Vroom~!!
Golden morning light bathed the Mesopotamian plains.
Rumble!!
The roar of an engine and a black metal vehicle, out of place in this era, tore across the plains.
The blond man in the driver's seat let out a hearty laugh, humming odd tunes.
"What's wrong, Master? Not cheered up by this joyride? This is such a fun thing to do." Tezcatlipoca, known as Tezcatlipoca, said, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, glancing at Roy in the passenger seat.
"Fun thing… you mean racing?" Roy asked.
"Of course! My era didn't have such entertaining toys. Now that I can play with them, I'm going all out." Tezcatlipoca replied, flooring the accelerator, the jeep surging faster.
"But can't you fly? And isn't your speed faster than driving?" Roy said, surprised by the excitement on Tezcatlipoca's face.
At the Seventh Singularity, Roy had summoned two Servants. One, sharing the solar concept with Quetzalcoatl, was Karna, son of the Indian sun god Surya. The other was this figure, the antithesis of Quetzalcoatl's benevolent divinity, Tezcatlipoca, Tezcatlipoca, a chief god of Aztec myth.
A paramount deity, he governed the First Sun of Aztec legend, embodying supreme divine power and human fate. Unlike other Mesoamerican gods, he represented no natural force or tribal protector but the impermanence of the world, the "Lord of the Here and Now." Omnipresent and elusive as the "Night Wind."
Unlike Quetzalcoatl, summoned by this Singularity, Tezcatlipoca candidly revealed his identity, explaining his Grand Saint Graph was granted due to the Singularity's chaos.
"You summoning a chief god like me isn't just about mana or compatibility with Quetzalcoatl. The world called for me, and the Throne of Heroes sent me to quell the disturbance. Plus, I'm curious about you, so I came to check." He said.
"Seeing Quetzalcoatl here was unexpected, but it makes sense. Our grudges and ties aren't easily explained. I've done countless misdeeds, with enemies everywhere, but Quetzalcoatl is special. We can never reconcile or forgive each other."
Due to Quetzalcoatl's prior presence and Tezcatlipoca's initial clash with Karna, Roy was wary of this notorious Aztec malevolent god.
His moods and actions were as fickle as the evening breeze, and Quetzalcoatl's scathing opinion of him heightened Roy's caution.
As a Grand Servant and divine entity, Command Spells held little sway over him, so Roy kept his distance, not demanding contributions, hoping only to keep him neutral.
Yet, after a few missions and casual exchanges, Roy found this Aztec god, despised by Quetzalcoatl, wasn't entirely malevolent. He honored contracts scrupulously.
Unlike Karna, who obeyed as a loyal hero, or haughty kings like Gilgamesh or Ramesses II, Tezcatlipoca preferred mutual benefit and trade.
Everything was transactional in his code.
To enlist his aid, one paid a price matching his effort.
Since Roy summoned him and supplied ample mana for freedom of action, Tezcatlipoca agreed to confront Kingu.
His requested reward was surprising.
Not some grand demand, but a gun, a simple, modern firearm.
Despite his infamy as a world-destroying Aztec god, he was fascinated by modern guns, vehicles, and technology.
After wreaking havoc in Quetzalcoatl's divine realm, he asked Roy for modern weapons, preferably guns.
Roy was taken aback.
Mystical beings typically disdained crude modern arms, a view held by most magus, save outliers like Kiritsugu Emiya.
Yet, as a pinnacle of Aztec myth and mystery, Tezcatlipoca not only respected human technology but was enthralled by weapons and vehicles.
In subsequent trades, Roy grasped his temperament, unpretentious, and easily swayed to help with modern vehicles and gear.
Familiar with cars and guns, Roy used Projection Magecraft to craft items meeting Tezcatlipoca's demands. Later, he had Chaldea's Da Vinci provide advanced vehicle blueprints, which he replicated and gifted to Tezcatlipoca.
Even the oddly styled black jeep they rode was Roy's Projection Magecraft, though its absurd horsepower and divine enchantments showed Tezcatlipoca's modifications.
"Come on, Master, lighten up. Dive into the thrill of racing, relax. You've done something incredible, haven't you?" Tezcatlipoca said, one hand on the wheel, the other flicking ash from his cigarette.
Ignoring Roy's expression, he continued, "Some choices aren't perfect, or maybe every choice is right. You saved humanity your way. It wasn't flawless, but it's better than doing nothing."
"No matter how others view your actions, I see no fault in your choices. I bet Quetzalcoatl feels the same. The only one who won't forgive you is yourself."
"Are you counseling me?" Roy asked, surprised.
