Chapter Text
AN:
So! A new story is now taking place! For all of you Type Moon fans, the crossover might seem a bit strange and unfamiliar. A lot of names and locations you do not recognize will appear in this story, and to save you the trouble of googling, we will have what I call 'Wise up!' sections.
These sections will appear at the end of every chapter, giving a small summary as to who or what these strange historical, non-Type Moon things are, for those who have never heard of them. This will happen only in case they are not explained in the chapter itself. I believe it will make this story a bit more accessible to those a bit iffy by all the weird stuff.
Tell me what you think!
And so, without further ado, the prologue of this brand new tale!
-TMW-
The Serpent King Orochi.
A powerful and malicious entity from the Mystic Realm, he was sealed away by his peers for his crimes against Mystics and Humanity alike.
He lay dormant for millennia within his prison, until a vixen by the name of Da Ji released him, sympathizing with his cause and enamored by his penchant for chaos.
Seeking a worthy challenge, the reawoken Orochi used his great power to create a new world separate from the mortal realms. He drew in the heroes of the Three Kingdoms era of China and the Warring States period of Japan, and advanced his army upon their displaced territories. Caught by surprise and lost in the new world, the various warlords from across time and space were routed and scattered in the face of Orochi's great army. Those who had survived his onslaught were forced to submit to his rule, their loyalty ensured by threatening their loved ones.
With his new army, Orochi drove back the Mystics who had sealed him, and stood uncontested as the ruler of the dimensional world.
However, it was not to last.
The last pockets of resistance of Humanity would not go down so easily. Banding together against the common threat, the heroes rose up against Orochi's regime. They fought tooth and nail against his forces, gathering allies amongst the fires of war; and finally, they cornered the Serpent King at his stronghold at Koshi Castle. He challenged humanity, daring them to come and slay him.
And so they did, and the Serpent King fell at the hands of mankind.
With the fall of the being who had brought them to this strange world, the humans took control of the dimensional plane and made it their home, once again separating into many kingdoms.
But that was not the end yet.
Wishing to bring about more chaos, Da Ji resurrected the old Heian leader Kiyomori Taira, turning him into a half-demon monstrosity that faithfully served Orochi. Together with the ancient Japanese queen Himiko, and with the assistance of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, the remnants of the Demon army were able to revive Orochi in a new form, more powerful than ever.
Raising the banner of resistance once again, humanity's armies fought against the resurrected Demon army. Eventually, they slayed the new Orochi for the second and final time, felling Kiyomori in the same final battle. The Demon army was scattered once again, and humanity kept their hold on the dimensional world.
Years passed, and mankind had believed they had finally managed to obtain some measure of peace in this chaos addled world.
But they could not possibly prepare themselves for the appearance of a monster far more vicious than they could have ever imagined.
A monster known as the Hydra.
Emerging out of nowhere, the appearance of the Hydra brought with it the return of the Demon army. More powerful than ever before, humanity was pushed back again and again, their heroes either falling in battle against the demons, or being enslaved by the revived Kiyomori's mind control magic.
All hope seemed lost. Pushed to the brink of near annihilation, the last of humanity's armies launched a daring suicide attack against the Hydra at its lair...
-TMW-
"Ha...Ha...Ha…"
The handle of his spear struck the ground as he leaned against it, his attempts at purging the fire in his lungs proving meaningless. Ma Chao looked around, noticing that only he and two others had survived their failed assault on the monster.
"This was a mistake…we should have never allowed this to happen," Sima Zhao murmured, barely able to hold up his sword. He looked up, watching as the eight heads of the Hydra raged and roared, spewing balls of flame up into the air wildly. The snake heads proved to be invincible, as not only could they not approach them due to the sea of lava that stood in their way, but their long range weapons did little to nothing. The bolts fired from their ballistae failed to pierce the monster's skin, and in retaliation it had destroyed the weapons, turning them to ash with its fiery breath.
"We have to get out of here," Hanbei Takenaka hurriedly suggested. "We can't stay here. If the demons catch up to us, we won't have any way to escape."
"Your chance has already passed, humans."
Their eyes widened in horror at the booming voice. The three heroes swiftly looked around them, only now noticing they were completely surrounded. Everywhere they looked, the Orochi troops were before them, holding spears, swords, and bows at the ready. No matter how many of the beings they killed, the demon army was undying due to the Hydra's ability to revive them a short time later.
As more and more demon troops joined in the fray, the three heroes stood back to back, their weapons pointed at their adversaries. But then Kiyomori walked out from between their ranks, standing before the three heroes with the abominable savage grin on his face.
"There is nowhere for you to run," He said, his voice echoing. "This is where you meet your end."
"We shall never surrender!" Ma Chao yelled, prepared to fight to the death. "I will make sure you pay for your evil deeds, Kiyomori!"
"An empty threat coming from a man on his last legs," The half-demon responded. "You cannot match me, nor can you possibly escape this encirclement. The only thing awaiting you now is oblivion."
He was not even holding his weapon, the wretched man. Confident in his victory, Kiyomori did nothing except cross his arms, laughing at their feeble attempts at resisting. "It is useless. You will serve as an offering to Lord Orochi's destructive will!"
As soon as he spoke the words, the ground beneath them shook violently. Kiyomori stood undaunted by the quake, while the three heroes struggled to keep their balance from the terrible seismic force.
A roar was the only warning they received before the attack was launched. The air trembled, and the three heroes raised their heads to register the approaching shadow.
And the last thing they saw before they vanished from the world…
Was the Hydra's gaping maw descending upon them.
-TMW-
And so, humanity's last heroes perished against the demon army.
There was no longer anyone alive that could challenge them for their rule. Scattered and leaderless, the remnants of mankind went into hiding, desperately attempting to avoid the demon army's march through their lands.
The Hydra roared triumphantly.
And so, its power grew unabated. Drawing in more and more power from the world, time and space once again twisted and turned due to the magnitude of its essence.
