Chapter 66: Throw-Down at the Arena
Throw-Down at the Arena
The tension in the stands of the Clocktower's Arena was so thick that one could cut it with a knife. Dozens if not hundreds of Magi were loitering about, so perfectly casual that it looped right back into suspicious, keeping an eye not just on the grounds below them but also on each other.
Though they weren't perfectly divided by faction-lines, they also didn't really mingle, aside from a few brazen exceptions. Conservatives, progressives, and libertarians carefully kept their distance from each other, too used to animosity to take any risks with their own safety.
No arguments or fights broke out however. No threats were made or insults exchanged, veiled or otherwise. In fact, despite the ever-present tension, the general mood in the stands could be described as surprisingly peaceful.
Nothing united a people like a common cause after all, and right now, nearly every last Magus present agreed that their hostilities had to take a back seat to the upcoming fight between Queen and Sorcerer. There simply was no room in their minds for much more.
They'd have to wait for a bit longer for the actual fight to begin however. Although both Lorelei and Shirou had entered the Arena and were raring to go, ready to do battle and prove their mettle to each other in open combat, they first had to take care of the pre-combat rituals.
The first of those was greeting the judges, which was pretty much synonymous with shaking the referee's hand before a match. A small gesture, showing that you intended to play by the rules and respect the referee's authority.
Since this was not a private spat between individuals but a public and massively consequential battle, a momentous occasion that might forever alter the hierarchy in the Moonlit World, it required a bit more structure and organisation than usual. As a part of that, Lorelei had arranged the presence of three impartial judges, who would preside over the fight in order to prevent any cheating and dishonourable behaviour and decide the winner at the end.
For most other battles, the brunette would have been satisfied with one judge, but this was too important. Three was the absolute minimum she felt she could get away with.
Since Lorelei had taken care of inviting them, Shirou now saw those judges for the first time, and he studied them curiously.
Sitting side by side at a stand just outside of the Enchantments and Bounded Fields meant to separate Arena from spectators, the three judges all met his gaze without compunction, showing differing levels of curiosity.
The one most on the left, from Shirou's perspective, was a thin, fairly short, and young-looking man, with a colourful suit, a sharp haircut, and watches on both wrists, for some reason. Though he didn't look like much, doubly so since he seemed in his early twenties at most, Shirou saw right away that he was enormously powerful, nearly Lorelei's equal even, and that he was a fair bit older than he seemed, though the redhead couldn't say how old exactly. Interestingly enough though, he might be nearly Lorelei's equal in raw power, but in terms of the sense of danger he exuded, he fell far short of her. In a battle, she would make mincemeat out of him, that was for sure.
On the man's right, again from Shirou's perspective, sat a priest. Fat, balding, yet still dignified and elegant, this man dressed in church robes was looking around with fascination and apprehension in equal measure. Most likely, he was from the Burial Agency, chosen because those who followed the Eighth Sacrament hated all Magi in equal measure and could thus be counted upon to judge them equally too. A sound choice, though Shirou wondered how Lorelei had convinced this one to enter the Clocktower and help her. Probably by promising the return of some Sacred Artefacts or something.
As for the judge most on the right…
He was a Dead Apostle?!
"Lorelei-?!" Shirou immediately turned towards the lady, but fell silent when she held up a hand.
"I know." She spoke tersely, looking everywhere but at the vampire. "I would much love to kill him with you, but he begged to be allowed to witness our battle, and promised both us and the Burial Agency long-lost treasures and valuable information in return. Information that… we could not refuse."
She clearly hated the outcome of that discussion, the fact that a Dead Apostle was inside her Clocktower and she could not kill him, but with titanic effort, she managed to suppress that hate and do what was right, for the good cause.
A sign of increasing maturity on her part, perhaps?
"No one else is aware. I would have you remain silent on the matter too."
"I won't say a word."
Looking back at the Dead Apostle, Shirou noticed two more things. One, the cloak that the creature was wearing hid its true nature from the Magi around it, and two, it was not just a Dead Apostle, but an Ancestor.
Now Shirou really had to firmly sit on the desire to shove his hand into the creature's chest and rip out its dark heart. A Dead Apostle was one thing, a monster created usually through no fault of their own, but Ancestors were horrors who had completely embraced their darkness, revelled in it even. To compare a simple Apostle to an Ancestor was to compare a dictatorship's common foot soldier to the dictator themselves.
To make matters worse, this Ancestor was particularly heinous, even among its kind. Its youthful appearance and kind expression, up to and including the twinkling eyes, utterly failed to hide its rotting and twisted inside. It was vastly more evil than Vlov Arkhangel, the only other real Ancestor Shirou had ever met, and in its own manner, it easily matched the foulness of Roa.
"That thing is…" Shirou paused, struggling for words. "An abomination."
Not something he said lightly, but it was true.
"I know." Lorelei agreed through gritted teeth.
"We should kill it now." He proposed, giving serious thought to just hitting it with Mjolnir as soon as he came within arm's reach. "We would save thousands of lives down the line."
"We cannot." Lorelei literally looked physically pained, as if just saying those words was like pressing a hot iron to her tongue. "His information is too valuable. Having it would save millions, and I gave my word that I would respect the laws of hospitality. That creature, as much as I despise it, is a guest today."
Shirou let out a shuddering breath, before easing his grip on Mjolnir.
It seemed he was beaten. If the Ancestor was indeed a guest in the Clocktower, then he was entitled to his safety. As much as it rankled, the redhead would never attack someone under such circumstances. To do so would be the height of dishonour, and very much unlike a Hero of Justice.
Lives had to be saved at nearly all costs, but there were some lines that should not be crossed. Lines that kept the fabric of human society together.
Suppressing his urge to kill the Ancestor became increasingly difficult however when the creature greeted them with entirely too much cheer once they made it to the judges' booth. Cheer that seemed utterly out of place on a faux-innocent face that hid an abominable Demon underneath.
"Merem Solomon." He held out his hand for Shirou to shake, though he dropped it quickly when the redhead did not reciprocate. "They also call me Crown. I am the twentieth Dead Apostle Ancestor. It is an honour to meet you, lord Fujimaru, and I promise to you now that I shall judge this match fairly and with only objectivity and impartiality."
