34 Chapter 34

"The trail ends here. The hollow must have had already fled," a Shinigami spoke, feeling out for any residual spiritual energy. "I can't determine an exact path, but it's possible to guess a direction towards the east."

Yamomoto nodded wordlessly.

He was younger than he appeared in the future, black hair and a shorter beard and mustache giving him a rugged sort of temperament. Inspecting the corpses on the ground, he solemnly closed his eyes. Not much was left of the corpses, the majority of the bodies were disintegrated by what appeared to be an overbearing spiritual energy. All that was left to be identified were pieces of black cloth.

"Three Captains and an entire unit of Shinigami," he listed out in a cold tone. "Unforgivable."

There was a short silence. He was the current head of the recently founded Genji School also known as the Shinigami Academy. The Genji School was the first of its kind, a newborn institute created for the purpose of fostering the following generations of Shinigami. Although the bodies in front of him were no longer recognizable, there was no doubt in his mind that he knew of them.

The Shinigami who had spoken before him grew increasingly flustered, suddenly realizing something.

"The spiritual energy sir, its pure," the Shinigami said, standing up from a crouched position. "There are no other traces of mixed auras to be found, meaning that-"

"One hollow killed three captains and an entire unit of Shinigami," a woman interrupted.

She had a head of long flowing black hair and a disposition that exuded murder behind a sly smile.

The Shinigami that had spoken immediately grew wary, backing away to give room for an individual that none in the Soul Society would ever cross. The criminal whose ferocity and tenacity to kill were incomparable, making her the number one criminal in the entire dimension.

The First Kenpachi recruited by Yamamoto to serve in the founding of the Court-Guard Squads.

Retsu Unohana.

"Interesting," Unohana muttered lowly, resting a hand over her sword's hilt before shifting her gaze over to Yamamoto who shook his head.

"Now isn't the time without any leads," he stared off into the distance. "More than likely, this is the very hollow the Second Division had detailed extensively in their reports. The only hollow with the designation of Vasto Lorde."

The Genji Academy had already spent much time and resources on new Shinigami; to send more was simply repeating the same mistake already made. In Unohana's case, despite being confident in her strength, he wasn't one to take risks at the moment. There was no guarantee that Unohana would triumph, not with her fighting style as it was currently.

Tensions with the Quincy were already growing as well, and he feared the start of a war was bound to begin. There was no way that he could risk Unohana, the first Kenpachi in the current situation. Therefore, he made his choice.

Of the various Shinigami he could send, the Shinigami in question had to have strength and skill insurmountable to prevent anymore casualties. In that regard, there was only one.

"The both of you, head back and continue the preparations against the Quincy," he stared towards the east somberly, the scent of ash permeating the air. "I will go and settle this matter."

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She didn't know how long she sat there just staring at him. He hadn't woken up in the past few days and she couldn't understand why. She had checked on him numerous times by picking up his hand and sending subtle pulses of spiritual energy for a response. Every time, she would indeed get a reaction from his spiritual energy, and yet he still didn't wake up.

The situation was close to driving her to anxiety, the dead silence around her only making the feeling more pronounced. She sighed, eyes downcast as she watched the falling of the first snow through an opening in the temple side house.

She appeared bedraggled, nothing like her general indifferent outlook of several months prior. Her hair was dishevelled and her gaze was lacklustre as it had been for the last few days. The silver fur-lined overcoat she generally wore was discarded to the side, sprawled unceremoniously on the floor where it had fallen from the hook in the wall that she had hung it upon.

She didn't care, sitting silently in the same spot on the left-hand corner and letting the day waste away.

Beside her was the bag of spiritual offerings that Starrk had packed from the beginning of the journey, its contents still relatively full, yet now untouched. She didn't feel like eating it anymore. To begin with, eating was never necessary to maintain herself. The only benefit it had brought to her was how delicious it was.

Presently though, she couldn't bring herself to consume it after recalling how earnest Starrk had appeared when making them, and then comparing that image with Starrk's current condition.

Her lips pursed together, the action involuntarily human, but then again, hollows were once human too.

