Work Text:
Illusory Crusade of the Lionhearted Scion: Nueva Barcelona
Within a grand fortress standing atop a mountain amongst the sands, an Old Man clad in dark fell to the stone cold floor, having been defeated by his arch nemesis and rival. His black dragon form has already dispersed, having sustained terrible damage from his rival’s blade and magic. His escape had been prevented and his body lie broken.
His servants, both the Assassins he gathered for his cause and the Hujarks, the Cursed Elves that he enslaved, does not lie dead at his foe’s feet but rather standing at said foe’s side, having been raised from the dead as his undead minions through a terrible necromancy far surpassing the likes that has been wielded by master necromancers of the fifth crusade a few centuries ago.
His prisoners, the geniuses Da Vinci and Galileo, can only watch in horror as his terrible rival stands triumphant, ready to usurp not only his dark throne but his grand plans as well.
His rival, hailing from the accursed bloodline of his old enemy, takes a few steps forward to claim his prize, the relics that he has gathered to perform the ancient ritual, the Disjunction, a ritual he once performed in the past to open the gates to the Other Side and brought magic back to the world, which was thwarted by his current foe’s ancestor.
He is powerless to stop this foe. But he refuses to watch as his rival seizes his life’s work for himself. As a former Amesha Spentas turned Daeva, he cannot allow defeat to stain his truth once again. And so, before his mortal shell expires, he stands back up defiantly just as his foe takes the True Cross from the ritual circle.
He still has a trump card, namely his prisoners, who were once his foe’s allies before he turned towards darkness. Their presence is part of why he was confident about retreating and leaving the relics behind for they would certainly intervene with his foe’s plans. With a gesture, he unlocks their cages and frees them from their bindings before collapsing one last time. His spirit leaving the body he possessed.
“You think you have won!? That you’ve become the darkness!? Ahriman’s chosen!? Though you have slain the Old Man of the Mountain, I survived! To find another host strong enough to bear my power! The struggle will NOT end!” His voice echoes throughout the grand hall as his spirit leaves the fortress of Alamut. The voice of a defeated spirit does not scare his foe, whose steps remain undeterred. But before said foe could reach the rest of the relics, he is stopped by the voice of his former ally, Da Vinci.
“So, evil chases away evil! But what we are left with is just as treacherous and dangerous as the Old Man of the Mountain! Galileo! The relics! Take them and go!”
With a swipe of his hands, Galileo teleports along with two of the three relics present within the ritual circle, the Lance of Longinus and the Crown of Thorns, before their former ally could intervene.
“You disappoint me. You may have routed the host, but you now lack the relics to bring about a new Disjunction yourself! While I cannot defeat you here, we WILL gather our forces and fight you to the last, Lionheart! To. The. Last.” Da Vinci makes his final warning before teleporting away, leaving the Scion of Lionheart in the company of his own undead minions.
A mere setback… But he shall not be deterred. With his arch nemesis defeated, he has only the broken and crippled forces of his former allies to worry about. In fact, with how many already dead from the English invasion of Spain, France and Netherlands, a war that was arranged by the Old Man by preying on the already deteriorating relationship between the English crown and the Inquisition, he now has more potential servants to add to his ranks.
No matter how much they struggle, none can deny his power and none can stand in his way… not even those he still cherish even to this day.
So I have seen. So it was written.
In 1192, the knights of the west waged the third crusade against the armies of the east. King Richard the Lionhearted defeated his rival, the great sultan Saladin, and captured the city of Acre.
When Saladin failed to pay the ransom demanded by the crusaders, Richard heeded the counsel of one of his trusted advisors and had 3000 prisoners put to death.
But this traitorous advisor had tricked Richard into completing an ancient ritual, the Disjunction, a catastrophe that caused demons, monsters and spirits to spill across the land like a black tide.
Faced with this grave threat, Richard and Saladin joined forces and fought side by side to save humanity. Fearlessly engaging the creatures and driving them back. At last sealing the rift caused by the Disjunction.
Although Lionheart and Saladin were victorious, magic and terrible creatures had escaped into the world, changing the lands forever.
Centuries passed and humanity struggled to deal with the many changes wrought by the Disjunction. Magic mingled with the bloodlines of humankind. Spirits joined with people, granting magical power to some and bringing misery to others.
Many cities were razed in countless conflicts against the evil forces that escaped during the cataclysm. Brave crusaders honoured the legacy of Lionheart and fought this evil across Europe and Asia.
The Knights Templar of the west and the Order of Saladin in the east waged war against the forces of darkness while the Inquisition sought to rebuild civilization and purge all those possessed with diabolic magic.
Today, in 1588, these valiant orders once brought a degree of security and peace to a chaotic world.
And yet I was haunted by a disturbing vision, a vision that came true.
