flee was considerable, to be sure. When working in concert with the ally who he sought, ti was no exaggeration to say that they had stepped into the pinnacle of running away, a mere half-step away from the secret technique of a family born from that emblazoned star.

...however that would not be enough.

Because, after all, as that car reformed, as Nikola Tesla was picked up and the course of action was changed-

Primary action: Infeasible. Secondary: Infeasible. Tertiary: Infeasible. Quaternary: Counterproductive given the enemy. Quinary: Counterproductive given the enemy. Senary action: Counterproductive given the enemy.

A pair of Lyaeus pursued from behind, while the other pair shifted through space, teleporting before the bonemobile.

In one's hand, another sun formed.

With one's prayer, space was frozen for the fleeing pair.

This time, there would be no salvation.

---

Lyaeus (2)

Native District

@Argonaut

To think that a human could conceal themselves from its eyes was laughable. Even many Assassin-class Servants would have failed to do the same, after all.

As such, the result was only natural. Well before the girl had reached the hot springs, she found her path barred by a pair of Lyaeus. There was no indication of hostility, no attempt to attack or even bind her, but they stood nonetheless, that threat implicit.

"I ask that you stay here, please. I would rather not stop you with force."

As it spoke, what came next went without saying. The connection to her Servant was cut.

---

Lyaeus (7)

Southern Moor

@DostHou@Undyingregret@Yukitamas@addamas

The lightning of Gozu-Tennou struck out, and met its target.

However, it did not harm them. As with the lightning of the Modern Prometheus, that divine lightning crackled against their bodies harmlessly, disassembled into something else as it was drawn into them.

The cloud of debris would have indeed obscured the vision of most, but for them, it was trivial. Their eyes could see the existence of Raikou regardless of what visual obstructions attempted to halt it.

The trees and plants acted like free-form weapons, and within moments the fleeing Raikou was under siege by what should have been ordinarily foliage. Yet, under the Beast's command, it had become something capable of harming a Servant, not at the power of the great Disemboweling Forest but not something incomparable in nature. The ceaseless swarm of attacks bore down on her as she fled. All the while, the Lyaeus moved to close the gap.

As for the other two...

One moved with haste, as lightning cut through the air. Without even a moment of hesitation, it did something unthinkable.

With its body, it shielded both Giulia and Lilith from the lightning that would have otherwise struck them.

"...I apologize, I did not expect such an indiscriminate attack by that one."

They had not refused its offer, after all. Moreover, it could see Giulia's heart. She too was a liberator, one who gave the downtrodden and oppressed the means to free themselves. If anyone could understand the world it sought, it would be her.

"I would again ask for your aid, if you would be willing."

---

Lyaeus (6)

Miyama Plains

@Reflection@Sageage

...he refused. It was tragic, but expected.

Of course, it was only after that refusal that they realized something was wrong. Their will reached out to sever the hero's connection to that arm, but found that it was far more ingrained than they had expected. The line that connected the two was no different than the line that connected the hero's existence to his normal arm-...no, perhaps it was stronger even than that.

Damn it, if they had only gotten there faster-

That moment of surprise nearly kept them from forming shields as the boar quills shot out, taking the weight of those attacks.

As he moved, though, they felt genuine shock.

Those physical parameters by far eclipsed what he should have been capable of. It was nothing short of absurd.

Yes, the strength behind his movements, there was no doubt that, even when the other's abilities were taken into consideration, the sheer combat power of the paladin was not one whit inferior to that of the Sword Emperor.

He gets stronga' when shit's stacked against 'im.

They recalled those words Chiron had uttered about this man. One who became stronger the more dire the situation, a hero of reversal.

Durandal cleaved through the shields of the two it targeted like paper, but even that terrifying strength was stopped there, the blow meeting the same lack of impact as so many others.

That arm, though...

That arm, it should not have been even a tenth as problematic as it was. Indeed, the reasons it would be threatening to most were all but nonfactors to the Lyaeus, but with that hero attached to it, it had become one of the most troublesome things that any Servant possessed.

The remaining three faltered back while the two that had been attacked attempted to keep Roland at bay.

The will of those two stretched out and took root in the land.

Call on the cosmic order of the great god of this land, and-

With the will of one, space stopped. Within the immediate expanse of this combat, space itself froze, binding the two Lyaeus in place just as much as Roland.

Or at least, that would have been the case, were it not for Nega Liberator. Instead, with the will of the other, something began to condense in its hand. A miniature sun.

With the will of the remaining three, something was prepared, something cut from the same cloth as the preparations being taken against Gilles de Rais.

This threat needed to be dealt with, without delay.

---

Lyaeus (4)

Church Outskirts

The assault continued.

The Saber had switched to defensive tactics in an attempt to prolong the fight. His mind was working at full-tilt, but even with his abilities, this was a losing battle. Without a connection to a Master, he was working on borrowed time, and he knew it.

It took every ounce of concentration he had to fend off the attacks from four of these damned things at once, to disrupt them when they prepared something significant while also fending off the more regular attacks.

His armor was keeping him secure, but even that had its toll; the magical energy it consumed was only accelerating his fading, in his current state. This was to not even mention his relative inexperience with such defensive tactics, even if his skills were honed to perfection.

