Shirou was beginning to miss the TARDIS.
The Doctor`s wonderful time-machine which contained a universe within it ruled by Science rather than Magic.
Although at this moment, the inside of the Dalek-mothership was like a darker-version of the TARDIS. A cold mechanical alien-landscape that sought only destruction rather than to witness the universe.
"This place...it is bigger-on-the-inside too like the TARDIS..." Bazett observed as the Magic-alliance continued moving stealthily through the spacecraft`s interior.
The quiet humming of otherworldly machinery caused the footsteps of these warriors to resonate ominously.
"Hmm..." Lord El-Melloi stopped upon reaching an empty room with a computer terminal. "I think we could use this to search where the TARDIS is."
Everyone hesitated. "You go ahead...we shall take watch." Zelretch remembered El-Melloi was the most knowledgeable about Scientific technology in this band of warriors, despite his Clock Tower origins.
El-Melloi carefully approached the computer, experimenting with the unfamiliar alien layout before beginning to search through the terminal. "Good grief...I am suppose to be a magus, not a hacker of alien-Science."
Although the computer was programmed in an alien-language, El-Melloi was able to use his legendary detective skills to gather a basic understanding of it. A picture of the TARDIS appeared on the computer monitor, then a collection of symbols El-Melloi recognized as mathematical in nature. "A theoretical place where the TARDIS was being inspected using alien-mathematics?"
"...A science laboratory?" Ayaka Sajyou spoke hesitantly. "At least...that is the first place I would think of. Where would we discover a laboratory on this mothership?"
"From an mage`s perspective, at a place deeper within this spacecraft." Rin added. "After all...a laboratory should be located in a safe place where no attacks on the outside of the ship could reach it."
Everyone looked solemnly down the darkened corridor of the mothership.
"I suppose all we could do is move onward." Zelretch began walking, carrying the unconscious Gray with him until the alliance came upon a heavy locked steel door.
"Lucky I am here, eh?" Shirou Projected the Doctor`s sonic-screwdriver to aim at the door like he once witnessed the healer himself do, opening it silently.
"I should scout ahead." Emiya Kiritsugu activated his Presence Concealment as an Assassin-Class Counter Guardian to disappear into the unknown.
All was silent, then the heart-stopping sound of metallic footsteps could be heard from behind.
"Cybermen!" Zelretch indicated everyone to hide only there was nowhere to escape. A battle here would alert the whole mothership of their presence, causing the TARDIS to be lost...what was there to do?
"My...where would you be without me?" It was at this time Morgan Le Fay casted a Magecraft spell that bestowed invisibility, cloaking the alliance into the darkness.
A battalion of Cybermen guided by a Cyber-Lieutenant stalked into sight, scanning the corridor mechanically. "...Alert. Magic-based lifeforms detected after hull breach. Visible reconnaissance reveals nothing in this area...activate electromagnetic scan."
An electromagnetic scan? Morgan paled, not understanding the Science only knew her Magecraft would not protect the alliance from whatever the Cybermen are about to do.
Luckily, the vampire named Altrouge Brunestud thought of a solution. Being the other Princess of the True Ancestors, Altrouge hastily activated her Marble Phantasm to distort light itself around all the alliance-warriors. This distortion then caused the Cybermen`s scanners to secretly malfunction, unable to detect any abnormal presences in the area.
"...Lieutenant." A Cyberman finally spoke after a moment. "Scan has revealed nothing."
"Understood. Continue with hull breach investigation." The Cybermen slowly departed, causing everyone to calm down as Morgan dispelled her Magecraft.
Mordred looked with reluctant gratitude at Morgan. "...I wouldn`t like to admit it only your Magecraft certainly did save us then, mother."
"Oh, I know...I once used this spell to spy on your precious king while thinking of all kinds of strategies to assassinate him." Morgan smirked as the other Knights of the Round Table glared venomously at her.
Emiya Kiritsugu had returned in the meantime, appearing from thin air. "I discovered where the TARDIS is. The time-machine is located near where I think this mothership`s engines are, within a room occupied by thousands of metal-containers."
"Metal-containers?" Rin paled, the memory of a certain past journey with the Doctor returning to mind. "It couldn`t be...a Cyber-Tomb?"
"A room for Cybermen to sleep in hibernation mode until the time comes for battle." Sakura remembered. Aside from the crew of Cybermen piloting the mothership, this Cyber-Tomb must be carrying the last of the Cyber-Legions to activate as an emergency contingency.
Shirou grimaced, only there was no other choice here. "I suppose this couldn`t be any worse, eh?"
Zelretch looked at the boy, only remained silent.
After all...what could be worse than what was happening at the moment?
The landscape of Gallifrey was a dystopia of death.
"Oh, this is magnificent!"