And as time and space folded in on themselves, heroes from other worlds found themselves inexplicably drawn into the dimensional world…
-TMW-
Emiya household, Fuyuki City.
"I'm back!" Shirou Emiya yelled as he slid open the door to his residence. As he headed inside, the pitter patter of feet was what greeted him. Stepping forward from the kitchen to see him in, and clad in an apron over her school uniform, Sakura Matou sent him a beaming smile.
"Welcome back, Senpai," She said. "Did you bring everything?"
He raised the plastic bag in his hand. "Yep, everything's here. Now we can get started."
"Good, because everyone's waiting," She reminded him. "Saber-san wouldn't stop fidgeting."
He let out a laugh, and rubbed his nose sheepishly. "Sorry about that," He said, taking off his shoes at the entrance. "Let's get this going. If we don't start cooking now, she might end up eating the table instead."
Sakura giggled as he fell into step next to her. Rounding the corner, he entered the living room where all of his usual residents eagerly waited for him.
"Welcome back, Shirou," Arturia said, taking a sip of the tea Sakura brewed for her.
"Oh, Shirou. That was quick," Medusa commented, taking her own sip of the tea. Shirou handed over the bag with the groceries over to Sakura, who immediately took it to the kitchen and spread out the ingredients on the counter.
"Yeah, I managed to find all of the better vegetables this time. Lancer also gave me another discount on the fish," The boy said, putting on his own personal apron to join in on the cooking.
Medusa huffed. "You sure have a lot of connections, don't you?"
"Only because you guys keep on giving them to me," He reminded the Rider class Servant. "I'm just enjoying the cheaper stuff."
"Then maybe we should keep you humble, and make you pay more."
His eye twitched, not at all looking forward to the prospect of spending even more of his budget on food. Arturia was already a bottomless pit as it was, so if he was not careful he was bound to run out of funds extremely quickly.
"Ah, that was a joke."
He groaned. Rider was never one that was good with those.
Without pause, he took one of the fish he brought and began the usual process of skinning it. He knew what he was going to make, and Sakura seemed to catch his drift just by what he had brought. So diligent she was, in fact, that she had already started cooking the rice in the time he had been out.
He really taught her well.
Arturia sipped her tea again, watching the two in the kitchen fondly. She had to admit that she appreciated these gentle happy days, all things considered. The Holy Grail War seemed to have been put on an indefinite hold, as the various Servants and Masters of the war decided to focus on simply being together rather than fight to the death over the wish granting artifact.
The Caster class Servant Medea seemed to enjoy the prospect the most, as she now got to live the housewife life she had always wanted with her Master Souichiro Kuzuki. Likewise, the Lancer Cu Chulainn found his calling in selling fish at the market, drawing in customers with his friendly persona and charisma. Medusa had taken up selling flowers not too far from the shopping district in Shinto, bringing in some money into the household.
The priestess in the Church was far more amicable this time, even though she exhibited some strange sadistic traits from time to time. Even Illyasviel von Einzbern and her mad Servant Berserker had fallen under the spell of the nice atmosphere, which was the oddest part of the bunch.
She had, after all, vowed to kill Shirou, and yet now she was acting like the little sister she should have always been.
"Maybe you should pick up some work as well, Saber," Medusa said to her from across the table.
"How rude! I do my own part to contribute to the household!" Arturia protested, putting a hand across her chest proudly.
Medusa could not help but grin. "Oh really? And what would that be?"
Arturia sweatdropped. Well, she might not be doing anything that brought in money right now, but she could bet that if she went out and looked for a job, she'd find one easily!
Except working as a waitress. Heaven knows how well that went down the first time.
Deciding to change the subject, she raised her voice a little as she turned to Shirou and Sakura in the kitchen. "Is Rin joining us too?"
"Nee-san said she'll pass this time," Sakura answered, not taking her eyes off of her part of the cooking. "She said something about jewels and 'showing that Finnish skank how much better she is' or something like that. She'll be here for dinner though."
Oh right, Rin's rivalry with Luvia. That was another whole can of worms that they dreaded every time it was opened. At least no buildings were destroyed in the process the last time they fought.
"And Taiga?"
"She said she's got something to do at school today," Shirou replied this time. "No idea what or why, but for once she's being responsible and not skipping out on it to raid our fridge. I'll keep some leftovers for her once she comes back."
Arturia nodded. Well, more for her then.
As she reached for her cup of tea once more, Arturia noticed something strange. Staring inside the cup itself, she could see that the liquid was...swishing on its own?
That was strange. She furrowed her brows, keeping her eyes on the tea as it repeated the action, moving about as if it was shaken by some unseen force. Medusa noticed her frown and looked at her in worry. "Saber? Is everything alright?"
She shook her head. "It's fine. Must be my imagination," She replied. Whatever, it must not be anything important-
BOOM!
It came out of nowhere. All of a sudden, a massive earthquake shook the house. Arturia and Medusa immediately shot to their feet as the light flickered on and off rapidly, the bulbs swinging about wildly. The cup of tea, as well as everything that was not nailed down was violently thrown to the ground, shattering into tiny pieces on the tatami floor.
"What's happening?!" Sakura asked fearfully as Shirou held onto her protectively.
"We must move to the garden, quickly!" Arturia ordered, and they immediately moved to obey her command. Avoiding stepping on the shattered ceramics and glass on the floor, the two humans and two Servants ran out to the Emiya home's large garden, not bothering to even put on their outdoor shoes.
And what met their sight shocked them to the bone.
A purple barrier, massive in length and height, shimmered into existence all around them. The ground continued to shake even more violently, and the two humans struggled to keep their footing from the force of the quakes.
As Arturia kept on looking around, her eyes widened further when she noticed that the barrier had not surrounded just the house itself. Considering the distance, as well as the height, the only thing she could estimate was…
"It's encompassing all of Fuyuki!"
What the hell was that thing?! Where did it come from?! Was it the work of an enemy Servant? Impossible, none of the current heroic spirits were capable to such feats on their own. Even Medusa's Bloodfort Andromeda was not able to capture such a large area.
