FGO Singularity 1950 Germany- The Road to Paradise

by ColinHayworth

A story in an alternate WWII singularity where its mystery still reigns and the mana were unusually dense for its age. It has allowed all those who were beyond 1900 to become heroic spirits as long as their deeds are beyond any comprehension of human beings. And now this is where all those who remains to reach the truth of what happened

23. Azure Arbitrator

Warning: This fanfic dealt with probably controversial themes and you may find it not suitable for you. If you still decide to read, then stay strong and brace yourself for what you are about to read. This story here happens in Arc 2 and thus may contain some spoilers.

---

"._.""._.""._."

Chapter 23: The Azure Arbitrator

"._.""._.""._."

---

They don't know how long they have descended into this azure abyss. All they know is that they are entering somewhere that is beyond that capability of any human ever exist. This place shouldn't have been even opened up and yet... here they are... Approaching towards something that is so immensely powerful that not even their minds could wrap around such an idea like that.

As the azure particles wrap around them as they continuously descend without stopping. They felt so unbearable as they anxiously worry about what may greet them at the end of this endless descent.

"Anyone know how on earth did something like this happened? Because this felt way too abrupt that I couldn't help but feel that there is some ulterior motive behind..." Gudao said as a cloud of azure dust spat across his face.

An answer just popped within Alfin's head without an explainable reason. It just there as if someone just gives her an answer.

"Alice's power has become so tremendous that our world couldn't contain her power at all. She was already tethering against the verge of expulsion due to how much power she has and the Azerium Corruption just pushes her to the brink. In other words... She has no control left of how much power she exerts and she might possibly kill us in just a single blink of her eyes." Alfin explains in such detail that hardly anyone could believe it.

They were all silent... A mad pursuit for power born from a noble wish... no good deeds went unpunished after all.

Suddenly, their fall came to an abrupt stop as they hit against something as their bodies took the full brunt of it. Slowly pulling themselves up, they noticed something completely unbelievable at the distance away from them.

It isn't any galaxy... it isn't any celestial bodies or beings... It is something far greater than that, something far greater than anything this universe may even conjure up.

"The Root..." Gudao said in disbelief as this is something all maguses would murder him for.

Words of God: For this part, play The Azure Arbitrator - Ao no Kiseki

The azure swirl stood at a distance vastly greater than the diameter of the universe itself. And standing between them is a humanoid figure. It doesn't look that huge like any mountain-surpassing titan or the White Titan that killed all of the gods before the age of Humanity. No... its size was measly just 20 meters if their rough estimation is correct.

But the power radiating from it. There were no words that could describe how oppressive and overwhelming it is. If a Servant's strength is written in -illion then her power has already been using up-arrow notation. The difference between is so vast that not even the distance between heavens and hell could possibly measure up.

It felt so lofty that it felt like a cruel joke but they have already made their decision to stop her from causing unimaginable destruction to the universe. Her wish to become one with the Chaldeans is understandable and it was the only thing she has left in a desolated world.

They looked at her. Within the center of that figure right in its heart, they saw her floating there within that colossal and ethereal figure with her eyes closed and unable to express or feel anything. She is now simply a conduit and power source of that figure.

The whole figure itself felt so radiant yet so dreadful... Long azure hair reaching to its heel, divine garments wrap around the body that belongs to the most divine and pristine woman that any human could ever possibly imagine with their mortal minds. Crowned on her head is a tiara that shines brightly with an intensity of a billion suns. An indescribable expression remains on that ethereal figure's face as no one could tell what it was supposed to insinuate... There are many answers that rush through their minds but none of them ever dare say it through their lips.

After a brief moment of hesitation, everyone prepared their combat stance with their most powerful weapons drawn out. There are a very select few that could potentially harm her but other than that they have nothing left but to brave whatever she may throw at them head-on.

"Everyone... Let us do this!". Gudao said as he leads the team as they together charge toward the divine beings ahead of them.

As everyone draws out their weapons. They together shouted in unison as they then charged toward Alice... No... the figure that surrounded Alice in her entirety is a byproduct born from her repressed psyche. A form that her power could controllably take form without imploding into a blast that would rupture space-time in its entirety. And even then its presence trump even the Types... Those things mere presence alone altered the reality around them and her presence would be tremendously more powerful than that if it weren't for the fact that they are near the Root already.

Azure Alice-demiurge. That's what they decided to dub her as. A "God of Void" that manifested through from her unbridled power as it manipulates the law of causality itself and rewriting the world through it.

Its eye flashed briefly as something started to form from the nothingness themselves. The azure dust around them started to form into figures that look oddly resemble something close. But when they soon started to form actual facial expressions. They realized it... She is creating carbon copies of them from her own memories and use them against the Chaldeans.

These clones forged from the god's particle itself started lashes out against them senselessly as each member of the team has to take on their own respective clone. Shirou for clone Shirou, Kuro for clone Kuro, and so on. It is an ultimate test to see if they have truly evolved from their own past and not remain in stagnation this whole time. There is an obvious dissonance between her memory and them now, but if they underestimate these clones, they will die before they even actually fighting her.

However, there were two people who were exempted from this... Miyu and Jaguar Warrior. They only recently joined the team and Alice didn't account for them and thus they are able to assist in whatever they could so that they might wrap up this whole mess earlier.

"Heyyah! Take this!" Taiga said as she unleashes out a flurry of stabs with her naginata against the clone but it doesn't seem to do much at all.

Miyu focuses her power on the Maiden Kaleidstick with such potency that a blade of pure azure mana formed right above the stick. She then swings it with all her might into one of the clones blindsided as it only focuses entirely on who it has copied on.

That blow however remained a complete moot attempt as the blade shattered into particles the moment it collided on. On further notice, they realized that there is a barrier that basically nullifies any clear blow that it received. If that's the case then there is literally no possible way for them to take down.

"No... There has to be a way to take them down! If that isn't then just why would she not kill us right now immediately!?" Taiga yelled as she spins her naginata with such a speed that it exceeds even a jet fighter's engine's rotor. If it wasn't for the fact that there is barely any air here, the immense speed of her naginata's rotation would sweep up all of the azure dust around her and created a tornado with the sheer speed alone.

She then quickly swings the naginata at one of the clones that were all focusing on its copied opponent. The clash between the barrier and her naginata was so great that the grinding noise would have been deafening if it weren't for the fact that it is mostly empty within this azure abyss.

As she focuses as hard as she could, she noticed that something within the barrier started to show signs of weakening as the barrier around them started to fracture. And in just a blink of an eye, it shattered like glass and opened it up for attacks.

"Wuh?" Taiga said beneath her lips as if something unbelievable happened right in front of her.

The clone knocked her back before it keeps focusing on its original target. But without its barrier, it is exposed to all attacks and can be killed.

Taiga realized it and she quickly shouted so that everyone can hear.

"Everyone! If you managed to break your opponent's guard, attacks as many times as you can because it doesn't matter if your attacks are powerful or not! What matters is how many attacks you can inflict in a given amount of time!" Taiga shouted in such loudness that everyone can hear it.

Shirou was the first to do so. Partially is because it was his clone that Taiga and Miyu broke its protective barrier after all. He didn't even know that there was a barrier there in the first place until Miyu tested it out for herself when she blindsided it.

Shirou swings his twin swords as hard as he could to push the azure clone of his back away. The moment he did so, he quickly attached the pommels of his two swords as they turned into a dual-bladed staff. To make it even more powerful, he lets out a chant that has always use since day one in Chaldea.

Trace Overedge

The two blades elongated into an amalgamation of devil and angel. He then prepared his stance as he zero-in towards the clone at godspeed. With all his strength behind, he yelled as he prepared to unleash its power against the clone.

Soaring Heaven!

In a blink of an eye, slashes of light and darkness were unleashed as Shirou twirl the blade with such a speed that it might have created a cyclone in normal condition. He watches as the azure clone completely bisected without any chance of retaliation as it then collapses back into those azure dust. With nothing left to hinder him or stopping him from assisting the others, he quickly jumped into the fray.

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu and Irisviel are fighting those two clones that are acting in their same mindset. Both of them attack each other with such perfect precision that it is like two mirror reflections hitting one another.

Both Kiritsugu and his clone draw out their respective Calico and spray it against one another. They deflected each of their shots down straight into every individual bullet. He then quickly zero-in and then attacks with his knife. Unfortunately, even that swift blow is deflected by the very same one his clone attacks against him.

Struggling to find a way to defeat their very own mirror image, it is like an uncatchable dear versus a permanent vigor hound. Both of them will be stuck in an endless cycle that has no possible way to break out unless they do something out of their mindset... like...

Shirou quickly landed a blow upon those clones but however, he got knockback away immediately as their clones countered despite the short moment of notice they are given. Kiritsugu however quickly takes advantage of that opening his son has given him and quickly unloads an entire magazine of the chink of the clones' guard. When Irisviel noticed the fracture around the barrier that enveloped the clones, she quickly used her magecraft and summoned many of those steel-thread swords around her as they float there and spinning around them.

Iri then quickly accelerates their moving speed and Kiritsugu quickly zero-in upon them as the blades cleave into their barrier like a helicopter's rotor. Combining their suppressing attacks with little room for retaliation, the barrier that surrounds Kiritsugu's clone shattered and Kiri quickly takes advantage of it to finish it off immediately.

Natalia!

The Blade of Severing was drawn and in a blink of an eye, Kiritsugu's clone crumbled back into the dust the moment it was bisected. The Iri's clone whose combat capability is extremely lacking and thus it ended up receiving a brutal beatdown by those two. The barrier enveloped around it didn't even last long and not even half a minute passed as that clone also crumbled into azure dust and scattered into the atmosphere.

"Three down! Keep repelling them off so that we can get straight into taking Alice down!" Kiritsugu said as he tried to discern the situation around him.

They tried to search for the others but the mere conflict between the clones and their respective opponent that they base on is so tremendously powerful that intervening at the wrong moment will cost them everything that gets them this far. The only reason that nothing horrible happened is that Shirou and Kiritsugu know each other's mindset to the point that they understood each other. But how much could they put their faith into the others that they are merely just allies at most?

But leaving them to their own device is waiting for their demise. They have to intervene and do something or else.

Kuro is clashing her blades endlessly within a dance of death between her and the azure clone that modeled after her. Just like everyone else, the clones copy the attacks and skills of those they copied. Because of that, one has to prove themselves to constantly go above and beyond who they were to surpass the very clone that was tailored to fight them.

She clashed her blades, she has thrown many swords upon it like hail and even fired her Caladbolgs many times but that thing just constantly able to counter no matter what she may throw at it. Getting desperate, she decided to charge towards it and put as much of her strength as possible into her next attack.

Their blades clashed once more and it knocked both of them back off their feet. Kuro while trying to stabilize her stance once more found the clone has already initiated another attack and lunged at her already.

She thought her head would fly off her body as she closed her eyes in fear. But that moment never came...

She opened her eyes once more as she saw the clone is being restrained by multitudes of chain that seems that latch on and bind it on all of its limbs. She looked at the back and saw her brother is using his Projection and managed to summon many Chains of Heaven at once and stop it dead right there. Kuro saw it and decided to not waste any more time and quickly pulls herself to motion.

Tracing multiple pairs of Kanshou and Bakuya in each of her hands. She throws all of them simultaneously as those blades started to replicate on their own in midair. From 8 to 16 then it keeps on doubling in a blink of an eye. If there is an apt description for it, it is like watching a fractal self-replicating itself.

And one more thing... It doesn't matter if the blade just hits the clone weakly. What truly matters is how many attacks she could land in quick succession.

The maelstrom of blades tore through the clone's body in a visceral manner as each of them could have easily shredded a Servant apart like ribbons. The blades continue on tearing through the clone continuously until all of them collided into one singular point. At that moment, Kuro focused her mind as she detonated all of those blades into a massive fragmentation blast that shook the fabric of reality itself.

With its barrier collapsed from that attack. Kuro then summoned her bow and traced another pair of Kanshou and Bakuya. She then started to use them like arrows as she placed them on the bowstring and slowly pulling them back.

