FATE/CATBOX FICTION
Chapter 35: Who She Hates the Most
As the two battles waged on in their respective Reality Marbles, Waver wasn't just sitting around and doing nothing. Everyone had entrusted Connla's safety to him, and he didn't want to let them down by exposing her to any unnecessary risks. His first thought was to run away with her in tow, but he was drawing a complete blank as to what to do afterward.
"Hey, lad," Zhuge Liang's voice spoke from the Runes on his body.
"Huh?" Waver murmured. "You can still talk to everyone? I thought Lexy's Runes would have dispelled once she entered the dream world."
"I had assumed so as well. I can still sense her Spirit Origin inside the girl, if only faintly. But that's not important right now. The two of you need to think about retreating."
"As if I hadn't thought of that!? Even if I can, where am I supposed to go!?"
"Hmph. If we went outside, we might wind up being caught in Nagual's Nega-Lineage curse. The entire chamber's been turned upside-down, so the elevator's not an option."
"So there's nowhere left to run…"
"I'm not done yet. I said the elevator is useless, but not the shaft leading back to the shrines."
"The shaft!?" Waver barked, turning his attention to the wrecked elevator high above him on the ceiling. "There's no way I can reach that!"
"Quit complaining, lad. You can manipulate the elements, can't you?"
"That's ridiculous! I'm just an ordinary Mage, not a Servant! Even if I could do it, I'd be too scared out of my mind!"
"You're still talking like that after coming so far? I guess internal growth isn't easy for some people," Zhuge grumbled to himself. "Well, guess I better take over for a bit."
"T-Take over?"
"Hold on to your britches and don't piss in them, son!"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, waaa~aaait!"
Before Waver could do anything, Zhuge took over his body and manipulated it like a marionette. After hauling Connla onto his back piggyback style, he ran toward a tall pile of mangled steel and rubble while conjuring a small hurricane beneath his feet. With one mighty leap, he flew toward the upside-down elevator and proceeded to hop from wall to wall inside the lengthy shaft, circling around the cables in a square formation.
"WAAA~AAA~AAA~AAAHHH!" Waver shrieked, his eyes overflowing with tears of absolute fright. He felt like he was on the deadliest roller coaster ride of his life, unable to do anything as the world rushed around him uncontrollably. Zhuge remained unperturbed with his ridiculous stunt as he carried Waver and Connla further and further upwards. About two minutes of this insanity later, they reached the top and vaulted into the server room leading to Manoa.
Once Zhuge was satisfied that they were safe, he relinquished control of the Pseudo-Servant body back to Waver and sighed to himself, "Phew. I don't think I ever had that much exercise in my lifetime."
"You call that EXERCISE!? I thought I was going to die back there!" Waver screeched angrily and clawed at his own hair.
"Oh, come now. What's life without a little excitement here and there?"
"An exorcist! Where is the nearest exorcist from here!? I'm possessed by a genuine lunatic!"
"Ha ha ha! Before you think about evicting me, why not get the little lady out of here first? The last thing she needs to see upon waking up is this mess of wires and brain tissue."
"Ah…" the terrified teenager realized their situation and looked around at the cerebral matter surrounding him like gigantic cobwebs, and the technicolor flashing lights emanating from some severed wires. He gulped and murmured, "I-I guess so…"
He carried Connla on his back and made his way along the fleshy pathways. His shoes squished against the material, sending chills through his entire body. He swallowed again to maintain his composure, shutting out all thoughts related to grossology so he could concentrate on getting them out of this steampunk hellscape. It took him some time to meander his way through, but he managed to crawl through the entrance to Manoa. He lay Connla on the floor, then collapsed onto his buttocks in exhaustion. He spent a few minutes gasping for air and steadying his rapid heartbeat.
"Good, we've made it," Zhuge said. "Since everyone's preoccupied with the fighting, no one should have followed us here."
"You think… any of those cats… came after us?" Waver wheezed between breaths.
"I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. Iskandar must have them all trapped inside Ionioi Hetairoi. All we can do is pray that everyone emerges victorious from this battle."
The Mage frowned a little as he gazed at Connla's sleeping face. For just a moment, he could make out Lexy's face from her visage.
