The One Above The Heavens Chapter 12 alt pov at the start (Patreon)

Fiore Forvedge awoke to the sounds of deep gentle humming and then she quickly realized that her pillow... Had a pulse? She opened her eyes and then she realized that was laying down with her head atop Merlin's thighs.

But as she woke up and tried to sit up she grunted as there was a weight over her stomach and as she looked down at her stomach she blinked several times as she saw a particularly well-endowed blond woman seemingly sleeping on her lap.

"Merlin! Who is this on my lap!?" Fiore hissed pissed off as she could tell that Merlin did too damned much of whatever the hell she was doing. As she had a high number of high-quality magic circuits and strong Od... But she had barely a tenth of her internal mana!

Merlin gave a happy little giggle with the room filling with swirling pink flowers as the succubus dodged Fiore's arm that swiped at her with Merlin seemingly floating atop the swirling flower petals swirling around the room slowly. "Well, when you fainted on me so suddenly I decided to use a bit of mana, and grab something very important from Avalon using your own mana and then using more of your mana I teleported us from Europe seeing as that brat Alice was having a stroke after having a vision about me getting out of my cage." 

Fiore's eye twitched before she ground out as she took a deep breath. "Then who is this! And get her off of me dammit!" 

But Merlin just gave a careless smile as she slowly spun around the crippled magus and then asked quietly. "I have a question little Fiore, why haven't you moved her instead? You still have strong arms that can throw her across the room." 

To which Fiore finally done with Merlin's games flared out her three command seals on her wrist in warning to Merlin making her pout and the succubus announced like it was nothing. "Oh it's just Artoria Pendragon. You may know her as King Arthur though."

And just as Fiore was about to scream Merline continued. "Now we are currently in Japan, in the older district of Fuyuki City. Just down the road from the latest Campione Yuhuang Yudi, or to those he likes they can use his normal name of Jake Barris haha!"

Fiore felt ill at this point... 

So after swallowing down another scream, she got to the biggest point as she asked quietly. "Vivian and Morgan... You wish to use the newest Campione as a shield agaisnt those two don't you?" 

And then Merlin broke apart into flower petals making Fiore look around somewhat franticly and finally the succubus lewdly splayed out across the bed just past her feet in a French painting pose with her placing a finger to her lips as though it was a secret to share as she said.

"Oh not only those two... Witches, who hate me entirely too much for the pranks I did way back in the day, but with me getting Artoria out of Avalon, the Earth Goddess Guinevere and her mega ultra simp as the younglings call them these days in Lancelot. Will be coming after my adorable Arty now that you busted me out of Avalon." 

Thin beautiful hands crawled over the bedspread as Merlin whispered softly. "Oh, they will do terrible... Terrible things to my dear little Artoria with how you summoned me away and prevented me from protecting her in Avalon. But! With the new Campione, he can actually lift the eternal sleep Gaia and Alaya put onto her."

Fiore whispered. "Campione are natural Fate Breakers exempt from the bindings of prophecy." 

Merlin giggled with her clapping her hands together as she said happily. "Indeed! Now, the little Jade Emperor is going to be dealing with some trouble soon so in order to get on his best side. We are going to work in the shadows to make things go well so he will agree to bind Artoria to himself using the Authority he got from Slaying Verathragna." 

Fiore glared at Merlin and said slowly. "What is all this 'we' stuff? You have a terrible track record of trying to guide things behind the scenes after all Merlin!"

The succubus pouted at Fiore's cutting words but after a moment she just shrugged and said plainly. "You don't have a choice little Forvedge. I can see tens of thousands of timelines in front of you. You staying in Europe is a death sentence via the three Campione that call it home or you are made into a crippled breeding tool to continue your Magus line. If you became Luo Hao's disciple you will die when the Strongest Steel makes his appearance. You will be twisted into insanity if you get either of the True Magicians to teach you their magic... I continue if you wish?"

The crippled genius glared at her servant and for a moment she considered whether Merlin was just flat out lying to her to meet her own goals. But she could feel it in her gut, that she was instead telling the truth.

After a long moment, Fiore took a breath and asked plainly. "Then what is our first move?" 

To which Merlin smiled grinning evil as her eyes glowed with a demonic pink glow as she whispered. "First we get our future Lord a welcoming gift... Granted he does not need a divine sword but there is something very important that he desires and will need of in the future. The Rheingold was the cursed ever-expanding gold spire that created the evil dragon Fafnir which was stolen from him by the Mages Association." 

