FATE/CATBOX FICTION
Chapter 24: Weavings of the Multiverse
Maupin guided Earp a short distance out of the shrine, taking refuge in a dead-end hallway that had some foliage and wild flowers encroaching the cavern from above. Earp kept gasping frantically due to his rampant anger clashing with Ritsuka's Command Spell that ordered him to calm down. His hatred for Sade was well-known to everyone involved in the Akakor Grail War, but this was the first time anyone from Chaldea witnessed his true fury. If he had been left on his own, he probably would have scoured every last nook and cranny in blind rage to find Sade and fill him with bullet holes.
Maupin sat next to her irate partner and watched over him in concerned silence. She had seen him lose his temper plenty of times before, so his violent displays of anger were nothing new to her. However, this time it was much different. After so many years of being kept ignorant, Earp finally learned of a potential connection between Sade and Connla. Maupin wasn't really sure of the details herself, but if it were true, then Sade probably had a much bigger hold on Connla than either of them ever realized. Considering that Connla had caused the Extinction and been turned into the Grail Terminal, did this mean that Sade had a hand in all of this?
Maupin couldn't imagine what was going through Earp's mind as he entertained such dark thoughts. She was growing more and more worried for him the longer she watched him seething. She knew of his penchant to lose his rationality and seek revenge whenever his friends and family were harmed or killed. That was what made Wyatt Earp such a dangerous lawman during his lifetime – so much so that the governors who contracted him to arrest the Cowboys grew fearful of the very man they hired. Maupin knew that was a gap in Earp's Spirit Origin that someone with nefarious plans could exploit, potentially corrupting him into a Servant who cared more for vengeance than justice. She dreaded to think what would happen if Sade perverted Earp like this. An easy scenario came to her mind - he would probably reduce him to a rabid animal who hurt the very people he wanted to protect, then snap him back to his senses and force him to realize what he had just done.
She didn't want that to happen when they were so close to reaching the Preservatorium. She needed to do something to bring him back from the brink of madness, and she had to do it quick.
Maupin leaned her head against his shoulder, then murmured, "Say, Earp."
"What?" he grumbled bitterly.
"Things have been so crazy lately that I haven't really had much of a chance to say this. I really, really missed you for all these years."
"Huh? Ya missed me?"
"Of course I did. It was like time slowed down for me without you around."
"Dun be absurd. Even now, yer always pickin' on me fer one reason or 'nother. I thought that was just yer usual prankin', so I didn't think much of it."
"There's a difference between me picking on someone and pulling a prank on them."
"Like I'm s'pposed t'know the diff'rence?"
"I prank someone if they deserve it for crossing me. If I'm just picking on them, it means I actually enjoy their company."
"Ya dun say," Earp mumbled, then huffed to himself. "Well I ain't in the mood fer yer usual messin' 'round. I got me a psychopath to 'unt down."
"Now hold your horses, handsome. I'm not done telling you everything," Maupin implored as she wrapped her arms around his. "I know you're not the type to listen to corny romantic prose, so I'll do this instead."
Before Earp realized it, he felt Maupin's lips pressing against his cheek for a second. The startled man glanced over at her with widened eyes and blurted, "W-What was that fer?"
"Je t'aime…"
"…"
As he gazed into her bright green eyes, only now was Earp starting to understand how lonely Maupin had been all this time. Seeing him rage over Sade's behavior must have hurt her a lot. Earp came to realize just how much of an immature fool he was for losing his temper in front of her like some hot-headed child. He hung his head low and sighed in dismay. Maybe she had every right to bully him for being so stupid. How could she see anything attractive in him when he could so easily lash out at a moment's notice?
All he could say to her was, "I'm sorry…"
"Hey, better late than never, right?" Maupin smirked.
Without saying anything further, they held each other close. Even for just a short while, they didn't want to spend this time as allied Servants, like they had always done.
They just wanted to be together as Wyatt and Julie.