As the day was slowly crawling to its evening, something different occurred that caused Coyote to look up. Initially, she had been hit with a surge of hope and expectation as her attention first landed on the body before her, but it quickly died when she noticed no change. Instead, what had occurred was a movement in the sliding door which acted as the side temple's entrance.

"That damned geezer," a child muttered lowly, tresses of green hair framing a somewhat pudgy face. "Let's see if he finds me here."

By this point, the child's back was still facing her, but she was quickly losing interest. It was just a human child dressed in traditional Miko garments, a white top and a red bottom pleated-long-skirt. A bow was tied around the waist using a cloth to fasten the entire outfit together.

Just as she was about to shift position and pull her knees to her chest in disinterest, she noticed that the child that had entered was staring directly at Starrk, mouth opened wide.

She watched wordlessly as the child ran directly up to Starrk and began inspecting him up and down.

"What's a guest sleeping here for?" the child muttered before grinning moments later and stepping back.

Fumbling around the room, the child sighed, seemingly unable to find what she had been looking for.

"Oh well," the child muttered before once again standing right before Starrk.

"Hey, wake up!" The child yelled, growing irritable when she didn't get a single reaction. "I said WAKE UP!"

Again, no response.

A vein twitched on the child's forehead, and before Coyote knew it, the child opened Starrk's mouth and jabbed her finger in.

"Well, I thought that would work?" The child said helplessly, recalling that it had never failed when used on her grandfather. Thereafter, her eyes gleamed with determination. "Maybe I should just try again?"

"I'd rather you not," Coyote finally spoke up, expression blank.

She understood that the child in front of her was different from the regular humans. This was evident enough based on the fact that she could see and interact with Starrk, meaning that she was a special human imbued with high levels of spiritual energy. The child was effectively what most other hollows would consider prime sustenance. Fortunately, she wasn't that kind of hollow.

On the sound of her voice, the child startled, having not noticed her due to the obscurity of her location and her general lack of communication skills, something she hardly ever used.

"Uhm, hi," the child said embarrassedly. "I didn't see you there, is he your friend?" The child asked pointing.

She didn't answer for a while, the awkwardness of her stare making the child fidget until a single word left Coyote's mouth.

"Family," was all that she said, turning her gaze away to stare outside, uninterested in interacting with the child any further.

What she never would have had expected was that the child would walk right up to her despite her dismissal and sit unceremoniously by her side. Of all the humans she had ever met that could see her, generally they always ran away upon sensing her vast aura. The child though appeared to be the exception. Either the child couldn't feel the aura she was releasing subtly to pressure the child to leave, or the child just didn't care.

She grunted, it didn't matter to her either way. She ignored the child who she could feel was staring at her.

Crossing her arms, she simply continued to gaze out at the falling snow, all the while glancing at Starrk from time to time and growing more reserved.

In the silence, and as light pooled in from the window, she suddenly bristled.

Why did it sound like the child was eating?

Unwilling to shift her head back to look right away, it was only when she heard the rustling sound of fabric opening that she couldn't take it anymore. No matter if she didn't feel like eating the food Starrk had made at the moment, it didn't mean that she wanted to share the product of Starrk's efforts with someone else.

Her head snapped back like a viper, producing a click as her pink-eyes narrowed into a glower of unhidden agitation.

"You-"

"Want one? I didn't know the offerings actually tasted this good," the child said, licking her fingers while stuffing a bun into Coyote's mouth who was too stunned from the child's lack of caution around her to react. "This bean bun tastes good too, but the thing over here is even better."

Chewing, Coyote swallowed what was in her mouth first before staring blankly at the child before her. The child ate like a hamster, biting with large mouthfuls that bulged her cheeks out and even then, she was somehow still able to swallow.

Coyote snorted. As much as she intended to give the child a piece of her mind, she held herself back when the child spoke.

"These aren't offerings, are they? They're too good to be," the child asked, staring intently at the food in her hands.

"They are offerings," Coyote said curtly. "They were just cooked into something more edible."

The child took another bite of food, idly watching Coyote who once again fell back into silence as the child sat down on her knees.

"If this food tastes good, then why aren't you eating it?" The child then asked.

Coyote didn't answer, but the quick shifting of her eyes was enough to give her away.