Her mind continuously finding a way to alter the blades themselves into arrows. To trace is one thing, but to create something by yourself is a hard part. "Overedge" was a product created from focusing a ridiculous amount of mana into the blade to grant them extreme strength to cut even through the most resistant Servants. This one... is a modification... one that has never been done before.

But even when being told that is impossible, she still continues on doing so. Because she held her faith in her family and herself!

The pair of twin swords slowly transmogrified into a pair of arrows. One shone with angelic grace and the other emanating a demonic aura. Like yin and yang themselves, it represents equilibrium and balance. The moment Kuro finds the perfect ground between her emotions and hard-logic, her mind entered a trance-like state as she unleashes the arrow upon the clone.

Two of us cannot hold the heavens together

Equilibrium Convergence

The two arrows move as they intertwine with each other as the mana charged within them started to make their light pierce through the abyss itself. The arrows then fused and turned into a phoenix as it continues to soar towards the clone. With nothing it could do, all it has was to accept its fate.

The phoenix then collides with the clone as it detonates into a massive annihilation blast of light and darkness. It was needless to say that the clone was annihilated under the power of the said attack.

How Kuro was capable of doing such a thing sounds completely impossible to others. But when one thinks about it clearly, it would all just shown to be obvious.

This reality... is a place that sat between the real world and the Root itself. The amount of mana here is so tremendous that one could say it is closer to infinity than to zero itself. With such a massive amount of mana, the only worry they have is if their bodies could handle channeling such an amount like that or they couldn't think up new ways to fight back against such adversity.

Imagination is a man's most dangerous weapon. Lose it and you are nothing but a wild beast. To use one's intelligence to the maximum to turn the tide is how humanity's history has always gone. Kuro just so happens to utilize it to her best when it was most crucial.

"Never again..." Kuro said tiredly as she collapsed to her knees in tiredness. To fight yourself and surpass it is far harder than how it sounds.

Shirou quickly approaches her and carries her away to a safer place so that she could rest up. The crossfire between the clone and those they copied can potentially kill a Servant if they accidentally got caught in it.

Meanwhile... Blades clashed against each other as Larry is fighting back against his clone. He fought many wars but to fight against himself is another thing that he doesn't know if he could do. He was too fixated on finding an enemy for his wrath to rage on that he didn't even bother to look if he is the one he should have surpassed beyond long ago.

The clone's blade carries no substance, it was just a blade that copied his techniques. And yet... he still struggles to find an even ground against it.

Their blades clashed once more as the force knocked both of them back away. Larry used this chance of his as he sheathed the Muramasa and focuses his mana towards it. He then pushed the trigger as the propelling force unleashes the blade's might into a seething shockwave that would rend toward anything in its path.

Arc Slash!

Larry yelled as he unleashes the blade and the clone before him also did the same. The two attacks collided and annihilated each other, resulted in a massive force that further pushes them back.

Never in his life that he felt such loathing like this and it just so happened to be himself at that. The conflicting feelings inside are raging like a whirlpool, his heart is beating with endless hatred but his mind can't help but see the hypocrisy within his own actions and mindset.

For what exactly did he fight for?

Waning Moon!

Both he and the clone slashed each other and clashed in a blink of an eye... No... it was even faster than that as it is like a flicker of light within the moonless night. Nobody could tell how fast that attack was but one could tell that the force behind them is so immense that it felt like they rend the reality itself with that slash.

His surroundings keep fading away but the voice inside his head still keeps yelling at him nonstop. He is at the ultimatum when he has to make a decision for himself. After all the journey thus far, can he really allow himself to cling to an everlasting hatred that might be a complete detriment for others?

They did more things than how he ever could. And he can't help but felt like someone who is there for a key moment then be forgotten soon after that.

Karmic Flame!

Larry swept the Muramasa as the 'ground' beneath them ignited into an inferno and soon swept into the clone. However, it soon cleared the entirety of it with a single swing of its sword.

His eyes twitched in annoyance. If this is what it felt like to even be near his clone. then just what others must have felt?

Larry whipped out an assault rifle out of his coat and fired it one-handed at the clone but the bullets keep deflected from the moment it came into contact with the clone.

The clone did the same and Larry quickly deflected them back with his Muramasa with unparalleled precision. He started to felt more irritated when the fact that just how atrocious it felt to fight oneself really feels.

Helix Blade!

Larry sheathed his blade once more into the Black Barrel Sheath and then quickly zero-in towards the clone with such a speed that everyone thought he just blinked towards it. He pushed the trigger and the blade propels through the sheath with the power of the Black Barrel itself. The torrent of power created an infernal cyclone that rushes through the clone itself.

Leaving itself completely opened, Larry then prepared his position again as he sheathed Muramasa once more. And he then seamlessly push the trigger as the blade slashed upward.

He landed once more as the clone seems completely dazed even if that shouldn't even be possible. Suddenly, chains started to appear out of nowhere and ensnared the clone itself. Look completely confused at what was happening. He turned around and saw Shirou is using his Projection to summon those Chains of Heavens. Because of the clones' properties, it ended up turn in their favor.

Larry then falls back so that he could prepare himself once more. The tension rose to the point his mind was basically in flux. Trying to desperately calm himself down. He took a deep breath as he tries to rationalize his mind once more.

"I can't change my past... that's fine... I couldn't accomplish what I set out... That's also fine... No matter what fate may I receive... I wouldn't rather be anyone else... but me..." Larry said beneath his lips only for himself to hear.

He sheathed his Muramasa and whips out an M137 Minigun out of seemingly nowhere. He then unleashes its relentless barrage against the chained clone of his as the barrel spun so fast and fires so many as if he is unleashing all the storm ever existed and beyond within said attack. Each bullet held enough power to literally destroy a city down to nothing.

He continues to fire while dashing towards it with unwavering precision. The more correct way to describe is that he takes one step and he let it sends him towards the clone without any more pushes.

The moment he about to zero in towards the clone. He throws the Minigun away and placed his hand on the Muramasa, waiting for the perfect timing. Just as when he is close enough, he closed his eyes and lets his instinct do the rest of his job. With the trigger prepared, he pressed it with determination.

The Black Barrel propels the Muramasa with such a speed that one would felt his attacks just overlapped each other. Can't blame them though because no one can do 9 consecutive slashes before even they themselves even realized what they were doing. And despite not even knowing it, Larry pushes all of his might into the final slash as that final strike sent him upward. When he reached the apex of his leap, all the energy instilled within those attacks discharged into one singular massive blow that shook across the abyss itself. The chains that ensnared it shatters like glass fragments afterward.

Keep in mind, the Minigun has already drastically reduced the strength of the barrier surrounding it. The Muramasa is just the final blow to kill it instantly. His clone crumbled into dust and faded away into nothingness. Larry landed on the ground as he looked at where he slew that clone.

"Took beating myself over just to finally come to term..." Larry said annoyedly before he decided to focus on something else.

Five out of 14 clones have been taken down. It is still one uphill battle and none of them can easily break the impasse alone. They have to break into the fight in a way that they seamlessly work together or the clone might take advantage of that and blindside them.

Some of them are shown to be holding capable fights against their respective clones like Pierce and Richard but some certain individuals are facing a much harsher fight than others. And it doesn't seem to be because they aren't powerful enough...

A deafening crash was heard as Arnold's and his clone's fist impacted each other. Both of them are fighting fiercely with all they have. They knew that the clones copy their respective skills to some certain extent but in Arnold and Alfin's cases... They are fighting against a carbon copy of themselves. Their skills, their attack patterns, and decision-making... they were all copied down to a T from Arnold and Alfin.

It was because of their relations of having the same Spirit Origin, Alice understood Arnold and Alfin down to a fundamental level. Because of that, she can easily replicate them to such a point that one would even argue that their clones and they themselves are the same.

"Damn it... Taking all the clones down is not going to be a feasible idea at all. The only option we have left is to take down the big bad right now!" Gudao said as he commanded the Servants that managed to triumph against their respective clones as they quickly approach the azure divine figure while letting the others distract their respective clones.

That girl... the Azure Alice-demiurge. She doesn't seem to respond to anything at all yet but it is very much because of such inaction like that did they felt unnerved against her divine presence. One wrong move and poof... they are gone. Annihilated without a single quark remains.

Both Shirou and Kuro lunged towards the Demiurge with their Kanshou and Bakuya broken-charged. Kiritsugu applies the highest Time Alter he could on himself and his Natalia. Irisviel used her Noble Phantasm as the last resort in case of complete annihilation. Larry with his Muramasa once more about to use his most powerful slash that his body is capable of dispensing. Miyu tried to apply as much power into the Kaleidostick of her and Taiga goes all out with her Noble Phantasm as a massive claw formed right above the naginata of her.

They all attacked in unison at the same time. It would definitely be going to hurt her no matter what. That's what they thought until...

Time slowly froze to a halt before any of them could attack. The clones that were still there and fighting suddenly collapsed back into dust as they started to flow towards the Demiurge. As everyone's body refused to budge and their minds were in flux because of how time was literally frozen in place.

As all of the clones were absorbed by the Demiurge. Words were spoken directly into their minds like a resonance without anything actually being spoken. At that moment, they realized that there is no possible way to brute force...

Spacetime Recursion

Glyphs and Magic Circles formed around its body as if a ritual of unfathomable scale is playing out in front of them. All of those magic circles then formed into a magical clock with its hands about to move into a 12 o'clock position. But before it happened, the color of the reality turned into negative... literally as the hands then started to move backward. And what followed up is a flash that is so bright as if their retinas are being incinerated then reverted back in time.

As the flash died down. They found themselves stood there like some random idiots while the other nine are still fighting desperately for their lives without knowing anything else happened during their clashes.

"What just happened!?" Gudao said in disbelief as he realized none of their attacks reached the Demiurge. They were sent back in time before any of these happened. And thank anything that still remotely good that the Demiurge wasn't cruel enough to send them back to the beginning of this fight before any of them killed their copycats.

"Never mind that! It seems that we won't be even able to touch her if we don't kill all of these copycats!" Shirou said as he realized what has happened.

"Damn it! Seems like we have no choice after all! Everyone! Assist the rest of them so that we could proceed to the next step!" Kiritsugu said after he heard what his son has to say.

Everyone then shouted in unison and motivation as everyone went their separate way to break everyone else out of their eternal duel. For it might be their only way to surpass whatever might be that the Azure Alice-demiurge may throw at them.

Shirou and Kuro quickly approach where Richard is fighting back against his clone. Due to how not particularly strong he is in raw strength, the clone wasn't as dangerous and thus both he and his copycat didn't exactly cause that much destruction one may say but they will need all the strength they have if they want to break through the wall that Azure Alice-demiurge placed in front of them. Plus... they have to kill all the clones either way.

Both of them begin to fire the bow at the clone's blindside in which a few hits managed to land on it before it quickly evades out of the way. Richard takes this brief moment to gather his strength back after fighting without stopping for such a long time like that.

"Richard! Think of any possible way to take it down swiftly! We may hinder it from approaching you but it will definitely try to fight you as long as either you or it still exist." Shirou said as he swings his blades to deflect the incoming bullets.

Richard tried to take a deep breath within this mana-ridden emptiness. It would be more accurate to say that it felt like snorting a kilometer line of pure cocaine and feel like your mind is melting down at the first particle and thus it does nothing to help his mind calm down. But even then he needs to think of a way to deal with this swiftly.

"Enkidu!" Kuro shouted as chains sprouted out of the nothingness as they quickly lunged towards Richard's copycat but the copycat evaded all of them despite having subpar agility.

As if seemingly become far more effective, the copycat threads through Shirou and Kuro's defense as it rushes headlong towards Richard without self-preservation. Whether or not if Richard wants it, he has to outsmart himself which is a demanding task for a person who barely got any real combat experience. But he still has to do it or else.

He tried to focus his mind but the idea of his copycat rushing in like a feral hound that is about to rip him apart is definitely something that is not going to be easy to ignore. As his wit is about to reach his end, his hand reached out for something within his pockets on its own before he realized it. The copycat did the same as it tries to reach out for something in its pocket.

It was just in a blink of an eye but Richard took advantage of its stance. Because his body moved entirely on its own before his mind processed it, the copycat tried to shot at him point-blank with a sawn-off shotgun but Richard closed in and arm locked the clone. And just like that, he managed to turn the tide to his side. And at that moment, an epiphany of the past played out in his mind.