The Master walked upon the surroundings covered by molten magma, a calm smile on his face like all this was nothing too particular. "I certainly have to re-decorate this place later to celebrate my coronation as the ruler of the universe...only all of you killjoy Magic-types could never appreciate this. Life`s end...is it not beautiful? A tragedy too...especially none of you would bow down to me, your future ruler.""
"Life is beautiful because we could exist without a monster like you!" The Shielder-Class named Mashu Kyrielight defended as the Master stabbed at her with the Sword of Gallifrey.
"A monster, am I? You do flatter me!" the Master blasted Mashu back with a gravity-based Noble Phantasm before defending from the rest of the attacking alliance.
Merlin hesitated in the distance, looking desperately skywards where the Dalek-mothership floated in orbit. The Doctor`s time-machine was still not rescued? Only the TARDIS would be able to theoretically counter the Master...anything else in this whole multiverse of Magic shall merely be a futile distraction to the healer`s archenemy. The best the alliance could do here without the TARDIS here was to merely survive...therefore...
"Retreat!" Merlin finally called, indicating the everyone re-assemble elsewhere.
"Oh? I see you are using the Doctor`s old strategy to run away when everything is at an disadvantage." the Master watched the gathered warriors withdraw before smiling maliciously. "I suppose I should let all you go out of admiration for this sentimental strategy...only the thing is..."
The Master brandished the laser-screwdriver, amplifying the gadget with his Noble Phantasms to shoot Excalibur-like laser blasts everywhere. "None of you are the Doctor!"
"Watch out!" The young Magical Girl named Prisma Illya hastily created a force-field-barrier with Kaleidoscope Ruby, barely saving the retreating Magic-alliance from certain-death.
"My...from what I remember, this scantily-dressed girl otherwise known as a 'Magical Girl' is supposed to be the champion of lost childhood joy..." the Master teleported past the barrier using the Sword of Gallifrey to blast Illya point-blank with the laser-screwdriver. The 'Magical Girl' gave a scream of agony, landing unconscious on the ground like a rag-doll. "I wonder...would all the universe`s childhood joy protect you from a dastardly villain named me?"
"Illya!" The Magical Girl named Chloe von Einzbern launched at the Master only for the villain to knock her aside with the hilt of the Sword of Gallifrey.
Ruby desperately flew out at the Master to claw at his face, sending the villain staggering back. "Illya, you have to wake up!"
"My, a living Magical decoration!" The Master caught Ruby in his grasp, inspecting the sentient Mystic Code curiously. "...I don`t like it."
"Eh? What are you - !?" Ruby gave a cry as the Master mercilessly crushed her into silent scrap-metal.
"Ruby!" Chloe gave a cry of fury at the death of her companion to pick herself up, Projecting the sword known as Caladbolg to aim it with her bow at the Master . "You...Illya...I...never forgive..."
The Master merely slowed down time so the arrow would miss, summoning a Noble Phantasm from his arsenal named the 'Tissue Compression Eliminator'.
"Caladbolg (The Spiral Sword)!" Chloe screamed, unleashing the Broken Phantasm at her adversary.
Only everything was all for naught.
The last Chloe sighted in life before Caladbolg unexpectedly missed was the unconscious Illya still lost in oblivion like a childhood dream.
All that remained of Chloe von Einzbern afterward was a small rag-doll version of herself, laying helplessly on the ground.
The Master sighed solemnly.
"The answer to my question is...never."
The Doctor would have rescued the TARDIS in less than a moment had he been here.
This strange thought materialized in Shirou`s mind as the Magic-alliance reached the Dalek-mothership`s engine-room. It was a miracle that these warriors were able to finally come upon the heart of the alien-spacecraft without being detected, especially after being lost more than once.
"...This mothership`s heart...it resembles what the Doctor called the Eye of Harmony in the TARDIS, only smaller..." Rin Tohsaka stared at the majestic dying star frozen in mid-air overhead. Space-time distorted around this crystallized supernova like the heartbeat of nuclear chaos itself.
"As The Doctor Alter was the one to construct this mothership under the command of his Dalek-Master, he must have created this miniature version of the Eye of Harmony too." Zelretch grimaced, his vampiric-self barely able to withstand the blinding light of the Scientific star.
Altrouge Brunestud eagerly activated her Marble Phantasm, "Hmph...I suppose all that is meaningless since we are here - "
"My dear, it would be wise not to destroy the Eye of Harmony like you are about to do." Zelretch hastily interrupted. "After all, we couldn`t want to crash this ship before the TARDIs is rescued. "
Everyone hesitantly moved onward until reaching a large science laboratory-like room occupied by thousands of metal-containers. A Cyber-Tomb. At the farthest reach of the room was the lonely TARDIS, surrounded by a force-field barrier made from solidified light.
"There it is..." Shirou began to walk towards the old police box only to stop. It was like the spirit of the fallen Archer-EMIYA had manifested, instinctively alerting the boy there was certain-death ahead.
"Trace...On!" The boy knelt down on the ground, using Reinforcement Magecraft to analyze the structure of the room, focusing especially on the containers.
