Danmachi: the Great Devourer

C239: Preparations Ready

Alt title Teaser: Corruption

Date published: 7/16/2025.

Sorry for the 1 day delay. I needed to get my head sorted out over some stuff and could barely do anything but read to not drown in the darkness of my own thoughts. Thank you for your patience and hope you enjoy this chapter. 

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Another day passed uneventfully as Washio continued his training and during his breaks would plead with Rin to help him. Through her manipulations, she found out about Caster and Assassin along with how Ruler was stolen from him due to a magic negating dagger. Other than that, he truly didn't know anything about Caster. 

As the deadline approaches, Sakura had to step in to convince her sister to which Rin exaggerates until she finally succumbs to her dear sisters wishes and agrees to the partnership. Through Axel's help, the servant, Archer, is smoothly transferred from one master to another without breaking the original connection. It's a similar situation to what Rin and Shirou went through in UBW where Saber was connected to Rin and enhanced her battle power.

During this time, Washio has made great progress, learning draconic martial arts, utilizing his fists, legs, tail and even head horns when he is able to sprout them. His magic has also grown rapidly but far less than his physical arts. At least he knows one spell on an innate level due to repetitively using it even when in martial arts combat against his father. That technique is the dragon claw spell. It's an enhancement technique which gives both his talons (from his feet) and claws extra energy length. 

Washio has regained hope once again but he understands that he also owes a huge debt to Rin and is willing to keep her safe…even if she is far more skilled in magic than him. 

Unluckily for them though, the war had not stopped while Washio was training. While Caster and her group were still busy, Berserker was on the prowl. 

A young girl with ashen hair and red eyes wearing a purple dress with a white skirt is sitting on the shoulder of a beast of a man. Deep dark skin marked with hints of red, only wearing a metallic skirt with metal plates aligned in rows of 3 all around. Bare chested with bursting muscles with only bracers wrapped around his wrists the only thing seemingly stopping his muscles from overflowing. The man is taking regular deep breathes that elicit steam comparable to huffs of smoke being exhaled by him. 

The man and the young girl make their way to the city from the forest before the man sets the little girl down and enters the spirit form to remain incognito. A decade ago when the girl was still a child, she had witnessed the disaster formed from the corrupted grail and with her fathers warning, she and the rest of the Einzbern had researched the cause of this filth that was inflicted upon the grail.

Yes the Einzbern, one of the three families that had established this holy grail in the first place by creating the vessel known as the lesser grail to be the receptacle for the souls of the fallen warriors. In particular, the current young lady is the host of the lesser grail in the current war. Her name is Illyasviel Von Einzbern. The daughter of Kiritsugu Emiya and Irisviel Von Einzbern. A half Homunculi.

While she never got to see her father again after he and her mother departed to fight the war. When the end came, she did hear her fathers voice yelling to see her and was denied by the other Einzbern servants and homunculi. She investigates heavily into the cause of her life's misfortune and found that the grail was indeed corrupted but while they wanted to cleanse it.

They found that all three families would have to meet once again to go through with this. The specific matter was that the grail was too far corrupted and thus the old must be purged for the new but she herself is incapable of casting Heaven's Feel. She also does not like seeing the Matous as it has been relegated to but a large swarm of bugs that has lost its original path. 

The matou's might still retain their crest worms but with no noteworthy successor and the Tohsaka's all but usurped by the intervention of the one known as Axel Gram and his family. Illya naturally can't bring herself to go meet the Gram-Murasaki family due to one simple fact.

The Einzbern family cant find any history related to Axel at all. With the exception of his brief appearances before Illya herself was born, Axel had only properly entered the field the year just before the third war. 

Bringing about revolutionary items and magics that should not be possible by all theories of magic if he was not a heroic spirit or similar yet even logs of past wars never mentioned anyone with his sheer versatility.

It is this fear of the unknown that makes it impossible for her and the remaining Einzbern to willingly interact with Axel and his family. This is why Illya has now made her way into the city, she hopes to meet her wayward big brother and get his help in resolving this incident before the war actually ends. She has already found that he is the owner of the servant but unsure which one. Her intelligence also informed her that he had an altercation with Lancer who was later taken down by the Tohsaka heir. The exact situation with Shirou is not exactly known as he has remained indoors since the incident but since the female servant has not vanished, he is at least alive. 

Luckily the rest of the masters have been preoccupied and so she could go ahead with the current meeting. With Berserker's help, Illya bypasses the gates and enters the inner compound of the Emiya household. Knocking upon the door, Illya is met face to face with Saber. The servant nearly drops the tray holding breakfast as she is met face to face with a girl who bears a striking resemblance to 'lady Iris' who had been her charge during the previous war.

"Hello Servant, I'd like to see my Onii-san. Is he here?"From the words, tone and behavior, Saber eventually calms down as this must be her previous master's daughter. Someone who was spoken fondly of by Irisviel. 

