Author's Note:
Well, this is the final chapter. Thanks for all your support. I hope the last fight against Genghis Khan meets your standards. I still have stuff to right, some supplementary chapters and maybe even a sequel series, but that depends on you guys. Please leave comments and reviews if you want to express further support for my fic, or if you have any plot/character ideas. Thanks for everything! c:
Chapter 50: The Final Stand
(Day 13 of the 6th Grail War)
Aasaa surveyed the crater, taking note of its features, planning the fight ahead. "I saw how an entire country united to fight the enemy. Magi and non-magi, living and heroic spirit, everyone banded together." Images of the war played in his head, as he remembered the countless people who fell. "We can't let everyone down. We won't. We must win, for those who died, and those who still live."
Shiori and Florence Nightingale gathered their mana in agreement. They were ready to fight.
"Today I witnessed the rise of heroes all around, in response to the march of tyranny. Today we will attain victory." Aasaa raised his fist at Genghis Khan. A sword formed in his hand. Now, Aasaa imitated his signature pose. "It is the least we can do for those still living. We fight for them all today. Here and now. This I swear, for I am Aasaa Emiya, a hero." With that, they descended into the crater to fight for the fate of the world.
As his allies approached, Hou Yi drew his bow. "Now let's go kill that son of a bitch."
Aasaa now addressed Genghis Khan personally. "For those who died, nothing we do to you will come close to paying back. Not even a hundred hundred deaths."
Genghis Khan said nothing in response. He hid his emotions and drew his weapon, no longer on a horse. Hou Yi's massive attack had deprived him of one. The dismounted Rider ran at Aasaa, on his two feet. They locked blades, sparks flying as Aasaa's projected sword met his scimitar.
Genghis Khan made a forward stab. Aasaa knocked it to the left. He grabbed Genghis Khan's sword arm, and tried to slash him. Genghis Khan responded with a kick that sent him flying.
Hou Yi unleashed a stream of arrows to cover Aasaa's retreat. It only slowed Genghis Khan, who raced at Hou Yi, ready to strike. Shiori unleashed a rush of fire from a fire orb, distracting Genghis Khan. Florence Nightingale finished the sequence by throwing a hospital bed at him.
Aasaa felt that a window was now open. He projected swords and sent them flying at the walls of the crater. They dug into the earth, creating a series of steps. "Hou Yi, climb up and fire at him from a safe distance."
"Yes Master." Hou Yi leaped along the pit's walls, from sword to sword. He stood above the battlefield and readied his next salvo.
"Shiori, take my pistol. I will engage him at close range." Florence Nightingale balled her fist, Angel's Cry in effect.
"Understood, I will support Aasaa." Shiori gripped her pistol. She fired at Genghis Khan until he turned around. Being immune did not spare him from the loud clanging of her bullets colliding with his helmet. Shiori conjured a fire orb, sending it at Genghis Khan, who used his scimitar to deflect it. Several arrows bombarded Genghis Khan from behind, knocking him forward several paces, just where Aasaa needed him.
Aasaa dropped several large swords to form a cage around Genghis Khan. "Trace On!" He raised a projection of Genghis Khan's scimitar.
Aasaa recalled the sacrifices of his friends, the war-torn streets of Helsinki, the traumatized eyes Shiori had when she narrowly evaded death. All the pain that Genghis Khan inflicted to those around him. It gave him reason now, as he prepared to unleash the ultimate attack, a projection of his own sword. He unleashed a Broken Phantasm, sacrificing his copy of Sole Ruler Of The Plains in an all out attack. Genghis Khan felt the full force of the attack, flinching but ultimately resisting the attack, using his Man Of Iron. Aasaa retreated before Genghis Khan could react.
"Dragon Of The Golden Horde." The Dragon coiled around Genghis Khan and with a bout of molten iron, burned away the cage Aasaa made to imprison Genghis Khan.
Genghis Khan turned to Aasaa. Before he issued an order to his Dragon, he received a punch from Florence Nightingale right in the face. Her Angel's Cry enhanced her physical parameters. The Dragon tried to help Genghis Khan by spewing molten iron after Florence Nightingale. She responded by dodging each attack with instinctual awareness, a benefit provided by Angel's Cry.