Dark schemes threatened to break a fragile peace. While the Betrayer sought an Age once lost, a new war would be waged in the west and east. Its outcome hanged on a coin once tossed.
And before the spinning coin can land, it had been caught by the slavers hand.
After escaping the slavers with the help of an old ally, the spinning coin travelled from Spain to France, seeking to protect the ancient relics once used by the Betrayer to bring about the Disjunction and prevent such catastrophe from happening once again. His travels brought him through the war torn Europe all the way to the British Isles and finally to the Persian desert.
But at the moment when he finally engaged in battle against the Betrayer in his fell fortress, the spinning coin finally landed. It landed on the side of darkness.
The Lion of the west would return, to fend off the fury of the dragon. And when the savior engulfed the dragon, the Lion’s heart would blacken. But now a new prophecy writes itself. Even now the forces of good anxiously wait as the dark one gathers his dark legions. Soon, a new crusade, led by the Scion of Lionheart, threatens to wash the lands in blood.
I have foreseen his second arrival at my dwelling, with his undead servants in tow. My remaining guardians would fall before his might. After that, there is no more vision that I, Nostradamus, could see. My fate would end then and there.
No… There is one last vision I could see before my end.
The vision of a white building surrounded by ice and snow… A blazing orb… A burning city of towers… a dark abyss floating in the sky… a dark and terrible king sitting on a white throne…
My powers of foresight could not discern the nature of this vision… but I suspect it may be a new coin just tossed.
Which side shall this coin land in the end?
I shall leave that question to be answered by the ones who would survive to see such times.
For now, I shall wait until my time comes.
It was just another day for Ritsuka Fujimaru, the last Master of Chaldea, nay, of humanity. He has just woken up from his slumber, recovering from his last rayshift. After cleaning himself, he heads towards the cafeteria to get some breakfast, graciously served by a certain Archer.
“Good morning, senpai! Have you rested properly?” His faithful Shielder Demi-Servant, Mash Kyrielight, greets him on the hallways whilst being on the way to the cafeteria herself.
“Foou!” Fou, the resident mascot of Chaldea, greets him as well from atop her shoulder.
“Good morning, Mash. Good morning, Fou. Yes, I slept like a log. Any news from the doctor about the next Singularity?”
“Not yet. It’s taking longer than usual somehow.”
“Well. More time for us to relax I guess.”
“That’s right.” Mash smiles as they continue their walk to the cafeteria in a slow, relaxed pace. Despite the fate of humanity hanging in the balance due to the schemes of the King of Magecraft, the two enjoy their daily life with optimism in order to protect their minds from the despair that lingers deep within.
They promptly finish their breakfast before the speakers activate. Romani’s voice can be heard from it. The acting director’s voice a little bit more nervous than usual.
“Ahem. Master of Chaldea, Ritsuka-kun and Mash! Please come to the command room for a briefing! That is all!”
“Well. It seems that the time of peace has ended.”
“Yes, it has, senpai.”
The two of them left behind their relaxed face as they head towards the command room with solemn expressions, with Fou following them closely behind.
The red Archer who observed them without giving them more than a few glances sighs as he laments the fact that fate has stolen their youthful innocence and turned them into warriors.
“Well. I haven’t been in action for a while so I might as well accompany them to whatever singularity they would travel to.” He says as he takes off his apron and follows them.
It doesn’t take long for the three to arrive at their destination. Ritsuka quickly notices the red Archer behind them.
“Oh! Emiya-san! You’re coming too?” Ritsuka calls out to him with a smile.
“Yes. I’ve been out of action as of late, and so I figured I’d like to accompany you this time. If you’ll have me of course.”
“Of course you’re welcome!” Ritsuka answers with a smile and without hesitation. Even though there are many servants summoned by Chaldea more powerful and more useful than him, Ritsuka still approves his request. Such trust gave him the resolve to do whatever he can to help them solve this new singularity.
In the command room stand Romani Archaman and Da Vinci waiting for them.
“Good! You’re here, Ritsuka-kun, Mash and Emiya. And… you as well, Fou!”
“Fouu~!”
“Sit down! We’ll begin the briefing shortly.” The acting director, Romani Archaman, motions them to sit at the chairs prepared for them and they proceed to sit there.
“Hope you two are ready because this is a little wild!” Da Vinci, the inventor possessing the form of Mona Lisa, says with a little excited tone despite the grim situation they’re in.
“Ahem. Now let me begin with the briefing. We have discovered a new singularity. And by new I mean… it’s not one of the Seven Singularities we discovered before but an entirely new one. And it’s growing at an alarming rate that we can no longer ignore it.” Romani explains with a grim expression unlike his usual laidback one.
“I see. Where is the singularity located?” Ritsuka asks with similarly grim expression.
