Long-Review Guest: The official point of divergence is even earlier, believe it or not. It's way back in chapter 3! If Artoria sees Salter's reflection in the mirror, she connects the dots, and we get Fateless. If nothing happens, we get Notes. You're still correct though, because the reflection doesn't change unless Merlin yoinks Salter out of HF's true end; the chapter 8 battle just confirms to Artoria that her dreams are actually memories.
Also, the Excalibur Image callback references two things! The first is the Wrought Iron fanfic, as you said, and the second is a short fan manga. Search up 'Lancer Artoria vs Emiya' on youtube, it should be the first result. I'm glad someone caught that!
GreenEyes: You're correct in that my writing style focuses on visualization, and much of my structuring is designed to assist the endeavor. I think of my chapters more as "written episodes", if that makes sense, like a script. The title drops, the scene changes at reveals or cliffhangers - they're all attempts in helping the reader "see" the words on the page. I want others to see and hear what's in my mind's eye. For some it clicks, for others it doesn't, and that's alright.
I will say, however, that things will be much more straightforward and linear from here on out. To answer your question: parts 2 and 3 of Fateless are almost exclusively about the romp across Britain. This chapter is part 1's finale. I realize the way this has turned out - with things starting BIG and then narrowing down - might seem ass backwards, especially given the... intensity of this chapter, so I'll explain a bit.
We have known how Fateless ends since 2007. This isn't about the ending, it's about the journey, the "why" and "how". Journeys matter a hell of a lot more if you know the cost of failure. Each character interaction, all the development we're going to see - without these Chaldea chapters, they'd seem almost slice-of-lifey. But now that we know how this story initially went, there's a big ol' black thundercloud hanging off in the distance. All of this matters. If they fail here... welp!
Now, generally speaking: Nasuverse lore nerds will recognize the hype surrounding the events of this chapter. I promise you, I've given it my best shot, but whether I'm successful is a different story entirely. Nasu himself has said in past interviews that he wouldn't attempt to put this battle's prologue to paper without five times Mahoyo's budget. I sincerely doubt I have the vocabulary necessary to do this justice...
...but I tried anyway! Ladies and gentlemen, prepare the Emiya theme of your choice! Trust me - you'll know! Enjoy!
Planet: Land of Steel
Year: 2505 (88 AC)
Location: The Great Rift
WITCH SWIFT UMBRELLA
"Sign it."
Edem forced a pen into his hands. Fujimaru looked from him to the open journal.
"S-Sign?"
"Yes. You as well, Shielder."
Dozens of names filled the page, organized by seat and rank. The knights of Mordred's Round Rable, the Ether Liners, had all signed an empty page of Emiya's notes.
"We long ago came to terms with our situation," Edem explained. "We cannot help one another in person - our times are too far apart. But as he is with us, so too are we with him. We wish to return a modicum of what he has given us for all these years."
A simple message covered the top of the page. Fujimaru swallowed his emotions. He scrawled his name beneath the others.
"I understand. He and Artoria aided us for a long time, too. Without their help, we wouldn't have come this far."
Mash nodded in agreement. She placed her name next to his.
The journal snapped shut. The Ether Liner's right hand fell upon Avalon with a mysterious purpose; the faintest of light bled into his palm.
"Ah! I see! I see!" Merlin gushed. "So that is how you claimed victory! I would expect nothing less, hoho!"
The red fabric once more bound the two items together. Edem handed them to Fujimaru.
"Correct. Come, the scabbard weakens with each passing day. We have little time before its blessing fades. I shall explain as we walk."
Their paces hastened to match the knight's. He walked with purpose, with a stride matching one accepting of their demise. Crystalline walls separated to grant them passage. Their echoing footsteps quickened Fujimaru's heart and beat upon his nerves.
This was it.
"The Aristoteles draw life from the bond they share with their planets. They do not obey earthly principles, like death or fatigue. You can only halt their reformation. To do that, you must cut not their bodies, but their connections."
No more mincing of words. He led them higher. Fujimaru squinted at the light that came with another wall's separation.
"Have you gotten all this, da Vinci?"
"I have, Ritsuka. I can track you and Mash, but the pollution continues to mask whatever Servants remain."
"We will make contact with Gun God. If we can get him in range, you should be able to rayshift him out."
"The systems are ready. I..."
He was not ready for this conversation.
"Thank you for everything, da Vinci."
"...Yes. Thank you, Ritsuka. Thank you, Mash. Keep Romani out of trouble for me."
Mash's thumb stroked the back of his hand.
"We will, da Vinci!"
Fou chose that moment to pop his head out of her cuirass. He yipped in agreement.
Business time. Fujimaru mulled over Edem's words.
"If the connection is the problem, there are two answers, correct? Either you bring the Aristotele somewhere the connection can't reach, or you damage the connection itself."
The Ether Liner nodded.
"Easier said than done, but that is the gist of it. When I faced Jupiter, I applied Avalon's blessing to Slash Emperor to accomplish the former, though it did not succeed fully. Too much energy escaped the seal. A weapon of True Ether, such as Saber's sword or the bullets within the Last Seed's rifle, can accomplish the latter."
Continued clashes drifted from down the hall. The two groups of knights continued their bout of allegiance.