"The Caster is fighting melee? I have been mocked before, but not to this extent. Die." Genghis Khan activated his scimitar. "Sole Ruler of The Plains." The rippling crash summoned from his Noble Phantasm found Florence Nightingale.
She sustained several broken bones where Genghis Khan's Noble Phantasm hit her. She crashed into a pile of rubble and groaned. The impact scraped her skin and caused her to bleed. With a rush of healing magic from Nurse Of Steel, her body recovered. Aasaa threw gemstones at Genghis Khan, encasing his leg in ice. Now that he was immobilized, Hou Yi unleashed his Piercer Of Nine Suns. Genghis Khan reached for Aasaa with his scimitar who parried using his projected sword.
Meanwhile, Shiori kept the Dragon at bay by transferring the heat from its molten iron away. Lumps of iron tumbled from the Dragon instead of a molten spray. It shook its head and coughed.
Genghis Khan placed his ice covered foot in way of Hou Yi's Noble Phantasm and broke free as a result. Sensing a brief pause in hostility, he used the opportunity to pull out the replica of Misa's sword and throw it before Aasaa. "I killed her already. You will be joining her next."
"That's Misa's sword," said Shiori. "How do you have it?" Then it came, the realization struck as her hands clasped over her mouth, stifling a shrill cry. Shock and despair over her friend's apparent demise turned to hatred for Genghis Khan.
Aasaa saw the blade. His breathing accelerated and his heart raced. He got off to a running start, projecting two swords in his hands, and threw himself at Genghis Khan, as hate filled his chest. He could feel the heat rising within him. Heat which flowed into his arms as his attacks became frenzied. Aasaa's strikes were a blur. Never had he felt such anger. It was as if Genghis Khan had killed a family member of his.
Misa was on her path to redemption. I guided her as she grew and improved. I cared for her, we fought alongside each other. It cannot end like this. I will not accept it.
Aasaa had long since abandoned his form. He lashed out with primal malice, each strike filled with pain and regret. He felt accountable for her death. Genghis Khan waited for this, and disarmed him with ease.
"You have succumbed to rage. A mistake. An action committed in anger is one doomed to failure."
"Enough! You bastard," Aasaa said as he bombed Genghis Khan with explosive gemstones. Genghis Khan smiled through the fire.
Shiori responded with her own rage. Fire orbs streamed at Genghis Khan. He absorbed each fiery blast, unfazed.
"Your fire is weak, girl." A self-assured smirk formed on his face, his scimitar already racing towards her.
"How about this?" Shiori retorted.
Her initial orbs were a distraction as she infused Genghis Khan with her mana. She pretended to be unaware of the Dragon behind her. It opened its infernal maw and launched molten iron at her. Shiori infused her mana into the stream of molten iron as it came, and ripped the heat from it, pouring it into Genghis Khan.
It had a bombshell effect, as Genghis Khan's Man Of Iron struggled to keep up with the out-pour of damage. The molten iron melted mana away, and Genghis Khan's Man Of Iron relied on mana to sustain itself. Nevertheless, Man Of Iron outranked the Dragon, and thus Genghis Khan avoided a quick, fiery end. His armour sputtering and weakening, he retreated from Shiori, and deactivated his Dragon, scared of having it turned against him further.
Hou Yi let loose a barrage of arrows that represented his fury. Misa had grown on even him. His arrows represented his pain and his grief at the thought of her death.
Florence Nightingale steadied herself. She fought with every fibre to resist her primal instinct to rush and attack Genghis Khan.
Shiori had to retreat, her magic circuits almost depleted from her previous attack. Aasaa charged past her position, more swords at the ready. Rage bleeding from his actions, his face contorted with rage, he charged at Genghis Khan and lashed with reckless abandon, each strike driven by a riot of emotions. A clash of metal and sparks filled the air the clanging of swords. Genghis Khan shattered Aasaa's weapons as he slashed at him. With bated breath, she witnessed a disarmed Aasaa project a new sword to stab Genghis Khan. His sword shattered as it hit Genghis Khan's invincible body.
Genghis Khan caught hold of him and stabbed him right through the chest. The cruel edge of the scimitar tasted warm, gushing blood. Aasaa coughed, the taste of copper filled his mouth as he grimaced. Shiori let out a screech, bringing her hands to her mouth, as her eyes lost their ability to blink.