Immediately summoning forth her armor, Arturia held her invisible blade in both hands. "I will go and investigate! Rider, keep them safe!"
Before Shirou could stop her, she already leaped over the wall surrounding the complex, disappearing from their sight.
And just as she left, a massive amount of light shone in the sky, blinding them all.
-TMW-
Tohno mansion, Misaki City.
Akiha was angry, and Shiki knew exactly why.
How could he tell? Well, it was the small things, like the way she sipped her tea quietly and sent glares his way. The manner in which she crossed her legs, leaving him gulping in fear of her wrath.
But the scariest part of it all was her seemingly calm demeanor as she spoke to him. "So, Nii-san, you went out at night again, didn't you?"
He didn't dare answer. It was a rhetorical question after all, as she knew that he did. He couldn't get away with it for long, considering both Kohaku and Hisui had been ordered by the lady of the house to report to her if they saw him sneaking about during the late night hours.
He couldn't escape her watchful eye, and as a result he had to face the consequences every time.
She sighed. "Nii-san, you are the eldest of the Tohno family. Please show some dignity as the head of the house."
"But Akiha, you're the head of the house," He retorted.
"It matters little; it would not do for you to continue your nightly...rendezvous with that vampire any longer. You haven't been home in eight years, so I ask you put in some effort to represent us well," She continued.
Oh, he knew her personality by now; she'd never admit it, but she just didn't like it when he met with Arcueid or Ciel. Everything else was a big pretense to try and sound a little more authoritarian.
"Sorry, Akiha," He said.
"Don't be sorry; be better," Was her response.
Harsh as well. Uncaring for their usual arguments in the morning, Len jumped into his lap and laid down, her tail swishing back and forth. He smiled, and began to stroke her fur, causing her to purr lowly as she relaxed.
"Apologize to Kohaku and Hisui as well for worrying them. It's because of your nightly habits that they must stay awake to ensure you return home safely," She added, not about to let him off so easily.
"I will, you can trust me to do that," He replied, then sighed. "Sheesh, the old Akiha wouldn't be so mean to me all the time."
Despite his response, she blushed. "W-well, the old Akiha is all grown up, Nii-san. I suggest you take the effort to do so as well."
How predictable. Well, if there's anything Shiki learned from living with Akiha, it's that self-preservation was a valuable thing to have. If he ever made anymore comments on her account, she'd flay him alive.
Or burn him to ashes with her abilities. But that was in the most extreme cases, like that time he said her chest was as steep as a cliffsid-
"Urk."
He stopped the thought in the middle; not because he found it to be tasteless, but because Akiha was glaring at him again. For a moment, he believed she may have read his mind, and was about to let him know just how mad she was.
She put down her tea down on its plate, and Hisui stepped forth to take it from the table. Wordlessly, she bowed to her mistress and headed back to the kitchen. He wasn't just about finished with his cup, so she'll have to wait a bit more to take back his as well.
He took another sip of the tea in total silence, hoping to wait out Akiha's anger. He looked at Len, who still sat on his lap, and watched curiously as she raised her head, as if startled by something.
"Hm? Len, is everything okay?" He asked the familiar.
The cat did not respond, and turned her head to stare outside the window of the spacious living room. Fixated on something, her tail, which had been wagging all this time, stiffened.
"Len? Are you-"
Suddenly, she jumped off his lap, transforming back into her human form midleap. Landing on two feet, the now human familiar turned towards her master and pulled on his arm, trying to get him to stand up.
Akiha looked at the girl's futile attempts in confusion, her physical strength not enough to make the boy rise from his seat. "Nii-san, what's going on?"
"I don't know, she just all of a sudden-"
And then the shaking began. At once the two teenagers stood up, watching with wide eyes as the entire mansion's foundations rattled. Priceless china fell from their resting spots, shattering against the ground.
Hisui ran out of the kitchen, abandoning everything she had been doing. "Akiha-sama, Shiki-sama! We must get to the garden!"
"Right!"
The Tohno siblings weren't about to do anything else. They dashed outside, avoiding the crashing furniture around them. The concrete walls cracked and broke, and the upper floors began to crumble behind them as they ran, fleeing for their lives. As the mansion continued breaking apart, the three humans and the cat familiar charged through the veranda and right into the outdoor garden.
At that moment, they saw it. A gigantic purple barrier, wider and taller than the eye could see, erupted in a huge area all around them. The ground fissured beneath their feet, nearly making them lose their balance.
"W-what is happening?!"
Hisui's panicked question went unanswered. Len grabbed onto Shiki's leg in fear, staring up at the chaotic sky above them.
A storm began to brew, twisting above the entire landscape of Misaki; and in the eye of that storm, a hole in reality tore open, drawing them all in.
A bright light shone from the center of that hole, blinding them all as they disappeared into the tear.
-TMW-
Chaldea Security Organization, Antarctica.
"Well done on that last singularity, Ritsuka," Da Vinci said to the orange haired Master. Ritsuka rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, chuckling to herself.
"Nah, I didn't do anything," She clarified. "It was the Servants who did all the work."
"It was still your leadership that got us through it," Mashu said to her. "We wouldn't be able to do this without you."
"Come on, stop it," Ritsuka continued, waving her arm. "I'll get a big head if you keep that up!"
"You're right," Dr. Roman joked from his seat behind the table. "If your head is too big, you won't fit in the leyshift chamber. We really should be careful."
The group laughed while Ritsuka pouted at Chaldea's director. After calming down a few moments later, Da Vinci spoke up again. "Take this time to rest. We'll meet up again tomorrow to iron out the last few details."
"I'm way ahead of you on that," Ritsuka replied as she headed towards the door, Mashu following behind her. "I'm dying to eat something already. Those chimeras made me hungry."
"Senpai, I don't think that's what you need to think when you face them," Mashu reminded her.
"Well, did you see how Mordred diced them? That was something else!"