"Let me handle this," Fujimaru spoke. "Their arguments come from a misunderstanding."
Edem's hectic pace continued, even as he asked for clarification.
"What do you mean?"
Mordred huffed.
"Where we come from, King Arthur's a woman. First name Artoria, last name Pendragon."
Analyzed, interpreted, reconciled and accepted. Like a machine, a mind of steel.
"...I see. That explains much. Thank you."
Fujimaru rounded the corner. Gawain and Galat had fought to a standstill, neither moving an inch. Aron dodged around Lancelot's measured sweeps and slices. Tristan continued to war with Galat's subordinates, the presumed knights of the Fifth Seat.
He raised his voice. They had no time for this.
"Sir Gawain! Announce to me your loyalties!"
The man's brow curled. Mouth opening, he caught the Master's eye, and blinked in mute surprise at the armored man at his side. An odd expression shadowed his features, but his dutiful reply came half a second later.
"Sir Gawain of the Fifth Seat, loyal knight of the king's Round Table, Servant of Chaldea!"
"Do you serve the throne, or the woman who sits upon it?"
Galat flinched with a jerk, froze just long enough for Gawain to break off the clash and back away. The Ether Liner's helmet swiveled from his opponent to Fujimaru. Gawain caught his low, confused mutter.
"...What?"
Lancelot's opponent had likewise stalled mid-maneuver, and the warriors hounding Tristan fell away to get their bearings and await a reply.
Back straight, jaw clenched, the Knight of the Sun roared his answer.
"Master! I and my fellows serve Artoria Pendragon, in life and in death!"
Galat choked on spittle. The Grain forming Galatine's copy retreated into his armor.
"In life and in death!" he repeated. "Long may she rest!"
"Long may she rest!" came the chorus.
A wave of whiplash battered Lancelot. He couldn't make heads nor tails of the situation, and his confusion increased when his opponent sighed and dissolved her sword.
"...Sorry," she blurted. "You are not the traitor I seek. I mistook you."
"N-Nay, 'tis quite alright, I assure thee..."
"Tine, Dight!" Edem barked. "Inform the other Seats! The otherworlders shall lend us their aid! We return to the High Spark what is rightfully his!"
...
Galat barked out a laugh, despite moving to comply.
"Say it like you mean it next time, smooth talker. 'Saber' this, 'Saber' that. Some people! Blaspheming their own ancestors, I swear..."
The man's compatriots formed up, snickering, and together they bled through the walls. Dight Aron followed them out.
Edem's shoulders slumped.
"Oh, but they rally to Illya just fine, tch..."
"Master, what was that?" Lancelot questioned. "I do not understand the situation."
"Shut up and listen, dumbass!"
The knights turned to Mordred, surprised by the outburst. She glared at nothing in particular.
"Where Father got sent - this place is its future. She's my mother here, not my father. Camlann was bigger. This is... just... these knights, they're..."
Trembling fists balled.
"This is... what happens when I... when I..."
...
Fujimaru put a hand on her shoulder. Mordred flinched.
"We can still fix this."
She sucked in a breath.
"...Y-Yeah."
"We must hurry," Edem insisted. "I must handle Saturn before the blessing fades. If my family has succeeded, the Last Seed will be located due west of here, past the World Trees. The Ether Liners know your description. They shall cover you when able."
Fujimaru rubbed his neck.
"Man... my last deployment, and I'm still running for my life. What's up with that?"
Mash giggled. "Can't seem to break the pattern, can we?"
And then, in the distance - a rumble. The walls shook. An abomination shrieked.
.̶̹̕-̵̝̚.̸̧̓-̵̳͠.̵̗̾-̷̣͝-̶͉̐.̶̡̈́.̸̱͝-̴̲̀.̷̧͘-̷̲̌-̵͍͝-̷̘́-̶̐͜.̵̖͋-̴͍͝.̴̢͝-̷̺̾.̸̨̉-̵̙̄-̶̭͑-̷͕͒.̴͓̈́-̴̞̑
Merlin had waited long enough.
"Come, come! Let us be off!"
Edem led the entourage through the crystalline walls to an outside balcony.
To Armageddon.
Gray clouds, as far as the eye could see. Burnt sulfur assailed his nostrils. Deafening bombardments shook him to his bones, and Fujimaru looked up to find an array of 18-inch cannons lining the castle walls from end to end. They fired in turn at a distant behemoth, a crucifix-shaped abomination that hung with ominous intention over the smoking rubble of the World Trees.
"Irisviel! Miyu!"
"Hi, Kiri."
"Here, Papa!"
Two armored women descended from the clouds. Edem hugged them both.
"Miyu, guide the otherworlders. Iri, it is time."
Miyu nodded. Irisviel took the man's hand, then turned to the Chaldeans.
"We'll handle the Cross. Begin moving now, if you would. The Aristoteles will double their efforts with its demise."
The Grain veiled her body; wings sprouted by her shoulders. The construct absorbed Ado Edem, and to the skies they went. Miyu wasted no time in leading them to a flight of stairs lining the castle walls.
"This way, everyone! Follow me, please!"
Fujimaru put one foot on the dead earth before he found himself hoisted into the air.
"W-Whoa!"