Fiore nodded with a weird expression crossing her face as she asked. "I mean the Mages Association has both of the True Magicians backing them up in case of a Campione going after them for no reason... But why would they directly steal from a Campione? Even Zeltrech and the Blue won't defend them for such stupidity?"

The question was sound... Very sound but Merlin gave a wane smile and said frankly. "Arrogance, but also there is the fact that the Mages Association has over the past three millennia collected a good number of Grimoires and although faded still powerful divine weapons and tools. Should a Campione go after them directly they can lose a dozen powerful mages to make the Campione bleed and flee. They did it to Vobahn after all when the Campione destroyed all the Magus families in the Balkans during the war." Merlin explained making Fiore groan as this was just too much.

But in the end, Fiore had only two things driving her and she asked Merlin bluntly. "Merlin... Will this Campione be able to fix my legs. And will he be willing to truly destroy the Forest of Einnashe?"

The succubus Magus of Flowers whistled at the demand and after a moment those pink eyes seemingly stared through Fiore before she responded in an infuriating manner of teasing. "Well for the first of course! What fun is it to pin someone's knees behind their head if they can't even feel their legs haha!"

But just as Fiore was about to curse Merlin with a spell as her hand glowed with a dark red light Merlin continued more seriously. "Though on the other side... Yeah, he is going to meet the Forest of Einnashe as it will be landing here in Japan in response to all the divine blood he has split on this island nation." 

Fiore's finger pointing a curse at Merlin stilled with her huffing and closing her fist as she closed her eyes and dropped her head down onto the pillow. "Good... Then I will play your games Merlin. Though how are we going to get the Rheingold from the Mages Association?" 

And Merlin's resulting smile gave Fiore chills at the inhumanity and cruelty within it as Merlin said cheerfully. "Oh, it's already here in Japan... It actually sealed up all nice and good in the next room so its aura doesn't leak out to the Campione." 

But seeing Fiore obviously going to ask the 'how' Merlin got it she continued that Cheshire smile and said easily. "Oh... I just walked into a young magi's poor dreams, devoured those dreams and then I teleported the Rheingold back here to Japan using one of your Command Seals hehe!" 

Slowly Fiore looked down at her right wrist carrying the thorny rose-looking command seal and with her eyebrow twitching she wiped the back of her hand on the bedsheets making a red streak with Merlin whining out. "Fiore! Do you have any idea how annoying it was to steal the perfect color of lipstick to match those command seals and then enchant the lipstick to match the color and glow of your Command Seals!?" 

'I swear it... The moment I get my legs back. I am going to chase Merlin and strangle her.' She thought as she laid up staring into the ceiling as Merlin continued to make noises but she used her wealth of experience as a magus that was trained to ignore pain to just make Merlin's noises into background noise for her to ignore.

-

I was sitting in my throne as Mariya shrunk in at Medusa's very fair reaction of becoming spitting mad at the sight of a symbol of power for Athena. "The Gregonian... A template of Athena's divinity which mishmashed her aspects as the Ouroborus, Pallas Athena, base Athena, and Medusa's nature as an Earth Serpent Goddess." I spoke as I could feel the shattered pieces of Athena's divinity filling the little stone medal that depicted a Gorgon.

A Gorgon that most assuredly wasn't Medusa or her sisters anyway.

Honestly, the Campione system of making Heretic God's never ceased to amaze me as they mish-mashed humanity's varied perceptions of a god giving them constantly shifting forms. Though... I really hope I wasn't going to have loli Athena trying to give me soul-devouring kisses for gods sake. That would be weird to say the least.

Tapping my fingers across my armrest I sighed and brought down a hand across my face as I asked flatly. "Little priestess, why are you carrying a divine bomb waiting to go off?" 

Mariya shivered and her mouth opened up but was unable to properly answer so I exhaled and gave Medusa a look who stalked over making Mariya shiver as the beautiful gorgon towered over her shorter form and silently Medusa plucked the medal from Mariya's hands and after a moment of thought I smiled and said.

"Medusa... How would you like to return to being an Earth Goddess to spite Athena in the absolute best way?" I asked quietly as she stared down at the emblem she held in her hand.

Slowly Medusa looked up at me and I saw her bite her lower lip as before she walked over to me and leaned down with her purple hair tickling my face as she whispered hotly into my ear. "Regaining my essence and seeing you break Athena? I would adore such a sight beyond all else." 

'Ok... Tall, curvy woman whispering into my ear is definitely a fetish I didn't know I had but good to know.' I thought as I shifted and saw Medusa lean back and giving me a knowing look that made me want to bully her back but there was a guest here.

