The One Above The Heavens Chapter 22

With the verbal deal concluded with Athena to discuss our future fates... And lovely duel to the death in total. 

"Jake are you still there?" Sakura asked through the speaker phone as Athena's timeless domain had left the area allowing her phone call to resume.

I took a deep breath and said with a wry smile. "Yeah, I am here. Still, send Medusa and Atalanta over to Misaki town, I need their help to hunt down these Dead Apostle Anscestors." 

Athena to my senses and magical detection abilities did in fact leave. But I wasn't be suprised if she had one of her familiar's watching over me.

My mind was pulled back to Sakura as she said. "Alright Jake, I told Medusa through our connection. I will go tell Rin to send the massage to Atalanta."

I nodded and happy with her responsive speed and replied. "Thank you Sakura, however before I go, make sure to tell Medea to have the wards up with our latest guest at our place now."

Having the comatose form of Artoria Pendragon sleeping in one of the extra room's was a bit of a scary thing... And on that topic. 'I wonder if I can wake her up by snagging Avalon out of Shirou Emiya?' I mused to myself.

Oh I didn't plan to kill Shirou or anything to get it. I just had to knock the young man out to pull it out of his soul and maybe with Avalon outside of his body. His own warped inhuman mentality could possibly heal a bit without a fae artifact inside himself.

I took a deep breath as I considered things currently as I walked further away from the Tohno Household deeper into the more downtown side of Misaki Town which was less of a town and more of an actual city as they had a large downtown area.

"Roa the Serpent of Akasha, Nrvnqsr Chaos, TATARI, and Vlov Arkhangel... How do I get those assholes out of their holes, no the real question is whether they are fleeing now at having felt me destroy the spider's Idea Blood." I mused to myself with a frown.

As despite me being the Campione with the domains of the Jade Emperor and Verathragna. I was more of an item crafter, and straight up combat monster of a Campione then an investigator.

Sure I had some mantra's and spells that came from being the god of Taoism and an aspect of Bhuddism. But those spells and mantra's woudn't be able to hunt down Dead Apostle Anscestor who had spent centuries if not millenia hiding from gods, humans, and everything else that wanted to hunt them.

Because, at the end of the day. Dead Apostle Anscestors were the last great constant reminder to current humanity about the terrible Age of the God's where humanity was but wretches at the bottom of the food chain.

And they hadn't gone extinct not only because of their strength, but also because they were cunning, cruel, and cowards who feared death more than anyone else on this planet.

"Vlov... You will be the one I hunt down next." I muttered as I knew the Russian Knight would aquisce to my demand for a duel as he was above all else... An extremely proud man who valued his past as an honored and stories knight in Europes distant past.

So I took out my phone and sent a message to Touma for him to have planes with flyers flying over the city depicting a message for Vlov, the 'Arkhangel' to meet me at the northern mountain for a duel. 

So the civilians would just think it was just some kind of weird B-movie plot that was doing weird advertising... But meanwhile I would be ready, more like Medusa would be ready there to keep him busy.

As I was going to keep inside the city to look for the other Dead Apostle Anscestors or likewise to see if Vlov decides to stock up on blood from victims before he went to the duel.

"Man you are a hard guy to find you know that!" A feminine voice spoke out and I paused as my campione senses roared at me in warning as I turned around calmly and in slow motion I saw fucking Arcueid Brunestud waving at me.

I gave the last True Anscestor a look and I noticed that already a weak domain that was pushing humans mentally to avoid the region emananting from her form and I said with a wry smile. "I was never hiding in fact... So are we throwing down for me burning you when I killed Angra Mainyu?" I asked bluntly.

Arcueid blinked and her crimson eyes just stared at me like I was crazy before she giggled and said happily. "Oh you silly! Nope! I have no interest in fighting a Campione especially one who seemingly has a speciality for killing Dead Apostles. Besides, Mithra's flames actually burned the bloodlust out of my existence so for the first time in dozens of centuries my mind is so clear haha!"