For now, he survived, but there was no doubt that the Sword Emperor's time was nearly out.

---

Lyaeus (2)

Tohsaka Leyline

@Kyuuzen

The Master had fled.

They allowed this. His Servant stood on the other side of the city.

By the time he reached there by his own two feet, after all, the tyrant would be long dead.

---

Lyaeus (4)

Academy

@Argonaut@Seirei no Hai

The Caster's mockery was met with nothing other than a serene smile.

"The power of the original designation, to move between the living and dead. The power of the contaminant, to revive those who have died. You will see. It will not be long, once my true body is freed."

As it spoke those words, rats poured forth.

There was no concern on the part of the Lyaeus.

Three of the four stood together, unifying their strength.

And in that moment, a mere instant after Piper had disappeared with the force of a Command Seal...

-The academy and its premises were consumed by a sun.

By the time the light faded, revealing the crater where an academy had once stood, the curses of the rats purged under the very same light that Dido currently stood against, the four Lyaeus had vanished.

The children were freed, after all. The rats destroyed, the taint of the Caster's Noble Phantasm undone. And, more pressingly, they were needed elsewhere.

"...you really are amazing, ■■■■■■■. How many times..."

---

Lyaeus (5)

Riverside

@ReallyDumb

Before a human and a machine, a man and a woman, they arrived.

The boy's eyes told his story. There would be no attempt to win him over. He had resolved himself, after all.

"...well, if it isn't saucy Jack."

Words it did not fully understand left one's mouth.

"Just a little too late, as usual. You're not ending my plan, you're expanding it."

A simple action. A trivial one, compared to the trials its other instances faced across the city.

Two darted out to tie Jack down.

With a flicker, one appeared between Jack and the machine, to bar the two from each other.

And for the remaining two...

Their will reached out to a single thread. A thread that would not be reformed once severed.

In a single instant, they cut the line that connected the machine to the heart she held in her hands.

---

Lyaeus (5)

Miyama Plains

@CorpusMundum@Sageage

At long last, they arrived.

As a boy became a knight, they arrived.

There was no proposition, as they already understood the answer.

There was no attack, as the battle had yet to begin.

As the five Lyaeus surrounded the two that became one, there was nothing. No grand assault, no halting of space or creation of a sun, no severance of bonds or order of the stars.

Ah, it hated that it had to do this.

Seeing the one before him only drilled that further in. It was amazing, it was beautiful, it was the potential of humanity.

...but, it had resolved to turn its mind to steel.

It had resolved to kill, if that was what was necessary.

"You."

There were no other words.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Lyaeus (10)

DDD

@HotSpringPeeps

At last, they arrived.

Before them were knights. A heavy number of them. Or at least, that is how it might seem to the unknowing.

However, before their eyes, the nature of those beings was apparent.

Two stood immediately before Gilles and his forces, while the remainder surrounded the hotspring from all sides. Each of them bore that same expression, that same look of disgust.

Yes, the threads flowing off of those knights were repulsive. The prayers they exuded were repulsive.

Ah, it was tragic. For all the disgust they felt towards the knights, the one who they were connected to had a pure desire, but it was a desire so pure that it had been mangled beyond recognition. And besides that, the Berserker seemed intent on opposing them, so there was no recourse.

His existence, though. Given what that Berserker was...

Troublesome. That could be troublesome. There could not be hesitation.

"...Gilles de Rais, I apologize, but I will have to strike you down."

One of the two standing before Gilles spoke up, while the other's will reached out.

A line of magical energy connected the Berserker to each of those knights. In that regard, the most natural course of action was apparent.

It grasped ahold of those lines, and in a single fell swoop, severed them.

For such beings, even a momentary disruption of magical energy was sufficient to undo them. Even if the nature of the Berserker was different than his Caster counterpart, the rule nonetheless endured.

And so, as the myriad knights of Gilles de Rais fell apart into masses of unknown blood, the others made their move.

One brought an air of primal madness over the hotspring, inducing those within to fall to a bacchic craze of mindless violence.

Five watched in preparation, to react at a moment's notice.

One began to warp space around the hotspring, as if trying to isolate it from the surrounding world.

One began to form 'something' in its hand.

The battle for the world had begun in earnest.

---

Lyaeus (30)

Remnants of Troy

@Undyingregret @BlueHelix @Kyuuzen

Within the structure was a magus.

Charging from the side was a Servant.

Appearing from the other side of the city was a magus and a Servant.

In that regard, what to do was simple.

The lone Servant's defensive capacity was high. However, there was another recourse. And so, rather than attempting to battle him, a pair of Lyaeus simply took to the sky to keep him in place.

The lone magus was not in a position to do anything, and killing humans was to be avoided if possible. As she was not a threat, then, there was no need to kill her. Instead, one simply reached out, and severed the line she possessed to her Servant.

The pair was troublesome. The Servant was too steeped in grudges of the past to be amicable to conversation. An offer of friendship would fall on deaf ears, and besides that, it was unwilling to join hands with such a being. At the same time, it would rather avoid killing the Master if at all possible, but the Servant was undoubtedly a magus from the Age of Gods.

Troublesome, troublesome.

