FATE/CATBOX FICTION

Chapter 36: Courage to Accept Difficult Choices

The world contained within Ionioi Hetairoi was deafened by war cries as thousands of Macedonian soldiers charged en masse at the horde of Enforcer cats. Iskandar decreed to his men that this was going to be a battle that decided the world's future, so everyone was motivated to give everything they had to this life or death struggle. For each Enforcer that was slain, another one would be created in its place. For every soldier that was killed, two or three more would take their place. Ever since Iskandar killed Enforcer 2-F, the cats seemed to be more disoriented, behaving like wild animals rather than part of a pack. This made it somewhat easier for the soldiers to fight them, though that didn't make them any less dangerous than before.

Sand billowed around everyone in a choking brown cloud. Ritsuka covered her eyes and mouth as she watched Mash and Leonidas protect her from some cats that came their way. She fired some Gandr shots whenever one of the beasts came too close, but she couldn't offer much more than that. Leonidas used Molon Labe as much as he could to draw the monsters' attention toward him, while Mash boosted his defenses with Lord Camelot, effectively making him a human fortress.

However, the Demi-Servant was showing signs of strain as her aching lungs screamed in pain. The dry air made her cough as she yelled at Ritsuka, "Senpai, I don't know how much longer we can keep this up!"

"We have to keep going! Cuchulainn and the others will definitely do something about Nagual! Remember how tough he was for us to fight during the Fifth Singularity!? I'm sure he'll pull through for us!"

"Indeed!" Leonidas agreed. "We are not aiming for victory over the enemy! So long as you keep faith in the Hound of Ulster, you must endure this battle so that you may welcome him back!"

"Gh…" Mash winced, but nodded. She saw a huge cat coming their way and ran toward it, ramming her shield into its wide open mouth so that its jaws were locked. Leonidas leapt onto the monster's back and jammed his spear into its brain stem, killing it instantly.

As both Shielders returned to Ritsuka's side, they noticed that the vicious sandstorm was starting to die down little by little. The winds were not as intense, and the trillions of sand particles whipping their skin lost rigidity as they fell back to the ground where they belonged. Leonidas shifted his eyes around and murmured, "Hm? What could this change in atmosphere portend to?"

Mash scanned the battlefield, then pointed ahead and cried out, "Look, Senpai!"

What she saw was a number of cats that were attacking the soldiers suddenly flickering as silhouettes of random colors. The animals stopped where they were and shuddered as they lost their forms and disappeared in bursts of multicolored particles. The beasts vanished like this one by one in rapid succession, until not even a single cat remained. The clear blue sky became visible once again, rewarding the valiant Chaldeans with its calming presence after such a harrowing battle.

"Is it… over?" Mash wondered.

Ritsuka smiled and held her friend's shoulders as she yelped, "They did it! They must have slain Nagual!"

"It sure looks like it!"

They heard a horse galloping toward them, and spotted Iskandar striding up to them atop Bucephalus. He dismounted the steed with an audible grunt. Bucephalus then lay on its stomach so that its owner could lie down and use its flank as a makeshift pillow.

"Ungh!" Iskandar groaned again. "About time… I don't think I can hold this Reality Marble up for even another minute."

"Are you okay?" Mash asked him.

"Wish I could say yes, but to be frank with you, my magical energy's all spent up. I don't even have anything left from the lad's Command Spells."

"I see…"

"Then if I made a contract with you-" Ritsuka started to say, but Iskandar held his hand up to stop her.

"Don't worry about it. My goal was to conquer Akakor, and I have done so. I am satisfied with what I have achieved during this summoning. Besides, Lexy gave up her Spirit Origin to help Connla fight Nagual in the dream world. It would be a disgrace for me to not do the same."

"Are you sure?"

"I made my decision long before using my Noble Phantasm. As a Master, it is your duty to accept the choices that Servants make for themselves."

"… All right," Ritsuka murmured and stepped back. She never enjoyed watching Servants passing away, but she knew it would be crude for her to force them to live if they didn't want to. Although Servants were always summoned based on a specific Heroic Spirit, each one of their summonings was unique in the way they lived their lives. Even if she was lucky enough to summon Iskandar using Chaldea's FATE system, he wouldn't be the same as this one who was dying before her. Therefore, she would mourn this Iskandar as a one-of-a-kind person who gave his life to help Chaldea defeat a threat to humanity.

