Fate: Gremory [Remake] (ENG)

Translation: Word (Microsoft), there are probably errors in the masculine and feminine pronouns.

Chapter 15

Shiro and Lilith were sitting on a huge flat rock.

Around him, an infinite void of iridescent colors stretched out.

The heart of the Dimensional Gap.

A place without time, without rules and without sounds beyond the distorted echoes of existence.

Shiro sighed wearily, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"no... we're seriously going to look for the bearers of Albion and Ddraig..."

His voice had a tinge of annoyance.

I had been living here doing nothing.

Without having to move, without worrying about eating, sleeping eternally...

Or at least, trying to sleep.

Shiro narrowed his eyes, frowning.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't sleep for long hours in this place. Something always wakes me up."

Lilith, sitting next to him with the same stoic expression as always, didn't react immediately.

Shiro turned his head towards her.

"What do we gain by doing this? Nor that we were going to train the weakest just to kill boredom."

Unknowingly, in the future, his words would become a fulfilled prophecy.

Lilith looked back, as if sensing something.

Shiro noticed his gesture.

What's wrong?"

Lilith looked at him again, expressionless.

"I don't want to go either. I'm very comfortable sleeping in the Dimensional Gap."

His tone was still monotonous, but there was a slight pause before he continued.

"But my mother says she can't stand us in this place anymore. And he wants to sleep in peace for a long time."

Shiro blinked several times.

"...Your mother?"

Lilith nodded once, slowly.

Shiro sat up a little, disbelief on his face.

"...Is your mother kicking us out?"

Lilith simply nodded again.

There was an awkward silence.

Shiro massaged his temples with his fingers.

"Asshh... Well, let's touch grass so that your mother can sleep peacefully."

He got up lazily, stretching out his arms as if it were a punishment meted out.

Lilith did the same.

Then, Shiro cocked his head slightly before asking:

"By the way, where do we go first to investigate Ddraig and Albion?"

Lilith struck a thoughtful pose before answering.

"I believe that in the Underworld an important event occurred with the Ddraig wielder. We can start by investigating that place."

Shiro cocked his head, not much interest in his voice.

"Okay, let's travel to the Underworld."

And just like that, they left the Dimensional Gap behind and began their journey.

❅──────✧❃✧──────❅•

Shiro watched Issei's movement calmly.

The teenager approached with a punch full of determination.

It was progress.

Not only because he attacked without hesitation, but because now his speed and strength were decent enough to try to hit him.

Issei's right hand was inches from his face.

Shiro could easily dodge it.

But he didn't.

Impact!

His head moved slightly to the side from the blow.

Silence.

Issei froze for a moment.

Then, his expression changed to pure excitement.

"I made it!"

For the first time, he had beaten his master.

"Ha! I finally managed to punch him! This means that—"

Before he could finish his thought...

A pressure grabbed his left leg.

His body was lifted up as if it weighed nothing.

And then...

"Oh, shit."

Issei was brutally whipped against the grass.

BOOM!

The ground shook with the impact.

Issei didn't even have time to scream before being picked up again.

And then again.

BOOM! BOOM!

Over and over again, as if he were a rag doll.

Finally, his body bounced a little before he was on his back, his eyes rolling.

Shiro watched him silently, not changing his expression.

"… That was unnecessary," murmured Lilith, who had been watching from a distance.

Shiro shook his hand slightly, as if he had gotten dirty.

"He was getting too excited."

Lilith blinked slowly.

"… You only gave him a breath of victory before destroying him."

"Exactly."

Issei was still shaking on the ground.

He couldn't move.

But inside his mind, a single thought was repeating itself in a loop.

"Why?!"

Shiro crossed his arms.

"Good. He's improved enough to make contact."

Lilith turned her head toward him.

"That means real training can begin."

Shiro nodded with a slight smile.

Issei, still on the ground, felt a chill run through his body.

"Wait... what?"