Antwerp, PW #00162B
About 12 hours after passing out, Lexy woke up. She was lying on her side atop the bed in the rectory, with little recollection of how she got there. She turned onto her back and pressed the back of her hand against her forehead, then sighed in dismay. She still felt rather exhausted, and it took a moment for her to think about why she was so melancholic.
"Are you okay?" she heard Waver's voice nearby.
Lexy glanced over and found the former student reading a book in a chair he positioned next to the bed. She realized that he must have kept a vigil over her for some time, so she sat up and murmured, "Yes, I'm fine."
"You've been working nonstop these past few days. It's no wonder you're so tired."
"I suppose."
She shuffled onto her feet and worked out the kinks in her muscles. She looked around, then asked, "Where's Lord Iskandar?"
"He's ironing out some details with Leclerq about the takeover of Brussels."
"So it's about time to return to our world. Do you think you can manage another jump through the Gate?"
"Hey, I'm fit as a fiddle now. I don't want to sit around twiddling my thumbs forever. Besides, I'm more worried about whether or not you'll be able to handle it, what with how you've been running yourself ragged lately."
"I'm used to traveling between parallel worlds. It's not as straining for Servants as it is for living people anyway. Let's see about making preparations for departure now. We also need to think about how to make our approach toward Salazere, since Ruler of Akakor is going to be protecting it. We're going to need Lord Iskandar's help with figuring out a strategy."
Waver scrunched his face in annoyance. "Rider will probably be all like, 'Let's just march in and take everything,' without giving much thought to a solid plan."
"I don't think so. Alexander the Great was renowned for his prowess as a military strategist. Since we have to take down the three anchors maintaining the Tradition Protection around Akakor, we need to figure out what to do about tackling all of the shrines simultaneously."
"She's got a point," Zhuge Liang remarked. "We may be strong as a team, but our formations wind up suffering if we're split from each other."
"You think we need to bolster our numbers somehow?" Waver wondered.
Lexy nodded. "I'd like to ask Lord Iskandar about that. I don't want him relying on his soldiers too much if it's going to drain your prana stores so rapidly."
He agreed with her, and the pair left the rectory to find Iskandar. They found him discussing business with Leclerq in the office. Even though Iskandar was sitting on an ordinary chair, his bold posture might as well have made that chair a proper throne.
"Oh! Morning, you two!" the red-haired man greeted them with a grin.
"Is everything going okay here?" Lexy asked.
Leclerq told her, "Thanks to the signing of these documents, he's essentially handed full control of Brussels over to me. Once you three leave, I will be making my way there promptly."
"Great. After the Gate self-destructs, you won't have to worry about Mages from our world ruining your world's progress."
"I certainly hope so."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Iskandar asked his partners. He slapped the surprised teenagers' backs and declared, "Let's go to Akakor already! I'm itching to see what sort of secrets lie in wait!"
"Y-Yeah," Lexy murmured bashfully.
"Geez, would you stop doing that already, Rider!?" Waver berated his Servant. "You're acting like some impatient kid riding in his parents' van during a long trip!"
"Heh heh, sorry 'bout that. Sometimes I forget my own strength," the king chuckled.
"Your strength is not the problem here…"
With that, the group headed into the basement where the Gate was. Lexy activated the device, and the multicolored portal opened wide like a mouth. She, Waver and Iskandar stepped onto the platform, preparing to make the jump. They turned toward Leclerq, and the Enforcer warned him, "Once we leave, you have to get out of here quickly. The Gate will explode 60 seconds after we depart, which means this entire room will be caught in the blast."
"Right," the mayor murmured. "You all take care now. Be sure to put Lancer of Akakor to rest."
"We will," Waver replied with a determined glare.
"All right!" Iskandar bellowed. "Next stop; Akakor!"
