Welcome one and all... we are now approaching the end of this tale... but we still have a fair bit of time left, so don't worry one bit!
Lets get on with the show! I hope you all enjoy!
As Ozymandias and Sage began to engage their targets, the Caster Semiramis and her master Yukiko had returned to the throne room in order to prepare a last-ditch trap to try and turn the war raging outside in their favor.
But there was someone else inside waiting for them.
"Oho! So you two are the first to find me, congratulations!" A male sat on the throne.
"…Minho?" Yukiko asked.
"And she remembers! Oh it has been awhile, hasn't it?" Minho spoke.
"It doesn't look like she's happy to see you, Master." Euryale the Archer stepped out from behind the throne.
"…Yukiko, dear." Semiramis called sweetly. "Is this man someone you care about?" She asked. Yukiko shook her head.
"So fickle… I never really liked that about you." Minho stated. Semiramis was quick to throw up her hand and fire a spell at the curse master. Minho lifted his arms block it with a barrier.
"You are expendable, my dear. Your purpose was fulfilled the moment you made it possible for me to exist in this world once more." The wise queen spoke confidently. The blast was more than enough to annihilate a simple mage, regardless of what barrier they put up.
However, Minho remained standing, holding the attack back. Eventually, Minho moved his arms and the barrier moved the spell upward, shooting it straight up into the ceiling.
"Man… this is still all new to me, you know?" Minho replied. He moved and popped his neck. "I had to try to repulse that… it's nice to have an actual adequate challenge now."
"…What?" Semiramis blinked. "How did you… how did a mere human acquire the strength to withstand my spells…?"
"By doing one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and running about ten kilometers every day. It also helps if you drink plenty of juice." Minho replied. The wise queen's response was to fling another spell, and yet again the curse master was able to deflect the attack.
"…Something is not right here…" Semiramis spoke.
"Onee-san… those glowing markings…" Yukiko pointed out. "I can feel large amounts of magic power flowing from them… in and out of his body…"
"Tch… little bitch figuring out my secrets." Minho spat.
"What did you do to yourself, truly? Keep trying to be wise and I'll have to do much worse to you…" Semiramis threatened.
"Fine… you have enough to tell something's up, but it really does suck that I couldn't keep this thing going for longer." Minho replied. "What you're seeing could be referred to as a "Life Support System," which is currently keeping me from self-destructing and helping me manage this ass-load of power. It's an original creation I managed to cobble together in just the nick of time… but seeing the results proves its usefulness, doesn't it?"
"Self-destruct, huh…" Semiramis commented.
"That's right! Cause right here; you're staring right at the human form of the lesser grail! And this little support system stops me form well… dying when too many Servants die. You feel me?" Minho answered.
"Revealing your hand so soon? Are you that confident?" Semiramis began to prepare her spells.
"Well, when I kill you… and I will kill you, by the by, I'll have one more Servant rocking it out inside me… and then this fancy fortress will fall out of the sky and I'll get a few more! More than enough to completely fill the grail!" Minho shouted, unleashing a string of curses to combat Semiramis' own magic.
Blasts flew from each other and exploded in the air as the two battled. Despite Minho's boasting, the curse master and Semiramis appeared to be evenly matched. Yukiko tried to form ice to join in the clash, but arrows flew from Euryale to stop the young ice mage from interfering.
"You may have the power, but your curses are easy to predict and counteract… what does a fool like you even want with the grail's power, anyway?" Semiramis questioned as the two's duel continued.
"That's the funny thing; I really haven't figured it out yet! But one thing's for sure; going after the grail means I don't die, so of fucking course I'm going to throw my all into it!" Minho shouted back.
"How sad; is this really all just to save your own hide!?" Semiramis grinned. "You even lack a true desire for all the power you're trying to reach, how pathetic of a man are you!?"
"Questioning my quality when we're even like this… are you trying to insult me or yourself you bitch!?" Minho fired back.