Ritsuka waved to Da Vinci and Roman as they exited the director's office, heading into Chaldea's long circular hallway. The snow continued to fall outside the windows, remaining a constant reminder of their struggles and resolve.
Having just cleared the American singularity a month back, morale in Chaldea had been at an all time high. The battle was difficult, and Solomon still remained an elusive opponent, but they felt like they were actually getting some progress done into pinpointing his location. The defeat of a demon pillar was always a cause for celebration, even if they were still racing against time.
As Ritsuka and Mashu chatted, they spotted an unlikely duo making their way towards them from the other side of the hallway. Mordred and Ushiwakamaru were talking amongst themselves, with the Japanese Rider seemingly quite interested in what the Saber was saying.
As they approached each other, Ritsuka waved towards them. Spotting their Master, the two Servants walked up to her, smiles on their faces.
"How was that?" Mordred began. "I got those bastards good didn't I?"
Ritsuka gave her a thumbs up. "You sure as hell did!"
"See Ushi! Told you!" Mordred exclaimed, turning towards the Rider.
"I never doubted you for a second, Mordred-dono," Ushi replied. "Although, you do have a tendency to exaggerate."
Mashu looked at her curiously. "What did Mordred say?"
Before the knight could argue, Ushi answered. "Well, she said that she 'jumped upon a dragon's back, plunged her sword into it and used its pain to force it to breath fire upon the enemy, then crashed landed it and swung its corpse around like a flail and then tossed it into a mountain'."
Ritsuka's and Mashu's eyes widened at the outlandish tale. Mordred looked positively scandalized as she tried to rationalize her hyperbole. "Wait! No, I mean-"
"Yeah, she did that," Ritsuka quickly answered, surprising the other three girls. "It was pretty brutal, but awesome as hell."
Ushi blinked several times, and put a hand on her chin in thought. "I see…" She mumbled to herself, then turned to Mordred. "If Master said so, then I suppose it must be true. I apologize for doubting you, even when I said I wouldn't."
Caught like a deer in the headlights, Mordred found herself confused as to how to answer. Quickly, she cleared her throat and crossed her arms, putting up an act. "I-it's nothing! Don't worry about it!"
Mashu looked to Ritsuka with narrowed eyes, but the Master ignored her stare. "Well, we're heading to eat some dinner, so we'll see you two later."
The two Servants turned to her, and Ushi spoke. "Ah, we're heading back to our rooms. Enjoy yourselves."
She bowed, and the two groups passed by each other as they went their separate ways. Putting some distance across the hallway, Mordred and Ritsuka turned their heads towards each other. Mordred mouthed inaudible 'thanks', prompting Ritsuka to give her a thumbs up.
"Was this really okay, Senpai?" Mashu asked her, confused by her keeping up the knight's act.
"It's fine, you know Mordred. She'll pay me back somehow later, so I'm not worried."
Mashu didn't have a response to that statement. As they continued their stride, they saw Fou run up the hallway towards them, it's tiny steps barely audible. Before she even had any time to react, the tiny critter jumped up onto Mashu's shoulder, climbing onto her head amidst her protests. The two promptly stopped walking as Fou began to let out strange sounds, staring out the window towards the snow filled sky.
Mashu raised her hands to grab the creature, holding it in front of her face in worry. "What's wrong Fou?" She asked.
But Fou just continued to make sounds as it looked out the window. Ritsuka tilted her head, puzzled by its urgent behavior.
But then it came. Out of nowhere, the entirety of Chaldea began shaking, the alarms blaring loudly around them. The red lights signaling an emergency activated on their own, and deafening noise filled the hallway to the brim.
Ritsuka put a hand on the wall beside her for support, screaming into her earpiece so Roman and Da Vinci could hear her. "What the heck is going on?!"
"W-we don't know! The whole facility has been surrounded by an unfamiliar energy signature!" The director answered. She could hear how even from his end everything was going mad, and reckoned the Servants were already on immediate alert as they too tried to identify the anomaly.
Mashu donned her Servant outfit in preparation for any threat that may come, putting herself in front of Ritsuka protectively. Fou jumped over to Ritsuka in response. "Senpai, stay behind me!" She demanded, putting her shield in front of her. "We might have been attacked by an enemy Servant!"
In contrast to Mashu's guess, the Master however found it highly unlikely.
Noticing something odd outside the window, Ritsuka dashed forward despite protests from Mashu. She placed her hands on the glass, and her eyes widened when she noticed a purple barrier surrounding the complex as well as the mountain that it was built upon.
But the most ridiculous thing she noticed…
Was the fact they were rising, the ground and the mountain seemingly levitating above the rest of the area.
"What...the...hell?"
She then turned her gaze towards the sky, and they widened further when she saw a veritable hole in the cloud, black and deep that contrasted with the white scenery the snow provided.
And before long, bright light erupted from the whole, blinding the watchers as they were pulled into the void.
-TMW-
Garan no Dou, Mifune City.
With a turn of his key, Mikiya opened the door to the office. For whatever reason, Touko seemed to always lock it even while she was inside, prompting everyone working for her to get themselves their own set of keys.
"Mikiya!" A familiar voice called out from within as he entered. Smiling, his sister Azaka ran up to him, not even giving him time to close the door before dragging him in.
"Azaka, what are you doing here?" He asked, taken aback by his sister's appearance in the semi-derelict office.
"I called her over," Touko answered from behind her desk, taking another puff of her cigarette. "Needed her for something, so you don't need to worry about that."
"I see," Mikiya answered. Yes, he was already used to these kinds of antics. "Where's Shiki?"
Another puff. "She also went out to take care of a job. Something about a haunted house in the city's outskirts. A walk in the park for her."
The usual deal then. He did not ask her any more questions, and merely reached into his bag to pull out the stack of documents he had received from the police force. He placed them on the table in front of Touko. "Here."
"Oh, my thanks Mikiya," The puppetmaker said, grabbing the papers and looking them over. "Daisuke is still being helpful I see."