Step 1: Secure the key

He arm-locked the copycat and forced it into this position. Perhaps this is the 'step one' that his body literally prepared for him to finish the copycat off.

Step 2: Ascend from Darkness

Richard then threw the copycat into the ground along with the help of Shirou and Kuro, they chained down the copycat down and let it completely open for Richard to attack it. He then whips out a lever-action shotgun and fired at it repeatedly without reloading with such speed that one would feel as if his Gatling gun was in action. Of course that Richard is not a divine spirit and thus the chain has minimal restraining power against the copycat. But that is of nothing worth concerning to him as he gave a nod towards Shirou and Kuro as both of them created many of those Chains of Heaven as they could as they then pulled him up towards the sky.

Step 3: Rain fire

When he is above the clone while being hung by the Enkidu by Shirou and his sister, he took out a lever-action rifle and focuses his power on it. He pulled the trigger and the single shot of it felt like an impact of a bunker-buster itself. Even Shirou and Kuro instinctively stay back so that they don't get caught in its infernal rage.

Step 4: Unleash the horde

He then took out his Gatling gun and when he is right above it, he unleashes the storm of bullets right at the copycat itself. As bullets detonate into massive explosions the moment they came nearby they contact with it. Explosions cascade amongst each other as they turned into a thunderous orchestra with the only instrument being a single trigger and -illions of bullets. The weapon itself serves a purpose. To let a single person carry the strength of many.

Step 5: Skewer the winged beast

The clone managed to break out of the chain as it then jumped towards him, Richard knew that already as he blinked at Shirou and Kuro to signal them. They understood what he meant without a word as they then disconnect the chain as he then started to go into free fall, he then grabbed the remaining part of the Enkidu as he then threw its head toward the clone that is soaring towards him.

The chain quickly wraps around it as he then pulled it faster towards the sky and soon enough, it flew past him without being able to do anything towards him. Both Shirou and Kuro then traced their bows and quickly fire as many arrows as they could at the copycat so that they could dispel the barrier as soon as they could. It doesn't matter how powerful those attacks are after all but the volume they could dispense.

Arrows battered into the chain-wrapped copycat as cracks started to visibly appear on its surface. Both the siblings then traced multiple Hruntings with each of them wrapped between their fingers, they then altered them into the arrows as they draw the arrows back with all their nights. With their power charged into them, they let them loose as those crimson-turned arrows soared towards the copycat with deadly precision.

In the next moment, the barrier that protected Richard's copycat shattered as those Hruntings then turned it into a human-sized pin cushion as those arrows pierced through its torso.

It soon falls down to the ground but Richard decided to spare no mercy because he knew it would do everything it would to kill him and he won't place his faith in anything else.

Step 6: Wield a fist of iron

He took out his revolver but not just any normal revolver, one that he carried alongside him for so long and haven't used in such a while that he almost forgot about it. The 'HE .44 Magnum', a custom-crafted weapon with high-explosive rigged into the bullets themselves. And plus, it is already powerful in itself. 6 bullets... more than enough to kill even a Servant.

He then grips the 'big iron' tightly in his hand as then hips fire the revolver while fanning the hammer. The bullets struck straight into the exposed back of the copycat as it desperately tries to pull itself up. As those bullets then dug into its body, Richard placed his finger on the remote detonator built into the gun itself.

Step 7: Raise hell

With a single push of his detonator, the copycat blew up into oblivion and soon there is no longer any of its traces. Just azure dust scattered and soon they can't even tell what was originally belong or just there from the beginning.

Richard landed on the ground once more as he averted his gaze away from where the clone once was. With a solemn look on his face, he said it beneath his lips.

"Step 8... Freedom..." Richard said before his body gave out from the intense combat.

"Richard!" Shirou shouted as he pulls Richard up from his knee and carries him by the shoulder

"If this is just you then I really fear what everyone else might be.". Kuro said as she tried to grab her breathes back after fighting in such an intense fight like that and they didn't even fight the main boss yet.

"Where's Pierce? I didn't see him when my copycat came in to kill me." Richard said as he went into a panic as he looks for his Master.

"Over there!" Kuro said as she saw someone standing still while their clone is attacking them fiercely without stopping. But... it seems that the clone's intelligence is left to be desired.

And the fact that it was copied from Pierce doesn't make it a much hard opponent at all and thus they decimated Pierce's clone without any complication. After they managed to clear the clone away. Richard approaches his Master and checks up on his condition.

"Master! Are you alright?" Richard asked his Master as he tried to check up on any external injury.

"Don't worry, I'm fine... As long as I moved slowly, none of its attacks could harm me anyway. I knew that you would manage to clear yours" Pierce said as he puts his hand on his Servant's shoulder.

Richard lets out a sigh of relief but he knew this is still far from over. They are just halfway into this fight and the hardest part hasn't even come yet. If they falter now, there won't be a snowball chance in hell that they would ever survive what Alice-demiurge would throw at them and it might not even be the strongest attack at all.

Meanwhile, Simo is fighting tooth and nail against his clone despite he already has a solution in his mind. How? He basically is going to use his NP to sidestep the barrier enveloped around it and blew his clone's head cleanly from the inside. But the hardest part is the fact that he has to get the perfect moment to finish it off. After all, the clone has that same capability as him and thus it might do the same to him. And the worst part, he doesn't have any external protection to grant him protection should he fuck up.

"Nya! Mr. Insomaniac!" Taiga yelled from behind him as she joined the fray while trying to assist Simo himself.

"At least speaks his name correctly, Taiga!" Miyu said as she fires many beams of mana at Simo's clone.

Of course, that Simo's copycat would evade all of them in an acrobatic manner as it quickly fires at them. But Simo's mind started to scream as both of them keep fighting it while still remaining oblivious to what it could do.

"Be careful! It could blow a hole cleanly through your head!" Simo yelled at them as he quickly approaches.

"What are you saying? I can't hear you over the sounds of my whirling naginata that is about to make a smoothie out of this clone!" Taiga said as if all those words he said just cleanly flew over her head like water over duck feather.

"No!" Simo yelled as his fear over the worst possible outcome played out in his mind. He was a loner so that no one will be unnecessarily dragged into his conflict and yet... he afraid to witness the next second.

But his eyes remained peeled either way and he can't avert from it. But something completely unbelievable happened instead.

As she rushes headlong into his copycat, the clone used replication of his Noble Phantasm on her. But... the bullet instead of blasting her head away, just have to appear right behind her head and completely miss her. At that moment, he realized an inherent weakness in it.

It can only work effectively against targets that were standing still.

Simo saw it as he quickly takes advantage of the fact he learned. He circled around it while its focus was still on Taiga and Miyu.

Both Miyu and Taiga are fighting their best against Simo's clone but it is clear that up-close and personal isn't effective against it unless they could destroy the barrier around it in a single strike.

The clone whipped out the submachine gun and quickly spray its bullets against Miyu and Taiga. The little magical girl quickly responded by using the power of Kaleidostick to create a barrier out of mana to block those attacks. She expected those bullets to somehow shatter the barrier because of how dangerously powerful Alice is and she thought it would most likely apply to those clones. But it seems that her authority doesn't extend to them which is thankful that it isn't the case.

While the clone is still focusing on the two of them, Simo took advantage of the situation and quickly gets behind it while it is still unaware of him. As he about to aim his Mosin-Nagant at the copycat, the thing somehow knew what is going on and quickly retaliate before he has a chance to pull the trigger. As the attention was suddenly shifted to him, he ended up being returned to square one as he now finds himself fighting it like before with the situation completely not in his favor.

As the clone moved away from the lockdown that Taiga and Miyu attempted to enforce, the chance of them to take down the clone started to move out of their grasp. They don't want to risk losing the chance but can't afford to lose anyone either. They are left on their own now, no more guiding fate that bends things into their favor any longer.

Simo tried to zero-in on his clone. But his own precision is being used against him as that very infallible accuracy of his is making the attempt to have a clear shot become more perilous with each second passes.

How in the exact fuck did the moment of finding a clear weakness just returned him back to square one in the first place!?

As he swerves through the precisive shots that barely scrape his clothes, his mind is forced to process an ungodly amount of information that he felt like he is going to throw up. But even then, he has to find a way out of this.

As the balance is starting to be thrown off the rail, a single decision was reached. He then started to charge at his clone in a straight line. It appears to be a fatal decision as it means the clone could easily finish him off with a single well-placed shot of the Noble Phantasm of his.

He is going to have his brain blew out of his mind and that sight isn't remotely funny. As his doom draws near, it appears that his fate was sealed.

appears...

He blinked at Miyu as if to give her a signal of sorts. Miyu didn't quite understand it but her mind quickly realized what he is getting at.

She then quickly pump as much mana into the Kaleidostick as much as she could then discharge them all at once in a form different than the usual energy beam.

Oath Under Snow.

A blizzard was unleashed right from the wand itself as it quickly swept over the position of Simo and his clone. The clone fired while applying the bullet right into where it thinks Simo is.

A sickening splat then followed and the sounds of fading then heard. And then... it was just silence as the snowstorm finally disappeared revealing who is the victor of this desperate struggle.

A hazy figure remains as both Taiga and Miyu look in anticipation. The figure turned towards them as it slowly approaches. Both of them raised their guard in case of contingency but it seems like the victor of this fight is entirely clear.

It was Simo... The actual one in the flesh and blood.

At that moment, they all let out a sigh of relief that they managed to take down such a fearsome foe without much complication.

"Woohoo! You rock! How did you manage to sidestep the barrier that protects those clones? It took me a damn way too long to break those barriers and yet you just killed it without even do so!" Taiga said as she could harshly believe it.

"Just how my Noble Phantasm works. I blinked out of its line of sight then used my Noble Phantasm right at the back of its head. Mine allows me to have my bullets appear anywhere in their trajectory. Allowing ones to completely ignore the protection. The thing is... it required the right condition to use it to the full extent like how you just saw." Simo explained to them as he placed his guns back at their slots.

"So that's how it is! But hold on... How did Miyu get what you are trying to get at!?" Taiga said as she felt there is a whole lot not being explained.

"Just say that it was my instinct and understanding... I am also the one who did extensive research on WW2 war heroes with Sitonai after all." Miyu explained to Taiga.

"Either way, we would need to find the others and help them, the faster we could wipe out those clones, the faster we could to deal with Alice.". Simo said as he quickly scouts around the surroundings as if to find a certain someone.

And just within seconds, he found someone important to him is also fighting the same fight. Anastasia...

Ice crystals fly everywhere like a hailstorm as they mercilessly fragging like an unforgiving and unrelenting barrier that separates the empty world and Lostbelts. Simo quickly joined the fray and the snowstorm around them is the perfect cover that will help him immensely.

Both of them tried to use Viy against each other but unfortunately, they ended up canceling each other because they were of the same nature. It's like two exact punch collided and stopped each other.

Anastasia is a powerful mage but her magecraft has little room to improve or to turn it into some creative attacks that would help her turn the tide. Other than creating snowstorms, glacier rains, throwing icicle pillars. There is hardly any room for her to defeat her own self at all. They could fight to a standstill but to defeat yourselves? That's another different story.

Simo already stepped into the patch of snow left behind by their conflict, but he also realized that intense hail sitting in between them and him left no room for him to blink in safely. He might end up have something pierced into as he appeared there.

"Quite a troublesome situation you found there, right?" Someone spoke to him from behind.

He turned around and saw a couple standing behind him. It was Kiritsugu and Iri.

"You are thinking about trying to breach into that eye of the storm, right?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Jii-san! Okaa-san!" Miyu said as she approaches her father and mother.

"OH, my little bundle of joy... I thought you got dragged into a fight against yourselves!" Irisviel said in happiness just as when she learned of her current situation.

"I'm fine but how does would Simo be able to intercept Anastasia's clone if everything around them is a hail of fatal fragmenting shards?" Miyu asked

"It's either we somehow blew away the storm or someone has to jump in and intercept the epicenter. Our choice is limited and none of them are feasible." Kiritsugu said as he assesses the situation.

"How long do you give or take that I would last in there?" Simo said as he looks into the glacial storm that surrounds the battle between Anastasia and her clone.