And so, the majority of them remaining in their position of guarding that dome of rock that housed their source, three Lyaeus moved to engage Dido.

A brilliant light began to flow from their bodies as they did, brilliant enough to blind one who stared into it for too long. And yet, Dido would surely understand the greater danger it presented to her specifically.

The purifying light of the great god of this land. A light that repelled evil. A light that expunged curses.

---

Lyaeus (3)

Off the Coast

@MrCellophane

They streaked towards the fleet that laid off the coast. Any desire to engage in a dialogue was quashed when bullets flew at them without warning.

The attacks hit their mark, but the Lyaeus were not slowed down in the slightest. It would be some time before they reached the boats; after all, their capacity to move on water was not at the level of certain Servants, but that only bought time on an order of seconds.

"Prepping the Grand Ritual! Ys, cornerstone it up! Strategist, let's blow 'em away!"

Hopefully those seconds would be enough.

---

Lyaeus (7)

Southern Moor

@Yukitamas @addamas @Undyingregret @DostHou

Two pairs, Masters and Servants.

Just after the two had made contact, the Lyaeus came upon them, surrounding the four with their own numbers.

"A great hero of this land, and one who strived to free others of their damnable fates."

"By any chance, would you consider joining me, in creating a more beautiful world?"

---

Lyaeus (6)

Miyama Plains

@Reflection@Sageage

At last, they descended. As the great hero finished his task, whether in victory or failure, they arrived.

They were in a position to respond to attacks, that much went without saying. It seemed that if hostilities broke out, five would attend to the Servant, and one to the Master.

However, before then...

"Hero Roland, will you not join me? Let us rid this world of meaningless tragedies."

---

Lyaeus (2)

Shinto Town

@Scallop

A Servant and a beast, charging and screaming about ridiculous things.

The Beast felt fury, as she did not even attempt to understand.

The humans felt fury, as she claimed to speak for their will.

And so, they unified.

The first leapt back, observing from a distance with those eyes.

The second stood calmly in the path of the Servant and the elephant's attacks, and formed 'something' in its hand, driving it forwards to meet the assault.

---

Lyaeus (2)

Tohsaka Leyline

@Kyuuzen

Another lone Master.

Another connection severed.

Little else was to be said, and so it departed as quickly as it arrived.

---

Lyaeus (4)

Church Outskirts

The sword emperor had felt his power wane to its nadir, every scrap of land he had conquered torn from him. The beings that besieged him a moment later were equally troublesome. Even with his combat aptitude, the four were coordinated and capable enough to pin him down.

No, that was not the issue. If it was merely skill, he outmatched them. In fact, his blade had met its mark countless times.

The issue, then, was that they had not suffered a scrap of damage.

It should not have been possible. Ignoring the fact that his own strength was absurd and that his sword's curse carried certain death, magical defenses should have been negated entirely by Florent's nature.

Military Synergy kicked into overdrive. No matter how foreign these beings were, he would eventually come to understand them. And besides that, they were so occupied with keeping him pinned to the spot, not giving him a chance to dominate the land or the resources of that nearby church, that any meager damage they inflicted was easily within his armor's capability to heal. He was controlling the flow of the battle, and so he simply needed to continue analyzing, and once he found a way to harm them-

He felt it. His connection to his Vassal was cut in a moment. Whether the idiot had gotten himself killed, or something else had happened, he did not know. The result, though, was the most concerning part.

Was this why they were focusing on pinning him down? They were planning this, and refused to give him a chance to connect to the land again.

Time shifted from his ally to his enemy. Without an opening to connect to the land, the loss of his Vassal was painfully felt; his existence was quickly growing hazy.

"Tch..."

Unless something to shift the tides occurred, the Sword Emperor would soon fall.

The thought of dying to these things was so infuriating, it made him even consider using that.

---

Lyaeus (2)

In Pursuit of Nikola Tesla

@floodtalon

"...I see. You simply don't understand...no, you can't understand. You can't see their wishes or their karma, you can't see what they pray for, and so you assume they are the same as you. You assume that is what they live for."

Understanding and sorrow blossomed across the face of the one who had spoken, as it shook its head in dismal disappointment. It seemed that it had earnestly hoped that Tesla would join its cause, but alas.

"A genius cannot understand ordinary men. I do not blame you, Nikola Tesla, as that would simply be to blame what you are, but I cannot accept it. I cannot accept a world that causes them to suffer, and neither can they. Those who have lost their homes and loved ones, those broken by meaningless tragedy, those who rage at death and scream at life, I cannot ignore their prayers."

Stones fell from the sky, but were fended off by those shields. However, the lightning that came a moment later finished the job, shattering that protection, and allowing the lightning to reach its targets.

"You are indeed a Star of humanity, but are you not aware? Monsters kill humans. Heroes kill monsters. Humans kill heroes."

In the very same moment, though, vines burst from the ground, wrapping around Tesla even as he fired his lightning. Even through Tesla's armaments, their touch was icy, and it would not take long for him to realize that their touch was beginning to wick away his own magical energy.

The two Lyaeus stared forwards at Tesla, space around them shifting as they evidently prepared something, their bodies crackling as the lightning driven into them seemed to dissipate into something else, something that was pulled inside of their bodies.