"You have some nerve coming here." Shirou noted, with reluctant admiration that a vampire could have such stones. He had to know how much danger he was in, especially so since both Lorelei and Shirou were stronger than him, as was the thin man on the left, yet he didn't seem to mind in the slightest. "Well met, Merem Solomon. Your reputation precedes you."
"As does yours." The Ancestor smiled even wider, and just having that smile directed at him made Shirou feel unclean. "I hope this is the start of a beautiful friendship."
"It is not." The redhead had never been one for direct lies. "You are protected by the laws of hospitality today. The next time I see you, your head will roll."
"Then I suppose I should keep my distance." The vampire replied without missing a beat. "I rather enjoy staying alive, especially in these interesting times."
His piece said and with no desire for any further interaction with the bloodsucker, Shirou then moved on to the priest, bowing in respect.
"Thank you for agreeing to referee our match, father." He said, hoping he'd used the right form of address. Caren had taught him a few things about the Catholic Faith, but not enough to flawlessly recognise all different ranks within the clergy.
"You are most welcome, lad." The priest showed no sign that Shirou had made a mistake, fortunately, but even so, he didn't exactly look at ease either. "But, uh, lad, could you perhaps tell me where we are? And what's going on here?"
"Huh?" The priest's confusion confused Shirou in turn. "We are at the Clocktower, and Lady Barthomeloi and I are about to start our battle. A battle you have graciously agreed to referee."
"…" The priest's heavy and concerned silence was not encouraging.
"Father?"
"I am of course always glad to referee a match or two, it's something I do quite often, but I don't recall agreeing to anything. Nothing like this at least." The priest laughed uncomfortably, wiping away a few drops of sweat with a sleeve, and Shirou got a very ominous feeling in his stomach. "I was just preparing Sunday mass when several big lads came in and took me with them, telling me their queen needed me for some task. They shoved me in a big car and brought me here."
"They… what?"
"Oh, they were perfectly nice and all, but getting any answers out of them was like pulling teeth, so I don't know much. In fact, all I know is that the two of you are going to fight, and that I'm supposed to make sure you both play by the rules." The priest was starting to ramble, while his fellow judges and Shirou were getting more wide-eyed by the moment. "But pray tell, what are you going to do exactly? Boxing? Karate? Or is this supposed to be an MMA-style fight? Please tell me you won't go all gladiator on each other. I don't much like blood or open wounds."
"…You mean you have no idea what is going on here?" No member of the Burial Agency would ever be so ignorant, and the ominous feeling in Shirou's stomach increased tenfold.
"Well, I may have a theory, but I'm not sure, so please tell me honestly." The priest leaned in a little, as if to confide in the redhead, and Shirou followed suit, as did Merem Solomon, Lorelei, and the thin man. All held their breath in anticipation, and then the priest whispered his question. "You are wizards, aren't you?"
There was a beat of silence.
Then Solomon burst out laughing.
"Lorelei!" Shirou turned towards the brunette in disbelief. "You abducted a normal priest?!"
"So it would seem." She nodded, looking entirely too calm for the situation, though she did spare a frown for the thin man, who was also chortling in amusement. "You have my apologies, father. It would appear that my men mistook you for a member of the Burial Agency."
"And to answer your question, padre, yes, they are wizards." Solomon informed the priest between his chuckles, looking highly amused indeed. "Who mistook you for a member of the Pope's private army."
"The Pope has a private army?"
"A wizard-killing private army." The vampire confirmed with a huge grin, looking positively alive in a way that Shirou hadn't seen before in his kind. "With members all over the globe. It's really quite something, actually."
The priest looked in awe at his surroundings again, surroundings he now knew to be magical, and Shirou decided he'd had enough.
"I can bring you back right now." He said, offering the priest a hand to help him get up, but he blinked when the man shook his head. "Father?"
"Are you joking? This is the most fun I've had in years." His cheeks flushed with excitement, the priest had conquered his confusion already and was now fully enjoying the situation, having adjusted with astounding speed. "I thought this sort of thing only happened in books, but to live it myself… It is…"
"Yes?" Lorelei prompted him, looking vaguely interested.
"Amazing!"
"Glad to hear it." Solomon beamed at him, and it was a bit too obvious that he was trying to seem like an innocent little creature, probably to further toy with the poor man.
"You don't have anyone like Voldemort around here though, right?" The priest then asked, a note of concern appearing in his expression.
"Who?"
"Excellent!" The beaming smile was back, and the priest happily shook both Shirou's and Lorelei's hand, promising to do his best to referee the upcoming match. "I already referee football matches, swimming competitions, and hockey games. I think I can manage a fight between wizards as well, as long as someone tells me what is going on."
"I can do that." The thin man promised, briefly touching the priest's shoulder in reassurance, before glancing at Lorelei with no small amount of amusement. "It is the least I can do, after you were so suddenly taken from your home."
"An unfortunate event." Lorelei accepted the implied rebuke, going as far as to lower her head. "I apologise again, father."
"No worries." The priest easily waved the apology away however, before patting his stomach with a laugh. "Is there any chance we can get some refreshments though?"
"I'll have it arranged promptly." Lorelei promised.
With that, the matter of the priest had been settled, and they could move on to the final judge.
Powerful, older than he seemed, and apparently allowed to chide Lorelei, however indirectly, he was certainly no normal Magus. Shirou studied him anew from close range, but couldn't find anything he hadn't seen the first time around, aside from the fact that this man truly was a great deal older than he seemed.
Older, as in hundreds of years, rather than mere decades.
Aside from that however, there wasn't much to be found, certainly nothing that warranted Lorelei treating him as an equal of sorts, which only further piqued Shirou's curiosity. What manner of man was he that the Vice Director of the Clocktower respected him so?
"Who are you?" He asked bluntly, figuring he might as well try to ask.
The thin man didn't reply however, merely lifting his eyebrows at the direct question, before he glanced at Lorelei again, wordlessly telling her to make the introductions instead.
Shockingly, she complied.
"This is Shirou Fujimaru." She introduced Shirou first, before gesturing at the thin man. "Shirou, this is our director."
"Your director?"
"Indeed. The Director of the Clocktower and my direct superior."
For the first few moments, he did not really understand what she meant, his mind conjuring up images of business directors in sharp suits who were busy managing shareholders and the stock market, in that order.
