Chapter 297: Chinese Lostbelt 1
Chapter 297: Chinese Lostbelt 1
(Yu Mei-ren Perspective) (Fate/Grand Order)
The place where I am, the situation in which I find myself, my future ahead… I don't like anything that surrounds me.
I don't hate life, I just hate my luck. Whenever I think I am happy, when I feel that I have found the peace that I long for, every time I can enjoy my life... a disaster always occurs that makes me suffer.
I usually make an effort not to think about the past. Although I have some good memories from when I was Consort Yu, knowing that that time will not return makes me feel miserable, moreover, the constant wars of that time were also unpleasant.
I really don't like war, I hate conflict, and that's why I hate humans.
They are warlike, irrational, selfish, nonconformist, greedy creatures and always point their weapons at what is different.
Despite all the flaws of humanity, there is something that I have always admired about humanity. Their infinite capacity to destroy.
The reason why my thoughts drift to my memories of the past is that the world around me makes me relive the most turbulent but happy period of my life. China in the feudal era.
I have existed since the Age of Gods so I have witnessed the entire history of China. From the times of the warlords to the establishment of the great empire. I witnessed the entire development of China and met every major figure in the history books.
In general, I kept my distance and didn't associate with those people, I only got close to my husband… ex-husband, Xiang Yu.
I wouldn't say I like the thought that I am now the wife of a rakish and stupid human, but I don't completely dislike that human. He at least knows how to prioritize his loved ones, and he's not some stupid idealist with ridiculous dreams of a perfect and peaceful world. There is no such thing as a perfect world...
Two weeks have passed since the Lostbelt was activated, and I try my best not to fall into depressive thoughts every day.
My new… hu-hus-husband… I can't tell yet.
The Japanese hero has treated me with kindness and care despite my terrible attitude.
Every day he asks me how I feel, he cares about my health even though I have strong regeneration, and he even encourages me to rest after each battle.
It is very difficult to hate such a person.
From what I've seen, that man is not kind or compassionate, he doesn't even hesitate to sacrifice hundreds of innocent people in order to destroy the enemy. From the perspective of human society, he is not worthy of the hero title, but in my opinion, he is a true hero since he knows how to prioritize the mission of saving the world.
These days we have realized that this place is very complex. When the Lostbelt was activated, the entire world became Qin Shi Huang's empire. That's not all, the people who got trapped in the Lostbelt were spread all over the world which made it harder to gather allies.
We still don't know the location of all possible allies as there are no communication methods within the Lostbelt, but we have heard rumors that there are rebel groups in what should be the continents of Europe and Africa. The rest of the world is completely Qin Shi Huang's territory.
The Japanese hero managed to create a shelter where we have been protecting the civilians who managed to escape from the emperor's troops, but every day things become more complicated, especially due to the lack of food.
So far we have only managed to recruit one deity, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong.
The Japanese hero and the Monkey King managed to defeat the Qin Emperor's soldiers, although the Monkey King cannot use his full power of him as the Qin Emperor's Authority can suppress his divinity of him.
Fortunately, both the hero and accompanying goddesses can ignore a part of that Authority, allowing them to engage enemies.
Every day, the goddesses protect our base while the hero and Wukong face the Qin Emperor's main forces.
Four days ago we heard that the Chinese government forces established a base in what should be Russia, so the hero decided to go looking for them. Apparently, he is worried about some people he knows within the government.
The hero is not only looking for allies to face the Qin Emperor's army, he is called to the attention of the enemy forces so that a small squad can search for supplies such as medicine and food.
Before going to Russia, the hero left a squad of angels to help us collect supplies. Those angels are extremely strong and can take on the Servants, but they are quite troublesome women as they don't obey anyone other than the hero, especially a little nun named Chaos who has caused more human deaths than the enemy soldiers.
Another problem is that this search team is very confrontational.
My Servant, Minamoto no Raikou, is a complete mess who doesn't want to listen to me and does whatever she wants.
She wanted to accompany the hero on his search for the government agents, but the hero stopped her. Although Raikou now has her real body and doesn't require my magic power to materialize, the restrictions caused by the summoning ritual mean that she can't get too far away from me or she'll lose the ability to fight. Also, a Servant is not supposed to attack her Master, but Raikou can ignore that restriction for a couple of seconds which has brought me a lot of trouble with the violent woman.
I have no idea how the hero convinced Raikou to work with me, but the unpleasant expression the woman wears at the thought of the hero gives me an idea of the deal they made.
I really hate the situation I find myself in, but I have no choice but to accept my new life.
Anyway, the hero is a human and his dangerous life will make him die sooner or later. This marriage will not last too long, one day I will return to my peaceful solitude….