Since Iskandar had lost too much magical energy, he couldn't sustain his soldiers any further. They fizzled into humanoid clumps of sand that collapsed as thousands of lumpy mounds where they once stood. The Chaldeans, Caretakers, and Akakor Servants gathered around to see if everyone was okay, and to say their good-byes to Iskandar. In particular, Earp sat next to the exhausted king, took out a canteen and a shot glass, and poured a little bit of whiskey into the cup.

"Tombstone's finest whiskey, as promised. Sorry it ain't much, but I can guarantee ya the taste," Earp said as he passed the glass to Iskandar.

The king gulped the beverage down, letting the distinct flavors of toasted almonds, maple syrup and baking spices tickle his taste buds and throat. He grinned and remarked, "Mm, not bad! Think you could save me a barrel or two for when I'm eventually summoned to Chaldea?"

"No problem, pardner. I'll make sure it's distilled three times instead o'two. The quality'll be sure t'knock yer sandals off."

"Thanks. You take care of everyone in the meantime."

"Will do."

With that, Iskandar and Bucephalus gradually faded out of existence. The glass betwixt his fingers dropped once his hand vanished, leaving nothing but a tiny drop of alcohol as proof that he had been there. It wouldn't be long before he and his horse disappeared for good.


The Preservatorium was filled with an incredible silence. Even the Artificial Beast was not rampaging against the Clock Tower. Everything became still to the point that it was unnerving. Soon though, Cuchulainn stood tall and inhaled deeply. Although he knew he had to kill Nagual to save Chaldea, that didn't make it any easier to accept.

Although Kiritsugu didn't want to ruin the mood, he murmured in his usual monotone murmur, "Elimination of threat confirmed. With Nagual gone, the Enforcers should be dying off as well."

"Yeah," Cuchulainn replied half-heartedly.

Izo grumbled to himself before complaining, "I woulda liked to 'ave killed 'er myself. Oh well, I can bitch all I want, but what's done is done. I'll just find myself some new scrub t'butcher later."

"I would have preferred to personally confirm her death as well, considering the promise I made to Cliste," Kiritsugu added.

Cuchulainn shook his head and said, "It's not that I was trying to steal your kill from you guys. It's just that something came over me, like some kind of fury that I had never experienced before."

"Like what?"

"Well… The thing is, I'll accept all of Connla's darkest feelings without hesitation. She has every right to be bitter toward her own family for what we did to her."

The Berserker's expression suddenly morphed into repressed fury.

"What I won't forgive is when some outside influence twists those emotions and turns her into an abomination that threatens humanity!"

Kiritsugu closed his eyes, thinking back to when he and Irisviel talked about the possibility of them having a daughter in a parallel world. Although he wasn't a father in his own timeline, he somehow understood the immense pain that Cuchulainn was going through. He nodded lightly and murmured, "So long as the job is done, I am satisfied."

"Guess I better second that," Izo grumbled while scratching the back of his head. "'Sides, ya 'ad every right t'smack some sense into yer own kid. I was just 'ere t'help ya crack that armor she was hidin' in."

"Right…" Cuchulainn whispered and calmed down.

As the three men stood there, the air shifted in the area where Iskandar's Reality Marble formerly was. Within seconds, Ritsuka, Mash, and all of the remaining Servants reappeared inside the Preservatorium.

"Collapse of Reality Marble confirmed," Mash reported. She noticed Cuchulainn's group and asked them, "What happened with Nagual? Is she still alive?"

"She's dead. I made absolutely certain of that," the Berserker told her in a hollow and detached tone.

The Demi-Servant wiped her sweating forehead and sighed, "Phew… So that must be why the Enforcers disappeared so suddenly."

Although the Servants celebrated their survival with similar exhausted joy, Ritsuka approached Cuchulainn and asked him with a worried expression, "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that… You killed Connla for the second time."

He glanced away. She did have a point. He had been keeping that thought repressed this entire time, but he couldn't deny the facts any longer. Nevertheless, he told his Master, "The kid and I fought as total strangers back then. This time is different. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I'm not going to regret it for even one bit."

"But…"

"Enough. Dwelling on such shit is sad and pointless. Besides, Nagual intended to attack Chaldea, right? At the very least, I had to keep my Master and the organization she belongs to safe from harm. If this incident has taught me anything, it's that not even my own family is exempt from becoming enemies of Chaldea. I need to steel my will and be prepared to destroy anyone who would threaten you. If you think of it that way, this was a good lesson for me."