Rider… Lexy…
The Preservatorium became an empty hall of silence. No one was around to watch as the Artificial Beast continued its rampage against the Clock Tower. By now, the Crown was informed of this deadly situation and had the government mobilize the military as quickly as possible. Of course, there was nothing anyone could do for the Clock Tower at this point. The once-prestigious institution lay in ruins all around London's abandoned streets. That was the sight which a certain Servant observed as he watched the destruction from the safety of the Preservatorium. With everyone else either inside one of the two Reality Marbles, or escaping back to the labyrinth as Waver did, there was only one person remaining inside the chamber.
Antonio Salieri had not gotten caught up in the bedlam as the Chaldeans fought against Nagual and her Alter Ego Servants. After Enforcer 2-F pushed him away from the destroyed Grail Terminal, Salieri hit his head against something hard and lost consciousness for a short while. Luckily he wasn't caught in the corrupting mud, but he hadn't been able to witness Nagual's awakening. Thus, when he came back to, he had no idea what had happened or where everyone had gone to. The Preservatorium was eerily quiet and devoid of life, in stark contrast to the rampaging Beast that brought total chaos to London.
Salieri pressed his gloved hand against his forehead to stop a bleeding cut, then staggered to his feet and stumbled around a bit.
What am I going to do now?
If this really was a life-or-death struggle to silence the Beast, which side should he choose? He certainly sympathized with Lancer of Akakor's plight. No one deserved to go through the same kind of hell that she did. Salieri believed that she earned the right to have him by her side as a comrade. Yet at the same time… if she had been exposed to that hideous mud for so many years, which was capable of corrupting a Servant's Spirit Origin with just a simple touch… what sort of monster would she become? The calamity that the Artificial Beast wrought upon this world was perhaps just a small portion of Lancer's true wrath. Could Salieri allow her to live like this? Would he be content to watch her further mutate into one of the most dangerous Innocent Monsters that humanity ever created?
Salieri limped about, trying to fend off a nasty bout of vertigo that almost made him fall to the ground. He took a few moments to regain his composure, then stared ahead. In the midst of the dark chamber, something bright caught his attention. He crawled up to it and pushed aside some rubble.
"Gh!?" he yelped in repressed shock.
There, right before his eyes, was Lancer of Akakor's head. The eyes were closed peacefully, and the jaw was slightly open. It shimmered with a multicolored layer like a soap bubble, practically beckoning to him. Salieri realized that after the Terminal's capsule shattered, the head must have been caught in the deluge of mud and forgotten about by everyone else present. There didn't seem to be any life left in it though, save for the strange colors surrounding it.
"Mr. Salieri…"
His heart jolted when he heard the little girl's familiar voice echoing around him.
"You need to escape this world. If you do not, you will be caught in the Pruning."
He wanted to turn his eyes away, but was unable to do so. Instead, he uttered, "W-What am I… supposed to do? I can't do anything… l-like this…"
"I'll lend you some of my power – just enough to create a one-way Gate to escape to."
"A one-way Gate? But… I do not know of any other such worlds I can go to."
"I have already programmed a suitable destination for you. All you have to do is play that song you always consoled me with."
Salieri raised an eyebrow, realizing that there was only one piece she was referring to. During his short tenure as one of Lancer's entertainer Servants, she often requested for him to play Bach's Sarabande in C Minor on cello. For some reason, she always calmed down whenever she heard that song, especially when she would play short chess matches against Sanson before falling asleep. Of course that wasn't the only piece he played for her, but that particular melody wound up being her personal favorite.
He fell silent. Was it fine for him to accept her gift? He played for her on his own volition, not for any sort of reward or compensation. Maybe it would be better for him to perish with this world, so that she wouldn't have to die all alone again. But then… he thought about how sad Lancer would be if she allowed him to disappear, knowing she could have done something to prevent it. Even in her pathetic state, she was still trying to help others. She would even be generous to a creature like Salieri, who no longer considered himself human. He couldn't go and break her heart in her final moments like that.
As the troubled musician mulled over what to do, he spotted movement from the corner of his eye. Way in the opposite corner of the Preservatorium, he saw Waver get to his feet with the unconscious Connla riding his back. Moments later, the panicking boy leapt upward, disappearing into the shaft high above on the ceiling.
"…"
Salieri narrowed his eyes. It wasn't really Waver that caught his attention, but Connla. He remembered his brief skirmish with her, especially how fierce and determined she looked compared to the gentle and sorrowful Connla he came to know. After that encounter, so many questions raced through his mind as he thought about the possibilities Cliste had been denied. Just what sort of person was she actually supposed to be? How could two versions of the same Servant be so radically different? Why was Lancer of Chaldea fighting so hard to protect the world when that same world abandoned Lancer of Akakor so cruelly?
