CHAPTER 24:
MY CUP RUNNETH OVER
The endgame was approaching. Thor and his mother watched the crystal ball Zelretch had left them, and frowned. While Loki was still as vicious as ever, daring to tear down the dreams of others…Thor and Frigga had to admit that the prodigal son had a point. Peace was indeed an ideal to strive for, but what price was permanent peace? And Tokiomi's obsession with retrieving Sakura, despite what he did to her, was concerning.
And the girl, Sakura…so cold, like her new father and mother, too cold for one so young. And yet, the warmth she showed those who weren't her enemies…and to tell the truth, Frigga was actually eager to have a grandchild.
In truth, the pair of them felt conflicted. They hoped that this was the beginning of a new era for Loki. But how could they be sure of this?
Tokiomi was having a bad time. Despite her young age, Sakura's power over ice magic was astonishing. The more analytical part of his mind was amazed and impressed. The more prideful part of his mind felt that, although it was wonderful magecraft, it had been given to her by that damnable interloper. And she was trying to kill her own father! True, patricide, and all kind of familial homicide, was an occupational hazard of being part of a Magus line, but still…
And then, he came to a realisation. She was toying with him, just as Kirei had done…just as Loki was toying with the Magus Killer, the man claiming to be the Norse deity using illusions to bypass Kiritsugu. They could have ended the battle at any time. This was no clash, but a humiliation.
That revelation overrode any paternal feelings Tokiomi still had towards his flesh and blood. His pride had been wounded, and he lashed out with an attack that sent Sakura sprawling, whimpering in pain, and she wouldn't get up. And his fury, as quickly as it had come, abated. He rushed over to Sakura, thinking, not unreasonably, that as a child unused to combat, she would fall to the first hint of pain.
He had forgotten, in his hubris and his concern for a child he refused to believe wasn't his anymore, that Sakura was used to pain and misery, thanks to the Crest Worms and Zouken Matou.
The moment he was within range, she lashed out, freezing him within a block of ice. He couldn't move, and only the fact that his face was uncovered allowed him to keep breathing. "Sakura…" he rasped.
"I won't kill you, Tohsaka. And I won't do that to my birth mother and to Rin," she said coldly. "But you will be trapped there, helpless to stop our victory…"
Kiritsugu knew that Lancelot had died as his Command Seals faded once more. And with it, he pretty much had no chance of winning the Grail any more. Oh, he was still going to fight. He needed to beat Loki, to win, to prove that his ideal would win out over Loki, for Loki professed to have no true ideals, save to be himself. Such a selfish attitude…Loki fought for nobody but himself. Even Sakura was more of a pawn, a possession, a trophy to hold over his head in self-righteousness. And Sakura was bound to him out of what was effectively Stockholm Syndrome with a twist.
Wait…no, there was another way. If he could reach Iri once she became the Lesser Grail proper, and it was primed for a wish…he might just be able to get it granted. The rules claimed that the last Master left standing would get the wish, true, but if it was primed, and he got there…
Unfortunately, he could only use Time Alter so many times, as it put a strain on his body. If he had Avalon, he might be able to use it to help him use more powerful levels of Time Alter, but he couldn't. And Loki, while toying with him, hadn't let his guard down. He may be a mage, but he was also physically strong and fast, and even bullets from his machine pistol bounced off him.
"LIESMITH!" roared Gilgamesh. Loki, distracted, looked over at the Archer Servant. Kiritsugu took advantage of the opening to dash by him into the temple, looking to find Iri. He heard Gilgamesh yell, "I HAVE CASTER, THE WITCH OF BETRAYAL, AND I WILL TAKE HER HEAD! SURRENDER NOW! YOUR PART IN THE GRAIL WAR IS OVER!"