"Not even a second... Those glacial shards would cut and dice you up into a fine mist faster than a meat grinder." Taiga said with a serious tone that none even expected from her, maybe except for Shirou but she acted the opposite of that for so long that it becomes jarring to see otherwise.

"Good, does anyone have a Noble Phantasm that can keep me alive until then?" Simo asked with a smirk on his face.

Irisviel raised her hands, everyone would have to pitch in everything they have if they want to have any resembling chance of survival. She then focuses her power as she then floats into the air. The grail metaphysically appeared in front of her as she seems to sing something in a language that no one has a bother to understood. The grail's radiance then lights down upon them as they felt their strength suddenly returned and their vitality skyrocketed beyond recognition. They felt completely different than before as if all those fatigues just left their bodies.

Simo bathed himself under it before he turned his sight on the storm itself. With all of these preparations, he then blinked into the storm itself. One moment he is there, the next he vanished. Nobody else could see what's beyond the glacial storm so all they can do is wait.

Tension started to rise and despite none of them are in it, they felt a cold chill went into their spines. Success or failure, nobody could foretell. They all hope that he would make it since this is the best they could do.

And right when he vanished, he reappeared but holy does he looks like he just went through hell itself. His body was lacerated due to millions of glacial shards that cut through him, many icicles pierced straight through his torso and some looks like it just bust through his spine.

He coughed out blood as bloody tears flow from his eyes. With a single breath, he then collapsed into the snowy ground. Upon seeing that, Irisviel quickly tries to extract all of the icicles out of the wound and heal them up. Thankfully that his vital sign is still there or he might as well be dead.

The storm in front of them died down and a hazy figure came out of it. They gazed with a focused look as they hold their guards in case of emergence. They could tell it was Anastasia but don't want to risk that it was the actual clone and not the real one.

And when the aftermath is cleared, the figure's identity is confirmed. After that, they let out a sigh of relief that Simo managed to do it. It was the real Anastasia and she seems to be dumbfounded when she heard a gunshot as something splatter into a sickening sound with the battle then come to an abrupt end.

But when she saw Simo being injured and lying there on the ground, she gasped in worry before quickly approaches him.

Simo opened his eyes dimly as the pain still feels overwhelming but this would have been far worse if he rushes in there without Irisviel's help.

"Simo! Are you alright!?" Anastasia said as she kneels down to watch his condition.

"His condition is grave but at least he could get back to fighting capable when given enough time. If he has rushed in without asking for our help, he might have been crippled for the rest of this battle or even straight-up dying." Kiritsugu explained the condition to Anastasia.

Anastasia still looked at him with worried eyes. She was unable to fight her own battle and yet... he saved her. Just like when she did so for him in that hazy and distant past memory of her.

"Anastasia... go help the others... just like I did for you..." Simo said painfully to her when he managed to dimly open his eyes.

"Yeah... This first phase isn't even remotely over. As long as those clones are alive, Alice will remain untouchable no matter what." Taiga said with a serious frown.

"So it is declared then... I will stay with Iri because I don't put much faith that I could handle anything alone here as proven by how everyone managed to slay their clones. Do whatever you can but never too reckless." Kiritsugu said

Both Miyu and Taiga nodded before they depart. Anastasia wanted to do something but on one hand, she wanted to go and help the others but on the other, she wanted to stay by his side.

"Ana... Don't just stand there and do nothing... If there is something you can do then just do so. I would be happy regardless." Simo said to her with a weak smile on his face.

When she heard what Simo has to say, she wipes her tears away and stood up. Before she leaves, she looked at him for one more time before she would go.

"I'll do what I could..." Anastasia said before she left.

Simo lets out a sincere smile before his eyelids shut on themselves. As Iri is trying her best to patch it up, Kiri looks at Alice as his mind is analyzing everything it could. He then gazed into Natalia before letting out a grunt.

"Can't win when play on the even ground. If she uses time and fate as her weapon, then I shall disarm them from her grasp." Kiritsugu said beneath his breath.

There is no such thing as even ground when you are fighting something beyond than any divine could muster. And he has one solution in mind.

A certain distance away, Illya is fighting back against her clone who is using that same Second Magic power as her. As their attacks collided into a massive and stellar spectacle. Both of them refused to step down for one reason, Illya so that she won't die after getting this far and the clone... is just there to stop her.

She tried to be mature and level-headed but one could see through her that she is still very much have those childish tendencies and immaturity that her chance of beating her own clone is non-existent.

Berserker! Include!

Both of them then traced the same sword-ax that Heracles used as a weapon, they attacked at the same time as the shock from the collision can be felt despite the azure abyss held almost no substance but the azure dust.

Their respective sword-ax continue to grind against one another as both of them reserved no restrain at all as they pushed forward with all their might against each other. But there started to show signs of Illya started to waver as her own stamina is dwindling from all of these extended duelings.

The sword-ax within Illya's hands flew away as the clone managed to force its way. It then prepared to quickly finish her off with an overhead smash. That's what is supposed to happen until...

Two pillars of ice appear seemingly out of nowhere when Illya's clone is about to do her in and it quickly crushes it between the two pillars. Illya got surprised by the turn of events that just occurred as she stumbled on the spot and then she quickly tries to control her breathing to calm down. Then... A Servant approaches her... It was Anastasia.

"Hey, are you alright? That was really close..." Anastasia said as she lends her hand to pull Illya up.

Illya accepted her help and then gets back on her feet quickly. Just as when she did so, the clone breaks out of the ice pillars and started to use the copy Kaleidostick and attacked her with countless energy beams homing on them.

Anastasia saw so and quickly said something beneath her lips and then...

Glacial Mirror

A wall of pristine and clear ice formed right in front of them. It was of such quality that both Anastasia and Illya could see their reflection on it. In the next moment, they felt the impact on the ice mirror itself as those beams collided with it like a carpet bombing that is happening at close quarter. Soon, the ice wall gave out and collapsed but Anastasia quickly takes advantage of the moment and quickly used her Viy to lock its sight on Illya's clone.

Surprisingly, Viy's gaze does count as an "attack" when the clone is still moving despite Viy's forcing its control over it. But if there is any good news, it is the fact that Viy's gaze will most likely shatter the barrier around Illya's clone in a decent amount of time if Illya could hold her own for a considerable amount of time.

"I'm sorry to say this but you are going to hold that clone back on your own!" Anastasia said as she quickly falls back.

"What!?" Illya said as she was confused at what Anastasia just said.

The clone then quickly lunged towards her with that same sword-ax and Illya quickly deflected that blow. It however then ignores her before it changed its target to Anastasia herself. It saw her more as a threat than how Illya is right now and it is plainly clear that both of them have to work with each other to beat it.

And that also means Illya has to change her tactic, now!

She then reaches for the Class Cards that she hidden within her magical girl dress. With a single moment, she whipped out a card with a painting swordman engraved into it.

Saber! Install!

In a flash, a bright light engulfed her as its power fused into her body. Right in the next moment, she quickly charges toward the clone like a flash of light and bashed it away before it would reach Anastasia.

"Illya?..." Anastasia said in surprise as the magical girl in front of her turned into a certain knight.

"Are you okay!? Don't tell me that you got hurt somewhere, right!?" Illya said to her as she tried to make sure that Anastasia is alright.

"I'm okay but... you changed..." Anastasia said as she harshly believes the Illya in front of her.

"Well... I'm not the Magical Girl Illya anymore, I am Illya the King of Knight!" Illya said as she quickly turns around and deflected another attack from her clone, but this time almost effortlessly.

Her sword is shrouded by a wind that completely conceals its form and appearance. But its might and radiance can be felt despite witnessing no such thing.

Illya then charges toward her clone as she then duked it out against it. The weapon she is using right now is in fact the Excalibur. The Saber card is without a doubt the strongest among all of her cards but they burn out her mana extremely quickly if used in quick successions. But this place here is the Azure Abyss and the amount of mana here is practically unlimited in which allows her to go wild with it. Just whether or not her body could handle the strain of doing so.

But considering that she uses the Kaleidostick in the first place, there is no doubt that she has already gone through worse.

As the fight between both of them intensified, Anastasia finds that it became harder for her to keep up when the crossfire between them is decimating everything around if this place isn't an abyss already. She tried to signal to Illya but the fight between is far more deafening than anything her vocal cord could produce.

"Invisible Wind!" Illya shouted to the top of her lung as she swings her sword with all of her might.

The swing of her sword created a massive torrent of gust that blew her clone away. At least for a moment... Anastasia then quickly approaches her and tried to think of a way to finish this fight quickly.

"Illya! I think I have an idea here... I want you to push me as far as you can into the height above!" Anastasia asked Illya.

"What?! What are you trying to achieve by doing so!?" Illya asked as she didn't exactly have the same idea as her.

"Just do it!" Anastasia yelled as she saw the clone is about to lunge at them again.

Illya decided to oblige her request without further obligation. Anastasia then jumped on her blade then Illya quickly pushes her up as high as she possibly could.

And just in time when the clone attacked her once more. As Illya deflected each attack with perfect precision and unparalleled swordsmanship, Anastasia slowly creates a snowstorm around herself as she focuses as much power as she can on her own spell.

Within the following second, a spire of ice formed beneath her feet as she then dived straight down with it as the spearhead.

Illya noticed the massive spire of ice falling down towards them and her clone is about to zero-in on her. Right at that moment, she quickly used the Invisible Wind to maximum output as she created a tornado right at her position as it sucks her clone up into the sky.

As the Invisible Wind dragged the clone up, Anastasia quickly used Viy to try to force a lock upon it so that the ice spire might be able to land right into it. Even if she doesn't know if it worked or not, she managed to land the spire right on it either way. And to add more insult to injury, she quickly spins the spire as fast as she could and turned the spire into a drill that threatens to shatter the barrier and left it vulnerable to all attacks.

Illya then tried to increase the power to the Invisible Wind as the clone started to spin in the opposite direction to the icicle drill that Anastasia is using. At this point, it became nothing but assured that the clone's demise is guaranteed.

The barrier shattered as the spire impaled through the clone's torso as Anastasia then proceed to kick it down into the ground. Left with nothing to fend for itself, it was Illya's chance to finish off once and for all.

She then dispels the Invisible Wind as it revealed the Excalibur in itself. She then charges her mana into it and the blade turned into a radiant light that shines across the abyss itself. So much that it was visible to everyone else.

She then focuses all of it towards one target, her clone that was impaled by Anastasia's massive icicle and falling down towards her. With all her might, she swung the blade while yelled to the point it pushes her vocal cord to the limit.

Excalibur!

The beam of light rushes toward the clone and decimated it and the icicle spire in a single flash, like a flash of light within the abyss itself, literally. There was no trace remaining of it.

After confirming the destruction of her clone, she collapsed to her knee and returned back to her Magical Girl form with the Saber Card lies in front of her.

"Illya? Are you alright?" Anastasia asked after she landed nearby her.

"I'm fine... I'm just... gonna rest up a bit..." Illya said tiredly.

Only four left to go, but they knew the two hardest fights aren't even remotely anywhere close to them at all. But no matter what they may face, they can't allow themselves to falter after fighting this far.

"Illya, I will go to assist the others, we will be needing everything just for the big bad!" Anastasia said before she left.

Illya stood up and picked up the Class Card once more before placing it back to where it was supposed to be. She looked up as everything around her is just the Root's residual and the vast abyss across. She wonders... just when did she got caught up fighting something that is far beyond her capability?

Meanwhile, Desmond's clone is attacking... Focus on the word "attacking" because Desmond attacking anybody else is as blasphemous as saying Lucifer is God.

While Desmond is just there evading attacks. Even if it managed to land a hit on him, it will be so pitifully weak that it might not even matter.

Simo approaches the 'fight' between them and lets out a sigh. He aimed the Black Barrel Mosin of his right at the head of the clone and just pull the trigger. As his bullet skips the path of its trajectory, it appeared right in Desmond's clone's head and blew it apart from the inside. It was that simple...

Because a Support trying to DPS is never a good idea in the first place, especially when one is built entirely around it.