I was actually stunned at hearing Mithras's evil purging sun flames purged the blood thirst in her... But then again Arcueid Brunestud wasn't inherently a Dead Apostle Anscestor, she was basically an incarnation or child of the planets will in being a nature spirit.

"Are you still a Dead Apostle then?" I asked with some confusion and Arcueid's face darkened with her saying flatly.

"Technically yes, I can still drink blood to regain power and I probably will at times. But no longer do I have to put seals on my power so I lose control of my bloodlust and mind... Don't call me a Dead Apostle though." She finished with a frown.

I nodded before taking in my now very much empty surroundings and with my hands in my robe pockets I said calmly. "So. Now what? What do you want from me Arcueid Brunestud of the Crimson Moon." 

She tilted her head to the side in thought with her putting a finger to her lips as though she was considering how to ask... Before she simply said bluntly. "I want you to seal away, permanantly kill, or otherwise drain Michael Roa Valdamjong of his power."

"Killing the Infinite Reincarnator in a definitive way was always my goal. And I do have ways of doing so as Mithras's flames can cleanse his soul of karma so that his soul is finally properly recycled by Akasha." I spoke more to myself then anything.

"I do have a treat in return for you though for your help... With my connection to Gaea, I know when and most importantly where Tatari is going to form tonight!" She said proudly putting her hands to her waist and sticking her head up like she was going to lord the information over me.

But in reality, I just knew that Arc was just a damned goof ball... Though Tatari, that abomination was even more tricky than Roa the Infinite Reincarnator was. 

Because Tatari wasn't exactly a 'human being' or even a Dead Apostle itself. No the orignal Tatari basically after being driven made after seeing how the Human Order Texture was doomed to be destroyed at some point... Fucking god knows when went completely insane, and decided to bring about the human order destruction himself quicker.

So in doing so he became something called the 'Sixth Law' and lost his mind, body, and soul as he became the concept of 'TATARI' that through his vampirism he became the Myth of the Night of Wallachia almost similar to the vampiric Forest of Enneashe.

To sum up Tatari's existence, he was a now a 'natural'/supernatural phenomenon which had infected humanities pysche. When people thought of vampires, Wallachia, and other things of that nature, that mental energy would give him form and allow him to reform for a while and terrorize an area and even if he was killed he would just reform.

"TATARI is even more troublesome then Roa is... Roa still has a soul for me to pincushion and tear apart if I can't wipe out his karma. Tatari is... Different to say the least" I frowned as Arc raised an eyebrow at me.

"Oh? Aren't you the successor to the Jade Emperor, ruler of the Heaven's Earth, and Underworld?" She teased knowingly going for my Campione pride.

I gave Arc a flat look before I retorted. "I am all for killing every Dead Apostle that I can get my hands on. But killing a concept and facet of reality. Like with that bastard did to himself can be dangerous to even attempt. As Gaia and Alaya could easily throw a fit if I try to seal TATARI away even."

There was a pause as Arc nodded and said casually. "Oh yeah, Gaia is still rather peeved with you for giving her that sunburn... Though she also wants you to kill more humans, like blow up eastern Asia and India to cull a good quarter of the human population." 

My lips twitched as I said flatly. "No thank you. I already did my favor to Gaia and Alaya for when I got too excited in killing the god of All the World's Evils." 

I shook my head and folded my arms over my chest as I said calmly. "So? Where is Tatari forming other than here in Misaki Town obviously." 

"Oh, it is going to form in the northern mountains outside the city with Tatari's familiars and undead coming down towards the city like the undead plague they are." Arcueid explained with a disdainful look crossing her expression at talking about TATARI.

My face was a bit pinched at the thought of drawing Vlov into a battle while also tangling with TATARI, but with how they were evil entities, I had a good chance to deal with them.

I brushed a hand across my jaw before I said slowly. "I see... Well thank you for the information. Do you have any information on the current location of Nrvnqsr Chaos?" 

This time it was Arcueid's turn to give me an odd look before she said plainly. "I got my information from Gaia on TATARI, because not even Gaia likes that aberration that evades the her and Alaya's grasp. Nrvinqsr Chaos is just a 'normal' Dead Apostle Anscestor who is doing Gaia's will in keeping humanity in check." 