Perhaps the biggest question in his mind was… which one of them was the true Connla?
He needed to know. He wanted to be sure that he hadn't been mistaken in finding a kindred spirit with Cliste. If he could find it in Connla as well, then maybe there was still hope for him.
He extended his hand toward the severed head, lightly touching his fingers against the forehead. He closed his eyes, then murmured, "I will humbly accept your gift, my beloved patron. Though we may part ways, know that I am always by your side."
She didn't answer. He figured she didn't have the strength left to speak. The multicolored radiance traveled from the head into his fingers, arm, and eventually his entire body. He felt an unusual power brimming within him, and his vision was sucked into a colorful tunnel that seemed to stretch for miles on end. Brief images of a horseshoe-shaped facility located in Antarctica flickered in his mind. Inside that place were many staff and Servants who apparently belonged to a certain organization. Most of those visions involved Connla as she interacted with the people around her, surrounded by family and friends who actually loved and cared about her.
I see…
He chuckled to himself bitterly.
I suspected that was the world you wanted me to escape to, Lancer.
As the otherworldly sights vanished from his mind, Salieri slowly opened his eyes and became serious. Sinewy strands of red and black stretched over him as the armor of the Man in Grey gradually enveloped his entire body, including his face.
But not yet. I still have questions that need answering. There is only one person who can answer them… and there is only one way she can show me…
The fully armored musician stood up, then headed for the same opening that Waver retreated through.
Inside the Necoc Yaotl Reality Marble, the situation had turned desperate. Cuchulainn and Nagual glared at each other in total silence. Their crimson eyes shimmered with malice. The pressure between them was so intense that Kiritsugu and Izo thought they would be crushed beneath the immense weight. Even though both Celts were gravely wounded, their bloodlust never wavered. Blood pooled around their feet, but they paid no mind to it.
Eventually, Cuchulainn made the first move. He instantly shifted out of Nagual's sight as a blur. She didn't budge whatsoever. She just stood there and concentrated on feeling the flow of the wind. The moment she felt a disturbance, she raised her spear to block the incoming blade of Gae Bolg. Despite losing her arm, the Beast engaged in a furious spear duel with him. She deftly spun and twisted her polearm upon her remaining hand, having it act as a fulcrum to bat the much larger red lance aside multiple times. She certainly wasn't as strong as him, but she was still quite slippery for him to catch off guard. If he attacked her from below, she would use gymnastics vaults, one-handed cartwheels and long jumps to avoid him. If he attacked her from above, she would simply dodge and roll along the ground. No matter what he did, she had a countermeasure to every one of his maneuvers.
Cuchulainn wasn't surprised though. Both of them were pupils of Scathach, so of course they would fight like mirrors of each other. His strategy didn't really involve striking Nagual down, so much as it was about wearing her out as she lost blood from her missing arm. He couldn't mess around like this for very long, however. He had to remember that she was still connected to the Grail Terminal, which continued sucking mana from other worlds. Given enough time, she would recover to full strength.
Luckily, Cuchulainn knew that Connla was fighting by his side. Maybe not physically, but the Lancer was definitely with him in spirit, giving everything she had to destroy Nagual's mind. That thought alone was enough impetus for him to fight as ferociously as he did.
Nagual hopped over one of the Berserker's sweeping strikes, then kicked his face multiple times before sending him careening off to the side with a roundhouse blow. He vaulted onto his feet and skidded backwards, then charged back at her. She pointed her obsidian weapon at him, casting an Ansuz Rune at the tip to launch a volley of fireballs at him. He weaved his way through the fusillade, jumped over her, then stabbed at her midsection several times. She danced upon her toes to avoid each thrust. When she found an opening, she dug her spear into his upper arm, carving a long and nasty gash along the flesh. As he reeled from the pain, she leapt away and shot more fireballs at him. He spun Gae Bolg to deflect each of the projectiles and chased after her, launching himself upon the nearby tree branches to reach her height.
Cuchulainn energized his weapon, then threw it at Nagual with the force of a meteor. She twisted aside just barely to avoid being bifurcated. However, the energy coursing through the Barbed Spear detonated, and the shockwave struck her back like a giant's fist. While she was stunned, he finally caught up to her and delivered a downwards kick that catapulted her towards a dead tree and made her smash through it. He landed before the fallen girl and summoned Gae Bolg back into his hand.