But then the penny dropped, and not just he, but Merem Solomon and everyone else in hearing range could only gape in shock, their jaws collectively hitting the floor.
This was the Director of the Magus Association?!
The news spread through the Arena like a tsunami, unstoppable and inescapable, and before long, every Magus present was scrambling to either get a good look or to get out of his line of sight. They whispered and mumbled and fretted and plotted, completely taken by surprise by the appearance of a man who'd been missing for centuries now.
Shirou too had only ever heard rumours. Granted, he'd never been too interested in the supposed Director, too busy tending to his own matters to spend much time investigating someone whom he never had any dealings with, but it was hard not to pick up at least a bit of gossip here and there.
The Director was said to be a prodigious Magus, perhaps even the greatest that the Clocktower had ever seen. Most agreed that he had been present back when the Magus Association had been founded, and some even claimed he'd been alive and well when Jesus Christ had been born. He was known to be a personal friend of Zelretch, and perhaps even a wielder of the Kaleidoscope himself, though no one could provide even a smidge of evidence to prove that claim held any water.
"It is an honour to meet you, Director." Now that he was staring the man in the face, Shirou could personally confirm whether the rumours were true or not. For starters, he wasn't the greatest Magus ever, as Lorelei still had him beat on that front. Also, he couldn't wield the Kaleidoscope, nor any other kind of True Magic. He was very old though, potentially old enough to have witnessed the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, and knowing Zelretch, the rumour of them being friends could easily be true as well.
Most interestingly however, Shirou got the sense that he'd seen the man before.
Not often and not long, but this certainly wasn't the first time he'd seen that face.
And he wasn't the only one to think so.
"But he works at the Department of Spiritual Evocation, as a junior partner in one of the minor projects." He heard a Magus whisper.
"No, I'm sure he works at my department, as an independent researcher."
"I saw him at the cafeteria once."
Such mutters and more were coming from everywhere, and it did not take people long to conclude that their vaunted Director had not in fact been missing for the past few centuries, but had instead spent that time among them, in plain sight yet never recognised.
Shirou huffed in amusement at the thought, even as the people around him frantically wondered if they'd ever said anything derogative about the Director in the man's presence.
"I heard from Kishur that you are an unusual type of person, master Fujimaru." The Director remarked, looking almost pained as he studied Shirou in turn, as if someone was twisting his arm. "I thought he meant that your character was peculiar. I did not expect that he'd be referring to your… nature."
He evidently meant Shirou's divinity, something that made the redhead sober up immediately, though he soon had to admit it wasn't unexpected for the Director to know about that part of him.
So far, it had been a theme that everyone who'd previously met any sort of divine being recognised Shirou for what he was immediately. Apparently, there was something about the gods that, if they didn't take great pains to hide it, would give them away to anyone who knew what they should be looking for.
Merlin, Vivian, Zelretch, and even Arcueid, though she hadn't immediately connected the dots, had all seen through him at once. The Director, being over two-thousand years old, had undoubtedly also met Demigods and Divine Spirits, so he too saw in Shirou that Divinity reflected.
"Do you disapprove of that?" The redhead asked curiously. Lorelei was certainly struggling with the fact that he wasn't human, but the Director was harder to read.
"I have no particular opinion about your nature or your presence here. All I wish to remark upon is that your life is going to be extremely difficult." The Director replied, and although he made an admirable attempt at miming pity, he clearly did not care much. "I look forward to seeing what you will achieve, and I would ask that, should you ever see me again after I change my face, you do not reveal my identity."
"…Very well." Having no reason to refuse that request, Shirou agreed.
"Then without further ado, let us get started." The Director ordered, gesturing for Shirou and Lorelei to take place at opposing sides of the Arena, with a motion that was reminiscent of someone waving at a dog. "I had to move a lot of important activities to make room for this battle, activities that I would have enjoyed far more, but needs must. Let us not dally any further, so that I can leave soon."
The casualness with which the man tried to order them around certainly rubbed Shirou the wrong way, but he chose not to comment when Lorelei didn't protest either. He made for the other side of the Arena, letting go of all distractions in favour of focussing on the here and now.
"Let us begin this battle!"
Behind him, the Director's magically enhanced voice sounded out, reaching every corner of the Arena. Apparently, he'd decided to take on the role of commentator and announcer, which was probably just as well. The priest couldn't do it, and Shirou would sooner kill Solomon than allow him to speak to and potentially Curse so many Magi.
"Today, we shall witness a duel between two of the Clocktower's mightiest individuals. No holds are barred and no restrictions apply. The battle continues until surrender, incapacitation, or death."
Shirou met Lorelei's eyes, and they wordlessly agreed that the final option was no option at all, for either of them.
"On one side, Lorelei Barthomeloi, Vice Director and daughter of Meredith Barthomeloi, the wife of my previous Vice Director. On the other side, Shirou Emiya, son of Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer."
"Oi!"
Just like that, out of absolutely nowhere, one of Shirou's secrets was thrown out in the open, and Shirou deadpanned at the Director, even as the crowds went completely silent.
It wasn't his most consequential secret, nor was it particularly bad to have it out in the open that he was the son of the Magus Killer, not anymore, but the casualness with which that man shared private details of lives not his own was outrageous. Coupled with his dismissive behaviour towards Lorelei, it certainly warranted a good punch or two.
"Shirou." But Lorelei kept him on task, effortlessly drawing his attention back to her with a single word.
Right. Punching the Director was something for later. Right now, he needed to focus on the battle ahead, and prepare to punch the Vice Director instead.
All surrounding sounds and sights melted away. He forgot about the countless Magi sitting in the stands, about his allies and enemies, even about his girlfriends, all in favour of his opponent, who, going by the wind currents and a smell that could only be described as razor-sharp, was preparing an assault that would level a middle-sized town in one go.
After a moment of thought, he decided he wasn't going to be left behind. Two could play that game. He was already wearing his armour, but there'd be no harm in shoring himself up a bit more before the battle, to make sure he could give her the fight that she yearned for.
No, more than that, to make sure he could win.
Runic Sequences designed for enhancing his strength, speed, and defence were easily drawn on his limbs, and they glowed under his skin as he channelled a mix of Magical Energy and the Mysterious Power into them. It was a trick he'd copied from Bazett, though he'd never actually used it before, and he wondered what effects it would have.