The child, having been raised in the temple since youth had seen many people and even spirits. It wasn't difficult for the child to determine thoughts Coyote must have had been feeling.

"Is he sick?" The child asked, motioning towards Starrk.

"I don't know."

"Was he the one to make this food?"

"Yes."

"Then all the more reason to eat it," the child stood up as Coyote glared. "He made it for you, didn't he?"

The child took a piece of food into her hand and offered it out in front of her while smiling.

Grudgingly, Coyote took the food in the child's hand and ate it silently, the child finding her own corner to sit at while grumbling about the strict rules her grandfather had set up for the temple. Soon after, the child left with a quick goodbye.

The child's name was Lilynette, and it wasn't a name Coyote would be forgetting in the future. After all, Lilynette continued to visit the side-temple every night, popping in and leisurely siting at her own corner while humming a tune.

Coyote didn't say it, but slowly she was beginning to appreciate Lilynette's presence. It helped her feel less alone, but also a tad incredulous that a human could somehow neglect the pressure of her spiritual energy.

There was a reason she had always been alone.

Her spiritual pressure was too great and could wipe out lesser hollows and humans in an instant. If not for her taking the time to reel in her strength through practice, then she knew that Lilynette would not be able to get anywhere near her. The same could be said for the other humans residing within the temple's grounds.

As the days continued to go past, there were still no signs of Starrk waking up. Subsequently, Coyote began to talk less and less while simply just waiting by his side.

"I can try to wake him up today. Grandpa once said that I'm really good at getting others up," Lilynette spoke, glancing over.

Coyote shook her head, prompting Lilynette to fall silent.

Lilynette had been able to tell that Coyote and Starrk weren't human. It was kind of hard not to when the both of them had holes directly through their chests, but she didn't shy away from them. Rather, she was curious instead. Her grandfather had once spoken to her of monsters with holes through their bodies that eat humans, yet staring at Coyote, she didn't see a monster at all.

Bored as Lilynette was at the moment though, she walked up to Coyote who was sitting by Starrk and suddenly stiffened.

A distinct scent permeated in the air. One of ash and fire that sent chills down her back. Her first reaction was to run outside believing that some part of the temple had caught fire, but that notion was cut off from the moment she saw the fury and reservation in Coyote's eyes.

Coyote was holding tightly onto Starrk, contemplating whether she should just run or not, but faltering when she noticed Lilynette. If she ran with Starrk, regardless if her chances were low, it was guaranteed that whoever had been following her would reach the location of the side temple.

Although Shinigami never attacked humans, a human who had a hollow's aura lingering around them may be exempt from whatever rules the Shinigami strictly upheld. As such, she couldn't leave. Not only because she didn't want to endanger Lilynette, but because her chances of escaping were too low in the first place.

The Shinigami who was coming after her, feeling the aura around, it was that Shinigami. The one whose blade was akin to a primordial fire and the one she least wanted to ever face.

As much as she tried to suppress her spiritual energy, it was guaranteed that she would be sensed once her pursuer drew close enough.

Gingerly, she placed Starrk down before staring at Lilynette.

"Watch over him," she said grimly, balling her hands into fists.

If she couldn't run, then all she could do was fight, and unlike the past, this time she had something to fight for. She would protect her Family.

Standing up, she made her way to the exit of the temple side-house and vanished in a burst of speed that Lilynette couldn't possibly follow.

"Wait!" Lilynette called out, unable to understand what was happening but knowing intuitively that Coyote was going to be in danger.

Unfortunately, Coyote was already too far away to hear Lilynette's voice.

Left alone, Lilynette could only restlessly settle herself within the temple-side house and watch after Starrk. Yet in doing so, she froze, mouth gaping open.

Because she noticed something as the aura of flame and cinder grew more pronounced within the temple-side house like the heat of a blacksmith's forge. It was the twitching of a finger.

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Yamamoto didn't know how to describe it at first. He was expecting to come across a trail of destruction generally left behind in a hollow's wake, crushed homes and uprooted trees leading to a scene of mayhem. What he saw was nothing of the sort.

He wasn't discouraged however as not all hollows acted in the same manner, some were smarter.

As such, rather than traversing through the air at a fast pace, he was walking within a tranquil forest footpath instead.