"Rage is your worst enemy and my best friend. Look at many sieges I won because I got into the mind of my enemy," Genghis Khan remarked to the dying Aasaa. Genghis Khan kicked him into the crater's wall. He smashed into earth, as dust and pieces of rubble tumble over him. He let out a faint cry in pain and went unconscious.
I'm sorry Misa. I failed to avenge you. We may meet soon, though I do not want to look you in the eye as a failure.
"Nightingale Pledge."
"Just delaying the inevitable." Genghis Khan folded his arms to wait.
Florence Nightingale rushed to his side and used Nurse Of Steel and Angel's Cry to revive him. Aasaa's eyes snapped open as his vision returned to him. His soul was moments from drifting off when life flowed through his veins anew. He got up, healthy once again, his heart pumped life-giving blood through his veins as his flesh stitched itself together.
Aasaa projected another sword. He placed an explosive gemstone inside, and raced to Genghis Khan.
Florence Nightingale lifted her Nightingale Pledge just as Aasaa approached. Genghis Khan received the full shock wave of the explosive sword, his armour rattling from the impact, though he remained undamaged.
Hou Yi let out a whistle, sounding just like a bird, to catch Genghis Khan's attention. His bow glowed with the light of a charged arrow. The arrow found its mark, blasting Genghis Khan into the wall in an outburst of searing gold sparks. His defences let a sliver of the damage through, a testament to the force of the blast. The threat of losing his invulnerability wiped away his sense of confidence and superiority. Genghis Khan's Man Of Iron faltered as his mana reached its limits. He had lost his Master a while ago His reign of conquest waned with each passing second.
"That actually did something. Master, he is weakening."
"Isilda must be dead. Isn't she?" Aasaa said.
Rising to his feet, dust flowing off his battered armour, Genghis Khan raised his scimitar at Hou Yi. "You will die Archer, you know this." His eyes alight with the fury of a thunderstorm, nothing short of Hou Yi's mangled corpse could satisfy him now.
"I expect so, if not, then I am not fighting the great Genghis Khan."
Genghis Khan ignored his retort and raised his flail. "Flail Of God." Mana rushed towards the weapon, as the winds picked up, swirling around the epicentre, now the striking head of the flail. It radiated a blinding red light. The rising cloud of dust blurred Genghis Khan's figure until only a red star remained visible. With a swift flick, he slammed the flail into the walls of the crater, its condensed power discharged in a fraction of an instant.
Hou Yi's position gave way, and he collapsed back into the crater.
Genghis Khan gave his opponent no time. Waiting for Hou Yi to fall towards him, he unleashed his other Noble Phantasm. "Sole Ruler Of The Plains."
Hou Yi's bow shattered before him as he was unable to defend himself in his disoriented state. Genghis Khan moved in for the kill, his scimitar gleaming with killing intent. Aasaa moved to defend Hou Yi, planting his feet on the ground and striking from both directions with two swords.
Not hurt by them, Genghis Khan punched Aasaa away. Shiori found the mana to create another fire orb, setting Genghis Khan on fire. He brushed it away, a minor inconvenience at best.
Aasaa landed a few meters left of Hou Yi. Genghis Khan prepared to slash Aasaa with Sole Ruler Of The Plains, when Hou Yi put himself between Aasaa and the attack. He died for that, as the impact at point-blank caused his very being to shatter, mana pouring as he faded away.
"Master, defeat that bastard for me, I go now." Hou Yi said, as he disintegrated. The image of a golden crow flashed before Genghis Khan, blasting him with one last flare of golden fire.
Aasaa had only seconds to lament Hou Yi's passing. Those moments crawled past, as he watched the golden light of Hou Yi's last bow dissipate. When they first met, he hoped Hou Yi would show him how to be a hero. Instead, his Servant showed him that the hero resided deep within him all along. Hou Yi gave him more than just that though. He became a staunch ally and friend, someone to confide doubts and share laughs with. Those moments would forever be locked in the past, the two separated by the veil of death henceforth. However, that did not mean these moments lost their value, as Aasaa slashed Genghis Khan with a Projection of Gordafarid's Scimitar, projected in mere seconds now as his emotions rose. He would not die now, Hou Yi did not save him for nothing. The will the fight burned brighter than his golden arrows. Every act of resistance, every strike he landed on "that son of a bitch" paid respects to his Servant.