"Are you okay? You seem depressed" – A woman asked me kindly.
"I'm fine" - Reflexively I responded with contempt, but then I sighed. – "Sorry, I feel a little tired"
"I understand you" - The woman sighed. – "I never imagined facing an apocalyptic scenario in my own world, I will need vacations after solving this problem"
Vacation… That sounds good.
The woman is Tsugumi Seishirou, one of the hero's wives and the person who was assigned as the leader of the collection squad.
She has decent combat abilities, especially for strange magical skills that she called hero skills.
I don't fully understand the difference between the heroes of this world, the heroes of other worlds, and the heroes of the multiverse, but they seem to follow a hierarchy according to the type of disaster they face.
The heroes of this world are historical figures who usually become Servants (my ex-husband Xiang Yu), the heroes of another world are people summoned to other worlds by the natives of the said world (Tsugumi Seishirou), and the heroes of the multiverse are beings who save worlds from utter destruction (the hero).
There are things that Tsugumi Seishirou couldn't explain to me because he doesn't understand the whole situation either, but now I understand that the hero is the only thing that can stop the plan of the repulsive pink-haired woman and the system user.
I told the hero about the identity of the Harem King, an apocalyptic creature who plans to dominate or destroy this world. He is something called Beast and he wears the number 5, and there are supposedly a total of 7 or more monstrous beings threatening this world.
I was worried that the hero wouldn't believe me, but he trusted me and started thinking of countermeasures to protect this world, even helping me calm down. Knowing all this was causing me terrible stress.
It's hard to hate that man...
"For now there are no enemies nearby so you can rest" - Tsugumi Seishirou smiled kindly at me.
Even the women surrounding that man are very nice to me...
Well, not all of them.
"He did that when he was a kid?!" – Raikou's ecstatic shout made me sigh.
That woman doesn't know what it's like to keep a low profile. At least we are in an abandoned town so there is no risk of attracting the attention of enemies.
"That's right" – The woman who calls herself Revy was talking about her childhood with the hero. – "Luis entered the house of the idiot who tried to harass me and forced him to drink deadly amounts of alcohol and drugs, the police declared that it was an overdose death"
"Your boyfriend has been a psycho since he was a child, I'm not surprised that you two are so close" - Uryuu Minene smiled with amusement as she opened a leather canteen to take a sip of water.
"Group of lunatics" – A girl with light blue hair sighed as she operated a holographic screen.
The girl is called Nymph, she is something called Angeloid, a kind of pseudo angel born from technological advancement in another world.
The hero assigned 5 angeloids to help us, in addition, the mother of these beings also stayed with us in the base protected by the goddesses.
The woman called Daedalus is what they call a Higher Entity, a being beyond our comprehension, far superior to the gods.
Although Daedalus is an impressive entity, she is a scholar and not a warrior so she fights the enemies, but she helped us with technology capable of facing the technology of the Qin Emperor.
Daedalus deciphered the technology sent by the Beasts, built a base capable of comfortably housing millions of people in a space of 100 square meters, and even helped the soldiers in our group to become stronger.
The woman named Revy was the first to seek genetic and bodily enhancement. She is not willing to be weaker than Tsugumi Seishirou and the hero.
The hero tried to talk her out of it since that would be giving up her humanity, but Revy said something that really stuck in my mind.
"Humanity can go to hell, I'm going to save your ass as many times as necessary, so stop fucking with me and tell that woman to make me stronger"
Humans cling to humanity and hate beings that are different. That is what I have observed in the long history of mankind.
It was the first time I saw a human willing to give up her humanity in order to protect the person she loves.
The other women who were in the group that rescued the hero also requested genetic enhancements. Three of them did it just to increase their chances of survival, but a girl named McCoy Paula also gave up her humanity to help the hero.
Ever since I met the hero, my perspective on humans has changed a bit.
Something that helped change my perspective on humanity was hearing about the hero's childhood.
We have been chatting since the hero went on a trip to get to know each other better.
By human standards, the hero is a criminal, a psychopath, and a monster, he does not deserve the title of hero. However, I do not see things with human morality, in my opinion, the hero follows the law of the jungle, kills to survive, and thus climbs to the top of a mountain of corpses. I respect that way of living.