Nagual struggled to stand back up, clearly appearing woozy from having to fight so many battles back-to-back. Further evidence to her exhaustion was that the Reality Marble she trapped the three Servants in was beginning to flicker like television static. Despite this, a chill ran through Cuchulainn's spine as he gazed upon her listless expression. During the entire fight, not once did she convey anything like mirth, terror, or sorrow. She was just… blank. Even though he touted himself as a battle machine, he could not accept his own daughter becoming one as well.
He had no reason to be terrified of his opponent, yet a painfully familiar sense of dread welled within him. His mind became clouded with memories of when he fought Connla back in his lifetime. She always maintained that same vapid, apathetic expression whenever she was being pushed past her limits. The amount of agony she hid from him still scared him even to this day. That fear must have been amplified whenever he was summoned in his Mad King persona – his amicable and carefree personality was inverted so that he took such things much more seriously than usual. It took every ounce of his willpower to not let that sorry sight overwhelm his emotions.
Cuchulainn pointed his spear at Nagual and demanded, "That's enough. You can't win this battle."
"I can…" she murmured, teetering side-to-side as she struggled to maintain her combat stance. "I can still defeat you…"
"Connla…"
"Don't call me that. The girl you know is dead. I'm just a cancer born from her corpse, not worthy of anyone's love."
"You're not a cancer. You're Connla's shell. You exist to protect her fragile mind from the world's cruelty. You might not have had anyone on your side during the Grail War, but things are different now. We're… No, I'm here to shatter that carapace you're hiding yourself in."
"What? So you can have some sort of happy reunion with your long-lost child? Don't make me laugh. You abandoned her when she wasn't even born yet, then murdered her in cold blood when she came of age."
Her empty eyes became even colder as she whispered, "Well let me tell you something – abandonment can work both ways."
"…"
"Just as you turned your back to her, she has likewise severed all ties with you. She doesn't need you. She never had, and she never will. Any attempts you make to bond with her will all be for your own self-serving attempt at redemption. You truly couldn't care less about her well-being, so long as you get what you want. Honestly, Cliste and I see the same damn thing every time we dream of our counterparts – you turning mad for one reason or another, and us being summoned to stop you. Of the 350,670 dreams we have witnessed, we've counted 120,461 scenarios where that has happened. Every story begins differently, yet they all end the same. It's gotten downright silly how repetitive it is at this point."
"…"
To Nagual's surprise, Cuchulainn didn't react the way she wanted him to. He remained calm and unperturbed as he replied, "I know. Your Chaldean counterpart already told me."
"Preposterous. How could Geal possibly understand this hatred I've harbored for decades?"
"It's true that she hasn't been summoned for as long as you have. Regardless, her mind is always clouded with doubt, which can potentially poison her soul if left alone for too long. I told her to reveal every single negative thought and emotion she's been hiding from me, so that I could come prepared to subdue a Servant representing her worst aspects."
"What did she tell you?"
"Well…"
Several hours ago…
After the battle at Manoa had concluded, Cuchulainn took Connla aside to have a serious conversation with her. Although she was reluctant to reveal her darkest feelings to him, he insisted that she did so. Neither of them ever spoke about what that discussion was with the others – it was much too private and sensitive for them to just talk about casually with anyone.
The pensive Lancer sat back and stared at the floor, then murmured, "I'm sure you already know about the grudge I have against you, Mother and Teacher."
"Yeah, that's pretty obvious," Cuchulainn nodded. "You looked up to us as your family and mentors, yet we all disappointed you in one way or another. Even so, you're the one who had to pay the ultimate price for our stupidity. Sure, I had to live with the sin of killing my child, but at least I got to live for a few more years after that fight."
Connla took in a sharp breath to compose herself. "I remember that day very clearly… When I was lying on the grass… Dying, unable to move, with my heart pierced through by Gae Bolg… All I could think about were you, Mother, and Teacher. How did I get to that point? Why did I try so hard to live up to everyone's expectations, only to wind up being slain so miserably? What was the point of me…"
"The point of you… what?"
"The point of me… Of me…"
She covered her face with her hands and emphatically yelped, "I can't say it! It's just too much!"
He put his hand on her shoulder. "Tell me. What were you thinking in that moment?"
She visibly trembled and breathed rapidly as she cried out, "I can't! I must have gone mad for just a few seconds! That can't possibly be how I feel! There's no way I'd think like that normally!"
