Gehaburn/Minds of Steel

Disclaimer: I do not own Neptunia or Fate series, and will never own them.

Prologue

正義の味方/Allies of Justice

I resisted the instinct to wince when my blades broke right before me, its shards exploded at the opposing impact and some cut my cheeks. I immediately formed another pair of blades to block the second strike. Again they shattered against the malicious purple blade. I held down my grimace as I formed yet another same pair of blades instantly to meet the same fate.

Kanshou and Bakuya, while being C- ranked swords that cannot be compared with the likes of Excalibur or even its ceremonial sword cousin Caliburn, are still legendary swords that have ascended to the ranks of Noble Phantasms through the best materials and a human sacrifice. Years of fighting in several wars has perfected my tracing time and projection quality towards the two married swords. Even if it was an instantaneous projection, its quality would not lose to the original swords.

Again, they barely lasted long enough to block the heavy blow before they broke. The same swords that could withstand a few of Hercules's blows shattered as though they were made of glass before the enemy.

What was wrong was not Kanshou and Bakuya, but the sWord that was in my opponent's hand.

I have seen hundreds of noble phantasm swords from Unlimited Blade Works and Gate of Babylon. I have seen and wielded further destructive and fantastic swords in the skirmishes against the Dead Apostles.

Not a single sword in my world of blades could be compared to the monstrosity of a sword before me. The sword has the shape close to a great sword, with a large beam blade that radiated a sinister purple force across it. The violet hilt has a futuristic design and was held by a girl barely as tall as Saber. It's wielder was 'armored' in her HDD form, a revealing black bathing suit with glowing purplish pink pieces on it. Floating on her back were four pieces of 'processor units' that served to boost their user and gave them flight capability. Two have malevolent design with five protruding wings glowing warmly red. The other two were smaller and have three wings pointing downwards instead. She has long radiant pink hair to her knees and bright azure eyes that were glaringly inhumane.

I have heard tales and rumors of the sole remaining Goddess. Many called her a tyrant and described her appearance that of a psychopathic Queen on a skull throne. An entity that would only cause fear of death to all at her presence. Having seen her photo prior infiltrating here, I was expecting to face an evil like a Dead Apostle.

I had entered into the throne room and my expectations had already betrayed me. It was nothing like the exquisite polished marble floors I have seen in Lastation's basilicom. The floor was clean and modest, more befitting of an office floor than a throne room. Pillars protruded from the walls, with some broken without signs to be fixed. At the center of the room were two crescent tables separated but in the shape of a circle. Three empty chairs by each table. My hand laid on top of the table and analyzed it. The table was old. It has been here for at least hundreds of years and the signs of decay on its surface were opened to be seen. I looked up and was surprised to see two thrones, the thrones as worn out as the tables. The one on my right was empty. The one on my left had sat my assassination target.

I was supposed to activate Unlimited Blade Works before I engaged her. Yet when I saw her from the other end of the throne room, I was captivated by her.

What I saw was not the Goddess clashing her sword with me. Not the tyrant everyone I knew have said. Not the monster that I had come to assassinate.

Not but a little frail girl who fell asleep on a throne too big for her. Even when I stood before her, her head was nodding off, defenseless and well at peace in her sleep.

Maybe I should have shook her awake. Maybe I should have waited until she has received enough sleep to cure the bags under her eyes.

But too much blood has been spilled. I have spilled too much blood to just stop here. If the Empress dies, the world shall be saved.

I traced Kanshou and Bakuya, hoping to end this painless for her.

That was my second mistake after forgetting to summon Unlimited Blade Works. I should not have thought it would be this easy.

A sword manifested in the girl's hand and blasted me away with malicious force. When I got up from the floor, gone was the little girl asleep on the throne. Hovering on the throne looking down at me was an entity beyond men. Her bewitching beauty could mesmerize any man and had let me breathless as well. I would have not been able to look away, if not for the feeling of dread taking hold of me and forced my eyes to the sword she held instead.

The edges of the blade shimmered with darkness, a darkness I knew too well.

That sword was called Gehaburn.

And the darkness enthralling it was All Evil in this World.

A sword whose existence was Evil reincarnated. The sword itself was a natural phenomenon. It was not created but merely existed. Corrupting the minds of anyone nearby, it subtly built itself a dungeon and awaited for the one to arrive. For it knew when End arrived, only all Evil or all Good could destroy it.

When End approached, the sword whispered.

"...heard of... ...a cursed sword that could destroy any evil in this world... ..."

Evil spreads.