He strengthened himself further with Reinforcement, before spinning Mjolnir a few times with both hands, to warm up his wrists. As for the hammer itself, it was fully primed, ready to channel his power to maximum effect and demonstrate why it was one of the most feared weapons in existence. It too was excited, which showed mainly in regular sparks of lightning crackling and conducting from its head to his body and the ground, turning some parts of the arena into glass.
His preparatory work must have been evident, for he saw how Lorelei's eyes narrowed dangerously at him, and how her knees bent slightly, as if she were a tiger on the prowl, ready to pounce on a goat or something.
…With goats being Thor's signature animals, that comparison might be even more apt than he'd realised at first.
Lorelei's sensory capabilities, though not up to his standards, were nothing to sneeze at. Undoubtedly, she noticed exactly what he was doing, and she responded in kind.
The wind picked up, forming a miniature hurricane, with Lorelei at the very centre. There was no spell, no movement, just pure will, the will of a human who was no god or True Magician, yet could still force the elements to obey through sheer power alone.
She wasn't going to go easy on him, that was for sure.
But that was fine. He wouldn't be going easy on her either.
At the judges' booth, safely behind the protective Enchantments, the Director took it upon himself to cast and activate a few more of those Enchantments, leaving nothing to chance. Shirou approved of course. Neither he nor Lorelei would purposefully target the audience members, but it was always for the best to account for accidents and stray spells.
An ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure.
Once finished with the preventive measures, the Director reached into his pocket and pulled forth a coin, large and golden. He held it up for the crowd to see, speaking clearly.
"Once this coin hits the ground, the battle shall begin!"
All remaining whispers and murmurs died down at once, everyone holding their breath in anticipation.
Like a true showman, the Director paused for a short moment, allowing the tension to build to its maximum height, before he flipped the coin and stepped back.
A few seconds were stretched out to an eternity, as the coin succumbed to gravity and began its way down. It tumbled as it fell, capturing the attention of anyone able to see it, and Shirou felt his heart beating in his ears.
Then it hit the ground.
The soundwaves hadn't even reached Shirou's ears yet before he exploded into motion, and a fraction of a second later, Lorelei did the same.
So began the battle, with both participants smiling from ear to ear.
Standing across from Shirou, Lorelei calmly tightened the ribbon in her hair one last time, to make sure it wouldn't come undone mid-battle.
She hadn't bothered wearing it on her last hunt, or on the one before that, or the one before even that. A few stray hairs were not going to prevent her from killing her quarry, not when said quarry didn't possess even a fraction of the power needed to face her in open combat.
But this time was different.
This time, she faced an opponent worthy of her true power, and that meant she couldn't afford to slack in any way. A single misstep or a moment of indecision would surely result in her defeat.
Against a True Magician, she would have liked her chances, somewhat, but Demigods were in a class all their own.
Unlike in the other battles she'd had so far in this very Arena, where she'd played with her opponents at most if she was in the mood and had defeated them instantly if not, she would have to put in actual effort here. Every bit of effort she could spare.
Shirou was not about to hold back, not when he was so eager to prove himself.
Not that he actually needed to prove himself to her anymore. Though she'd been unpleasantly surprised by his inhumanity, she had never doubted Shirou's strength or ability, nor ever his dedication and honour. As Rin had said, her fondness for him, something that could perhaps even be referred to as the beginning kindles of love, was strong enough that the idea of killing him had not even occurred to her, despite said inhumanity.
That already said enough about his character. She did not even need this duel to know that he was as straightforward and reliable as could be. As far as his inhumanity had been an insult to her, it was one she'd long since forgiven.
Things were, to use modern vernacular, perfectly alright between them.
Though that did not mean she was going to call off the duel. Even if it wasn't necessary for their reconciliation, it was still going to be immensely fun. There was no way she was going to pass up this excellent opportunity to test both his mettle and her own.
She might have considered cancelling it if Shirou had been unwilling, but it was evident that he was looking forward to the fight as much as she was.
Any other opponent, she would have given a final chance to surrender before the battle began, to swallow their pride and preserve their dignity and health, but not Shirou. She did not even consider offering him that chance. At the very best, he'd be amused by the offer, recognising it for the obligatory spiel that it would be. At worst, he might even be insulted that she thought so little of him.
His mind was made up. He knew what he wanted, and what he wanted was a fight.
As if to confirm it, Shirou chose that moment to look at her, flashing an excited grin that showed he couldn't wait to get started.
Truly, he was a man of splendid character. Lorelei approved wholeheartedly.
"Let us begin this battle!"
The Director took it upon himself to provide commentary, announcing that the fight would begin soon. He then prattled on a bit longer though, explaining the rules, and Lorelei almost sighed at the needless showmanship he displayed while doing so, a bit disappointed but not surprised by his antics.
Since she was the Vice Director of the Clocktower, she'd met the Director on several occasions, mainly for debriefings and status reports, giving her a bit of insight into his personality. She knew that he was a man who valued his privacy on one hand, but who also loved the sound of his own voice on the other.
Now that he had decided to take the lead during this spectacle, going as far as to reveal his current face, he was definitely going to milk it for all it was worth.
Were it anyone else, Lorelei would have told them to get a move on, but since he was her direct superior, she said not a word, and she was relieved to see that Shirou remained silent as well.
She did not respect the Director as a person, not truly, but his position was one that demanded deference and obedience. To speak out against him would mean creating discord, and that was not worth the temporary satisfaction of telling him to hold his tongue.
A few seconds of waiting was not a great burden anyway. No hunter could ever lack patience, and Lorelei was nothing if not a great hunter.
Far more troublesome were the mutters she caught from the stands while she waited for the Director to finish, mutters coming from the Magi in attendance. They didn't think she could hear them, but she could. She always could.
They said that this battle served to 'correct' Shirou, that she wanted to show him his place in the hierarchy. They whispered that she was using the battle to establish her superiority over him, and that she meant to make him into her dog after she won.
Which wasn't true at all.
Even more shocking, some were even suggesting that this was some kind of flirtation attempt on her part, as if it were some kind of sexual game. A foreplay ritual, meant to get them both in the mood for intercourse.
Now that truly shocked her to hear.
