Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though not outside of expectations, as he had already seen the battle coming, Vahn was still a little surprised that someone would try and charge a static fortification with calvary. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person would issue such an order, so, while Gawain, Kenshin, and Lancelot took command of the defense, he stood atop one of the many wizard towers, accompanied by Artoria, as they both gazed out over the horizon.

Voicing what he had been thinking, Artoria asked, "Does she not appear similar to Scathach? There are clear similarities between them...even their weapons are similar..."

Nodding his head, Vahn answered, "If I had to guess, she is most likely Scathach’s older sister, Aife. I have heard a bit about her so that ridiculous chariot and those horses are a dead giveaway."

As the legends surrounding Scathach and Cú Chulainn were well known to her, Artoria was privy to most of Aife’s own legend, including the fact she had, for a time, been considered the equal of her sister in battle. While this hadn’t made much sense, as Aife ended up losing to a version of Cú who had yet to complete his training, she should still be a capable warrior.

Preempting Artoria’s question, Vahn shook his head, calmly stating, "This may very well be the only battle they have the opportunity to fight. Most of the Captains and Commander should be capable of taking down Aife so there is no reason for us to intervene."

Understanding Vahn had likely ’seen’ the outcome of the battle, something he could guarantee by taking no actions, Artoria decided not to press the matter. He had already explained how his ability works, so, if he was confident things would go well, there was no need to worry. She just needed to remain vigilant, ready to step in if things seemed like they were deviating off course...

Though the current Ivory Castle lacked its usual defensive and magical formations, it still had sturdy walls, heavily reinforced by [Faerie Rune]s and Dwarven craftsmanship. Thus, even siege weaponry, enhanced by magic, would be hard-pressed to deal substantial damage to the majestic walls, much less the spears of calvary soldiers. As a result, Gawain had the Militia take turns releasing devastating volleys of magical energy, raining one-sided destruction upon the crystalline warriors attempting to breach the castle walls.

While some might imagine that mounts gave the cavalry an advantage in regards to mobility, the truth of the matter was that the Homunculi could easily match the pace of a fighter jet, much less a supercharged horse. This allowed them to easily respond when the calvary split, attempting to leap over the tall walls and invade the interior of the castle. At the same time, Kenshin led her forces from the backside of the castle, where tall cliffs could usually be found, using the newly created route to flank the enemies with devastating effectiveness.

Kenshin wasn’t known as the Goddess of War for nothing, so, by happenstance, her attack came exactly at the most inopportune time for the enemy forces. They had just been splitting to try and surround the castle, leaving less than half of their numbers to meet with the three-hundred elites led by a total of eight Kenshin. She even led the charge directly, riding atop Houshoutsukige, her trusted steed that could gallop at a pace easily exceeding the speed of sound.

With her eight-branched spear in hand, Kenshin tore through enemy lines with impunity, shattering both the skeletal warriors and their mounts with ease. Her attacks even prevented the regeneration of every soldier she cut down, her mastery over the Laws allowing her to severe their connection to Aife. This hadn’t gone unnoticed by the vermillion-haired woman, who, from the moment Kenshin took to the battlefield, had been glaring at Houshoutsukige with a covetous expression.

While her own steeds were like masterworks carved by the Gods, there was no way they could hope to compete against Kenshin’s Houshoutsukige. The latter was capable of competing against B-Rank Heroic Spirits, and, while it didn’t give the same impression of beauty as Aife’s beloved pets, the aura that surrounded it, much like a famous General, inspired feelings of awe in anyone who bore witness to his majesty.

Aife had originally been intending to lure out Scathach, but, seeing Kenshin unceremoniously carve a path through her Noble Phantasm, she was no longer able to sit idle. She grabbed the golden reins of her chariot, shouting, "Onwards!" in a commanding tone. At the same time, she pulled one of the sapphire blue spears resting in a compartment at her side, allowing her to replenish her stock as she used the lethal blue spears as projectile weapons.

Though Kenshin was the focus of her ire, Aife thought to get even with her by targeting the former’s forces. Unfortunately for her, the unit trained by Kenshin wasn’t dealt with so easily. The Platoon and Squad Leaders had been paying close attention to her movements from the start, so, in response to her movement, they quickly banded together, forming a dome-like structure using shields that had pulled out of interspatial artifacts. As a result, the spears thrown by Aife impacted harmlessly against the barrier they had erected, creating a vibrant, bluish-white, light in the process.

Immediately after her opening attack, Aife pulled hard on the reins of her chariot, a vain attempt to try and evade several powerful attacks that had been sent her way. While the [Primordial Rune]s she had carved into her chariot and embossed into the bridles of her horses would protect them against most ranged attacks, her instincts screamed at her to evade. Unfortunately, while her stallions could keep pace with Houshoutsukige, the barrage of attacks loosed by Tristan, famous for ’never’ missing a target, proved more than a match for her defensive measures.

