36 - Dark Souls

The month leading up to the attack from the Underworld went by in a flash. Shirou was sitting atop Artoria's throne, looking at his runes. Artoria herself was standing behind the throne, preparing to go back to the real world.

As Shirou read through his runes, he figured that they may truly be screwed. Artoria was not at her fullest power, Shirou was only a Dormant Titan, and his strongest Blade was Fallen Terror.

Normally, that would've been quite good, but they were going to fight the army of a Daemon. There were most likely going to be creatures of higher ranks among them.

He hadn't gotten any new memories, and he was still just a Dormant human. He could use the [Daemonic Forge] to temporarily increase his rank, but he doubted that he was going to fight indoors.

Artoria walked out from behind the throne with a lance in her hand. Shirou looked at it for a moment before shivering.

"…What is that?"

"Rhongomyniad. It would have been quite useful in this battle, but I am unable to unlock the seals unless I become Sacred."

Shirou's eyes widened. Does that mean that the weapon she is holding is of the Sacred rank? No wonder he couldn't get a read on it.

"So, are you going to use it?"

Artoria shook her head.

"No. It would be mostly useless if the seals were to stay in place. However, it would be important to hold on to it. If something unexpected happened, it may prove useful."

She looked at Shirou meaningfully.

Something unexpected?

He decided not to ask, and went back to looking at his runes.

Name: Shirou

True Name: Forged In Hell

Rank: Dreamer

Class: Titan

Forge Core: [7/7]

Sword Fragments: [429/7000].

Attributes: [Ember of Divinity], [Lord of Swords], [Mind of Steel], [Anomaly], [Karmic Eye], [Clairvoyance], [Chronos Rose(Blade Works)].

Memories: [Washing Pole], [Rebellion], [Shroud of Justice], [Gandiva], [Ghost Consumer], [Bountiful Bed], [Gargoyle's Blackblade], [Bubble Pendant], [Daemonic Forge], [Bottomless Box], [Rotbone Lance], [Drang Armor], [Ashen Estus Ring].

Echoes: —

Blades: [Ingvild of the Storm], [Cerise, Heir of War], [Lumen Draconis].

Aspect: [Sword Incarnation]

Aspect Rank: [Divine]

Aspect Description: [You are a sword who was forged in the depths of hell and quenched with the divine blood of the War Goddess. You were the greatest creation of the greatest blacksmith of them all, which makes you a sword above all the rest. All types of weapons recognize you as their master. The blacksmith created you in his own image, and left behind one simple, yet daunting task. Destroy Fate.]

Innate Ability: [Bloodstained]

Ability Description: [The blood of the War Goddess does not flow through you, as swords are not alive. When stained with the blood of the War Goddess, you are able to perform at your fullest potential.]

Aspect Abilities: [Living Sword]

Aspect Legacy: [Fleshforge]

Fleshforge Description: [The War Goddess accepted an offering of humanity from the heroic Forged In Hell. In respect of his sense of Justice, and value of life, she bestowed upon him the ability to truly become the sword itself. This was only possible due to his ability to abandon his humanity for the sake of others.]

Legacy Relics:

First Relic: [Claimed]

Second Relic: [Claimed]

Third Relic: [Claimed]

Fourth Relic: [Locked]

Fifth Relic: [Locked]

Sixth Relic: [Locked]

Seventh Relic: [Locked]

Name: Ingvild of the Storm

True Name: —

Rank: Awakened

Class: Titan

Soul Core: [7/7].

Soul Shards: [7000/7000]

Aspect: [Storm Priestess].

Aspect Rank: [Divine].

Aspect Description: [There was once a priestess who carried the blood of the Storm God. Wherever she walks, the sea parts and storms disperse. She had achieved a higher level of divinity after offering herself to a Divine Sword. THE WORLD SHALL WITNESS THE REBIRTH OF THE SEA SERPENT.]