Aasaa broke the scimitar upon Genghis Khan to unleash a burst of magic that sent him flying. Genghis Khan smashed into the wall of the crater, its rocky surface giving way under the impact. Aasaa's onslaught still unfinished, he projected Hou Yi's bow, the weapon of a man who gave him much, and took much in return, such as his sanity with his antics.
"Piercer Of Nine Suns!"
The golden spray shattered across Genghis Khan's chest, pulsating with searing sparks that flashed and burned. Genghis Khan reeled from the out-pour of power, fighting to hold on with what remained of his fast depleting Man Of Iron.
Aasaa closed his eyes. He had to focus on the next Projection. Pystykorva materialized in his hands. The humble yet lethal weapon of Finland's greatest defender. Its mana-disrupting rounds pounded Genghis Khan, sputtering his mana for the briefest moments, though Genghis Khan recuperated fast enough to raise his scimitar again.
A close quarter engagement did not deter him. Aasaa projected a copy of Don Quixote's blade, and plunged the weapon at Genghis Khan, even as Don Quixote's blade snapped against Genghis Khan's defence.
The onslaught of four Servant's weapons took a toll on the weakening Genghis Khan, his body now translucent, mana breaking off and fading away. Alas, under his cracked and broken armour still burned an inferno of fury. Genghis Khan channelled his rage into his next attack, repelling Aasaa with a sundering downwards cut that had to dodge. With an opening given to him, he activated his Noble Phantasm. "Dragon Of The Golden Horde!"
No Dragon followed. He lacked the mana to cast it. Often the one to look down on others' weakness, a chill of fear caused him to shiver as the tables had turned.
Florence Nightingale tackled Genghis Khan. She pounced at him before he stuck his scimitar through Aasaa's chest. "Aasaa get out!"
Genghis Khan overwhelmed her, wrestling her off him. He looked down to see a grenade stuck to his armour. It exploded, sending him stumbling backwards.
"Man Of Iron Deactivate." Genghis Khan had no choice any more. Mana particles were beginning to break off from him. After forgoing his defences, his figure solidified again as mana consumption decreased.
"His defences are gone," Shiori said. Aasaa fired the last of his Projected swords. Using multiple Projections of Noble Phantasms had sucked him dry of mana.
Florence Nightingale reloaded her pistol, using Angel's Cry to enhance her punches again. Shiori took that as a cue to rekindle her fire orb. The three of them advanced on Genghis Khan, ready to strike him with their attacks.
They charged into a trap. Even win his weakened state, Genghis Khan was still a master at psychological warfare. Deactivating his defences not only preserved mana, but drew his opponents on the offensive, and now, they were in range. A flail glowing the colour of roaring flames formed in his hand. "Flail Of God."
The rumbling of the walls gave them pause. Florence Nightingale realized the trap, while Aasaa could only watch as the wall of the crater cracked and fell on top of them. In a last ditch effort, he placed Shiori under him as the rocks fell, protecting her.
Just like Hannes.
Aasaa mumbled retorts incoherently when Genghis Khan pulled him from the rubble and placed his left arm around him. With his right arm, Genghis Khan brought his scimitar to Aasaa's neck, poised to slit him.
Shiori stood before the two of them, standing frailly amidst a mound of rubble.
"Pact with me." Genghis Khan addressed Shiori, panting as his mana reserves dipped ever lower. "Pact with me or he dies."
Aasaa resisted within Genghis Khan's iron grip. Though he was fading, particles that glittered blue breaking off him, his strength still outstripped that of a human's.
"No Shiori, his mana will be refilled, and he will win," Aasaa said, panting as his attempted to break free. Desperation mounting from his futile efforts, he forced himself to remain strong enough to persuade her against forming a pact with Genghis Khan. "You need to live without me. He has only 30 seconds at best. You won this Grail War. Let me go, I'll go down with him."
"No...Aasaa...I can't."
"Why?"
Shiori brought her hands to her eyes, bracing herself. She steadied her breathing, and looked at him with resigned resolution. "Don't blame yourself. We fought to the end. Others will rise against him."
