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Chapter 24: Grand Cross
Fuyuki City.
A shadow of its former self, nothing that would remind everyone of the vibrant city it once was. Corpses and bloodstains liter the streets as it is bathed by the moon's sickly light.
We climb the black rib cage in eerie silence, there are no words left to be said. Eventually, we reach the top of the tower and the moon is directly above us. On the far end is Alter Ego looking out from the edge of the tower with a woman by his side. She seems to be in her early 30s with platinum blonde hair wearing a white dress that is made from gold, and is fitted with seven rings that are said to have control over creation and the souls of others. The seven holes on the dress are the transformed rings and with each Servant soul absorbed, one hole is lit.
[Analysis Complete]
Servant Caster
True Name: I̶̧̱͎̪̙̤̾̾͂̉̿r̴̮̪͎̅ỉ̸̝̗̟̠͋̑͆͌̏͝ș̴̾̈́v̵̘̒̔̈̍̈́ï̸̤̺͒é̶̝͕͆̂́͘l̶̛̲͙͉̆̈́͊͆͆̉ ̵̱͙͝v̷̦̳͍̂ò̶̪̞͕̻̄̌̊̿̚n̴̨̠͉͆͆̒͝ͅ ̸̙͙̋̅̈̎͘͜ͅͅȨ̴̡̛͔̺̬̰͜i̷̥̦̗͍͍̗͓͑̂̈n̸̛͚͉̘̞̜̻̈́̀͜z̷̛͓͉̠̤̠̀̊̎͛̂ḅ̶̡̻̤̥̼̠̍̐̏̂͝e̴̡̽͆͋̌r̶̨̪̰͈͓̆n̷͕̜̟̔̓̄̀̆
Strength: E
Endurance: E
Agility: C
Mana: A+
Luck: B
NP: B
[Note: The Holy Grail in human form, manifested in a transient form as a transient Servant. A person who sneakily emerged from the Holy Grail. A person that is the same as the terminal of the Holy Grail. Irisviel takes on the form as the Holy Grail through having bonded with it. Unlike the disposition that represents the polluted Holy Grail—the Holy Grail of Fuyuki that concealed "All the World's Evils" within it, she is strongly endowed with the aspect of "Irisviel von Einzbern" as a wife and mother. She is by no means an official Divine Spirit, but suppose that if we were to apply her as one, it would seem that she is an existence furnished with an Earth Mother Deity-like disposition]
"It's sad, isn't it? How this world became such desolate wasteland… all because of us." Alter Ego states.
I take a step forward. "I know... that's why I am going to fix this."
A chuckle escapes out Alter Ego's lips. "'Fix it'? And how are you going to do that?"
"..."
Alter Ego smirks. "Even if you do that, there's no escaping the inevitable. Someday, in the future, Fuyuki City and everything else will become a desolate wasteland - exactly like it is now." He states. "Do you honestly think you can escape Death? Even Ultimates Ones cannot escape from death, so why not just let it run its course?"
"And how exactly is this letting it 'run its course'? You are using the Grail to hasten the decay, I can feel it!" I hissed. "With every Servant killed, the Grail's power grows and the Singularity spreads. If the Archer and Caster Servants die then the Singularity will encompass the entire planet-"
"And destroy life itself, for that is my wish." Alter finished.
At hearing this, everyone takes a fighting stance. There is no way this guy is getting away with this.
Alter Ego laughs and turns to the group, however, something is wrong with his face.
It's… melting.
Across the right side of his face, black tar is flowing out of his eye, nose, mouth, and ears giving a droopy look. Underneath that wasn't the face of the former Archer-class Servant or even a skull, but rather what looks to be a black hole eating his body from the inside out; bits of his skin can be seen being sucked into it.
"Oh my god…" Sakura muttered.
Alter Ego takes his hand and scratches what's left of his face. "Ugly, isn't it? It started a bit after our last encounter. At first, it was tiny but then it grew at an alarming rate to what it is now."
"Your very existence is being rejected by the World; eventually there will be nothing left of you." I stated.
"That's obvious, but even if I were to disappear I still have one was trick up my sleeve." His left eye lets out an ominous glow and smiles.
Away from the tower, the battered form of EMIYA Alter can be seen struggling to move let alone walk. He just doesn't understand, why would a Servant, a mere tool for their Master, fight for some woman?
And that boy... he just wouldn't get the hell out of his mind!
Just who the hell is he!?
Suddenly, his head rings as he gets a message from his Master.
[Do it]
EMIYA Alter summons Kanshou and, without any hesitation, swiftly brings it down and stabs himself in the chest. He coughs up blood and collapses, his body breaking down completely into motes of yellow light. His only purpose was to be a tool that can be used and disposed of by his Master after all.
With that, the Archer-class Servant: EMIYA Alter, dies.
Irisveil's eyes widen as her body begins to glow with a brilliant light.
"Mama!" Illya cries out.
Alter Ego stares and smiles as Irisveil's body rises from the ground. "Ah, the Greater Grail is complete… at last." He rises to meet Irisviel face-to-face.
Only to suddenly use his arm to run Irisviel straight through the chest.
On the other end, Alter Ego clutches Irisviel's heart that seems to have crystals growing out of it.
He removes his arm out of her torso and the body falls to the ground like a ragdoll.
Illya rushes to her mother's side, but as she reaches out her body turns to dust. She stares at her ashes before breaking down crying again. First, she lost her father and now her mother all over again? It is like her happiness is treated as one big joke.
