Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though everything had been going relatively smoothly, especially with the assistance of Luvia, Rin quickly found herself hitting a wall after Lord Animusphere's announcement. One of the only reasons she had been stuck in London was due to pre-existing contracts she had, both with private Magi and the Mage's Association. She also had properties of her own and various physical assets that required a lot of paperwork and bureaucratic hoops to jump through if she wanted to avoid being blacklisted completely by the Association.

Rin had been intending to cut ties with the Association but there was a significant difference between leaving on good terms and becoming a target for removal if she stepped on the wrong people's toes. Now, however, Rin found that her special passport had been voided while the Mage's Association had essentially drafted all current and former members into the war effort. Until she had met a specific quota of magical gems, which she herself had to provide and enchant, it was almost impossible for her to leave London without being captured and imprisoned by the Association's Enforcement Division. Currently, any attempts to distance yourself from the Association was the same as being labeled a traitor as, with the fate of the world on the line, the powers-that-be had become decidedly less lenient...

With an annoyed expression on her face, Rin sat in the back of a heavily reinforced black car, one of several in a motorcade that was intended to make it harder to pinpoint her location. Not just her own, but Luvia's intuition told her that someone was pulling the strings to force them into a difficult position. This was, while most Magi were able to just turn over the requisite materials, she had been asked to report to the Department of Mineralogy to enchant some of the jewels they had prepared for her. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that this was an attempt to lure her away from the Edelfelt Mansion but, as she lacked the status to outright refuse, Rin, accompanied by Gray and an entire team of Edelfelt Mercenaries, made their way to the Clock Tower.

While sitting across from Rin, Gray had a serious expression on her face as she held Add in her right hand and observed their surroundings through the window. She had also been given a quota of her own but, as she lacked any significant achievements in Magecraft, her task was to donate a portion of her blood on a monthly basis. Though this was obviously another 'trap', as she had previously been exempted from such things due to the unique qualities of her blood, Gray was accompanying Rin to the Clock Tower in order to avoid having a battle take place at the Edelfelt Manor.

For the time being, they needed to play the part of Magi 'loyal' to the Association as the time Rin had set to rendezvous with Vahn still nearly five months out. They didn't even know his current location and, much like the various Magus Families and Departments of the Clock Tower, their attempts to try and discern his location had all met with failure. Though they had the means to contact him during an emergency they were unable to overcome themselves, calling him to London was something each of them wanted to avoid now that the Mage's Association had placed a Sealing Designation on him.

Suddenly, the silence between Rin and Gray was interrupted by a small paper talisman erupting into green flames. This was a charm used to counter direct curses, meaning they were already under attack by an enemy that yet to reveal themselves. Rin released a tired sigh when she saw this before pulling out a pendant and chanting a tracking spell using the ambient magical energy created by the talisman. At the same time, Gray was communicating with the rest of the motorcade through a small phonograph that was set with an amethyst. The Tohsaka family had secret techniques that had been passed down through the generations, allowing nearly impossible to detect communication with any party that had the paired gemstone. Though she had made her own version, the same method she had used to communicate with Vahn via radio, that was only a prototype that likely wouldn't be of much use here in the heart of the Mage's Association.

After her spell had completed, several small strings of light began to flow from the pendant in Rin's hand, causing her to frown deeply as each of these strings indicated an enemy. Even at a glance, it was easy to see there were more than a dozen people directly hostility towards them. Then, just as the motorcade was about to split up to make it harder for the enemy to pinpoint which vehicle she and Gray were in, several reddish-black lasers struck the doors and windows hard enough to crack the magic resistant glass. Though it was still daylight outside, this didn't seem to deter their enemies much as there were several follow-up lasers striking the car and knocking it off course with their impacts. To her credit, the driver was able to keep the vehicle under control while a few of the other vehicles in the motorcade moved to flank and protect them.

Seeing what was going on, Gray's eyes turned sharp as she muttered, "They are trying to make us group up. Those spells were not intended to disable the vehicle outright..." As she said this, Gray activated Add, turning it into a metal gauntlet with extremely sharp claws. She pulled her hood around her head and was preparing to jump out of the sunroof as Rin reached out to stop her, saying, "There is a good chance you are their main target. Since they are obviously trying to capture us, splitting apart would only complicate matters. Let's entrust Luvia's guards to move us to a secure location before we take action."