"Senpai...?" Sakura hesitated only the boy was barely listening, becoming pale instead.
From what observation, all the metal-containers with the hibernating Cybermen in them had been stealthily awakened not long ago. Although...this could only mean...
"Everyone...I think we have been tricked..." The signature blades of Kanshou/Bakuya materialized on Shirou.
Zelretch froze. "What do you mean?"
"The Cybermen must have known about our infiltration of this mothership since the beginning, only pretended not to...that must be the reason this whole Cyber-Tomb is secretly active." The Magic-alliance gasped, unsheathing their blades.
Ayaka was the only one to discern a strange sight was happening to the TARDIS as everyone was distracted. The barrier surrounding the time-machine was shining with ever-blinding light, the police box slowly disappearing like it -
"The TARDIS is being teleported!" There was no other choice, none in the Magic-alliance could reach the police-box in time. Ayaka desperately casted a spell as using her signature Witchcraft, placing a curse on the TARDIS as it disappeared with a flare. A harmless curse that is, one that would reveal the location of the target despite its distance from the caster. The Doctor himself would had admired her genius had he been here.
The metal doors of the Cyber-Tomb sealed closed to stop all escape as the last legions of Cybermen moved out of their containers to surround the Magic-alliance.
"Watch out..." Zelretch whispered to everyone as a flare of light shone, teleporting a single abnormal-looking Cyberman into the room.
A skeletally-thin Cyberman covered in sleek grey armor resembling a samurai, with the top of its head transparent to reveal the artificial brain inside. The samurai-Cyberman wore a dark cloak, brandishing an elegant Excalibur-like longsword only the adamant-steel shone with a far more mechanical in origin. The ominous Cyber-Blade that embodied the Cyber-Legions themselves.
"Welcome." The Cyberman boomed in a deep monotone voice, sounding quite victorious despite being a lifeform void of emotions. "I am the Cyber-Controller, ruler of all of the Cyber-Legions in this irrational multiverse of Magic."
"There is no need to identify yourself, especially when you stabbed me from behind from before..." Zelretch muttered ominously, only barely hid the unexpected fear in his vampiric-heart.
This Cyber-Controller had been there when the Doctor first landed the TARDIS on this artificial Gallifrey all that time ago. After doing battle with Merlin, it had disappeared to command the Cyber-Legions from this mothership in outer space. A being who was able to outlast the Master-clone army despite being far weaker in nature...
Although Zelretch remembered this Cyber-Controller was the ultimate swordsman of Science in this multiverse of Magic, having been modified by the Doctor Alter. A mechanical lifeform who nearly slayed Merlin himself had the Magus of Flowers not barely retreated.
A dreadfully formidable adversary who must be defeated before the missing TARDIS could be rescued...
"The Magic of this multiverse shall be deleted, overwritten by the absolute logic of Science like the ancient Time Lords of the Doctor`s home-universe once did." The Cyber-Controller spoke, the Cyber-Legions moving as one to aim their laser weaponry at the Magic-alliance. "This is the will of the Cybermen."
"The will of never understanding the beautiful mystery behind Magic...what a tragedy." Zelretch resolutely unsheathed his signature Jeweled Sword.
All of creation itself was at stake without the nameless healer.
There was no need to do this peacefully as the Doctor would.
An eternity watching over humankind, Merlin remained a hopeless wanderer in the end.
The fall of Camelot was a crisis the Magus of Flowers could have stopped, only never did. Regret did bloom within the one who raised King Arthur, only no one could erase what already happened.
It was these sentimental memories that flooded into Merlin`s mind as he gently laid the Illya on the ground a safe distance from where he rescued her after the Master`s onslaught.
"Mister...Merlin..." The former Magical Girl awakened from unconsciousness, barely able to breath from the aftermath of the Master`s point-blank laser-screwdriver blast at her.
"Hush, everything is going to be okay! I promise!" Merlin spoke soothingly, only acknowledged this was a promise unable to be fulfilled.. "I am going to conduct healing Magecraft on you here, calm down. I - "
"...Where...are...my..." Illya`s voice was cracked, using the last of her strength to look around the landscape for the other Magical Girls.
Merlin grimaced, hiding his sorrow as the girl began to cough up blood. "Miss Illya...I think you - "
"Oh, there you are...my least favorite character!" the Master teleported out of nowhere, smiling viciously.
Merlin instinctively blasted the Master with a Magecraft spell only for the villain to regenerate unscathed, blinding the Magus of Flowers with a flare from his laser-screwdriver.
"Once more, I am reminded why I loathe you in the Arthurian legend...a stray lunatic who resembles my dear Doctor more than I would like." the Master approached to stab the incapacitated Merlin in the head.
The Magus of Flowers was then unexpectedly saved by a surprising hero.