I look at Illya as she wallows in grief before turning my attention back to my Alter Ego, who is marveling at the organic equivalent of a miracle.
"...you have the Holy Grail now. Aren't you going to make your wish?" I told him, it was hard keeping myself from lashing out.
Alter Ego stops staring at the heart and turns to me. "A wish? You think I did all of this just to grant some arbitrary wish?" He scoffed. "That would be a waste, to use such a powerful device for something so… stupid."
Now everyone is confused. "I don't get it. Why summon all of those Servants, all those monsters, destroy the city, and trap it in a pocket dimension if you weren't going to use it?" Rin points out.
"The Holy Grail may be an 'omnipotent' wish granting device, but at its core, its true purpose is the materialization of the soul; in other words, true rebirth." Alter explained. "My goal was never to gain the Holy Grail but rather Heaven's Feel, but to do that the Holy Grail needed to be charged." He then gives the group a genuine smile. "I have to thank you all for doing a job well done."
[Frank, stop him!]
I summon swords and throw them at Alter Ego, impaling him from every corner of his body. However, it was too late.
Alter Ego takes the heart… and eats it!
For a moment, it seems that time is standing still, but then Alter doubles over as the blades that were sticking out of his body begin to sink in until there are no traces of them. Cracks of red and black begin to form as a golden aura coats his body.
Alter Ego slowly rises and looks at us and we instinctively take a step back. His face is now not only fully restored, but now has a red eye with black sclera with red veins coming out of it.
"So that's your plan…" I said; rainbow eyes glowing ominously.
A larger than normal smile forms on Alter's face before he descends into insane laughter. He begins to scratch his face so hard it begins to bleed. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS WONDERFUL, I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!"
"What the hell has he done!?" EMIYA yells out as he and the rest of the Servants summon their weapons.
"He ate the core of the Holy Grail and his body absorbed the Mystery that is tied to it." Origin explains.
Everyone is surprised by Frank's sudden change of voice.
"Right now, he is, in a sense, a true Divine Spirit." they states, "He's even stronger than ever now; get ready."
Alter Ego continues to laugh maniacally before he forms two weapons in each hand. On his right is a sword remarkably identical to Excalibur except it was pitch black with red rune-like lines embedded into the blade itself. On his left is a black lance with red crystals sprouting out of it giving it the appearance of a bloody mace.
He charges, raising his sword to strike. Artoria steps in and blocks the black Excalibur with her own, but her body is soon pushed back by Alter's superior strength. He raises his spear but his arm is wrapped in a series of chains by Rider. She uses her monstrous strength to pull Alter to her, but the two enter a tug of war as Alter pulls his arm forward. While he is distracted, the red and blue Servant duo leap in and pierce his chest with their respective weapons, causing a pain groan to come out of his mouth.
Origin summons all seven hands and blasts him with a single concentrated beam of pure magic, instantly exploding when it makes contact.
"Is that the best you can do?"
Suddenly, black flames erupt from nothing and devour the chains. Medusa quickly lets go of them as the flames engulf the chains completely. The dust disperse as Alter Ego swings his sword in an arc, sending an arc of black energy straight towards Artoria forcing her to block the blast with her sword. Artoria is pushed back by the shockwave, but luckily stops right at the edge of the tower.
A skeletal hand wraps itself around Alter's throat and lifts him up only to be greeted by the sight of two massive hands with holes at their palms. I ball my hand into a fist and in response the two hands fire streams of red and blue at Alter.
"GAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The hand lets go and Alter's charred body falls on the floor, but he is nowhere near dead. He slowly rises as his wounds instantly heals, but that's not all it does. His body twitches and twists as multiple limbs grow from his back, "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Everyone can only stare in disgust as Alter Ego continues to mutate only for said mutation to retract.
"W-what…?" Alter Ego mumbles, unable to comprehend the situation. "What's happening to me…!?"
I close my eyes and when I open them… Origin is in control. "You were separated from my host… and sought to become a true entity through the True Magic within the Holy Grail. Your body is made up of the Holy Grail Mud, a substance composed of nothing but curses. Did not account for what would happen if you absorbed it?
Alter Ego narrows his eyes at his possessed other self.
Origin gives the inverted Servant a look of disdain. "The Grail, or rather All the World's Evil, is eating you from the inside out, trying to grant the curses that make up that body of yours. It'll mutate and turn you into a suitable vessel to manifest… with your soul in the center as its new core."
"N-No, you're wrong!" Alter Ego hissed, his body trying to contain the Grail. "I… I control this power, it's mine to command!"
"Believe what you want, but what were you expecting when you ate what's essentially the soul of the Devil? Did you really think there wouldn't be any consequences?" Origin shakes their head. "Even if you are a fragment of me, that's all you are, and now you'll be reduced to nothing."
Hearing this, Alter Ego doesn't know what to say. His plan, his desire, it is all for nothing. Now this… this thing was going to take that away from him.
The only thing that matters to him…
"No…"
Alter Ego stands up, his body no longer convulsing and has now returned to normal. "I will not let some two-bit daemon take what is mine… I refuse to let this thing take control!"
Golden portals, hundreds of them appear from where Alter Ego is standing each with sharp tips jutting out of them. "If I'm going to disappear… THEN I WILL TAKE YOU ALL WITH ME!" The portal launches weapons at inhuman speeds. Swords, Axes, Spears, all sorts of weapons are heading straight towards the group. Origin raises their arm and points at the barrage of weapons coming towards them, eyes releasing a vapor trail of silver.