"As he always was," Mikiya said with a smile. His cousin was always a good fellow, and often provided them with information concerning recent cases in order to pinpoint a possible supernatural involvement.
It was the same as always: Mikiya gets the information, Touko decides what to do with it, and Shiki goes out and deals with it. That's how their job worked, their salary provided by Touko's facade of puppetmaking and building design.
To be fair, her skills in puppetmaking were unparalleled. Never had he seen such lifelike creations, which stunned him to this day.
This was without taking into consideration that she could replicate her own body to perfection and replace lost limbs in the blink of an eye. Mikiya had questioned her once on the use of her skills to help the injured, only to be provided with an understandable yet disheartening answer.
The secrets of magecraft must be hidden from the general populace after all. Should she ever make such a public debut, she'd be hounded nonstop by both the regular people as well as the Mage's Association, the former wanting her secrets and the latter wanting her head.
All Mikiya could do in this case was calmly accept it, and continue working with the woman to bring some measure of closure to victims of supernatural causes.
One of which he currently presented to Touko, seeing as the police force couldn't explain the case entirely. She skimmed through the text and the images, and took another puff of her cigarette. "The victim was found badly mauled by what seems to correlate with a bear attack, although no bears have been sighted in the vicinity," She recounted from the paper. She didn't even bother to read the rest and tossed it back on the table. "Seems like our kind of case."
"It's what Daisuke thought as well," Mikiya told her. "So he gave it to me to deal with."
"He did right," Touko responded. "It's probably some vengeful poltergeist that didn't pass on correctly. I'll send Shiki there once she comes back."
Azaka, who had been listening in to their conversation, stepped up to speak. "Hey! I can do it too you know!"
"I know, but this time we need something a bit more subtle. Can't have you burn down the whole building while chasing the thing," Touko said to the girl, getting a pout from her. Azaka crossed her arms childishly, causing Mikiya to smile.
"She's counting on you for the more difficult jobs, so she doesn't want you to exhaust yourself on these," He said reassuringly.
As Touko expected, it worked like a charm. Azaka blushed and turned away, mumbling semi-coherently. "W-well, if you say so then I guess that's fine."
Touko chuckled, and took another puff of her cigarette. The fire consumed the last few millimeters of the head, and she reached over to her the ashtray to extinguish the leftovers.
And just as she pulled her hand back, it happened.
The building shook to the core, the lights instantly turning off at the sudden quake. Fragile objects crashed and shattered on the floor as they fell, and all three of the office's occupants rose to their feet immediately. They looked around in alarm as the floor and the ceiling began to crack, barely avoiding a piece of the upper floor that dropped down on the lounge of the office.
"W-what the heck is going on?!" Azaka loudly asked, expecting someone to give her an answer.
Hurriedly and by instinct, Touko looked outside.
At that moment, she was glad that she had chosen a room that had a nice view.
An enormous purple barrier shimmered brightly in the distance. At a glance, Touko could already tell it was as big as the city itself, perhaps even bigger than that. Her trained Magus eyes narrowed as she began to analyze it from a distance to the best of her ability.
Noticing her sudden stillness in the chaos, Mikiya approached the woman with Azaka following right behind him. "What is happening?"
"We're being displaced," She quickly answered, causing the two siblings' eyes to widen. "I don't know how or why and who would be capable of such a thing, but that's what's happening. Be ready for anything, because it has the whole city in its area of influence."
"That's-"
He couldn't even begin to wrap his head around that. Out of all the supernatural phenomena he had experienced, this was completely new.
"Do you know where we're heading?" He asked hopefully.
Her response was as he expected. "No idea, which means...prepare for the worst."
The building continued to shake as she gave her cryptic warning. The city continued to rise, and just as it reached the clouds, a bright light engulfed it and blinded the people within.
Leaving them awaiting an unknown fate.
-TMW-
And so, the Hydra's power reached out across space and time, transporting heroes from various worlds to within the dimensional plane.
Caught unawares just like their predecessors, the new arrivals could do nothing as the Demon army rampaged through their territories. Left with no other choice, they were forced to abandon their homes and hurriedly put together a fighting force against the demons. Together with the remnants of the former Coalition army, the new Coalition attempted to raise the banner of resistance.
Yet, it was all for naught. Humans, vampires, Heroic Spirits, and many others alike fell, leaving humanity in despair as the last of their number fought valiantly against the Hydra and its forces.
Desperate to survive, the new Coalition went on another ill-fated assault against the Hydra at its lair, hoping to turn the tides…
-TMW-
Prologue:
THE SLAYING OF THE HYDRA
(Play: The First End - Warriors Orochi 3 OST)
-TMW-
"CLARENT BLOOD ARTHUR!"
An electrified crimson beam tore through the air towards the gigantic monster. Perfectly aimed, the blast struck the Hydra dead on, and it roared as the head that was hit whipped about in response; however, no damage was dealt to it, leaving it unmarred from the attack.
"Tch!" Mordred clicked her tongue. "As we thought, Noble Phantasms don't work on this thing!"
With no time to try again, she swiftly turned around and swung, and her sword sliced into more than a dozen demon troops with a single motion. They screamed and fell as their stomachs were gouged out, yet Mordred could find no joy in the act.
Because it was completely useless, as she knew they could come back at any time. So long as the Hydra existed, they would never be able to win against the demons' endless numbers.
Another deafening roar echoed throughout the battlefield. Mordred had only a second to look behind her to see a head of the Hydra open its mouth, fire gathering in the open cavity.
'Oh shit!'
She had to run. Abandoning her attempts at fighting off the demon army, Mordred dashed through their ranks, not giving them the opportunity to even try and attack her.
But that also meant leaving behind the infantry to their fates. Clenching her teeth, she charged through the demon ranks just as the Hydra fired, a blast of flame erupting from its mouth towards her location.
Instantly, humans and demons alike were vaporized by the superheated blast. The piercing shrieks of the Coalition soldiers as they were turned to dust were absolutely horrifying, the likes of which Mordred had heard only at Camelot.