"I guess so."

He smirked a little and playfully rubbed Ritsuka's hair. "That's not the face my Master should be making after defeating such a dangerous enemy. A warrior should be much prouder than that."

"H-Hey, cut that out!" the Mage yelped and shoved his hand off.

"Buck up already. If our Connla saw you like that, she might wind up becoming depressed. I know for certain that she'll be devastated from losing Cliste. We need to keep our game faces on and help her through this."

Ritsuka took in a deep breath to compose herself, then said, "Yeah, you're right. Speaking of which, where is she anyway? I don't see her anywhere."

"For that matter, Waver is missing as well," Mash added. "Do you think something has happened to them?"

Before anyone could respond, numerous computer lights flickered and blinked around the Preservatorium's perimeter. Everyone immediately became cautious and readied their weapons in case of an attack.


In Chaldea, the technicians' monitors bleeped continuously as their scanning systems also showed irregular values coming from the Artificial Beast. Roman nearly choked on the coffee he was sipping, then leaned in on the commanding officer's monitor and yelped, "The Beast is starting up again!?"

"Wait!" Da Vinci stopped him. "Look at this."

She pointed to the many lines of code running along the screen. One by one, the end of each line ended with the phrase QED, and each of the monster's numerous operations turned off.

"QED? As in quod erat demonstrandum?" Roman murmured.

Da Vinci nodded and replied, "Looks like it. Someone else has hijacked the Beast and is disabling it bit by bit. If I had to take a wild guess, then…"

Next to them, Sigurd narrowed his eyes and said, "It has to be Cliste. With Nagual gone, she's free to take over the Terminal's primary functions and destroy the creature from within."

"You're probably right."

One of the technicians asked Roman, "Does that mean Chaldea is safe?"

"Let's not get complacent," the doctor told everyone present with a stern expression. "Although the Beast's shutdown is starting, we should monitor its progress and verify with absolute certainty that the threat is gone."

"Yes, sir!"


The Chaldeans remained on guard for a good minute to see if anything unusual would happen, like some surprise attack or a dead man's switch set by Nagual. However, the tense mood was disrupted when an unusually cheery jingle one would hear at a Japanese airport resounded around them. Everyone was confused as to why such a chirpy tune would play over this profound silence. Soon though, a holographic monitor fizzled into view, blanketing the dark chamber with a soothing light.

The person on the display was an unfamiliar young girl who wore a lavender hooded poncho that covered her head and body, coupled with a thick wool scarf wrapping around her neck so that only her face was really visible to them. Despite having never seen this girl before, the Chaldeans immediately knew who she was just from her soft brown eyes and light purple hair.

"Hello, everyone," the girl said to the bewildered crowd. Her cadence was so friendly and welcoming that their collective tension quickly subsided. "Thank you for coming all this way to see me. As you can no doubt guess, I am Lancer of Akakor, also known as Cliste."

"Lancer!?" Earp and Maupin cried out in total shock. Quintrala swallowed hard and looked away nervously. Machiavelli's eyes widened, and he almost forgot to breathe.

The Caretakers stepped up to the display and all kneeled before her simultaneously. Sanson spoke for all of them when he said, "It's so good to see you're awake now, Lancer."

"Ms. Lexy reminded me of what it is I need to do," Cliste said, then frowned somberly. "For all this time, I wasn't really sleeping… I was actually running away from my responsibility. Nagual was able to fester within the Terminal for so long because I wasn't around to keep my darker emotions in check. This entire disaster happened because I was such a coward. I don't think I could apologize enough to you three for leaving such a horrible mess to clean up. The same goes for everyone from Chaldea. If I was just a little braver, I could have done something about Nagual without resorting to dragging innocent people into this. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

"No… Stop saying that," Spartacus moaned and lowered his head to hide his tears. "You had every right to get as much rest as you wanted."

"And you were right to ask for help," Leonidas added. "There's no way anyone would expect you to handle so much on your own."

"I suppose so," Cliste murmured. She glanced at the necklace Spartacus wore, then realized, "You kept my hair as a memento?"

He nodded and sniffled, choking up so much that he couldn't respond. She closed her eyes and whispered, "I see. I guess there's no need to hide myself in these heavy clothes anymore."