"Hold still, Master. We've no time to spare, aye?"
Gawain held him bridal style. No time to be embarrassed, apparently, either.
"R-Right, let's go! Miyu, can you lead us?"
The twenty-something floated on a wave of Grain. She pointed off in the distance, just in time to see a red-black beam crest the horizon. It punched through the Cross; the creature again howled.
.̶̹̕-̵̝̚.̸̧̓-̵̳͠.̵̗̾-̷̣͝-̶͉̐.̶̡̈́.̸̱͝-̴̲̀.̷̧͘-̷̲̌-̵͍͝-̷̘́-̶̐͜.̵̖͋-̴͍͝.̴̢͝-̷̺̾.̸̨̉-̵̙̄-̶̭͑-̷͕͒.̴͓̈́-̴̞̑
Miyu took off in the direction of the beam's origin. The Servants kept up on foot.
"We must reach him before he provokes its fury in full!" she explained. "He is wounded. He won't survive their—"
Too late - the electromagnetic volley launched at the beam's source. But in that moment a blur shot into the air; a wrathful cry rang out, and the group watched as a mountain of a man absorbed the Aristotele's retaliation with nothing but a sword-axe and his own body. The force propelled the Servant into wastes. A dust cloud plumed.
"Senpai!" Mash called. "That's...!"
The berserker Heracles stood with a roar, skewered by the cross-shaped projectiles. He battered the Cross with various pieces of thrown metal wreckage, all to no avail, but the attempts did well at occupying the Aristotele's attention. The Last Seed's location was spared from further assault.
Fujimaru spurred the entourage onwards.
"Let's go! While Heracles has its—"
His ears, his ears they wouldn't stop ringi—
The world went monochrome. Something in the distance, the ground broke apart—!
"By the gods..." Gawain whispered.
A beam? Some sort of...! No, no, that was—
"'Tis a sword!" Tristan shouted. "'Tis a sword!"
"DOWN!" Miku commanded.
They dropped into the ash. Up into the clouds, it pierced the clouds, like a black Excalibur, but - but, no, not mana! It wasn't energy, so how...?!
"That's... that's impossible, right...?" Mash whimpered. "N-Not even Excalibur could...!"
Wrong. Everything about it screamed wrong. A perversion of all they held dear - to see the planet, the rock beneath their feet melted down for fuel, no, no...!
The wind screeched. An earthquake struck, the ground fractured and fell away and was sucked up like a vacuum—
A solid blade.
A sword.
It hung over the Aristotele.
Judge, jury, executioner.
Beyond magic. Beyond physics.
Something primordial.
Demonic.
The sound—
...
...
...
And then TYPE:Saturn died.
...
...
Miyu rose upon confirming the group's safety.
"We must keep moving. Quickly now!"
They charged through the wastes; Fujimaru's eyes watered from the superhuman speed. Futuristic jets veered across the ashen skies in the Cross's direction. Grain-fueled missiles, launched from their undercarriages, eviscerated the Aristotele's bisected corpse.
"Over the ridge!" the Ether Liner commanded. "We've still a ways to go!"
Something in the air shifted. Fujimaru shuddered from the change, and directed his attention to the heavens.
A hole parted the Cloud Sky. A perfect circle. And on the other side—
"Run!" Merlin called. "Run, now!"
—was a blood red moon.
An eldritch groan swept the land. The Six Sisters' final defense broke.
An ocean of Grain dropped.
Neptune.
"I am the bone of my sword!"
Miyu flashed to the group's middle, arms held to the sky. Her legs braced, her head bowed.
"WISH!"
Grain converged into concentric magical circles. Over their heads they rotated, pulsing with energy, the poison within interpreted in a new, different way. The energy flickered to life. A dome formed.
A barrier.
The full force of the Sea's might crashed against the shield. It buckled, fractured, held against all the odds. Miyu's knee hit the dirt. Her arms shook.
"I... I c-can't...!"
"Whirlpool!"
The black ocean churned around an approaching singularity. The waves lashed at the Wish, then pulled away and separated into a traversable path. Six knights struggled against the Aristotele's might. One of them, they recognized.
Lancelot grunted. "Y-You...!"
Dight Aron and the Fourth Seat granted them passage. Her armored form trembled beneath the pressure.
"Long live... Artoria Pendragon!"
Miyu separated the barrier just enough to allow them exit.
"Go, otherworlders! Keep going! Do not stop!"
They fled along the opening. Lancelot locked his eyes to Aron's visor as he passed.
"May the High Spark watch over thee!"
The entourage crested the hill. A pitch black weapons emplacement glinted on the horizon's edge. Another shot range out and breached the stratosphere. They bolted down into the blasted wastes—
"Ngh...!"
—only to buckle under gravity itself.
Fujimaru couldn't move a muscle.
"Wh...at...? I... I can't—"
A ringed anomaly hovered in the sky, its mere presence distorting the air.
"Ura...nus..." Merlin wheezed. "The... Tilt..."'
Gawain struggled in vain against the Aristotele's influence. He snarled in fury.
"Mer...lin...! Lancelot! Take... Shielder... and Master! We... will... distract!"
Another jet rocketed across the sky. A black figure leaped from its roof, armor reflecting the moonlight, and dropped like an anvil. The warrior aimed for Uranus.