"And in this moment, I stand beside humans."

---

Lyaeus (2)

In Pursuit of Darius III

@Yukitamas

The Berserker rode on a vehicle made of skeletons.

The original designation likely would have found such a thing charming. Truth be told, even in its current state, it agreed.

However, it was not enough.

One Lyaeus chased after the skelecar from behind, while one stood directly in its path, having been approaching from the opposite side.

According to Darius's expectations, the latter would have been trampled underbone, and the Berserker would reach Tesla to whisk him away.

However, that would not come to pass. The Berserker would not even have a chance for Tesla to enter his line of sight.

This is because, in the fact of the charging bonemobile, the Lyaeus standing before it moved.

'Something' formed in its hand. The same something that the Lyaeus standing against the elephant rider had thrust forth. The same something that the Lyaeus outside of the hotspring had prepared.

And so, as Darius III's makeshift car and the Lyaeus met, that very something was released, erupting with the force of a great Noble Phantasm to stop the Berserker in his tracks, and likely bring him down in the process.

A miniature sun descended upon earth.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Lyaeus (4)

Academy

@Argonaut

As they arrived, the world around them had distorted. It was recognizable, the barrier that had painted itself over space was a component of the larger system that had been destroyed not long ago. For it to be this quickly recreated, it had to be a Noble Phantasm of some sort.

Troublesome, certainly, but not insurmountable.

...Their forward advance was halted, though, as they realized precisely what it was that they stood within.

The spirits of children, shackled to one's whim. Bound to service even after death.

Robbed of their lives. Robbed of their very self.

"Unforgivable."

The flute of the Caster did not seem to faze them, their minds unaffected as they advanced, but the existence of that damnable territory certainly did. It was a feeling that was new to the Beast, and yet one that it had already become accustomed to: hatred.

For one who dares to shackle others into their thrall, to bind them even after death, to stand as if he is a king over a monument of tragedy, it cannot be forgiven. There would be no heartfelt appeal.

As the tail of a rat came to bind one of them, they acted. However, they did not act to stop their member from being dragged off.

This is because, no matter how tightly that rat tail wound around the Lyaeus's foot, no matter how hard it pulled, the being did not budge in the slightest. There was not even the strain that would indicate that it was struggling to remain in place, even slightly. Rather than resisting the bind of that tail...

...it was more as though the restriction of the tail was not permitted to impose on its reality.

As for their own action, then-

Their will stretched outwards. Their eyes cut through the world. See the desires and hopes of the living and the dead. See the nature inherent to that order they are born to oppose. See the red strings that connect all things. See the laws that dare to shackle mankind.

-And, shatter them.

It took no longer than a single-action. Without warning, the connection that the Pied Piper possessed to each of the rats scurrying around the confines of the academy was severed.

This was not something for him to be concerned about. After all, given his abilities and proximity, he could almost certainly reestablish those contracts in no more than a single-action after realizing they had been cut. It was a mild annoyance, but the time needed to sever on the part of the Lyaeus and the time needed to reform on the part of the Piper would likely come out to equal, so it had no chance of turning the tide of a battle.

That would have only been the case, though, if all that had been cut was the Piper's connection to the rats. Beyond that, something else was broken.

Ordinarily, interfering with a great Noble Phantasm at the micro level should have been impossible. And yet, that was exactly what had occurred. For, that law of the Pied Piper's Noble Phantasm, the rule of its reality that shackled those spirits and grudges into its domain, had been broken. Everything that connected them to this damned space was shattered, and so, those trapped children dissipated away. Even a familiar master of the Pied Piper's caliber could not recapture them before that had occurred.

"...I am sorry, but don't worry. You'll all be brought back to life, after this is done."

One of them murmured out those words before the grudge cannons, robbed of their ammunition but at least still fueled with unprocessed magical energy, met their targets. The Lyaeus were caught up in the bombardment, having been too occupied with freeing those children to mount a proper defense for themselves.

When the smoke cleared, the Lyaeus still stood, worse for wear from the attack but still very much alive. Even with the weakened output of the cannons, they seemed to have taken less damage than would be expected; perhaps one of them had managed to throw up a shield at the last second.

However, now they had nothing to distract them from their task. Their eyes cut through the territory, staring squarely up at the Piper from where he stood atop the school. There was no doubt that their next move would be made with the intent to kill.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Lyaeus (2)

In Pursuit of Nikola Tesla, En Route to DDD Hotsprings

@Floodtalon

They darted after him at speeds not one whit inferior to a Servant's. And yet, they made no effort to attack him initially, despite certainly having the chance to do so. For one to overtake him and bring him into a pincer attack, to assault him from behind, any number of things could have been done but were not. Even the Incitement Tesla had attempted failed, not seeming to elicit any sort of effect from them in the slightest. Did they simply lack the offensive ability to fight?

...no, that could not have been it.

"Nikola Tesla, one who worked for the benefit of humanity. A prodigy without equal who mundanized the power of gods, who dreams of creating a great system of electricity that spans the world."

One of them spoke. For those who were familiar with it, they might find that voice similar to that of a bartender they had once known.