She unfurled the scarf and threw it onto the ground. Then she unbuckled the poncho, lowered the hood, and likewise tossed the draping cloth atop the scarf. Everyone finally got a good look at what she had been obscuring from them – the short hair that had been cropped by the guillotine that killed her, and a long scar running horizontally along her entire neck. Her outfit was comprised of the same adventurer's clothes that Connla normally wore, except that her bodysuit was lavender rather than mint green.

Chaldea Connla, who was standing behind Cliste as she spoke to everyone on the monitor, furrowed her brows and became wistful. All of their previous conversations rushed through her mind, as she was finally able to put context as to why Cliste had been so evasive regarding any discussion about herself. She probably didn't want to scare her, or any other Connla who visited this dream world, so she hid her gross injuries to protect their sensitive emotions. Although she was sad to see that gut-wrenching scar, she was also glad that Cliste was able to muster the courage to show everyone.

"Haah… That feels much better," Cliste sighed in relief. "It would get so hot sometimes, you know?"

Connla murmured hesitantly, "Um… Does it hurt? I mean… with your neck…"

"Hm? No, it doesn't. It's just a symbol of the trauma I went through. Think about it – do you think I'd be able to talk like this if it was a real wound?"

"…"

They heard Ritsuka's voice as she asked, "Is that our Connla you're talking to?"

"Yes, Geal's here with me," Cliste replied. She gently shoved Connla into view and chuckled, "Why don't you say hi to everyone?"

"Uh… Um… well…" the timid Lancer uttered.

"Oh, come now. You just defeated a Beast, yet you're crippled with stage fright?"

"But, um… It's just that… I'm not really good… with these sort of things…"

"Eh he he he!"

Everyone's mood lightened when they heard Cliste's giggling. Cuchulainn became surprised when he saw Connla, and he blurted, "Are you okay!?"

"Y-Yes, Father, I'm fine," she straightened up as she told him this. "After Nagual was released from the Terminal, I came straight here to ask Cliste what was going on. Then Nagual tried to intervene, but with Ms. Lexy's help, I was able to sever her connection with the Terminal."

"I know. You were fighting her subconscious hold on Cliste at the same time we were dealing with her physical manifestation. It's because we fought her on two fronts that we were able to weaken her enough."

"That's what I thought."

"Where are you right now? We can't find your body inside the Preservatorium."

"Huh?" Connla tilted her head in bewilderment. "I'm not there?"

"Don't worry," Cliste interjected. "Geal's safe, along with Mr. Velvet. I can see them on Manoa's monitors. I'm guessing he retreated with her so that Nagual would not be able to attack her physical form during that fight."

Cuchulainn narrowed his eyes and murmured, "That makes sense. I did ask that boy to look after you in my stead."

Connla muttered, "So I'm going to be in Manoa with Mr. Velvet when I wake up…"

"We'll just have to rendezvous somewhere then. Maybe inside the labyrinth?"

Cliste quickly shook her head and blurted, "That's not a good idea. As we're speaking, I'm already initiating the self-destruct sequence to destroy the Artificial Beast, and all of Akakor along with it."

"What!?" Mash yelped and ran up to the monitor with Ritsuka. "You're going to destroy yourself!?"

"I've already made up my mind. I'm supposed to be dead anyway. It's long time I returned to the Throne of Heroes as any proper Servant should. Please don't try to convince me otherwise."

"Ungh…"

Kiritsugu nodded and said, "I will support your decision. As far as I am concerned, you have properly atoned for causing the Extinction."

Cliste murmured to herself, "I certainly hope so. I don't know if those one billion victims will truly forgive me, but at the very least, I don't want the Artificial Beast to add to those numbers. That's what Ms. Lexy told me anyway."

Izo tapped his sword on his shoulder and said, "Yer overthinkin' things, kid. Yer doin' what ya think is right, an' that's all there is to it. Who gives a crap 'bout what others think? Ya went through such a nightmare precisely 'cause ya let others control ya fer so long, and now yer gettin' sick of it."

She stared at him for a moment, then realized, "Oh, that accent… I remember talking to you a while back. You must be the rogue Servant that this weakened World somehow summoned. Did you manage to accomplish what you came here to do?"

"Damn straight. I 'killed' ya, just as ya asked. I may be no Grand Servant, but that dun mean I'm no slouch when it comes t'killin' beasts like what yer dark side became."

"That's good to hear. So now that your job is over, what do you plan on doing?"