Tsugumi Seishirou sighed wearily as he listened to Revy. – "Stop talking about the past, Luis has changed a lot"
"That's true" – Revy sighed. – "In the past, he would have looked for a way to escape, but now that idiot wants to save the world… Well, it's more fun to fight than to run away so I don't care"
"Well, Luis wants to save this world for us" - Tsugumi Seishirou smiled wryly. – "Luis is still the same selfish womanizer as always, although now he is more affectionate…"
"Heh, look at you, now you blush easily" – Revy sneered contemptuously. – "Anyone would think that you are a silly virgin girl who would not kill a fly"
"..." - Tsugumi Seishirou sighed in annoyance and ignored the aggressive woman, then opened a small leather bag and took out a small package of food to replenish energy.
Daedalus has an amazing ability to create artifacts that combine magic and science, but resources are limited so we can't get things like space bags or communication artifacts.
The only way we have to communicate with the base and the hero is with the help of the fairy that always accompanies the hero.
That disgusting creature can teleport to the location of any woman who has an engagement ring given by the hero, not even the Qin Emperor's Authority can obstruct the fairy's spatial movement.
Of our current group, almost all the women have a wedding ring, the only exceptions being Uryuu Minene, Raikou, and me.
Uryuu Minene is only a mercenary hired temporarily by the hero, on the other hand, the violent Servant insisted that she will be the hero's mother and therefore she does not need a ring.
In my case, the hero said that he will give me a ring when my heart is able to recognize him as my husband…
It really is hard to hate that man.
I suppressed the desire to sigh and accepted the food that Tsugumi Seishirou offered me.
I'm an elemental with characteristics of the true ancestors of vampires so I don't need food, but the food made by the hero made me awaken a new taste for culinary arts.
I enjoyed a small portion of steamed rice, but my little moment of happiness was interrupted by the most unpleasant creature I have ever had the misfortune to hear.
"Hey Listen! The protagonist has arrived!" – The fairy appeared in front of Tsugumi Seishirou. – "Offer food to this omnipotent being!"
Tsugumi Seishirou was already used to the fairy's stupidities and offered her a meatball. – "How are Astrea and Hiyori?"
Kazane Hiyori and Astrea are two of the three angeloids that accompany us. The other two angeloids stayed at the base to protect it along with the goddesses.
"Hey Listen! Shut up idiot, I'm eating! Nom nom nom nom "– The fairy began to eat, although she has no mouth.
Tsugumi Seishirou showed no displeasure and spoke calmly. – "I will tell Luis that you tried to sell the pictures of him in the shower to the little girls at the base"
"…" – The fairy stopped eating. – "How the fuck do that idiot's wives always find out about my completely honest dealings?!"
I understand that the hero is a womanizer, but it seems that the fairy is to blame for the hero having more concubines than the ancient emperors of China.
At this rate, the hero will surpass Solomon...
"Ahem, women with wings are fine" - The fairy gave up arguing. – "Although the woman with black hair said that an army had us surrounded or something like that, I did not listen to her because I am hungry. Give me more food!"
… The hero is admirable for not freaking out having this disgusting thing next to him.
Tsugumi Seishirou frowned and called out to the members of our group. – "We have problems, prepare to withdraw…"
She was unable to give instructions as the house we are in began to shake. Something had exploded in the center of the abandoned town.
"Oops, I should have said it before, anyway, it's not my problem" - The fairy devoured the meatball and then disappeared.
"Damn useless bastard..." - Tsugumi Seishirou clenched her teeth angrily and looked out the window.
I also looked out the window.
The explosion was caused by an aircraft falling from the sky after being split in half.
High in the sky, dozens of ships were fighting against the two angeloids. Both women were easily winning the fight, the problem is that in addition to the ships' energy cannons, someone was shooting arrows at them from the ground.
Objectively, the arrows are weaker than energy cannons, but those arrows were covered in magical energy and were capable of damaging both women's energy barriers.
I took out a pair of binoculars and looked in the direction of the arrows.
A familiar face… The Flying General, Lu Bu Fengxian.
I never interacted with him when he was alive, but I saw him fight so I know his strength, although there was something strange about him.
"Berserker-class servant…" – Raikou looked at the enemy without the need for binoculars and spoke emotionlessly as if she had turned into a machine. – "He has his real body, but his body is strange, it seems artificial…"
"Technological improvements" - I frowned and remembered some things I heard when the unpleasant pink-haired woman was preparing the Lostbelt. – "The Servants summoned by Qin Shi Huang were modified with the technology of other worlds, Lu Bu must have received a stronger body, but I don't know to what extent it was modified… By the way, he is Lu Bu Fengxian"
"Luis likes history, he would have loved to see that man" – Revy smiled and took out a sniper rifle to aim at Lu Bu.
There is something not right.
Lu Bu was an exceptional general so he should have an army by his side, but he was totally alone and in an open space.
That may be a side effect of becoming a Berserker-class Servant, but the situation is still weird like it's a trap...