The words were certainly complimentary, but there was not a hint of flattery within them. Rather, it was nothing more than a genuine remark. This was the nature of a being who had such absolute love for mankind.

"Why do you not join me? I do not wish to take the lives of you and your allies, and even fighting you with these humans' bodies means that they might die before I return them to normal at the end of this."

"You too must realize it. This world is something that restrains humans. The laws of reality that have been created in this world prevent human imagination from reaching fruition, and cause humans to pointlessly suffer in tragedy and death. Won't you stand beside me?"

There was not a hint of deception in its words. In the first place, there could not be. This was its earnest desire. It did not want to hurt humans, even if it was in the name of a greater good. It did not want these humans it had incarnated within, who would be returned to normal and returned to their loved ones after its will left them, to die in the name of this struggle. It would like nothing more than to work alongside those heroes and humans of this war, to create a more beautiful world.

As the lightning came, they reacted. There were no incantations, nor even the flow of prana that one would expect from magecraft. Instead, it was simply 'something that happened'. Shields formed in the air before them, warding off the lightning as it came. The Lyaeus sped along after him, not losing an inch of ground, but the damage on those shields that guarded them began to accumulate.

Just as it seemed they might break, through, they were renewed, and the further Lyaeus disappeared from sight, reappearing in front of Tesla himself. If that did not stop his advance, it would at least require quite an abrupt reorientation of his movements, but even then neither of them made any effort to attack, despite the fact that one Lyaeus now faced him from either side.

"...regrettably, I cannot be a pacifist here. I ask for your answer. A simple answer, to whether or not you will join me. I truly do not wish to battle with one of humanity's stars, but I will have no choice if you are set on opposing the world I seek."

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Carly-Beth

Za Boat, Harbor

@MrCellophane

Initially, she had been enjoying herself. Laughing at that Cersei Kabbalah or whatever his name was had been a great time.

...but then, she felt it.

Not just her alone, but all of them. Each and every one of her masks shuddered as something appeared, and Strategist's words and actions a moment later only confirmed that much.

"Another giant war-ending threat, really? What a hassleeeee."

The words were whined out with a faux-exasperated tone, like someone who had been roped into a chore that they secretly enjoyed. Of course, beneath that, there was something else. With the previous issues, with the fire and the fantasy tree, they had been met with some amusement and an eye for opportunity.

This, though?

Whatever this feeling in her gut was, it terrified her. Whatever had just formed in the city was something that outstripped every prior crisis by several orders of magnitude.

"Well, you know, I was going to take some time to run the usual quality checks, but I guess we'll have to do without. This feels like something we'll have to go all out for, huh? Strategist, coordinate with everyone the best you can. I'm leaving the broader planning up to you, that's your specialty. I'll coordinate the logistics for my crew."

Each of her masks floated beside her as she moved to stand beside her Servant, looking out towards Fuyuki and shrugging helplessly.

"Shaytanea, Raphiel, Ys. Get ready."

Her expression growing cold, three masks shifted forwards from the pack.

The mask of the devil, born from cursed fire.

The mask of the angel, born from a world tree.

The mask of the planet, born from a legend.

"Time to show the Toucans what a real fucking mask is."

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Beast I

Pelion’s Pub, Edge of Shinto

@Scallop @Art of Fun @addamas @ManyThings @Argonaut @Breo @Kyoka @Froppy @Sageage @Crusader Lord @Scallop @Cu Chulainn @BlueHelix @ReallyDumb @Reflection @Seirei No Hai @Kyuuzen @MrCellophane @CorpusMundum @Undyingregret @floodtalon @GreenGoat

Not merely the flow of magical energy, but ‘everything’ within the bar seemed to have stopped under the weight of its existence.

The cumulative misfortune, the grudges, even the constructs of the bar themselves were dissipating. If those previously present had not fled within an ‘instant’ of its manifestation, they would likely have been unmade by now. Indeed, the poor lone human within the bar met that fate before any could react to help him.

With its first step, it called for an end to all tragedy.

With its second step, it called for an end to all malice.

With its third step---

...a third step was not taken.

This is because, before the Beast I stood the last of the beings of Pelion's Pub. Even the penguin had vacated in a desperate bid of panic, but he had remained. The one being capable of enduring inside of this bar, as the bar as was much a part of him as it was of the Beast.

Archer-class Servant, Chiron.

He stood, unbending. Even as the sheer weight of the thing's pressure crashed against him, he stood.

It exceeded even his worst fears. He had been anticipating something at the level of a full Divine Spirit, but this was beyond even that. This approached the level of those greatest of beings from the first and second Ages of Gods.

A disaster that could shake the world itself.

...truth be told, Chiron still did not understand.

He could not, in the first place. The agony that his dearest friend had suffered since the second night of the war was something he only ever had suspicions about, and that something truly could be wrong, he had no idea of until after Dionysus had obtained that damnable spear. That he had been pushed to a breaking point like this, it was a revelation that blindsided the god.

"...hey, Donnie. I don't know how much of 'you' is left in there, but I'm sorry. I was too focused on myself that I didn't pay attention to what you were going through until it was too late. I'm a pretty terrible friend, aren't I?"

"Stand aside, Chiron. I would rather not kill you.”