I rolled my eyes and I took a step back to signify the conversation was over. "Well, either way. Should I run into Roa, I will deal with him permanently or at least seal him away and toss his sealed form into the sun itself."

I turned on my mundane warding charm to keep normal people from noticing me and I began walking towards the northern mountains outside of Misaki City and not even a couple minutes later my expression was a bit twisted as I was answering messages from Atalanta and Medusa who were on their way.

Not because Medusa or Atalanta was the reason for my slight ire, no... It was the ditzy blond trailing me with her hands behind their head as they followed me a good hundred meters.

"Arcueid... Why are you following me?" I asked with a sigh.

Arcueid gave me a confused look before she said with easy smile. "Oh! You are a Campione, and thus trouble will always come directly to you if it's their trouble to be had."

I wanted to deny her words. But frankly, that was all too damned true for Campione, we weren't called walking natural disasters for nothing and it wasn't because we naturally caused so much surrounding damage.

We were walking nexus's of broken fate, where a shit-bag mortal dared to slay the immortal and steal their divinity and domains. And that resulted in us all in Servant terms, having negative E rank luck so bad that it would make a certain lancer go 'This isn't so bad actually.'

I brushed my hand across my face before saying tiredly. "Fine... Fine whatever, just don't fight anyone that's not a dead apostle."

With that, I turned around and kept going as I flipped open my phone having gotten an idea as well for hunting down the Dead Apostle Ancestors with the mages and warriors combing through the city.

I went over to a tree and snagged up some branches that I had enchanted with a warning charm and location curse so that anyone who snapped the branch would get their attention. Then I left the bundle of branches at a street corner before calling Amakusa and telling him to have people pick them up and deliver them to the teams.

"My lord, how fast can you get to a team should they snap one of their beacons," Amakusa asked quietly.

And for a moment I was quiet before I said with a sigh. "I will literally fold space and time to get there as fast as I can. I will even use the Raptor aspect of my Aspects of Verethragna. So I will be there in but a couple minutes at most."

"Surely a team of five mages and warriors can last at least three minutes at most. They can appeal to the vampire's vanity, beg before mercy, and let them monologue or something to buy that amount of time." I finished before hanging up my phone and answering the other call on the line.

"Jake, Medusa is following your scent to catch up to you. And Atalanta is busy killing ghouls that are in the sewers and dark places of the city." Sakura told me and I looked around with a raised eyebrow and my lips twitched as I saw Medusa with her purple hair trailing behind her. As she was running across the rooftops of the city towards me.

"I can see Medusa even now... She is a couple of miles out, thank you for the warning though Sakura. And tell Rin, to tell Atalanta that she is more likely to meet Vlov underground who uses temperature control magic to freeze large swaths of area or burn it." I explained quickly.

And I could hear Rin scoff before Rin all but shouted to get through the phone. "Atalanta is a great Greek hero! She has some decent magic resistance and can deal with one of the lowest-ranked Dead Apostle Ancestors!"

My lips twitched as I recalled all to easily how Atalanta had her lion parts due to how she was cursed during that whole Golden Apple race kerfluffle. That so-called magical resistance didn't help much there.

Either way, I took a deep breath. "I will call you in the morning Sakura, I need to lock in what I am doing." 

Sakura gave a slight giggle as Rin made more anxious tsundere noises as I clearly ignored her. "Yes dear. Medea and I will watch the territory, you be careful though." She said caringly.

I clicked the call closed with my phone going into my pocket as Arcueid made a noise, I couldn't decipher as Medusa closed in on us with her extreme speed. "A corrupted nature spirit. That's an interesting follower you have there." Arcueid noted.

I shrugged and idly wondered when one of my Campione siblings was finally going to pay me a visit but I had only been a Campione for a couple of weeks at this point. It was fully likely that my siblings were busy being terrors elsewhere and literally hadn't even heard about me yet.