The two continued their duel for quite some time, before Minho suddenly froze in place, and a volley of spells Semiramis slammed into the curse master's body. Minho let out a loud blood curdling scream after the spells hit, and the mana that could be felt emanating from his body suddenly increased dramatically.
"What… happened…?" Semiramis asked, confused. Minho's body was indeed damaged by the wise queen's attack, but the damage inflicted seemed to repair itself quickly.
"…The Rider is officially out of the war, that's what this means!" Minho shouted loud, his body seemingly snapping out of the trance-like state it was in. He almost immediately unleashed another spell, a powerful beam of energy. Semiramis countered with a spell of her own, but this time her magic was being vastly over-powered, as if there was barely a contest.
The blast collided with Semiramis and sent her back into a wall, crying out when she collided with the surface.
"H-how… how did you…!?" Semiramis cursed.
"Told you milady, the Rider has died… and with that, his power is now mine!" Minho shouted proudly. "I can't use his Noble Phantasms or anything that special, but the raw energy that gave him form… it all belongs to me!"
"Ozymandias… has fallen… so it's true…?" Semiramis spoke with venom in her voice as she forced herself up. "Then… the old man's plan has more than likely failed…"
"Probably, don't know what his grand scheme was, but it's likely in the gutter… and now all I need is four more Servants." Minho spoke. "Ordinarily, I'd have to sacrifice my lovely Euryale for it… but as luck would have it, a Ruler was summoned! If it wasn't for that I'd have to do something I'd really hate myself for."
"Trying to butter me up I see. Praising my high luck stat? You should focus on the task at hand before trying to hit on me." Euryale replied. Though she was reprimanding him, she in no way seemed even remotely offended by the remarks, and even smiled after she was finished.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just reacting to our good fortune." Minho replied. "Now… let us add four to the dead Servant count, shall we?" Minho gathered energy for another spell and unleashed it towards the wise queen, but a large wall of ice suddenly erupted form the ground, blocking the attack. Though the ice shattered on contact, it appeared to be enough to prevent the spell from hitting its mark.
"Stay away from my Onee-san!" Yukiko moved in front of Semiramis, blocking Minho's way.
"…Hey, kid. Out of the way. Sure you'd die if this fortress fell, but personally killing kids is still something I hate to do. Beat it and let the grown-ups talk, will you?" Minho spoke.
"No! You go away! Stay away from my Onee-san!" Yukiko shouted loud as a freezing cold wind began to rapidly appear, emanating from Yukiko's body. Ice began to rapidly form all around as the air spread.
"Yukiko…!" Semiramis spoke in a shocked tone.
"Ah… probably the first time you saw this… you really mellowed her out, you know? Kept her emotions under control." Minho stated. "You probably noticed her massive mana supply… that girl right there produces so much naturally that she doesn't even need to refine her life-force in order to use magic; she's a real monster. Apparently she caused so much damage when she'd get like this that it caused all kinds of damage… her parents abandoned her here in the United Kingdom, can you believe it?"
"Shut up!" Yukiko shouted, the influx of freezing air increasing.
"To be honest, she was the one I was worried about most. She gets like this when she gets upset you know… the only negative emotion that won't trigger it is fear. Strange but usually convenient… what a sad, sad little monster."
"SHUT UUUUUPPPPP!" Yukiko cried out. A large spear of ice suddenly formed in the air and fired. It tore through the air with great speed and pierced Minho's torso.
However, the magi did not cry out in pain, despite every fiber of his being crying out for him to do so.
He began to laugh.
"If it wasn't for my own little situation… that would have killed me… you bitch…!" Minho spat, pulling the spear out and crushing in his hand. The wound looked grave, but it quickly began to close and heal until it appeared that Minho had never been attacked in the first place.
"Stay… away…!" Yukiko growled.