After freeing Desmond from his 'fight' with his clone. Simo quickly looks for the least horrible fight that is still remaining. Sitonai... That's right... Sitonai is a far more preferable choice to intercept and assists than even Arnold and Alfin who is supposedly far weaker than her! While imitating a divine is a Herculean task but to Alice, that might as well be as simple as breathing.

While Sitonai is fighting against her clone, she doesn't even know if there is any weakness that she may deliberately exploit at all. The fact that she has no visible and apparent weakness makes this whole thing far more tedious than how she may even admit it.

"Damn it, why am I have to be strong that not even I could defeat myself!?" Sitonai said as her swords clashes against her clone's sword.

Simo just needs to jump in at the right moment and the problem would resolve itself. But this is a goddess, not any mortal human that he has ever encountered and thus there might be going to be something preventing it be effective.

"Freeze!" Sitonai yelled as she channels her ice power and froze the entirety of her surrounding areas into a massive block of ice.

Simo took advantage of that situation and quickly aims his gun while the clone still remains stationary. Quickly activating his Noble Phantasm, he pulled the trigger knowing that the Black Barrel will decimate any divine that stood in its path.

But... perhaps... he should have known that imitating the divine doesn't mean they are actually divine themselves. Like reaching the moon sounds like something a god could only do but rockets that could reach there also exist and they aren't divine.

The bullet bypassed the barrier but Sitonai's clone's head didn't blow up like how they expected to be like the others. In fact, he just pissed the clone off as it now then charges toward him without reservation.

"What!?" Simo said as the clone is about to zero-in on him at any moment.

Sitonai quickly jumped in and dragged Simo off before he got cleaved in half by her clone. Sitonai looked at the clone who is now pursuing her with a worrying expression.

"Kamui Miracle... Can't believe that it would be used like that..." Sitonai said as she rides her polar bear away.

What makes Simo's Noble Phantasm powerful is the fact that it ignores conventional durability by warping the bullet straight into the victim and skips through anything within its trajectory. It is very useful against those who have external defense mechanisms but not so much if said target's defensive power is tied directly into themselves. In this case, he ignores the barrier outright but Sitonai's Kamui Miracle completely circumvented it. The bullet might be inside her but unless he fills her brain completely with lead, it won't do anything much to hinder.

The polar bear then proceeds to toss him away to a safe distance away as Sitonai quickly follows up into a sword duel with her own clone. While he is still relatively fine, he felt defeated when his most powerful move just got circumvented like that.

"Simo? Are you okay?" A kind voice spoke to him.

Simo turned around and saw Anastasia beside him. She lends him a hand in which he accepted and pulled him up.

"You seem to be dealing with something right now, right?" Anastasia asked.

"Yeah... Not that easy trying to fight a goddess at all... Any idea?" Simo said as he looked into the clash between Sitonai and her clone.

Anastasia thought for a while as she placed her finger on her cheek. She never has anything that would allow her to slay a god nor her capability would allow her. Viy is definitely a powerful entity but hardly anything could surpass a Divine Spirit in power.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She looked at Simo straight into his eyes as hers are flashing and starry.

"I have an idea, and it would also complement Sitonai's ability by a lot. You know what I am talking about?" Anastasia said to him.

"I don't exactly good at quizzes or stuff like this... Just be straight with me already." Simo said to her with a shrug.

"You know what we did when we were supposed to wait for the Chaldeans to arrive?" Anastasia said with an unamused expression.

That's when Simo finally gets what Anastasia is trying to say, took him long enough that it did.

"I see then... Shall we dance?" Simo said as he extended his hand to her in which she grabbed while giving him a reassuring nod.

She then used her magecraft power and quickly created a massive surface of ice extending outward from her location towards everywhere else. It reached Sitonai's clash against her clone in a blink of an eye and even extend further towards the horizon.

And while she did so, she also gave both of them skating shoes made entirely out of ice. Simo thought it is supposed to be completely hard-ass and uncomfortable but it was far from that. It felt completely fit and as if it was an extension of himself.

"Let's do this..." Anastasia said before both of them then started to move toward the clash.

"But how exactly would figure skating could be combat applicable?" Simo asked out of genuine concern.

"Because if we don't use our ingenuity... we might as well not consider ourselves as Servants. Think of something then apply it to your very movement itself." Anastasia said before she moves head-on.

"Anastasia! Wait!" Simo said before he followed her.

Anastasia made the first shot as she quickly pulled a roundhouse kick into the clone's temple from the blindside despite nowhere as athletics than how she was supposed to be in life. Needless to say that the intercepting blow assisted Sitonai to quickly push the clone back away.

Sitonai then puts her blade away as she then throws her own body at the clone at completely wrapped around its face. She then took advantage of it and uppercut her own clone straight into the jaw below and threw her across a distance from the mere power of it alone. Even if the barrier completely stopped all of its inflicted damage, it would definitely feel it regardless.

Simo quickly lunged at the clone while it is still lying on the ground as he then plunged the bayoneted Mosin of his straight into the chest of the clone but of course, the barrier stopped it instantly. That is when he decided to hold himself up on top of the gun itself as he then quickly twists his body along with the gun itself like a drill that is piercing into the earth.

Upon realizing what Simo is trying to do, Sitonai's clone seems about to do something as something started to materialize nearby. When Anastasia and Sitonai tried to intercept, it was already too late as the "polar bear" then knocked him away with its clawing sweep, leaving a slashing wound across his chest. He is still fine but that is definitely painful no matter how one twists it.

"Damn you!" Anastasia said as she quickly tried to approach Simo to make sure that he is fine. She also activated Viy to attack the clone as its gaze is also considered as an attack and thus will whittle down the barrier quickly.

The clone noticed what Anastasia is doing and thus pursue her as it rode on the clone polar bear that it created. Anastasia then proceeds to quickly fall back by skating away while having Viy locking its gaze on it as long as she could. As Sitonai quickly jumps into the fray to impede her clone as it may require.

Simo then tried to help her despite his wound is still healing by approaching her. At least he will find a way to make sure nothing bad is going to happen as he will also prevent them from stacking atop each other.

The barrier keeps weakening, Sitonai's clone started to become even far more desperate, or at least that is what it tried to emulate. Anastasia just keeps skating away while Sitonai keeps impeding it. As if a sudden burst of strength was unleashed, it bypassed and evaded Sitonai's attacks and quickly zero-in toward the caster. Unable to find any way of getting out of the situation, all she could do was let out a scream before her inevitable demise befalls her.

That's what is supposed to happen but someone else has a different idea. The bear's claw was about to slash her apart but in just the next moment did she disappeared from that spot.

Still feeling something is trying to stop it on the spot. It quickly looked around and saw Simo and Anastasia have already stayed away from it a certain distance away. Without any self-preservation, it then charges toward them without showing any sign of stopping. However, both Simo and Ana already have their idea.

Simo grabbed her by the waist before he begins to skate away from Sitonai's clone. He then tossed her up into the sky and Anastasia quickly spins around herself and used her own magecraft at the same time. The result is that they created a frigid mist that Sitonai's clone found no hesitation to jump in thinking that they have no escape. That's a wrong move that has no words to tell how bad it just has to fall for.

Simo then proceeds to blink out of sight while the mist covered him. Anastasia was tossed up by twenty meters up and thus if the clone wants to catch her, it has to jump. And... it did so without thinking ahead and thus their trap is about to spring upon it.

As it decided to jump straight from the bottom up through the frigid mist itself. With only Anastasia in its sight, it is about to swing its across and slash her into two. But once again, just give something an unfair advantage doesn't mean shit if it can't prevent itself from making the same mistake twice.

Simo appeared like a flicker with his Mosin aimed squarely at the clone's head. With a single trigger pull, a pierce sensation was felt and he blinked away as fast just as when he pulled the trigger. Feeling the full power of the gun itself, the clone got blasted down into the ice rink platform below them. Only then did Anastasia started to fall and then Simo appeared once more and caught her in his embrace before the two of them continue to skate as if nothing happened.

"Twist lift..." Anastasia whispered as she looked at where the clone landed or more exactly... impacted.

Amidst the icy dust that scattered from the impact point. The clone once more burst out of it as it then quickly tried to lunge toward both of them. Simo then grabbed her palm as she straightens her stance out. He then bents his knee and puts his stance into 'full pivot position'. As the clone quickly zero-in toward them without any signs of stopping, Simo anchored his skating shoe into the ice platform beneath and fully extend his arm as Anastasia then started to spin around him while holding onto his hand.

As their speed started to accelerate faster, Simo then applied all of his might as they together formed into a 'backward outside' death spiral. With the Sitonai's clone came charging without reservation, Anastasia then applied her magecraft into the death spiral itself as icicles spurts from the ice surface, daring to impale anyone dare to get too close.

But that is just the side effect, the real one is at the skating blade of her shoe. As the azure polar bear burst through the wall of icicles, Simo has already put in so much power that she just straight-up spinning around above the surface itself. And at that moment when both Sitonai's clone and its bear are close, she proceeds to kick them with such a force created from their combination resulted in both the bear and the clone got blasted away with such high speed that it would have resulted in a massive rupture of the sound barrier.

And by the way, the skating blades of her shoe tethered near absolute zero and she applied so much mana into it that it started to affect even the barrier around Sitonai's clone itself. Slowly chipping it away with the sheer cold that she inflicted.

After they basically complete the death spiral, they quickly returned to standing stances immediately. They even saw the clone trying to pull itself up as the barrier is showing signs of weakening to the point it could shatter any moment.

"Let me help you out with this one!" Sitonai said as she summoned her crystalline bow as she aims directly at her clone which is now moving towards them.

Anastasia quickly tried to assist as she then summons Viy and focused its gaze on the clone. If this doesn't shatter the barrier now then nothing will!

The polar bear roared or at least that is what supposed to be. They then charge toward them once again, knowing that this will its last attempt to do anything. Live or die, that's what this moment has ultimately boiled down to.

As the frigid and freezing power converges toward her arrow, Sitonai's eyes refuse to budge away from her clone which is now charging like a feral beast. There is no dignity of the divine that it has left. Just pure feral rage that drives only by instinct.

"You may imitate but you would never be me..." Sitonai whispers beneath her lips before she let loose her arrow.

The moment she ceases her whisper, the barrier that protected the clone shattered. With no hesitation left, Sitonai let loose her arrow as it flew straight and shines like a star that soars across the empty space. With nothing left in its way, the arrows impaled through the clone as the arrow drags the clone along with it into the sky. And within just a few seconds after impalement, the arrow turned entirely into a massive spire of ice with the clone pierced cleanly through.

"So... this is it... It is up to you two to finish off what I did, that thing is as good as dead anyway. You two can do whatever you want with them." Sitonai sadi as she turned away from what her Noble Phantasm just did.

The couple looked at each other in the eyes and then both of them hold their hands together. They then together skate towards the ice spire as they then skate atop of it and reach toward where the clone is.

"Let this dance be reaching the summit of wherever this abyss maybe!" Anastasia shouted before both of them together seemingly doing something which may happen to be magecraft.

When they are about to reach the highest point of the spire, Anastasia quickly used her magecraft and summoned an ice pale right beneath, and pushed both of them into the height above with such a speed that no one could catch. This of course caught the clone in and basically dragged it along with them.

And while they were flying into the endless abyss, Anastasia quickly used her Noble Phantasm once more as she froze the abyss itself into a massive cube of ice despite there was nothing to be frozen. No... The Azerium within the abyss strengthened her power to the point that she froze the fabric of reality itself. Such a tremendous boost is bound to have repercussions regardless of whoever they are but she takes the gamble either way.

They couldn't see the ice platform beneath them at all. They didn't even realize how fast the pale pushed them. To be completely impervious to all harm but from Alice herself makes it felt lofty when something that shouldn't be possible within their capabilities happened.

But what else? This is where they push themselves beyond their limit. It is that and nothing else matter.

And thanks to the effect of Anastasia's Noble Phantasm, Simo's instant movement is now completely unbound. He appeared right beside her as they then together held their hands. Both looked at each other with a look of understanding before moving on toward the very task at hand.

And one more thing... Simo's "blink" isn't teleportation, it is basically moving at such a speed that is so fast that it can't be caught or noticed at all. So much so that such speed transcends even reasoning. And now with the Azerium boosting the mana level by exponentiation, Simo's speed along with those who held onto him become obscenely fast to the point that it broke the law of physic itself.