Tristan’s Noble Phantasm, [Failnaught], was a bow forged from his favorite harp, capable of firing vacuum arrows that moved swiftly enough to hit even the fastest Heroic Spirits. While the might of each arrow left something to be desired, the fact he could fire off dozens in a single second made his assault like a persistent stream of destruction, overwhelming anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the tempestuous onslaught.

Taking advantage of one of the main weaknesses of a chariot, Tristan had aimed the majority of his arrows towards the second row of horses, overwhelming the defenses in that singular area to easily kill the otherwise defenseless creature. As a result, its body went limp, causing the entire chariot to crash due to the interference caused by its corpse.

As there were few things she cherished more than her stallions, Aife released a feral cry in response to one of their deaths. At the same time, she arched her body in a perfect throwing motion, tossing her primary spear towards the red-haired Knight standing atop the castle’s bulwark. This attack was strong enough to tear through the void itself, sending ripples of blue lightning coursing through the area as it reached its target in what appeared to be an instant.

What Aife could have never expected was, despite the swiftness of her attack, someone was able to interfere, stepping in front of the entirely unperturbed Tristan and ’catching’ it out of the air. For a brief moment, her thought process came to a complete halt, gawking in disbelief as a purple-haired Knight reigned in her secondary Noble Phantasm, wielding it as if it were his own. Though they were more than a kilometer apart, she could see his lilac eyes, filled with a resolute light as he arched his body similar to her own, throwing the spear back at her with even greater force...

Though not on the same level as someone like Artoria, Aife’s [Instinct]s could be directly compared to Mordred. As a result, her body moved even before her mind could completely process everything that had happened. This allowed her to toss out a handful of small gemstones, each inscribed with an Algiz Runes inlaid with the blood of her Ancestors. These were heirlooms that were passed down to each generation, making them one of the most powerful protective charms that could be created using [Primordial Rune]s.

Due to the swift action of her body, Aife was spared the indignity of being struck down by her own spear. This did little to pacify the horror she felt, however, as the attack dished out by Lancelot was able to tear through four layers of protection before it finally lost its power. Since each layer would be able to protect against an A-Rank Noble Phantasm, this left her considerably shaken, her senses dulling as a powerful urge to flee took root in her heart.

In the brief moment where Aife was distracted, Kenshin appeared at her side, startling the red-haired warrior queen as she pointed her spear at the former’s neck and stated, "This battle is your loss. Will you concede or fight till your death? Make your choice!"

Momentarily bereft of her weapon, Aife was at a loss as to how she should respond to Kenshin. She didn’t want to concede defeat, but, according to the traditions of her people, she had little choice in the matter. Thus, after clenching her teeth and forcibly holding back tears, she begrudgingly stated, "I surrender..." in a shaky tone. At the same time, her soldiers began to dissolve away into motes of white light. Shortly thereafter, her chariot and horses also vanished, leaving Aife surrounded by a trio of Kenshin, a resentful look on her face as she averted her eyes in shame.

Despite Aife’s apparent surrender, Kenshin didn’t drop her guard for a moment, waiting until the former was restrained using the same artifacts used on Caenis. Her weapon was also confiscated, leaving Aife staring pointedly at the group of women before asking, "What will you do with me? I have already surrendered so there is no honor to be found in shaming me further..."

Hearing Aife’s remark, Kenshin stared at her curiously, stating, "You will, most likely, be meeting with the Emperor. You share a lot of similarities with one of our comrades so I imagine he wishes to speak with you before releasing you to your comrades."

Not expecting Kenshin’s remark, Aife showed an expression of disbelief as she asked, "What do you mean by that? I had thought the situation with Musashi and Caenis was ridiculous...do you mean to tell me that your Emperor is truly foolish enough to just release his captives without-"

Before Aife could finish her statement, a flash of light passed through the periphery of her vision, far faster than she could react. Then, with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, Kenshin, while wiping away a small amount of blood from her sword, stated, "You would do well not to insult our Emperor. Take a look around you...I’m not the only one offended by your words."

Without minding the fact her cheek was bleeding, Aife turned her head, matching gazes with several hundred Homunculi, each looking at her with a murderous glint in their ruby-red eyes. Their focused gazes were enough to even send shivers through Vahn’s body, so, feeling the killing intent wash over her like a baptism, Aife’s body began to tremble as she swallowed her words and lowered her head.

Seeing the warrior woman’s reaction, Kenshin released a small sigh, finding the red-haired beauty rather pitiful. Despite this, she offered no words of kindness, as, over the last three years, Kenshin had come to view Vahn in a similar light to Bishamonten. He was her God, Master, and Lover so she would never tolerate someone arbitrarily slandering his name, especially if they were an enemy. This was a notion she shared with everyone in her battalion, each devout believers in Vahn, willing to lay their lives down without hesitation for his cause...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’I kind of feel bad for Aife xD...’,’Lancelot don’t play o_o...’,’Insulting a God in front of his most devout believers...unwise (UwU)...’)