Fate/Hollow: ETERNAL FLAME

Chapter 33: Strange New Land

[This book is a sequel, go read Hollow World first before continuing past this point]

...

The land of this strange new world was torn apart. For generations and generations, two factions fought again and again in a bloody conflict that has spanned for ages.

These conflicts were over the ownership of a piece of the Legendary Artifact that plagued not just this world, but others. Hundreds of servants participating in Grand Wars for control over the Holy Grail.

Whether or not the grand relic here stated to have the ability to grant the user whatever they wished for actually was true, it did not matter.

The current conflict enravging this world now marks the 100th Grand Holy Grail War. Whole continents have been reshaped, and the general populace are brought up to support the faction which oversees their land. Many citizens of this world are lambs to the slaughter. Millions have died over the course of this worlds' life, and it will never stop as long as the human's desire exists.

Governments once ruled these lands, now the fight of this world is for the Grail alone. Many wishes have been granted, but each have been selfish in desire and very few ever for the good of any.

Not a singular wish has been to end the conflict...

At the current moment, the two factions were fighting over a servant contract in Fuyuki, Japan. A once modern city now a wasteland of destruction having been destoryed prior in one of the many battles sprawling the world.

The grail would occasionally release these servant contracts that held the ability to summon powerful servants of a certain class that the contract dictated. The factions always had many magus working tiredlessly to track the locations of these contracts down. Unfortunately, both Factions tracked the location down simultaneously to this new contract so thus begun a deadly confrontation in the war-torn city of Fuyuki.

The sun had just risen, illuminating Fuyuki once more. A familiar sight now damaged to ash and ruins. Not many landmarks remained past the aging red bridge connecting the two cities half together that was somewhat damaged but still holding up.

Racing through the city was a servant.

A young warrior, usually remarked as being handsome with quirky long hair that was combed backwards in a rough manner and a single strand hanging on his face traversed across the war-torn city.

This man's dark teal armor had a long blue scarf attached into his left shoulder piece that flown a little off his back like a small half cape that did not extend past the knees.

He wielded two brilliant swords. The short blade in the left hand of the young warrior was of gold like material and had a hilt where blue carvings rested at the end. His main weapon within his right hand was a normal length blade of red. The entire blade except for its red edge was made of some kind of black steel, almost demonic of nature.

Young warrior's orange eyes pierced the land as they darted around judging the current situation. He leapt far with multiple powerful mana assisted jumps traversing the city as if in pursuit of someone.

Each leap was far, creating small craters when he took off.

The man landed at a small checkpoint and the sight was not what he wanted to see. A banner of red hung at the entrance. Blood coated the old walls of building ruins which encompassed the outpost. All of the tents marked with medical signs were smeared in crimson as various limbs of the outpost's personal lay dotted aback the site. Bodies were twisted and destoryed.

Young warrior walked through the aftermath of the attack as he was gritting his teeth in extreme anger. He opened one of the tents using his sword as seeing countless flies hovering around the bodies within. His orange gaze glancing past the corspes of dead doctors and nurses to some of the wounded civilians whom also did not escape the massacre either. Whomever did this made sure not a single soul was spared, and that infuriated the young warrior even more.

His eyes darting about looking for the culprit, a beauty mark that resided beneath his right eye was more visible thanks to the rising sun as it crested over some of the building ruins.

"Diarmuid...?" A voice cracked up causing the young warrior to race in that direction of the call.

There, the young warrior named Diarmuid found the medical officer whom was overseeing the camp, their lower torso was carved up and some of his internals spilling out.

Diarmuid knelt beside them slowly, his face softening as he knew there was no saving the man.

"What happened?" Diarmuid asked sternly.

This was the first spear of the knights of Fianna better known to most as Diarmuid of the Love Spot due to the cursed magical beauty mark beneath his right eye.

"A servant of Black... a twisted beast, wielding a--" The doctor coughed up heaps of blood covering his white coat now stained a deep red.

Diarmuid closed his eyes for a moment as he prepared his blade to end the medical officer's suffering. The knight did not wish to see hjm suffer much longer as the doctor already saw the blade placed above his heart accepting it to be a better end than bleeding out.

"The... the man wielded a cursed and horrifying crimson spear... it headed off west..." The doctor was on his last breath as Diarmuid's eyes widened with surprise then filling with a boiling fury.

Knight of Fianna's gaze became colder upon hearing this information. He waited till the medical officer closed his eyes for the final time before plunging his sword into the man's heart ending his life shortly as he would not let him continue to bleed out in pain.

Diarmuid stood up while pulling his weapon out of the dead medical personal. He took off west just as the doctor had told him. If what he said was true, then that damn twisted berserker was here, wielding the crimson spear known as Gae Bolg.

Diarmuid was determined to put the beast down, even if it meant not recovering the servant contract. It did not matter to him if he was ordered to retrieve the contract, that beast had slaughtered innocent people whom were simply providing relief to any survivors in the city. Diarmuid was a knight first and he would bring justice to the innocent.

And soon, the young warrior found his target on the red bridge which once connected the old and new parts of Fuyuki.

Diarmuid's orange eyes locking upon the cursed form of the servant and the crimson eyes.

The beast's chest was exposed showcasing various tattoos of red and its tanned skin. What was once a blue bodysuit has been changed to a deep black and red color scheme. Most notable sight was the spiked tail on the individual giving him a overall beast like appearance.

Diarmuid held a sharp, similar to one the beast's Master would give.

"Oi, look whom it is, the knight of Fianna." The beast's voice was so toneless and cold.

"Curse you!" Diarmuid spat out immediatly, "I would have expected honor from the Hero of Ulster but you are nothing more than a savage hound! Those people back there were just medical personal helping civilians, and you slaughtered them!"

A tisk emitted from the servant across Diarmuid, "I just kill what I'm pointed at. They happened to wear the enemy's banner." The violence seem to not effect the twisted servant, "If you wanna help them so bad, I'll spill your guts out and you can go help them yourself." He readied the crimson spear that was Gae Bolg.

Diarmuid's anger had not peaked in quite some time, but his blood was bioling. He would not stand for this and would kill this damn beast. He would have never expected the Child of Light to have been a mad dog like this. But legends were always different than the real person they portrayed. How could the Great Queen of the Land of Shadows known as Scathach, known for being a Warrior Queen and slaying countless horrific deities let a savage hound run free.

Diarmuid would not think much more on it as he readied his two blades. This fight would be tough but the Knight of Fianna would finish this beast here.