Kiritsugu, even as he dashed further into the temple, heard Sakura scream in the distance, but didn't pay any heed. He needed to get to the Grail, NOW…
Sakura saw her mother in chains, and the responsible party. She rushed in anger at Gilgamesh, not heeding her father's cries of admonishment. But Gilgamesh saw her coming, and he simply sent some weapons at her, halting her approach. "I am loath to kill you, girl, as you are the Master of Saber, and I have business with her. Nonetheless, I…" Gilgamesh, on instinct, moved his head to avoid a Black Key hurled at him, and found Kirei there, clutching the side of his body, magic healing it. "Kirei…maybe I was wrong to allow you to…"
But that was as far as Gilgamesh got. Sakura, in anger, allowed the power her father had donated to her to burst forth. Loki, coming up next to her, did the same thing, Gilgamesh being enveloped in ice. The part-divine Servant was struggling, and the ice was cracking and crazing as swiftly as it formed. He was being hampered, but while it couldn't properly imprison him, that gave someone else all the opportunity they needed. With a scream, Arturia scooted around to Gilgamesh's front, and then rammed Excalibur, the power glowing on the famous sword, right through Gilgmesh's torso.
Gilgamesh coughed up a great gout of blood…the chains around Sakura's mother and Waver dissolving. "I see…how cruel you are, Saber. To reject my proposal. Then again…sometimes, the most beautiful things are those forever out of reach." He reached out a golden gauntlet, still covered in ice, to caress her face. "But I forgive you, King of Knights." And as he dissolved into golden motes of light, he looked over at Kirei. "Find your answers, Kirei Kotomine." His crimson eyes looked over to Loki. "And Liesmith…thank you for making this game interesting."
"It was my intention," Loki said with a weary smile. And Gilgamesh, even as he finally disappeared, emitted painful chuckles.
In the silence that followed, Kirei said, "Where is the Magus Killer?"
"He slipped by me, into the temple," Loki said. "Kirei, look after Sakura and Waver. We're going after them. I'm taking Tokiomi with us, to show him and the Magus Killer the folly of their ways…"
Kiritsugu found Iri, sitting in what had to be Caster's Workshop (the rest of the temple seemed empty: perhaps Loki and Medea evacuated the monks prior to this). As he entered, he tried to reach Iri, only for a Bounded Field to repel him. It seemed that Caster was far from overconfident after all. "IRI!" he yelled.
Iri raised her head, and smiled, even as black ichor began to dribble from her mouth, her eyes, nose, ears…and judging by the stains on her dress, other orifices. "Kiritsugu…" she burbled. "I'm…glad. I get to…see you…one last time…" And with that, she choked, gagged, and drowned on the black gunk oozing from her.
Kiritsugu stared in shock. What was that, a poison that Caster had used on her? Or was this part of her transformation into the Lesser Grail? Even as he watched, Iri's body was dissolving, changing into the golden gleaming cup that was the Holy Grail…only, it was welling up with black ichor. And he was fairly certain that wasn't supposed to happen.
Caster, Loki and Saber appeared in a swirl of Caster's robes, Loki holding onto a frozen Tokiomi. "What the hell did you do to her?!" Kiritsugu demanded, pointing to the ooze.
"We didn't do anything!" Caster snapped, her eyes widening. "What is this?!"
"Get away from it!" Saber snapped, even as the Bounded Field shattered, and a veritable tidal wave of black gunk gushed out. Kiritsugu was grabbed by Saber, before they disappeared in a swirl of Caster's robes…
As they reappeared outside the temple, in the courtyard, Loki removed the ice covering Tokiomi. "What the hell was that?!" Loki snarled.
"I have no idea!" Tokiomi yelled. "That wasn't supposed to happen. I…oh God."
He was looking up in the sky, at a massive black hole hanging above the temple, ringed with blue fire. Loki, when he saw it, asked, "Is that the Grail?"
Kiritsugu gaped. "…Yes. That is the pathway to the Greater Grail. But that ichor we saw earlier…what the hell was it?"
"It can't be good, whatever it is!" Medea snapped.
"The Grail…it must have been contaminated somehow," Tokiomi said, his face pale, and not just from his icy prison. He suddenly shot a look at Kiritsugu. "…Angra Mainyu! Avenger!" he exclaimed, in despair and anger.
"Angra Mainyu?" Waver asked.
"The Zoroastrian devil figure," Kirei said. "Sometimes known as Ahriman. And what do you mean by that, Tokiomi?"