"[Break]" Origin ordered.
In that instant, all of the Noble Phantasms suddenly lose their otherworldly glow and break down, falling to the earth below like rain. The portals also lose their golden glow and disappear.
Origin turns to the group. "Stay where you are, I will handle this myself."
"AAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Alter Ego roars out like an unhinged beast. "You… YOU…!" His body contorts as he begins to lose control again. "You have no idea how this feels…!" He raises his lance and dashes towards Origin, "To be alone…!" He throws the lance, but it is blocked by the A.T. Field. "To be helpless…!" Magical energy begins to coat the lance, the crystals embedded in it disappear. "Abandoned!" The lance spins like a drill, creating a tornado-like spiral of pure darkness. Cracks begin to appear on the barrier. "FORGOTTEN!" Alter pushes the lance further, causing the A.T. Field to shatter due to the overwhelming amount of power.
"Holy Lance, weigh anchor. Pierce the thirteen fangs! Rhongomyniad!"
Origin's body is caught in the vortex as it lifts them high into the sky, seemingly shredding them.
However…
[DIVIDE, DIVIDE, DIVIDE, DIVIDE, DIVIDE]
The tornado of darkness shrinks as its power is drained. As it does, cracks form onto the frame of the lance and then it crumbles to dust. Alter Ego can only stare in distraught as the Holy Lance crumbles, "why? I don't understand…" He looks up to see Origin staring down from above with their white dragon wings. "Do you have any idea how it feels to live like this? To be incomplete!? To know that your entire existence is nothing but a sham!" He states, black miasma begins to leak out from his body. "I was born from you, but I knew that I would never amount to anything and shortly disappear. Why am I the only one who suffers!? Why do I get the expiration date while you get the time of your lives!?"
Within Origin, I can only stare as my Shadow-Self breaks down. He wanted to live but couldn't because it would never amount to anything.
"Is that what I truly feel? Is that why he went through all of this?" I asked myself.
"..." Origin said nothing.
Tears begin to stream down Alter Ego's face, "so then I thought 'if I can't have a life then why should anyone else? Why should they live while I seize to exist?' So I hijacked the Grail System and sealed the city in a Singularity and used my limited control over the mud to create monsters and resurrect Heroic Spirits."
Medusa steps forward. "But that would not have made any difference, you would have still died regardless."
An eerie chuckle escaped his lips. "Yes, but I don't care. Even if I die, you wouldn't be able to stop the Singularity from covering the entire world. But it's okay, love..."
Before Medusa can react, two appendages sprout from the floor and grab Medusa. She can only stare as Alter's face morphs, now his teeth are gone, showing a more wide-open crazed smile.
"IT WILL BE OVER SOON!"
Alter swings Excalibur, ready to behead her but is stopped by a barrage of light arrows.
"Get away from her!" I dive down and lift Alter Ego into the air.
Alter Ego crackles. "So my other self finally resurfaced, and all it took was almost murdering your girlfriend."
I growl at his jab and throw him into the ground below. "You know, at first I thought we could fix this. That we could find some sort of middle ground and avoid the fighting… but I was wrong."
Alter looks at me with hatred in his eyes. "You are not me, nor will you ever be me. You are neither human or a Heroic Spirit. You are just…"
Suddenly spears come out of the ground and impale him. Alter coughs up blood and can only stare as my body is coated in white dragon armor.
"... a megalomaniac." I hold my arm up high into the heavens. "I think, therefore I am…" Thunder and lighting ripples throughout the sky, until a thunderbolt comes down and strikes the palm of my hand. When the thunder stops, there is now a hammer though it resembles a mallet with its handle wrapped in leather that ends in a thong. Engraved on the hammer is a symbol that represents a pantheon of warriors who fought for honor and glory.
"Mjølnir." I called out and in response thunder ripples from the weapon. I raise the hammer as I dive towards Alter-Ego. In response, Alter raises Excalibur and blocks my attack. Light and dark overlap as the two weapons enter a deadlock, "you are going to pay dearly for what you've done."
The deadlock breaks and we continue to clash. I throw Mjølnir and it launches like a rocket straight towards its target. Alter Ego blocks the hammer with Excalibur, the sheer force of it nearly causes the blade to break as it pins him down to the ground by its sheer weight.
I take to the skies and look down at everything. "No matter what sort of weapons you have, they are all brittle rip offs that will break after a single use." I summon Alatreon Commandment along with its arrow. The arrow is a pitch-black weapon with a few small edges coiling around the thin core, spiraling around it and somewhat curving outward. I pull back the string along with the arrow and take aim.
"Hrunting," I call out its name, a surge of power spread outwards at the beckoning. I release my hold of it and it raises downwards to its target. It leaves a beam of red light so fast one would miss it if you'd blinked. A ripple forms in the air composed of numerous waves from where Hrunting had been shot, dissipating outwards after basking the area in suffocating bloodlust.
It will not be stopped.
It will not tire.
Alter Ego knew, at that moment, there was no escape.
The mighty arrow hits its target, and the end result is an explosion of unparalleled proportions. I can only stare as the blast engulfs the entire vicinity. When the smoke fades, all I see is a black stain on the ground. I fly towards the tower and land on the roof.