"... ..ago... ... ... a sword that could kill the Deity of Sin with one swing... ..."

Evil calls.

"... ... ...sacrifice to save this world, what would you do? ...not yours...but the lives of your love ones... What would you do then?"

Evil taints

"... ... ...have you prepared yourself for what is going to come?"

Evil prevailed.

A naive young girl pulled out the sword and sacrificed her weak good for all Evil. She fed it blood after blood until all Good left has been corrupted into all Evil in this World.

The young girl killed the End, but it came with sacrifices.

Sacrifices that would not end there.

A world that would rot and fall if there was no progress. A Goddess who was slowly being pulled into madness and despair. What came was a civilization being dictated by a mad girl and enforced to strive.

If they do not progress, they would be punished by death.

Villages were burnt. In their place factories were built.

Companies were massacred. Their examples pushed others to advance progress.

People were singled out and executed. With it all men and women worked their all as slaves to progress and their Empress.

A nightmare that had lasted a few hundred years. Any militia of the three countries, Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox has been utterly crushed and would never be back. The people had already given up hope on this world.

Until this year.

An immortal leader put a plan that has been schemed over hundreds of years to existence. Machines that once supervised slaves became men's weapons. People all rose as one and wrecked havoc across Gamindustri. One by one rose the Rebellion Army of Lastation, Lowee and Leanbox.

I was there for all the major battles. Even if I was not from this world, there was no way I could let such evil persist. As fate would have it, the first person I met was the immortal leader herself. Together, we fought through anyone in our way and saved the people.

One land at a time, the basilicom of the three other lands fell.

And today, Planeptune would fall with its Empress.

By my blade.

For what must have been my twentieth pair of swords, they were again broken from the sheer power behind that malicious blade. As we crossed blades, the sound of explosion erupted across the entire building. A massive army of rebels have broken into the basilicom and was on their way to destroy the remaining Planeptune automatons' control center and the Sharicite which empowered the Empress. I infiltrated the building before the main force arrived to do one job.

To stall the Empress until both of the mission objectives were complete, or die trying.

When the leader gave me her order, there were objections from our comrades. They refused to send me into a suicide mission. They were truly comrades I could call friends.

That was all the more reason I have to go. If the Empress was really that strong, no way would I let her get the chance to get to anyone of my comrades. Besides,

"I can buy time for you if you want but,

You don't mind if ended up I killing her, do you?"

I always wanted to say that line.

The twenty-fifth pair were formed and took the blow meant for my head. For all I have boasted, this was starting to get bad. Even though this was a stalemate between her attack and my complete defense, my arms would not be able to maintain at their full strength much longer. Worse, my opponent was an actual 'Goddess'. It was said that she had been severely weakened due to the lack of 'shares' but she still has managed to force me on the defensive. Things would only turn against me over time. I needed something to happen to break this stalemate.

Then as if heeding my call, a massive explosion erupted from the bottom and shook the entire building. Judging from the source of the explosion and the Empress' panicked face, that must have been the Sharicite. The leader really did it.

The floor was trembling and she has been weakened. This is my chance!

Adjusting my foothold on the shaking floor, I switched my form towards engagement stance and swung my swords towards her. If I could just push her back, I could trace the weapon I needed to take her down!

However when the Empress simply dodged my blows in midair, I realized a grave mistake.

Hovering from the start to be as tall as me, she was not affected by the trembling ground at all. I was the one who has leaked an opening.

I quickly directed my blades and held them as two layer of shields before my body. It does not matter. The moment I stopped parrying her blade, my defense was as good as gone.

She thrusted her sword and punched through the two Noble Phantasms. The drops of blood at the side of my mouth and the familiar pain of having a blade burying in my chest was all I needed to know what it went through next.

From the pain I could tell that it did not hit a vital point. From the missing feeling of my back I could tell the sword has went clearly through me.

From the grinding sound of swords, I knew this was my chance.

"Divine skill, flawless and firm."

With her sword buried in me, I projected another perfect pair of the married blades and charged them with all the energy I could in that second. My opponent was a Goddess, she should have been able to pull back her blade and cut me down with that same second.

That was, if the sword had not needed to grind through countless blades to get out.

"Swords!?" She leaked out. The swords and her surprise caused her a second of delay.

That lapse in speed was all I needed.

Realizing she was at the mercy of my charged blades, she chose to dash away from me instead of challenging them head on. I threw Kanshou and Bakuya from both sides the moment she was away.

The two blades cut two arcs between us and aimed to intersect at her blades were trapping her faster than she could dodge. Even if she was a Goddess, there was no way she could survive being beheaded by legendary noble phantasms.