There were many things he could have had missed should he had travelled through the air, and the thing about the more elusive hollows was that they could be discreet with the energy they inevitably leave behind. Unfortunately, the one he was trailing was exceedingly slippery, leaving almost nothing for him to follow.

Without his intuition, he was certain that he would have had been left at loss, but at the moment it was leading him down towards the human settlement of Karakura.

His eyes narrowed as he proceeded, his tenacity and relentlessness harbouring results when he eventually stumbled into a clearing that solidified his conjecture. It was filled with traces of the very spiritual energy identical to the one found in the mountainside.

That was all he needed to know before he began subtly releasing his spiritual pressure throughout the area. If a hollow was around, there was no chance that they wouldn't react to it. Either they fled, or they chose to remain hiding. In any case, no hollow had ever been able to escape him. It would only be a matter of time.

Surprisingly, neither of the options he had envisioned had occurred. Instead, the hollow came to him.

It was a humanoid hollow whose figure and appearance were entirely human-like aside from the lingering hollow bone armour on her body.

Pink eyes narrowed dangerously, the muzzle of a gun pointed forward.

Coyote knew that words were no longer necessary.

She had scene Yamamoto on numerous occasions in the past.

He was relentless.

If the Soul Society deemed Unohana Retsu as the most diabolical criminal ever recorded, then her savagery was still below that of Yamamoto. The man had not been able to found the Genji Academy and the Court Guard Squads without having to heartlessly tread on numerous corpses in the process. Other than Yamamoto, there would have had been no other individual capable enough to recruit Unohana Retsu, and this alone spoke enough.

It was a means to an end, good intentions to justify a method along with an overwhelming power.

In the silence, a sword was raised.

"Reduce all to ashes: Ryoujin Jaka."

There were no formalities, no warnings. Yamamoto already had a vague estimate of his opponent's strength based on the fact that Coyote had been able to single handedly defeat three Captain-Class Shinigami.

She was on a level only comparable to him and Yhwach of the Quincy.

Tongues of flame ran up and down the edge of his sword accompanied by a daunting spiritual pressure that flattened the entire forest and set fire to the world. If not for Yamamoto's consideration of the human world's rules, the pressure alone may have had even directly destroyed the settlement of Karakura.

In response, a spiritual pressure that was like a winter storm rose in opposition, the vague outline of a wolf manifesting in the air and howling at a distant moon.

Wolves were pack animals, but there were times when even alone they stand imposingly in isolation. The stray calling in the night, echoed only by the emptiness of a field of white.

She would fight, not only because of herself, but for what she now had.

Pink eyes narrowed in determination. Live or die, it would all be the same if she retreated now. So, for the first time, the cornered wolf will stand strong and cry out to the sky. Seeking out its own salvation.

She disappeared from out of sight, displaying a speed that shifted Yamamoto's expression to one of solemnity.

"The First Killing Stroke," he leveled his blade flat, horizontally opposed to him as his eyes darted left and right. "Nadegiri!"

"Cero!"

Blade met gun, and in a resounding explosion, both combatants were pushed back before charging at each other once more.

She pushed off with her feet, dashing left and right as a blinding light formed in her free hand, coalescing around it while spiraling into the shape of a fang.

Yamamoto grunted, pulling back his Zanpakuto to free his right arm to meet Coyote's strike with his own. "Ikotsu!"

Fist met fist, and Yamamoto's eyes couldn't help but widen. Even without his sword, no hollow he had ever faced had been able to survive the strength of his body let alone push him back.

His feet dragged into the ground, creating two large scars in the earth.

Blood dripped down from his arm, punctured by the sharpness of Coyote's blow, yet she faired no better. Her arm hung limply on the side, but in a show of power, her spiritual energy exploded out, her arm regenerating at a visible rate.

In a world surrounded by flame, two individuals stood at its center, watching each other intently.

Yamamoto's expression was grim. Hollows were spirits that were fundamentally ruining the balance of the world. They were souls that refused to move on and cause disaster to the living. And yet, he also understood that out of the three current forces of Shinigami, Quincy, and Hollow, the Hollows were the most disadvantaged, hunted down by both sides and forced into hiding. The appearance of a Hollow that could match him with such circumstances didn't bode well in his opinion.