Finally, the trio leapt through the colorful tear in space, never to be seen in this parallel world again. Leclerq wished he could stay and ponder their fate, but Lexy's warning prompted him to evacuate as soon as possible. He fled up the flight of stairs and barely made it to the cathedral's entrance when the ground rumbled beneath his feet for a few seconds. Although startled by the force of the explosion, he recovered enough to step outside into the perpetual night. He turned his gaze up at the grand clock emblazoned on the face of the steeple, and at the full moon constantly hanging over the precipice.
Lord Almighty, lend Your blessings and guidance to those three brave souls.
Akakor
Of Akakor's three shrines that maintained the Tradition Protection, Salazere was the northernmost altar, located a short distance into Brazil's southwestern mainland where the city of Rio Branco would have been. Due to the Southern Hemisphere Extinction though, Rio Branco was just another one of countless ghost towns that littered South America. If anyone wanted to reach Salazere from the upper surface, they would first need to travel to the continent's only functioning city, Brasilia. From there, it would be an arduous journey northwest almost across the entire country until reaching the remnants of Rio Branco. The hidden entrance to Salazere was located somewhere in the rainforest, which only a select few knew about.
22-Q was one of those few. After talking with 2-F earlier, she chartered a private flight from London to Brasilia and carried on from there by foot. Since she possessed the original Connla's high speed stats, she was able to rush through the wilderness in record time, reaching former Rio Branco within 24 hours of landing in Brasilia. Once at the landmark, it would just be a matter of investigating the forest for the particular entrance to Salazere. 22-Q was worried that the landscape might have radically changed since she was last here, but fortunately her concerns would be unfounded. She found a particular boulder wedged between two tree trunks and bashed her heel against its base. A concealed button was pressed, and the ground in front of the natural formation gave way like a trap door, revealing a set of aged stone steps leading down.
22-Q traversed the musty stairwell, paying no mind to the occasional ancient skull or bone littering her path. The stairs brought her into Akakor's labyrinth, but she knew exactly where to go to reach Salazere. It wouldn't be ten minutes later before she reached the shrine proper, swinging open the door that was cleverly disguised as a wall on the opposite side. Salazere's interior was the same as Manoa and Tiahuanaco's, comprised of old Aztec paintings and a large mural depicting Tezcatlipoca looming over the shrine's solitary throne. Unlike the other two altars however, Salazere hosted a series of supercomputers and terminals surrounding the throne that monitored all of Akakor's labyrinth, the shrines, the Preservatorium, and the Grail Terminal's current status.
Seated upon the throne was the Servant responsible for managing the Terminal; Charles-Henri Sanson, who had been given the highest privileges among the Three Caretakers. He had his Spirit Origin changed from Assassin to Ruler to better facilitate his role as the top Caretaker and personal steward of the Servant trapped inside the Terminal.
The Grim Reaper-garbed fellow heard the stone wall sliding open and glanced over to see who it was. He recognized 22-Q and said, "Oh, you're here."
"It's been a while, Ruler," the Enforcer replied. She gazed at the monitors and asked, "How has everything been holding up?"
"There have been some strange developments recently. In particular, my cameras have been spotting groups of unknown Servants wandering through the labyrinth. Shockingly, I saw that one of them is another version of Lancer of Akakor."
"2-F has already informed me. They are Servants from a parallel world, brought here by that alternate Lancer. We believe that Mother made contact with this other Lancer in her dreams, and that she is allying with Rogue Servants. I don't know what technology the parallel Lancer and her Master possess so that they can travel here without needing the Gates, but alas, they have come to find Mother."
"Do they intend to kill our Lancer?"
"Most likely."
Sanson frowned. His typical taciturn attitude was further hardened by this news, and he let out a disparaging sigh. He rubbed his forehead to ease the stress building in his cranium as he grumbled, "As if things have not been difficult enough already…"
"Is there a problem?" 22-Q asked.