"That was awesome, boss. I didn't think you would use the Prince's hammer." Cú Chulainn praised.
The white dragon armor disappears, "yeah… but let's not celebrate just yet. There's still the issue of the expanding Singularity."
Rin folds her arms under her chest, "but how are we going to do that? I've been pondering for a long time and it seems that the only way we could ever hope to fix this is by using the Holy Grail."
I laugh a little, "man and I thought you were smart, Rin."
Rin simply glares daggers at me.
"We already have a way to end the Singularity and fix everything." I assured them.
"What is it?" Shirou asked.
I turned to him and I couldn't help but feel sad. "Its-"
Suddenly, the ground begins to shake violently. "Oh, what now!?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
A loud scream rings out from practically everywhere as the tower begins to shake and crumble beneath us. The Servants take their charges and leap off of the tower as it is consumed by the earth. However, nowhere is safe as the sinkhole expands and begins to swallow everything.
"Goddammit, what the hell is going on!?" Lancer cries out as he leaps from building to building just before they sink into the ground.
Artoria jumps to a building but a sudden quake causes her to lose her balance and begins to slide across the roof as the building tilts.
"Artoria!" I yell out as I dive towards her and manage to grab her hand before the entire building falls into nothingness.
"...thank you." Artoria mutters.
We managed to find a building that didn't seem to be affected by the quakes and land on its roof. By that point, an entire half of the city has sunk to the ground, leaving a massive hole in its place.
"...it's gone…" Shirou mutters as everyone is in a state of distraught.
From within the hole, something begins to rise from the surface. A massive, black claw grabs the edge of the sinkhole.
And then another.
And another,
And another.
And another.
And another.
Six claw-like appendages come out of the hole and begin to pull something from deep beneath the earth.
It was… monstrous.
Its upper torso has no flesh, but a black ribcage with visible organs inside and six fleshy, elongated claws attached to it. The head has on features and instead has three massive yellow eyes that cover its face. Above its head is a halo of some kind but it is more like a tear in reality as there is only darkness on the other side.
"W-What the hell is that thing!?" Medea cries out.
"That… is an abomination." Origin states.
"What?" Sakura asked.
"It is a physical manifestation of 'Evil', every sin committed by humanity since time immemorial condensed and given form through Third Magic." Origin explained. "When Alter died, the Holy Grail returned to the land and awakened the parasite that has been dwelling in it for the past century."
"Incorrect."
Everyone looks up in surprise as a voice comes from despite having no mouth.
"What?" Medusa said.
"Did that thing just… talk!?"
"What are you?" I asked.
"I am the manifestation of mankind's wishes. Everything I am, they are." IT states. "The purpose of the Holy Grail is to bring forth paradise to this unfair world. I exist for the sake of creating such a world. In order to do that, the world must be erased for a new one to be born."
Everyone realizes what that means. "But if you do that, you'll kill everyone!"
"Yes… for that is their wish."
"What…?" Shirou asked in shock.
"Mankind desires destruction, anarchy, despair, lust, greed, wrath. They speak of peace but in reality they want nothing more than to destroy each other and themselves, however, they have not due to self preservation. I will create a world that is suited to those wishes."
I take a step forward and materialize Rebellion. "Sorry but I can't let you do that. There's still many things I want to do in this world."
Illya took a step forward. "Frank has given me a second chance to live - to have a future. I won't let you destroy it!"
"If the world is chaos, then it's a hero's job to save it." Shirou states and traces Kanshou and Bakuya.
EMIYA stares at his younger self before smirking and traces his own twin swords.
Soon everyone takes a fighting stance at the monstrosity born from mankind's dark wishes.
"...I see. Then you must be… exterminated."
The monster raises its arms and from its hands, negative energy gathers in its palms and fires at us. However, the monster realizes that the attack did not hit and when the smoke clears, Shirou is seen having manifested a seven flower-petal barrier to block the attack.
"Rho Aias." Shirou called out.
I leap upwards and summon Divine Dividing.
[VANISHING DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER]
[HALF DIMENSION]
The monster could itself grow weaker, but just a bit. It stares at me with what I can assume is curiosity.
"Interesting, you are not of this world or rather, you are beyond this world. Why are you willing to stop me?"
"It's simple, really." I state. "I want mankind to have a future and I want to see that future with my own eyes."
"You say that and yet weren't you the one to bring the anomaly to this world? If it hadn't been born, mankind would have been able to exist for much longer."
"Maybe but like I said, I will fix this." I state and intensify Half Dimension. 'I don't get it, why aren't the dimensions halving around it?'
Medea uses her spells but they are all ineffective and so are Rin's and Illya's.
"What is going on!? It's like the moment the spell is cast, it ceases to exist!" Rin exclaimed.
EMIYA and Cú Chulainn activate their Noble Phantasms but much like their Masters' magecraft, they are rendered void. Taiga tries to activate her Noble Phantasm but just like the rest it wouldn't activate.
"Hey, what gives!?" Taiga cried out.
I fly down and land in front of them. "IT is a Divine Spirit born and twisted by 'evil' wishes. Because of this, its Authority allows it to nullify and erase all forms of attacks, whether physical or of Mystery, as it is the purpose it was born for."
[…]
"Foolish..." It raises all of their arms and has gone through the gate above its head. Just as it did, it pulls out a golden sphere before rupturing and releasing a brilliant light.