She raised her blade just in time to only deflected the two blades to her back at the same second. Because of the split delay and surprise at my wound, she missed the chance to destroy the swords this time.

Seeing that I was unarmed, she did not hesitate to charge in. She was calm throughout the fight but she must have became anxious at the destruction of her Sharicite. That recklessness shalt be her downfall.

"Trace, overedge."

The moment the first pair of Kanshou and Bakuya were projected, I have already started on a second pair of their stronger, mutated version. White and raven wing-like blades altered Kanshou and Bakuya respectively, lengthening them with greater reach and enforcing them with stronger steel. With two long blades I met her head on.

Kanshou and Bakuya Overedged caught the Evil blade Gehaburn in place.

"It withstood Gehaburn!?"

"Strength moves mountains."

"What are you say-Gah!"

Blood spit out of her mouth when the surprise attack hit. Her eyes widened in surprise at the attack that came from behind. Her surprise at the Overedged blades was her second mistake. It caused her to miss the first attack that came from the first blade she deflected.

Kanshou and Bakuya are two married blades. As long as the other exist, they would naturally swing back to their counterpart.

While Kanshou was lodged at her back, I struck with Kanshou Overedge.

Withstanding the pain, she swung Gehaburn again. Without its partner Bakuya backing it up, Kanshou Overedge broke.

"Blade cuts water."

"That trick won't work twice!"

With the same full force, she diverted her sword to her back and destroyed Bakuya before it could reach her. As expected of a Goddess, she has strengths and reflexes beyond servants and almost on par with the stronger Dead Apostles. I could believe that there was no one else in this world who could kill her.

No one else except me.

I have became a monster killer after all.

With her guard open, I gripped Bakuya Overedge with all the force I could muster and swung it at her!

Yet even that final attack was blocked. The blade withstood hers for a split second before it too shattered like its partner. However their sacrifices would not be in vain.

Triple-Linked Crane Wings was a strategy devised by Archer in his journey to against monsters with strength beyond humanity's. With three consecutive pairs of Kanshou and Bakuya traced one after the other, it aimed to push its opponent to their limit from blocking four different attacks at the same time. When the opponent reached their limit with their guard left open, the instantly traced third and final pair shalt finish him.

However a third pair of Kanshou and Bakuya would not be sufficient enough to end the Goddess. Even after being struck with one and blocking three strikes, she still has enough strength left. Kanshou and Bakuya would not make it in time nor be powerful enough to clash with Gehaburn.

But this split second was my only chance. The next second she recovered, it would be my death.

If you cannot defeat someone, imagine something that can defeat it.

With the right sword in my mind, I formed its stance.

Life approaches the Imperial Villa.

A katana taller than men. A length that gave it grace and elegance no other swords could compare. It was not a sword that belonged to a hero. Since history has merge the tales of two swordsman to be folder boss in Musashi's story, its true user never made it the thrones of heroes.

Yet the sword remained. A dedication which outlasted the law of space and time. A technique so deadly that shamed other noble phantasms that was only made possible by magic.

Upon my world of blades, Monohoshi Zao answered my call.

"This is the end!" With the strength she had left, she recklessly charged.

...I will die.

Monohoshi Zao was already forming in my hands but I would not make it in time to swing it. Due to its length, its true technique could not be used at point-blank. Even before that, I am totally defenseless now. There was nothing I could do to stop that sword aiming straight for my heart.

I could see how the All Evil in the World blazed at the demise of its prey. Even if I could continue fighting after being stabbed, there was no way I could survive an attack from All Evil in the World through the heart.

Dodge? Then I would lose the chance to finish her and be killed either way.

Swing it now? The blade would break all the same.

...There was nothing I could do.

"Nepgear!" A familiar voice cried out from behind me.

"-!" The Empress actually stopped. Her eyes averted to whoever was behind me and widened.

Two great men, shared life.

This was my only chance!

"Tsubame Gaeshi!"

Her eyes turned back to me, but she was already too late.

The first sword came from above. It sliced down and broke against Gehaburn.

The second sword came from her right. It cut into her arm before it was blocked and broke too.

The third sword came from below at her left. It drew an arc unchallenged from the lower left of her waist diagonally up her chest and out of her shoulder.

Reality distorted and the Monohoshi Zao shattered at the destruction of its two other parallel selves.

"... ..." The Empress opened her mouth as though to say something. She never made it.

Blood splattered out of the long gash of wound and her mouth. Whatever supported her flight capability failed and she fell on to the ground. She laid rest there, her blood flowing out of her wound.

