Gray awakened from her sleep.
All this time, the companion of the Doctor had been staying at the empty wasteland on Gallifrey named the Tomb of Rassilon.
The battle on Gallifrey lasted over a whole nighttime, only there was nothing Gray could have done battlefield-wise...not without her Grim Reaper (Scythe of the Death God) taken by the Doctor himself.
"Gray!" Zelretch gave a solemn smile. "Awake at last, eh?" The Magician of the Kaleidoscope had been giving battle commands to Merlin, who telepathically sent these strategies to rest of the scattered Magic-alliance throughout the planet. Although at this moment, the landscape on Gallifrey had become strangely silent...
"The last Master-clone has been defeated." Merlin sighed, deactivating his Clairvoyance ability to finally rest. "All we have to do is re-assemble with the rest of our surviving allies, then think of what to do afterward."
"I understand..." Gray acknowledged, remembering the situation.
At the moment, the Doctor was using Gray`s Grim Reaper scythe to defend himself from being killed by the Doctor Alter with his Dalek-Master. This battle was taking place within the Citadel of Gallifrey in the far distance, protected by a Scientific transduction-barrier that nothing aside from the TARDIS would be able to breach. The TARDIS itself was stolen, hidden within the Dalek-mothership floating in the void of outer-space. The Cyber-Armada was completely destroyed, the remaining Cyber-Legions have retreated to ready for one last counter-attack. The dreadful sword-wielding Cyber-Controller that ruled the Cyber-Legions had strangely disappeared. The whereabouts of original Master himself was unknown.
The sun-like gateway to Akasha shone overhead, casting a shadow over this artificial-version of Gallifrey orbiting around the heart of creation itself.
Zelretch staggered up, finally recovered from the strain of regenerating his vampiric-body earlier. "I shall conduct the summoning of our allies here..."
Everyone hastily stood back as Zelretch activated the 'Operation of Parallel Worlds', creating a Magic Circle on the ground that covered the whole landscape.
Merlin grimaced as a kaleidoscope light flared, Zelretch`s spell teleporting all the survivors of the Magic-alliance once scattered throughout the planet to the Tomb of Rassilon. It was time everyone gather for the final battle, although...
Gray gasped.
Only a ragtag legion of warriors from the original one million Magic-alliance remained alive, covered in bloody wounds from the unspeakable chaos of the battlefield earlier. Emiya Shirou. Rin Tohsaka. Illyasviel von Einzbern. Sakura Matou. Arcueid Brunestud. Ryougi Shiki. Aoko Aozaki. Emiya Kiritsugu. The Knights of the Round Table. Lord El-Melloi. Ayaka Sajyou. The Magical Girl named Prisma Illya. The Magical Stick, Ruby. Chloe von Einzbern. Jeanne d` Arc Alter. Enkidu. The Divine Spirit named Morrigan. Bazett Fraga McRemitz. The Saber-Class Emperor Nero. Mashu Kyrielight. Altrouge Brunestud. The Grand Servants of the Counter Force. Ado Edem. Morgan Le Fay.
All the others of the valiant Magic-alliance have fallen, corpses scattered like a graveyard of the lost upon this temporal utopia. A field of once-beautiful flowers who have wilted from descent of the darkness.
It had to take all of Gray`s inner will to not give in to despair, looking at the Doctor`s sonic-screwdriver on her. What would the Doctor do had he been here?
The answer was be a healer to the end.
The least Gray herself could do was witness this futile hope upon death itself.
The Tomb of Rassilon was absolutely silent.
Zelretch had solemnly explained the situation to the remaining Magic-alliance, only the aftermath had taken its toll on everyone. "...Therefore Gray believes the TARDIS is theoretically our last hope of countering the original Master, only the time-machine has to be rescued first from the Dalek-mothership in outer space."
The ominous silence continued as the survivors recovered from the battlefield, the thought of Akasha itself about to be erased was all that encouraged these warriors onward. Gray was slowly walking over to these warriors, giving encouragement like the Doctor himself would at this darkest moment...
Morgan Le Fay casted a spell, creating a light projection of the planet Gallifrey in the air to begin this last emergency war-council. "I am certain the Scientific Dalek-mothership is shielded from outside Magical forces, therefore we need to fly into outer space ourselves to reach it."
"Regrettably, I do not think all of us have space-flight capabilities..." Bazett added.
"There is the Master too...the villain has to be distracted on the surface while the Doctor`s TARDIS is rescued, otherwise he would steal it himself in the chaos." Emiya Kiritsugu inspected the projection of Gallifrey.
"The Dalek-mothership would be protected on the inside by alien-Scientific technology that we of Magic origins have no knowledge about too..." Mashu observed.