...this should be known, but Chiron cannot oppose the Beast I.

Strength, constitution, agility, magical energy, luck, strength of Authority, conceptual resistance, crystallized mystery, there is not a single area where the Beast I does not outstrip Chiron by an absurd margin. Even among the Servants of this Holy Grail War, Chiron is nothing of particular note. He is merely a Caster from the Age of Gods playing as a buffoon of an Archer.

To oppose something at the level of the Beast I is pure foolishness. The odds of defeating it are precisely zero.

He will die here.

He will be utterly destroyed, and returned unto the dust from whence he came.

However...

"No. I can't do that, Donnie. My kids are all here, and I'd be a horrible teacher if I let them down right now."

...like the last time. Like earlier on this very day, when he stood opposite that Monster.

His eyes glinted with a feral madness that found itself mirrored in the Beast's eyes.

A single misstep here would be fatal, not merely for him but for 'everything'.

"I have to behave like a hero sometimes."

Not for himself. Not for entertainment, or for glory.

As a hero, he would fulfill his duty.

"...you know, we've always been two people making one. You're like a brother to me, and now our destinies have become one...so, let's disappear together."

The Beast I could only feel confusion at those words. After all, it had become too distorted to understand why a friend stood opposite it.

"Chiron, you could join me."

At this, another cold pang rang through Chiron's body, shaking his very spiritual foundation. Ah, if only. If only he had seen the signs sooner, if only he had done something to help.

But now...now, there was only one recourse.

"...Chiron?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow that. Come, my dearest friend, let us experience eternity together."

The Beast I had yet to exit the bar. In other words, he had yet to truly appear in the world. The rule of these beings was that when the first manifested in this world, the other six would in turn.

...so, he simply had to make sure that the Beast I never appeared in the world, that he never left this bar.

Yes, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the people in it...

"Chiron, you-"

"...Noble Phantasm, true name release."

The name Pelion's Pub was always a falsehood, a veneer plastered over the true thing.

And so, its true nature was released.

Chiron cannot defeat the Beast I. He cannot hope to. However, he does not need to.

-Because this Noble Phantasm of his has been distorted by the land it was engraved into.

...in the island nation of Japan, there is a legend.

A legend of a cavern which sealed the sun. An immortal cave which locked away a god.

And so, because the Beast I was born of that very god, because the force of three Divine Spirits stood in this cavern...

O Land, Let Us Shackle the Gods Above

Philyra's Cavern

Space screamed.

The interior of the bar began to dissipate.

No, that was a mistake. Rather, it was as if it was being peeled back, overwritten by a stronger law.

Rock walls, rock floor, rock ceilings. Even the wall of Troy that split off one section of the bar from another was undone under the force of the alien world's edict.

A cave. A featureless, empty cave, within which stood two men.

From the outside, the bar caved in. Its walls were overwritten with stone, a dome of rock that replaced the structure. It was indecipherable; regardless of one's aptitude, peering into anything that was occurring inside of that cavern was now impossible, like a transcendent form of spatial quarantine.

A prison to hold a god until the end of time. This was the true nature of Chiron’s Noble Phantasm. By sealing himself away, he would save this world.

The Beast I froze. Its very existence cried out in protest as the cavern shackled it, attempting to bind it into this world for eternity.

...and yet-

[Nega Liberator]

“It’s not over yet, Chiron.”

“I didn’t doubt that for a second, my friend.”

---

...a voice manifested in the mind of the Archer's Master, barely audible through the wall of that nearly-immutable seal, as though static was filtering it out.

'...hey, kid. Some stuff's gone south. Donnie's lost it. Get everyone together. I'm holding it off, but I can't do it forever. If this seal doesn't get bolstered, he's gonna bust out.'

At the same time, across the city, something changed.

The Beast I had been sealed. However, it was something which denied all restraints, and so it rebelled even in the face of that absolute seal.

It would need time to fully resist that seal, to free itself and to exert its full power. However, the beings of this war would be mobilizing now, thinking of how to do away with it.

That would not do. While they could act foolishly and destroy the bar, thereby freeing him inadvertently, they could just as easily realize what was occurring, and work to strengthen the seal of this cavern.

And so, using what power it could in its sealed state, it acted.

The Authority of Dionysus, Bacchus, gave him the right to enter his followers as shrines for his will. When this premise was combined with those other two natures that had unified within the Beast I...

It gave rise to something that could end the war, even if the Beast itself was sealed.

Across the city, from the refugee camps in Shinto to the homeless sleeping in the western forests, myriad humans began to change.

Their eyes glowed with an impossible light. Their bodies and spirits were distended beyond recognition. Within moments, no fewer than two hundred people scattered across the city had been influenced.

These avatars of the Beast I were a far cry from the true thing, but even in this muted state, these beings outstripped even Servants by far on the basis of presence. Their eyes cut through the world, locating those Servants and Masters who would oppose it, those who held the wish to deny the Beast in their hearts.

From across the city, a swarm of beings that exceeded heroes and monsters alike descended. Any who moved towards that god-sealing cavern would surely find themselves besieged by those avatars. Indeed, before too long, those avatars would additionally begin their descent upon those places where Masters and Servants were gathered, those Servants fleeing the place of the Beast's manifestation, and even the isolated individuals.