"Ain't it obvious? Now that this world's bein' Pruned, I gotta go out with it…"

"I see…"

Izo's expression suddenly turned mirthful as he laughed, "Psych! I ain't such a simpleton that I'd just lie down an' say, 'good job, me' when there are still plenty o'baddies 'round fer me t'kill! I've decided t'cast my lot with these Chaldea guys an' shove my blade in this King o'Mages' face!"

"Oh, my. You sure got me there. I guess I'm still bad at picking up jokes."

"Really!? Thank you so much, Izo!" Mash exclaimed, then said to Ritsuka, "Isn't this great, Senpai? It's true that Okada Izo might not be one of the most reputable figures in Japan's history, but his talent with the sword is sure to be a huge asset for us!"

Ritsuka smiled broadly. "So not only have the Akakor Servants have joined us, but Izo as well. Our ranks are swelling so quickly, aren't they?"

"They sure are!"

With that, Izo turned away from the holographic monitor and closed his eyes while still smiling. Deep down, that wasn't the real reason he wanted to join Chaldea. He just wanted to survive so that Cliste wouldn't have a reason to cry as much as she did when he first heard her voice during his summoning. In essence, he was giving her the gift of a happy memory, which he felt she dreadfully lacked.

Irisviel glanced around at everyone with a broad grin, then asked, "So what should we do now? If Cliste is going to destroy the Artificial Beast, we should think about escaping from here as soon as possible."

"You're right. It'd be a bad idea to stay here," Ritsuka agreed with her. "We need to find somewhere else to Rayshift back to our world from."

Cliste nodded and told them, "Not all of its functions have been disabled, so I haven't activated the counter yet. Once I get it to lie down properly, I'll create a path for everyone to escape outside to. With Nagual's Nega-Lineage gone, all of the Servants should be able to maintain their Spirit Origins now."

"Where should we go then?" Mash wondered.

"Head over to the center of the Clock Tower ruins. The facility is built atop the remains of the sacred dragon Albion. With the magical energy generated by its corpse, along with the Leyline the Clock Tower Mages utilized for their research, it should give you more than enough power to Rayshift home. You'll need to be quick though – by my estimates, the Pruning will be complete within an hour's time. If you don't escape, you will be erased along with this timeline."

"Got it. We'll go there once you give us the okay."

"Mm. I still have some work to do, so could I have a moment to talk with the Akakor Servants in the meantime?"

The Shielder stepped aside, allowing for Earp, Maupin and Machiavelli to silently approach the monitor. Quintrala was so nervous that she could barely get close enough to be in view. Cliste first looked over at Earp and whispered, "Archer."

He visibly shuddered, and his breathing was quick. He couldn't help but hyperventilate after seeing that Lancer of Akakor, whom he believed to be dead this whole time, was right there.

She somberly closed her eyes. "I know you wanted to regard me as an ally. You made many attempts to strike up conversations with me. Unfortunately, I was bound to a Command Spell to remain silent for the entirety of the war. I think you already understand that much by now, right?"

"Y-Yeah…" he uttered. "If I 'ad figured out somethin' that basic, I woulda done somethin' 'bout it. But y'know me… I'm a total buffoon when it comes t'heavy stuff like that. Even if I was servin' my Master's goal of upholdin' absolute justice, I think 'is notion of 'justice' was worthless if I couldn't even 'elp lessen yer burden, even just a lil' bit."

He lowered his head and covered his face with his cowboy hat in shame. "I… I 'ave no excuse. I saw ya sufferin', an' I did nothin' t'help ya. If anythin', I mighta made it worse by tryin' t'befriend ya. I'm just as bad as Rider, but in a different sense. My blatant inaction is just as criminal as 'is torturin' was t'ya. If ya 'ate me for it, then I ain't gonna blame ya fer it."

Cliste lightly shook her head. "No, Archer. I know what your Master was like. He sought justice, but he wound up taking it too far by ignoring the victims his 'justice' was supposed to save. He instead became obsessed with punishing the guilty, enacting disproportionate sentences on even the most petty of acts like fibbing, trespassing, shoplifting, and even jaywalking. In all likelihood, he actually wanted to use 'justice' to become a dictator who controlled everyone's actions, down to even what they thought and believed.