"A couple of days ago, the Terminal went haywire. I managed to restore its functions and left Antonio Salieri in charge of calming her down. However, there's been a 0.67% depreciation in Lancer's mental faculties as a result of the crash. As it stands, her mind has eroded to approximately 10% of its original state. Keeping her asleep is the only thing staving off any further mental corrosion, as whenever she wakes up, the readings will always plummet. These last 10 years have been the worst in terms of how rapidly her psyche has deteriorated."
"How much are we talking about here?"
"About 25% between 1966 and now. The previous results show declines of roughly 10%, 15%, 17%, and 23% respectively. At this rate, it's clear that she will not last even one or two years like this."
Sanson grew even more serious as he faced 22-Q and asked her, "What do you think will happen to Lancer if she is left like this? Will her Spirit Origin die inside the Terminal? Or will she go so mad that no amount of control on my end will help her?"
The Enforcer folded her arms and murmured, "It's hard to say. All I'm certain of is that the Mages will not care. They will want to do anything to keep the Gates going, even if it drives Mother to the brink of madness."
This fact hurt Sanson. He knew that just as well as she did. He wasn't sure if reporting this to the Mages would be productive - the vast majority of them became so reliant on the Gates for commerce and collection of rare materials that they couldn't imagine life without them. Yet, both Servants knew that this couldn't go on forever. Sooner or later, Cliste was going to break. When that happened, the Gates would become disabled, prompting the Mages to take any course of action to get them back online. What could Sanson possibly do to recover this situation? Was there nothing he could do except watch his friend from the Nevada Singularity suffer from further atrocities?
That familiar feeling of helplessness took him over for what felt like the millionth time in his life.
22-Q noticed Sanson's growing concern and said, "In any case, what we need to focus on is stopping this mystery group from reaching the Preservatorium. If they do, the situation will turn into a total nightmare for us."
"Yeah, you're right," the Ruler agreed with her. "But should we put a halt to these people, then what? That's not going to address the problem with Lancer's condition. There has to be some way to recover her sanity."
"If it comes to it, I might consider proposing a new Holy Grail War for the Mages to engage in. If they can make a new Grail, it could be used to extend the Terminal's lifespan. As far as I can tell, it's the best solution for feeding their lust for material wealth while restoring some of Mother's mentality."
"But Atlas predicted that this world will end this year. There's no time to even plan a new war."
"It's just a prediction, not a guarantee. I've been noticing that London's Mages have been growing more complacent ever since summer ended. Since we only have a few months to go until 1977 rolls around, they might believe that Atlas was completely wrong."
Sanson glanced away and murmured, "Maybe…"
"You don't sound so sure."
"I just don't like the idea of a Servant going insane while trapped inside an omnipotent wish-granting device. What if she winds up using it for some incomprehensible reason?"
22-Q shook her head. "This is Mother we're talking about. You remember what her personality is like, don't you? Even if she were to lose her mind, she still has her sense of responsibility. Although she might have suffered a lot, she wouldn't want to do anything that would cause innocent people to be hurt the same way she was."
"That's true. Yet, madness is a subjective state of mind. Who knows if she will remember that facet of herself?"
"Only Mother can say for certain, and you said it yourself – keeping her asleep is the best course of action right now. That means you can't ask her directly."
"I know. Ugh… This is just so hard…"
As Sanson sat there agonizing over what to do, 22-Q turned her gaze to the monitor. She wasn't distraught whatsoever. There was something she already knew about Cliste that she didn't want Sanson to find out.
This is bad. If he finds out what has truly happened to Mother's psyche, he might wind up destroying the Terminal before her ultimate plan can get underway.
As they were lost in their thoughts, they heard a man's throaty growl coming from a dark corner of the shrine. 22-Q glared over and asked Sanson, "Has he been giving you any trouble lately?"
"No," he replied. "He usually stays quiet, although he'll sometimes say some nonsensical gibberish. I haven't required his services yet, but considering that I saw two Servants on their way here, he might need to be activated soon."
"All right. I'll remain on standby as well. If a manufactured Pseudo-Servant proves to be insufficient, at least I can provide backup for you."