She had expected whispers about her friendship with Shirou, rumours saying that they might have had a falling-out. The Magi in attendance should have been plotting to take advantage of this battle, using it to further their own goals. Perhaps they'd even discuss the best ways to tempt Shirou into their camp now that she was supposedly done with him.
Instead, all she heard were insinuations that she meant to tempt him into her bed.
Clearly, she had vastly underestimated the perverse minds of Magi. For all that they acted elegantly, for all their discipline and brutality, they were human still, with all the vulgarity and rampant horniness that came with it. Never had Lorelei been reminded of that more sharply than now, with all the nonsense flying about.
But then, now that she thought about it, perhaps these rumours were actually her own fault, at least in part. After all, she was the one who'd announced to all and sundry that she would only marry the man who managed to defeat her in honest combat.
When seen from that angle, this whole battle indeed seemed like little more than an overly elaborate attempt at flirtation on her part. A way to seduce the man she liked.
A tiny flicker of embarrassment stirred in Lorelei's chest, and she suddenly found it quite hard to look Shirou in the eyes. Brazen though she may be, suddenly realising that she was overtly flirting with someone managed to make even her blush the tiniest bit.
"On one side, Lorelei Barthomeloi, Vice Director and daughter of Meredith Barthomeloi, the wife of my previous Vice Director. On the other side, Shirou Emiya, son of Kiritsugu Emiya, the Magus Killer."
But then the Director suddenly revealed Shirou's true name in front of the whole audience, and all thoughts of flirtation and embarrassment were thrown onto the backburner.
Silence reigned in the Arena for several, very long seconds.
Then the whispers and mutters erupted again, no longer about romance or innuendo, but about the secret that had just been revealed.
Confusion and disbelief were reflected in every word and expression, that Kiritsugu Emiya had raised an heir, and a True Magician at that, and Lorelei just knew that, before the end of the day, the rumours would have reached every corner of the Moonlit World. By nightfall, Shirou would be even more feared than he already was. Every bit of effort he'd put into bettering his reputation after the Purge had just been rendered utterly pointless.
Kiritsugu Emiya was a legend after all, infamous for being able to kill anyone anywhere, and a son of his would undoubtedly inherit at least a portion of that dreadful reputation.
Shirou himself seemed justifiably wroth with the Director, already turning towards the man to have a go at him, but that wouldn't do. Honestly, Lorelei wouldn't begrudge him his revenge, but this was not the time or the place.
"Shirou."
For all that the man was vexing, they couldn't start a fight with him now. Shirou needed to reign himself in.
Fortunately, he backed down quickly and gracefully, showing an admirable maturity. Looking away from the Director, he focused fully on her instead, sizing her up in the seconds before battle. Naturally, she returned the favour.
"Once this coin hits the ground, the battle shall begin!"
Uncaring of the mess he'd just created and pretending that nothing was wrong, the Director made to start the battle at last, raising his golden coin.
Lorelei set her legs apart in a strong stance, bringing her centre of gravity closer to the ground. She also fired up her Circuits and activated her rapier's capabilities to its fullest extent, channelling so much Magical Energy that any other weapons would have shattered into pieces so small they might as well be dust. Her rapier however, Solemni Spiritu, withstood the pressure just fine, having been custom-made for her.
She focused like she'd never focused before, standing on a hair's trigger.
Then the coin hit the ground.
'PING'
It was a gentle, almost pleasant sound, like the smallest of chimes, and it put into motion a ground-shattering battle.
Shirou rocketed forward first, the ground beneath his feet cracking with the force he used to take off towards her.
Lorelei was more light-footed, leaving the ground intact, but she matched his speed nonetheless.
They charged at each other, covering the distance between them so fast that neither could see who was faster in the end, before launching their first attacks.
Shirou immediately tried to get physical, to hit her with his hammer or grapple her with his free hand, but Lorelei had no intention of getting caught up in his pace, of being hit with a Divine weapon or to wrestle with a Demigod whose very Domains included Strength itself.
So when he swung his hammer, she neatly reverted her course and stepped back, letting it sail past her.
Her response was a blade of wind aimed straight for the neck.
It was not an attack she'd use against anyone else, not unless she meant to kill them, but she had a feeling he would be just fine.
The wind blade struck him full on, exactly on the place where she'd aimed at. A perfect hit, as he had not even bothered to try and dodge.
For most opponents, it would have been the killing blow, and their head would have rolled over the floor already.
For Shirou, it was but a gust of wind. Her spell dissipated against his skin like a breeze against a mountain, doing nothing at all.
It was quite the sight, enough to make most Magi panic as they realised their Magecraft was ineffective, but Lorelei remained perfectly calm, having expected this already.
She had never fought against an actual Demigod before, mainly because of a lack of Demigods in the current age, but she had faced several Phantasmal Beasts over the past years, and she imagined Demigods and Phantasmals were somewhat similar, in that they both possessed a high Magic Resistance.
Magic Resistance basically meant that someone's innate Magical Energy was strong enough to cancel out magical effects from the outside. Even Magi possessed a little of it, which was why they almost couldn't be Hypnotised for instance.
But whereas Magi only had enough Magic Resistance to withstand Hypnosis and some very minor Curses, Phantasmal Beasts had enough to make them nearly impossible to harm with Magecraft. Only the greatest of spells were enough to actually affect them in any way.
Again, Lorelei had never faced a Demigod before, so she didn't know how much Magic Resistance they possessed, but if it wasn't at least equal to that of high-class Phantasmals, she'd eat her favourite skirt.
This warranted further testing, so she drastically increased her attack output, to see if Shirou's Magic Resistance could be overwhelmed.
A flick of her wrist and a muttered word called into being a veritable tornado of cutting winds. Being caught up in it would slice anything into ribbons, from Phantasmal Beasts to whole steel foundries. Nearly overkill perhaps.
But yet again, Shirou did not even bother to dodge, fearlessly stepping right into the storm.
It barely even tussled his hair!
For a moment, Lorelei was at a total loss, having no idea anymore how she could realistically harm him, let alone win the battle, before she realised she'd been a fool.
This was not a matter of Magic Resistance, but of Domains. Quite simply, wind could not harm the successor of the God of Thunder, no matter how much power she put into it. It was his own element, and it refused to do him harm.