"I could tell that you didn't agree with his viewpoint, but as his Servant, you were bound to his Command Spells. It must have taken every ounce of your patience to keep such a control freak under wraps, while not invoking such ire that he'd command you to do something irrational. At the end of it all, a Servant's top priority is to serve his or her Master while also looking after their wellbeing. You don't need to worry about whether or not you could have helped me. I know you had more than enough problems that you needed to deal with."

Earp's eyes widened slightly. "Ya can't be serious. Ya don't 'ate me? Ya ain't gonna demand that I ask fer yer forgiveness?"

"Of course not. What is there to 'forgive' if I didn't resent you in the first place?"

He wasn't sure what to say. Ever since the other Akakor Servants told him the truth about the Akakor Grail War, he carried such a tremendous burden in regards to what he could have done for Cliste. As Lancer of Akakor, she rarely spoke to him, so he wasn't really sure of what her personality was like. For her to be so mature and forgiving was almost too much for him to bear. All he could do was stand there in abject silence.

Cliste then faced Maupin and whispered, "Saber."

The red-haired fencer frowned lightly, then murmured, "It's been a long time."

"It has. Have you been doing well?"

"I… I… I can't tell you how difficult it has been…"

"After the war's conclusion, Caster told you everything. How difficult it must have been for a free-spirited person like yourself to hear how constrained I was. I remember how much you and Archer hated Rider. You were so disgusted by him and Assassin that you always went out of your way to fight them. You both even implored that I stay away so that my 'innocent ears' wouldn't pick up any of their drivel."

Maupin pressed her fingers against her forehead. "Ah, mon Dieu… How awful it was, having a deranged aristocrat, an abusive slave owner, and a feline youkai in the same war as a clueless gunman who needed to micromanage his Master and a troubled child warrior forced to remain silent. The only one I could really confide in was Caster. Even though we acted like we were on opposite sides of the war, we knew each other's loyalties and agreed that there needed to be a degree of rationality preserved in order to prevent the world from either falling into total debauchery or dictatorial control. Both extremes were quite frightening to us, so we took measures to ensure the war wouldn't be a total disaster. That's why Caster agreed to fight you most of the time, while Archer and I dealt with Rider and Assassin."

"Hmm," Cliste murmured to herself in contemplation, then glanced at Machiavelli. "I always did find it strange that Caster was insistent on challenging me back then. I thought it was simply because he possessed magical abilities related to his political philosophy to counter my Runecraft. Only after my death did I find out it was a setup to keep me away from Rider."

"That's right," the philosopher said. "But I found out too late about Rider manipulating you in secret. After Rider's plan came to fruition and you were blamed for the Extinction, I was at an absolute loss."

"That's surprising. I thought you wouldn't be interested in my fate."

"Nonsense. Even if you were a Servant representing the opposing side, I could never allow a child to be exposed to Rider's idea of 'freedom'."

Both Lancer and Caster became quiet for a moment. Then Machiavelli said, "To be honest, I needed help regaining my senses enough so that I could come up with the governing system that the Mages relied on, all to vilify Rider and drive him underground so he wouldn't cause any further harm to you. Saber, Assassin and I then wandered around the globe and crushed any attempts Rider made to disrupt my system, while also looking for any clues that could help destroy Rider for good. But the more I searched, the more I came to see how many sadists actually existed among the Mages. That meant Rider had more than enough vessels matching his wavelength to jump between. In a demented way, Rider actually took advantage of my Mage society without me realizing it until it was too late."

"So it would seem."

Maupin sighed deeply. "We didn't know what to do. We couldn't make any progress like this."

Cliste shrugged and shook her head. "It can't be helped now. You did the best you could with what little information you had."

"Merci beaucoup, ma chérie. I promise you that I'll raise hell for Chaldea's enemies. I'll fight twice as hard for both of us, d'accord?"

The little girl nodded and replied, "Oui, Madame Maupin."

She then leaned in to try and find Quintrala, but couldn't make her out in the darkness very well. She asked, "Assassin? Are you there?"

"Uh… Gh…" the Chilean noblewoman grunted to herself, appearing quite uncomfortable with being called out like this.

"Can I talk to you for a second? There's something I've wanted to say to you for a long time."

Machiavelli rested his hand on his ally's shoulder and implored, "Why don't you hear her out? You won't get another chance, and the curiosity might drive you crazy if you don't find out what she wants."

"… I guess so."

Quintrala stepped up to the monitor so she was finally in Cliste's view. The Lancer became wistful as she said, "I've wanted to apologize to you for so long."

