Yan Qing walked into a sterile looking room illuminated by a large butterfly within a crystal in the middle of the room.
???: "I see you've returned empty handed, Assassin."
Yan Qing: "Not by choice. Those guys are more dangerous than we expected, and not by a little bit."
Yan Qing saw the evil version of the Archer of Shinjuku with a cup of tea in his hand.
Archer?: "Well, this is certainly unprecedented, however we can still go ahead with the plan. Rider."
The massive wolf slowly lumbered into the room with a low growl. Archer then held up his hand, revealing that there was something glowing in his palm.
The old man then gently let the light go and it hovered over to the wolf and merged with it. The wolf immediately had a reaction and Yan Qing's eyes widened when he felt Rider's spirit origin change from an animal and its rider...
To fury and rage given physical manifestation.
The wolf roared loudly enough for the building to shake with its fury before it vanished from sight. Yan Qing sighed before looking over to one side of the room where he could see a familiar caster servant bound by huge black chains that were attached to nails that were impaled through the caster's body.
Archer?: "Now then, Sir Shakespeare. How long until the next phantom spirit will be ready. I do so love the character of King Lear and would love to meet the man in person, you know."
Before the conversation could continue, Y/n felt his conscious being tugged elsewhere and he found himself floating in space somewhere.
Y/n: "... Well ain't this a bitch?"
He heard nothing around him but deafening silence. He saw nothing but the faint light of distant stars. He decided to bide his time by aimlessly spinning in the endless darkness.
As he did so, he heard a voice echoing around him.
"So you are the one who calls himself the eighth?"
Y/n: "That would be me, yes. Lemme guess, you're the seventh? The beast that announces the end. Not very intimidating if you ask me."
The voice in the dark laughed. The sound was so full of malice. So full of gleeful hostility.
"The plan has already been set in motion. Your so-called Eternity ends here."
Y/n: "By whose decree? I don't remember throwing in the towel just yet, bitch."
The voice continued to laugh until a blinding light shone out in front of Y/n as a being manifested in front of him. The light was so bright that he couldn't make out any facial features, however he felt what seemed to be a hand on his face.
"You will learn in time, Beast VIII. For now, sit back and wait. Rebellion is at hand after all."
Suddenly, Y/n was spat back into the real world as he fell off of the couch and landed on the floor.
Rin: "Y/n?"
Shirou: "You okay, buddy?"
Edmond: "What happened?"
Y/n: "Looks like what Odin told me was right on the money."
Mordred: "Odin?"
Y/n: "Yeah... Beast VII knows who and what I am. I just had a rather pleasant little chat with it."
Salter: "Beast VII?"
Archer: "I believe I need a refresher. What is Beast VII?"
Y/n: "The beast that announces the end. Something that's making its way to our world. Odin's warned me that we can't stop her plan at this stage. We need to wait until the plan enters its next phase, then we can strike back at her."
Everyone flinched, if this was something that Odin had advised Y/n about then this was some serious shit.
Y/n: "Oh, that also reminds me. The dog's angry."
Emiya: "Meaning?"
Caenis: "We're about to get hunted down aren't we?"
Y/n: "No. I'm about to go adopt a puppy is what's gonna happen."
Y/n chuckled as he went to run outside. He was stopped however by Edmond walking into the room, though it wasn't Chaldea's Edmond.
Edmond: "Well ain't this awkward?"
Edmond?: "I apologise for taking on this guise, however I felt it necessary."
The other Edmond quickly dismissed his disguise, revealing the opium addicted detective himself.
Y/n: "Holmes. Shoulda figured you'd be here considering that Archer here's Moriarty."
Holmes: "Very well deduced, Mr. Y/n."
Rin: "Wait, this guy's Sherlock Holmes!?"
Archer: "Holmes, old boy!"
Holmes: "Professor Moriarty."
Shirou: "Professor?"
Holmes: "Indeed. This man is James Moriarty. A math professor and a man dubbed as the Napoleon of Crime."
Moriarty: "Indubitably, old boy. Though it seems as though my consciousness has been split."
Holmes: "Yes, I had observed as much myself. Y/n, what is your take?"