That her wind-based spells were apparently useless rendered almost one-third of Lorelei's favourite spells unusable, but all the same, she was relieved. If other elements did work, she might have a chance of winning after all.
Wind might be her favourite element, but there was more to her than just hot air.
A flick of her wrist saw the ground beneath him crack and collapse, bringing him off-balance, and she followed it up with a stream of white-hot fire.
He knocked the fire aside with a swing of his arm however, and then he retaliated, forcing Lorelei to create an energy shield to stop his lightning bolt from taking her face off.
A failed attack on her part, but the fact that he'd considered it necessary to defend against the fire was promising.
She threw her newly-created shield at him, as a powerful blunt attack, but he smashed it with another swing of his fist, and he stormed at her, swinging his hammer again.
This time, there was no dodging it, so Lorelei was forced to deflect the blow with her rapier, gritting her teeth when her weapon bent and groaned under the strain even though she'd directed most of the force away from her.
A direct hit would have smashed the rapier to smithereens, that was certain.
The hammer came flying back, and she deflected it again. And again, and again.
Against her wishes, they were now fighting in melee, and Lorelei didn't fail to notice that his every blow sent her skidding back several centimetres at least.
But that was fine. Such powerful attacks always left openings.
Stepping forward again, Shirou made to deal her an overhead blow, and Lorelei rose, as if ready to measure her strength against his, before she looked straight down, at his foot, using her Mystic Eyes to create a patch of ice right beneath it.
He slipped, his attack went wide, and Lorelei darted in, stabbing her rapier at his throat.
He grabbed it.
With his free yet gauntleted hand, he grabbed her rapier, holding on tight as he straightened himself up again.
For a moment, Lorelei struggled with him over the weapon, but when he began reeling her in, she let go of it without a second thought, leaping back like a startled rabbit.
A barrage of explosions ensured he couldn't pursue her immediately, allowing for a clean escape.
So far, the entire exchange of spells and blows had taken but a few seconds, and it was several moments later that the belated gasps rang out across the Arena, as the Magi in attendance noticed Lorelei had been disarmed already.
For perhaps two heartbeats, Shirou and Lorelei looked at each other, weighing their options. Then, she noticed a slight shift in his bearings.
The next moment, her rapier came flying back at her, the tip aimed straight for her left eye.
It flew so fast as to almost break the sound-barrier, faster than any normal person would be able to see, but Reinforcement-Magecraft, if properly utilised, also greatly increased one's reflexes and perception.
Lorelei pivoted with milliseconds left to spare, spinning out of the way, before, in that same spinning motion, she grabbed the rapier's handle as it flew past her, claiming it once more.
"You should have kept this for yourself." She huffed, brandishing her weapon anew, wondering why Shirou had bothered throwing it. "Or broke it."
"I would never." He shook his head however, steel in his eyes. "That's your favourite weapon, isn't it? I could never break it."
"Your manners are impeccable." She praised him, feeling a strange heat rise in her chest. "Not so much your wisdom though. I am armed again now."
"It won't make a difference." He huffed, his lips shaping themselves into a cocky smile.
"Arrogant brat." Even as she threw the insult his way however, Lorelei couldn't help but smile too.
She flicked her rapier, slicing into the ground and drawing up several boulders, which she then kicked at him.
She repeated the attack when he knocked the first boulders aside, but this time, she hid herself behind one of the boulders and followed close behind.
When he deflected that boulder too, she pounced on him, unleashing a blistering combo of strikes and lunges he was hard-pressed to block.
Their battle continued.
Waver was, in a word, nervous.
It wasn't a state of mind that was unknown to him. He was often nervous, about himself, his students, his friends, his colleagues, the state of the Clocktower, and even the world at large. He was an inhabitant of the Moonlit World after all, one with high clearance, and that meant he knew just how dangerous the great outside could be. Dangerous to the point where he didn't much like stepping outside anymore, doubly so now that he had become actually important in the grand scheme of things.
This time though, he was nervous not for himself, but for one of his students, if that word even applied anymore. Shirou Emiya and he had been many things over the past year, but proper student and master was not one of them.
They were, however, friends, and that meant Waver was still genuinely concerned about Shirou, watching him down below in the Arena from his seat in one of the VIP-stands, about to fight the uncontested strongest member of the Clocktower with no holds barred.
He wasn't so much concerned about the fight itself though, knowing that Shirou could hold his own and that the Vice Director wasn't out to actually harm him in the first place, as he was about the thing that had happened just before the battle had commenced.
The Director had bluntly revealed Shirou's true name to the whole Magus Association.
That man had come out of his self-imposed exile without warning, which was shocking already, and then, as if that wasn't enough, had proceeded to kick a hornet's nest, completely shattering every bit of work Shirou had put into building up a decent reputation of his own.
He had gone from an eccentric True Magician with many achievements under his belt to nothing more than the son of the Magus Killer. Just when he'd started to make friends, when the Magi of the Clocktower had decided he wasn't some trigger-happy maverick like Zelretch, the Director had pulled the rug out from under him. For the foreseeable future at least, all people would think about when they saw him was his association with the Magus Killer.
It turned out the Director was a dick. Who would have guessed?
Even in his own circle, the news about Shirou's parentage had blown people away, in various different fashions.
"Kiritsugu Emiya! That guy is so cool!" Flat was frantically rushing around from one person to the next, eager to share his thoughts. "He killed at least three of my aunts and uncles, five of my cousins, and even my grandfather! It's so awesome!"
He spoke of pretty disturbing things, but since Flat felt no familial connections whatsoever to his family, he showed not a sign of grief or anger at the murders he mentioned. In his eyes, Kiritsugu Emiya was more of an icon, someone to admire, than he was a brutal assassin.
It was a bit odd, but then, that was what everyone had come to expect of him.
"Le Chien! What do you think?!"
"Do I need to have an opinion about everything?" Svin, who had resigned himself to the nickname now that he knew Flat meant nothing derogatory with it, shrugged his shoulders. "My family never had any interaction with the Magus Killer, for better or for worse. I could not care less about him."
Both boys had no decidedly negative reactions to the reveal of Shirou's true name, quite the opposite rather, so Waver felt secure in leaving them to their own devices, moving on to Grey.
While it could not be said that Shirou and Grey had become friends, as that was too big a word, they were at least friendly acquaintances, and it would be a shame if his true identity got in the way of that.