Though she didn't agree with Rin's plan of action, as following protocol left you open to being lured even deeper into a trap, Gray still elected to stay behind. If Rin transformed and fought alongside her, there were very few enemies that would be able to contend against them. There was a limit to the level of attack their enemies could use without drawing too much attention so they weren't in dire straits just yet. After all, using Magecraft publically like this wasn't something that could easily be swept aside, especially if it involved high-profile characters within the Association, so, unless their enemies intended to cut ties with the Mage's Association while in the middle of London, the chances of them using any high-rank Magecraft was slim.

---

As expected, even after an additional ten minutes, there were only a few pot-shots fired at the motorcade while the Edelfelt security forces had already destroyed several golems and familiars. The fact that there weren't any Magi intercepted showed that this attack had been more of a means to shepherd them and discover which vehicle Rin and Gray were located in. To avoid playing into the enemy's hand, as there was a chance they were familiar with the various safehouses the Edelfelt family had prepared, the motorcade instead opted to use the alleyways on populated streets to transfer Gray and Rin to a new vehicle. Having a car driving around with several dents and holes in it was an easy way to get pulled over by the police so the Edelfelt security forces, seemingly having vehicles staged all throughout the city, were quickly replacing the damaged cars with new ones.

When asked to change cars, Rin shook her head in response to the tall man wearing a black suit and shades, explaining, "The Clock Tower cannot ignore this incident, nor can they force us to try and fulfill our nonsensical duties after being attacked like this. Gray and I will blend into the surroundings while the Enforcement Division converges on this location." As they were currently on a busy street that had a lot of pedestrian foot traffic, as London was very popular around the new year, it made more sense to Rin to break off from the security detail without leaving the area completely. Her intuition also told her that moving vehicles wasn't a good idea and, as it had never let her down before, Rin wasn't going to ignore her hunch just because it allowed the security detail to do their job more easily...

The large man's expression didn't change much at all when he heard Rin's explanation, remaining completely professional as he quietly spoke into his headset before nodding his head and saying, "We will leave some of our forces here while moving the rest into the surrounding city blocks. If an enemy tries to target you and Miss Gray, we will be able to box them in." Though this man was the current leader of the motorcade, he lacked the authority to 'force' Rin and Gray to follow his orders. Even if he didn't agree with what Rin wanted to do, Luvia had given her the highest authority when it came to her own safety.

As she was known for wearing vibrant red clothing, Rin changed into a beige-colored coat before undoing her ribbons and allowing her hair to flow freely. Then, after borrowing a pair of sunglasses from one of the security detail, she and Gray joined the foot traffic while the latter covered her arm with her mantle. Though she stood out like a sore thumb with her peculiar garb, surprisingly few people paid attention to them as Rin was currently using a spell to obscure the perception of others to make it harder to track them. This required them to have to dodge around a few people that nearly walked directly into them but Rin and Gray were able to reach the relative safety of a rather high-end department store without anyone sparing them so much as a direct glance.

After stepping into the warmth of the well-lit showroom, Rin rubbed her forehead with a tired expression, complaining, "That idiot should have left us a means to contact him directly...haaaaa..." Though Rin also wanted to complain about Luvia having Lord Animusphere publish his findings so soon, it was only a matter of time before the Mage's Association learned the truth. It was better if they deal with things on their own terms and try to reap benefits than being caught off guard by the movements of others. This matter was undoubtedly related to Svin as, with Bathomeloi Lorelei still away from London, Rin had serious doubts about any of her forces moving without her leading them directly.

Hearing Rin call Vahn an idiot, Gray lightly giggled while keeping her right arm hidden from view, even though they were standing out of sight from most other people within the store. She knew Rin just missed the 'real' Vahn as, even though the memory fragment was pleasant to interact with, it became increasingly clear that there was something 'different' about him. The real Vahn had a very distinct 'presence' surrounding him and, though their actions and mannerisms were identical to each other, Gray felt the time she spent with the memory fragment wasn't as meaningful as the short time she had spent at Vahn's side. It could be due to the fact that the memory fragment was always very relaxed while the actual Vahn always invested himself wholly in every moment, even though he was also very busy...