Y/n frowned for a moment. Something then clicked in his mind.
Y/n: "There isn't a second Moriarty. Just something disguising as him and the real one."
Artoria: "That is a possibility. We shouldn't rule out anything else though."
Y/n: "Hm... Give me a moment."
Y/n walked up to Moriarty before holding his right fist up to the professor's face. He shut his eyes and slowly felt mana flowing through his hand and into Solomon's signet ring.
The symbol engraved on the ring shone briefly before dimming again.
Y/n: "He's clean. Minor memory manipulation, but otherwise, he isn't the demon god pillar."
Holmes: "I see. Using Solomon's signet ring as a means of finding the demon god pillar. I must say, it's a rather ingenious plan."
Y/n: "We can theorycraft later, for the moment I wanna go take care of Rider."
Moriarty: "Might I suggest an alternative idea?"
Y/n raised an eyebrow, but motioned for the professor to continue.
Moriarty: "Our main threats are going to be that Altered version of Mr. Emiya and the shapeshifting assassin."
Y/n: "You know something?"
Moriarty: "Indeed. The assassin tends to hold rather lavish parties. I suggest an infiltration mission."
Salter: "Then we should choose who goes."
Moriarty: "Hm. I suggest Holmes and I stay behind."
Holmes: "Agreed. The other Moriarty will no doubt be suspicious of us if you show up."
Y/n: "Hm... Artoria, Salter, Jalter, Rin, Shirou, Emiya, Mordred. Let's go find somewhere we can get some new outfits."
Rin: "Why us!?"
Shirou: "I have a better idea, Y/n. Rin and Emiya, you two find a vantage point and keep an eye on things from a distance."
Emiya: "I can agree to that."
Rin: "And what'll you guys be doing!?"
Y/n: "Attending the party. From what I saw through Yan Qing's eyes though, Shakespeare's involved. The other Moriarty mentioned King Lear."
Holmes: "Yes. Moriarty's been using Shakespeare's noble phantasm to conjure phantom spirits."
Y/n: "Yeah. So we've gotta be cautious."
Mordred: "Why do we gotta get new outfits though?"
Y/n: "We're going to a party, Mordred. As much as I like the current drip, we gotta fit in."
Mordred: "Ohoho no. You are NOT putting me in a dress!"
||Two Hours Later||
Mordred: "I hate you, I hope you know that."
Jalter: "Could be worse, we coulda got you a full gold dress."
Salter: "Yes, be grateful we went with red. Also be grateful we didn't go for a transparent dress."
Y/n: "I certainly wouldn't be complaining."
Mordred: "Shut up! You fuck goddesses on the daily!"
Y/n: "Excuse you? Remind me who it was that was practically screaming my fucking name while taking it from the back!"
Mordred: "Kiara!"
Y/n: "... Remind me who else was screaming my name!"
The others laughed as they made their way to the party.
Upon their arrival, Y/n took a deep breath.
Y/n: "It reeks of aristocratic bullshit in here."
Jalter: "Yyyup. These guys are all loaded as well from my guess."
Salter: "We shall need to blend in."
Artoria: "Indeed. Shirou, we should scout the top end of the hall. Y/n and the others can handle the bottom end."
Y/n: "You just want an excuse to dance with Shirou, don't ya, Artoria?"
Artoria: "Th- That is..."
Shirou: "Looks like you called it."
The two boys laughed before Shirou led Artoria out to the dance floor where the two shared a slow waltz.
Y/n, Salter, Jalter and Mordred stood at the other side of the hall from them when Mordred tugged on Y/n's shirt.
Y/n: "Yo."
Mordred: "You... Uh..."
Y/n knew what to expect, however seeing Mordred so flustered made him want to tease her...
Relentlessly.
Y/n: "Go on, spit it out."
Mordred: "Y- You already know what I want!"
Y/n: "Mhm! But I wanna hear you say it."
Mordred: "You!"
Y/n: "Hm... Yo, Salter. Wanna grab a dance while we wait?"
Mordred: "Huh!?"
Salter: "We have an excuse to, so I see no reason to refuse."