"Thanks."
Deep in Akakor's northern labyrinth, two figures rounded the corner and proceeded to walk through a hallway that seemed to stretch endlessly. The dark-skinned man kept his hood and mask up to obscure his face from the especially beautiful white-haired lady following behind him. Ever since they split from the rest of Chaldea, neither of them said much to each other. To their surprise, there weren't that many monsters prowling around. Maybe the occasional snake or hostile insects that they needed to dispatch, but nothing like the horrors they had witnessed in other Singularities. In fact, it felt much too quiet for their liking.
Irisviel wanted to break the silence between them, even if just a little bit to ease her nerves, so she murmured, "Say, Kiritsugu?"
"What?" the aloof man grumbled.
"There's something I wanted to ask you."
"If it pertains to the mission, then I'll answer."
"It doesn't, but I'm going to ask anyway. If you don't like it, feel free to pretend that I'm talking to myself."
"…"
Irisviel closed her eyes in brief contemplation, then said, "I read one of Connla's Dream Diary entries. Specifically, it was the one where her counterpart was involved in a Holy Grail War in Fuyuki – the same city where you and I met during the altered Fourth Grail War. Neither of us were present, but there was someone she met who had a connection with us."
Kiritsugu glanced back at her and wondered, "Who was it?"
"Apparently it was a girl named Illyasviel. She didn't specify who her mother was, but she talked a lot about a man named Kiritsugu. She said he was her father, but that he abandoned her when she was young and adopted someone named Shirou."
"Illyasviel…"
"Her name sounds a lot like mine, doesn't it? I strongly suspect that in some alternate world, you and I would have given birth to her. That must be why the two of us are so inexorably linked, no matter what world we're summoned in."
Kiritsugu scoffed lightly. "It's just a hypothetical. No need to be so wrought up about something that has nothing to do with us."
Irisviel grew disappointed in his indifference. "I suppose so."
"Why are you bringing this up with me anyway?"
"Well, don't you find it odd that Connla never said anything to you about it? She definitely heard your name during that conversation, so she knows of your relationship with Illyasviel. There must be so much that Connla is going through, meeting a counterpart who lives such a horrid existence here in Akakor. I'm worried that she might be bottling up more than she can possibly handle, which will wind up breaking her spirit. She could at least talk with you about what her Fuyuki counterpart discussed with Illyasviel, if only to ease her burden a little."
Kiritsugu frowned. He couldn't deny that Connla's horrible luck was on par with his. They might've lived completely different lives and endured different forms of suffering, but they both clung to their own ideals in the hope that their tribulations would be justified. For him, he wanted to be a Hero of Justice. For her, she wanted to meet her father. Yet, those innocent goals betrayed them in the cruelest ways imaginable.
Even throughout Chaldea, Kiritsugu noticed how grounded and realistic Connla was compared to the other child Servants, never prattling on about charming child-like dreams or ideals in favor of relying on facts and logic. It bothered him that there was a huge dissociation between her cute appearance as a child and her forlorn personality that nearly matched his. It was like cramming all of his years' worth of anguish into a small wad and condensing them into seven years of unimaginable pain for her. Kiritsugu wasn't the type to grow close bonds with others easily, but he could at least relate with those who experienced similar troubles like he did. For that reason alone, Connla was certainly worth a passing thought for him.
Maybe that was why he gained such an attachment to this grim mission of killing Akakor Connla. It wasn't about fulfilling his duty as a Guardian of Humanity, or as a Servant of Chaldea, or for any grandiose world-saving reason. He just wanted to free a fellow tormented soul from their decades of suffering at the hands of others. Kiritsugu would never allow Chaldea Connla to murder Akakor Connla – that would be way too devastating for everyone involved. It would be like when he had to kill his mentor to prevent a disaster from affecting the world. If there was anything he could do to prevent that tragedy from happening again, even if it was for someone else, he would gladly do so.