Coyote's designation of Vasto Lorde was not undeserved, but Yamamoto intended to make her the first and last of her kind.

"Torch," he invoked, sending forth a great inferno.

"Not going to work."

A gun was pointed forward, tendrils of spiritual energy converging into a ball of mass power continuously fired.

Coyote flashed in and out of the flame, firing shot after shot that even Yamamoto's flames could not extinguish. Rather, they cancelled each other out in arks of steam that dissipated into the air.

She clicked her tongue, jumping back.

Her right hand came forward, nails digging into her flesh before she smeared the dripping blood over the muzzle of her gun in a swift motion.

"The Grand King Beckons forth his power."

The blood coagulated, floating still before merging with the growing vortex of power channeled through the gun in her hands. Space and time itself began to distort, fracturing like glass.

"Reduce the world back to zero," her hand levelled down, the muzzle of her gun heating up to an iridescent blue. "GRAN REY CERO!"

A blast of overwhelming spiritual energy shot forth, claws of pure energy swirling around a void that seemed to obliterate everything as Coyote yelled, fueling the power further. Immediately, the attack accelerated, leaving nothing in its wake.

Yamamoto's complexion paled as he realized that he couldn't avoid the coming attack.

He stabbed Ryujin Jakka into the ground and raised both his arms.

"Bakudo #81: Danku."

A translucent rectangular barrier appeared instantly in front of Yamamoto, the energy comprising it cracking on contact with Coyote's attack.

"Enkōsen, El Escudo."

Two more protective barriers appeared in front of Yamamoto, but even after the first barrier cracked, the rest followed quickly after until he himself was enveloped in the light.

A shockwave spread out, picking up rubble and debris and ejecting them for miles on end.

Landing, Coyote took a breath before pursing her lips and staring through the dust. A good portion of her spiritual reserves were used up, yet not enough to affect her at the moment.

Still, she gritted her teeth in apprehension when a figure gradually began to appear as the dust settled.

His clothing was torn, leaving his upper chest bare, but aside from minor bruising and bleeding, Yamamoto came out unscathed, held in his hand, a sword that appeared different from before. A wooden katana burnt black from flame and exuding an ancient aura of cinder.

"Bankai: Longsword of the Remnant Flame."

It was a far cry from the sword she had seen in hand before, but staring at it, she felt chills travelling down her back. The air itself had become arid, dry, as if all moisture had evaporated.

Initially, she had wanted to rush in and attack to obtain the momentum, but her intuition warned her that coming in contact with him was a death sentence. Therefore, she maintained her distance, warily eying Yamamoto for any sudden moves.

She was still caught unprepared.

He was too fast. He flashed directly in front of her, sword already falling down.

She had no time to think, barely shifting her body to the left in time to dodge the strike. Even then, she could feel the sheer heat scald her despite the toughness of her constitution.

When the sword struck the ground, there was no sound. It just slipped right in, leaving behind only thoroughly blackened dirt that disintegrated on contact as Yamamoto drew back his sword.

By this time, she had already flashed away, her complexion pale.

Unknowingly, her quick reaction caused Yamamoto's expression to shift.

The Longsword of the Remnant Flame was his strongest attack and skill, however prolonged use was its one weakness. The area around was now akin to a natural disaster. If he had been able to hold back his strength from affecting the living world before, now it was futile.

The extreme heat exuding from him and his sword was such that his Bankai was impossible to maintain for long as extended use could not only harm the surroundings, but he himself. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to release it prior, the surge of spiritual energy that accompanied his sword's release nullifying the volatility of Coyote's previous attack.

Embers drifted into the wind, the houses and structures built by humans erupting into a blaze that created an uncontrollable forest fire, screams and pandemonium spreading.

He knew that he had to end the confrontation fast, and yet his opponent's agility was on a similar level to his.

The one chance he had had was when she was initially caught unprepared after his sword's release. Now his attempt had failed, and it would prove difficult to get near her again. Therefore, he had to think of another way.

He stared hard at Coyote in contemplation, recalling a bit of information he understood. Back at the mountain pass, the hollows he had intercepted there with Unohana and the others had cried desperately for help before their deaths. The only question then had been just who they were calling for?

