Currently, history has diverged… In this timeline, Francesca, who had allied with the White Wing Lord, was substituted by the meteor I called down, which ground her into dust. However, originally, the events of the Rail Zeppelin were not supposed to unfold in such a manner.
Due to the machinations of a certain magus—Doctor Heartless, the primary antagonist of the Lord El-Melloi II Case Files—the route of the Rail Zeppelin was meant to be diverted toward a subspecies of the Einnashe forest. In the process of escaping that place, various incidents were supposed to occur, such as the intervention of Hephaestion, the body double of King Iskandar.
Well, in the reality I currently inhabit, that delusional illusionist teamed up with the White Wing Lord’s faction to attack the Holy Church and me—who had previously cleaned them out in Nevada—only to suffer a counter-attack and end up captured. Regardless… the 'original' catalyst for the Rail Zeppelin incident was the murder of the attendant of Lord Animusphere—specifically, Olga Marie Animusphere’s servant—which led to the train being sucked into the ‘subspecies’ of the Einnashe forest.
Yes, a subspecies of Einnashe.
To be precise, it is more like the spawn or offspring of Einnashe. It originates from a fruit formed by Einnashe once every few decades by sucking the blood of all animals in the forest. When that fruit forms its own forest, it becomes a Child of Einnashe.
Even a mere Child of Einnashe is capable of significantly obstructing the Rail Zeppelin, which could be considered a collection of everything Rita Rozay-en ever possessed. It is an entity that Olga Marie, a top-tier magus equipped with Mystic Eye Telescopes, could only barely repel with a Ten-Count incantation.
So, what about the original?
Though a fifty-kilometer forest had not yet formed, and the only offerings I could provide were my own pre-drawn blood and the nearby corpses of Phantasmal Beasts and humans, the entity began to greedily extend its vines and roots the moment it was released from its seal, hungrily seeking blood.
“…Are you certain this is truly alright?”
“I’ve established a firm Master-Servant contract. In fact, its binding power is stronger than the Command Spells used on ‘Servants.’”
The powers of the Rinnegan—the Human Path and Animal Path, the manipulation of souls via a fragment of the Third Magic, and the ability to freely summon and control all Phantasmal Beasts—allowed me to utilize the infinitely weakened existence of Einnashe… its so-called ‘Idea Bloodshade,’ quite effectively.
The blood-soaked tree roots instantly bound the corpses, greedily devouring their bodily fluids. After sinking its roots into the earth, it began to expand its size.
As if skipping the natural process of growing from a seed to a tree and bearing fruit, it extended its trunks and roots, forcefully embedding them into the ground and dividing. The sight looked like a person in the shape of a tree desperately trying to multiply their numbers.
Originally possessing the ‘memory’ of a forest stretching over tens of kilometers, it was striving to return to its original state… Indeed, it even extended its vines toward Tristan.
“Not a chance. He’s off-limits.”
When I repelled the vines somewhat roughly with Shinra Tensei, the massive ash tree hesitated for a moment. Soon after, it redirected its vines and roots toward other small animals and the Crusaders wandering nearby, shouting, “Wha—! What is this!”
Naturally, the Crusaders were the first to notice the anomaly—the logically impossible sight of a ‘tree’ moving.
“Over there! It’s over there!”
“The pagans are that way! Capture the—Wait, that thing is dangerous!”
They seemed to have some level of experience, as they faltered upon seeing Einnashe, which had already grown far larger than any roadside tree. However, the vines lunging at them were not things that could be blocked by shields or gambesons.
Snap. It shattered steel swords and spearheads. In an instant, the tree shoved its vines into their mouths, eyes, ears—every orifice available—and began to guzzle their blood and fluids like a thirsty child drinking through a straw. Sucked dry until not a single drop of essence remained, the husks—looking like dried squid—were cast onto the ground. Einnashe immediately turned its attention toward new victims.
“…How cruel. Even in Britain, such terrifying creatures were not common.”
“Good grief. Saying they were ‘not common’ implies they existed regardless, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, well… for starters, Vortigern himself was an astronomical monster. Then there were the beasts, Phantasmals, and homunculi that Morgan would occasionally produce, and sometimes Sir Merlin, as a prank… no, let us skip that. Anyway, back then, I saw so many dragons that I grew sick of them, so monsters like this are a bit… no, but was it Einnashe? Such vampiric species were quite rare.”
“Weren’t fairies vampiric species? Don’t they belong to the category of Elementals anyway?”
“How shall I put it? The fairies of our era were mostly helpers or those belonging to the side of Good. The Lady of the Lake was one, and if one truly understood Morgan’s inner self, she wasn't a person one could purely pour hatred upon. Though, while I can sympathize, it is very difficult to actually like her.”