"Kiritsugu?" Irisviel grew worried with her partner's lengthy silence.
The Assassin finally replied, "She's smart. She knows it's not her business to butt into my affairs."
"Even so, couldn't you at least help her a little bit?"
"My mission already has me seeking Lancer of Akakor's death. That's all of the help I am willing to give her."
"I don't mean with fighting. I mean that you should talk with her about Illyasviel."
"What is there to talk about? Just because she was my daughter in a different world doesn't mean I know her personally."
Irisviel became slightly annoyed with Kiritsugu's aloofness. "Well Connla does. She watched her die right before her eyes. I bet she's thinking, 'If only there was something I could have done to save Illyasviel…' Couldn't you at least clear the air with her and say she did the best she could?"
"… Heh heh heh."
"What's so funny?"
"Is that what this is to you? You think that Connla believes I would be wrought up over some hypothetical daughter's death? That I would blame her for allowing such a thing to happen?"
Irisviel widened her eyes. "You mean you're not?"
Kiritsugu shrugged and shook his head in consternation. "Ridiculous. Why are you worrying about it anyway?"
"Well, I thought that was the reason you were so cold to Connla…"
"I don't think I'm being any more cold to her than I am to everyone else in Chaldea."
"I don't know… For some reason, you seem to keep your eyes on her whenever you pass by her in the facility. I was thinking that you had read that Dream Diary entry and were furious with her for what happened with Illyasviel."
"First of all, you're the one who needs to stop staring at me so much. Secondly, I never read any of her records, so I wouldn't have known to be angry with her anyway. Last of all, I'm not upset with her in the slightest for any reason. If anything, I'm upset for her."
Irisviel was surprised to hear this. After taking in what he just said, she covered her mouth with her white cloak and started giggling. Kiritsugu grew offended and demanded, "What's your problem?"
"Eh he he he… I never thought I'd hear you say something so sweet…"
"Tch. You better not say a damn word about this to Master or anyone else. It's a secret between you and me, got it?"
"All right, all right, calm down already. My lips are sealed. Still, I'm glad I misunderstood the situation between you and Connla. You must've thought something bad was going to happen to her, so you were keeping you eyes on her from the shadows. After all, she's been involved in so many strange incidents that word has been rapidly spreading throughout Chaldea. As a Guardian, you must've thought that the troubles surrounding her were going to affect you in some way eventually. I don't think it's a coincidence that Akakor Connla made contact with you – there was that connection lingering in the background."
"Probably."
With that matter cleared up between them, Kiritsugu gazed at his digital map and told Irisviel, "We're almost at Salazere. We'd best stop with the idle chatter and prepare ourselves."
"I understand."
The pair reached a similar set of stairs much like what the Manoa and Tiahuanaco teams encountered. They headed up, taking each step carefully so as not to potentially trigger any traps. Kiritsugu took the lead as they gradually made their way to the underground shrine. At the top of the stairs, they observed the magnificent sight of ancient paintings lining the stone walls, with yet another depiction of Tezcatlipoca hanging high above the throne. However, Salazere was different from the other shrines due to the presence of modern-day computers clashing with the time-worn shrine. Kiritsugu also noticed a couple of human-sized pods nearby, though he couldn't ascertain what they were supposed to be.
Two figures were already in front of the computer, their forms illuminated by the monitor's bright glow. Kiritsugu glanced at the white-haired man with chilly blue eyes. Soon, he asked him, "Are you Charles-Henri Sanson, the Caretaker of Salazere?"
After an uncomfortable pause, the second man replied, "I am. Judging by the way you are dressed and carry yourself, you must be a Guardian of the Counter Force."
"If you understand that much, this makes things much easier. I'll get to the point – you're going to lower your anchor of the Tradition Protection so I can access the Preservatorium."
"Are you here to kill Lancer?"
"Yes. If you have any objections, feel free to express them in combat."