It was a longshot, but all he needed was a small opening.

He took in a breath after slicing in half a cero fired his way.

Thereafter, he impaled his sword into the ground.

"Great Burial Ranks of the Ten-Trillion Fire Dead," his voice was somber, the ground rupturing violently and forcing Coyote to flash into the air to avoid the recoil.

She felt something off with the situation at that moment, a cero already loaded at the tip of her gun in caution only for the energy to fade.

What appeared before her, rising out from the formed crevice in the ground were familiar masked figures.

Hollows.

The very same ones she could still recall had once flocked to her for protection. Their eyes were lifeless, their bodies nothing more than burnt walking corpses.

She swallowed, a shudder passing through her as guilt soon flooded her mind. Subsequently, that guilt was replaced by rage. Even in death they couldn't rest. Although she had abandoned them, they had still helped to alleviate her loneliness before Starrk came along. To see them in such a state caused her to immediately fire out.

A barrage of ceros annihilated the corpses of the hollows she once knew.

It was only when she composed herself that she realized that Yamamoto had disappeared. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as her feet attempted to push her forward.

Still, it was too late, a sword pierced through her stomach.

She forced down the scream that was threatening to burst out from her throat, and settled on glaring instead.

"To not be annihilated in an instant, your spiritual reserves are horrifying," Yamamoto pulled out his sword. "Unfortunately, how much of that spiritual reserve do you have left now?"

Coyote coughed out a mouthful of blood, her body crashing into the ground and forming a crater.

She knew that Yamamoto was right. The Longsword of the Remnant Flame was indeed formidable. It concentrated all of the flame and power of Ryujin Jakka into the sword's edge while emitting no flame at all. Rather, its cut could wipe out the existence of anything. For Coyote to still survive it, she had to pay a steep price.

She struggled to push herself off of the ground, but her strength was leaving her. Her fingers dug into the dirt, the wound through her stomach cauterized by the intense heat yet producing an ebbing pain.

"It's over," a voice spoke above her.

Yamamoto sealed his Bankai, sparing the area of any further destruction. Layers of sweat were present on his forehead and inwardly, he felt his body aching from the sheer exertion that his Bankai had put him through.

Coyote didn't respond to Yamamoto's words. Her mind was already elsewhere, thinking about the one happiness she had obtained in her life.

I'm sorry Starrk, her expression paled. I couldn't protect our Family.

Her thoughts wandered; her eyes staring up at the moon that had silently ascended into the sky under the blanket of night. It was beautiful, the one thing that was always constant in her memory when she looked up at the clouds in the evening.

Alone.

Always alone.

Not anymore.

His face appeared in her mind. An ignorant expression, carefree and asking her a question in an isolated mountainside cave.

Why did hollows roar?

The question was simple. Without a world to call their own, their greatest protection was each other.

They roared for the same reason other animals did, to find each other in a manor that could be surmised in one word.

Companionship.

And in that moment, as she watched Yamamoto raise his sword into the air, a Roar resounded out in the night.

"-!"

A shudder travelled down her back, primal yet gut wrenching.

She couldn't describe the emotion that welled up from within her then, a mix of confusion and hope, but it didn't matter.

Yamamoto was stunned, the sword in his hand frozen mid swing as his attention shifted towards the distance, at the unimaginable build up of energy occurring.

Taking the opportunity, Coyote weakly lifted her head, moisture in her eyes as she did the one thing that she had never done even once in her life.

She howled.

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It was a world of heat and steel, something that he could now vividly recall.

The promise he had made, and the ideals he had walked by.

He was the Wrought Iron Hero, the man who had died alone on a hill of swords.

Within his inner world, he remained quiet, staring off into the sky while processing the information running through his head.

He remembered everything: Homurahara Academy, the Clock Tower, the Holy Grail War, and a promise that he had made upon the horizon.

His hands balled into fists, his expression blank. The figure of the man who had spoken to him before was already apparent to him through a resonance with his soul. A future version of himself that he had vowed never to become, EMIYA.

Now that he remembered everything though, he realized that nothing had really changed aside from understanding his own abilities completely. He was still himself. The same man who wouldn't hesitate to act on behalf of another.