And the bastard demon soldiers just laughed even as they melted to gooey bits, as they knew it would not kill them. Their pale white complexion, their black scleras, their snake-like figures, and their complete and total bloodthirstiness was something Mordred had only witnessed in the singularities.
A contingent of the demon army fired arrows at her position, and she raised an arm as she charged through. Having no use for Clarent's beam anymore, she rematerialized her helmet, and like a speeding truck rammed through the demon troops and sliced at the archers, cutting them in half with a single swing.
But the demons were quick to surround her again. She jumped back as a massive club crashed down on where she stood, and skidded across the ground to identify the enemy.
It was another one of those demons she called a 'boar general', with tusks protruding from it mouth, and over three meters in height. It sported the same greyish sickly skin like the rest of the demons, and apparently had enough of a mind to mark her as an enemy.
"I'll crush you!" It blurted out in its nasal, pigish voice. It stampeded towards her in all its might along with it fellow demons, and Mordred stood her ground, prepared to meet its charge.
Only for a spear to lodge itself in the side of its head, killing it instantly. A familiar figure jumped from within the demon ranks, stomping on the side of the boar general's head and causing the huge demon to topple over.
"Ma Teng!" She exclaimed, surprised to see the Xiliang general still alive.
The older man withdrew his spear from the demon's skull and quickly jumped off, his spear whipping about to slice through the demon ranks. He met up with Mordred halfway, and they stood back to back as they faced the enemy.
"My Lord!" He called back. "Our formation has crumbled! We must head back to our allies!"
More roars tore through the battlefield. Looking up at the dark clouds hanging above their heads, the two humans watched in horror as the eight Hydra heads launched fireballs into the sky, raining down the flames upon the battlefield.
They tilted their heads back towards the demons, and clenched their teeth hard. "We're breaking through!" Mordred declared. "Follow me!"
He wasn't about to argue with her. Right on her tail, Ma Teng followed the Camelot knight as she barreled her way through, Clarent sending the demons flying with every swing. At the rate they were resurrecting, Mordred was half convinced she recognized some of the demons she was killing.
The fireballs began to crash down onto the ground, the sounds of explosions filling the air with each impact. Mordred and Ma Teng ran as fast as they could, foregoing killing the demons and just escaping, hoping to regroup with their comrades.
"Stop right there, you-!"
"GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!"
The demon was promptly launched out of her path as it tried to stop her. She raised her vision ahead, and smirked when they found exactly what they were looking for.
Good thing they weren't all that far away from each other. Up ahead, she saw a cluster of humans surrounded by the demons, swinging and hacking away at the enemy with all the strength they could muster.
Turning his head by complete coincidence, the leading general of the formation took note of Mordred's advance. He signaled to his men to move as both the knight and the Xiliang general made their way within, joining their comrades in defending against the demon army.
"Sima Yan! What's the situation?!" Mordred loudly asked the Wei general, hoping to get a grasp of their situation.
"It's as bad as you can see, my Lord!" He replied, swinging his sword at another demon. "They've broken through our ranks! We must find a chance to regroup!"
"Easier said than done! These bastards are everywhere! And what's more, our weapons don't work against them!" Was her immediate reply.
It was at that point that she noticed two figures standing out from within the group. While the others were soldiers through and through, these two were mere teenagers, both sporting different yet conservative getups.
The first was a boy, wearing what she figured was a blue school uniform. In his hand was a short knife, and his grey eyes shone as he whipped his hand back and forth rapidly, slicing the demons into pieces with frightening precision. He avoided their strikes narrowly, clenching his teeth at a near miss at his neck.
The second was a girl, clad in a nun's habit. Her hair a deep purple, and her eyes too shining a brilliant red, the demons who had tried to approach her were frozen in place. Less than a second afterwards, the affected enemies twisted into bloody chunks, leaving nothing more than a mass of flesh at her feet. She was sweating profusely, clearly unused to this kind of battle.
The general closest to her noticed her fatigue. "Lady Fujino! Do not overexert yourself!"
She let out a heavy breath as she replied. "Shigetoshi-san...I'm...I'm fine! W-we need to survive!"
Shigetoshi Takenaka could not argue against her resolve. Facing forward once more, he swung his naginata, sweeping the approaching demons aside.
"We must make our escape!" He recommended. "If we lock ourselves down here, the Hydra will make short work of us!"
A scream from their left alerted them to the fact that one of the defenders had fallen, an arrow lodging itself in his chest. Mordred stared at him with wide eyes, and then cast her gaze out to the distance.
And standing there on a small cliff overlooking the battle, was their hated enemy Kiyomori Taira.
"This son of a-!"
"Lord Mordred! You cannot chase after him! We must escape now!" Ma Teng reminded her, forcing her to grit her teeth in frustration.
"Then let's move!"
All at once, the small group dashed forward, with Mordred in the lead. Moving together in a tight formation, the men protected the tired and weakened Fujino, who had trouble keeping up with their speed. She tripped, but before she could fall the schoolboy grabbed her hand, pulling her back to her feet and helping her move forward.
"T-Tohno-kun!"
"Hold onto me! We'll make it out of here, I promise!"
For some reason, hearing Shiki's reassurance filled her with strength. She nodded, and broke off into a sprint.
Heading northeast from their previous position, the remnants of the Coalition began to make their way towards the escape point, knowing that it was their only chance to survive the encounter.
However, the demons had more up their sleeves.
"You pesky humans! Just die already!"
"What?!"
They came out of nowhere. Appearing from behind the rocky formations strewn about on the battlefield, enemy reinforcements joined in the fray, with one of the more human sized demon generals leading the charge. He pointed his spear towards the human group, laughing maniacally as his underlings rushed onwards with reckless abandon and right into the gap in their formation.
And right towards Fujino.
With no time to alert his comrades to the danger, Shigetoshi stood in the path of the demons, blocking their advance with his own body. Fujino could only watch in horror as the general was impaled by a dozen spears in the chest, his arms spread to the side to cover her as much as possible.