"You...murderer of my Praetor!" The Saber-Class Nero appeared from behind the Master, impaling the villain in the chest with her blade. A look of complete depravity was on the normally joyful emperor`s face, like everything she had lived for had once more been stolen from her. "All my loved ones...those whose lives in this alliance you ended..."
The Master merely staggered up from regenerating to glare silently at Nero.
"What kind of monster are you!?" Nero screamed in fury, launching at the Master with her sword. "What being could be so broken on the inside...enjoying all this death around like it is nothing!?"
Silence continued on as the Master stoically defended himself with the Sword of Gallifrey, the sound of blades resonating throughout the landscape.
It was a tragedy that Nero did not understand what was secretly happening here.
The Master was using psychological warfare to be victorious.
As an artificially-created Servant created by Gallifreyan Science, the Master had a unique EX-ranked Class Skill known as Master of All. The capability of wielding the signature Skills of every Servant Class he could be theoretically Summoned under up to an A+++ rank. At this moment, the Master had activated the signature Skill of the Avenger-Class, known merely as Avenger, so that others` hatred of his identity would merely strengthen him instead.
Basically, Nero`s hatred of the Master was only causing the villain to become more unstoppable.
"What are you doing!?" Nero had become unrecognizable from the once-flamboyant Servant she is, only vengeance moving her onward at the Master`s silence. "Answer me!"
The Master sighed wearily, moving at lightning-velocity to stab Nero in the heart.
The Emperor of Roses collapsed onto the ground, howling at being unable to defeat this adversary before her.
The Master knelt down by the dying Nero, staring at the Saber before answering with a question himself. "...Who are you suppose to be?"
It was at this moment Nero finally understood in horror.
All this time the Master barely acknowledged the lives of those he ended. The only one who the villain would remember in regret was the Doctor, sole lifeform in this universe who is able to understand who the Master was.
Although since the Doctor was gone at this moment...
There was nothing the Master would hesitate to destroy anymore.
"You..."
The last Emperor Nero thought before disintegrating into nothingness was to pity the rest of creation the Master was about to end.
A place that would be void of everything when the battle was over...
Merlin in the meantime had finally recovered from blindness, moving back to the wounded Illya. "Miss Illya? There is no need to be afraid, I am going to...heal...you..."
Illyasviel von Einzbern had silently died from her wounds in the chaos of the Master`s presence.
At the end without being able to become a Magical Girl, all Illya was is that of a young fragile schoolgirl lost in an otherworldly battle to save the universe.
There was no more Merlin could do.
"Merlin..." Aoko Aozaki re-appeared from the aftermath of this chaos, looking sympathetically at the fallen. There was no time to grieve anymore...not with all of creation was about to be erased.
The Master was stalking towards the Magic-alliance, far too blinded by his self-glory to understand the sorrow of those lost.
A glory those who remain alive on this battlefield are more than willing to end.
All was a cacophony of chaos on board the Dalek-mothership.
Zelretch had discerned the dimensionally-transcendent technology of the mothership was stopping him from being able use his signature 'Operation of Parallel Worlds, meaning there was no escape to the outside.
"Time Alter - Double Accel!"
Emiya Kiritsugu activated his signature Innate Time Control to move at lightning velocity, picking up the still unconscious Gray on the ground to place the young girl in a safe place from the battlefield.
"▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅!"
Altrouge Brunestud at this time had given in to her vampiric-bloodlust, weaving through the room like a berserker.
"Alert. Marble Phantasm detected...ready displacement contingency." the Cyber-Controller stood at the heart of the battlefield, commanding the Cyber-Legions while defending from any Magic-alliance warrior who approached it. "I see through your strategy, you illogical Magic-based lifeforms. You are thinking about rescuing the Doctor`s TARDIS to defeat the Master, are you not? A futile hope to the end."
Bazett sent a Cyberman crashing backward with her martial-arts before desperately taking cover under a laboratory table. "Oi, you okay there!?"
Ayaka was under the table hiding too, having exhausted her mana supply. "I know where the TARDIS is! The clairvoyance-curse I casted on the Doctor`s box is telling me the TARDIS was teleported to a location above this room, at a place that resembles the mothership`s bridge."
"The mothership`s bridge?" Sakura appeared under the table too, gasping for breath. "...Then we have to break out of this sealed Cyber-Tomb to reach it!"
A clanging sound of swords deafened everyone. All the Knights of the Round Table had began attacking the Cyber-Controller at once, the iron-wrought ruler countering with its Cyber-Blade.
The Cyber-Controller was modified enough with alien-Science to battle the legendary Round Table to a stalemate?
Shirou paled at this observation. What worse was that the Cyber-Blade is completely unreadable with Projection Magecraft too, therefore the boy did not know what this adversary was capable of.
It was at this time Rin thought to further create a distraction. Although she had depleted her signature Jewel Magecraft long before, the girl used her understanding of human Science to an advantage by blasting Gandr at another table in the laboratory covered in chemical supplies, sending a cloud of smoke everywhere in the explosion afterward.