It was for this reason that he was exceedingly tense at the moment.

Although his past self's body was still unconscious, it didn't mean that he didn't understand what was occurring outside. Rather, with his spiritual sense, he could paint an accurate picture. Coyote was fighting and from the feel of the energy in the air, it was against a familiar opponent that he had once faced as the Vasto of White.

Yamamoto Genryusai, the Head-Commander of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Worried as he was, Coyote seemed to be holding her own until just recently. Her spiritual energy that felt like an endless sea had reduced to something akin to a cup of water.

He knew that he was in the past and the events occurring had already happened, but he couldn't sit still and do nothing.

Wake up!

He was anxiously calling on the conscious of his past-self. He couldn't do anything, but if his past-self was anything like him, he would act without self regard.

He had been thinking already. If Coyote was such a strong hollow in the past, why didn't he ever see her in Hueco Mundo in the future? The obvious answer in his mind was that she must have had died.

No, he refused such an outcome.

He had seen the way she had stayed by his past-self's side without a word or complaint. To have someone care for you so thoroughly on your behalf, how could anyone be willing to see a future where such a person was missing let alone himself who was subject to it?

GET UP!

His spiritual energy was in a fluster, an unlimited arsenal of steel at the ready just waiting to be unleashed.

Ancient gears began to turn. Monoliths that hovered in the sky producing a series of clanking noises that permeated everywhere. It was reminiscent of a hammer impacting an anvil, forging steel.

Producing over a thousand weapons.

Unknown to death, nor known to life.

Sparks showered across the bronze coloured sky, circuit like patterns flashing within the ground and linking to the vessels integrated with the soul itself at birth.

Magic Circuits.

Twenty-seven points in his soul thrummed with energy. That which was called od, prana, magic, proliferated from within him.

If there was any other reason he could give to his past-self to get up at this moment, then there was only one.

SAVE HER!

In regards to the consciousness of his past-self, it too had felt Coyote's actions at a subconscious level. As such, as soon as embers shifted into flames from within an inner world, a forge activating once more, a pair of eyes shot open.

The area around his past-self was different from the side-temple it had been in before. It was currently outside; the side temple burned into cinders and Lilynette unconscious beside him, having carried his past-self's body out.

He couldn't communicate with his past-self, but he didn't need to. What he had learned, his past-self seemed to already know.

His past-self wasn't named Starrk.

His name was Shirou Emiya.

The man whose personality would never change in life nor in death.

Therefore, bronze-coloured eyes searched frantically for the presence of the Vasto Lorde who had watched over him without rest, yet found nothing.

Shirou who could feel where Coyote was at the moment was frantically attempting to find someway to communicate the information, yet his efforts were futile.

Connected as he was to his past-self though, it didn't take long before a memory floated into the forefront of his past-self's mind, and his mouth abruptly opened.

The roar of a hollow resounded, long and distinct.

In response, came the sound of another, weak and barely audible.

Yet to his past-self, it was enough.

"Trace, On."

His past-self disappeared, the boundless power of his soul unleashed in full.

It was something called a Reality Marble, the manifestation of one's soul so imposing that it had the ability to rewrite the world itself. And this was what was currently at his past-self's disposal.

A shockwave was left in his wake, the rustling of the leaves signifying the distance he had travelled.

A boundless spiritual energy was rising, the strength of a world that stepped into the domain of the Spirit King himself exuding its might.

Yamamoto who could sense the sudden changes in the air was swift to react. Already, he had felt that something was wrong in the fraction of a second that he had allowed Coyote to howl.

Another hollow.

There was another hollow in the area.

He had to kill Coyote before the other one arrived.

Expression flashing with murderous light, Ryujin Jakka descended only for Yamamoto's eyes to widen.

Thrown from a distance, a blade as pale as the moon clashed against his sword, deflecting the trajectory as the sound of feet on the ground reverberated throughout.

Coyote stared fixedly in the sound's direction, her version blurry, but even then, it was enough.

Narrowed bronze coloured orbs glowed in the darkness of the night, an unfathomable aura extending towards the sky in a pale white radiance as a sharp voice directed itself towards Yamamoto.

"Get away from my Family."