Within the very dance that no one could ever catch their eyes on. They gracefully skate together as their dance cleave through the massive ice chunk with such force that it could even tear even celestial objects in twain.

That very dance itself was fleeting and brief, it lasted only for like half a minute but to them, it was a dance that lasted like a lifetime. No one is there to observe and they most likely will keep this memory along into their graves. But that is fine... Because they wouldn't ask for anything else.

As the final moment coming closer, they together skate towards the top of the ice chunk itself. As they then together hold their hands together once more. Simo quickly changed into a pivotal position and then as Anastasia held his hand. With their positions in place, they together pulled into a 'death spiral' as the skating edges beneath their feet cleaves across the surface of the giant ice chunk.

And despite none of them cut deep into it, their blades somehow cut through their entity of the ice chunk as if they cleaved through it. With each second of it passes, the more the ice chunk showing its eventual destruction.

The moment they are done with the 'death spiral', they then decided to end this performance with a twist lift... straight into the ice itself.

Simo grabbed her waist as he then threw her into the air. Anastasia then spins gracefully as snow particles spun out of her dress like a calm snowy day. Too bad that where they are now is a far cry from what Simo is seeing now.

As Simo took hold of her once more into his embrace. Both of them then started to spin with each other right there while continuously accelerating without stop. It is their Grand Finale as they turned this planetary-size ice into an innumerable amount of pieces that will scatter across the abyss.

Their speed keeps accelerate and they have already break FTL before they even know it. But that matters little to them as they together descend back into the final battle. With Sitonai's clone terminated, there is barely anything left on their way but Arnold and Alfin's clone. But whether or not they could intervene is a whole different matter. Heck, one might say that is truly the war that they have to overcome by themselves... by their own merits.

Meanwhile... back to Arnold's position. He is fighting back against his clone as it literally countering everything he does. No matter what he does, it does anything that would block or stop him from doing so. He threw a left hook, it throws a right hook and collided with his strike.

He couldn't allow himself to use firearms against this kind of opponent because what else would it do to make this whole thing far more complicated and tedious when firearms are added to the fray?

Their fists collided as the impact created a massive shockwave that can't ever travel far within this abyss. But just by looking at what it did alone send a chill down their spine regardless of whoever they are.

"Calm down, Arnold... You have made it this far... Don't fuck everything up after all you have sacrificed and suffered for." Arnold thought in his mind while he is still brawling against his clone.

It is easy to defeat someone else but to defeat oneself is definitely not something anyone can easily do. Hell... It might be the last thing on the list that they could ever do.

Focusing his breathing and stance, fighting something with his fist and raw strength alone is far from his own forte as well. But compare to gazillions other alternatives, this might be the only best bet he could get.

His fist keeps flying on its own as if he could only spend so little thinking capacity on thinking itself and the rest is just focused entirely on instinct and combat itself. Hell, most of his attacks are what his body subconsciously does just for self-perseverance.

Thousands of everything rush through his mind as it desperately tries to process everything. Both of them are attacking against each other with such a speed that it can't be caught by naked eyes... or even Arnold's eyes at all. It is just as if his mind is subconsciously reading every movement and tried to compensate for that shortcoming of his as hard as it could.

And of course, even his mind would be overloaded eventually as he felt a sharp ache that occurred in his mind and then followed with a punch that will land squarely at his face like a meteor reaching re-entry speed. This is it... he is screwed... Give it an inch and it will take you a mile, it will continuously beat him down without giving him any chance of revolting back. It will be a complete downward spiral toward demise that he has no chance of breaking out.

That's what he thought as his life flashes in front of his eyes. His time perception started to slow down as that fist of demise that rushes toward him now suddenly become so sluggish. And then... The color of his vision went completely inverted. As if any substance of reality ceases to appear.

His mind is screaming like an endless alarm of imminent destruction. One that he has no chance of turning it off. But within that deafening scream of his is something that lies within so hidden that he would have never guess or noticed otherwise. The sound of something resonating with that burning heart of his.

He looked down... and saw the medal that Hitler gave him is shining and resonating within this bleak abyss of azure. Subconsciously and without control, he blurted whatever he has in his mind without noticing it.

Star of Grand Cross

As if overflowing power coursed through his body, his vigor overwhelmed everything else in his conscious mind. Just a single word of power and he suddenly felt as if he is something entirely different.

Time started to flow back into normal. That furious strike about to land on him is now no closer than a hairbreadth. But his raging fury transcended beyond as he broke what is even conceptually accepted as a limit.

He threw a devastating left hook, one so powerful and swift that it broke the law of physics itself by moving faster than even light. No one ever saw it coming, not even Arnold himself.

As that clone of his received such a devastating blow like that, it flew off across a vast distance before skidding across the 'surface'. Arnold stood there trying to rationalize what just happened but at that moment did he truly realize what the medal that he wore means.

"My deepest wish is... To be accepted..." Arnold whispered as he grips on the gold star-shaped medal of his.

The clone of his stood up once more as it then tried to charge toward him with a speed that would make many Servants eat its dust. Arnold stood there calmly, unfazed against his own 'unstoppable' adversary of his.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as if he is meditating despite the oncoming demise of his. As if he knew... that he is stronger...

In just a second, it is already nearby him once more, prepared to throw that devastating punch that would dare to splatter his body so hard that it would straight up atomizing him down to the smallest level.

But the thing is... Arnold has already won. The moment he transcended beyond his self-predetermined limit. He realized his own potential without realizing it either. His time perception slowed down and even the clone's killing move now moves as sluggishly like a rock that was placed in place.

Last Promise

And within just a time divided down to the barest, he punched the clone with such a speed that it would flat out break physics itself. And that force was powerful enough to sunder the earth itself into oblivion. He opened his eyes once more, and there was only emptiness behind them. Entered an almost trance-like state with each movement contained his unbridled and unhampered strength that is beyond all words to describe, he then rushes toward it at such a speed that not even the clone itself could react in time.

When it tried to move any of its body parts, Arnold has already landed multiple devastating blows at such a speed that it is physically impossible to comprehend. So much so that he left afterimages of himself whenever any of his attacks landed on the clone. There were dozens then hundreds then thousands of them in just a span of a second. None of them were a repeat of each other.

And to make it even more impactful. Those attacks aren't just ordinary martial arts or something subconscious either. They were imbued with an angelic grace that is out of this world with each movement of his leaving behind trails of ethereal and heavenly feathers as they dissipate into nothingness the moment they touched the 'ground'. Those attacks aren't just anything normal either for even a single blow is critically breaking the barrier by themselves.

And with each of his successful attacks, the medal on his shirt started to glow in some kind of aura. And then eventually, the barrier that protected the clone shattered like brittle glass. With the tide turned upon it, Arnold let out a straight punch with immense power behind it right into its face squarely. Feeling its full brunt completely, it is quite needless to say, that it will be annihilated.

Arnold took off his cloak then threw it away, he focuses while divine power is congregating entirely into his own fist. He then rushes toward the clone with such a speed that it is flat-out immeasurable, he then proceeds to stomp the 'ground' with such a force that it created a massive shockwave into the fabric of reality itself. And then punches it straight into its own 'guts'

The mere aftershock of that attack is so immense that it felt like a supernova just gone off from his hand alone as it focused entirely into an area the size of his own fist. And when that isn't enough, he focused his power once more on his other hand as he unleashes the final killing blow that will definitely annihilate the clone once and for all.

He unleashes an uppercut straight to below its jaw. With the immense force behind it, it straight up obliterated the clone into oblivion before time could move by the slightest measure. And followed up by the next second is the sound of something shattered. Like fallen glass pieces that befell upon him, a pure white light then shone upon him in this abyss as if he was blessed by the grace of heaven itself.

A strike so powerful it shattered reality itself. Revealing the Root itself as his sheer strength alone shattered the fabric of reality through brute force. Anyone who witnessed him at that moment felt as if they literally saw divine intervention itself. Such a moment like that lasted for only just a few seconds before the fracture rewound itself once more before it is all just the azure abyss around. But those who saw it would revere him for that second alone.

The heavenly feathers that trailed behind him cease to appear as his eyes returned to normal. With his target terminated, he has no need to stay within that trance state of his any longer. He blinked once as he breathed heavily because this is definitely not something he could do when he is conscious like that. At least being that controlled.

He collapsed to his knee in tiredness but at least he knew that he surpassed himself once more. To imagine he could do something like this is far beyond his most outlandish imagination possible but here he is... Beaten himself by a much significant margin.

Star of Grand Cross

And now... There is only one obstacle left... Alfin's clone... and arguably the hardest one to find a solution against.

Blazing chains. buckshot flew everywhere as Alfin is desperately trying to fight against herself. She is already powerful but to go even further seems like a fool ordeal as she couldn't even think of anything else that she could.

Holding the Innocent Sin in her hand, she fired it in volley as the buckshot shreds through everything in her way. But her clone also has the same capability and thus the same strategy is used against her. Whatever she does, the clone will do the same. She can't apply any strategy that is longer than the initial clash before it would copy her.

As her mind screams and wails endlessly against these impossible odds and adversaries, all she could do is to raise the stake until her mind couldn't afford to bet anymore on its burning-out deterioration.

"Keep believing yourselves, you made it this far already... Don't make all your damn efforts gone up in smoke right now!" Alfin's mind screams to herself as she

As those two unleash their attacks against one another. What makes this whole charade so atrociously painful is that if one was weaker than the others, they would have noticed by now. But both of them are just flat copy carbon of one another, their whole clash would ultimately wind up being disfavorably against Alfin. The clone only has her power output but near-limitless mana reserve. She doesn't have that kind of luxury at all and thus if this drags out long enough, she will fail.

Even if she could take it out from the environment right now, who could say that who will burn out their body first from conducting themselves to such an amount like that?

"There has to be a path! There has to be..." Alfin said to herself.

As death's door slowly approaches her with each second elapse. Her mind started to desperately scrounge up for every scrap of memory that may contain the solution. That just how desperate her situation has become.

And then... it flashed in front of her eyes. Something that managed to get through the barrage of information that would dare to overload her mind. It is a gun but one that she doesn't quite grasp where she has seen it.

And then the next second elapsed, a phrase was spoken inside her mind, telling what it was.

Solar Prism

Like a flash of brilliance and insight, she grasped for the thing and dragged it out from her subconscious to reality. Her mind processed all of its parts and even the materials themselves in a blink of an eye. More than the sum of all of its parts, she then proceeds to unleash its might against her clone without hesitation.

They said that the thing was supposed to harness the power of an entire sun within the gun the size of an assault rifle. But in reality, to call it a Solar Prism is an insult to its real power. This thing has more power than the whole galaxy itself converted straight into energy. Azerium's power output is so high that it has to be written in exponents and this is definitely not understated in the slightest.

As the beam of azure is unleashed upon the clone, the mere power of it caused the abyss itself to ripple against this very might that is being unleashed. The clone was completely caught off guard by the very move that Alfin just did and the beam ran over it without stopping.

That's what they assumed... until they saw the beam is being forced back upon.

Alfin's clone basically literally recreated the very same weapon and is now using against her. As two beams collided with one another, pretty much everyone knew that the concentrating power there most likely gonna result in a massive detonation that will most likely gonna scatters them across the abyss. It will not kill them thanks to the Azerium Ward but they might as well be as good as dead because stranding in the void is the worst thing that can happen to them.

Arnold knew it and thus he has to jump into action immediately. But there is very little of what he could do. He has no weapon that has such power of destruction as her or would it ever be wise to intervene with his fist alone.

A sudden flash came from his medal in which caught his attention. The thing shines like a light within the depth of darkness and when he holds it in his hand, he was filled with a sense of purpose. As if holding valor in the physical form itself, he felt as if his strength is returning, all those senses of loss and exhaustion completely gone. As if... there was nothing but a clear direction in the path ahead of him. Like a thread that cut straight through the needle's hole.

He then holds the thing up for everyone else to notice its presence. The moment their gazes landed on the medal, it shines brightly as its radiance bolstered everyone's strength and compels them into moving to surpass their own limits. Although they have already gone beyond their hurdle, they felt cheated when they beat their own clones with others' help.