Attributes: [Spark of Divinity], [Undrowning], [Master of Storms], [Reforged], [Scales of the Sea Dragon].

Aspect Abilities: [Galebreathe], [Sea-Sunk], [Vorpal Blade].

Aspect Legacy: [Soulstorm]

Soulstorm Description: [A Storm rages within the depths of your soul. You can enforce that Storm upon the world, and control it as you see fit.]

Soul of Currents: [Claimed]

Soul of Direction: [Locked]

Soul of Winds: [Locked]

Soul of Thunder: [Locked]

Soul of Depths: [Locked]

Soul of Disaster: [Locked]

Soul of Darkness: [Locked]

Noble Phantasms: [Storm Ruler].

Creature Name: [Cerise, Heir of War]

Corruption Rank: Fallen

Corruption Class: Terror

Soul Shards: [1634/6000]

Creature Description: [A descendant of the War Goddess, who fought for the freedom of herself, and countless children. The toll was too high however, and her soul couldn't handle it.]

Creature Attributes: [Flame of Profanity],[Tyrant of War], [Bloodborne], [Reforged], [Blood Thief].

Creature Abilities: [Blood Manipulation], [Blood Inferno], [Blood Conduit].

Noble Phantasms: [Chikage].

Creature Name: Lumen Draconis

Corruption Rank: Fallen

Corruption Class: Tyrant

Soul Shards: [3845/5000]

Creature Description: [Blessed by the moon itself, Lumen Draconis will search for true power, no matter the cost.]

Corruption Attributes: [Dragonkin], [Moonspawn], [Reforged], [Boundless Determination].

Corruption Abilities: [Glintstone Sorcery], [Moonblade], [Dragon Communion].

Communions: [Rot], [Lightning], [Flame], [Ice], [Earth].

Noble Phantasms: [Darkmoon Greatsword].

Shirou and his Blades have gotten stronger, but unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough.

Artoria ignored his plight, and placed her hand on the pedestal behind the throne. One of the hidden functions of Camelot activated, and they were now in the real world.

Once they had arrived, Shirou recalled all of his Blades using [Soul Storage]. Once he made them exit his soul sea, he held the [Storm Ruler] in his hand, Cerise in his blood, and Draconis was next to him.

Artoria seemed to fiddle with the pedestal for a moment, as the entire city of Camelot started to shake. Shirou felt them moving upwards, but he wouldn't be sure unless he looked outside.

He did get the chance to look outside, as the castle started to unfurl, with the walls and roof turning into platforms. After a few minutes, everything was in place.

The entirety of Camelot was now floating in the sky, with everything being laid out like a battlefield. Shirou looked around in awe, wondering how a city could completely transform like this.

He was snapped out of his trance by a sound. A rock had fell from higher in the sky. Shirou looked up, and saw even more rocks dropping down to Camelot. After a few minutes, there was no more rocks coming down.

Shirou looked towards the rocks, wondering where they had come from. The rocks started to move, causing him to furrow his eyes. They had started to be attracted towards each other, becoming one.

As the rocks started to connect to each other, Shirou's eyes widened in alarm. They were transforming into a colossal golem. The golem wore obsidian armor, and had glowing red eyes. If Shirou were to guess it's size, he would say that it was as large as some of the tallest towers in the world.

"…Artoria?"

"Yes."

"I thought you said that the army of the Underworld was coming."

"I did."

"So, where are the rest?"

"It seems you have misunderstood."

Artoria pointed towards the still forming giant. If Shirou looked closely, there was a veil of elemental darkness that protected it from the world. It most likely stopped other's from interrupting it's construction.

"That is the army."

"…What?"

"It is a fusion of the many stone soldiers that the Prince of the Underworld created. A chimera, of sorts."

Once the golem was completely formed, the darkness flowed into it's hand. After a moment, it transformed into the shape of a massive greatsword of darkness.

