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IBHJ Chapter 585
🕑 Added 2023-11-21 23:18:54 +0000 UTCBeasts are great disasters rejected by human history, also called the Evils of Humanity. They arise from the negative karma produced by humanity’s progress and strengthen alongside human civilization.
In the Type-Moon world, there are seven Beasts in total. Goetia and Tiamat are among them.
Shirou once feared that after destroying the invader, he too would degenerate into a Beast. Fortunately, the enemies disappeared before he reached his limit. He had only swallowed a portion of Evil without completely filling his container.
It goes without saying how terrifying a Beast is. Even just one, like Goetia, had power enough to incinerate human history. Also in the original FGO timeline, without Romani’s sacrifice, even Goetia was undefeatable.
The existence of Grand Servants is to combat Beasts. However, Beasts possess tremendous power. According to Type-Moon's settings, only seven Grand Servants combined could match one Beast.
As such, he desperately wished to avoid confronting one. Yet fate had other plans, leading him to cross paths with a Beast regardless.
In the dilapidated camp, he gave the nun a vigilant gaze.
Kiara Sessyoin, also known as the third Beast, or the Devil's Bodhisattva. Shirou never imagined their encounter in Romania - nothing like this should happen in the original F/A timeline. Obviously, this was also influenced by the connection points.
Wait a moment!
The connection points!
Shirou suddenly realized something. According to Romani, Goetia was one of the Council members. As one of the seven human evils, Goetia was only a single Council member. What if the entire Council consisted of Beasts?
If true, it would be utterly despairing. Most importantly, could Kiara Sessyoin also be a Council member? One of the guardians of the Grail that Gray mentioned?
He stared at Kiara, brows knitted in contemplation.
To be honest, the moment he saw Kiara, his first instinct was to kill her. However, he couldn't immediately discern Kiara's current state. It would be fine if she was an ordinary human at the moment. But if she was already in her Beast III state, charging recklessly into combat would likely prove suicidal.
After receiving their permission to stay, Kiara flashed a bright smile. She gently asked, "Excuse me, is something wrong with my face, Mr. Assassin?"
Shirou had not revealed his identity. Seeing Adam's group address him as "Mr. Assassin," Kiara followed suit.
He considered his words before asking, "Miss Kiara, why were you being pursued?"
"I don't know," she replied, furrowing her brow. "In fact, I don't even know why I'm here."
His brows knitted together.
Mash wore a bewildered expression. "You don't know why you appeared here, Miss Kiara?"
"Yes," she nodded, her face troubled. "I remember I should be reading Anderson's fairy tales, deep in the mountains. Why would I be here? I can't make sense of it."
"Deep in the mountains?"
"That's right." she nodded again. "Oh, please forgive me. This is my first time interacting with outsiders - I forgot introductions are in order. I am the daughter of the head of the Shingon Tachikawa Eiten School. My father forbids me from contact with the outside world, so I should have remained secluded in the mountain. Yet I truly do not know why I am here now."
Kiara looked deeply troubled.
Shirou studied her carefully several times. She seemed very earnest, with no flaws in her story. There were two possibilities: Either Kiara truly didn't know anything, or her acting was so masterful it deceived even his perception.
"But why would someone, a Heroic Spirit at that, start chasing you, Miss Kiara?" Adam asked curiously.
"I don't know,” she shook her head. “I only remember reading Andersen's fairy tales in my room. Then I appeared in a forest. After that...that woman started chasing me."
"Atalanta... No. Why did she want to kill you?" Shirou frowned.
"I don't know,” Kiara shook her head again.
She pleaded ignorance to all questions. Moreover, she lacked modern knowledge, as if freshly emerged from isolation. Many ordinary things drew surprised exclamations from her. And in the blink of an eye, she appeared to have forgotten Atalanta's pursuit entirely.
But he remembered. He couldn’t ignore it - by his understanding, the other party had become a Beast before.
The lead on the Chthonians was lost. Now, Kiara Sessyoin had appeared.
Shirou's mind was in turmoil.
Although Adam and company were engaged in rebellious activities, their hearts were as blank as white paper. And Kiara was also like a newborn babe - full of curiosity about the outside world - nothing like the third beast he knew.
The two parties chatted happily. Soon, they spoke of each other's circumstances.
Kiara was astonished at Adam and company's experiences while they were also concerned for her.
It turned out Kiara, daughter of the Shingon Tachikawa Eiten School's head, suffered an incurable illness since childhood that would claim her life before fourteen.
Adam's group sympathized intensely, comforting her in turns and insisting all would be well.
"You are all so pure," said Kiara.
"Pure?" a homunculus asked. "Why do you say we're pure?"
"Um...it was the word that came to mind. You look at me differently than my father's followers. I like it very much." she smiled. "So this is the outside world? I love it."
Adam and company revealed puzzled expressions while Shirou knitted his brows.
Kiara claimed a chronic childhood illness, yet with that alluring figure, how could she be a girl under fourteen?
He asked, "Miss Kiara, how old are you?"
"Me?" she pointed at herself, smiling. "I'm ten this year."
No matter how I look, she doesn't seem ten, Shirou thought.
Kiara chatted happily with Adam's group while Mash joined in.
Abruptly, he said, "Goetia!"
Adam's group kept conversing, but Mash turned with a strange look. “Mr. Fujimaru, why did you mention the Demon God King?”
"No reason," he shook his head.
His sudden question elicited no change in Kiara's expression.
Was she truly unrelated to the Council, or was she a crafty schemer who concealed her emotions extremely well?
Shirou did not know.
If possible, he absolutely wished to avoid falling into Kiara's trap.
Beasts were not enemies he could face alone. To oppose them, he had to gather the Grand Servants.
Suddenly, piercing sounds split the air—
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Shirou's brows jerked up as he quickly turned.
Three cold rays of light flashed through the darkness - arrows tearing across the pitch-black sky, rocketing straight for Kiara!
Flickering within the gloom was a familiar killing intent - that of the famed Greek huntress.
And its target was clearly Kiara Sessyoin!
Shirou didn't move, curious what Kiara might do.
But though he didn't act, Mash did, raising Galahad's greatshield over Kiara as the arrows flew in.
With three clear clangs, they bounced off harmlessly.
The frightened Kiara turned deathly pale, softly chanting, "Great merciful and compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva..."
Though Mash had blocked the first volley, more attacked from the skies, falling like meteoric rain.
Arrows showered from Ursa Major's constellation - undoubtedly Atalanta unleashing her Noble Phantasm, the Seven Arrows of the Big Dipper.
Since it was a large-scale area attack, Shirou had no choice but to make a move. Waving his hand, he materialized Rhongomyniad and aimed skyward, directly blasting apart the arrow barrage.
Atalanta decisively retreated under cover of darkness after her failed strike.
He found it very strange she pursued Kiara to kill her. He told Mash to watch Kiara while he gave chase. Mash nodded in agreement and he rushed off swiftly.
Badly frightened by Atalanta, Kiara had gone rather pale.
"Are you alright, Miss Kiara?” Mash asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” she shook her head. “My father said the outside world is scarier than the mountains. I guess it's normal for someone to want me dead. But I’ve never seen that woman before. Why does she want to kill me?”
Kiara looked deeply puzzled.
“It's alright. Assassin has given chase.” Mash said.
“That kind gentleman won't run into trouble, right?” she asked worriedly.
“He’ll be fine.” Mash shook her head with determination and said: “Assassin is very powerful!”
Comments
JeanMartin Freites
His power certainly is an understatement.
Lucas
Pera aí a kiara não e a mestre da castelo?