Medusa's high-speed run came to a stop as she cratered the ground beneath her feet with her giving Arcueid a look of inspection before she looked at me and nodded. "Where are we going?" Medusa asked simply.

No questions on what we were doing, or who Arcueid was. Nope, she was a good follower and she just wanted where we were going.

I tilted my head over to the surrounding mountains and said calmly. "We are going to be waiting outside of the city at least where TATARI is supposed to be forming tonight. According to Arcueid here. Should it be possible, the mages and Atalanta will drive Vlov Arkangel outside the city where we will deal with Vlov and TATARI tonight." 

There was a pause before Arcueid pouted and I sidestepped her trying to poke me with a finger making her pout even deeper as she whined. "What about Roa! When are we going to find that rat!"

And I gave Arcueid a dull look before saying calmly. "Roa is even more of a coward who is afraid of death than the other Dead Apostle Ancestors. He will either flee or hide even deeper after I kill TATARI tonight. So you... You need to go find him tonight, and when you do, snap this charm so I can find you."

There was a pause as Arcueid looked at me with her pout turning into a frown with her opening her mouth before closing it as she knew she couldn't exactly force me to abandon killing TATARI either. And it's not that she trusted simple mages and warriors to find Roa let alone find and report his location to me.

So she just stomped her foot through the concrete before turning on her heel and stomping holes in the concrete as she made her way back towards the downtown section of the Misaki Town to go look for Roa.

"The last true ancestor Arcueid Brunestead... Why was she following you?" Medusa asked with a bit of tension as she knew even with her Noble Phantasm, that she wasn't the Moon Princesses match.

I grunted and said with a sigh. "She decided that with myself being a Campione, the best way to find trouble in another Dead Apostle Ancestor. Was just to stick around me see the trouble I myself run into."

There was a moment of silence before Medusa said with a wry grin. "Jake, being a center of trouble is literally the curse of being a Campione."

I exhaled and gave the scantily clad Servant a flat look before I grunted out. "Didn't need that reminder. Alright, let's get moving. We got probably a couple hours before TATARI forms and I want to create a ritual to ruin that abominations day." 

And with Arcueid's information on where TATARI was supposed to be forming, it really wasn't difficult for Medusa and I to find the location of their entry point into reality. The projection of Wallachia into the surface texture of Human Order, after all... Wasn't going to be something simple after all.

"You said that Arcueid was told by Gaia where TATARI was going to form... Do you think Gaia had the information passed to you because even she doesn't like feeling a whole different corrupted Texture trying to paint over the surface world?" Medusa asked curiously as she sat down beside as I sat down on a throne I had taken out of my spatial bag.

I exhaled and said with some irritation. "I don't like to be made a tool out of... But I dislike Dead Apostle Ancestors in my territory even more. The fact that there are five of them now here... I am surprised Gilgamesh herself didn't get up to prune the local garden." 

Medusa was silent for a long moment at my words before we both tightened as a pulse of... Otherworldly energy rang out and the grass darkened as the Texture of Wallachia was begining to leak into the Human Order.

"TATARI will probably spawn in another hour or two. It needs an anchor and land from it's Marble Phantasm to operate in the Human Order." I said with a slight frown as I got to work making the ritual I planned to use.

Which would basically use my authority as the Jade Emperor, emperor of heaven, earth, and the underworld to create a three-pointed array of all three concepts that I ruled in order to contain and devour the Texture of Wallachia.

And that was my goal, that was how I was going to kill TATARI. I wasn't going to shatter its Marble Phantasm and the false texture it had... No, I was going to literally devour it and use it to make the canvas of the Kunlun Mountains I planned to create.

"Oh and Sakura wanted me to pass along that the History Committee's engineers have cracked the earlier technology samples you gave them. And will begin production of a mega-sized superconductor chip factory over in Kyoto near the seat of the Five Clan's power." Medusa spoke.

I raised an eyebrow at that before humming and shrugging. "Fine, I don't particularly care where they begin the production honestly but I do hope they aren't so stupid to think that they won't be paying tribute for the trillions they will be making in the next decade." 