She screamed his name in despair. "SHIGETOSHI-SAN!"
He choked out the words as he bled from the mouth, knowing he was about to die. "R-run! D-do not look back!"
He grasped as many of the spears he could with his two hands, preventing at least these demon troops from joining the fray. They tried to dislodge the spears from his body, but his grip was like iron as he held them at bay.
Tears fell from Fujino's eyes as she was carried forward by Shiki, and they began to make their way up the incline towards the escape point. "Lord Shiki! We're almost there!" Sima Yan called, earning him a nod from the schoolboy.
Mordred and Ma Teng's clearing of their path was unparalleled. In sync, they worked to frighten and disorient the demons as much as possible, trying to buy some precious time.
However, the Hydra would have none of it. It launched more fireballs into the sky, this time aimed towards the fleeing humans.
And Mordred noticed too late as one of the balls of flame came down upon her. She tried to dodge, but she was far too slow.
"My Lord!"
But then, someone pushed her out of the way. She had only a second to notice Ma Teng's extended hands before the fireball crashed on top of him, incinerating him and turning him to ash in an instant.
"MA TENG!"
She grit her teeth once more. 'Shit!'
She regained her footing as the fireballs continued to come down. 'We don't have time for this! We have to move!'
She briefly looked back to see who had remained of their small group. She could only count herself, the schoolboy she heard was called Shiki, the girl Fujino, Sima Yan, and two more soldiers.
They ran up the side of the hill as fast as they could, the fireballs crashing their way towards them. One of the remaining soldiers screamed as an arrow lodged itself in his calf, and he was promptly silenced as a fireball vaporized him.
Slicing the neck of the guard in two, Mordred pushed the demons aside and crashed the gate leading to the escape point open, using all of her body weight and strength to get the thing moving.
Shiki and Fujino made their way through in one piece, however Sima Yan and the remaining soldier stopped in their tracks and turned to face the demons. Shiki screamed to the general in alarm. "Sima Yan! What are you doing?!"
"You three must make it out of here alive!" The general called out, swinging his sword wildly at the demons in tandem with the soldier. "Only you three will be able to bring back hope! Do not look back for even a second!"
It was strange to hear this from the would-be Emperor of Jin. Left with no other choice, Mordred used all strength to force the two giant doors of the gate closed, stopping both Sima Yan and the demons from joining them.
And so, only three of them remained. Having reached the final stretch towards the escape point, the exhausted trio renewed their mad dash.
Only for the valley that made up the escape point to crumble as a fireball struck it, causing the rocks to crash down below and block their path completely.
Mordred clenched her teeth once again, and kicked one of the offending rocks hard in fury. "Shit! You son of a bitch!"
"Mordred-san!"
She turned, and grit her teeth even harder as four heads of the Hydra confronted them. The Hydra roared, nearly sending the trio flying from the mere shockwaves. Mordred ran forward as one of the heads tried to bite down on them, and with all her strength she swung her sword to throw it off course.
The air swirled as Fujino tried to use her eyes to squish the Hydra head under its own weight, but found that her red and green spirals served no purpose. Shiki too, narrowed his eyes as he tried to pinpoint any lines on the giant creature that he would be able to cut.
He found none. Zero lines of death dotted the Hydra's body, shocking the boy completely.
"We...we can't kill this thing! My eyes are useless!" He warned.
"Mine too! I can't do anything to it!" Fujino added fearfully.
Mordred clicked her tongue again. "And my sword can't injure it either...is this thing invincible?"
There was no answer to her question, because it was glaringly obvious:
The three of them could not defeat the Hydra.
It was a cruel reality that sealed their fates. The four heads charged towards them in tandem, their gaping maws opening as fire charged up in their throats.
And all the trio could do was stare in horror, sweat dripping down their brows. Mordred removed her helmet, and entered her stance in an attempt to combat the incoming blast of fire. Clarent shone with the same crimson electrified light as before.
She knew it would probably be a useless endeavor, but she had to try nonetheless, if only to at least delay their inevitable demise.
She stood steadfast before the monster, and roared heroically. "Come and get it, you damned beast!"
The Hydra approached even closer.
And finally, fired.
The approaching inferno could be felt even from the fairly large distance between them. Mordred brought up her sword above her, and prepare to unleash her Noble Phantasm for the second time to face the fire.
With a scream, she called out the name. "CLARENT BLOOD ARTH-"
Only for a bright light to blind them all.
Forcing their eyes closed instantly, the trio saw stars as their vision was suddenly robbed from them. "W-what the-?!"
Was this a surprise attack from the Hydra? Since when was it able to produce such blinding light?
No, scratch that; they didn't know a damn thing about the monster. They had appeared here a month ago, and were immediately forced to go on the defensive and put together some sort of force capable of fighting back.
A whole month of non stop fighting, and they knew nothing about what had brought them to this strange world.
Much less about the Hydra itself, the central and key existence that seemed to rule this world.
Shiki opened his eyes slowly, spots filling his vision as his sight gradually returned to him. Fujino, who had fallen to her knees involuntarily due to the sudden light, removed her hands from her face and blinked slightly to get a grasp of their surroundings.
The strangest thing was that they were no dead yet. Mordred's attack had been interrupted mid swing, cancelling the Noble Phantasm before she could fire; if the light was caused by the Hydra, they should be dust by now.
As Mordred also began to regain her sight, the trio noticed that something incredibly bizarre happened to the world around them.
For one, it was in greyscale. As if all color had been drained of the environment, everything around them ceased to move completely, the Hydra included. The rocks, the sky, the ground, the lava, and even the Hydra's scales were greyed out.
Everything was frozen, except the three of them. They stared in shock at the sight, as even the fire the Hydra had breathed out stopped in midair as it was about to approach them. They couldn't even feel the heat coming off from it anymore, making the situation all the stranger.
"What is going on?" Shiki asked, and neither of the girls had an answer to give him.
They looked around, trying to find the cause of this unexplainable change to their surroundings.