Before Sanson could reach for his sword in the scabbard attached to his back, 22-Q raised her hand and stepped in front of him while saying, "Hold on. You don't need to waste your energy dealing with these interlopers."
"I know, but this is a Guardian we're dealing with here. The woman accompanying him appears to be wearing the Dress of Heaven, the Einzbern family's infamous Mystic Code."
"I can tell. She must be an Einzbern herself, meaning she is an immature Greater Grail."
Irisviel nodded and told 22-Q, "That's right. I'm the manifestation of a Holy Grail from a different world. We're here on behalf of the Chaldea Security Organization."
"Chaldea… Chaldea… Chaldea… I think I heard Mother say that name at some point. Maybe it was something she dreamed about during her long slumber."
"Mother? Who are you talking about?"
Sanson told Irisviel, "She's referring to Lancer of Akakor. 22-Q, along with the other Enforcers, are clones of Lancer's Spirit Origin."
"I see. No wonder she looks so similar to Connla. I can even sense a fragment of her Spirit Origin."
22-Q snapped at Sanson, "Don't volunteer information so casually, Ruler. If they are Mother's enemies, then it's pointless to tell them everything when they're going to die anyway. You stay at the terminal and make sure Mother doesn't notice what's going on."
"Do you want me to activate the Pseudo-Servant then?"
"If you would."
Sanson quietly tapped his fingers over an array of buttons. Just then, one of the human-shaped pods clicked and whirred open. Thick plumes of frigid smoke wafted out of the device, covering up to everyone's knees in a white haze. At first they couldn't discern anything inside the smoke, but soon a languid figure emerged and stumbled onto their feet.
"Hrrgh… Kaaahh…"
Irisviel suddenly tensed up and whimpered, "What is this?"
"What's the matter?" Kiritsugu asked.
"That man… He's a living person, but something's seriously wrong with him. I think I'm sensing a Servant's Spirit Origin inside him."
"A Servant inside a living human? That's usually not possible unless both parties share a similar wavelength."
"Yes, but their wavelengths are all over the place, like a mess of bundled wires."
22-Q muttered, "I suppose a vessel for the Greater Grail of another world would be able to pick up on this. Meet the latest subject of the Mages' Pseudo-Servant production line."
"Pseudo-Servant 'production line'?" Kiritsugu scowled. "What are you talking about? Servants are not meant to be mass produced on some assembly line."
"Hey, it wasn't my idea. Go voice your complaints to the Clock Tower's highest echelons. They're the ones who believed that there was a shortage of Mages capable of summoning powerful Servants, so this was the next best thing they thought of – making lesser Mages summon a weak Servant, then mashing their Spirit Origins together into an artificial Pseudo-Servant that was as strong as the sum of their parts. I believe it was some kind of technology they stole from a parallel world that no longer exists."
"This is insane!" the Magus Killer yelped in total disbelief. "Such a process would be fully disavowed in any other world!"
"Your world must still have the stigma of hiding Magecraft from the greater populace. In contrast, this world is ruled by 'illustrious' Mages who are allowed to practice their devious craft in the open. Such is the result of the Extremists' ideals emerging supreme as a result of the Akakor Grail War and the Southern Hemisphere Extinction."
"Gh…"
22-Q raised her arm, then commanded to the growling Servant, "What are you waiting for, an invitation? Slaughter them already."
"Y-You… You goddamn witch…" a man's voice snarled. "Why am I… inside my Master's body? Who is… responsible for this?"
"Looks like your mind hasn't caught up with reality yet. I would've liked to have given you more time to adjust, but given the circumstances, I'll have to use this."
22-Q took one of three book-like objects that hung from the containment pod's side, then opened it and caused a strange red symbol to appear before her. Irisviel realized what it was and shouted, "A Book of False Attendant!?"
Kiritsugu snarled as he said, "I get it. The Mages manufacture Pseudo-Servants, then assign Books of False Attendant to their users rather than Command Spells to a Master."