Shirou felt a larger pressure than he he did against the Great Beast from a month ago. In fact, the difference was extremely apparent. As he looked upon the golem, he came to a guess about it's rank.

Great Titan

Shirou did not have any decent way of killing a Great enemy. Even worse if it was a Great Titan. It was already a miracle that he was able to sometimes kill a Corrupted Nightmare Creature, but that was because of his Blades. Even if he used every tool in his arsenal, he knew that he couldn't defeat this foe.

As he thought this, he quickly told Artoria to try something. She was somewhat confused, but did so anyways. The edge of the transformed Camelot started to bend inwards. Rather, more material started to be created, and formed a dome around the battlefield.

So convenient.

Shirou summoned the [Daemonic Forge], increasing his power to that of an Awakened Titan. He looked up at the approaching golem, which moved quite slowly. He summoned the [Rotbone Lance], while Artoria summoned her corrupted sword.

For a moment, nobody moved. Draconis was right by Shirou's side, and was preparing to start breathing all types of breaths. The golem stopped moving for a moment, until all of the sudden…

Everything blurred.

The obsidian golem approached with frightening speed, bringing down it's colossal blade of darkness along with it. Artoria's soul essence spiked, as she rushed forward to deflect this blow.

Shirou was already in the air, on the back of Draconis. He was circling around the Great Titan's body from a safe distance, in order to find a possible weak spot. He held the [Storm Ruler] in his left, and the [Rotbone Lance] in his right. This would have been inefficient for any person, with the sole exception of Shirou of course.

His [Clairvoyance] was extremely useful currently, as it allowed him to analyze it's body much better. He was summoning swords all over the domed battlefield, holding them in place in case a bombardment is necessary.

Down below, Artoria was struggling against the enemy. If she was struck even once, she would most definitely die. Avalon could not heal her if she was turned into a pulp, or cleaved in two.

It used to be possible, but that was when she was a Supreme. Now, as a Transcendent, she wouldn't be able to survive such damage. She deflected, dodged, and performed many other maneuvers in order to not be killed. She watched as Shirou circled them, trying to find a weak spot.

The Great Titan was quite slow for it's rank, making it much easier to deal with. In exchange, the damage that it could inflict was much more deadly. She swung her sword at it's legs a few times, causing it to have large chunks missing where it's feet and ankle were. However, it simply healed the damage.

It was not a lost cause, as the darkness started to weaken.

After what seemed to be an eternity, both Artoria and the Great Titan had started to run out of soul essence. The greatsword of darkness started to fade away, while Artoria was panting heavily. Although the Great Titan had much more soul essence, and of higher quality, it's use was unrefined, causing it to run out around the same time that she did.

However, the Great Titan still had the advantage, as even without it's weapon, it could still crush Artoria with it's hands. She would have no way of surviving, now that she was dry on soul essence.

Under normal circumstances, the Great Titan would have won.

However, these were not normal circumstances.

As the Great Titan attempted to finish off Artoria, countless explosions spread across it's body. This is the result of the thousand swords that Shirou had created in the past month, and surrounded the obsidian golem with.

Once the bombardment was over, with Shirou having used [Sword Trial] to increase the damage, the golem appeared from the smoke. It's body was decimated, as the durability it had was fueled by it's soul essence. Shirou saw a glow near where it's chest would be, and immediately made Draconis go towards it.

He use [Chronos Rose] on himself and Draconis, causing him to move at eightfold the usual speed. Shirou pulled back the [Rotbone Lance], feeling his essence quickly drain. He would have had much less if it wasn't for the fact that he used the [Daemonic Forge] and [Ashen Estus Ring].

Once they were right in front of the soul core of the Great Titan, Shirou stabbed forward. The lance struggled for a moment, before piercing through. He held out the [Storm Ruler], and electricity started to crack around it. Ingvild used her [Stormsoul] to enhance the [Scales of the Sea Dragon] attribute.