Sigh, "Follow me. Master just woke up a few moments ago." Saber sighs as she continues hefting the tray of food forward, leaving the door open so that Illya can step inside. 

"Umo…is that even edible?" Illya can't help but point at the tray in Sabers hands. The servant jolts as if exposed that she doesnt know how to cook. 

"Saber, you really shouldn't worry so much. Oh, do we have guests?" At this moment as Saber is about to go back to the kitchen in hopes of remaking breakfast, Shirou steps in and stares down Illya who greets him.

"Hello, Onii-san!!"

"Onii-san?"

"Hmm. papa lived here and you lived with papa so you're my onii-san" Her brief and childish explanation seems to short circuit Shirou's mind as he is forced back into a depressive mood. He can only raise his weary head and lead the trio to the living room while he sets up a delicious breakfast for everyone. 

"Um. About Kiritsugu…"

"Papa's dead. I know." Shirou's mood freezes at the simple wording, he also does not observe any sadness in her expression as she seems to morph into a chipmunk that endlessly guzzles down delicious rice.

"Do you not mourn your parents? If not then why are you here?"

"Did Papa keep any of Mama's notes? I need it to try fixing the grail" her every word attacts both Sabers and Shirou's attention. Saber and Illya stare at Shirou to answer the question.

"Hmm. I think I remember a diary that belonged to someone named Irisviel…is that your mama?" Illya seems to brighten up at the mention of the name which causes her to nod.

"Alright, I'll go get it. Kiritsugu kept it inside his nightstand, reading it over and over again over the years." Shirou says as he gets up and collects the diary before handing it over to Illya. 

"Why do you even need this?" Shirou can't help but ask to which Illya responds.

"I need to fix the grail. Something happened to it which made it go crazy during the last war and I'm hoping mama left notes about the grail which could help me fix it." She explains that the fire was caused by her 'papa' but only in hopes of separating the 'bad' grail from mama. 

Throughout the whole explanation, Saber has her head down, remorseful in her failed attempt to save someone she held dear. Shirou instead slams the table in shock.

"You mean that because the grail was corrupted, my parents amongst few others died?!!!" He says with hatred in his mind. He hopes for compassion but Illya gives him none as she simply confirms it before asking. "I hope to have a truce with you to get your help in restoring the grail before the war continues. Will you accept Onii-san?"

"Like I have no other choice" Shirou accepts as the trio (?) depart to the Einzbern estate. The servants search Shirou and attempt to reprimand his gun that he still keeps close to himself but Illya allows it to let Shirou feel safer as their alliance was quite sudden.

Illya is met with protests but she just brings Shirou down to the Einzbern basement that connects to the original city wide magic circle that acts as the fulcrum for the Great War. Saber and 'Basaka' are left outside simply staring each other down. The magic circle itself has the appearance of a giant crystal that floats in the air over a bottomless pit. During the journey, Illya had described how the three families had come together to create the grail. Their hopes, dreams and the result of their cooperation.

Yet throughout the entire journey, Shirou felt a headache-inducing feeling enveloping him. This sensation only grew stronger the deeper they went until he seemed to blank out upon getting within close proximity with the crystal. 

Illya does not notice his change of state as she details the problem, along with showcasing the magic circles and their functions. 

The first to actually notice anything strange is Saber herself. As the servant to a master who she derives her energy from. She originally just gets an itch to pass over her arm, then her leg, thigh, stomach. Continuously spreading until it touches upon her heart which elicits a gasp of pain as she falls out of her chair where she had attempted to pass on idle talk with Berserker even though he did not respond. 

Sabers veins began to protrude as she yelped in pain. Berserker is not idle as he begins rushing over to where Illya is but lacking the means to navigate towards her. He goes to where she is but just vertically above then begins to slam his broad sword like a club at the ground to dig his way down. 

BANG "AH"

Saber does her best to resist this energy yet her senses are quickly overrun. Back underground, a gunshot is heard as Illya falls to the ground due to her leg being pierced by the bullet. She finally looks at Shirou who has become expressionless but also his original red hair is now ash white similar to Archers though Illya wouldn't know that. 

Shirou begins to walk forward until he is just at the edge of the cliff where the crystal is. He spreads his arms out and takes the plunge. 

The crystal seems to shake in response as Illya feels a strange sensation overwhelm her before throwing up black sludge. 

She continues to vomit the black corrupted mana and she even believes that she is about to die, drowning in it when suddenly she feels a hand grab her by the scruff of her neck. 

Pulling her out of the pool of black ooze. Axel heals the girl's leg before calling over Blythe to help operate on her to surgically remove the lesser grail from inside her. 

In the meantime, the sludge flows down the cliff into the bottomless pit that Shirou jumped into. 

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Word count: 2060

Drop a comment if you wanna judge my writing or the story. I'll try to respond, especially if you're confused or anything.