"Remember what I told you. If we're going to be dealing with a Connla who embodies those dark thoughts, then I need to be prepared to face whatever mental tactics she has in store for me."
Connla refused to look Cuchulainn in the eye. She continued hiding her face as she moaned, "I… I didn't know… what the point of me… being born… was…"
His eyes widened in despair. He had considered many possibilities of what she was hiding from him; anger, frustration, disappointment, revenge, bitterness, terror, jealousy, apathy. This, though… This was beyond his wildest thoughts. How could he have imagined that she hated her own existence this much? He recalled the time when Shuten and Ibaraki got Connla drunk as a prank, only for her to scream that she despised her life. He knew she would want to recant what she said, but he wasn't going to let her. If she made such an outburst while intoxicated, then even while sober, she truly did want to keep such a terrible idea secret from him as much as she could. There was no way he could deny this any further:
For all the disappointment her family caused for her, maybe the person Connla despised the most… was herself.
Just as he predicted, she saw his dismayed expression and cried out, "Please don't misunderstand me! It was just for a moment! It's not like I think that way all the time! Having my heart torn out must have made me go insane for a split second! Yes, that must be it! The blood loss was affecting my sanity, so I-!"
"Connla."
"Um… uh… I-I'm sorry… I don't really understand what I'm saying…"
"That's enough."
"…"
She lowered her head in abject shame, unable to look into her dismayed father's eyes. She really wished she had chosen her words better, but it was too late to take any of it back. Cuchulainn finally understood the horrors she kept tightly locked inside herself, and it broke his heart. Although it was difficult for him to accept right now, he had to at least get a better idea of how a potential Alter version of her would behave and overcome any mental torture she'd throw his way.
The present
"I see…" Nagual murmured bitterly and closed her eyes. "Geal actually went and said it…"
"You must despise yourself for causing the Extinction," Cuchulainn said. "Being turned into a Beast that humanity must overcome must feel like an appropriate punishment for you, doesn't it?"
"N-No, that's not it-"
"You're trying to push me away not because you hate me, but because you don't want to make me suffer any further by seeing you deteriorate like this. I bet you're thinking that things would have been much easier if I never showed up."
"Gh…" the young Beast stepped back in revulsion. "Stop talking like you know everything about me…"
"You're terrified, aren't you? Everyone you had faith in disappointed you, so you had no choice but to retreat into the shell called a Beast and endure the pain by yourself. You've deluded yourself into thinking you can handle everything all on your own. Unfortunately, that belief is what's destroying you from the inside."
"Shut up…"
"But now, those days are over. You need to wake up from this nightmare."
"Shut up…"
"If I have to get you out of bed kicking and screaming, that's what I'll do. Anything to keep you from wasting away any further than this."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up, ShUt uP, sHuT Up, SHUT UP, SHUT UP, 5hu7 U9, ShUT uP, sHu7 Up, $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9 $4U7 U9-"
Nagual seemed to 'glitch out' as she lost control of herself and pounced upon Cuchulainn while repeating that phrase in a warped and robotic voice that lacked inflection. She slammed her spear upon his, and he glared into her eyes. For that moment, it was like staring into a completely different universe. He used all of his strength to push her off him, and she stumbled to her feet clumsily.
"ERROR. ERROR. ERROR. PRIMARY MENTAL FACULTIES IMPAIRED. DIVERTING RESOURCES TO COMBAT FUNCTIONS. OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATION OF ALL UNDESIRABLES," she droned in that monotone mumble.
"Connla!" Cuchulainn shouted angrily and rushed at her while swinging Gae Bolg low to try and cut her legs off. She performed a hands-free cartwheel over the attack, then vaulted off a blackened tree. He swiped high, but she interlocked her spear's blade with his before tumbling down the crimson polearm and kicking his face. He skidded along the grass on his back, but made himself tumble away from her falling blade as it struck where he previously had been.
Before Nagual could chase him though, she heard the whizzing sound of a dagger being thrown at her backside. It penetrated her shoulder muscle, startling her in mid-step. She turned her eyes toward Kiritsugu, who had rested enough to rejoin the fight. From her other side, she heard Izo's footsteps approaching as he rushed for her.
Maintenance of Reality Marble impossible. Further allocation of resources to combat functions required. Commencing collapse of Necoc Yaotl.