"Don't shoot idiot!" - Tsugumi Seishirou noticed that something was wrong, but it was too late, Revy had pulled the trigger.
The rifle was a special weapon capable of damaging Servants and the speed of the projectile was so high that I couldn't even see the shot, but Lu Bu had managed to catch the bullet with his hand...
We are in problems.
"The enemy is here" – Raikou drew her sword.
Tsugumi Seishirou grabbed my arm and stepped back as my Servant attacked a wall.
I am skilled in magical combat, but I am primarily a strategist and lack experience as a warrior, so my reflexes are slower than fighters focused on close-quarters combat.
I couldn't react when Raikou's sword destroyed the house we were standing on, but Tsugumi Seishirou pulled me out of the place in time to see the enemy.
The enemies were two powerful Servants specialized in close-range combat.
One of them was some kind of centaur. The lower part of him was that of a horse, while the upper part was that of a man, although his head was also that of a horse which was strange.
The horse's armor closely resembled Lu Bu's, so considering how the Servant system works, it's possible that this is Red Hare, Lu Bu's horse.
I focused on the horse since I don't want to see the other Servant.
I must not see him.
I do not want to see him.
Not like this...
Why?…
Why did it have to be him?
No…
Stop…
Please…
Xiang Yu…
"Idiot, don't sit still!" – Revy grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and made me step back to avoid a long sword that was aimed at my neck.
No, Xiang Yu would not hurt me, he would never…
He would never hurt me...
Xiang Yu would not…
"Hey Listen! Wake up, idiot woman! Give me something to eat!" – An unpleasant scream forced me back to reality.
In front of me was the nasty fairy, but I don't have time to think about how nasty the creature is, the chaos around me made my mind clear.
Raikou was facing the two horse-legged Servants. She is a very powerful Servant, but she was having trouble since the two enemies were modified to be stronger… Xiang Yu didn't even seem to have a conscience…
No, I have to concentrate.
All around us were barricades and energy barriers protecting us from the endless rain of magical arrows, but those barriers were breaking down.
Tsugumi Seishirou, Uryuu Minene, and Revy were firing at an army of enemy soldiers that had surrounded us.
In the sky, Hiyori Kazane was controlling the weather to destroy the airships, but she couldn't destroy all the enemies by herself.
Astrea was fighting against Lu Bu, but she also had to defend against several arrows that exploded upon impact with her shield. Those arrows could destroy the angeloid's shields with ease which was causing him injuries.
At the head of the army that had surrounded us, I saw the general holding a bow.
Chen Gong…
That explains this ridiculous but efficient tactic.
Now I understand, it was all a setup.
The Qin Emperor noticed that a group of rebels was exploring the abandoned villages, so he sent an army to eliminate us, he even sent 4 Servants.
A strategist, 2 generals, a horse, and thousands of soldiers. Qin Shi Huang wants to exterminate us…
Looking to the horizon, I can see more aircraft approaching. Not only that, but I also see people riding on flying swords, people with black robes and big raven wings, and I think there are more Servants on the way.
We can't face that… We will be defeated.
"Hey Listen! You spent two hours staring at nothing while crying over your stupid ex-husband! Hahahaha stupid furry, I can't believe you married a horse hahahahahaha!"
I gritted my teeth furiously and grabbed the disgusting creature. - "Shut up! Don't make fun of my husba...!"
"Shut up you fucking bitch!" – The fairy shouted with a voice that I had not heard. – "I don't care what your fetishes are, I don't give a shit who that stupid horse is, I don't give a shit about your stupid tragic story! You're my partner's wife and if you can't understand that, you better kill yourself and stop wasting my time!"
…
I did not know what to say.
It's unpleasant to be scolded by the idiotic creature, but I don't know how to reply.
"Look at that idiot!" – The fairy used her wing to point to the Servant that was fighting with Raikou. – "He is a fucking zombie horse! He has no brain, look, he doesn't even have a penis, he's a fucking gelding! That fucking rotten horse is shoddy meat that's only good for making hamburgers at a fast food restaurant that offers toys at every kid's meal! That asshole is green! A fucking green horse! Are you zoophilic and necrophilic?! Stop crying over that asshole and be useful for once in your fucking life!"
…
I want to kill this thing.
"Listen to me, you idiot!" – The fairy kept talking without her usual happy voice. – "I already called my partner and he is about to come! Until he comes, you have time to sort out your feelings! If you want to be with the shit horse then kill yourself and stop fucking, because when my partner comes, that shit horse will be turned into rotten hamburger meat that will give diarrhea to the poor idiot who thinks to eat it!"