I took a moment to think out my plan and then I clapped my hands once as I said. "Mariya Yuri, I thank you for bringing me this. And I am sorry for any discomfort my presence has brought you in the Committee obviously pushing you to meet me and tell of the things to come."

I held up a hand as she slightly panicked thinking I was putting blame on Japan's magical association. But with my hand up she stilled and I continued with a small smile. "Now take those life-extending elixers to the History Compilation Committee, I have work to do. In order to prepare for Athena and play the games such a goddess of wisdom will bring by her very nature." I spoke but my mind was a bit out of place as I felt Atalanta zip through the wards and quickly heading towards me.

"But I do have other tasks at hand that are of major importance. So Medusa, please escort Mariya out of the manor while I do my other duties." I finished as I left my throne and began heading towards the back lot where Atalanta was clearly waiting for me. And for a moment I was a bit worried that Gilgamesh was following her or something.

But after reaching outside I gave her a dull look as she was just sitting at the side of the pond next to Rin with them both staring into the pool containing a number of koi fish.

"So Atalanta... I believe I said not to go until tonight." I said bluntly as I folded my arms and stood over the sitting forms of Atalanta who gave a small grimace at being caught out so quickly.

And as she went to speak I cut her off with annoyance in my voice. "I gave you an order Atalanta... I said do not go until tonight and do not go without Medusa for backup."

As Rin was about to say something in a blur of motion I placed a finger over her lips without even looking at her as I continued to make eye contact with Chaste Huntress of Artemis. "Why did you deliberately disobey my orders?" I asked plainly.

Atalanta after a moment broke the eye contact before she took a breath and answered truthfully. "In my experience, it is better to follow the orders of nobility and kings sooner rather than the latter. But I did see Gilgamesh and you were wrong about them." 

Before I could tell her off for thinking for me and not just following the orders I gave... I processed her words and caught on about Gilgamesh being different? "What do you mean Gil was different?" 

Atalanta looked me dead in the eye as she said with not a hint of humor in those feline-slitted eyes as she reported. "Gilgamesh is in the form of a woman... I am sure for I have seen their bare chest with the rest of their form covered in thin silks as they were drinking and laying out in the sun."

I had to mentally digest that. Mentally come to terms that I was dealing with some kind of Prototype Merlin situation or something of some timeline fuckery or god knows maybe the grail messed with their body when they got covered in its cursed mud during the previous war.

Only mentally screaming slightly at this point, I mentally reengaged as Atalanta continued to speak. "They said that for now, they are waiting for you to make contact and decide whether to engage in mere discourse or fight to the death.... But she said that she is willing to speak with you as you have apparently proven yourself as worthy of their attention as well." 

My lips twitched as I thought. 'I fucking killed the Jade Emperor and Verathragna. If I wasn't worthy of speaking with Gilgamesh as at least their equal then no one on this earth is worthy of even breathing the same air on this damned planet.' 

I shook my head and pulled away my finger from Rin's lips as she attempted to bite it and then still without even looking at her I stuck my finger to into her mouth to mess with her as I said nonchalantly. "I see, that is definitely something I need to consider... Well for now I need to focus on the Grail and now the Herectic God form of Athena who will probably begin playing some mind games with me." 

I felt Rin lick and suck my finger making me finally look at her and she flushed under my surprised look as I expected her to just bite the shit out of said finger so I pulled the finger out with a pop with Atalanta's face twitching at the noise but she didn't say anything as I coughed and said. "Now, with this news, I need to consider my next moves. You girls have fun, oh, and also Rin. Your first mineralogy lesson is with me tonight so be ready for that." 

She flushed slightly but with her usual candor rising back to the surface she said somewhat sarcastically as she sought some control in our previous interaction. "Its about time you take my tutoring seriously! I was thinking you were breaking your promise about teaching me!"

However, I just laughed and waved my hand as I turned around saying. "Good, then you best be ready for the lessons to come." 

For a moment I considered going to spend some time with Sakura but I could feel through the wards that she was spending time with Illya and Medea so I decided to leave them be as I went to my workshop to get to work as although the Grail was patiently waiting for us to kill one another.

I wasn't going to put it past the damned thing to make this Grail War into a Greater Holy Grail War with two teams of Servants. So I needed to destroy it as soon as possible and by that... I mean literally tonight as I was also leery of Athena getting the wonderful idea of draining its power and then going insane due to Angra Mainyu being within the damned thing.