The Enforcer ignored them as she activated the Command Spell inside the book, then shouted at the mystery Servant, "By my command, kill the Guardian and his accomplice at once, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne!"
Suddenly, the man burst through the cold smoke and rushed straight for Kiritsugu. The Assassin raised his knife to block an incoming spear thrust. Both men were sent crashing onto the opposite wall, and Kiritsugu finally got a good look at his opponent. Although 22-Q called him Diarmuid, the legendary Fianna Knight of the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, the person fighting Kiritsugu was actually Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald. He wore a dark blue bodysuit and black armor reminiscent of his Lancer Servant's attire. His short blonde hair, usually slicked back, was disheveled. Veiny bulges protruded all over his livid face. The whites of his eyes turned black, perfectly framing the manic red glow of his irises.
Whereas Diarmuid wielded his dual spears Gae Dearg and Gae Buidhe, Kayneth replaced them with replicas formed out of his Mystic Code, Volumen Hydrargyrum. The Magecraft-infused mercury could take any shape its owner desired, so long as magical power was supplied to it. Due to some fluke incompatibility between Master and Servant, or perhaps a glitch in the forced Pseudo-Servant process, Kayneth was not able to use the original spears.
A hint of recognition flickered in Kayneth-Diarmuid's eye as he glared at Kiritsugu and hissed, "Khhh… You… YOU!"
Kiritsugu leapt over a swipe of the Pseudo-Servant's spear and kicked him aside. The insane Servant teetered between scowling and laughing as he gasped, "I know you! We've never met before, but I know you! You… You… betrayed my Master! You made my Master… betray me!"
Then in what appeared to be a sudden shift in personality, he continued rambling, "If it hadn't been for you… I could have saved… Sola-Ui! You… abomination! Mages are supposed to fight with dignity and honor! You promised… you wouldn't hurt me and Sola-Ui! Are you even human!?
"Aaaaagguuuhhh… Did you really want to win that badly!? So much so that you'd all trample and spit on the one wish I only had!?
"Monster…
"Destroyer…
"Rat…
"Coward…
"Emiya…
"KIRITSUGUUU~UUU!"
The mad Servant's mind kept fluctuating between Kayneth and Diarmuid's personalities. Apparently the fusion had not been completed before he was woken up for this battle. Nevertheless, both men seemed to recognize Kiritsugu somehow, even when his appearance had been radically changed due to his contract with Alaya. Kiritsugu had no idea what was going on, but if it meant distracting this botched Pseudo-Servant so that Irisviel could close in on Sanson, then he didn't mind being the target of such misguided fury.
During the confrontation, Irisviel attempted to reach Sanson as he turned his back to the battle. 22-Q leapt from her position and barred the Caster's advance, wielding her long polearm in a fighting stance. The Enforcer murmured quietly, "Well, well. I wasn't expecting our little guinea pig to have a history with someone from a different world. What a small multiverse we live in."
"Please step aside," Irisviel implored. "If you really are a version of Connla, then I have no wish to harm you."
"Go ahead and cling to such sentiment. It'll make destroying you that much easier."
Irisviel frowned. Although she had no interest in fighting a variant of the child Lancer, she had to remember that this Servant was a clone made out of a tiny fragment of the original's personality. 22-Q's countenance was so icy that Irisviel had to assume she was dealing with a facet of Connla's mind that she had never seen before. With determination growing in her heart, she plucked a single one of her long white hairs and thrust it forth like a whip.
"Shape Ist Leben!" she called out. The hair shone bright, then formed into the construct of a hawk.
22-Q wasn't as impressed with the display as Irisviel would have expected. She stared at the creature and thought, Ferrokinetic creature creation, birthed from the Einzbern family's alchemy. A valiant effort, but the Einzberns are known for avoiding conflict and surviving, not self-defence. Even a vessel for the Holy Grail will not survive long against a trained warrior.