…
"Hey Listen! I'll tell my partner that fucking horse tried to kill one of his wives! If you want to protect him then do it and die with him! You are no good as a Master, you useless idiot!" – The fairy gave one last cry and disappeared.
… I do not know what to do…
I looked at my right hand where the command seals that accredit me as a Master were.
Why must I fight to protect humanity?
Why should humans live?
Maybe I just have to let it all go to have peace...
But...
That idea displeases me.
Humanity is disgusting, but there are humans who are worth it.
Life is cruel, but there are little things that are worth living.
The world is dark, but there are always beautiful scenes that I like to appreciate.
I clenched my fist.
"Raikou, by this command seal I command you…!"
I don't want to save humans, I don't want to save the world either. Xiang Yu's dream is not my dream.
But if something I want is a home, I want a place where I feel safe and live in peace.
No matter which path I choose, I will suffer and feel miserable, but I will not regret it.
"Release all your power, release Ushi Gozen!" – The red seal on my hand began to glow.
The magic stored in the seal was sent to my Servant, but the energy had changed in nature.
I lived in the Age of Gods so I can identify divine energy. That huge amount of divine energy entered my Servant's body.
Hiyori Kazane was controlling the weather to destroy the enemies, but the skies began to darken unnaturally.
Great bolts of lightning began to strike the ground, the wind went wild, and an uneasy feeling covered the battlefield.
Chen Gong noticed the cause of this abnormality so he used his bow to attack my Servant, but Astrea used high speed to protect the Servant.
Astrea managed to block Chen Gong's Noble Phantasm, but instead of thanking him, the Servant kicked the angeloid's back.
Astrea was unharmed, but she had a confused expression not understanding why she was kicked by her ally.
Raikou looked at Astrea in disgust and said something I couldn't hear.
Astrea seemed depressed, but Raikou ignored her, she only smiled cruelly as she looked at the enemies around her.
In my long life, I have seen the records that were erased from history so I know Raikou's true power.
Inside the Minamoto no Raikou dwells a mighty warrior, or better to call him a demon, Ushi Gozen.
In reality, Ushi Gozen is not a monster that was captured by Raikou, but rather a second personality that sleeps inside the woman and only awakens when she is overloaded with divine energy.
Ushi Gozen is the peak of Raikou's power, but he also has a terrible selfish attitude and that's why it's dangerous to wake her up. She does not differentiate allies from enemies due to her selfishness and pride.
Ushi Gozen is a powerful warrior, but a terrible ally.
I didn't think to wake up that maddened beast, but this situation is too dangerous.
With the two command seals I have left I can make Raikou return to normal after she destroys the enemies, now I just have to wait.
When Ashiya Douman and Koyanskaya were preparing the Lostbelt, I heard that Servants with real bodies are no longer linked to the Throne of Heroes. Upon death, Servants will not be summoned again nor can they revived, their souls will be sent to the reincarnation cycle like any other living being.
This will be goodbye...
Four bolts of lightning fell around Raikou, spawning four clones, each with a different weapon. Raikou had activated her Noble Phantasm.
The three clones with close combat weapons rushed towards the three close-combat Servants, while the clone with a bow took aim at Chen Gong.
Red Hare activated his Noble Phantasm which summoned a bow.
Lu Bu and Xiang Yu also activated her Noble Phantasms which turned them into two unstoppable forces that attacked Raikou and her clones.
Raikou didn't even try to dodge, she met the enemies' attacks while she smiled like a psycho.
Although Ushi Gozen is strong, the three Servants were enhanced with technology from other worlds, giving them overwhelming destructive power, but that doesn't seem to matter to Ushi Gozen, her ridiculous pride made her face the attack.
Fortunately, the hero has reliable companions.
Astrea attacked Lu Bu which reduced the attack.
Raikou frowned and seemed to want to attack Astrea for interrupting her fight, so I used my second command spell. – "You will fight alongside the women who have been marked as wives of Oosuki Luis and not attack them!"
I felt Raikou's piercing gaze filled with the desire to kill me, but I didn't care, I just want to get this over with as soon as possible...
The bow clone attacked Chen Gong, the sword clone and spear clone attacked Red Hare, and Raikou and the ax clone attacked Xiang Yu.
Raikou was able to stop Xiang Yu's Noble Phantasm with his sword while the ax clone attacked the Servant's head.
Xiang Yu, thank you for everything you gave me and the happiness you showed me.
I couldn't take it, I closed my eyes as Raikou's sword cut Xiang Yu in half.
I made a great effort to contain my emotions, but I couldn't help but shed a tear.
Goodbye, Xiang Yu.