Medusa just huffed with amusement as she watched me at work while lounging across my throne before I broke the silence as I asked curiously. "How has it been going with Stheno and Eurayle? I haven't seen much of them honestly." 

"Hahaha! For good reason Jake, they had one conversation with Rin and they put it together that you took her over your kneel and spanked her. They much rather be the pampered princesses in the background rather than get your attention and change their ways." Medusa explained with fond amusment at her older sisters.

I shook my head at that but my smile of amusement died all too quickly as a soft rumble rang out under our feet. "Hmm... I was wrong, it is coming sooner then I thought." I muttered as I focused my mana into tying up my three domains into a cage around the surrounding several miles.

All so that when the Texture of Wallachia comes to the Human Order Texture, I could cage it and prevent TATARI from displaying it's true power in it's Marble Phantasm.

And my previous point was true, as the moment the sun went down past the surrounding mountains. The moment darkness filled the land, a crackle rang out. The tree's darkened and changed from Japenese Tree's to more European though I coudn't tell what kind of tree it was besides the fact that each tree bore a curse within it.

The Curse of Wallachia, TATARI, The King of Ruin himself formed as the star's above formed like blood tiny gems as his prescence killed the last glimpses of sunlight as his Texture brought darkness to the world.

"Zepia Eltnam Oberon." I spoke the true name of TATARI and the figure of shadows paused as it was looking towards the city it was thinking as prey and the shadows parted allowing me to see the form of a cancer not even the world could expunge fully.

TATARI's form was covered in a thick robe, and the younger man had long blond hair that went past his shoulders and bright red glowing eyes that was a clear sign of his vampirism. There was a pause as his eyes gazed between me and Medusa before he grinned with his mouth stretching to far with the grin.

"I see... I had the misfortune to spawn directly into the face of a Campione again, not only that. But directly in the face of a Earth Goddess he has tamed haha!" TATARI cackled before his cackling stopped abruptly as his prodigious knowledge and wisdom picked up how he was surrounded by a powerful warding system.

"Oh and what is this... Garbage? I see a three-pointed ward system that binds the heaven, earth, and the underworld into a self-feeding system. But what about the advent of souls you fool! Where is the allowance for fate and the misery of all living beings!" He roared madly as he decried my work of the past... Thirty minutes basically.

Wordlessly I summoned my Yang Imperial Seal that flew high into the air while the ground shuddered as the dirt below us moved violently as the Yin seal below us also grew to it's full size.

"Ahhh! I get it haha! You are the Campione of the Jade Emperor or maybe even Bhudda with all this Taoist based magic and abilities but I was a great researcher and alchemist from Atlas, I will be stealing these trinkets when I am done with you!" He said proudly and my eyes twitched as I flew out of the smashing seals that smashed him to paste.

As I knew all too well that it did nothing to him as TATARI instantly, without a single moment of pause instantly reformed back to life in front of me with him punching me with an arm covered in bloody stakes that shattered on my Jade Emperor Robe.

"I am the Curse of Wallachia, your fancy robe cannot protect you from my curses you know." He taunted me even as he dodged under a high speed kick from Medusa and but then got tripped up by her nail's chains that caught his leg and smashed him into the ground.

"Yeah, and your curses can't affect me with my magic resistance. Your curses can't get into my body unless I literally make out with your dumbass." I snapped back as I used my flying sword to shoot it through his chest with him throwing spikes of blood at me in return while kicking Medusa through several trees when she came in to stomp on him.

TATARI grinned at me with blood streaming from his form as he made a row of flying bloody spears that sang of curses filling the blood. "All the pity I didn't take a female form then haha! Imagine the slaughter I could create should I steal your body haha!" He cackled madly.

But all the while, even as we were fighting my seals were at work. The work he insulted as simplicity was devouring his origin slowly but surely. Sealing the Curse of Wallachia within statue I had prepared that would serve as the underworld for the Mountains of Kunlun I was going to build.

Now... It was just a matter of grinding him down while making sure he didn't get into the city to cure people with his vampirism and make a bunch of ghouls.