Tine Galat shifted his sword into a reverse grip, two hands on the hilt. The Grain burned pale orange.
He plunged. His visor flashed.
"SUPERNOVA!"
The wasteland became glass.
.̶̹̕-̵̝̚.̸̧̓-̵̳͠.̵̗̾-̷̣͝-̶͉̐.̶̡̈́.̸̱͝-̴̲̀.̷̧͘-̷̲̌-̵͍͝-̷̘́-̶̐͜.̵̖͋-̴͍͝.̴̢͝-̷̺̾.̸̨̉-̵̙̄-̶̭͑-̷͕͒.̴͓̈́-̴̞̑.
Desperately he covered the Notes and Avalon. Fujimaru saw stars. Superheated Grain choked his lungs. Eyes squeezed shut; the star's wrath burned his knuckles. All at once his movement returned, and he rose with a trembling shout.
"N-Now! Now, let's go!"
The knights separated. A trio of commands rang out.
"Excalibur Galatine!"
"Clarent Blood Arthur!"
"Failnaught!"
Lancelot scooped him up and sprinted. The Sea surged over the ridge behind them like a hypersonic tsunami. From his periphery the knight caught a golden aircraft streaking in just as fast. Muscles coiled.
"Go, Master!"
He threw Fujimaru straight up, spun in place, and prepared his sword. Mash used the flat of Arondight's blade as a springboard. Merlin whirled into position behind the Knight of the Lake, hand splaying between his shoulder blades. The man turned to face Neptune with a sneer.
"Arondight! OVERLOAD!"
The glowing edge slammed into the Grain. It split around Arondight; Uranus pulsed again, twisting gravity to its whim, and Neptune's momentum took it around the other Aristotele like a rocket's orbital slingshot. But instead of attacking the Ether Liners and Servants, it instead redirected its fury into the sky.
"It targets the Master!" Gawain roared.
Vimana shot in low and fast. The Chains of Heaven lashed out, grabbed Fujimaru and Mash and reeled them on board. It was pursued by a massive spear, TYPE:Mars, bleeding crimson poison as it cut through the atmosphere.
Merlin raised his voice.
"We must handle Neptune and Uranus! Before he descends! Give it all you have, everyone!"
"Before who descends?!" Lancelot demanded.
The wizard's reply was that of a whip cracking through the air.
"The Moon! Brunestud!"
Fujimaru resisted the urge to puke. Enkidu held him and Mash tight, keeping them covered as Gilgamesh and Zelretch exchanged fire with the Spear. The Gate of Babylon's full might bathed the sky in a majestic golden hue; hundreds, if not thousands of Noble Phantasms fired without pause. They deflected off the Aristotele, vanished into the Gate, fired. Again, again, again.
For the first time, the King of Heroes was bringing his full strength to bear. He was using everything.
Ea took aim. Mash covered him with the shield.
"ENUMA ELISH!"
The godly beam broke around Mars' spearpoint. Vimana twisted in impossible ways. It defied physics, abused and ignored all known laws of aerodynamics, yet still the Aristotele chased. Gilgamesh delayed it as long as possible.
"Kaleidoscope! Are you prepared?!"
The Jeweled Sword remained pointed at the crimson moon.
"I am."
"Very good! Heed me now, Master of Chaldea!"
Fujimaru squinted at the Servant through bleary eyes. Edem's bundle shook in his arms. Gilgamesh helped him to his feet and put his free hand on the young man's shoulder, even as his other fired Ea. They locked eyes.
"These next minutes are the reason for thy birth! Everything you have done, every battle you have fought, has been to prepare you for this moment! Know this, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and know it well!"
Gilgamesh pushed him to Vimana's edge; Enkidu did the same for Mash. The Chains of Heaven loosened.
A black shadow descended from orbit.
"Today, you are going to die! Today, you shall save humanity!"
The Babylonians threw them off. Half a second later, the shadow punched clean through Vimana. The vessel exploded; Fujimaru blacked out.
...
...
...
"Guh—gahg...haa!"
Rippling pain brought him back. He couldn't feel his legs. His spine shrieked in agony.
The bundle remained secure in his arms. Fujimaru spat out the blood in his mouth. A blazing fire entrapped him there at the bottom of the ridge, just beyond reach of their destination.
"Ma...sh..."
"I'm... here... Senpai..."
He twisted his head as much as possible; just the mere act sent convulsing spasms down into his waist.
One of Mash's arms bent in ways it shouldn't. Blood matted her hair and streamed down her face in thick rivers. Her good hand wrapped around the inside of his elbow, more for her own reassurance than anything else, but her eyes fixated elsewhere. Straight ahead.
The fire circling them was blue.
...
how much would you give
Time stopped.
Twin rings orbited a burning sphere of brightest sapphire. It hung over the top of the ridge.
Beneath it, frozen in place, stood the idle Black Barrel. Lancer, Rider, and a group of Ether Liners protected a bloody man lying unconscious on the ground. Shrapnel riddled his dying form. One of the Ether Liners attempted chest compressions.
Fujimaru turned. Behind them, Zelretch was frozen mid-swing, in a climactic duel against a man-shaped shadow with crimson eyes.