“I can’t deny that.”
Though she was the Morgan of the Lostbelt, considering the detestable nature of the fairies, Artoria Pendragon would likely appear as a villain who usurped her rightful throne from Morgan’s perspective. Of course, that doesn’t justify committing what amounts to child abuse against Mordred and causing all sorts of chaos… but thinking about the events of the Sixth Lostbelt, it’s unavoidable to feel some pity for the woman whom Artoria dismisses as a ‘wicked witch.’
Meanwhile, as Tristan and I chatted, Einnashe had already grown into five distinct trees.
Centering around a massive ash tree, it scattered the absorbed fluids like a watering can, as if a mother bird feeding its chicks. It began to sink roots into nearby animals, humans, and even various trees and flowers to devour their essence.
“That is…”
“Einnashe was the forest itself. It’s likely trying to mimic other trees and flowers…”
At that moment, with a popping sound, countless flower seeds burst forth from the trunk of the central Einnashe. Resembling dandelion seeds but acting more like parasites, they began to seize the surrounding land the moment they touched the soil.
Driven by pure survival instinct, it was the ability to transform the territory into a place suitable for the growth of vampiric plants.
“…I just had a very unpleasant thought.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing… Just because of a certain damn spider.”
Of course, the level of Einnashe compared to the spider that devours planets is like heaven and earth. However, as I continued to observe the transformation of the land itself through the Rinnegan, I couldn't help but feel that same sense of discomfort.
“Then, Master, do you intend to hold this position indefinitely?”
Tristan asked in a somewhat concerned tone.
“Of course not. Didn’t you say it’s unlikely that reinforcements will come from Camelot? Even if we hold out this way, there are limits. I told you, right? Even if this is Einnashe, it’s just an incompletely revived shell. If several of those fallen Servants show up, it’ll be destroyed in an instant.”
“Then what sort of operation are you conceiving?”
“First off, it doesn’t look like the Servants will come running immediately, right?”
“Indeed. An army is not a creature that can move so organically. Reports will only reach the commanders once a few squads have been slaughtered.”
“Then I’ll continue hunting like this. You know what? In a territory that Einnashe has claimed as its own land, magecraft cannot be used.”
“…Is that truly so?”
“In its prime, it was a Dead Apostle ranked within the top ten… Simply put, it was an entity for whom ‘Death’ could not be physically created. It died eventually… but regardless, it means their vaunted magecraft battalions will find it impossible to play any active role.”
The reason magecraft battalions are powerful lies in their massed violence and standardized thaumaturgical systems.
The reason Barthomeloi Lorelei’s Chthonic Regiment could overwhelmingly crush the beasts I summoned through the Animal Path was their formation, the secret techniques of the Department of Law, and the overwhelming violence generated by their numbers—not because their individuals possessed the skill to overpower other magi. Of course, the head of the Barthomeloi house herself possesses such skill.
“For now, let’s wait leisurely. Not for the Crusaders… but for the ones I am truly waiting for.”
*
It is him.
He is here in this place.
I must kill him. I will kill that man who ended my immortality.
I will seize his flesh and drink every drop of blood in his body.
Eat, devour. That face that looked down upon us, and that thick, beating, hot heart—seize them with the fangs of our beasts.
Devour, devour.
Devour the body of the Magus.
Make them a part of ‘us.’
*
“…It seems he’s arrived.”
“Pardon?”
“Honestly, I was half-doubting it. Since even Merem Solomon exists fitting the era, it was highly likely he would be here too. It was a gamble whether he’d have his memories or not, but seeing how pissed off he is, it’s certain he remembers.”
Massive beasts were rushing forward.
They were like the beasts of my Animal Path, yet lacked unity and were far more irregular… Yes, a swarm of animals, as if ‘Chaos’ itself had been transplanted, came swarming through the land seized by Einnashe.
“Tristan, you know how to handle Phantasmal Beasts, right? Intercept them as you see fit. I’ll deal with the main body myself.”
“Understood!”
“Back then, I let Arcueid Brunestud take the lead… well, it couldn’t be helped if I wanted to follow the scenario. After all, I couldn’t let a lunatic like you commit a hotel massacre in my hometown, could I?”
Is he listening?
Probably. All those beasts are the familiars of Nrvnqsr Chaos, and simultaneously, they are Nrvnqsr Chaos himself.
Internally mocking Nrvnqsr Chaos to the fullest, I began to slice the beasts apart.
The blood they spilled and the fluids of the beasts were gradually, unknowingly, seeping into the soil dominated by the Forest of Einnashe.
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