"Counseling? Haha… call it that if you want, but it's my honest opinion. I'm the evil god who devoured the world in a rage." Tezcatlipoca laughed, not pursuing Roy's remark.
His words weren't mere comfort but sincere.
As a supreme god of impermanence and duality, his perspective transcended human or divine limits.
Roy's actions were, to him, the most rational, flawless.
Resolve, courage, obsession, noble qualities shone through. Whether others understood was their concern.
"…" Roy shook his head, dropping the topic.
They'd raced across Mesopotamia's plains for hours, yet Merlin's mentioned underworld entrance remained elusive.
"Do you actually know the way?" Roy asked the Aztec god driving.
"Strange… I'm sure it was around here. Why can't I find the entrance?" Tezcatlipoca said, puzzled, eyeing the flat terrain.
He rubbed his chin, tossed his cigarette, and sniffed lightly.
"This scent…?"
His eyes shifted subtly.
"What's up, Berserker? Found something?" Roy asked.
"Yeah, I figured out why I got lost." Tezcatlipoca said, standing, gazing into the distance, his eyes tinged red.
Reflected in them was a black, isolated valley, pale skeletons, and eerie blue flames, a thick aura of death washing over.
It felt like a blade hung over his neck, ready to fall.
Yet, this intense death aura posed no threat to Tezcatlipoca, feeling almost familiar as a god of death and the underworld.
"Your time has not yet come…"
A low voice echoed, then vanished with the death aura, fading from the world.
"Tch… They even sent a guy like that? A manifestation of death, or its avatar. Quite a remarkable existence. This Singularity's getting interesting…" Tezcatlipoca said, retracting his gaze as the blue-flamed skull vanished, a playful smirk on his face.
He knew that figure.
A formidable being, also a Grand Servant.
He'd thought he was the only Grand Servant in the Seventh Singularity, but a Grand Assassin appeared.
More fascinating figures were sure to follow…
Perhaps formidable enough to warrant two Grand Servants.
How thrilling.
He muttered excitedly, grinning.
Roy, witnessing this, sank into thought.
"What did you see?"
"What I saw…" Tezcatlipoca didn't hide it, revealing another Grand Servant tied to mountains and death.
He warned Roy, "Be cautious, Master. I haven't dealt with him much, but that guy's a stickler and dangerous."
"Your soul and fate are oddly peculiar. He might mark you as 'fated to die' and, slice!" He mimed a throat-slashing gesture, earnestly cautioning Roy.
He valued this mana-rich Master who didn't restrain him and supplied future vehicles and weapons.
An old man with a pale skull mask, wreathed in blue flames… Hearing Tezcatlipoca's detailed description, Roy nodded, knowing exactly who he meant.
Grand Assassin, founder of the Hassan order, the Hassan who slays Hassans, pivotal in the Seventh Singularity for delivering the critical blow to Tiamat, granting her the concept of death, King Hassan.
Without his sacrifice of Grand Servant status, using his Saint Graph to imbue Tiamat with death in the underworld, the Singularity would've ended in defeat.
King Hassan was key to defeating Tiamat.
In Uruk, Roy had sought this old man, hoping for his aid to replicate the original plan of granting Tiamat death.
He'd searched long, asking Merlin and Gilgamesh to use Clairvoyance, but they found no trace. Even Ritsuka hadn't encountered King Hassan.
Roy began to suspect his presence altered the timeline, preventing King Hassan's appearance in the Singularity where human evil was born, with Tezcatlipoca replacing him.
If true, it posed a problem. Though a Grand Servant, Roy wasn't sure Tezcatlipoca could grant Tiamat death like King Hassan.
If impossible, he'd need alternatives, sealing her or banishing her from the planet.
Tezcatlipoca didn't answer, admitting his underworld authority and death familiarity but doubting he could grant a creator goddess death as a Servant.
He'd need to face Tiamat to give Roy a definitive answer.
Now, seeing the true death-granting Grand Servant, Roy sighed in relief.
Worthy of one of his favorite Servants, King Hassan's appearance brought immense reassurance.
"Alright, Master, with that old man's death aura gone, I can pinpoint the underworld's location." Tezcatlipoca said.
King Hassan's departure cleared the death aura disrupting his sense of direction.
Like a keen leopard, he sniffed, locating Mesopotamia's underworld precisely, guiding Roy to the entrance's surface.
Roy cast detection magecraft, confirming the underworld below.
As he raised his arm to blast open the ground, a familiar shout rang from the sky…
"Dodge! Get out of the way!! You down there! My Maanna's brakes are failing again!!"
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