“It’s located in Europe, 1588. Mainly centered around the city of Barcelona in Spain, though the effects of this singularity seems to have spread across the rest of Europe and even all the way to Persia, present day Iran.”
“1588? During the Renaissance? Is it during or after your time, Da Vinci-chan?”
“Several decades after my death, yes.” Da Vinci answers Fujimaru.
“If I recall correctly, the major historical event happening during this time is the Spanish naval invasion of England, which resulted in their defeat.”
“That’s right, Mash. However, this is… as Da Vinci said… a little bit wild… Because this is 1588 and yet we detected mana readings more akin to the Age of Gods than the Age of Man.”
“That’s… weird. Is it gonna be like the First Singularity in France?”
“Yes and more. With environment like that, I believe we should expect more than the presence of Phantasmal Species. Fu fu fu. Doesn’t that sound fun?” Da Vinci remains optimistic even though they should be worried as they haven’t encountered a singularity of this scale before.
“Since this is a new singularity… Is there a possibility of Solomon being involved in this, as he always has?” The red Archer asks.
“That is within the realm of possibility… although we cannot be sure.”
“I see. Well… I’m ready for whatever--”
“Nope, Ritsuka-kun. You’re not ready yet. As a person from the modern times, you aren’t yet equipped to deal with environment full of True Ether. But worry not! For I, the genius Da Vinci-chan, has created a Mystic Code for you!” Da Vinci says as she pulls out a set of clothes in Ritsuka’s size. The clothes resemble fancy clothes that one would wear during the Renaissance consisting of a doublet, pants, a coat and a hat decorated with a feather.
“Oh! This looks cool!”
“As a man who lived in those times, designing this is a piece of cake for me! But the real cool thing about this is how it protects you against the environment one might find during the Age of Gods. I was going for a simpler design but when I heard we’re going to Renaissance times, I knew I had to make something like this!”
“Wait a minute. We?”
“Of course I’m coming! I wanna see how Europe was doing a few decades after my death! Not to mention how the singularity affects it!”
“Well. I guess having someone familiar with the time period would be a great help.” Ritsuka remarks.
“So you have Mash, Emiya-kun and Da Vinci-chan accompanying you. Who else will you--”
“If I may interject… I have a request. I… wish to join you in your quest, Master.”
The voice of Jeanne d’Arc can be heard from the entrance to the briefing room.
“Oh, hi, Jeanne-san! You want to join us?”
“Yes. I can’t… explain it. But lately I’ve been hearing… voices in my dreams… urging me to join you in this singularity.”
“Voices? From whom?” Da Vinci asks with a curious glint in her eyes.
“I’m not sure. But I felt like… I’ve heard those voices before. It felt… compelling to me… like God’s revelation did back during my life… when I first took up the sword to fight for the fate of France. And they even called me… their Pious Child.”
“Pious Child?”
“I don’t know the significance behind that title… but I felt like the voice was… full of love and affection that I… have to answer their wish.”
“I see. Well, I don’t see why not. Welcome aboard, Jeanne-san!” Ritsuka smiles as he welcomes her to the team with open arms, earning her a grateful smile in return.
“Thank you very much, Master.”
After forming their team, the group sets out to rayshift towards a new Singularity, arriving at the ruined metropolis, Barcelona, where interesting encounters awaits them.
Author’s Note:
Hello there! OminousRain here! I wrote this one shot of Fate: Grand Order crossover with Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader because I figured that game’s lore fits fate universe so much that I can’t help it! For now I am busy with my other fanfics, The Necromancer in Shadow and Overlord Maker, so I have no plans to continue this fanfic for now. Maybe in the far future if I’m up to it. No promises.
We all already know FGO’s story (some of you know more than I do because I stopped playing the game after Camelot singularity) but most of you probably haven’t even heard of Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader, so I’ll give you explanation about the game’s story. Feel free to skip the spoiler section if you intend on playing the game yourself and want no spoilers.
=== SPOILER ALERT FOR THE STORY OF LIONHEART: LEGACY OF THE CRUSADER ===
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader is an obscure RPG set in Renaissance Europe where history becomes mixed with fantasy after the third crusade where a villain opened the gate to the spirit world through the ritual called the Disjunction. This caused magic to enter the physical world, spirits making contracts with humans to grant them magic, monsters appearing and even slumbering powers such as the Pharaohs and the Titans to awaken in twisted, alternate forms.
Since then the crusades stopped being religious wars and started being about battling the forces of darkness, the fourth being the Crusade against the Dragons, the fifth against the Necromancers, and the sixth as more of a spiritual crusade as the Inquisition hunts down people possessed by demonic spirits.