My mysterious savior walked past me and to the Empress with a lance in her hand. She stared at the tyrant that she had plotted to defeat over hundreds of years at her feet.

Even at that state, the Empress did not let go of her sword. But it was her other hand that reached out towards the rebellion leader. I noticed how she seemingly could not remove her eyes away from the leader's face.

"... ... Chika?"

"... ..."

Without a word, Hakozaki Chika lifted her lance and pierced it through the Empress' heart.

The raised hand fell and splashed against the blood.

On this day, the Empress who had conquered Gamindustri for hundreds of years, Nepgear, is dead.

"Good work, Shirou. Thanks to you, the tyranny that has lasted for hundreds of years have finally ended."

"In the end, I can't even defeat her without your help. You are the true heroine, Chika." I smiled. "Your revolution have saved Gamindustri."

Chika did not reply. Her red eyes were still fixated at the Empress'. There was no life in the Empress' eyes. Without a doubt she was gone.

With the tension of the battle gone, I fell to my knees. Barely a few seconds have passed since the cursed sword has went through me. Luckily the blade did not seem to have any cursed properties stopping Avalon from healing myself. As long as I do not do anything, I would recover in a few minutes.

Still, the battle was not yet over. There was the automaton's control center to shut down. Every minute I wasted here could be used to save more lives instead. Just a single sword wound would not be enough stop me.

I pumped energy into my legs and stood back up. The warning from my brain told me to stop, but I had stopped listening to it a long time ago. I would admit I was stupid that way.

However, I would not let anything stop me from acting on my ideals.

Even if I am now in a totally different dimension, it's still my fate to save people.

My intention did not go unnoticed. Chika pulled out her lance from the Empress and leveled it at me. I chuckled, that reminded me of our first meeting.

"Where do you think you are going?" Demanded Chika. "Stop."

"You know me. I won't stop until the battle ends." I disregarded Chika and started to walk towards exit. At least I could still assist the army with ranged support. Just give me the target and I would make that area go up in flames.

"Then leave the Holy Grail with me. It is the last thing that will disrupt my plan."

At the familiar name I stopped. I must have misheard her. I turned to face Chika, my hands grasping around inexistent swords.

"What are you talking about? What Holy Grail?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know the Grail is inside you." With light and short footsteps, she started to close the distance between us. "The omnipotent wish granting device. Give me the grail now."

"How do you know about the Holy Grail? No one in this world should know about its existence."

Most of all, no one except wretched Zelretch and I should know that I currently possessed a genuine omnipotent wish granting device. Chaldea's rayshift had went wrong and I had stumbled into this world with the Holy Grail in me. Christianity did not even exist in this world and I had never mentioned it, not even the Holy Grail wars. There was no way Chika could know about its existence, much less learnt that it was in me.

Chika was always there beside me ever since I first arrived into this world. I gave her my back, I trusted her. At Leanbox we founded our first resistance army. At Lastation she risked her life to save me from Jinguji Mio's death trap. At Lowee we had embraced each other for warmth and comfort against the harsh winter and memories. Planeptune should have been the place where we celebrated our victory, the completion of our dreams.

Kanshou and Bakuya formed in my hands. The wound has not fully closed, it would impact my performance by forty percent. My arms were tired but they would hold. All circuits were fully operational. If it really came down to it, I would-

The floor- no the entire building trembled. This was not caused by any explosion, it was a genuine earthquake.

"What is happening!?"

"Gamindustri is a continent held prosperous and alive only through the divine protection of the Goddesses." Chika stood unaffected by the earthquake. She knew this would have happened.

"Now that the last Goddess is dead and faith is non-existent, Gamindustri shall fall apart."

...Without the last Goddess, Gamindustri is dead?

Because I had killed the Empress, Gamindustri shall die.

"What is the meaning of this rebellion!? Is the destruction of Gamindustri your goal all along!? Hakozaki Chika!" I snarled at her. My anger gripping the hilts of my swords.

In response, Chika laughed. It was not the prideful laughter that reminded me of Rin. Her laughter now is full of sadistic glee. She bent over and laughed uncontrollably. This was a side of Hakozaki Chika I have never seen. But this style of laughter was all too familiar to me, it was a kind of laughter that occurred in my nightmares.

Sakura had laughed like that too, in the cave before the tainted Greater Grail. My words no longer reached her, and I was forced to cut her down to save the world.