I cover my eyes as I'm blown away by the torrent of power. When I open my eyes, I see everyone collapsed on the floor struggling to get up. Seeing this, I frantically run towards them. I dismiss the armor and run towards Illya.
"Interesting, despite being a Servant you are able to withstand the Shapeless Miracle. Perhaps you are more than meets the eye. But it doesn't matter now, you are alone and no matter what you do you cannot stop the inevitable."
I glare at the monster before noticing the sky turning blood red.
"It is time, the Grand Cross shall commence. Rejoice, you are about to witness the end of the world."
I grit my teeth as the cracks form in the sky and black mud oozes out and ignites the very earth it touches.
This can't be happening!
I refuse to let this happen!
[Frank…]
My head perks up at the voice in my head, "Origin?"
[…]
"...I see."
I stand up and walk towards Shirou who is failing to find the strength to pick himself up. "...dammit." He looks up and sees me standing before him "Frank…"
"Shirou… it's over."
"Wha-"
"You guys can't beat it like this, you're all just not strong enough." I stated.
Shirou gawks at the audacity of my words. "How can you say that…? Are you just going to give up!?"
I shake my head, "You misunderstand, I said 'you guys can't beat it like this'... but there is something you can do."
Shirou simply stares at me.
"...you need to use your last Command Seal." I told him.
"My Command Seal?"
"To become your Servant, a large portion of my power was sealed away through your Command Seals so that Gaia and the Counter Force wouldn't hunt us down." I explained. "You've already used two Command Seals and if you use the last one I will regain my true potential."
"But… what's going to happen to you?" Shirou wheezed as he slowly got up.
I look down and stay silent as my answer.
"No… you can't!" Shirou yelled.
"You have to…"
"And what about Rider and Illya!? Do you realize what this will do to them!?" Shirou spat.
"Don't worry, I won't be gone for long and besides they'll understand." I look at the unconscious forms of Illya and Medusa, the loves of my life.
Shirou sees a tear running down my face and tightens his fists until they are white. "Why… why do you have to be so selfish!?"
A smile forms on my face, "isn't that what a Hero of Justice would do?"
"Screw that! If this is what it means to be a hero then I don't want any part of it!" Shirou declared.
My head whips back at his declaration. "You don't mean that."
"Of course I do! I could save hundreds of thousands and yet never gain any satisfaction out of it!" Shirou yells. "What's the point of being a hero if you can't even save the ones that matter most!?"
"And what's the point of having the power to save the ones that matter most if you're not going to use it!?" I retort.
"..."
"Look, you don't have to agree with me, hell, you can hate me if you want to but I would be happy to die knowing that I saved you all rather than survive and let you all die." I told him.
"You're a fool…" Shirou utters as I help him get up.
I just laugh. "Now you sound like Rin; you guys were made for each other."
I back away from Shirou as he manages to stand on his own, he clenches his left hand as the last Command Seal begins to glow red. Cracks of light appear all over my body.
"Frank…?"
I turn to see Illya looking at me, and give her a warm smile.
The World stops turning as it is bathed in a golden light.
"I see… so this is your wish…"
Standing before it is a gargantuan being wearing elaborate light blue armor. In between the gaps is a solid black body with tiny white star-like spots all over its body, giving it the appearance of a starry night sky. The head is covered in a helmet with protrusions at the top giving it the appearance of a crown.
The entity's body begins to break down into motes of light. "I exist to grant mankind's wishes. Even if you erase me, I will return to grant their wishes again."
The entity disappears from this world.
3rd Person POV
"Urgh… my head…"
Rin slowly rises as does Sakura. Eventually, everyone regains consciousness as they are greeted by the sight of a seemingly endless green field.
"Where is this?" Illya asks before spotting the kneeling figure of Shirou. She runs towards him, but as she gets closer she notices that Shirou has been crying. "Shirou…?"
"Dumbass… there had to have been another way…" Shirou muttered.
"We both know there wasn't."
Illya turns to the voice only to see a phantom with Frank's appearance. "Frank…?"
"Not exactly…" The phantom admits. "I am basically a pre-recorded message left for you when you all wake up."
"What is this place?" Medea asked.
"This is a space that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. I placed you all here so that you wouldn't be affected by the effects of the Marble Phantasm."
Everyone's eyes widened by the statement.
"A Marble Phantasm!?" Rin exclaimed.
The phantom nods, "it was the only way to fix everything, by changing the World according to the will of the user, however, a power like that does not belong to humans or Heroic Spirits. As such, I had to cast my old form aside and become an Ultimate One."
"But that's great, isn't it? We can all go back home, right Shirou?" Illya says as she turns to Shirou.
Shirou looks away, not saying anything.
"Shirou?"
"Because of such a power and because of the fact that I am, in a sense, an outsider of humanity I cannot return with you. Without a limiter to mask my power, the Counter Force will not hesitate to destroy us all and I can't have that." The phantom explains.
"But you can't… you can't leave us!" Illya yells at me.
The phantom sighs. "I have to, I don't want you all to die because of me."
"But… but…" Tears begin to run down her face. A hand grabs her shoulder and when she looks she sees Medusa standing beside her.
"Medusa, I-"
"I understand." Medusa interrupts him. "You have to leave so that we can live, but I will wait for you. I will always wait for you." A stain forms on her blindfold as a single tear runs down her face.
