Chapter 60: Demon God Flauros

Fuyuki, Japan,

Mount Ryuudou (Destroyed),

"Isn't this place just nice?" Roman commented sarcastically, running a gaze over the charred ground and massive gaping crater that was left behind by Oda Nobunaga in place of what was a majestic temple built on a mountain when she'd just been summoned.

There was no life here, the air felt dry and the warm light of the Sun didn't do much in the way of alleviating the sheer bizarreness of the place.

But, he wasn't here just to sightsee, there were still much better places in Fuyuki for that, no, he was here because this was one of the locations that could be used to access the underground cavern housing the Holy Grail, or rather, the Greater Grail to be precise.

Parsing the libraries of both the Tohsaka and the Matou residences had given the Magician significant knowledge pertaining to the 'how' of the Grail.

The energy of 7 servants would coalesce into the Greater Grail and then be used to burn a hole through to the Root, to acquire the lost 3rd True Magic... This brought another question to mind though, if just accessing the damn thing could give one a True Magic that made them pretty much invulnerable, what did Roman actually gain after staring at it long enough for it to tear away a part of himself?

But we digress, the ritual wasn't what interested Roman, no, it was the gathered energy.

4 Grail Wars had happened by now, with one being an Apocrypha type event, it was exciting to even imagine how much energy the Grail could be housing at that moment. Energy Roman intended to use fully by employing his own Magic.

"Master, Master, hellooo, this is getting worrying." Tamamo no Mae waved her hand in front of Roman's face, slightly worried, her Master wasn't one to just doze off.. He was the most attentive man she'd met yet, even if his behaviour suggested otherwise. He'd just walked out here after Kiritsugu informed him about 'disposing' of someone, she came along for security, unable to trust a single word from the mouth of the 'Magus Killer'.

"....Your indecisiveness is worrying too." Roman shot back, casually observing his surroundings and walking around a bit, tapping his cane at different points on the ground as if attempting to find something.

"Tamamo doesn't deal in decisiveness..." The Caster crossed her arms under her sizable chest, raising her head with a smug grin, "Hm, I always follow through!" It seemed that her confidence had returned, or was it just a facade? It wasn't, the fox eared shrine maiden had already made her decision. Ever the obedient servant, she followed her Master without questioning his decisions.

"Enough messing around." Putting both hands on his cane, Roman raised it a bit before lightly tapping the charred earth with it.

The burnt layer was peeled away by an invisible force and disappeared into nothingness soon after. All the while, the Magician grinned closing his eye as he lowered his eyes,

"See you later."

Those were the only words Tamamo heard before her Master vanished, "Wha-..." She spread her senses, trying to find him but failed miserably, getting a headache in return..., "Ugh... Too cautious." The Caster clenched her forehead, reeling in pain, teeth gritted.

Moments later, when she noticed no one else was there, Tamamo simply sat down with folded legs, "....." Was this the end then? The Grail War was over now? Would she be unsummoned soon? Her tails drooped down, conveying her emotions quite clearly, "...I do have a wish now..."

It was true that when she'd first manifested, when she'd first laid eyes on the world in this strange age filled with technology and a far more complacent and idle humanity, she didn't trust the information given to her one bit. Furthermore, Tamamo didn't have any wish to make of the shady 'Holy Grail' then..

She did now though...

Even if Roman had lost interest in the time she'd spent lingering on one who'd never come, the fox eared Caster would be content just serving him with the hope he hadn't..

Tamamo's wish was similar to that of Iskander's, she wanted to live again. With someone who accepted her, not shunned her for her tails and hunted her down like an animal to be put down.. Someone who knew she would never deceive anyone, or even try to harm needlessly.

"If that isn't possible, then just our contract."

Tamamo was willing to even use the one thing she distrusted, it just meant that much to her to be by his side.... She knew she was easily infatuated but was it really her fault? Pushed into a situation that didn't allow much in the way of 'time to think', someone who accepted 'all' of her and showed meaningless and baseless care for one such as her... He didn't expect to be repaid for it either...,

"It isn't my fault, it's Master's fault."

The Caster sighed to herself.

"Yo, fox lady."

"EEP!"

Startled by the sudden voice, Tamamo shrieked lightly, kicking blindly in the direction of the voice, "H-How long have you been there?!" Cheeks flushing with embarrassment, the Caster pointedly shouted at the Lancer blocking her kick with a knee.

"From 'I do have a wish now'." Kagetora sneered, imitating her fellow servant's tone jokingly before bursting out in laughter, "Ah boy, it's strange that even you can be human.." And yet she herself couldn't.