To get a better vantage out onto the streets, Rin and Gray moved to the second floor of the store so they could view the pedestrian traffic from above. From this location, it was easy to see the Edelfelt security forces and, though Rin assumed they had already explained the situation, she decided to go ahead and contact Luvia directly. Since the was almost guaranteed that their enemies had watched them walk into the department store, Rin didn't bother using magical means and just pulled out her cell phone before turning it on. Once it had booted up, she dialed Luvia's number from memory as none of the temporary phones they had were updated with any contact lists.

It didn't take long for Luvia herself to pick up, answering the phone by asking, "Are you and Gray safe?" In response to this, Rin had a wry smile on her face as she answered, "Yes. How is the little one? Has anything happened at the Mansion?" Though it was extremely unlikely anyone would try to attack the Edelfelt Mansion directly, Rin couldn't help worry about Sakura during an emergency like this. Fortunately, Luvia immediately answered, "She is currently holed up in her room after eating lunch. You should hurry back so she doesn't have to worry about you too much. If you need me to, I can send a helicopter to your location..." Even if the consequences would be a little bit troublesome to deal with, Luvia wasn't too worried about any fines she would incur from the government as she had more than a few connections within Parliament who would cover for her.

While thinking about whether or not to alight to the roof and have Luvia pick them up, Rin felt a tingling sensation in her temples just moments before Gray pulled her aside. Immediately after this, the glass they had been looking through was shattered into an incalculable number of pieces as a pale golden 'beam' passed right where Rin's abdomen had been previously. Then, several seconds after the projectile had already pierced through the second floor and into the first, the sound of a loud rifle echoed through the area. This caused the pedestrian's below to begin scrambling about like startled ants as several more rounds were fired into the second floor of the department store, trailing behind Rin's and Gray's evasive actions.

As the projectile being fired toward them were able to easily pierce through the second floor, the two girls did not rely on standard cover to protect themselves and instead moved deeper into the building's interior. Rin cast a physical barrier around them that would be able to shield from even high-caliber rounds before relinquishing her body over to Ereshkigal once they reached sufficient cover. Though another round pierced through the walls, this time targetting Rin's head, it was intercepted by the barrier before the latter outright shattered. A flattened golden projectile fell to the ground immediately thereafter and, though it was largely destroyed in the collision, it was easy to sense the ambient Magical Energy radiating off of it.

While Gray placed the bullet into a small container, Ereshkigal used her peculiar spear to easily intercept a few more rounds that had been fired towards them. This seemed to deter their attacker from wasting more precious ammo as they actually couldn't see where 'Rin' and Gray were located. They had no way of knowing that Rin had transferred control to Ereshkigal and, though the latter lacked in Agility compared to most Lancer-Class Servants, her perception as a Goddess granted her the same limited omniscience as her sister. Unless the rounds fired were anti-divine in nature, they wouldn't even be able to harm her from the start but, as it was better to be safe than sorry, she had no intention of tanking one directly.

After several long seconds of silence, Ereshkigal looked towards Gray and said, "Rin wants you to try and contact Luvia again..." is a somber monotone. She had never been very sociable and, now that her host was endangered, Ereshkigal was more than a little upset. Though she could preserve Rin's life, even if the latter suffered fatal damage, this would require the use of her Death Divinity, an act that would require her to enter a deep slumber as she slowly recovered. Without the Greater Grail, she and Ishtar were extremely limited in the amount of power they could use so Ereshkigal deeply resented the person who tried to fatally wound Rin...

Since it was hard to refuse the words of a Goddess, Gray nodded her head in response before trying to use her own cell phone to contact Luvia. Before she could even type three digits, however, the power within the department store was cut while even the screen of her phone cut out. This caused Gray to frown as it implied their enemy had either used an EMP or had activated a powerful barrier to try and trap them. There were muffled sounds of explosions outside so she assumed it was the latter as this kind of attack simply defied logic otherwise. It was clear to see that their enemy had a lot of sway within the Mage's Association, but that didn't mean they could just act with impunity, especially after the announcement of Angra Mainyu's emergence...

Though it was dark within the department store, the area was lit up by the glowing red aura around Ereshkigal's spear while her two maroon eyes cut through the darkness with a cold light. Gray's own stark blue eyes also glowed slightly in the darkness, especially when she unveiled her gauntlet and began channeling her own magical energy. She was capable of using [Mana Burst], just like Artoria and Mordred, so her body was shrouded in a blue aura that functioned almost identically to [Cantus Bellax], the only major difference being that [Mana Burst] added an explosive effect to attacks that could ignore defense.