The phantom smiles and takes his hands to cup their cheeks, however, his hands simply run through their faces. The phantom stares at his hands before clenching them in frustration. Despite being a ghost of sorts, he shares many of Frank's emotions.
"Illya." The phantom calls out. Illya looks up with tears still running down her face. "I want to give you something." A orb of pure light materializes in front of him as it slowly falls onto her hands.
Suddenly, the world around them begins to crack as light engulfs everything. The phantom begins to rise as if gravity no longer tides him."It's time. Even now I don't wanna go." Everyone runs towards the phantom but a massive crack opens, separating the two of them. "I'll make sure you all live to the fullest, so you guys can rest easy." The phantom gives them a fox like grin.
Everything is engulfed in a brilliant light… and when it fades, everyone is standing in front of Ryuudou Temple. They all blink as they see the city is back to normal.
"He really did it…" Medea mutters.
Even Souichirou is left dumbstruck.
Illya looks down at her hand and when she opens it, she is left awestruck.
Three rings.
One emerald, one amethyst, and the other ruby; one for each of them. Illya clutches the rings tightly as the sun rises on a new day, a new future.
Epilogue
Shirou and Sakura can be seen in the kitchen preparing lunch boxes.
"It's already been over two years, hasn't it?" Shirou says as finishes placing the meat into the lunch box. He is much taller and is wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with blue pants.
Sakura nods. Her hair has grown longer and is wearing a purple long skirt with a black cardigan and a white top. "Yes, so much has happened it's hard to keep track."
After graduating, Rin travelled to England to study in the Clock Tower. She offered Shirou and Sakura to come with her, but they declined saying that they desire to try and enjoy having a normal life which Rin understands.
The Divine Spirit inside Taiga never left and while Rin was against her going back to being a teacher, she persisted and continues to be an English teacher, but now sporting a pair of tiger ears on top of her head.
She still makes outbursts about being called a tiger though.
Lancer decided to get a job at the harbor as a fisherman, and to everyone's surprise, he is dating Taiga of all people.
Artoria left for England after catching wind of a possible descendant somewhere in Wales. She was curious as to who this supposed descendant is and hopes to find out.
Souichirou and Medea got married six months ago, with Souichirou being the one to propose to her. They had their wedding at Ryuudou Temple and wanted Issei to be the Godfather to which he accepted. Afterwards, Souichirou quitted teaching and they moved to another city with a baby well on the way.
After the events of the war, EMIYA seemingly vanished without saying anything, only leaving a small note saying that he wanted to be alone for a while. Rin tried to track him down but it was evident that he didn't want to be found.
Though there have been reports of a red bowman in the Middle East, helping war orphans.
The door slides, revealing Rin Tohsaka walking towards them. She no longer wears twin tails and lets her hair down wearing a long sleeve red shirt and a long maroon skirt. With her are two kids, one is a little girl with platinum blond hair with lilac eyes and the other is a girl with amethyst hair and eyes.
"Uncle Shirou!" The girls cry out joyfully.
Shirou looks at the girls as smiles. "Hi, you too. Did you two have a good time at Tohsaka's house?"
Both girls nod. "Yeah! Though Auntie Rin is awful at hide and seek. She never noticed us hiding under her bed."
Rin crosses her arms. "Its all because you two are really quiet, I'm amazed that you managed evade me for that long."
"But you have to admit we had you running around in circles. She looked liked she was about to go boom."" The purple-haired girl spoke.
"Yeah, Ana." The platinum-haired spread her arms out. "Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Alright, Ana, Chloe that's enough. Could you two wait outside for a minute?" Sakura asked.
"Okay!" The two girls run off.
Rin sighs. "Those two can be such a handful..."
"Yeah, but having them around makes life more interesting." Shirou told her as he put the last touches of the lunch box.
"Hmm, that looks good. Is anyone else joining us?" Rin asked.
"Lancer and Taiga should be already at the park. I just got a call from Kuzuki-san saying that they were going to be running a bit late due to a last-minute project. Caster has been really busy with her new clothing line." Sakura states.
"…what about the others?" Shirou asked.
Rin lets out a tired sigh as she scratches her head. "Last time I heard, they were somewhere in Wallachia. The Mage Association really likes to keep them busy."
Shirou lets out a chuckle. "I don't blame them, after that little stunt, they are making sure he stays as far away from the old man as possible."
Rin feels a shiver down her spine. "Please don't remind me. I swear those two are brothers or something, they literally think alike."
"Well, hopefully they come back soon. We made extra portions just for them." Sakura says as she holds three lunch boxes with a smile on her face.
Wallachia
Two women stare at a burning castle. One has platinum blonde hair and red eyes wearing a purple coat with black fur along with a black skirt. She wears a ruby ring on her finger. Beside her is a woman with magenta hair wearing a long-sleeved black shirt and jeans. She wears an amethyst ring around her finger and glasses.
"Another day, another Dead Apostle dead~" Illya sang. "Seriously, these guys aren't much of a challenge."
Medusa sighs. "Be that as it may, they still needed to be stopped or else they would have turned this village into a land of the dead."
The stop and turn to the sound of footsteps. "Well, I just reported back to the Clock Tower. We should be getting our pay somewhere today." A man walks towards them. He is wearing a black business suit with a blood red tie.
What stands out the most is the emerald ring on his finger.
"So does that mean we can go meet Shirou and the others?" Illya asks, sporting a bright smile. She really wants to see her little girl again.