On Nagual's command, the dreary landscape they were in shifted and gave way to the interior of the Preservatorium. As Izo came closer to her, she quickly extracted the knife and swiped it at his face, purposely causing a trail of blood to splatter over his eyes and momentarily blind him. She had intended to destroy his eyes, but he edged his face back just enough to save himself. In that same motion, Nagual threw the dagger at Kiritsugu precisely when he tossed a second one at her head. Both knives collided between them and clattered to the ground.
The Beast staggered in a hunched pose and panned her eyes across at her three opponents. However, she wasn't just staring them down. Now that they were back in the real world, she could consider killing Connla as a way to level things out. Although her expression didn't show it, she became puzzled when she couldn't find her sleeping counterpart anywhere. For that matter, Waver was missing as well.
Pursuit of Geal unfeasible. Prioritize destruction of immediate enemies.
In the dream battle, there was plenty of evidence to show that Nagual's fight in the physical world was beginning to take its toll on her fragmented sanity. Apart from Connla's Ascension frustrating her to no end, Cuchulainn's harsh yet kind words pierced her already-fragile heart like a stake. She well and truly lost her mind, only maintaining the bare minimum necessary for fighting as efficiently as possible. Rational thought was meaningless to her now. She didn't want to listen to any more garbage that everyone fed to her. She couldn't believe a word they said. She was too scared to believe in others anymore. She had to win… She had to achieve victory in this impossible battle all by herself!
As Connla soared through the cyclone towards Nagual, she noticed her opponent's erratic behavior. She ran along a huge fragment that had fallen off the island, then quickly jumped off as Nagual's massive claw swipe severed it into several carved discs. Connla somersaulted in the space between them and delivered a high-speed drop kick to the Beast's face, knocking her back into the storm. Connla dove after Nagual and dueled her again. Thanks to Lexy's power-up, her movements were much faster and more accurate than ever before. She managed to stab her spear through the gaps of Nagual's claws several times, piercing her flesh each time before retracting the weapon and dodging another bout of furious swipes.
After blocking a mighty strike, Connla and Nagual separated and spun like tops. The Lancer's combat dress puffed out as she elegantly twirled, while the Alter's tails wrapped around her torso. Nagual found some nearby rocks and hopped along them to get back into Connla's attacking range. They both landed on a flat piece of rubble that acted as a makeshift platform for their next fight. Nagual dashed in and stabbed her talons at Connla's midsection. The spearman hopped over the attack, then made her weapon vanish for a moment before wrapping her arms around the Beast's abdomen and performing a suplex, blowing her head through the platform upside-down. Connla then deftly flipped back, snatched the rubble and spun it so that the trapped Nagual would face upward at her. She conjured the biggest Ansuz Rune she could manage in such a short time, then hurled it at her opponent. It exploded in a massive firestorm, engulfing Nagual in a merciless ball of raw flames.
The Beast tumbled through the hurricane, losing her momentum as she struggled to put out the fire singeing her fur. Unable to think coherently, all she could do was create a black platform Rune and glare intensely at Connla. The Lancer likewise created a white platform Rune, and both of them crouched in mirror positions of each other. The familiar ominous aura surrounded Nagual, while glistening white winds swirled around Connla as they readied their Noble Phantasms.. From Cliste's view, they looked like white and black stars twinkling in the sky.
"TEPEYOLLOTL!"
"LAOCH GAN FINSCEAL!"
They rocketed toward each other at such high speeds that their hair could have ripped out of their roots. Hundreds of white and black platform Runes materialized around them as they ricocheted off of each one at a rate of maybe five to 10 per second, emanating a bunch of glittering monochrome lights with each bounce. Every bit of Lexy's Spirit Origin was consumed to execute this vicious and blinding barrage of strikes on Connla's behalf. Although each strike wasn't powerful on its own, Connla concentrated her attacks so that they struck Nagual in the same spots over and over again. Nagual likewise used the same strategy in an attempt to rip Connla to shreds, but the Lancer's reaction speed was much greater than she could contend with. Each of their ricochets increased with intensity until they looked like nothing more than pure streaks of pure light and darkness clashing against each other in the center over and over again.
KA-BOOM!
With a final burst of raw magical energy, the Mach-speed duel was over. Coupled with the explosion, the friction damage Nagual suffered was enough to disintegrate her into multiple pieces, causing her limbs and torso to separate from her body and go careening in different directions. Although Connla lost some blood and pieces of her armor, Nagual had not caused enough damage to amputate her in the same fashion.