Until a voice rang out, echoing in their ears.
"Thank goodness, I'm glad I've made it in time."
Even more bewildered than before, the trio watched as a sphere of golden light materialized in front of them. Waves of sparkles rained down to the ground as a silhouette appeared within it. Immediately on guard, Mordred raised her sword in preparation for a fight, expecting to have a battle to the death against whatever force caused this change.
Yet, the stranger was unfazed by her bloodlust. The golden light grew dimmer, and now they could finally make out the form that had accompanied its appearance.
It was a young woman, with long black hair tied with an ancient looking ornament near the base of her waist length hair. Upon her head sat a similarly ancient looking crown, and she was clad in what looked like a multilayered kimono, of which Fujino could count eleven of. Her face was a ghostly white, yet it was obvious to the three that it was painted that way, giving the woman the look of a humble geisha. A sakaki branch in hand, the woman approached the three and smiled warmly, draining Mordred's fighting spirit slightly.
"Who are you?!" The knight demanded, slightly overwhelmed by the woman's presence. It was not her appearance that was mesmerizing, but rather her presence. The knight could admit that it felt divine in nature, a feeling something she had become familiar with after fighting against and alongside many divine Heroic Spirits.
As the last of the golden light died down, the woman bowed to them. "My name is Kaguya. I have come from the Mystic Realm to assist you in your time of need."
The trio's eyes widened, and Shiki took a step forward in shock. "Wait...Kaguya...as in Kaguyahime?!"
Shiki's familiarity with the strange woman caused Mordred to lower her weapon completely. Kaguya bowed again. "Yes, that is who I am known as in the human realms."
He could barely believe it...but after seeing something as ridiculous as the Hydra, and fighting against powerful vampires, a legendary figure from Japanese mythology wasn't all that shocking.
And considering he was standing next to the famous Knight of Betrayal, he figured that he was going to see a whole lot of stranger things.
Fujino took a step forward towards Kaguya. "Did...did you do this?" She asked, referring to the sudden lack of color in the world around them.
"I have indeed," Kaguya replied softly. "It is merely a part of my ability to manipulate time. I have frozen us in an eternal instant so we can speak without worry."
That wasn't something that was going to fly over Mordred's head easily. "Hold on...manipulate time? What are you talking about?"
"At your current strength, I am afraid you are no match for the Hydra," The mystic girl admitted. "In order to defeat it, you must go back in time to increase your numbers. I shall help you in order to do so."
"Travel through time? I'm not sure I'm following you," Shiki said, finding even this prospect a little bit too outlandish.
In response, Kaguya smiled again. "Then I will show you."
She waved her branch in the air, and golden light surrounded the four of them.
Before they could react, they vanished…
And began their long and arduous journey through time.
-TMW-
WISE UP!
Orochi: Originally called Yamata-no-Orochi in the tale of Susano'o, in the Warriors Orochi games it took the form of a humanoid boss enemy on which the series is named.
Ma Chao: A brave general from the north western part of ancient China called Xiliang, he was heralded as 'Ma Chao the Splendid', known for his eventual rebellion against the Wei ruler Cao Cao. He rose up in rebellion due to Cao Cao executing his father, but after losing many battles against the warlord, he eventually surrendered to the Shu ruler Liu Bei.
Sima Zhao: The first King of Jin, and the ruler who had heralded the fall of Shu in the late Three Kingdoms era. The son of Sima Yi, he had extended the Sima family's influence by quelling several rebellions. He died at the age of 44, one year after the fall of Shu.
Hanbei Takenaka: A retainer who served under Hideyoshi during his tenure as a vassal of Oda Nobunaga, Hanbei was known for his intelligence and wit on the battlefield. He died at an early age of 36 due to illness. Many of his accomplishments are said to have been exaggerated in history.
Da Ji: The favorite concubine of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, she was said to be a cruel and vile woman who had invented dozens of torture methods to entertain her. King Zhou was extremely infatuated with her, but legends say she was actually a nine tailed fox who had possessed a human girl baring the same name.
Ma Teng: The father of Ma Chao, he was executed by Cao Cao due to a failed assassination attempt, prompting Ma Chao's rebellion. However, in reality the order is the opposite; Ma Chao had rebelled, and so had Ma Teng executed. Ma Teng had participated in many early conflicts such as the Yellow Turban Rebellion as well as the campaign against Dong Zhuo.
Shigetoshi Takenaka: The cousin of Hanbei Takenaka, not much is known about his life. During the Sekigahara campaign that would decide the ruler of the land, Shigetoshi chose to ally with the Tokugawa against the Toyotomi loyalists in the Eastern army, and was granted land and a castle as a reward.
Sima Yan: The son of Sima Zhao, and the first Emperor of the Jin dynasty. He forced the Emperor of Wei at the time, Cao Huan, to abdicate the throne, and later successfully conquered Eastern Wu to establish the Jin dynasty in 266 AD.
Kaguya: The main character of the story 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter', she was found by an elderly couple in a shining stalk of bamboo as an infant. Beautiful beyond imagination, many came from all over the land to ask for her hand in marriage. She eventually returned to her people on the Moon at the end of the tale. In Warriors Orochi, she is presented as a kindhearted Mystic.
Kiyomori Taira: A military leader during the late Heian period of Japan, his sworn enemies were the Minamoto clan, to which Yoshitsune and Yorimitsu belonged. His reign was brought to an end when the Minamoto emerged victorious in the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, after which he fell ill with fever and died.
Himiko: The shamaness-empress of Japan during the period it was known as Wa (2nd-3rd century AD), she was known for her frequent relations with the then Wei ruler Cao Rui. Not much is known about her in history, except that she had a secret territory known as Yamatai. In Warriors Orochi, she is presented as a pre-teen girl on the side of the demons.
-TMW-
So! Tell me what you think about this crossover!
I will appreciate any and all feedback, and in fact greatly welcome it!
As an aside, which characters do you expect to see in this story? Make your guesses!
Until next time!