The sword also dug into the soul core. It seemed that this golem had it's soul core in the physical realm. Shirou guessed that it was because it was artificial.

After a few moments, the soul core shattered. The golem still had six more soul cores, but it seemed to have been enough. The [Rotbone Lance] was spreading [Scarlet Rot] through the soul, as it was now a physical construct.

The obsidian giant started to tip over, causing them to dive towards Artoria in order to grab her. Shirou pulled her onto Draconis as they made some distance.

The Great Titan fell to the floor, it's body breaking down and dissolving to darkness. Shirou watched as it's displayed soul cores started to shake, before fading away due to the rot spreading through it.

[You have defeated a Great Titan, Obsidian Chimera.]

Shirou felt a rush of sword fragments flow into his soul. He should have aquired around 112 if his math was correct. He was somewhat disappointed that he didn't obtain a Memory, but he was in shock that he had killed a Great Titan as a Sleeper.

Well, he had Artoria's help, but he had still killed one.

As Shirou was lost in thought, Artoria noticed the darkness approach her. She let it as she knew that Avalon would protect her. Once the darkness entered her soul, it was immediately expelled. The darkness seemed to be conscious in a way, as the next moment, it dove into Shirou. Artoria widened her eyes.

"Caliburn!"

Shirou looked down at the darkness seeping into his body. He shook his arms a few times to see if anything was wrong, but couldn't quite find out what it was. He felt [Mind of Steel] fight off the darkness, but his soul didn't seem to fair the same.

His soul seemed to have lost, as after a moment his soul was completely devoured. He blacked out, but not before seeing one last set of runes.

[You have received an Attribute: Hollow.]

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Shirou was walking. He didn't know why he was walking. He didn't know where he was walking. But even so, he kept walking.

Everything was dark. It was so dark that not even shadows could form. However, Shirou kept on walking.

There was something he was looking for. He didn't know what it was. He didn't know where it was. But he needed to find it.

After an eternity, Shirou had caught a glimpse of it. The thing that he had been searching for.

Within the pure darkness, a glowing light had appeared. He walked to the glowing light, as his identity crumbled, his soul fractured, but his [Mind of Steel] unbroken. As he reached out towards the light, he unconsciously spoke.

"Forged In Hell."

His soul started to reshape itself, becoming stronger in the process. At the same time, it tried to absorb the foreign energy, circulating it through monolithic gears.

The darkness once again swallowed his soul, devouring it once more. However, Forged In Hell was not going to let this be the end.

"Forged In Hell."

Each time he recalled his True Name, Shirou's soul reforged itself to become more powerful. The cycle continued, with Shirou's soul becoming stronger to try and absorb the darkness.

Shirou had grasped light, and as it started to fade, it had revealed an ornate sheathe.

Avalon.

However, it didn't seem to be complete. He didn't know why he thought that, but he believed that it was true. The sheathe may have looked fine on the outside, but it's powers were diluted.

Even so, it was enough. The darkness started to be weakened, but it was immediately absorbed by the cogs of Shirou's soul. The darkness was being controlled by his soul, fueling the crimson flames of his Forge Cores. Those flames started to turn darker, before the flames had become black themselves.

Shirou looked down at his hand, and saw the black flame appear. He played with it for a moment, before deciding that it was time to wake up.

Shirou looked at the sheathe in his other hand once more, but it had started to fade away. It seemed that using it for even a moment was too much for him at his current state.

————————————————————

[You have lost an Attribute.]

[You have received an Attribute: Abysswalker.]

Shirou opened his eyes, looking around the room that he was in. It was the room that he had used in the castle. He must have been asleep for a day or two, since nothing seemed too off.

He felt his forge essence for a moment, but it was rather sinister. It didn't seem to be a threat to him, but it would certainly be dangerous to others.

As he was feeling out the differences in his soul, he felt something move next to him. He slowly turned his head, and saw a certain Transcendent in bed with him.

…Does she need another lesson about public decency?