She's… tearing me… apart…
In her state of extreme shock, that was all Nagual could think about. Her mind blanked out. She knew this was a dream battle, so death wasn't a real concept here. Yet, the pain and terror she felt were so compelling that she found it hard to regain her senses. She was too mortified by the level of carnage her Chaldean counterpart was capable of to even consider reconstituting herself. All of her severed pieces plopped to the ground, with her head and upper torso crashing last just several feet away from the startled Cliste. All she could do was stare up into the colorful heavens, her eyes wide and blank with shock.
Connla launched herself off of a final platform Rune and landed nearby. Her white armor and dress shimmered before disappearing, returning her into her usual adventurer's clothes. She fell onto one knee and used her spear as a prop to hold herself up while gasping for air.
"Geal!" Cliste ran up to her friend and helped her stand. Both girls anxiously stared at Nagual, wondering what was going to happen next. They knew that it wasn't really the Beast's body that had been destroyed. Rather, it was a metaphysical representation of her influence over the Grail Terminal, and of her dominance over Cliste. This was what Connla had come so far for – to destroy this malignant presence and salvage Cliste's sanity.
As they wondered as to whether or not Connla's assault was enough, Nagual's severed body turned into black ichor and melted into dark inky puddles. Neither of them wanted to speak. They remained alert and ready in case this was some kind of trap. The silence was so unnerving that they thought they would go crazy.
In the Preservatorium, the eerily quiet Nagual faced off against Kiritsugu as he deftly flipped and hopped around her while firing his pistol multiple times. She used her spear to deflect the bullets, likewise performing impractical vaults and sidesteps around him. This deadly dance continued for a few moments until she landed next to him at a bad angle, allowing him to kick her face so she twirled awkwardly on the balls of her feet. Izo jumped in and delivered another rushing kick that knocked her back.
Kiritsugu fiercely glared at Nagual while activating his innate time magic.
Time Alter: Square Accel!
Before the Beast could regain her traction, the Assassin already reached her backside and assailed her with an unrelenting barrage of high-speed knife strikes.
"Chronos Rose!" he called out. His body appeared and disappeared seemingly at random. It was impossible for Nagual to keep her eyes trained on him as her body was carved with hundreds of deep lacerations. During the entire assault, Kiritsugu couldn't forget the promise he made with Cliste way back in the beginning:
"Will you come and kill me?"
"I am a Guardian. Whether I like it or not, I am honor-bound to eliminate threats to humanity."
Despite this cold acceptance of his job, deep within he felt absolutely terrible for her. That didn't mean he was going to let such pity get in the way of fulfilling his promise. Cliste was hiding herself inside the shell called an Evil of Humanity, and Kiritsugu wanted to destroy it. The whole situation was just too damn unfair for him to tolerate any longer. As proof of his disgust, he raised his Thompson Contender and fired it at her abdomen, blasting a small hole through her stomach.
"Gh…" Nagual moaned, pressing her hand against the excruciating wound. "I'm… alone… hate… Mages… must… destroy… Mages…"
"Sorry, kiddo, but that's as far as ya go," Izo's echoing voice declared within the darkness. She desperately looked around for him, but was unable to pinpoint his location. "If things were different, I mighta actually 'elped ya 'unt down Mages 'til not a single one was left standin'. But ya see, I'm a man of my word. When I say I'm gonna kill someone, ya better damn well believe I'm gonna go through with it."
Just as Kiritsugu remembered his promise to Cliste, Izo likewise thought back to when he was first summoned:
"Ya just sit tight an' wait fer me. I dunno what yer name is, but it's now written all over this blade. It ain't gonna be satisfied until it spills yer blood."
"Please hurry. I don't want my dear friend to see me like this."
"Fine, fine. Stop cryin' an' be patient. I can't stand it when little kids keep cryin' like that."
During his journey through Akakor, he came to understand why Cliste was so desperate. The sights he saw, and the stories he heard were so horrible that he wished he could forget all about it. Maybe if he sliced apart this monstrosity that Cliste was hiding within, those memories could go away with her. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to stop until Nagual was dead.
Before she could think about healing her stomach injury, she felt a searing hot pain digging through her upper back. Something metallic glistened in her sight, and she shifted her eyes down to see what it was. A long, thin katana poked through the thick flesh and muscle, the blade pointing upward.
"Ah…" was all she could gasp.
Izo used his non-sword arm to push the blade through her shoulder, ripping the skin apart with little effort. With a deadly glint in his yellow eyes, he shouted, "This is divine punishment! HYAAA~AAA~AAAHHH!"