And its radiance was so foreboding that not even Alfin couldn't let it go unnoticed by her attention. And the moment she felt its presence, she can't help... but to keep pushing forward.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Alfin yelled as she pushes as much power as possible into the gun.

While letting her own clone created that weapon is a double-edged sword. But... that has significantly simplified the very fight itself to firepower measuring contest. Just have a bigger beam and the victor will be decided.

And she has also been given the trump card for this fight. One that will end it decisively.

"Star of Grand Cross!" Arnold yelled as he tries to find any way to assert its true power.

The medal in his hand started to glow in a brilliant radiance that can't be ignored. And as Alfin bathed in its light, her eyes started to glow in the color of 'rainbow' itself as if containing a myriad of colors inside. If one were to gaze at it directly, they would have thought a supernova is contained inside her own eyes.

And perhaps... it truly revealed her own deep-seated connection with the Root due to the Azerium she absorbed into her veins

Shirou barely opened his eyes from the blinding power that was unleashed from the Solar Prism, he looked directly into her eyes although barely from the flash alone. But there is hardly any way to not notice those eyes. He knew of that kind of eyes and there is only one person that he knew that has such a thing...

"Void Shiki". Shirou muttered before he closes his once more.

Alfin yelled as she pushes forward toward her clone. Suddenly, as if asserting her own will into the very reality itself. She froze everything down into its molecule with her own presence alone. The abyss shattered revealed the absolute, pure white nothingness as those fragments of reality scattering like flower petals on a windy day.

Putting the Solar Prism away, she slowly approaches her own clone, still holding the copy of the Solar Prism in place while holding the trigger. Unfortunately though... She has basically done something unbelievable. As if she became the Void itself.

As she makes her way toward the clone, she carried nothing else on her hands nor wielding anything at all. As if her victory was so ascertained that any weapon is just unnecessary.

When she is finally close, she just swings her arm through the clone. And just like that, it crumbled entirely into dust and scattered into the nothingness. Bypassed through her own mortal limit, to call her an incarnation of the Void itself is definitely not stretching it.

With a blink of her eyes, she returned back to the abyss itself. With everyone looking at her standing right at where the clone once was. It all happened in an instant as they couldn't comprehend what just happened just now. No one could guess what happened but Shirou has managed to witness a bare glimpse of 'rainbow' within those eyes her.

"Shall we take this fight to the next phase... shall we?" Alfin said as she turned toward Azure Alice-demiurge who is still seemingly motionless in the distance.

There is no more clone left that stood between them and her, the fight can now be taken directly to her but what makes them worry is what fighting her will be like. Those divine power and immeasurable strength. They wonder if even the Azerium Wards can even protect them from being obliterated in mere moments.

"It doesn't matter anymore. It is now or never!" Arnold shouted as he roused everyone together to continue the fight.

They have made it this far already, they can't afford to be discouraged after all these hardships that they went through to suddenly give up. A consensus was reached and all it was left to deal the blow to her.

Everyone quickly focuses all their might to bring about the strongest possible attacks that they could physically do within their capability. The siblings focused their power together in order to recreate the Excalibur although it might never reach that same power the original has. Sitonai draws out her bow to the maximum level as she aimed squarely on the goddess's head.

Kiritsugu tried to focus entirely on the Blade of Severing and prepared to go for the highest time alter modifier that he and his wife could potentially withstand. Taiga is once more prepared to use her Noble Phantasm as she holds the naginata high. Miyu is preparing to use her Noble Phantasm to amplify everyone's else power although it may come at the cost of her own.

Richard took out his Gatling gun and prepared to charge as much of his power as he could. Larry with his hand placed on the trigger of the Black Barrel Muramasa as he waits for the perfect moment to unleash the blade's might against it. Pierce and Desmond whose power are too little to matter and thus has little choice but to stand there and wait patiently.

Simo gives Anastasia a boost as he pushes her to sky-high as she prepares to activate her Noble Phantasm once more. Arnold is focusing on his breathing so that he might be able to perform that same moves as before. It may not be a Noble Phantasm but to say that it isn't one of his proudest moments is a lie.

And Alfin is seemingly trying to channel something within her mind. Her eyes have already returned to normal but she is trying to reach out for it once more. The true height of her power within the apex of heaven itself.

"Now!" Gudao yelled as he commanded his Servants to initiate now.

Right after Gudao said it, Miyu used her Noble Phantasm as she directly took advantage of her own nature, more specifically... Child of God. This allows her to grant any wish indiscriminately without caring about the consequence that may follow. This however will burn straight into her own life force due to the extreme amount of mana it requires. Fortunately though... she is within the Azure Abyss and thus the environment alone completely filled out its cost and thus it went about without a hitch.

As the ritual is completed, the three siblings quickly unleash the might of the Excalibur with everything they could together muster. Shirou's tracing of it is an imperfect copy and completely inferior to the real one. But with thanks to the excess amount of mana of the Azure Abyss, they managed to push real close to the original. Combined with the power of the Holy Grail belongs to Illya, the holy blade itself unleashes into a pillar of light as it slammed down upon Azure Alice-demiurge.

Right as when the light of the holy blade extinguished, Kiritsugu then jumped into the fray as he pushes for the highest that he might be able to withstand. There were very few times that he is pushed beyond his limit and that is when he has to gamble everything he has. All in or else...

time alter hyper accel

Accelerating his time to 3 to the power of 3 or 27 times normal. He moved with a speed that far surpass everyone's perception. Like a literal flash that existed for not even more than a second.

But what he did can't even be thought to be possible. As the Blade of Severing in his hand is doing what is far beyond its supposed ability.

It severed the fabric of reality itself as his slash leaving lasting scars and dis-alignments upon the space around Azure Alice-demiurge. To everyone else, it happened so fast that they couldn't physically comprehend. But to the couple that initiated it, it was a whole different matter.

The pain... even though Avalon and Excalibur healed all of them down as fast as it could before damage could form visibly. It didn't do anything about the pain that is tearing both their minds and souls apart like confetti. The moment afterward, those scars that he inflicted shatter the reality itself like glass as it rewound itself quickly afterward. But the damage he inflicted remain as both Kiritsugu and Iri collapsed to the ground as the pain finally caught them.

Upon that moment, Sitonai quickly followed up as she unleashes her ice arrow that was charged to the point it starts to shine like a celestial body. As the frigid bolt moves toward the divine being with such a speed that it would have caused massive havoc if fired elsewhere. The sheer temperature of the thing alone makes its surrounding froze in their entirety.

As the bolt impale the goddess straight through the torso, its power then discharged in the entirety and encased it in a massive pillar of ice that would dare to freeze anything it touched.

Taiga then jumped to the fray as she unleashes her Noble Phantasm upon it. A massive tiger palm, a few times larger than the size of her body. It radiates such heat that it felt like one is being near the sun. And for once... it isn't too far off either.

She then proceeds to lunge at the ice pillar as she continuously swings the naginata as the tiger palm followed the naginata as if it is an extension of the naginata itself. As the two polar opposite forces collided, it will discharge in the most volatile and violent way possible.

As each strike results in a massive shockwave that visibly shaking the Abyss itself. Taiga continues to lash out against it as each blow crushes through the impossibly cold ice encased the Azure Alice-demiurge, and yet... it surprisingly hasn't taken any action yet.

But it matters little to Taiga as she lets out an overhead strike as the tiger claw slammed down upon the shattering ice. As the claw itself came down like a guillotine, she yelled loudly as if she is putting all her might into it. The moment the tiger claw impacted the ice, it resulted in a thermal shockwave that knocked her away but she is still fine regardless.

Richard quickly joined the fray as he unleashes the might of his Gatling gun upon the divine beings. He just hopes that his Noble Phantasm could somehow manage to apply his enemy's stats and use it against its very target itself. With each bullet fired from his Gatling gun, one could feel the impacting shockwave shaking everything around despite nowhere near its vicinity.

The moment Richard declared that others should follow him up. To add more insult to injury, Anastasia then activated her Noble Phantasm as a surge of mana spread across the atmosphere at such speed that it felt instantaneous. At those moments, the air literally froze as the two balls of unfathomable coldness move towards the ice pillar while they are moving as intertwining each other. All everyone could do was... Put their guard up and hope for the best.

The moment they collided, the entire atmosphere around them completely turned into ice as the only thing that seemingly there is a gaze of something so horrific and maddening that it draws out the worst fear in everyone instinctively. A pair of eyes gazing down upon the divine figure that harbors seemingly endless hatred and coldness. As if being judged by an entity far more powerful than how anyone could even imagine.

A single glare of it shattered the entire frozen atmosphere into fragments. Surprisingly, those who were within its range of effect were unaffected by some miraculous reasons or something but no one dares to question it. If you are still alive after such a wide-area attack, just chalk it up to the Azerium Ward.

Right after that, Larry instantly jumped into the fray as he quickly pressed the trigger of the Black Barrel as it propels the blade forward with such speed that it surpassed anything manmade so far.

Helix Blade!

The slash created a massive torrent along with its swing, circling around Azure Alice-demiurge itself with such fierce power that it could tear anything within its center.

Gale Slash!

Larry sheathed the blade as quickly as he unsheathed it as he used the Black Barrel itself as a propelling force to drive him toward Alice. He pulled the trigger once more and this time, he made a small jump so that the Black Barrel will push him. As the immense power of the Black Barrel itself was unleashed, he moved with such a speed that no one could ever see it in time. In the next moment, he was already behind Alice herself with the blade drawn once more. But even when no witness has seen it, they just know he did it.

Karmic Flame!

He then approaches Alice once more as he immediately plunged the Muramasa into the 'ground'. The moment he did so, a raging fire erupted right from where he plunged the blade as it quickly engulfed Alice in its entirety. Even without being near, they felt as if the heat is so great that its temperature is approaching the one of a dying star. And yet despite being near the center, he remains unaffected by it.

Crescent Arc!

He then distances himself away from Alice as he sheathed the blade once more as he prepared for another quickdraw slash. Right after that, he pressed the trigger of the Black Barrel as he unleashed another swift slash that transcends even beyond his perception. One so fast that even if the blade didn't make contact, the mere shockwave alone could travel across the world thousands of times and it would still cut through everything with such swiftness without rough.

Waning Moon!

As he then moves closer toward Alice. Right when he got close enough, he immediately pressed the trigger once more as the blade propels itself with such a force that the mere unsheathing could pulverize the ground that its user stood on. Even the base gun itself could cause massive havoc with just its mere activation alone, just imagine the power of a blade empowered by this very thing.

As he directs the blade upward, the very slash itself resonated across the fabric of space as everyone could feel its presence as if they were at the receiving end. Larry barely managed to hold on to the Muramasa itself as the very force itself could drag him to heaven but he soon landed and regain his stance in a short time.

Autumn Leaf!

As he sheathed and raised his blade up with his finger still hold onto the trigger itself. He lets out a cry from the depth of his heart as he pressed the trigger once more. As the power of the Black Barrel pushes the blade as Larry's other hand still holding to it, he pulled a horizontal slash while the residual power of the Black Barrel still lingers which created a massive cleave across the fabric of space itself. But once more, it rewound itself before anything could happen. But that display power certainly left an effect on Alice herself.

And finally... He unsheathed his blade once more as he focuses everything he has inside his mind. Everything has driven to this point and thus... he has to bring about a swift end for this charrade.

This time... Instead of controlling the blade... He lets the blade controls him...

Void Edge!

The trigger is pressed once more and with nothing but his hand holding onto the blade, refusing to let it go. Letting none of his intention to change the blade's path. And thus, the blade itself then soon circling around him with such uncontrolled force that it created a swirl of slashes, lashing out at anything within his path. The residual power of the Black Barrel empowered the slash to the point it could potentially even take down Divine Spirits in a single blow.

When the swing of his blade finally died down. Instead of preparing to do what many would have with a most powerful attack their body could muster, he did something else entirely...

He stood straight and proudly as if he has nothing left to express. Satisfied with everything that has brought him this far, free from anything that constrains him to what he is supposed to be.

He sheathed his blade...