"Meaning? Of course it's to take down Nepgear and kill her! She took my beloved Goddess away from me! I have never lied to you, Shirou. This rebellion is about killing Nepgear from the start to the end."

"Gamindustri is just a collateral damage."

...collateral damage?

She dared to call the death of every single living being in this world a collateral damage!?

This was the same as Sakura. Sakura was not the person I have known all along. The Chika I had known was fake. The question remained was...

"Who...what are you?"

The being I had known as Chika paused her laughter and stared at me. It was as though she was considering how to answer my question. Then her mouth curved into a sinister grin, her eyes exposed the madness that laid within.

"My name is CFW Chika, the longest surviving Four Felons of the ASIC. In return for immortality, I shall offer the death of Gamindustri as a tribute to the Goddess Arfoire! Now that Nepgear is dead, there is only one person who can stand in my way."

The fight was over before I could raise my blades.

It was at a speed that my eyes' clairvoyance could barely catch, but my body simply couldn't respond in time. Her hand had thrusted through my body of blades and grasped my beating heart. In cold realization, what I truly feared was the presence of the Holy Grail was starting to fade from me.

As though pulling the Holy Grail from my heart, Chika wretched it out of me. Blades were trying to fill the gap of the heart. It wouldn't work, it's simply making it worse. I have to get the Holy Grail back. It was the only way to save Gamindustri. As long as I could make the wish with the Grail, the world would be saved.

My mind blurred, my knees dropped and splattered against my own pool of blood. Kanshou and Bakuya dematerialized from my hands. I formed them again. My mind was rapidly deteriorating but the body knew what to do. It picked me up and stepped me towards Chika.

At my seemingly futile efforts to reach her, Chika savoured the grim state of the man that made her dream came true with a sadistic grin. She gripped my heart before me, slowly crushing it.

My attention was on the Holy Grail that laid within her, my heart be damned. I reached my blade out...and saw a figure rising behind Chika.

"I...will protect...Gamindustri."

A suffocating wave of dread flooded the room. It's source stood behind Chika, the Empress who was supposed to be dead. Blood no longer flowed out of the wound I have inflicted on her, a darkness that could only be All Evil in this World patched her scarred body. When Chika finally turned around, the cursed sword Gehaburn protruded from her back. The hand which had prepared to pierce the Empress with the lance dropped the weapon harmless on the ground. Insignificantly, my heart slipped from her other hand and rolled away.

Wordlessly, the friend I have known as Hakozaki Chika faded away from my eyes. Leaving behind the Empress and I, both of us already dead. I would not survive my wound, but I still have an ideal to uphold.

At Chika's death, the Holy Grail was passed into the Empress. Even though she was standing now, it was clear from her eyes that she does not have much in her left. For once, the Gehaburn in her hand slipped from her grasp.

My body pulled another step forward. As long as I could reach her, there's still a chance to save Gamindustri.

Another step. Blood was cogging my throat. It's alright. I do not need to word out my wish.

Final two steps. Kanshou and Bakuya disappeared. I too do not need them anymore.

One last step left- I fell. With it I knew I failed to save Gamindustri, along with it my ideals and me.

The Empress moved, and with her first step closed the distance between us. Her frail arms caught me into her cold embrace. Our wounds grinded against each other, blood mixed and its hot touch spiked pain into our minds. For that second I was aware of the girl holding me and I put my hand on the back of her head to embrace back. When her head snuggled against my chest, my mind was assaulted with the humane warmth and I knew what my ideals demanded me to do then.

The world was momentarily forgotten, the balance fell in the girl's favour. Holding the girl with the Grail in my hand, I made the wish.

.

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This wish has been heard. Saving data now.

Save complete. Loading New Game+.

Loading complete. Inheriting data.

Error: Neptune not found.

Error: File Nepgear is corrupted.

Recreating Nepg%^&$%^

DLC Character Empress Nepgear has been added.

Nepgear's levels has been inherited.

Empress Nepgear's levels has been inherited

Error: Noire not found.

Error: Uni not found.

Error: Blanc not found.

Error: Ram not found.

Error: Rom not found.

Error: Vert not found.

Error: IF not found.

Error: Compa not found.

Error: Red not found.

Error: Falcom not found.

Error: Gust not found.

Error: 5pb not found.

Error: Cave not found.

Error: Unknown entity Emiya S-! #$%^&&!

DLC Character Emiya Shirou has been added.

Emiya Shirou's levels has been inherited.

Welcome to New Game+

A/N: Please review if you like the story or give suggestions on how I can improve the story or my writing style. Corrections on Grammar mistakes is sincerely welcomed.