But the Wizard Marshall stared at him, and him alone.
what sacrifice would you make
Further back, the Knights of the Round and an army of Ether Liners warred with the three Aristoteles. Ado Edem pointed at Neptune, clearly in the process of barking orders. Even from that distance, Fujimaru could see the visible panic encapsulating the Servants.
All except Merlin.
Merlin, likewise, looked at him with a calm smile.
to gain one last chance
...
In this moment...
The time has come, Ritsuka Fujimaru...
Blue lines traced their broken bodies.
...to make a choice
Here.
This sacrifice.
The second everything changed.
Spoke the Shielder to the god:
"We agree on two conditions!
Two conditions, which can never be broken!"
Fate/ess
"Condition number one!
When you deploy one, you deploy both!
We are never separated! Period! No exceptions!"
Notes. - 2
"Condition number two!
You use our bodies! Never our minds!
We never forget each other, or who we are!"
THE ARCHER WALKED
Spoke the Master to the god:
"If you accept, we accept!
No gains without sacrifices, Alaya!"
This is how it began.
the contract is accepted
The Last Episode.
His body healed in a nanosecond. Vertebrae clicked in place, legs regained shape, muscle fiber and capillaries reformed in optimal positions. His limbs strengthened, his bones hardened, his eyesight sharpened to superhuman levels.
In this day.
In this hour.
In this minute.
"DA VINCI!"
"Systems are ready, Ritsuka! You need to touch him!"
The crimson-eyed specter teleported to his direct front. Zelretch moved with it. An otherworldly snarl tore from nonexistent lips.
"̷K̶I̴S̶C̶H̴U̵R̵!̴"̴
Time slowed to a crawl. Every single reaction Fujimaru needed to enact played out in his mind like a slideshow. His newly photographic memory captured it all. His legs shifted and his shoulder lowered, and all at once, the Master rolled.
A column of raw ether annihilated his former position. Brunestud of the Crimson Moon contorted his body and leveled his index at Fujimaru's forehead. The Jeweled Sword separated it from the Aristotele's body.
His left foot would land on unstable ground. He had not the time to self-correct. Precious seconds would be—
Mash shouldered him to the side. She pivoted off the shield and vaulted the full height of the ridge. Both hands grasped the Black Barrel; with utter disregard for its anti-ether properties, she shoved it into a new position - at TYPE:Mars, which streaked in to help the Crimson Moon.
The Black Barrel loosed a deafening salvo. She coughed up blood. The True Ether rounds carved Mars' entire length, from spearpoint to end. It screeched in utter agony.
.̶̹̕-̵̝̚.̸̧̓-̵̳͠.̵̗̾-̷̣͝-̶͉̐.̶̡̈́.̸̱͝-̴̲̀.̷̧͘-̷̲̌-̵͍͝-̷̘́-̶̐͜.̵̖͋-̴͍͝.̴̢͝-̷̺̾.̸̨̉-̵̙̄-̶̭͑-̷͕͒.̴͓̈́-̴̞̑.
Brunestud recognized the threat - in an instant he closed the distance to a melee. One swipe of his claw sliced the barrel from its housing. He lunged for Mash next.
A white sword deflected the claw into the dirt. Merlin planted his staff.
"Garden of Avalon!"
Fou jumped from Mash's collar, disappeared beneath the spreading petals. Merlin pointed at TYPE:Moon.
"Sic 'em!"
Primate Murder went for Brunestud's throat. The Aristotele pivoted with the Gaian Monster's lunge, momentum on his side, and slammed the Beast neck-first into the wastes.
"̶A̷l̸t̵r̷o̸u̴g̶e̸'̵s̶ ̷p̴e̶t̶!̶"̵
The sound barrier broke. Zelretch blurred to the shadow's side and sliced open Brunestud's midriff.
"Wrong timeline."
The wound healed as quickly as it opened. The pause gave Primate Murder enough time to wrench free and chomp the Aristotele's forearm. He flung Brunestud away with a vicious snarl, dismembering him from the elbow down.
That, too, reformed instantly. But it didn't matter - Fujimaru made it up the ridge. He pushed the bundle into the unconscious man's hands, opened his mouth to—
"̴R̶E̷A̵L̷ ̷O̴F̵ ̸T̵H̶E̵ ̷W̷O̸R̸L̶D̴!̵"̴
And everything froze. His muscles locked up, held in place by the ambient Grain plaguing the world. The very air rejected his presence, his existence.
Absolute control. The kingdom the Aristotele desired.
"̷B̵e̵h̴o̷l̴d̴!̶ ̴R̵e̶b̸i̵r̷t̸h̶ ̶c̷o̵m̵e̸s̸!̴ ̵Y̴o̶u̶ ̷s̵h̴a̵l̵l̷ ̴n̵o̸t̸ ̷s̸t̵o̸p̴ ̶m̸e̵ ̷t̷h̸i̶s̶ ̷t̶i̵m̸e̸,̴ ̵K̴i̷s̷c̴h̵u̷r̴!̷"̶
The shade spread his arms out wide.
"̵M̵O̵O̷N̸F̵A̸L̴L̶!̴"̴ ̵
And for the second time in known history...