I nod. "Yup and the timing couldn't be better. I am starving." I raise my free hand, "Gate." A purple portal opens, "shall we?"
Illya and Medusa walk towards the portal, but not before they stop and kiss me on both cheeks. Blushing, the two women giggle as they go through the portal.
I can't help but blush every time they kiss me.
After resetting the world, I found myself in Ryuudou Cave with my human body intact. As I made my way outside, a certain old vampire came to me and gave me a cross necklace with a red gem in the center. He said it's been enchanted so that Gaia and the Counter Force won't be able to locate me.
Everyone was in an uproar at my sudden appearance that lasted the whole night.
When they asked how I'm even back, I told them it was because of Shirou.
"Return home."
That was the final command Shirou gave me, and I couldn't defy it even if I tried.
[We should get going, I doubt Taiga will be able to control herself around our food for much longer]
"Don't need to tell me, twice." I dash towards the portal.
Noble Phantasms used:
Rhongomyniad: The Lance that Shines to the Ends of the World (EX) Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm
The Holy Lance of King Arthur. An anchor of a storm that fastens the planet together. A Divine Construct armament. Rhongomyniad is regarded as the "spear of the end", the light of destruction coming down from the heavens, whose power is said to rival the Holy Sword. It holds an ominous presence due to being violated by the curse of the Holy Grail.
Excalibur Morgan: Sword of Promised Victory (A++) Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm
The form Excalibur takes after being corrupted by evil. Just as the fairies of the Lake, Vivian and Morgana, can coexist as polar opposites embodying good and evil, Excalibur can also hold a dual existence of good and evil. Due to its nature as a "sword that amplifies", it is blackened when Saber is blackened by Angra Mainyu, reflecting her inner feelings and corrupted nature as "Saber Alter". The blackened magical energy is the primeval curse that lurks in the British Isles, and it is Artoria's older sister, Fairy Queen Morgana, who has inherited it from King Uther. The name of this holy sword has changed because it may be the only connection that Artoria has with Morgan le Fay, with whom she could never see eye to eye until the very end.
Becoming the "Black Sword of Ultimate Light", it is no longer sheathed in Invisible Air and takes on a different appearance. Rather than creating an almighty slash at the tip of the sword, Excalibur gathers a large amount of magical energy to cover the sword in a black light with the same shape. It matters not if it is filled with good or stained by evil as the fact that it is the strongest holy sword does not change. It can either be used to attack as a blazing black flame in a similar fashion to the regular Excalibur or, as shown in Fate/unlimited codes, swung like a sword in an upward arc multiple times as a technique named Vortigern: Hammer of the Vile King. Due to the corruption and the enormous amount of magical energy received from Sakura Matou, Saber can fire this version of Excalibur without limit.
Mjølnir: The Hammer of Storms (A++~EX) Anti-Fortress~Anti-World Noble Phantasm
The hammer of Thor, Prince of Asgard. It holds within a primordial storm said to be capable of destroying galaxies. Odin fought the storm and sealed within a chunk of Uru, where he had it commissioned the Dwarves to be forged into a powerful weapon.
The blacksmiths Eitri, Brokk, and Buri needed to use the tremendous heat of a star to get the forge hot enough to manipulate the Uru. The hammer was completed in seventeen weeks. In the process the star exploded and almost took Midgard with it; that event may explain the extinction of the Dinosaurs, about 65 million years ago.
When Odin first tried to wield Mjolnir, he couldn't control it due to the God Tempest still retaining its power. The hammer devastated Asgard as it flew out of control. Out of spite, Odin cast an enchantment on the hammer to prevent anyone else from wielding it unless they are worthy. The hammer was stored away where it sat for untold ages where the God Tempest would eventually die, but its power would remain inside Mjolnir.
Much later, Mjolnir was bequeathed to his son Thor, after he proved himself worthy through several trials. With few exceptions, Thor has carried Mjolnir throughout his adventures. Thus, the history of Mjolnir follows that of Thor.
Hrunting: Hound of the Red Plains (B) Broken Phantasm
A modified version of the original Hrunting using Reinforcement. Archer encountered it at some point in his lifetime, allowing him to add it to his database of Noble Phantasms stored within Unlimited Blade Works. He doesn't use it as a sword, but rather prefers to project and use it as a projectile Broken Phantasm from his bow.
It is a pitch-black weapon with a few small edges coiling around the thin core, spiraling around it and somewhat curving outward. He uses it from atop the Central Building in Fuyuki City during Fate/hollow ataraxia, and shoots it four kilometers away towards Saber and Shirou on the broad bridge. Once fired, it turns into a magical bullet enveloped in a red light that reaches speeds of Mach 10 on the most direct path to its target, and it will continue to pursue the target, even if it is parried, repulsed, or avoided, for as long as the shooter keeps aiming at them. While it is normally impossible to change targets after firing, he is able to adjust for such possibilities and have a single path capable of striking two enemies.
He can shoot it over five times in a row, and he adds more magical energy to charge the shot each time. The second shot has a charging interval of twenty seconds, and the time increases after he places more power into it, with twenty-five seconds for the third and thirty for the fourth. He can further adjust and charge the shot by taking five more seconds. These grace periods is the main weakness in this tactic, but the distance from the target requires either Saber destroying a number of buildings with Excalibur or the use of a Command Spell to increase her speed. It is fast enough to reach its target four kilometers away in less than a second, and it has enough force to stir the air and cause the bridge to rattle. It is strong enough to eventually overwhelm Saber on the fifth shot after deflecting the first four consecutive shots in the situations where she doesn't take action in order to protect Shirou, and the final shot is able to pierce the four layered version of Rho Aias produced by Shirou while only being slightly averted from its target. The only reason Shirou is able to survive is because Archer is stopped before the bullet can reverse itself to hit him.