"Altrouge!" Zelretch called desperately as Ayaka signaled him, indicating towards the doors of the Cyber-Tomb.
The other daughter of the Moon understood, launching at the sealed entrance of the Cyber-Tomb to activate her Marble Phantasm once more.
The Cyber-Tomb doors exploded into debris, raining shattered steel everywhere. All the Magic-alliance aside from the Knights of the Round Table scattered to escape. Emiya Kiritsugu hastily picked up the unconscious Gray before moving too.
"You shall not obstruct our victory!" the Cyber-Controller boomed, its Cyber-Sword radiating a shining light that blinded the Knight of the Round Table.
"...What!?" Morgan Le Fay watched bewilderingly as all of Camelot`s champions began to disappear into thin air. It was not like a Noble Phantasm laser like Excalibur...
Rather...
"The knights remain alive...?" Morgan casted a clairvoyance Magecraft spell, revealing Camelot`s champions have been merely spacially-displaced to the surface of Gallifrey below.
Only...this would mean...
The Cyber-Controller`s blade had the ability teleport others?
"The Doctor Alter has forged this sword from solidified Block Transfer Computations, a Gallifreyan Science that none of this universe of Magic could defend from." the Cyber-Controller looked at Morgan like it understood what she thought. "This therefore gives my Cyber-Blade the ability to teleport anything in my presence to a location of my choice within range. The band of Servants known as the Knights of the Round Table have been teleported back to the surface of Gallifrey to be slayed by the Master."
Block Transfer Computations? Shirou remembered the Doctor telling him about this before. A more scientifically advanced version of Projection Magecraft in the healer`s home universe, the secret art of manipulating space-time itself using 'solidified mathematics'.
It was like the Cyber-Controller had a Scientific-version of a Noble Phantasm...
"The time has come for maximum deletion." the Cyber-Controller readied its blade, launching at the other retreating Magic-alliance warriors.
No...
Time itself appeared to slow.
Shirou`s heart nearly stopped, recognizing the Cyber-Controller was aiming specifically at the unconscious Gray who was being carried by Kiritsugu.
Gray was the sole human knowledgeable about piloting the TARDIS as the Doctor`s companion. The girl`s death would mean the Master will become unstoppable, with the Doctor unable to be rescued from the Citadel of Gallifrey afterward.
"Kiritsugu, watch out!" There was not time to stop the Cyber-Controller.
All Shirou could do was desperately run at his father, hopefully to intercept the Cyber-Blade before it could impale the helpless girl.
Only it was at this moment, one other magus in the Magic-alliance moved to save Gray too.
The one man who watched over Gray all her life until the Doctor materialized, protecting the story of the last descendant of King Arthur.
Lord El-Melloi himself.
"...Ah..." The man once named Waver Velvet did not cry out as the Cyber-Controller stabbed its blade into his chest instead.
"El-Melloi!" Shirou screamed as the Cyber-Controller pulled its sword out of the collapsing man, stepping backward hesitantly at this sacrifice.
"Shirou, leave him!" Kiritsugu did not hesitate a single moment, continuing to retreat. The was no time to grieve, not when all of creation was at stake. "The TARDIS has to be rescued!"
Zelretch was pulled a reluctant Shirou silently behind, the Magic-alliance disappeared out of sight.
"...I should have known...it would come to this..." The dying El-Melloi was surprisingly calm despite everything, drowning in his blood.
Hopefully, no one would tell young Gray what happened to him. The young girl was already surrounded by enough death throughout her life. Only...that was fine. The strange madman named the Doctor had raised Gray to become able to overcome the burdening legacy of her ancestor, like the magus of the Clock Tower had wanted to do himself.
Lord El-Melloi gave one last grouchy smile as death claimed him.
"What is the world coming to here...a healer rather than a magus..."
All that was happening onboard the Dalek-mothership in outer space began to affect those on Gallifrey too.
A large shadow descended upon the landscape nighttime itself had appeared out of nowhere.
"...What on earth...?" Aoko Aozaki stopped in mid-battle, as did all others in the Magic-alliance facing the Master.
Ryougi Shiki paled, fear on her normally stoic face. "Look!"
The unspeakably large Dalek-mothership had descended down into Gallifrey`s atmosphere, floating ominously in the sky.
As this was happening, a flare of light appeared to drop all the Knights of the Round Table unceremoniously onto the ground from out of nowhere.
"Where...am...the Cyber-Controller...!" Sir Bedievere staggered up only everyone barely acknowledged the knights` presence, staring in horror at the spacecraft above.
"My...I assume your Magic-allies have been creating chaos onboard the mothership?" the Master finally spoke, surprised himself at this situation. "The Cybermen must have begun an emergency contingency to end this battle for me by destroying the planet itself."
"...What?" The Magic-alliance stared at the Master, not understanding.
Destroy this artificial planet of Gallifrey?