The Assassin was mildly surprised to hear this. "Apologize? For what?"

"I remember the one and only time we fought. I think the circumstances I was dealing with blinded me so much that I used too much force on you."

"Hmph… No kidding. I still remember your face – blank, unmoving, almost completely detached from the fight. It continues to spook me even to this day."

"I'm sorry. But I'm afraid that's how I behave during battle. I was taught not to show pain or emotions to my enemies, so I wind up removing myself from what's going on and let my thoughts drift elsewhere."

"You really don't like fighting, do you?"

"Yeah. The only reason I fight is because it's necessary for my survival. Some people find thrill and excitement in combat, but I'm not like that."

Quintrala pondered this for a moment, then said, "I guess if you put it that way, it's your dislike for battle that actually saved me back then. If you were one of those types of battle freaks, I would probably have died."

Cliste nodded. "I made sure to go easy on you on account of you not having the same level of training as me, but other than that, I was in such despair that I couldn't think of much else."

"Fine. I'll accept it and leave it at that. You just go ahead and rest."

"Thanks, Assassin. Oh, and if you plan on joining Chaldea, could you not be so hard on Geal? I was the one who fought you that day, not her. She would be upset if she saw you being uncomfortable around her presence because of me."

"Come now, I'm not that foolish. I know you're both completely different Servants, despite being based off of the same Heroic Spirit."

"Right… I just wanted to make sure."

Machiavelli rubbed his chin and mused, "Sorry for interrupting, but there's still something I don't quite understand."

"What is it, Caster?" Cliste asked.

"What about Berserker of Akakor? We heard their voice while descending the elevator, but they've been silent ever since."

She became serious as she replied, "Once Nagual manifested, all of Berserker's Spirit Origin was absorbed into her. Until that moment, Berserker was being kept alive so that Nagual could use their Spirit Origin to surreptitiously restructure Akakor into the Artificial Beast. It might've also been Nagual's way of punishing Berserker for their role in Rider's conspiracy. I can't really say for certain what my Alter was thinking, since she was able to manifest independently from me."

"So you're saying Berserker died along with Nagual?"

"Yes. Nekomata comprised a quarter of Nagual's power, along with myself, Tezcatlipoca's essence, and the concept of Schrodinger's Cat. Even if Berserker posed a potential threat before, they are no longer alive to hinder you all."

"Good. That's what I wanted to be sure of."

Cliste closed her eyes to concentrate for a few seconds. She then faced everyone and announced, "All right. I've shut down all of the Artificial Beast's systems and will commence the self-destruct countdown in five minutes. Once it begins, you all have ten minutes to escape."

"How do we get down from here? We're so high off the ground as it is," Mash asked.

"I'll set the Beast down in a lying position, then create a bridge to the outside. I suggest holding on to something, because it's going to get a little bumpy."

The Chaldeans did so. For the next minute, the Preservatorium rocked and swayed as the gigantic mech cat was commanded to cease its attack on London and lie down in a prone position with its head down. Once the commotion ended, the monster opened its jaw enough for everyone to see outside. From its mouth, a multicolored 'bridge' comprised of pure mana stretched out like a ribbon towards the center of the Clock Tower's ruins.

As everyone was breath-taken by this chromatic spectacle, an awful klaxon horn blared within the chamber. A second black screen appeared with the numbers 10:00.00 written in red. Then as an ominous foreboding to what was about to happen here, the numbers began to tick down.

09:59.10

09:45.57

09:36.34

"Senpai, let's get out of here!" Mash yelped and grabbed Ritsuka's wrist.

"Y-Yeah!" the flustered Master blurted, then worriedly looked back at Cliste as they and the majority of the other Servants hurried onto the bridge and emerged out of the Artificial Beast.

06:51.73

06:32.12

06:25.25

Cuchulainn stayed behind to make sure everyone else escaped. He wanted to be the last one to leave, especially since he wanted to burn Cliste's image into his memory. However, he became perplexed when Sanson, Spartacus and Leonidas refused to move from their spots.

"What are you doing? We need to leave now," he implored to them.

Sanson shook his head and replied, "We're going to stay."

"What!?"

"We have no place in Chaldea. This world is our home, and we intend to go out with it."

"Furthermore, we have no desire to allow the Little One to die alone once again," Leonidas said. "We have spent far too long enduring the memory of killing our dear friend, only to watch her suffer even further after her execution."