Shirou grimaced in the background, using Reinforcement Magecraft to assist everyone with repairing their weapons. Zelretch had explained time was strangely distorted on this artificial Gallifrey. A whole nighttime had passed from everyone`s perspective only it was merely a single moment for the Doctor inside the Citadel of Gallifrey`s transduction-barrier. Therefore, the healer was hopefully alive all this time later...
What the Magic-alliance could do in the meantime was ready for the final battle.
Jeanne Alter looked at the battle-flag she wielded. The one her original Ruler-Class self wielded, having salvaged it in the aftermath of everything. A battle-flag this Avenger swore to carry on to the end, as the last carrier of legacy of the the Maiden of Orleans. At the outskirts of the wasteland, the Grand Servants of the Counter Force stood on watch as the last hope of the collective Throne of Heroes. The ultimate soldier of humankind named Ado Edem was silent too, meditating on the ground while others stayed a curious distance from this mysterious warrior of the far future.
Enkidu sighed as his wounded clay body finally completely regenerated. "From what I remember, the Master is far more stronger than all of the clones he summoned...his Noble Phantasms too are those our alliance is unable to completely counter..."
"I would not like to admit this, only it appears we continue to be at a severe disadvantage." Lord El-Melloi observed the force-field barrier surrounding the Tomb of Rassilon remained in place.
"The best hope we have is Akasha would re-write itself the moment the Doctor Alter is defeated...therefore, it shall be like all of this never happened in the first place." Aoko gave this encouragement. "At least...theoretically."
"Theoretically." Morrigan muttered ominously, using her divine abilities to heal the gathered warriors.
"It does not sound all that assuring, only I suppose there is nothing more we could do about it..." Ayaka sighed to look over at the Knights of the Round Table.
The legendary champions of Camelot have re-gathered around Gray, bowing to the last descendant of Artoria as their temporary commander. "Miss Gray...your command?"
"You should all rest...I think the worst of the battlefield is still about to come..." the girl answered, giving a faint smile despite everything.
"Understood." Sir Bedivere was resolute, remembering it was not only the TARDIS that needed to be rescued. Rather, the comatose King Arthur too was inside the Doctor`s time-machine, completely helpless. It was at this time everyone silently acknowledged that the end of this battle would not have a joyful ending...not unless one last miracle descended.
This story would end with death...only the legend would never die...
At last, the final battle was about to begin.
Darkness had descended once more upon the landscape as nighttime came to the place on the artificial Gallifrey where the Magic-alliance had finally ended the war-council.
Gray sighed, remembering the last desperate strategy created in the end.
Zelretch was going to have the Magic-alliance separate, with Gray traveling with one band of warriors into outer space by Magic to infiltrate the Dalek-mothership before rescuing the TARDIS. The rest of the Magic-alliance would stay behind on the surface of Gallifrey to destroy the remaining Cyber-Legions while distracting the Master. Gray herself was the sole human knowledgeable about piloting the TARDIS as the Doctor`s companion. Therefore once the rescue is over she will materialize the TARDIS back onto Gallifrey, with the Magic-alliance using whatever Scientific technology the time-machine had to hopefully destroy the Master. The alliance shall use the TARDIS afterward to breach the transduction-barrier surrounding the Citadel of Gallifrey where the Doctor was doing battle with the Alter, not to mention his Dalek-Master.
Zelretch unsheathed his signature Jeweled Sword, the ancient blade shining with kaleidoscope radiance. "What we are about to do is not out of hatred or fear...it is a battle to save the Root of Akasha itself from a miserable fall that should never be. At the moment, consider all of yourselves to be the last companions of the nameless Doctor...as healers to the end..."
"The end of the universe, that is..." a voice called from the darkness.
The Magic-alliance instinctively summoned their blades. The remaining steel-wrought Cyber-Legions had teleported upon the landscape, breaking through the Magic force-field barrier that protected the surrounding Tomb of Rassilon.
The original Master himself had materialized out of nowhere too. The dark-haired young man in a Victorian-era dress-suit, a phantom of ancient fallen majesty. Although the man was the first incarnation of the Master, he had the collective memories of all his future incarnations too. The artificially-created Servant of Scientific origin who proclaimed himself to be a 'Master-Class' Servant, the living avatar of the Type-Gallifrey itself. An entity who appeared barely older than Gray, only was the destroyer to the Doctor`s healer.
The nameless Champion of Death.
This was indeed the Master at his majestic worst, the embodiment of all the evils of the universe.
"I am the Master...you would obey me..." the Master gave a bow like it was finally time for him to ascend as the ruler of the universe.
"Master..." Gray whispered as the Magic-alliance moved to defend. Merlin used his staff to blast the Master with a Magecraft-spell only for the emperor of evil to maneuver gracefully to a distance.
"My...I love this! What magnificent destruction upon my childhood home of Gallifrey...it is like I have returned to the Last Great Time War..." the Master never faltered once, continuing to smile viciously.