"The Citadel of Gallifrey where the Doctor is battling for his life happens to be located within a TARDIS-like pocket-dimension, protected by a transduction-barrier." the Master calmly indicated to the Citadel in the distance. "The destruction of this planet only means the pocket-dimension itself would remain, invisibly floating in the Void around Akasha until the end of time.
"Only you too would be obliterated!" Merlin shivered despite himself.
"Avatar of the Type-Gallifrey, remember?" the Master laughed viciously to retreat backward. "I am absolutely immortal so long as space-time itself exists in the multiverse. This planet`s destruction would be merely a setback to my conquest of the rest of creation. Lucky me - arghhh!"
The Master screamed in agony as his body was covered by flames, incinerated into a charcoal skeleton by the dragon-fire conflagration.
"This is vengeance for the death of my Ruler-Class self." Jeanne d`Arc Alter had activated her Noble Phantasm La Grondement Du Haine, coldly impaling the regenerating Master with her sword as overkill.
Merlin looked solemnly at the Magic-alliance. "We have to think of a strategy to stop Gallifrey`s destruction, regardless what happens to the Master."
"Our allies are on the mothership rescuing the TARDIS, therefore attacking the spacecraft is out of the question." Ryougi observed. "The best we could do is hopefully defend from whatever attack there would be in the first place."
It was at this time Enkidu finally spoke. "I think I could be of assistance here."
Everyone looked at the Servant nicknamed the Chain of Heaven.
"It is lesser-known to others, only I am able to force open the Gate of Babylon (The King`s Treasures) in moments of absolute emergency." A collection of golden portals opened behind Enkidu. "All of you should escape into Gate of Babylon`s pocket-dimension for safety, although I am not certain it will survive the planet`s destruction."
"...Understood." Merlin indicated everyone to begin evacuating into the dimension. "What are we going to do about the mothership`s attack itself?"
Mashu Kyrielight stood. "...I will stay behind. I think my Noble Phantasm should at least stop whatever alien-Science the mothership would use to destroy Gallifrey."
"...Miss Kyrielight, are you certain about this - ?" Sir Galahad spoke up, only to falter at the look of valiant resolution on girl`s face. At this moment, this Shielder-Class was willing to sacrifice everything to fulfill her aspiration. The aspiration to protect this precious future from the infinite darkness.
The sound of howling metal caused everyone to hesitate. The mothership begun launching a bombardment of alien-warheads towards where the Magic-alliance stood.
"Move!" The Archetype-Earth in Arcueid`s body clawed at the air with her Marble Phantasm, disintegrating the warheads in mid-air. All the others of the Magic-alliance assisted too while reluctantly retreating into the Gate of Babylon, shooting down the raining bombardment like archers at the bow.
Jeanne Alter had chosen to remain outside, continuing her incineration of the Master`s regenerating corpse to stop the madman from escaping elsewhere. Whatever happened to the villain afterward would be up to the surviving Magic-alliance.
"Good luck, all of you!" Merlin was the last to disappear, solemnly understanding this was the last he would see of those who stayed behind.
The mothership overhead was beginning to launch everything it had within its Scientific arsenal upon Gallifrey, every weapon the equivalent of a thousand Anti-World Noble Phantasms all at once.
"Age of Babylon (Wisdom of the People)!"
Enkidu summoned his personal Noble Phantasm to create thousands of metallic blades that burst out of the earth, flying to shoot down anything coming from the mothership. Endless Noble Phantasms of old launched out of Gate of Babylon too as Enkidu unleashed everything he had to make certain none of the mothership`s bombardment reached the ground.
A deafening long time later, the bombardment finally ended. The mechanisms underneath the mothership clanked to life, revealing the spacecraft`s dreaded star-buster cannon. The weapon that would certainly end the planet Gallifrey in less than a single moment.
"No..." Enkidu paled. Mashu`s Noble Phantasm are unable to defend from such a devastating Scientific weapon like this, not unless...
The Dalek-mothership slowly aimed its ultimate weapon at Gallifrey below, activating the cannon at its maximum. A thunderous supernova-flare of nuclear chaos radiated like a laser, shooting at the surface with a flare outshining a sun.
The Scientific equivalent of an Anti-Star Noble Phantasm.
There was no time to hesitate.
Enkidu grimaced, acknowledging he had been ready for this since being first born of clay.
Time to awaken the breath of the planet Earth, as one who walked with humankind. The Chain of Heaven called upon the last of Earth`s Counter Force remaining on Gallifrey, gathering the collective will of Gaia/Alaya into himself to activate his other Noble Phantasm.
"Enuma Elish (O Humans, Let Us Restrain The Gods Above)!"
Enkidu launched himself skywards, his clay body becoming an astral spear surrounded by thousands of ethereal chains to pierce the oncoming star-buster laser in mid-air.