"Indeed," Spartacus said. "She had too many responsibilities thrust onto her tiny shoulders, and they wound up crushing her spirit. We refuse to let that happen again. Worry not – we will make sure she returns to the Throne of Heroes properly. I suppose you could say the four of us are all one Servant, and the three of us were heartbroken over losing one aspect of us. That why we intend to return home together, as is proper for any Servant whose time has come."

"… I see," Cuchulainn muttered. Their intentions convinced him enough. He glanced at Cliste's monitor, and her eyes met his. They stared at each other, absorbed in this delicate moment. Soon, he said to her, "Good-bye, Connla."

"Good-bye, Father. And don't worry about Geal. I'll make sure she and Mr. Velvet get out safely."

"Right."

03:43.21

03:32.19

03:24.54

Cuchulainn turned away from the Preservatorium and ran on the spectral bridge to reunite with his allies. The Caretakers sat around Cliste, each donning genuine smiles of relief as they knew their days of silent torment were over. In less than three minutes, everything would end, and they couldn't be happier for it. Although Cliste wasn't entirely pleased with watching her three friends die with her, she accepted their decision with silence rather than tried to object it.


In the dream world, Cliste firmly gripped Connla's shoulders and suddenly muttered in a stern tone, "Geal."

"Hm? What is it?" the bewildered Lancer wondered.

"I know this is sudden, but we need to act quickly if you are to escape the Beast's destruction. I'm going to pass on all of the knowledge I picked up about Aisling from all of my dreams. You'll experience a vision the likes of which you've never seen before. I'm not going to mince words here; it will be horrifying. It will downright scare you to your very core. It might even come dangerously close to breaking your spirit."

"…"

"No matter what happens, don't give in to the madness. Even if you are 99.9% broken from seeing this, hang on to your sanity as tightly as you can. If you can't even stand up, then ask for your family and friends to help you. You have a lot of people there for you. You've endured a lot more than the vast majority of our parallel selves ever could, all due to the connections you made with everyone around you."

Cliste smiled softly.

"I know you can do this, Geal. I know you can pick up where I left off."

Although hesitant, Connla quietly nodded and closed her eyes. Cliste pressed her fingers against her forehead, and a series of tiny magic circuits coursed from one girl to the other. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, and her mind was transported through the Kaleidoscope.

However, she realized that something was strange about this particular journey. She wasn't heading towards any of the colors representing the full array of parallel universes connected to human history. There was something especially unnerving about this color she was seeing, as if her brain couldn't comprehend its existence on the spectrum. Was it a hue that humans had not discovered yet? Or was it a fictional color that only existed in the imagination? It certainly was ugly to look at. Perhaps the equivalent color code for this drab brown hue was Pantone 448 C, or #4A412A. Could it be quantified so simply though? It was impossible for Connla to know.

Regardless, she was here. All she could do was follow Cliste's instructions and watch what happened…


In the center of what was once the Clock Tower, the Chaldeans observed the statue-still Beast in total silence. The tension grew more and more as they waited for the countdown to finish. Da Vinci provided Ritsuka with Chaldea's own display of the same timer.

00:30.01

00:20.36

00:10.52

00:1.05

00:00.00

The darkening sky immediately flared with orange light around the Beast's head. The first explosion was powerful enough to rip its face into halves that disintegrated and collapsed to the ground in a firestorm. The rest of its gargantuan body was likewise destroyed by multiple explosions that blasted it apart from within. All of the gears, metallic parts, and fleshy organs fragmented and fractured, causing the steampunk monster to fall as useless pieces.

Earp covered his face with his hat. Maupin hugged him. Quintrala tightly held Machiavelli's hand. Izo closed his eyes. Irisviel buried her face against Kiritsugu's chest. Mash frowned and looked away shamefully. Ritsuka pressed her clenched hand against her chest. Cuchulainn remained stoic.

Although Roman wanted to respect their moment of mourning, he still needed to Rayshift them back to their world. He said on Ritsuka's communicator, "Sorry if I'm sounding a little heartless here, but you'll have plenty of time to grieve later. We need to get you back home before this timeline is fully Pruned."

"What about Connla and Waver?" Mash asked.

"Don't worry about the kid," Cuchulainn assured her. "Cliste said that she and the boy will make it out on their own."

"But Waver can't Rayshift to Chaldea…"

"He's a denizen of this world. There's nothing we can do about that."

"…"