The main villain of the game is Asha Vahishta, an Amesha Spentas from Zoroastrianism representing truth, who became disillusioned by the eternal conflict against the dark side that he ended up joining them. He was responsible for manipulating Richard the Lionhearted into completing the Disjunction that opened the portal to the spirit world, which I think is similar in concept to the Reverse Side of the World in Fate lore.
This has the unintended effect of making the Daeva of Lies, Druj, who is his polar opposite, to join the light side in response. But both of them still cannot deny their true nature, with the spirit of truth using half truths to manipulate the conflict between England and Spain behind the scenes while the spirit of lies used sweet lies to comfort and guide disillusioned people who are being persecuted by the Inquisition.
As revealed in the beginning of this fanfic, this villain possessed the body of the Old Man of the Mountain and transformed into a black dragon in the final battle in Alamut Fortress.
The game starts at year 1588 but some historical figures who may or may not be there at the time are alive due to magic and stuff. For example:
Da Vinci and Galileo were secretly wizards, with Galileo being imprisoned by the Inquisition not because of Heliocentrism but because of his support of magic use, which is banned by the Inquisition, William Shakespeare was banished and moved to Spain because one of his plays offended the queen of England, Hernando Cortes still alive due to finding the Fountain of Youth, Jeanne d’Arc being cursed into an undead, Miguel Cervantes re-enacting Don Quixote’s journey, Grace O’Malley joining the Spanish Armada in disguise for revenge against the English, Tomas de Torquemada still alive and still leading the Inquisition, Nostradamus merged with his spirit and turned into a cocoon, etc.
Even factions such as the Knights Templar and the Inquisition became more prominent due to their role in maintaining order in a world invaded by magic. These two, alongside a mage faction called the Wielders, are joinable factions in the game.
The game also features three selectable spirits available at character creation: the Elemental Spirit (Armaiti), the Demonic Spirit (Saurva) and the Bestial Spirit (name unknown as far as I know) and they provide different magical benefits and different dialogues and would lore dump you before a boss fight.
The main quest involves joining a faction and then travelling to protect the relics (True Cross, Lance of Longinus and the Crown of Thorns) from being snatched by the villain who wants to perform the Disjunction once more using these relics as the English fights a war against Spain, eventually leading to the confrontation at Alamut.
=== END OF SPOILER ===
This game has some very interesting lore but was unsuccessful due to development being rushed due to budget constraints, particularly on its second half. But if you’re still interested in playing it nonetheless, you can still buy it on Steam for $19,99. It also has banger soundtrack and excellent voice acting. Don’t forget to search for the PDF file of the game’s manual as it contains some very interesting read about the game’s lore, many of which were only vaguely mentioned in the game.
I’ll lay down some of my plans for this fanfic:
- The player character is a distant descendant of Richard the Lionhearted, which gave them the name Scion of Lionheart.
- The outfit that Da Vinci gave Ritsuka has the same effect as the one from Babylonia anime but modelled after Renaissance period clothes (probably).
- Archer is there to identify and react to some of them magic weapons present in the Lionheart universe like magic bows forged to battle dragons, Sword of Kublai Khan (my favourite sword in the game), etc.
- In this fanfic, the Scion of Lionheart recruited Lionheart Jeanne as a companion but didn’t cure her curse and she would end up joining Da Vinci in fighting him following the evil ending. She is more battle hardened and distrustful than her FGO counterpart but is still a good person.
- Lionheart Da Vinci is an old man but with strong magic that doesn’t lose to his Servant counterpart from FGO. He is an important ally throughout the game’s story, though he opposes the player in the evil ending, which this fanfic follows. He would be one of the resistance leaders in the new crusade.
- I want Jeanne and Da Vinci to meet their Lionheart counterparts, which is why they are in the team. Beyond these three I haven’t decided on who else should be included in the team yet.
- FGO William Shakespeare would criticize Lionheart Shakespeare for his dependence on a Muse spirit for writing.
- I plan for the Scion of Lionheart in this fanfic to be of the Demokin Race (there are four selectable races in the game and Demokin is a race of humans tainted by demonic spirits and has demonic features such as horns) and the spirit that he inherited from Richard the Lionhearted is the Demonic Spirit (one of the three selectable spirits in the game).
- Lionheart Da Vinci is said to have inherited a spirit that used to be allies with Richard so I’m gonna assign the other two spirits, The Elemental Spirit and Bestial Spirit to Da Vinci and Galileo.
- This Singularity is created by Asha but since he was defeated, everyone’s attention is turned towards the Scion of Lionheart (AKA the player character of the game) who has turned towards the dark side (following the evil ending of the game), so everyone’s gonna go after him, thinking that defeating him will end the Singularity.
- Asha hides in the shadows and maintains the Singularity he created using his power to impose the his truth upon the world, perhaps with the aid of some Holy Grail, which makes it grow at an alarming rate that Chaldea noticed it eventually.
That’s it for now. See you in my next work!