The sky howled upon a deafening oblivion, a shockwave spreading from this clash of unspeakable forces throughout the planet. Unknown to all, the interference of Enuma Elish on the the star-buster laser`s trajectory had weakened the force of the blast before it could reach its maximum destructiveness.
At this moment the Chain of Heaven, further enhanced by the last will of Gaia/Alaya, was protecting Gallifrey from an end never more certain.
Only it was not to last.
The star-buster laser began to slowly overcome Enuma Elish, obliterating whatever remained of Enkidu into nothingness before continuing on to the surface.
The last Enkidu thought before oblivion was that he would once more return back to the earth at last.
"Watch over me, Senpai..."
Mashu planted her shield onto the ground, readying her Noble Phantasm the final time.
"Lord Camelot (Fortress of the Distant Utopia)!"
The ultimate protection from the Round Table manifested, the astral castle walls of the distant Camelot gloriously rising before Mashu`s shield. Shielder gave a silent scream as the star-buster laser pierced into the astral castle of Camelot, the molten nuclear chaos slowly vaporizing her despite the Noble Phantasm`s protection.
It was only out of sheer will that Mashu remained stay alive, continuing to weaken the force of the oncoming laser more until it could no longer be able to destroy Gallifrey.
Lord Camelot`s defense was ever-slowly fading...only Mashu acknowledged this. The Servant of the Shield had already died once a long time ago, saving Earth`s history to her last breath.
All life is doomed to end, only it was meaningless to despair about what none could escape from. Rather, all that humankind could do is to continue onward into a hopefully beautiful future. This was what Shielder had desired to protect throughout her life.
It was a futile desire, although one that would never regret.
Mashu Kyrielight gave a gentle smile as Lord Camelot finally disappeared, calmly disintegrating into nothingness too.
"Life...certainly was beautiful..."
Jeanne Alter was the last to remain, reluctantly materializing the battle-flag her Ruler-self once wielded as the star-buster laser continued to blast towards her from the sky.
"La Grondement du Haine (Howl Loudly, My Resentment)!"
The flag of Jeanne`s Ruler-self shone in radiant light, enhancing the Alter`s Noble Phantasm to create a barrier made from solidified dragon-fire before her.
"Arghhhhhhh!" The star-buster laser pierced into the barrier, causing Jeanne Alter to scream in agony as she began to take on the remaining force of the blast. Only the 'Dragon-Witch' never faltered once as everything in the surrounding landscape was incinerated to oblivion.
After what appeared to be an eternity, the laser finally extinguished itself, unable to continue on from all these outside resisting forces.
The so-called 'Anti-Star Noble Phantasm' was no more.
"I...am...alive?"
Jeanne Alter collapsed, her once beautiful self charred to being unrecognizable from the aftermath. After being Summoned by the World as an Avenger-Class, all the Dragon-Witch knew of was vengeance...especially after the death of her Ruler-Class self. What a strange thought it was...that this Avenger had protected the World here when she should have been celebrating its destruction.
It must have been the remaining inner kindness of her Ruler-Class self within the Dragon`s Witch`s heart...
"I promise to you, World...I am going to still incinerate you...when all this...is at its...end..."
Jeanne d`Arc Alter disappeared into the darkness of oblivion.
All was silent on the battlefield once more.
A flare of light appeared as the Magic-alliance was automatically teleported back onto Gallifrey from where they evacuated.
The mothership overhead was strangely retreating back into outer space. What no one on Gallifrey knew was that at this time, the chaos to rescue the TARDIS inside the ship had distracted the Cybermen enough to begin a withdraw rather than continue the destruction of the planet.
The Master was nearly back to regenerating completely only everyone barely acknowledged his presence, horrified at the unthinkable devastation. The aftermath of the failed star-buster laser had obliterated half the whole planet of into scorched charcoal ash.
Gallifrey would not last much longer, a place of deathly sorrow from which creation was about to end.
The inside of the Dalek-mothership had become a battlefield in itself.
The Magic-alliance had created a cacophony of chaos throughout the interior, guided by Ayaka`s Witchcraft-curse on the TARDIS to head desperately towards where the TARDIS was.
Although the last of the Cyber-Legions were not far behind too.
"This could not continue..." Bazett muttered ominously as the Magic-alliance approached the inner command platform of the ship, destroying all Cybermen who stood in the way. The mothership`s bridge would certainly be heavily defended, the addition of those Cyber-Legions behind would mean the alliance is going to face an overwhelming battle to rescue the TARDIS. A battle of which everything is lost...
Shirou hesitated bewilderingly as the lady-magus unexpectedly stopped. "Bazett, what are you - !?"
"All of you, go on without me!" Bazett spoke adamantly, indicating everyone to continue.
As the Magic-alliance was distracted, Altrouge Brunestud activated her Marble Phantasm to become invisible, stealthily sneaking off to an unknown destination.
"You..." Shirou looked like he wanted to stay too, only was pulled by Kiritsugu to reluctantly leave Bazett behind.