"It is all over, Master..." Zelretch readied his Jeweled Sword. "Your clones have been defeated on the battlefield, all that remains is for you to fall too."
"A battlefield that was quite gratifying to me, you decrepit old man...considering that there could only be one Master here..." the Master answered. "I myself have telepathic-clairvoyance to all the clones I summoned, therefore I was able to witness everything that happened to my other selves while hiding in sanctuary of the time-vortex throughout the battle."
Shirou hesitated. "The time-vortex? I thought you needed a TARDIS to survive in it."
"You certainly do...although I am the living avatar of Gallifrey, remember? An immortal humanoid eldritch lifeform, unlike the Doctor himself! When all of you Magic-alliance forces have been battling my clones, I was merely preparing my contingency to be the victorious one in the end..." the Master indicated towards the Cybermen throughout the landscape. "I hope you understand what I mean?"
Everyone was silent for a moment until recognition descended. The Cybermen here have been too silent...like all of these Iron-Wrought Soldiers have -
"You...'hacked' the remaining Cybermen!?" Shirou gasped, becoming pale.
"My treacherous nature could never be stopped, eh?" the Master raised his laser-screwdriver, commanding all the Cyber-Legions to bow to him. "What a shame the Cybermen piloting the Dalek-mothership overhead have been shielded from outside interference...only I suppose that is nothing. After all, you are going to save the Doctor`s TARDIS from the mothership for me."
"...What?" Everyone hesitated.
The Master cackled like a berserker before using his laser-screwdriver to create a force-field of solidified light around Gray, paralyzing the girl in place. Although the Master had promised to the Alter not to harm the girl, nothing stopped him from incapacitating her instead.
"Gray!"
The Magic-alliance launched at the Master only the madman teleported a safe distance away. "My...aren`t you going to think about this? The Doctor is doing battle with his Alter-self, the healer could die at any moment. I am the only one aside from Gray who is able to pilot the TARDIS to breach the transduction-barrier, only the Dalek-mothership has defenses stopping me from approaching it. Therefore all I ask is that you leave Gray behind here to bring me instead with you. You Magic-alliance shall distract the Cybermen on the ship while I save the TARDIS. I promise I shall use the TARDIS to then breach the Citadel, bringing all of you to the Doctor at last..."
"Only you are going to betray us by flying the TARDIS back to your home-universe afterward, abandoning the Doctor in this multiverse of Magic." Aoko spoke, discerning what this villain was about to do.
The Master gave a malicious smile. "All shall love me then despair, eh?"
"I would rather die than give in to you!" Zelretch answered valiantly. Merlin behind him was hastily inspecting the light force-field around Gray with the other Knights of the Round Table, the barrier appearing to be unbreakable by Magic.
A silence descended.
"...I see." The Master finally sighed regretfully. "What a tragedy this is...all of you of the Magic-alliance are strays who the Doctor would chose to be his traveling companions in the TARDIS...only me? I am the one entity the healer would never think about, as he considers me to be his sworn archenemy instead! Once I have destroyed all of you, I would think of another strategy to steal the TARDIS back before slaying the Alter myself! The Doctor would then have no other choice than to have me to be his companion to bring back to his home-universe, as everyone else in this miserable multiverse of Magic would be dead! What do you think...wouldn`t that be such a romantic story?"
There was never a time for the Magic-alliance to answer.
A strange presence gathered around the Master as he slowly activated everything within his arsenal of Noble Phantasms. All those crystallized legends of the emperor of evil throughout his incarnations, a legacy that was anathema to all space-time. The air howled as the Master began to radiate an otherworldly presence like space-time was distorting around him.
"You..." Zelretch grimaced. This was what the Doctor himself would look like had the healer unleashed all his Noble Phantasms without restraint too...an ancient entity who majestically embodied space-time itself...
One who could never be defeated by Magic...
Shirou was shivering in fear despite himself as he witnessed this. Everyone around him was too...it was like what the Doctor taught the boy once before...that fear makes companions of all. Only Shirou remembered that fear does not have to make one cruel or cowardly...it could cause one to be kind. The kindness of acknowledging one`s inner weakness to hopefully overcome it in the end...
The Master`s signature cane-umbrella named the Sword of Gallifrey materialized to be wielded by madman. The 'Alien-Construct' that the Master as Gallifrey`s avatar was able to summon. The majestic 'sword' which symbolizes this sentimental fallen utopia. Past. Present. Future. The embodiment of the Master`s dream too of ruling over the space-time as its solitary overlord.
"My...where was I...?" the Master brandished the Sword of Gallifrey, readying for battle as he faced the remaining Magic-alliance. "Oh, I remember!"
The final temporal crisis that would scar Akasha itself without the Doctor to save it.
"The end of the universe!"