"Master, I would avoid letting attacks like that land just for the sake of trying to psyche-out your opponent… body blows are ignorable but if that where to have hit your head, your higher functions would cease before the regeneration could take effect." Euryale warned.
"…Ah shit, you do have a point." Minho commented. "Alright, no more Mr. Nice Minho… last chance before I give you the beating of your life, brat; scram."
"No! You go away! You scram! I won't let you take my Onee-san away from me!" Yukiko shouted.
"You little shit! She doesn't even fucking give a shit about you! You're just another god damn tool for her to use!" Minho shouted back. "She doesn't give a shit… no one gave a shit. When the Cabal saw you, they saw a monstrous mana supply and raised you up with magic so they use it! Without your mana, pulling off the spell to even get this Grail War off the ground wouldn't have been possible! Even your own got damn Servant is using you!"
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Yukiko shouted. "I don't care what everyone else's wanted of me, but I won't let you badmouth Onee-san!"
"Oh, she has you that brainwashed, eh?" Minho spat. "What'd she do? Whisper sweet promises into your ear? Did she say that she loved you? Well, it's all a lie you little shit! Do you even know her legends!? If it'll help her, she'll use whatever she can find! You're just another god damn pawn in the scheme of the poisoner queen Semiramis!"
"I don't care!" Yukiko shouted loud. "I don't care… I don't care if its fake. I don't care if it's all just a ruse… because if even just for a brief moment… I feel special… I feel wanted… everything that was said about me… it hurt so much… I know I'm a monster; that I'll just go out of control and destroy everything…" Yukiko fought back tears as she continued to speak.
"So… for this brief time I'm allowed to, I'll fight for that feeling of being loved! Even if it is all just a lie!" She shouted.
"…Alright, I give up." Minho replied, appearing to stretch his right arm. "Let the record show that I tried to drive off the little shit so I wouldn't have to kill her… If I have no choice, then I have no choice. No hard feelings kid…" He continued to stretch until his right arm suddenly felt much lighter than before. He looked to find most of his right arm missing, burned clean off. He felt searing pain but he grit his teeth to endure it.
"I will not… allow you to insult my master! Do you understand me!?" Semiramis was suddenly on her feet again. One hand had a magic circle present, while the other was on Yukiko's head.
"O-Onee-san…!" Yukiko spoke in shock.
"…Cheeky." Minho spoke in an annoyed tone. It wasn't long before Minho's arm regenerated completely, forming a brand new arm. "…Well, call me crazy. Maybe you got a little bit attached to the girl after all."
"I'll let your imagination do whatever it wants." Semiramis replied. "…But I think I just learned a critical flaw in that regenerative armor of yours…!" Semiramis stated.
"Yeah, yeah, destruction of the head kills most things, regardless of their state of being." Minho replied. "Not like you'll get much of a chance to use it."
"Oh? You're that confident of yourself now that you got a little power, are you?" Semiramis mocked.
"Oh no; I won't be doing a thing to you." Minho replied. "Funny think about love… both with words and magic, it is so easy to twist around… and your little Yukiko sure does love you a lot, huh?"
"You bastard…! Stay away from her or else!" Semiramis shouted.
"Too bad, cause there's only one way this ends! A special curse just for you both! Be doomed to kill the one you love most!" Minho threw his hands forward and a large red wave erupted forth and was quick to envelop the two.
Or it would have been, if someone else hadn't stepped in front of the two. A loud shattering down was heard and the red wave was erased like it hadn't even been there in the first place.
"…Y-you… of all people…!?" Semiramis shouted.
"I'm getting a little bit tired of hearing that today. Can't some people just be glad someone offered a helping hand?" Touma sighed. "…Are you two alright? That didn't do anything before I got here did it?"
"N-no…" Yukiko trailed off. "I-I'm fine… but… why did you…?"
"I don't need a reason to save someone." Touma was quick to answer.