His hand wouldn't budge. No, no, no—
...the crimson moon fell to Earth.
It parted the skies. The wastes turned to rubble. Lava breached ash, the atmosphere burned away.
And Emiya's worn gauntlet touched his frozen hand.
Fujimaru choked down the air his body demanded.
"Y-You...! How?!"
"I told you, did I not? True Ether severs the connection."
Avalon's blessing—
"Act quickly, Ritsuka Fujimaru. I shall buy you time."
Ado Edem strode unto that madness. His right hand extended, and the seed began to bloom.
...
"Trace: on."
"̵Y̶o̵u̷ ̶s̶h̵a̵l̵l̷ ̷n̴o̶t̴!̷"̴
The Spear shrunk and flew to Brunestud's waiting hand. Neptune and Uranus formed up behind him, and as one the Aristoteles advanced.
Merlin moved unimpeded. He tapped his staff against Zelretch, Primate Murder and, surprisingly, Illyasviel, all of whom took up their respective positions without delay. Zelretch and the Monster of Gaia charged Brunestud; Illyasviel placed herself between the Aristoteles and Ado Edem.
And on that day...
"Trigger: off."
The sword pierced the ground.
The magma churned.
The rock became fuel.
It grew.
It grew.
It grew.
Uranus amplified Neptune's velocity; the Sea charged Edem, intent on drowning the knight before he could attempt a miracle. The wave of Grain spiraled and condensed down into a point of pure malice aimed at the knight's center mass. Illyasviel braced her left arm with her right hand. The familiar chant rushed from her helmet.
"I am the bone of my sword!"
The seven petals swung to her front, combined into a massive shield - one Fujimaru had seen and relied on time and time again.
"AIAS!"
Neptune slammed into the shield's center. Its overwhelming pressure pushed the girl back; her convulsing arm told Fujimaru she couldn't handle it for long.
"Gae! BOLG!"
"Bellerophon!"
The pegasus charged into the shield. Lancer thrust the red spear over Rider's shoulder to meet Neptune's spike head on. Heracles bounded in from the side and braced the Ether Liner with his hands.
"We've... got ya, little lady...!" Lancer bit out.
Magical energy rolled off the Servants in waves; they'd forced themselves to move using nothing but the prana within their bodies. Such a noble act hastened their demise, for the Grain gnawed away at their spiritual cores, and with each passing moment they grew more and more transparent.
But it would be enough.
Fujimaru's trembling hand stiffly came to rest on the Gun God's shoulder.
Indeed: on that day...
"Da Vinci!" he rasped. "Do it now! Do it now!"
"I've got a lock, Ritsuka! His vitals are choppy, keep his signature stable if you can!"
"R-Right!"
The black blade ascended to the stars.
"Set: three thousand, five hundred kilometers."
To the diameter of a celestial body.
The Grain spiraled into that horrid weapon. Mash rescued her voice from the Grain's control, and choked out her startled realization.
"He's... he's using Mana Burst...!"
Emiya and Pendragon combined into one. Their skills, their experiences, their knowledge. If it began with Caledfwlch, that original Excalibur, then it ended here, with the black sword.
Alpha and omega. The pinnacle of their beliefs.
The earthquake returned. All the onlookers beheld the impossible, as god and mortal alike battled to the death beneath the falling moon. Movement returned. Knight Arms and Noble Phantasms activated. Ether Liners and Servants rushed into that apocalyptic final battle, their paralysis undone by one man's sheer, brutal power.
Above it all: a single, solemn voice.
"Slash Emperor!"
It descended. Moonstone blew apart. The gulch became a valley, and the valley became a canyon. To the planetoid's core, out the other side, unstoppable.
One slash.
The bisected moon hung in the black sky.
"Ritsuka! I have him! You did it! We're bringing him to the medical facility right—"
The connection to Chaldea cut away. Gun God's successful rayshift carved through time and space like the sharpest of razor blades. Together with the Notes, his arrival in a new world triggered the opening of a final path, the identification of last outcome the Root had yet to identify.
In his former place now stood a woman in a flowing dress. Her shin length hair shared the sun's embrace. Her mere presence was anathema to that world; reality shifted to a new wavelength. An ethereal flow suffused the battlefield. Outwards radiated the dome of light, into the Grain-filled calamity.
The Sea - eviscerated.
The Aristoteles - annihilated.
Brunestud recoiled against the True Ether. TYPE:Mars burned away in his hands. His malicious roar echoed up to the shattered firmament, to those ever distant stars twinkling softly against the Swirl of the Root.
"̷A̶R̸C̴U̵E̷I̵D̸!̵"̵
Fujimaru tumbled away, onto his back. Weary eyes came to rest upon Akasha. Blood spewed from his lips. He couldn't feel his legs.
"A-Ah..."
The woman descended the ridge. Each step brought with it the songs of birds and the blooming of grass.
All the Grain simply... vanished.
Mash limped to him, clutching her shattered arm, and plopped down by his side. Her hand grasped his.
"S-Senpai... who is...?"
...
"That woman... I suppose you might call her the 'final boss', of sorts."
Merlin regaled them with a beautiful, beaming smile, the brightest they'd ever seen. Pink petals peeled away from his person.