The sword finally tore through Nagual with a sickening ripping sound. A disgusting amount of blood spewed everywhere as the severed vessels released all of their contents like an exploded fire hydrant. Her vision darkened. She barely had the energy to lift her arm… or was it actually amputated? Her obsidian spear dropped to the ground and disappeared in a black haze.
"It… hurts… no more… make it… stop…" she pleaded in a tiny voice. Tears streamed down her face. She was being subjected to more torture. How much more of this did she have to endure before everyone was entertained enough with her suffering? When could they finally discard her as a broken toy and let her rest quietly? She didn't even care about dying without dignity anymore. She just wanted to close her eyes and have the pain all go away like a bad dream.
Fortunately, her anguish was only to last a few more seconds.
While Kiritsugu and Izo were busy weakening Nagual, Cuchulainn leapt along the highest pieces of debris and ran vertically against the wall to gain some height. Once he reached a preferred distance, he bounded off with a mighty jump and sailed until he was directly over the stricken Beast. He focused his eyes solely on her frightened visage. Likewise, she could only concentrate on the glow of his crimson irises. Although his expression was absolutely menacing, the shimmer in his eyes was gentle. As he descended upon her, he thought of something crucial that she told him:
"Honestly, Cliste and I see the same damn thing every time we dream of our counterparts – you turning mad for one reason or another, and us being summoned to stop you. Of the 350,670 dreams we have witnessed, we've counted 120,461 scenarios where that has happened."
He couldn't believe how many dreams she had seen in her lifetime of endless sleep. And to think he needed her help to stop him from committing whatever atrocities he was capable of so many times? Just how much of a bastard was he? He had no right to call himself a father. Yet, as he chastised himself for being so worthless, he had to remember that Connla felt the same way about herself. She must have believed that being treated like some commonplace monster was a suitable punishment for the anguish her mere existence caused everyone around her. Perhaps disappearing from all of history would be even better. Nagual was the epitome of that fear, and Cuchulainn wanted to break through it.
Maybe that was what Connla felt every time she fought Cuchulainn – that she too wanted to break through the shell of guilt he hid himself within, so that he could forgive himself for slaying her.
So the shoe's on the other foot this time, huh? You can't forgive yourself for burdening your mother and I with unnecessary anguish. For all the care and attention you give everyone around you, you probably feel you don't deserve to be treated with such respect. Well, that's completely and utterly wrong!
He narrowed his eyes.
You stopped me 120,461 times. That wouldn't be possible if you didn't love me. Good grief… I can't express how grateful I am for you saving this worthless excuse of a man across so many timelines. But this is different…
Cuchulainn plummeted upon the immobilized Nagual faster and faster, pointing Gae Bolg at her chest. She couldn't do anything except watch him approach from above, her crying red eyes wide with fear. The distance between them closed like a hungry animal's closing jaw.
Just this one time… Even if it's just once in this entire universe…
He clenched his teeth and glared at Nagual with inhuman ferocity.
I'LL BE THE ONE TO SAVE YOU!
The sickening sound of steel puncturing flesh resounded throughout the area, before dimming into total silence. Cuchulainn stood over Nagual, who was leaning backwards at an awkward angle while still on her feet, staring up at him in disbelief. However, she wasn't really 'looking' at him since she was already dead. Gae Bolg ran clean through her heart, out her back, and into the ground as a pole.
This wasn't going to be like the last time Cuchulainn killed Connla with Gae Bolg. Back in their fateful encounter, he had not exerted all of the spear's true force upon her, which allowed her to survive even for just a few minutes. This time, he wasn't taking any chances. The curses surrounding the weapon were amplified so much that being struck by it would be no different than being at ground zero during a nuclear explosion. The victim would not feel a thing, and simply black out in an instant. Alive one second, dead the next.
Despite the brutal nature of this killing, it was actually his way of showing mercy for her. Cuchulainn would function as the final period that ended Nagual's nightmarish existence, without allowing her death to be as agonizing as her life was. If he couldn't save her from turning into a monster, he could at least put her to rest. He wasn't proud of himself, but he wouldn't regret any of this.
Cuchulainn held Nagual's slumped body over his arm and watched her form turn into ashes before they slowly sprinkled everywhere. He, Kiritsugu and Izo watched as the Beast disappeared. None of them wanted to ruin this bittersweet moment with needless words.