The real nightmare was about to begin.

BOOM!

Shiro's fist struck brutally against Issei's cheek.

His body was buried back in the earth.

There was no time to react.

Before he could process the blow, he felt his leg being cruelly grabbed.

BOOM!

Shiro slammed him to the ground mercilessly.

But that was not all.

Before I could try to catch my breath...

BOOM!

Another blow.

Straight in his head.

His vision blurred.

"Shit... I can't... I can't move..."

The pain was unbearable.

Every bone in his body was screaming.

Shiro looked at him from above, expressionless.

"Get up."

"Get up?"

"How am I supposed to do that? I can't feel my own body!"

And then...

A deep voice echoed within his mind.

「So this is your limit, Sekiryuutei.」

Issei's eyes widened.

"Ddraig? Why are you talking until now?"

[Because I was watching.]

Ddraig's voice was deep and firm, but not indifferent.

「I had to see how far you could go on your own.」

Issei gritted his teeth.

"Damn, I can't do anything against that bastard! How the hell am I supposed to defeat him?!"

Ddraig let out a low growl.

「If you really want to be able to... If you want to get up... You must understand something.]

The words were etched in his mind.

[The Balance Breaker is achieved through intense emotions.]

[Those emotions can be anger, pain, desire to protect...]

[Or even the desperation of wanting to change your own destiny.]

Issei swallowed.

"Balance Breaker... Is that the key to fighting him?"

[Yes... But there's a problem.]

Ddraig paused.

「For now, you can only hold it for 10 seconds.」

Issei froze.

"10 seconds? Nothing else?! That's not enough!"

[It is... if you know how to use it.]

Ddraig's words were accompanied by a deep roar in his mind.

[Are you still afraid of failure?]

Issei closed his eyes tightly.

"I don't want to lose."

"I don't want to be weak."

"I don't want to... to die as someone who could do nothing."

Shiro took a step towards him.

"If you don't get up, I'll end this now."

BOOST!

BOOST!

Issei gritted his teeth.

BALANCE BREAKER!

A blast of scarlet energy erupted around him.

Shiro stopped.

Lilith, who was watching from afar, tilted her head slightly.

The earth began to shake.

The Boosted Gear glowed with a fierce glow.

Its shape changed.

The red armor spread throughout his body.

For the first time...

The Sekiryuutei had fully manifested itself.

Shiro smiled for the first time.

"… Finally."

Lilith closed her eyes calmly.

"The Sekiryuutei... has awakened."

Scarlet energy lit up the battlefield.

The armor of the Boosted Gear completely covered Issei's body.

Its aura roared like a flaming dragon, shaking the air around it.

Shiro kept his posture relaxed.

His red eyes shone with curiosity.

"… Good."

The albino took a step forward.

"Show what you can do, Sekiryuutei."

BOOM!

Issei disappeared from their sight.

Shiro only had a split second to notice something:

"It's faster."

BAM!

A brutal impact on his chest.

Shiro slid several meters back.

But before it could stabilize...

BAM!

Another blow.

BAM! BAM!

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Shiro was beaten mercilessly.

Each punch resounded with brutal force.

The ground cracked with each impact.

For the first time, Shiro felt the pressure of Issei's power.

CRACK!

A red line descended the corner of his mouth.

Shiro wiped the blood with the back of his hand.

He had been wounded.

Lilith watched with her unchanging eyes.

"… He succeeded."

Issei roared.

"I finally hit him seriously!"

His adrenaline soared.

Their speed was unmatched.

Its strength... Monstrous.

Shiro smiled slightly.

"Interesting."

But then, the air changed.

Issei did not notice the danger.

His Balance Breaker kept running.

But the 10 seconds were running out.

And Shiro, without having tried to dodge a single blow...

He was still standing.

Issei felt unstoppable.

"I did it! I finally did!"

Shiro had cuts on his face and a damaged uniform.