This was the first obstacle that it had created. Before they could even reach the place where the Beast was sealed, its enemies would need to wade through these forces.

Before day broke, the Beast I would free itself and end the world. So then, the only recourse was to fight. To stand up and charge into an almost certain death, in the hopes that with this struggle, the Beast I could be locked away, never to enter this world.

Go forth, heroes of the Human Order.

This is your final stand.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

An impossible event has occurred.

Bartender Matrix updated. Skills unlocked. Setting 01 updated. Setting 02 updated. Setting 03 unlocked.

An additional Matrix has been added.

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

???

Information Unavailable, Fuyuki(?)

It was here.

I feel it before it arrives. I feel that ■■■■■ thrum in my hand, as though roused by the presence of something cut from the same cloth as it.

Terrifying. It's terrifying. Its very existence sends a shudder through my core.

If it were alone, then that would be one thing. It would merely be a hindrance if it were alone.

But it is not. It is not, it is not, because of what is gripped in my hand.

I run. Before it even enters, I run, retreating for the place that it cannot enter.

Futile. Futile. Futile. This mere walls cannot stop it. I know that. I have witnessed it crush such things like tearing paper.

It is here. It is here for the ■■■■■.

I call out to 'myself'. I do not answer, as this 'me' has grown too distant from the source.

I call out to her. She does not answer, as she has never once heard my voice.

They will not help me. They cannot hear me, and so they will not help me.

No. No, no, no. I cannot allow this. I cannot allow it to become whole. But, that is precisely what will happen.

It will become whole again. That profane thing. That disgusting thing.

Trampling over gods and men, a calamity that brings nothing but meaningless tragedies.

I cannot allow it.

My death is not something I fear, but I fear the deaths that it will bring if it unifies.

My death is not something I fear, but if this 'me' dies, then all I have seen will have been for nothing. All of this determination will have been for nothing. All of the suffering born from this war will have been for nothing.

I want them to be happy.

Smile, and laugh, and love.

They all deserve it, but it will not come to pass. That thing will trample over those dreams. That thing will tear apart all.

...and even if it does not, even if it is not allowed to unify, the true demon of these tragedies will occur.

The thought jars me back to reality. Away from the thoughts of that monster which stands so close, I return to the thoughts of the greater monster that I swore to oppose.

I stare down at the ■■■■■ once again.

The screams wrack my body once again. Not from me, but from them. The wails of the damned and forsaken. The tragedies of this world. The hundreds of thousands who have met their end in this place, pointlessly torn from the world. Dying meaninglessly, without wishes, without will.

The ■■■■■ is held in my hand, a white-knuckle grip. I know what this is. I know that its evil is of the same nature as that which terrified me so, mere seconds earlier. I know what I will be inviting if I use it, but...

"...I..."

I turn my mind to steel.

For their happiness, I silence that last bit of hesitation.

It is too much. It is all too much.

I cannot see any good that you bring about. I cannot see anything that redeems you. So, I must act.

...ah, forgive me.

My allies, my family, my closest friend, please forgive me. I'm sorry, but I can't hold this back any longer.

I cannot allow these tragedies to continue. I cannot allow this present to fester.

And to you, you who creates these tragedies, you who does nothing in the face of those tragedies, I swear it-

For everyone's sake, I will break you.

To make a world where everyone is happy, I will destroy everything you are.

I will shatter every edict you pronounce.

I will tear out your foundation from this planet.

I will incinerate any trace of your existence.

...hate you.

I hate you.

You damnable, unforgivable monster. You eyeless tyrant.

Human Order.

I turn the ■■■■■ so that it faces myself. A resigned smile plays on the edges of my lips.

I focus my mind. This space is just as much an extension of my body as it is of my friend's. I concentrate what it has collected upon me. That will be sufficient to serve as a foundation. What is then needed is a spark.

I will save this world. I will save the humans in it. And so, in order to do that...

For their happiness-

"I REJECT MY DIVINITY, CHIRON!"

-I plunge the spear into myself, and I invoke its power.

---

From her perspective, the perspective of the Saber who had entered the bar, there was little beyond confusion.

There was a balding man staring at a wall in silence.

There was nothing.

And then...

-The world broke.

---

Dionysus (?)

Pelion’s Pub, Edge of Shinto

A spear which denied gods entered a god.

The blood that denied nothingness entered a being of nothingness.

The grudges and misfortunes of hundreds of thousands entered a vessel for wishes.

And so, Dionysus screamed.

His spiritual foundation broke and reformed countless times in a single instant. It was wrong. It was horribly, terrifyingly wrong. However, what would occur here was already a foregone conclusion.

His will held on in spite of this. That love of humanity burned brilliantly, refusing to cow its head.

...and so, something terrifying was born.

From the sky, a god of the earth watched in horror.

From the stars, the sun that stood overhead laughed in mirth.

From the beyond, a white comet paused in confusion.

...the process was brief.

When it ended, the effects were obvious. The space he had occupied, the Noble Phantasm of Chiron, was entirely different. It was in the state that it had been immediately after being created. The countless grudges and misfortune it had drunk in had been spent, used to fuel the creation of the being that stood inside of it.