"She is the Ultimate One of planet Earth."
The woman held an unheard conversation with the evaporating Crimson Moon. Zelretch looked between them, leaning heavily on his cane. Fujimaru didn't care enough to listen. He was tired.
So very, very tired.
"Hey... Merlin..."
"Hm?"
"Did we... do it...?"
The wizard bowed his head with a soft chuckle.
"You did. You two saved the World, you know. You rewrote two thousand years of history. This place is a lostbelt, now."
"That guy's... that important, huh...?"
"Yep!"
Fujimaru caught movement to his left. The Pendragons had all removed their helmets with laughs and cheers. They glomped one another, partook in one last family hug. The three dissolving Servants watched from the sidelines; Lancer looked mightily pleased with himself for some reason, but Fujimaru couldn't understand why.
Ado Edem looked his way, mouthing something familiar yet so very foreign.
'Thank you.'
...
"I hope... their next lives... are h-happier..."
Fou plopped down in Mash's lap, began to groom himself.
...
Archetype: Earth raised her hand. Merlin grinned.
"Would you like to know the answer?"
A deafening cheer sounded from the wastes. Helmets flew into the air.
"LONG LIVE SHIROU EMIYA!"
"HIGH SPARK! HIGH SPARK!"
He looked to Mash, who just shook her head. It hurt to laugh. He did so anyway.
"N-Nah. We'll... just..."
The woman snapped her fingers.
"...believe... in the High Spark..."
And the tortured found their peace.
A future unmade.
A tragedy undone.
So many questions lost to the void.
Families erased, promises unbound.
All of it sacrificed in his name.
For he was their hope.
And they chose to believe.
The power and durability of Excalibur. The reach and weight of Caliburn.
In a word: perfect. Caliburnus was perfect.
"Shirou! Thy sword is incredible! Its length and strength cannot be matched!"
He sputtered at the sudden exclamation; only muscle memory and reflex prevented his impalement. The drone's tendrils cut to ribbons the tree he hid behind.
"I-I'm glad you like it, Saber! But, could you help me figure out how to deal with this thing?"
She parried another strike. It felt good - it felt good. Arthur hadn't felt such strength since her life. Not even Rin could provide the prana throughput she now utilized. If she ever saw Merlin again, she would need to ask why he allowed her to draw Caliburn when she did. Surely, if she had come into the power Artoria now wielded...
Nay.
Nay, it mattered not. No more regrets! Everything she'd ever desired lay to her front, not her rear! She had Shirou! She had a sword, and her full strength, and the knowledge to prevent the kingdom's downfall before it'd begun!
Her past failures could now ensure their victory!
"We must observe it further, Shirou! It seems to be weakening, does it not? How does it compare to the one you fought previously?"
They stood back to back. Kanshou and Bakuya swung this way and that. Together like this, the three swords formed a steel curtain through which the Crystal could not pass.
"It's stronger than the last," he replied. "Much stronger, in fact. This one's capacity seems almost double, but..."
"But?"
The helmet shifted between the tendrils and the core drone, as if looking for something.
"I think... maybe it's like a Servant, Saber. One disconnected from its 'Master'. I can't sense a connection to an outside source. Can you?"
Arthur pushed prana to her senses. As he said, it appeared the Crystal fought by its lonesome. Whatever strange energy it used - the so-called 'Grain', perhaps? - slowly depleted with each subsequent action. She detected no generation within the vessel.
It had a time limit. They could burn it to a husk. She grinned.
"I cannot. 'Tis like Archer, it appears, after he ran away from home."
"Ouch."
"I say it with love, Shirou! Come! We shall make it sweat!"
"I'm not sure it can sweat, Saber!"
"Hush!"
They bounded into the trees. The Crystal diverted its attention evenly now, and bombarded both of them with all it had at its disposal. She could not remember the last time her joints and muscles had felt so loose, so easy to move. Her body flowed like the cleanest of rivers. It obeyed as it should, without any delays or fatigue. Her mind - clear as glass.
Like this... had she been like this, back then, they could have won the war and destroyed the Grail in a single night!
"An hour, Shirou!"
"Eh?"
She nimbly dodged a javelin, then sliced a tendril to ribbons.
"We shall lay it low within the hour!"
She spied his silent laughter in the movement of his shoulders.
"You're awfully lively today, Saber."
"It is good to have goals, Shirou!"
His laughter was silent no longer.
"Of course, of course. You go high, I go low?"
"Aye!"
...
"Shameless shameless shameless shameless—"
Vivian gulped.
"Art... art thou well, young one?"
The grinding of Altoria's teeth sounded quite a bit like a chainsaw taken to a tree. An anger vein popped on her temple.
"STOP FLIRTING WITH HIM ALREADY, ARTHUUUUUUR!"
Shirou's momentum took him to the Crystal's side. Overedge Kanshou and Bakuya swung in horizontally, gleaming in the sunlight, their blades sparking against the forest's mana. Metal and mineral scraped and screeched; the Crystal remained undamaged, but such was the intention.
It used the Grain to reinforce its body. They needed only to outlast it, and once it reached the levels of its predecessor...
"Saber!"
...they could eliminate it, as well as any overtly negative consequences.
"Haa—!"