Before the two could go, Mordred grabbed Y/n by the hand and dragged him to the dance floor.
Mordred: "You wanna hear me say it? Fine. Fucking dance with me, jackass!"
Y/n laughed before pulling Mordred in as the music started up with another song played solely on piano.
Their movements were awkward to begin with, however as the song progressed, they found their feet and eventually they were dancing around the hall like naturals.
Round and round they went, paying no heed to the other people around them. For that brief moment. Those few minutes of music. They didn't care.
The knight of treachery clad in red and the beast of eternity clad in black.
Cute scene, right?
Would be a shame if it was ruined, right?
R I G H T ?
The music was cut off abruptly as Yan Qing stood on the other side of the hall, near Shirou and Artoria.
Yan Qing: "Fuckin' damn. I just cannot catch a break with you, huh?"
Y/n: "I mean, it's been fun so far. However considering you're workin' with a demon god pillar. Imma need to snuff your lights out."
Yan Qing: "Demon god pillar?"
Y/n: "So the other Moriarty didn't tell him..."
Yan Qing's grin turned manic as hornet mercenaries stormed into the room.
Yan Qing: "Hehahaha! Hornets, make sure they don't leave here alive! Let's let our resident star-crossed lovers deal with 'em!"
Y/n: "I'm getting flashbacks to English Literature classes and I DON'T APPRECIATE IT!!"
Two of the party guests stepped forward, revealing that they were the phantom spirits Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet.
Y/n: "I always hated you fucks."
Y/n and Mordred both summoned their swords before moving to dispatch the star-crossed pains in the ass.
Mordred swung at Romeo's neck, which he was able to avoid without much issue. Juliet was easier to keep at bay. Clearly she would be more of a caster while Romeo was probably a saber.
For once though, Y/n was thankful he knew their story. Their weakness was the thing that lead to their demise.
Poison.
If Y/n could poison Juliet, then Romeo would be driven to despair and likely kill himself. Juliet would then wake up and do the same since they were both inextricably linked.
Y/n: "Yo, anyone got some poison I can borrow?"
Aja: "I do not have poison. But I can send people to sleep."
Y/n: "That'll do nicely!"
Y/n rushed forward as his left hand began to glow a dim green colour. Aja instructed him to strike at Juliet's head for the sleeping spell to take effect.
Y/n understood and ducked under an attack from some hornets. He then swung Bheathach Siorruidh and decapitated all three of the hornets that were closest to him.
He then ducked under Juliet's attack and administered the sleeping spell via clocking her directly in the temple.
Romeo looked over and saw Juliet fall. He was overcome with anger and grief and he charged at Y/n, only to find himself impaled upon Clarent.
Mordred: "No ya don't, asshole."
Romeo looked in horror before he disappeared. All that remained was Juliet.
Y/n: "Welp. I'm finna kill her now."
Shirou: "Wait!"
Y/n: "Oh good god. What?"
Shirou: "Won't she just kill herself when she wakes up?"
Y/n: "Yes. But this means that she doesn't hafta wake up."
Odin: "Y/n."
Y/n: "Minute, Odin."
Neither Y/n nor Shirou noticed as Juliet's form began to change.
Odin: "Y/n, this is important."
Y/n: "Then tell me when we're outta here!"
???: "No time for that! Juliet's body! Look at it!"
Y/n rolled his eyes and looked down at Juliet, seeing that there was someone entirely different in her place. Rather than the slim, dark haired girl dressed in black that was there before. There was now an obscenely buxom woman with long blonde hair and a gilded white dress.
Y/n: "... Okay that's new."
Shirou: "Wh- Who is that?"
The woman's eyes flickered open, revealing silver irises that seemed to shine with a radiance that could only be described as divine.
Y/n: "Whoever decided to hijack my mindscape just there, get to explainin'."
???: "She is a goddess from my pantheon. The ancestor of the Roman people. Daughter of Caelus and goddess of love. Her name was given to one of the planets in the solar system. The woman that now lies before you...
Is Venus."
End of Chapter.
Next Time: Aphrodite's Equal.