Rho Aias: The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens (B) Barrier Noble Phantasm
A defensive Noble Phantasm that Archer came across at some point in his life. In its greatest form, it is said to be seven flower petals made from light. It takes the form of a seven layered Bounded Field in the shape of an iridescent flower in reference to the rocket larkspur (Consolida ajacis) flower that bloomed from Aias' blood as he died, with seven petals representing the seven layers of oxide. Each flower petal layer has the defensive power of a fortress wall, and Archer cannot personally recall any thrown lance that would be capable of penetrating even the first layer. It is necessary for its user to provide constant magical energy to form the shield, and if it is damaged, they will feel pain and receive damage in accordance.
He uses it as his main defense as it is the one in which he has the most proficiency with, and Shirou Emiya cites it as Archer's greatest protection. He uses it to defend against Cú Chulainn's Gáe Bolg which manages to pierce up to the seventh layer before finally stopping. This action takes much of his energy as it takes three times the amount of magical energy as a weapon in order to project it, and still leaves his arm and body damaged afterward. He can also project it from a distance, allowing him to shield Shirou from Gilgamesh's Enuma Elish without either of them realizing it. If it is used by Shirou after having access to Archer's knowledge, he is only capable of generating four petals in the Heaven's Feel route and Fate/hollow ataraxia. It is still powerful enough to help Bellerophon overpower Excalibur Morgan and temporarily deflect a charged shot of Hrunting. Shirou is able to project the full version during Unlimited Blade Works after "pulling it from the hill" of the Reality Marble in order to protect himself from Gilgamesh's onslaught of swords.
Shapeless Miracle: The Wish that Mankind will never be Granted (EX) ?
The power of the almighty phenomenon known as the "Cup of Heaven". It is the manifestation of mankind's endless pursuit to have their wishes granted, no matter who or what they must hurt. The entity reaches out to 'Utopia' through the portal above its head and grabs a fragment of the 'wish'. It destroys the fragment and unleashes the countless wishes within it resulting in a wave of energy that overwhelms all who are in proximity of it.
Marble Phantasm is the ability to materialize a phantasm, a vision. It is the capacity of an Elemental or True Ancestor to connect their will to nature, as a means of interfering with probabilities, and transfiguring the surrounding world at will, in accordance to their vision of the world. As the user is a part of nature, he or she can change the world as desired. But in the end, what an elemental can act on is only something that can only be achieved within the limited scopes of nature. The capacity of the actualization is proportional to the scale of the elemental. The term "Elemental" usually refers to spirits from nature when used by itself.
Transformations independent from nature, such as transforming a human, cannot be realized unless done indirectly, while on the other hand, animals can be controlled by the Elemental. The spiritual realm isn't a world separated from the real world, but localized regions thought of by the elemental that creates them; hence it is possible for a human to stray into it.
When Arcueid uses Marble Phantasm on Michael Roa Valdamjong, she turns layers of the corridor's atmosphere into a vacuum that had cut him like a knife would radish. Although Roa himself was not affected, there was no way to avoid being chopped in pieces by the atmosphere, and Roa only narrowly managed to remain as just his ankles - Arcueid's imagination didn't go as far as having the floor dislocate. When not restricted, Arcueid can create a village in the mountains. In locations where humans have made changes, it will take more time to first break it down.
The Skill Schwipsig is Anastasia's past nickname (means "little imp"), while also one of Viy's abilities. It makes all forms of minor impossibilities possible. It enables small prank-level Marble Phantasms, such as transferring what the opponent is holding to her own hands or opening a crack on the ground and getting the opponent's foot stuck there. It's quite the absurd ability, but it's unable to cause any lethal damage.
The concept works on "clustering illusion" theory of probability. Much like a mathematical metaphor involving drawing a white marble from a bag of black marbles with a one percent chance, Marble Phantasm is the ability to raise that chance to one hundred percent and definitely pick the white one amongst all the black ones. This remains within the laws of the world, but similarly, a Reality Marble would allow for all of the marbles to turn into white ones. This is something the world wouldn't naturally allow. It can be considered more efficient, but Reality Marbles can only specialize in that one aspect, while Marble Phantasm can perform any number of things. Reality Marbles can also affect things not of nature, so they can also be called superior in that sense.
Author Notes
And thus this story comes to a close.
Thank you all for reading this story, it means a lot to me.
I'll be perfectly honest… I didn't think this project would gain so much traction, considering it uses so many ideas and concepts that are being stuck together and condensed to make a decent story. After the original story, I wasn't expecting this one to be as popular as it is now but if you guys liked it then that makes me super happy.
Anyways this chapter is a bit of a rush job, so if there are things that you guys want me to add or fix let me know. And who knows, maybe I'll come back and change things if I want to.
I want to thank Valkoor123113 for helping me with researching some of the characters and all of you for leaving reviews and sorry for not answering any of your questions.
Though I still don't understand why some of you have to go through the effort of repeating the same comments over and over for each chapter.
Its stupid and annoying; stop it.
Thanks everyone and please check out my other stories.
Peace~