The head from a destroyed Cyberman was on the ground. Bazett watched as everyone disappeared ahead before hastily using transmutation Magecraft on the head. Although the Cybermen have been modified with Anti-Magic armor, the steel on their bodies was strangely reminiscent of that of the ancient Mystic Code she wielded.
Bazett`s signature Fragarach (Gouging Sword of the War God).
The lady-magus had depleted her Fragarach Noble Phantasm on the battlefield on Gallifrey before, therefore this improvisation was the best she could do.
"I am becoming more of a scientist than a magus..." Bazett transmuted the steel on the Cyberman`s head into a sphere-like blade resembling Fragarach before smiling to herself.
The Doctor`s inner scientist too would have cried from joy had he been here.
When the Cyber-Legions arrived at the place where Bazett was a moment later, the Iron-Wrought Soldiers stopped in hesitation. The lady-magus had created a whole arsenal of Fragarach-like blades from all the Cyber-corpses laying around, ready to do battle with a resolute grimace.
There would not be a single Cyberman escaping past her while she remains alive.
The Iron-Wrought Soldiers began to move towards Bazett for maximum deletion.
"Fragarach (Gouging Sword of the War God)!"
Bazett launched her makeshift 'Broken Phantasm'-like blade, screaming her death-cry of victory.
The Holy Grail War had descended upon Gallifrey.
At least, this was what the Master delusionally thought. A Holy Grail War with space-time itself at stake, only everyone was assembled to defeat him instead.
All the Grand Servants of the Counter Force were doing battle with the Master, the ultimate Heroic Spirits on the Throne of Heroes. The original Servants from which all Holy Grail Wars throughout space-time are descended from, answering the call of the Doctor to defend Akasha from the darkness.
"Magnificent!" the Master laughed viciously, not afraid at all from this situation. "I could finally be in a Holy Grail War myself!"
"...I do not think you understand the origins behind the Holy Grail War in the first place." Merlin stood valiantly as the Grand Caster, using Magecraft to counter this emperor of evil.
The devastated landscape of Gallifrey screamed its death-cry as the Grand Servants` Noble Phantasms were unleashed, an eldritch cacophony with no end. No human language could describe the absolute destruction being wrought, the battlefield becoming chaos incarnate.
Although as Merlin recognized, this was a futile battle to the end. Absolutely nothing was having an effect on defeating this adversary for good.
The theoretical Anti-Time Noble Phantasm the Doctor`s box hid within was the sole thing that would end the Master, after all.
Only when the TARDIS is going to materialize was a mystery in itself.
The rest of the Magic-alliance had finally reached the ship`s bridge.
"Altrouge is gone..." Zelretch observed anxiously, looking around for the missing vampire-princess.
Where had the 'other' daughter of the Moon disappeared?
This question would not be answered, as a huge circular room covered in alien-piloting consoles came into sight.
"There it is!" Ayaka indicated to the TARDIS at the heart of the room, still protected by a force-field barrier.
Shirou hastily Projected Archer`s bow, sniping at the Cybermen in the bridge until none of the Iron-Wrought Soldiers remained. The Magic-alliance made to ran at the box only for a radiant flare of light to appear from nowhere.
"The Doctor`s TARDIS is not to be returned to him!" the Cyber-Controller had teleported before the force-field, unsheathing its Cyber-Blade to defend the time-machine from being rescued.
"You...!" Shirou glared at the Cyber-Controller, the final adversary to be defeated here.
The memories of all those who sacrificed themselves for the Magic-alliance flooded into everyone`s mind, encouraging them onward.
The Doctor`s TARDIS has to be rescued, otherwise the promise of victory is lost...
"I am the bone of my sword!"
The spirit of Archer was behind Shirou as the boy launched into what would become his last battle on Gallifrey.
This battle on Gallifrey was ever-slowly about to reach its conclusion.
At the void of outer space, the Dalek-mothership floated ominously above the planet Gallifrey. Zelretch. Gray. Emiya Shirou. Rin Tohsaka. Sakura Matou. Emiya Kiritsugu. Ayaka Sajyou. Morgan Le Fay. Altrouge Brunestud. These survivors of the Magic-alliance are the only ones remaining to rescue the TARDIS onboard.
On the ruined surface of Gallifrey, the others of the Magic-alliance continued a futile battle that could only end with certain-death. Merlin. Arcueid Brunestud. Ryougi Shiki. Aoko Aozaki. The Knights of the Round Table. Ado Edem. These are the only ones remaining to distract the Master from escaping to conquer the rest of creation.
At a place deep within the helpless TARDIS itself, the Saber named Artoria Pendragon was silently awakening from her healing coma. The sole occupant within the Doctor`s time-machine.
The Doctor was standing within the Citadel of Gallifrey, facing his Alter-self with its Dalek-Master in reluctant battle.
The birthplace of Time had become one of death instead...
The dying rose named Akasha was beginning to wilt at last...