It emerged from the wall that Chiron had been staring at, from the partitioned-off space that the Archer had designed on a whim, calling it a 'VIP section'.

And so, from the ashes, a new life burned.

The thing stood, its components reshaping and recongregating themselves into the form of Dionysus. However, its eyes were not those of Dionysus. They were not the eyes of a god, or even a man who became a god. They were the eyes of a savior looking upon a world that tired him.

What stands here is not Dionysus.

It is not the sea of lamentations that this space had aggregated. It is not the sun floating overhead. It is not the wandering star. It is all of those. It is none of those. From their synthesis, something utterly new has arisen.

Monster of fear, freedom, and folly. Let us reveal you to the world.

Anthropic Principle Liberation Formula, Eleutherios.

Its Class has been determined. God and bartender are merely false titles.

Born from sorrow, it is the great disaster that most bears humanity’s heart.

Its name is the Beast I.

That which was birthed by mankind’s enslavement to their own laws, the Beast carrying the principle of "freedom".

@Scallop @Art of Fun @addamas @ManyThings @Argonaut @Breo @Kyoka @Froppy @Sageage @Crusader Lord @Scallop @Cu Chulainn @BlueHelix @ReallyDumb @Reflection @Seirei No Hai @Kyuuzen @MrCellophane @CorpusMundum @Undyingregret @floodtalon @GreenGoat

Fate/Factitious Paradigm

Mary

Divine Descending Denouement Hot Spring, Foreigner's Lowlands

@Yukitamas@Reflection@Sageage@Kyoka@Phonic@ManyThings@Crusader Lord@BlueHelix@ReallyDumb@DostHou@Argonaut@Cu Chulainn@Paradox Witch@GreenGoat@Scallop@Seirei No Hai

Oh, the meeting was happening!

Mr. Penguin didn’t accept her offering of candy, though. Or emote in the slightest. Or even react to her existence.

How strange. Maybe he was sick, or a very convincing cardboard cutout.

Probably the latter.

Well, anyway!

Jogging along eagerly as the group was led into the meeting location, Mary watched with wide eyes as people started to speak. First there was the lady who was just a liiiiiittle taller than Mary. That meant they were probably about the same age! Maybe they could be frien-

“To start off, I would like to say that all of you are idiots.”

“...”

The small child sniffled slightly, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes as she was mercilessly snubbed by someone that she had been considering a prospective friend.

M-Maybe it was just friendly banter, like what Miss Carly-Beth did to Miss Big Sis Carly-Beth?

Yeah. That had to be it.

Then there was a nice-looking lady who said some stuff. And then a weird man started speaking. Mary frowned slightly, he gave her the same feeling Ted did.

“Um, um!”

Jumping up and down a bit , the child attempted to get the attention of the others. When she finally managed, a relieved smile blossomed across her face before she spoke up.

“Hi, everyone! I’m Mary, I’m here for Miss Carly-Beth!”

“Um, so, she has some stuff she wants me to say. I’m super super super sorry if any of this is mean, Miss Carly-Beth can be a little mean sometimes and I don’t understand all of these words which usually means there are some mean words so I’m really sorry about that anyway-“

After a sharp inhale to catch her breath, she resumed speaking.

“Ahem, ‘Hahaha is this guy fucking serious? ‘Hey I’ve got vague evidence that makes me think these people who left the war did some bad stuff so let’s send the Association on a goose chase across the world for us while we try and figure out who the actual culprit is, that sure can’t blow over badly’.’

‘Oh yeah by the way let’s modify the Grail, which we can totally do, to restrict it from summoning a certain kind of Servant, which is totally a thing that will help when we’re four-sevenths of the way through the war and the Grail’s probably starting to wind down already. I’m sure stopping bad guys from getting summoned will resolve all the issues with the ones that are currently summoned, and that we can find trustworthy volunteers to modify the fucking H o l y G r a i l in a timely fashion without risk of doing shit to it accidentally or not IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR. Hey, dude, do you know Francesco Toucan? Feel like you’d get along great with the guy.’”

A brief pause to cough.

“‘Oh yeah, speaking of the Grail, let’s ignore the fact that any idiot here with even a basic understanding of magecraft should know that the manifestation of it should be tied to the land, and that if there’s a mobile construct then it’s probably something closer to a terminal than a ritual cornerstone, ergo totally meaningless. Let’s pretend we all failed Clock Tower 101 where they teach you what a leyline is. Instead of letting someone who’s got a vested interest in the Grail not getting fucking smashed hold onto it, let’s just put it somewhere that everyone can keep an eye on it. That’s not asking an Assassin to swoop in and grab or smash it at the last second at all, doesn’t present a logistical hellscape, and it toooootally won’t lead to a clusterfuck on the seventh day, right?’”

“‘Bravo, man. Bra-fuckin-vo. Your brilliance astounds even me. Hey, Joey, we’re recording this, right? Okay, cool. This is gonna make one hell of a comedy.’”

Clearing her throat and swaying in place a bit, the girl then straightened up with a sunny smile, seemingly oblivious to anything that just left her mouth.

“And, um, that’s what she wanted to say!”