Their relationship had already been strained by the whole matter with Excalibur, and Waver feared this might be the straw that broke the camel's back.
"When are they finally going to start?! We've been waiting an age!"
"Quiet, Ad. They'll start when they are ready. Until then, we need to be patient."
"Patient, schmatient! Don't tell me you're not raring to go, Grey! Battles like this are sustenance for our souls!"
"It's nothing like that! Are you even considering Shirou's feelings?"
"He's just as eager as we are!"
But just like Svin and Flat, Grey had no personal connection to Kiritsugu Emiya whatsoever, and thus no reason to think much of the Director's sudden announcement. She was quibbling with Ad, craning her neck to see as much of the Arena as she could. She was here to see the battle between Demigod and Queen, and no sudden announcements were going to distract her.
It might be hard to forget, but it was almost ten years ago now that Kiritsugu Emiya had last been seen, and his heyday had been ten years before even that. He hadn't killed anyone in a long time, meaning the youngsters had never experienced his wrath and cold efficiency for themselves. All they had was hearsay, and that wasn't nearly enough to inspire in them the fear that their elders still carried within them.
Svin, Flat, and Grey didn't care about Shirou's parentage, because to them, there was nothing to care about to begin with.
Frankly, Waver almost envied them. Technically, he should have been one of them, seeing that he wasn't exactly old either, but unfortunately for him, he'd had the misfortune of experiencing Kiritsugu Emiya's final coup de resistance, the Fourth Holy Grail War. It had made him intimately familiar with the Magus Killer, far more so than he'd ever wanted or asked for, instilling in him that fear that so many other Magi were feeling too.
And he was not the only youngster feeling that way.
Reines too had experienced the effects of Kiritsugu Emiya's handiwork, his merciless tendency to destroy not only Magi, but also Crests, traditions, bloodlines, and research, leaving her with a massive grudge against the Magus Killer.
Waver's adopted little sister was leaning heavily against the railing that was supposed to prevent people from falling into the Arena, her back completely straight and her hands balled so tightly into fists that her nails pierced her skin, drops of blood leaking to the floor.
All pretences and illusions of self-control had been abandoned. She was seething with fury, blue lines standing out in her face as her teeth grinded together. Her face was the very expression of apoplectic anger, and Waver had no doubt that if he tried to approach now, she'd claw his eyes out.
He understood of course. He probably would have been in a similar state if he hadn't already known Shirou's true name. Still, this promised to be difficult.
He wasn't in the mood for anything like that, so he retreated strategically, pulling back for now. He'd check up on her later, when the worst of the anger had subsided.
He did however place a hand on Grey's shoulder, pointing her at the seething little lady. Undoubtedly, she'd be able to handle Reines far better than he.
Then, he found himself wandering over to Shirou's own invited guests.
The day before the battle, Shirou had suddenly come to him, asking if it were possible for several people to use Waver's booth. These people were his friends and family, who also wanted to see the battle, and he was trying to arrange safe seats for them.
Not seeing any reason to refuse, Waver had promised to handle it.
Now, they were sitting not too far from his own seat, practically within crawling distance, giving him ample opportunity to come over for a chat.
"Miss Tohsaka." He calmly greeted the daughter of another one of his former enemies from the Grail War. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, thank you very much." She replied glibly, turning to him as she reclined a bit more in her chair. "Ready for the spectacle to begin."
"You don't seem very worried." He observed neutrally, using such a tone of voice that his words became a request for an explanation. "Even though your fiancé's true name was just revealed?"
"It couldn't stay a secret forever. Sooner or later, it was bound to come out." She replied laconically, though with a hint of ruefulness in her voice. "And besides, Shirou doesn't seem too worried, so why should I be?"
"Fair enough." Waver could only agree with her assessment. After a brief period of shock, Shirou had turned right back to the impending battle, apparently none too concerned about his identity being out in the open.
Miss Tohsaka turned away from him again after that, so Waver let his gaze pass over her companions, curiously taking in the sort of people that the redheaded Demigod liked to associate with.
A purple-haired girl, with equally purple eyes and even a purple dress, was leaning against the railing to stare at the Arena down below, just like Reines. Unlike the blonde girl however, she wasn't seething with fury, but rather looked eager, as if she didn't want to miss a second of the upcoming fight.
Next to her, a brunette was holding her by the shoulders, to make sure she wouldn't fall into the Arena. She was taller and stockier than either miss Tohsaka or the purple-haired girl, and she looked very physically capable to boot, but unless Waver was grievously mistaken, she was no Magus.
Curious.
On the purple-haired girl's other side, Caren Ortensia of all people was also looking down into the Arena, smiling that indulgent smile of hers. It didn't seem like she was up to no good, probably sufficiently distracted by the promise of battle, but even so, Waver resolved to keep an eye on her.
There was also a trio of white-haired women, one teenager and two young adults, who appeared to be inspecting the defensive measures.
"Gotta make sure no one is cheating." The smallest of said women explained when she saw Waver watching her. "Don't think the Vice Director would do anything like that, but Magi are nothing if not a troublesome bunch."
"Quite right." When he looked at her from this angle, she almost seemed like a Homunculus, with her white hair that was only interspersed with a few strands of pink and her nearly red eyes, but that wasn't the case. Any Magus could instantly recognise a Homunculus, something that looked human but wasn't, and these women were not Homunculi.
Lastly, Waver's eye fell on an older woman, who was sitting behind Rin with a passive look about her, doing her best to avoid his gaze.
Fair enough. Some people didn't want to talk to lords of the Clocktower, and Waver respected that. Doubly so since her looks suggested she was miss Tohsaka's mother, making her Tokiomi's wife.
"Once this coin hits the ground, the battle shall begin!"
Then the time for talking was over, as the Director held up a large golden coin that Waver recognised as a Drachma, from Ancient Greece.
The audience stilled, the two combatants themselves tensed and crouched slightly, and Waver gulped, checking the defensive measures one more time. Shirou and lady Barthomeloi might be very durable, but he certainly wasn't.
Even if he had discovered something amiss however, there was no time anymore for him to cast more spells or to ask someone else to do it for him.
Before he knew it, the coin hit the ground, and the battle started.
'VTOOM!'