Issei prepared for another blow.

But then...

"Where is he?"

BOOM!

In the blink of an eye, Shiro appeared beside him.

Before Issei could react...

BAM!

A huge punch crashed him to the ground.

The impact shook the earth.

Issei coughed, stunned.

"W-What...?"

But there was no time to think.

Shiro wasn't going to let it go.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Quick and devastating punches began to fall on him.

Each blow cracked the Balance Breaker's armor.

"Shit! I can't move!"

The cracks were spreading wider and wider.

Shiro didn't say anything.

There was no mockery, no arrogance.

Only punishment.

And then...

CRACK!

The armor broke.

Issei felt naked.

Power disappeared.

And at that moment...

BAM!

Shiro's fist stopped inches from his stomach.

The impact never came.

Shiro slowly lowered his fist.

He looked at Issei, who was panting heavily on the ground.

Then, he smiled slightly.

"Good."

He turned and took a few steps away.

"You've gotten better."

Issei still couldn't move.

"Is that... that's it?"

Shiro raised a hand and cast a spell.

A light enveloped Issei's body.

The wounds disappeared.

But...

"Shit... It still hurts like hell."

Issei shuddered internally.

Shiro looked up at the sky.

"The training is over."

Issei opened his eyes in surprise.

"Is that it?"

Shiro looked at Lilith.

"We're leaving tomorrow."

Lilith nodded silently.

Issei stared at the sky, his body trembling with pain.

He had won.

And then he had lost in the most humiliating way possible.

But something inside him had changed.

❅──────✧❃✧──────❅•

The fire crackled softly, illuminating the faces of the three of them with its warm glow.

Unlike other nights, today dinner was special.

The aroma of food filled the air, causing even Shiro and Lilith, who rarely showed interest in food, to pay more attention.

But the real spectacle wasn't the food itself...

It was Issei.

The Sekiryuutei devoured everything like a man who hadn't eaten in weeks.

"What the hell... this is a feast!"

On the campfire, on improvised plates of large leaves, there was a banquet fit for kings:

Pork ribs roasted to perfection, with a touch of spices that highlighted its juicy flavor.

Golden, crispy chicken thighs, with a light, sweet glaze that melted in your mouth.

Fish fillets wrapped in bamboo leaves, with a dressing of aromatic herbs that made them irresistible.

Fluffy egg omelette with thin slices of onion and peppers, cooked in a small pan over the fire.

Rice onigiri stuffed with tuna and seaweed, lined up on a makeshift tray.

Fresh vegetable salad, although clearly no one except Lilith seemed interested in that.

Issei had no manners at this time.

He would bite, swallow and continue to attack the food mercilessly.

Shiro and Lilith were looking at him silently.

And then...

They let out faint laughs.

Lilith cocked her head.

"Your metabolism is running at maximum capacity."

Shiro crossed his arms.

"Yes. But I didn't think it was a mass consumption machine."

Issei raised his head for a moment, swallowing a large piece of chicken with difficulty.

"Hey! You don't understand how exhausting that training was!"

Shiro raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes?"

Lilith closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Anyway..."

His tone was still neutral, but there was a hint of recognition in his voice.

"Praise to you, Sekiryuutei."

Issei blinked in surprise.

Lilith looked at him with her unchanging expression.

"You have achieved something that few can say... You hurt Shiro."

Issei stopped.

The piece of onigiri in his hand was halfway to his mouth.

He looked at Shiro.

The albino continued to eat quietly.

But now that I looked at it well...

"I made him bleed."

Lilith continued.

"In the end, a week was enough to train him, as you said, Shiro."

Shiro shrugged.

"I already had potential. It just had to be brought to the surface."

Issei looked down at his own hands.

"In just one week..."

"I went from not being able to do anything... to this."

He clenched his fist.

For the first time...

He felt that he had really moved on.

It wasn't over.

But this was the first big step.

And he had succeeded.