"…Well fucking shit." Minho spat. "I knew you'd make it up here eventually but… hell; this is way too soon…"
"I don't know exactly what's going on with you, but this fight is over, understand?" Touma stated. "The war on the United Kingdom is over, and whatever little plot you had in mind is done too; I'm putting a stop to it personally."
"Oh you are, are you!?" Minho spat. He raised his left arm with the intention of unleashing another spell, but suddenly felt searing pain as a bullet tore through his left shoulder. "Gah! Fuck! Who the hell just did that!?"
"…Guy might be able to regenerate, but he still feels pain… thanks for catching me, Jeanne." Hamazura had fired his Metal Eater, but flew backward from the recoil, but Jeanne was able to catch him.
"Master… it appears that we are now outnumbered…" Euryale spoke.
"No shit… and they have the fuckin Ruler with them… pain in my ass…!" Minho spat.
"…Euryale, one of the three gorgon sisters." Jeanne spoke. "What is your intention here?"
"Our intention was to kill some Servants, what the hell else do you think?" Minho replied.
"I heard what you claimed; if you are indeed the Lesser Grail, what are you planning? That form is…" Jeanne trailed off, not quite sure how to describe it.
"Master… though we fall under the jurisdiction of the normal Grail War rules, it is likely that the others will be less inclined to follow them." Euryale spoke.
"…Well shit, looks like we don't have much choice but to fall back." Minho replied. "…Besides, I just got a really good idea…"
"Oh? Do tell." Euryale asked.
"It's been so long since you saw some of your family, right?" Minho grinned. "What do you say we go wake up your big sister…!?"
Euryale was confused at first, but quickly figured out who Minho was referring to. Her big sister would refer to Stheno, who could be summoned as a Servant, but would do little to aid them in their situation.
However, that's only in terms of age. After all, there was one who changed much more than the young looking Euryale and Stheno over the years, after all.
There was Medusa, the one primarily hailed as the legendary monster simply known as the Gorgon, which gave the three siblings the title as the Gorgon Sisters. If one were to bring up actual size, Medusa could definitely be called the "big sister."
"…That sounds rather lovely indeed…" Euryale replied with a smile.
"Wait!" Jeanne ran out towards the two but after a short time both Euryale and Minho mysteriously vanished. Some kind of teleportation spell without a doubt, but they were long gone.
Jeanne could confirm that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon now had one less Archer Servant on board.
"…To wake up Euryale's big sister…" Jeanne spoke to herself. "…I can't help but feel like that is a foreboding sign…"
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it, securing this area should be our first priority…" Artoria spoke. She turned and aimed her invisible blade towards Semiramis.
The wise queen clicked her teeth. The odds were against her. As much as she hated to admit it, A Saber-Class Servant like Artoria would more than likely have a high degree of Magic Resistance, and while she could potentially override that with her boosts from being aboard the hanging Garden, she knew from the start that the Ruler had complete immunity to it; she could potentially defeat the Saber but would be completely at the Ruler's mercy.
And that's just considering the two Servants. Kamijou Touma could negate her magic, as well as the forces outside; it was likely the unlucky Kamijou's group was seen running up the steps and others would be close behind. And to top it off; it was clear that her master was more than a little shaken and not ready for another fight.
There would be only one outcome if she decided to fight. As much as she despised the thought, there was only one way she was going to survive.
"…Aim that somewhere else… as much as it pains me to say it, my chance for victory evaporated when Minho appeared…" Semiramis sighed. "…To think that I was shamed like this. First that Minho character bests me in a duel, and then I wind up being saved by a man… how dreadful…"
"Hey, have some hospitality. Not all guys are pieces of shit, so have some gratitude. better than being dead right?" Hamazura commented.
Semiramis simply turned to glare at the blond boy.
"…Going to have to do better than that. Seen worse stink-eyes than that, lil' lady." Hamazura commented. This was immediately followed by a loud shout. It was very clearly Mugino, calling Hamazura's name. The dirty blond looked down towards the steps and blinked, only to shift back to Semiramis once more, who was now grinning.