"He will conquer the world with the wish from the Grail. No! Stop!" Aasaa reached put with his hand, only for Genghis Khan to twist his arm. A snap and then a scream followed by drained heaving.
"Pact with me in the next 10 seconds, or I kill him," Genghis Khan said, staring into Shiori's quivering pupils.
Florence Nightingale lay defeated, crushed under a mountain of rocks. She raised a quivering hand, and made a feeble attempt to cast Nightingale Pledge.
"Stop Florence, he will kill him before you are finished. I surrender," Shiori said.
"No, don't do this, he will kill you once the pact forms, before you can react," Aasaa said. "Shiori, no!"
"I have no choice. Your parents would never forgive themselves too, right?" Shiori said.
Aasaa continued to struggle, words failed him as he cursed himself for getting caught.
We were so close, and yet we failed.
A tear flowed from his face as Shiori approached Genghis Khan. "Genghis Khan, I submit to your threat. Promise me you will not kill Aasaa, and I will form a pact with you," Shiori said.
"No Shiori, don't," Aasaa cried.
"I promise," he replied. He was ready to drive his scimitar forward and kill her the moment the pact was formed. This pact would restore his mana, and allow him to win the Grail War.
"Shiori, stop, this is not going to work. If you do this, he will kill you and win," Florence Nightingale said.
Aasaa continued to resist. He strained, pushing against Genghis Khan's grip. Wriggling, struggling, anything to break free to stop Shiori from making a mistake that would cost the world.
Shiori winked at Florence Nightingale, who then understood. Genghis Khan did not notice, his eyes fixated on the command seals forming on Shiori's hand, and his mana returning.
Genghis Khan threw Aasaa to the side and charged at her. Aasaa sat up, fearing what would happen next. He readied himself for their defeat.
"Ha, it was so easy to threaten you, little girl!" he said, scimitar summoned to kill. "I got into your head, and broke you." It raced towards her undefended torso, set to pierce her heart.
"Nightingale Pledge," Florence Nightingale said. She had said its name as the pact formed, making it trigger the instant Genghis Khan was ready to strike. He stopped dead, unable to attack Shiori.
Aasaa realized Shiori's scheme. Relief filled him as he sat down to enjoy the show. "Shiori, go kill that son of a bitch." He pumped his unbroken arm in the air. The relief dulled the pain as Genghis Khan's inevitable defeat unfolded before him. He fought the temptation to run to her and hug her, for she still had one last task to do.
"Florence, reduce the radius of your Noble Phantasm, I will stay within it." Shiori had an aloof expression before the helpless Genghis Khan.
"Understood," Florence Nightingale said.
By reducing her radius, a corner of the crater sat outside the range of her Nightingale Pledge.
"Genghis Khan, I command you to go outside the Nightingale Pledge, and remain there for further instructions." Shiori raised her hand as the first command seal faded.
Genghis Khan struggled to obey, his body moving against his control. A sinking sensation welled in his gut. He feared his imminent defeat, and cursed his inability to stop it.
"Genghis Khan, I command you to deactivate all defensive Noble Phantasms, such as your Man of Iron." The second command seal faded.
He complied. "Man Of Iron Deactivate."
"Genghis Khan, Temujin, with your weapon, I command you to kill yourself." The third command seal faded. Shiori stared at Genghis Khan, her Servant, with disgust. His eyes were wide at being called by his birth name. Only those above him dared to address him with that, and there had been no such person in centuries, until now.
Genghis Khan's arm twitched, before bending back, scimitar in hand. He stabbed himself in the heart, falling to the floor. He tried to get up to kill Shiori, now no longer her Servant. However, Florence Nightingale's Nightingale Pledge is still in effect.
"And, checkmate," said Aasaa. He could not believe that it worked, as Genghis Khan faded away. He taunted them as he did, calling them cowards who never defeated him in combat. Aasaa knew who the real coward was, he who butchered innocents, tore apart an entire city in an effort to win, and resorted to threatening him to save himself.
Aasaa thanked Shiori as she helped him to his feet. "I guess you've won. We should head to the Greater Grail now."