The King of Knights twisted up through the trees to deliver a powerful uppercut. The light of Caliburnus blazed as a magical pyre, a cousin of the midday sun brightening their world. It slammed against the Crystal's lower half. Shirou flipped away to a tree branch, bent his knees and shot skyward. Arthur launched the Aristotele's drone in his direction, then followed him up.
He arced at the apex of the maneuver. A new armament took the place of his released swords.
"Prydwen!"
Arthur carved her way through the crystalline tendrils and javelins. Mana Burst propelled her past the rising Crystal, and with it she spun in place and planted her feet against the waiting shield.
"Shirou!"
"Right!"
She kicked off, right as Shirou overloaded and detonated the Noble Phantasm. Arthur became a missile; she leveled her sword's point at the Crystal's center mass.
"CALIBURNUS!"
Through the middle the sword pierced, for the drone could not withstand such fury. The Noble Phantasm's light incinerated the Crystal's innards. Branch and tree gave way under Arthur's immense speed, and with a deafening tremor she crashed their foe into the forest's underbrush. Caliburnus was torn from it at once; she backed away to observe the thing. Shirou landed next to her a moment later, weapons ready.
"Tell me that did something," he grunted.
The drone's emerald glow sputtered and pulsed from the injury. As suspected, the wound began to close - but halfway through, it came to an abrupt halt.
...
The two Sabers shared a suspicious look. Shirou cleared his throat.
"I-I'll..."
"N-Nay," she rebuked. "It would be safer to use the sword."
"You sure?"
She wrapped her free arm around his bicep.
"Just... just in case. Do not let it... u-um..."
She trailed off. Quite a few unsavory memories hung heavy in their minds.
Shirou dissolved his weapons in favor of wrapping an arm around her waist.
"R-Right..."
Together they inched forward. Arthur prodded the Crystal the same way a child nudges a beetle with a stick.
It lurched—
"EEP!"
—and crumbled into nothingness. Its departure left a small scorch mark, a burn across the ground.
...
...
"Should I leave you two alone for a while?"
Altoria glowered at them both, Avalon and Caledfwlch tight in her grasp, and only then did Shirou and Arthur become aware of their... positioning.
They'd leaped a good ten feet back. Arthur sat in his arms, one hand around his neck, Caliburnus pointed at the underbrush.
Behind Altoria, Vivian tilted her head like a lost puppy.
Arthur's cheeks burned. She scrambled away.
"U-U-Um, a-ah! Th-This is j-j-j—"
Hopeful for a reprieve, Shirou released Avalon to the ether... but his Master's Altered state remained. Newly freed hands instead rested on her hips.
...
He swept his gauntlet across the top of her head. Where was - ah, there.
Shirou lifted the ahoge. Something poofed.
Emerald irises replaced gold, but Artoria's mood went unchanged. She tapped her foot.
...
"You're cute when you're angry," he attempted.
...
She blushed, but otherwise no reaction. He cupped his helmet's chin.
"Three servings for lunch tomorrow?"
Her lip quivered, her stomach growled. Almost there.
"We'll move your sleeping bag closer to mine for the next few ni—"
"Apology accepted, Saber!"
The ahoge waggled. Shirou slouched in relief.
"Incredible..."
Vivian's marvel drew their attention. She ran her hand across the scorched underbrush. Arthur leaned over her shoulder.
"Milady? Are things well?"
"It is a wound from the Grain," the Fae clarified. "But... between its negligible size, and thy sword's light, my liege..."
She regaled the group with a beautiful smile.
"This... this will heal!"
Lavender eyes opened. Merlin stretched.
To the horizons the ethereal expanse stretched; he wasn't interested. His focus rested solely on this garden's other inhabitant.
...
Well, that depended on one's definition of 'inhabitant'.
"Ah! There you are, Cath! Have you fared well on thy journey?"
"Fou, fou!"
Right to the heart of the matter - expected, of course. That girl did not do anything in half measures. The full effort, always, and mercy be to anyone who tried convincing her otherwise.
'I shall not sit idle whilst he suffers so! I am his Saber, after all!'
Such was her mindset. It impressed Merlin, though he wished she'd calm down at least once in a while. She deserved her relaxation!
"Thy tasks have been completed, my king!"
As he called out, the girl released Cath Palug, who bolted in his direction and delivered a flying kick to his cheek.
"FOU!"
"Ahh!"
Her intense expression dissolved into a smile. Cath ran into the field of flowers, chasing a butterfly.
"And the results, Merlin? Have my other selves reached Shirou? Have they instructed Artoria on how she might aid him?"
To her credit, the news of the girl Artoria's existence did not impact her dream. If anything, it was the opposite. She delved into her so-called 'Dearest Shirou Rescue Mission' with a vigor never before seen.
Which said something, given her personality.
"They did. His Master is fascinating! Why, she—"
She held up a hand.
"If I may, I do not wish to know. Our meeting should be genuine - I have far too many questions! The less I know beforehand, the better."
He felt the beginnings of a grin. Of course, of course.
She placed her hand upon the tree, and turned her gaze to the field of flowers. Above them, the sun shone bright. Puffy clouds filled the sky.
"If that is what pleases you..."
Golden hair twisted in the breeze.
"...Artoria."