And what a start it was. On the one end, lady Barthomeloi changed into a white missile that kicked up dust and gale winds in its path, and on the other, Shirou turned into a blue comet burning with furious lightning.
Waver couldn't even see what took place. He had no more than a fraction of a second to realise that they were moving at all before the two combatants-turned-projectiles clashed, only catching a glimpse of hammer and rapier before impact.
The resulting explosion of power shook the arena, a tremor passing through the earth as if the tectonic plates had just shifted, and Waver morbidly wondered whether the city outside had noticed the quake.
If this was what happened even when the Bounded Fields and Enchantments absorbed most of the impact, he did not want to imagine what the damage would be if he and his allies were to be standing close to them.
They would be annihilated in the crossfires without either Shirou or lady Barthomeloi ever even noticing, he would imagine.
The mounting lightning surged and the winds grew stronger, and both missile and comet slammed together several more times, exchanging furious blows that were executed too fast for Waver to see.
It was enough to give him flashbacks to the Grail War, to the Servants that fought at a level higher than he could possibly imagine.
Whether that meant that Shirou and lady Barthomeloi were on the same level as those ancient heroes was impossible to say though. Waver wasn't skilled enough to see the difference, if there was any.
To an amateur, all experts looked the same.
Faster and faster the duo went, rushing around the entire Arena as they tried to flank and outmanoeuvre the other.
One moment, they were on the right, probing each other's defences.
The next, they were on the left, throwing Elemental Magic around that would destroy small mountains.
For a very, very short moment, they were standing right below Waver's stand, allowing him to see them up close.
They were smiling.
Yes, smiling!
They were wailing on each other with such power that it shattered the ground beneath them, yet they were grinning as if they were just dancing the tango together.
Just like that, Waver suddenly wasn't so worried anymore.
"Senpai is really having fun." The purple-haired girl from Shirou's retinue suddenly observed, unknowingly parroting Waver's thoughts. She was smiling happily, as if the redhead and the Vice Director really were dancing the tango together rather than trying to bash each other's heads in.
"Lady Barthomeloi is enjoying herself too." Tohsaka laughed, clapping her hands once in enthusiasm, before she quickly composed herself again.
Apparently, the girls found the match to be a little easier to follow than Waver did, though that was perhaps to be expected, used as they probably were to Shirou's antics. Even their brunette friend seemed able to keep up, her eyes flitting across the field of the Arena to follow the battle with a shocking precision, something that implied familiarity.
That a non-Magus could do that while he couldn't was a bit embarrassing, though Waver took some solace in the fact that Tohsaka Tokiomi's wife seemed just as lost as he was.
As the battle raged on and became more chaotic however, more and more stray spells began to hit the defences.
Fireballs, boulders the size of cars, and tornados relentlessly hammered the Dome of protective Enchantments, and at one point, a massive burst of lightning smashed against it with such fury the Bounded Fields seemed to strain under the pressure. They held, the lightning spattering across them like a can of paint being thrown against a wall, but Waver almost ducked for cover all the same.
"Those maniacs." He grumbled, softly enough not to be overheard.
So far, enough energy had been thrown around to power the whole of London for a day or two, but to no avail. Neither Shirou nor lady Barthomeloi looked at all worse for wear, even as they exchanged ground-shaking blows and fired all kinds of beams at each other.
And that was only the visible part. The Bounded Fields meant to protect the audience also prevented them from properly gauging the battlefield with scanning spells and scouting Magecraft, as that was blocked too, but even so, Waver had no doubt that there was an invisible battle taking place down there as well.
Curses, to rot, wither, and weaken, as well as Hexes, to impede and distract, but also Chants, to increase the power of attacks, and many other forms of subtler Magecraft.
He couldn't see it, but it was definitely there. Shirou and lady Barthomeloi were probably using them every other moment, in an attempt to trip the other up.
Of course, all those powerful spells came at a cost to their surroundings. The floor of the Arena was completely torn to pieces, dust clouds erupting everywhere, before the dust was immediately funnelled away by the massive hurricane in the Arena's very centre, which seemed to be gaining in strength with every passing moment.
Fire burned merrily at several places, fire that required no fuel and reacted barely to the wind and water being thrown around, while the curses and hexes blackened the air and the ground at other spots.
Knives and swords ended up embedded in the Arena's walls, having been thrown there, while the landscape became ever more cratered every time Shirou's hammer came down.
And all the while, Shirou and lady Barthomeloi continued moving so fast Waver couldn't see a thing.
Soon, he realised that the whole performance was entirely lost on him. He just couldn't see it, being too slow to keep up.
Strangely enough, that realisation removed the last of his nervousness, rapidly turning his fear and anxiety into a frustrated kind of resignation. It might have been, as Flat put it, the fight of the century, but it was just as entertaining as the Fourth Grail War, which was to say, not at all.
It really was quite unfair. Waver already knew that whatever the outcome of the battle, he was going to be suffering from it in some way, to deal with the fallout, and now he didn't even have the meagre solace of enjoying a cool battle beforehand.
He almost felt personally insulted, though he knew such a feeling was irrational, and he stepped away from the edge of the stands almost in disgust, though it was aimed mainly at himself and his situation. The healthy dose of Grail War-related memories certainly didn't help either.
With nothing to do and no one to talk to, since everyone else was still attempting to see what was going on in the ring, Waver decided to be bold for once, to do something daring that might improve his mood.
Or kill him. He wasn't feeling too picky right now.
He walked over the judge's booth, his status, fame, and friendship with both combatants in the ring granting him access that would have been denied to almost anyone else, before frowning when he realised that the third judge, the one that was neither the Director nor the priest, was in fact a Dead Apostle Ancestor.
Merem Solomon, the Twentieth of their wretched kind, and, as far as Waver had heard, the only one of the bunch who was somewhat decent, if only out of self-interest.
The vampire wasn't paying him any attention though, completely absorbed in the battle before him, and Waver took some solace in the fact that even the eons-old creatures seemed to be having trouble keeping up.
Also, it was reassuring to know that, should the bloodsucker get any ideas, lady Barthomeloi and Shirou would easily be able to tear him to tiny little shreds before he could blink.
But Waver hadn't come for the Dead Apostle, or for the priest. He was here for the Director, for whom he had some choice words.
"Is this what you wanted the Magus Association to become, back when you founded it?"