"Go on now, back to your master." She mocked.
"…We'll finish this later…" Hamazura pointed at the wise queen before moving to travel down the steps to investigate what Mugino wanted. It appeared that the fighting was not over so he felt comfortable leaving the group.
As Hamazura walked down, three more people traveled up, although one of them was excessively small.
"Touma!" Index called out, Othinus riding on the nun's head. Touma turned to face them and was promptly tackled to the ground.
"Index! Not so rough!" Touma cried out in pain, but was quick to discover that Index was hugging the boy very tight.
"I…I missed you Touma… are you ok?" Index looked up, her eyes teary. Othinus had shifted to laying on the boy's chest as well. Although her spot was mostly because of Index's sudden tackle, she made no real attempts to move.
"Human… I'll make it clear; you're not allowed to die, understand?" Othinus spoke with authority, though her intentions were clear; she was just as worried for Touma as Index was.
"…Right, got it." Touma replied. "It's alright, I'm fine. It's good to see you both."
"I guess that resolves that… Kamijou-san is successfully rescued at least." Shirou stated.
"Finally… tracked down that unlucky idiot…" Leivinia sighed. "…Still… it would have been bad if we had lost him…" Leivinia turned a little red, trying to hide the fact that she was just as worried for Touma's safety as everyone else.
"I doubt he's interested in little girls who have barely begun to even show signs of adulthood, Leivinia Birdway." Semiramis commented mockingly to spite the blonde cabal boss.
"…Tough talk from the bitch that lost the war." Leivinia shot back. "Just have to exit with the last laugh, huh?"
"Hardly… just because I have surrendered does not mean our war is over; a few small things can make rather radical changes, understand?" Semiramis replied.
"Potential rebellion huh… maybe we should execute this prisoner before she has a chance…" Leivinia drew her wand, which quickly turned into a sword, aiming it at Semiramis.
"If you wish to die… well; everyone can see that this is self-defense, right?" Semiramis raised her own hands, emanating magic power as the two appeared ready to throw down.
A loud shout interrupted them.
"NO!" Yukiko shouted. She had moved and was now standing over Touma while Index and Othinus were on top of him.
"H-hey, what's that abo- wahhh!?" Suddenly hands made of ice appeared below both Index and Othinus and threw the two off of Touma.
"H-hey! Are you two ok!?" Touma attempted to sit up, but found his body pushed back down as a new body rested here Index had once been.
Yukiko was now snuggling into Touma's chest.
"E-eh!?" He stammered out. Yukiko looked up and smiled.
"Thank you for saving me, Onii-chan!" She spoke warmly. Touma froze in place.
"O-Onii-chan!?" He stuttered.
"Tooooouuuummmmmaaaa…." Index shot up, showing off her fangs.
"You keep setting sights younger and younger… allow me to rewire that brain of yours…" Othinus spoke with venom, popping her knuckles.
"H-hey! I have nothing to do with this!" Touma shouted as he tried to defend yourself.
"…Hey, war or not… you have a problem situation over there too, right?" Leivinia nudged her head towards the scene just across the room. Semiramis turned to look and her face immediately twisted in disgust.
"Hey! Get away from my master you god damn bastard!" Semiramis replied, turning her own offensive spells toward the unlucky Kamijou. Leivinia did the same with her symbolic weapon, but for entirely different reasons.
"H-hey! Listen to me! She just popped herself down! I'm innocent!" Touma shouted.
"…So… this is the kind of thing you like… Touma…" Artoria was the last to speak, as she stood with her armored crossed and a look of contempt on her face.
"A-Artoria-san!? You too!? What kind of misfortune is thiiiiisssss!? Shirou! Help a guy out, will you!?" Touma pleaded as the girls made their way over to the unlucky Kamijou.