Tamamo didn't share the Lancer's enjoyment, only folding her arms as she narrowed a rather annoyed gaze at the white haired woman before her,"...Why are you here?"

"Well..." Kagetora scratched the back of her head, smiling strangely, "Just in case someone attacks, doesn't this seem like a perfect time for an ambush?" The War God of Echigo shared her honest thoughts, holding a bottle of beer in one hand, lance in the other..

"That is true." Nodding in agreement, Tamamo too turned a bit more alert.. It was in fact a prime opportunity for someone to ambush Roman.

-

"Well isn't this just great?"

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Roman talked to himself, walking through the dimly lit yet extremely spacious underground cavern. He could feel the magical energy coursing through the ground under his feet. The only sound that accompanied his footsteps was the tapping of his cane, "They really made it on a bloody stone."

The Magician laughed again, remembering that the Greater Grail was a pillar of stone, augmented by innumerable rituals sure but still, a rock. They could've at least used a cup or something even if symbolically.

"Greetings, Magician."

A thunderous voice boomed, resounding throughout the area simultaneously.

Roman halted in his steps, taken aback for a fraction of a second before returning to normal, "I thought this was a wall..." The Magician stared at the elevated earth before him with a hand on his chin, that might have been due to the fact that he couldn't see any further than several feet.. Staring up, he saw a well dressed man standing there, his arms held out and mouth open in a strange grin revealing sharp fang-like teeth, "The fuck happened to you?"

"...What's with that fashion sense though?" Roman sneered, it looked funnier and funnier with each passing moment, "You some kind of cave hobo? Do you glow in the sunlight?"

This was unexpected, nothing hinted to there actually being someon-, no, Roman could feel that whatever the man was it wasn't a 'someone', it was some 'thing'.

"I am Lev Lainur Flauros, or rather, Demon God Flauros!"

"Fuck."

Roman was done with this bullshit.

First there were Dead Apostles, cold unfeeling Magi, a troll Magician, the Types from other celestial bodies, servants that broke all conventional rules and now there were Demon Gods. What the hell was next? Cthulu was going to awaken? No, would Yog Sothoth come to 'liberate' humanity next?

The Magician sighed to himself, his thinking thrown for a bit of a loop as it tried to calibrate in the existence of the Demons mentioned in the Ars Goetia.

'Flauros' was from the Ars Goetia.

"Do you have like.... 71 others?"

"....Surprising that you know." Lev's eyes flashed for a moment and he appeared next to Roman, mildly amused by the Magician's knowledge... But then again, it made sense for someone like this specific man to already be aware of their existence.. He wasn't exactly keeping his guard up for nothing right now. This 'man' was dangerous.

No, Magicians were dangerous, they could combat the Types, invulnerable and unmatchable entities, and as such, threats to even existences like them, the Demon Gods.

Roman's lips twitched, "I'm off. Keep the Grail." He waved his hand and turned to leave.

".....? Wait." Lev stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder, a little shocked with the Magician's actions, "The Grail you seek is corrupt. I propose you use this in it's stead." He showed the Grail he'd kept behind his back so far.

"Why?" Roman asked plainly, facing the Demon God with a curious glint in his eye... He'd just been joking earlier, even a Demon God wasn't going to stop him from getting what he wanted. Especially not atop a leyline.

"Despite your existence being an abnormality, humanity progresses as always. As is the course of proper history, something we find strange considering your nature.. The fact that happens suggests you stop existing after a certain point in time... That would mean.."

"Someone gets rid of me." Roman placed a hand on his chin, a bit contemplative, it was a bit 'out there' but this was Fate and the individual next to him called himself a Demon God so it was a bit plausible.. Not that the Magician really believed him, he didn't believe most people's words.

"Precisely, take the Grail, do what you originally intended. We the Demon Gods seek not your destruction." Flauros appealed to Roman's human nature, trying to entice the man into acting with greed clouding his eyes. If this man took the Grail, they could affect this timeline, making it into a proper Singularity and then drive it to it's destruction, simple as that.

Roman stared at him for a moment, this was a Demon God right? Did he think he was an idiot? That aside... A Demon God would have the prana necessary to support a servant like Nobunaga right? Raising his hand and pointing it at Lev, the Magician spoke in a voice devoid of emotion, "Did you have something to do with Archer's surge in power?"

"Yes, of course, that useless woman." Lev grumbled, supremely confident in his ability to at least defend himself against Roman despite the warnings of his companions..

The Grail was originally intended for Nobunaga, so she could set aflame nations but she had gotten herself killed. The incompetent woman squandered the strength he granted her!

Wait...Hadn't she killed Berserker?

"...."

"...I can explain?"

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