"I'll answer that," Kiritsugu said. "It's as good an explanation as any. The von Einzberns, from what Iri told me, summoned an atypical Servant, under the class of Avenger. Though this is the first I'm hearing about Angra Mainyu."
Tokiomi shook his head. "I doubt the von Einzberns wanted to advertise their failures, especially to their hired help. Somehow, they managed to summon Angra Mainyu as a Servant…despite the inability to summon deities. He must have been an actual person. But Avenger was weak, and was returned to the Grail very swiftly."
"As fascinating as this discourse is," Arturia interjected, her usual deportment seemingly frayed at the edges, "whatever the Grail has become…it is not what we desire."
Kiritsugu laughed bitterly, before looking to Loki. "…Well, you got your dream, Loki. My own…is now ashes. Iri…gone…for nothing."
"…I had no intention of unleashing a nightmare upon all," Loki said quietly. "Caster…how much can the Command Seals boost your power?"
"Quite a lot."
"Saber…" Sakura said, but the King of Knights, a look of haunted despair on her face, merely nodded.
"Get out of here," Arturia said quietly. "Use the Command Seals to boost my Noble Phantasm, Sakura."
Sakura nodded, before holding up her hand. "Saber…no, Arturia…by my Command Seal, use Excalibur to destroy the Grail. And by my second Command Seal, I reinforce this order."
Loki held up his own hand. "Caster…Medea…by my Command Seal, use your Rain of Light to destroy the Grail. And by my second Command Seal…I reinforce this order."
The two female Servants nodded, and Loki grabbed Sakura and Tokiomi, and began running, Kirei, Waver and Kiritsugu following…
Black ichor began to well up through the doors of Ryuudou Temple, but the two Servants stood in front of it, unafraid. A massive magical circle appeared in front of Medea, glowing with intense magenta light, while Arturia pointed Excalibur to the sky, a golden glow gathering around it with speed.
"Aim where I aim!" Medea yelled at Arturia. "We need to destroy the Grail utterly!"
Arturia nodded, adjusting her aim slightly. She glared at the approaching black mud. She could hear it screaming curses and temptations at her in two voices, the voice of Irisviel and the voice of a young man, overlapping in eerie ways. But she declared, "As long as I draw breath, you will advance no further! I am Arturia Pendragon, King of the Britons, AND YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS! EXCALIBUR!"
As the King of Knights roared out the name of her Noble Phantasm, Medea fired her supercharged Rain of Light beam, timing it so that it would merge with the Excalibur blast. The black mud, and the entity behind it, had just enough time to realise what was coming, and quail.
The temple was shattered in a cataclysm of light and fury, and with it, the Lesser Grail. But the energies released by the Servants' attacks didn't stop there. They burned their way up into the sky like a lit fuse, twirling into the sky like a double helix. When it reached the black hole in the sky…the energy was absorbed, and for a moment, it seemed like the attack was utterly futile.
But then, something within the hole burst, and for several seconds, a bright star lit up the skies above Fuyuki, a roar echoing through the city of primal fury. Sleeping citizens were woken up by the blast, wondering whether Armageddon had come.
For some, that would prove macabrely accurate. For the Grail, or rather, the taint within it, was a spiteful entity. As it was burned away, it used the very last vestiges of its power to vomit some of its essences, curses and odium, over part of Fuyuki.
The six surviving Masters of the Holy Grail War, knocked down by the blast as they had fled Ryuudou Temple, looked up to see an inferno consuming part of the city. It flickered in their eyes, as the realisation came to them, that victory had come at a cost. As the two Servants appeared, looking the worse for wear, they watched in horror as the flames spread. And the seven of them decided to go and do something about it, united by a single goal, for a change…
CHAPTER 24 ANNOTATIONS:
Okay, it was a bit of a sudden ending, and the Fuyuki Fire takes place anyway, albeit on a smaller scale. Shirou still gets affected, but there's less of the city burnt away thanks to Angra Mainyu. Anyway, next chapter will be an epilogue, showcasing the characters before Loki and his entourage head back to the MCU…
No numbered annotations this time.