"…I pride myself in being able to save people… but even I can see an unsalvageable situation when I see one." Shirou stated.
"I-I was abandoned immediately!?" Touma shouted as fear crept over him. Slowly but surely, five angry girls made their way over to him with the intent of inflicting bodily harm upon the unlucky Kamijou.
Semiramis however suddenly came to a stop as the look of worry washed over her face.
"Somethings wrong…" She spoke. "The flow of mana… someone's interfering with my Hanging Gardens of Babylon…!" She made way over to her throne as the sudden announcement dispelled the anger in the room. Touma set Yukiko down to his left and stood up, quick to run over to the wise queen.
"What exactly does that mean?" Touma asked.
"I'm about to find out…" Semiramis replied. Several images appeared in the air, but the wise queen focused on one.
Several magi gathered around a large object; it appeared to be the core of the flying fortress.
"…Albert!?" Semiramis hissed. "That bastard… what the hell is he doing!?"
"Hold on, what's happening?" Touma asked.
"Magic seals… in lined with explosive spells… he intends to destroy the core!" Semiramis spat.
"I'm… guessing something bad happens if he succeeds in that…" Touma spoke.
"If you consider my Hanging Gardens falling out of the sky, then yes… it's bad." Semiramis spoke in an irritated tone. "It must be some sort of last resort plan… it doesn't matter if everyone else dies too, you idiot…!"
"…Where's the core?" Touma asked. "If it's that bad, just point the way and I'll stop him."
"I have no reason to answer you." Semiramis spoke. "What's to stop you from holding the core over my head as an excuse to force me to cooperate with whatever scheme you have next? Semiramis will not work with a man, let alone someone like you…!"
"Your pride doesn't matter if you die!" Touma shouted. "Look, enemies or not… you said it yourself; if that core goes, we all go. Everyone; you, me… Yukiko. I'm not asking you to trust me, but if we don't do something, then everyone dies, understand!? Now shove that pride of yours aside and let me help you!"
Semiramis was silent for a moment. Her eyes twitched with irritation as she closed them; thinking intently.
"…You'll never find it without me." The wise queen stood up. "I don't know what you intend to do, but you'll never locate it without my will to open the path. How Albert gained access is beyond me, but I assure you it's quite secure."
"All you need to do is lead the way; you can leave the rest to us, ok?" Touma asked.
"If Onee-san and Onii-chan are going, then I'll go too!" Yukiko announced proudly.
"Grr… Touma! I'm coming too! I'm not going to lose to some eight-year-old!" Index shouted.
"…Why are you suddenly so fired up?" Touma asked.
"You better be ready; we have one more loose end to tie up after this." Mysteriously, Othinus appeared on Touma's shoulder once more.
"That man, Albert, was Mordred's master… please; allow me to assist you." Artoria spoke.
"The destruction that would be caused would be catastrophic… if you require more aid, then allow me to participate. I would be humbled to assist one of Hamazura's close friends." Jeanne stated.
"You can count me in, let's wrap this up." Shirou added.
"…Birdway? Do you want in on this too?" Touma asked.
"…I suppose Albert does still have command seals for me to steal so I could acquire a Servant… that still does hold a minor interest…" Leivinia flipped her hair back. "…And you're clearly asking for help, so I don't have much reason to refuse."
"Thanks… let's end this." Touma announced. The group made their way outside to find most of the fighting over. Some pockets of resistance still stood but most had crumbled. But there were two noteworthy observations made.
Lazarus Wolfchild and his associates were now absent, as was Mordred's unconscious body. Taking note of that, the group made their way back down into the maze that was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon's interior.
Albert's suicidal plot had to be stopped at all costs.
And so Minho retreats and the group now forms up to stop the last of the big three from destroying the entire fortress... and even should they succeed, they still have one final boss to deal with...
I hope you all enjoyed. Review at your leisure; I still adore feedback!
Have a good day my friends!
Sincerely,
ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.