Amidst the sound of muffled explosions, a loud crashing sound could be heard as part of the ceiling collapsed. From the debris, a vibrant bluish-white light could be seen, illuminating the surroundings like a high-oxygen flame. It was because she sensed this presence that Gray had activated her [Mana Burst] and, now that the person she least wanted to see had appeared before her, she instantly kicked off the ground with enough force to leave a crater that nearly collapsed the second floor as she charged the figure before it could get its bearings. In response to this, the figure dashed back with swiftness few Servants could manage, breaking through the cloud of debris to reveal a form reminiscent to a Werewolf that was comprised almost entirely of bluish-white flames.

At the same time that the figure dashed back, it released a feral howling sound, combined with the words, "Gray, stop...!" This caused a soundwave to spread through the department store, destroying displays and knocking over products before passing through Gray and causing her [Mana Burst] to dissipate. Without missing a step, however, Gray just reactivated her skill as she kicked off the ground once again, changing Add into the form of a long spear as she shouted, "I'll never go back to you, Svin! Leave me alone...!"

As she shouted, there was a veil of moisture over Gray's eyes but it paled in comparison to the amount of conviction contained within as she attempted to stab Svin in the stomach. This caused Svin's expression to turn even more feral as he attempted to grab the spear with his unnaturally long arms, an action made possible due to his combination of Beast Magecraft and Reinforcement. In this form, he could even outpace a fighter jet and, unless his opponent used Silver weaponry or B-Rank Magecraft, he would be able to instantaneously regenerate from almost any wound. Gray's Mystic Codex, however, was capable of ignoring his regeneration since it carried the Holy Property, giving it greater potency than even sanctified Silver...

While the tip of Gray's spear cut through his pectoral muscle, Svin was able to divert the trajectory of her attack, using the same motion to kick her hard in the ribs. Her [Mana Burst] dissipated nearly the entire impact but it still sent Gray's body tumbling through a series of wardrobes, splintering them into small wooden fragments while Svin wrangled with the disobedient Add. Unfortunately for him, he was not afforded the type to apply the seal he had prepared as Ereshkigal, not content to just watch the events play out, had stabbed her spear into the ground as she finished chanting, "Fall into the embrace of the Underworld. Kur Kigal Irkalla..."

In what seemed like a singular instant, a reddish-black pulse spread through the area, changing the surroundings into a seemingly endless graveyard that was filled with various tombstones and cages. This caused Svin's eyes to widen as he exclaimed, "Reality Marble!? You...who are you!?" Without deigning to respond, as the idea of speaking to another man left a bad taste in Ereshkigal's mouth, she pulled her spear from the ground before charging toward Svin and swinging it in a large arc. To his credit, he was easily able to evade her relatively slow attack but, as he was already trapped within her terrain, Svin quickly found his calves and feet pierced by thorned vines made out of malignant reddish-black energy.

Experiencing an extreme amount of pain, made worse when he tore his limbs free in his attempt to evade even more vines, Svin's eyes began to burn with an even more vibrant light as he shouted, "You stay out of this! Gray is mine...!" Following this outburst, Svin released a loud roar in an attempt to dissipate the Reality Marble but, without even fluctuating in the slightest, Ereshkigal's Underworld domain persisted. Though Svin was undoubtedly very powerful for a Magus, it was extremely foolish to try and destroy a God's domain while they were present within. In this place, she had the highest authority and, greatly enhancing her own power while slowly draining away the vitality of any enemies trapped within. Thus, in response to Svin's howl, Ereshkigal's eyes had an even colder light than before as she muttered, "Less than a beast..." The moment these words left her lips, a large cage formed around Svin's body while he was mid-howl. At the same time, a smaller cage appeared within her left hand, this one showing a smaller version of Svin that was spontaneously shrouded in blood-red flames that caused his actual body to begin burning in turn...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP security forces','Dat intuition though...','Ereshkigal has a strong bias against other men xD...')

(A/N: I'm still resting today but, after waking up from a long nap, I felt like writing a chapter while relaxing in my bed. I hope you enjoyed it (^ _ ^)~!)

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