Shiori hugged her Servant. The Lady With The Lamp. Her Pledge brought low one of the mightiest Servants to step forth from the Greater Grail. "Thank you, Florence, for all you did for me."
"We saved many lives together, and I don't want our friendship to end just yet," Florence Nightingale said.
"It doesn't have to. We can go to the Greater Grail and see what the future holds."
"I guess we will find out. By the way, I would have never expected by Noble Phantasm to have been used in that way. You deserve the credit for this one." Florence Nightingale bowed before her Master.
"Says the one who cast the Noble Phantasm. Come let's get out of here."
Aasaa could not agree more. He was exhausted physically and emotionally. An overwhelming sense of relief filled him as he yearned to get out of here and find a place to lie down and rest. This victory was Shiori's. That being said, it turned out that he did not need the Greater Grail to get his wish. He had become the hero he set out to be.
Now out of the crater, the air carried the triumphant cheers from the Finnish soldiers. Thousands of lives were lost, and the rubble of demolished buildings littered Helsinki. Despite all that, Aasaa could not shake the feeling that they, the Finnish people, would rebuild, and recover. They were tough, and one should pity the fools that chose to invade them.
As they walked across the now quiet streets of Helsinki, witnessing the last of Genghis Khan's troops fade into nothing, Aasaa came to one conclusion. He, no they, had saved the city. This was what it meant to be a hero.
Of all the Holy Grail Wars Aasaa had heard of, none of them resulted in a victory. He did not know what to do now that Shiori had won. All that was left for them was to return to the Old Church and claim the Helsinki Grail, and yet, Aasaa feared something was amiss.
With trepid anticipation, they got closer to the entrance of the Old Church catacombs. The actual Old Church had been destroyed by Genghis Khan's Flail of God a week ago. They walked past the shattered remnants of the church, piles of debris no larger than pebbles. Such was the power of Genghis Khan's Noble Phantasm. Aasaa's heart tightened when he saw the place Fezgrem revealed his true intentions, just outside the Old Church. He no longer felt inadequacy or failure from that memory. Instead, he felt satisfaction and growth, the relief of having learned something vital.
They saw several magi now, as they walked down the steps and into the catacombs. They remained silent, and let them through.
"Aasaa! Shiori! Florence!" Misa shouted at the sight of her friends.
Misa's voice, shrill and crisp as ever, pierced through the damp air of the catacombs. The deafening news that she was not dead rooted Aasaa for a moment. Shock gave way to relief, as Misa ran to him and hugged them deeply. Dusty, dirty, bloody, it did not matter to Misa, who outpoured with joy and being reunited with them.
Aasaa hugged her back, allowing his emotions to run free. He clasped her, his joy warming him up after fighting for days in the freezing cold air outside. Their victory in the Grail War did not matter now.
"We won, Misa. Shiori won the Grail War," Aasaa finally remembered to say, though Misa already knew. The Helsinki Grail stood before them, completely unravelled, rays of vaunted light emanating from its radiant core. It covered the walls in a golden aura, as wisps and tendrils of mana coalesced, forming and dissipating. Without a doubt, Florence Nightingale was the last Servant.
Word of Shiori's victory spread, and soon she found herself having to make a wish before the Helsinki Grail. Amidst the judgmental gaze of dozens of elite magi, she could not help but feel inadequate. She probably made dozens of faux pas by simply walking towards the Helsinki Grail. Fighting the feeling of burying her face in her hands, as the magi began to whisper, doubting that she was the true victor, and not "that Emiya/Tohsaka boy". A warm hand rested on her shoulder, the all too familiar swishing sound of a trench-coat as he walked up to help her.
"I'll walk with you, pay them all no mind." Aasaa brimmed with pride, he swore to protect her, and he delivered, even now, against the overly-critical magi that he had little respect for himself. "See them all? For all their tradition and knowledge, you won, and not them."
Aasaa's words gave Shiori new courage to continue, and she held her head high, now talking confident steps up the stairs and into the Helsinki Grail. Florence Nightingale appeared beside her in a brilliant display of yellow light, the incandescent glow of the candle in her lamp empowered to rival the light from the Helsinki Grail. Master and Servant, Shiori and Florence Nightingale, nobody and Heroic Spirit, they entered the Helsinki Grail as equals.