Kuro Hōshin Muramasa - Ephemeral Blade Dance

And as if almost instantly, a myriad amount of slashes were unleashed upon everywhere around him as those unseen slashes cleave through everything around effortlessly forming into the shape of a lotus. It all went about for a few seconds before completely died down. Leaving behind a soldier with a katana in his hands.

The Muramasa is always meant to be able to severe time and space, even karma itself. Sengo has to degrade it so that anyone can use it but little did he know that this blade managed to reach that realm even without the supposed quality.

However... Azure Alice-demiurge is still there as if none of his attacks aforementioned did jack-shit. But that is bound to change quite soon. At least... she will feel it in the next moment...

Last Paradise

Like a silver light that flashes within the abyss. He moved with such a speed that no Servants could catch. Right in the next moment, a sickening impact was felt unanimously between everyone as Arnold kicked Azure Alice-demiurge with such a force that some felt like it is far stronger than how he did with his own clone. One that was so powerful that the reality itself couldn't compute what resulted in such a thing.

The world around him shatters as everything turned into pure white nothingness. He opened his eyes once more, reveal the same color as when Void Shiki activates her Mystic Eyes. A color of 'rainbow prism' was revealed as his Spirit Origin's value raises exponentially as his power of self-belief and faith become his own drive and purpose.

Transcension...

He transcended beyond his own duality...

He then quickly kicks as many times as possible in such a short amount of time as if he would dare to make 'time' to eat his dust instead of vice versa. None of those kicks were a repeat of its previous as they are countless amount of different techniques with different stylings... With each successful strike of his..., it managed to actually make Azure Alice-demiurge felt something. Something that was so distant long ago now suddenly crashes upon her like a tsunami.

Heavenly and ethereal feathers scatter across the white nothingness as his body moves at a speed that far surpassed light itself long ago. As if the Heaven suddenly opened its gate, his barrage of decisive strikes felt as if the Heaven itself is about to bring their judgment.

As he finally reaches what he could think of as the furthest he could go right now, he decided to end this with a dropkick, one with all of his might in it.

Nobody knows what happened at that time but him... For all that have happened were all unseen to others. All they just saw is a flash of light and soon Arnold who is kneeling there tiredly. But before anything next could happen, Alfin took the last shot...

Akashic Record...

The surrounding vanished into nothingness but the boundary between Yin and Yang. The same thing has happened to Alfin which enabled her to do this... To move beyond her own duality... Beyond Good and Evil itself...

Within this emptiness, she inadvertently unlocked the sum of every knowledge. The knowledge about everything and ways to invent them or create them. Just like how Void Shiki did which left her unable to feel any gratification because of how pointless everything is.

Because of that... in this world of emptiness, Alfin can create... anything. From the most simple item to things that no mind could ever comprehend or even possible. Time is also completely frozen here to everyone else but her, which makes all of her attacks unstoppable no matter the defense unless it goes into multiple dimensions above.

Alfin stood there looking at Alice who is remaining in stasis. With eyes that belong to something akin to a Divine Spirit graded far above average as they shone with the color of a ray of light through a diamond prism. She has a feeling that a normal swipe of her arm wouldn't do anything at all towards Azure Alice-demiurge and thus she decided to step up the game... a bit.

As she channels her power into her hand, she closed her eyes as she is seemingly grasping something inside the vast wealth of limitless knowledge that was given. She finally sees why having access to such a thing could easily tarnish away a person's perception of life entirely as everything else will just be a massive letdown. The knowledge of everything, even down to the most ambiguous and mysterious all laid out, and all would become meaningless.

But she has little care for such a thing right now. As she created a cavalry saber in her hand, the only difference here is that the blade seems to be made from an azure-colored metal that gives out a divine aura of sorts. Nobody would ever know what it is... but that thing can only ever exist within this void. Anything she created here will remain here, she couldn't bring it out to the real world for they will dematerialize themselves the moment they are done with their purpose.

She then charges toward Azure Alice-demiurge with the saber in hand. With such an unemotional and unconcerned attitude that she put on her face, she just sprints toward Azure Alice-demiurge as if she knew her final blow will come regardless.

With a single graceful slash of her, carrying little strength yet felt much power behind. As if that slash severed even the void itself, it finally registered Azure Alice-demiurge as the void soon collapses and the abyss soon returns to where it is supposed to be.

Just like Arnold, it was all happened in an instant to everyone else. But there is one difference that they sensed after when Alfin unleashed her newfound Noble Phantasm on it. Alice's mana output is spiking horribly fast as if she was just dormant all of these times ago and Arnold and Alfin's attacks just have to wake her up from the slumber.

Seeing how the situation is escalating beyond their previous assumption, Gudao quickly commanded all of the Servants to fall back immediately so that they don't get caught in the aftermath if that were to happen. Even if no words were spoken, they would still have done the same regardless.

And just like how they expected, a massive amount of power erupted straight from where Azure Alice-demiurge was and resulting in a massive blinding flash as if they were watching a quasar occurred right in front of their eyes. Right afterward, they don't even know how much time has passed for all of their senses were blinded and robbed away in just a flash.

Soon, the blinding whiteness faded slowly as they gazed their eyes upon where Azure Alice-demiurge is and it seems... that she has finally awakened.

Angelic wings sprouted from her back as she now having a straight posture compare to before. The overwhelming aura that surrounded her now makes the previous state of her look like a lowly human compare to now. The tiara now accompanied along with a halo itself as it radiates such radiance as if it was a quasar atop her head. While they try to find any more differences, the emergence of the situation demands them to continue their fight.

"Everyone else, initiate combat once more!" Gudao shouted as he commands all of his Servants to continue their assault.

Pretty much everyone tried to rush toward Alice once more but right as when they are about to get anywhere close enough to her, Azure Alice-demiurge raises her hand as she is concentrating some sort of power within it.

"What is she doing!?" Gudao said in worry as he has never seen her do something by herself until now.

"I don't know! But it definitely won't be anything good!" Pierce said as he is on the same boat as Gudao.

Without any words spoken, they heard something echo within their minds despite hearing nothing of sorts.

Flame Blade Rend

By the time they heard it, it was already too late.

Right after the moment, their words came out of their mouths, Azure Alice-demiurge swings the arm that its power converges at which results in a massive wave of azure fire rushing at them at such incredible speed. Its tremendous size clearly tells them that they have no chance of evading it or any hope of bypass without pulling some sort of miracle.

Rho Aias!

Both Shirou and Kuro pitched it with all they have as they summoned the seven-petal barrier to protect them from that rushing tide of flame that is about to approach. But little did they knew just how powerful the attack they are about to receive.

Everyone got behind the shied that the siblings deployed but just right when the flame is about to get to them. However...

The shield shattered instantly as the feedback shock instantly sends across the siblings' bodies. They immediately collapsed to the ground in pain as their arms bleed profusely from the shock. They yelled in agony as they hold their own hands to prevent further bleeding and stave out the pain. But they find out that one thing is strange...

They are still alive.

Both Shirou and Kuro looked forward and saw someone who is holding his arm forward as if that person is protecting them. If their Rho Aias couldn't do it then what can? They focused their eyes on that person and realized who it is...

Pierce...

"How on earth?... Did he...?" Shirou tried to mutter before his mother approaches and begins to heal his wound.

"Shirou... I don't even know anymore... But the whole thing can be quite chalked up as Deus Ex Machina..." Iri said to her son as she heals Shirou and Kuro's arm.

On closer look, he realized that something changed entirely about Pierce. The suit of armor that he wore isn't of Adamantine anymore. It is something entirely different that when Shirou tried to use Hawkeyes on it, he started to have a headache and thus quickly cease his scan immediately.

Behind them is Alfin who is standing there and looking at Pierce holding that barrier up to protect them from the rushing tide of absolute hot flame. With a solemn look on her face, her mind drifted to what happened just a second ago.

A second ago.

"Wuh? What happened?" Pierce said in confusion when everything around him suddenly turned into pure white nothingness.

"Don't be panic. In this void that stood between Yin and Yang, time ceases to move entirely to me and those I allow to make an exception for." Alfin said as she tried to calm the person that she brought along.

"Look... Being in panic is what a normal person would do. But I have seen too many fair shares of life that being dragged into the void from the abyss isn't anything surprising anymore. But if I am here for a reason then please explain". Pierce said as he tried to calmly follow the situation.

"You heard what Alice said, right? Flame Rend Blade, right?" Alfin asked Pierce if he heard the same.

Pierce nodded in which she knew that she could skip the conversation ahead.

"I saw it... The attack that she is about to dish out will decimate our entire formation if not outright kill all of us even with the Azerium Ward on. And if we can't even survive the first strike then... just how much hope do we have for an actual extended fight?" Alfin said as she explains the situation.

Pierce sees what Alfin is trying to say and thus nodded in understanding.

"What are you trying to do now?" Pierce asked as he tries to figure why his appearance here is important.

"I'll give you an upgrade to all your gears so that you may be able to stand a chance against Azure Alice-demiurge and for our sake too... Do you know why I pick you?" Alfin said as she wanders around the void.

Pierce shakes his head for he doesn't know anything better about the situation than her.

"A Servant's Spirit Origin isn't something that can be modified on the run. But your armor may actually work perfectly as a way to ensure our survival in the next few seconds. And do you know why not everything created here can be brought into the real world?" Alfin asked him again although she is the one who is holding the answers.

"Just explain it all already, I'm not you in the first place,". Pierce said as he kind already tells she brought him here to flaunt her Noble Phantasm at them.

"Fine... Whatever created here is technically counted as valid existence since this is my domain but to make them count as exist outside this void is a whole different matter. The material for said things has to be verified as exist by at least more than one person or existing nearby. Because otherwise, said things will collapse immediately into nothingness because general lack of belief." Alfin tried to explain the reason why although there might have been better ways.

"Hold on... Why don't you just use this ability if you can literally freeze time to everyone else but you?" Pierce asked.

"That's because she is still dormant until the moment she awakened. Such a tactic now won't work anymore because she will easily turn the table on me if given the chance. There's no way that my time freeze will actually hold her down for longer than a second and she will easily annihilate me on the spot." Alfin explains why to Pierce.

"So... you decided to bet entirely on a normal person when nothing else has any chance?" Pierce asked.

"Do I look like I have a better choice?" Alfin said as she shrugged.

"Fine... Bring it on." Pierce said as he stood straight and steadfast.

It all just happens in a moment as Alfin raises her right hand upward with her eyes turned into prism rainbow color. Soon, Pierce's armor turned into something entirely, one that can't physically be comprehended even by any magus. All of this happens in just a mere instant before the void disappears away and they returned to the abyss. This time... Pierce has one second to make a difference.

His legs spur into action before his mind even could comprehend. He raised his hand forward as if he is trying to stop something from approaching the others behind him. Without even realizing it, the armor quickly deployed a force field that shields them from rushing heat that would have vaporized them into nothing... literally nothing...

When he finally came to his senses, he realized that he is basically holding a force field or more exactly... a "barrier" as what is literally ahead of him is just endless flame and heat that was so volatile that they even contort the fabric of reality. Knowing that if he put it down by accident, it might spell doom for everyone else behind and thus he keeps holding the barrier up so that he could buy everyone else their precious time.

Pierce knew his armor isn't supposed to do something like this and thus he decided to see what is the change of the armor with his thought. From the outside, the appearance hasn't changed much but the color is what changed so vastly from the monotonous gray-silver color of Adamantine from before. No... It is literally made entirely from Azerium as the power output of the barrier that enveloped his body is vastly far more powerful than even the one that the clones of the Servants had.

The gauntlet of his contains so much power that he may literally punch out an Elder God and might actually win if his mind doesn't implode from witnessing them. That is one of the ways he could use to counter against Alice if he so desired but he ain't touching any celestial beings that are beyond any of his control.

The sabaton or "armored boots" that he wore now enable him to move with such a speed that he could break the law of physics on his own. So much that he can literally create multiple copies of himself by the sheer speed that his afterimage becomes capable of dealing damage like the real thing. How Pierce would use it is depends on his own but it is certain that he would put it to good use.

He noticed that something isn't right with his gun for it suddenly felt a lot bulkier than how he remembered it. He looked down and saw the gun that he is holding turned into something entirely else. It looks like something familiar yet wildly different to the point that he couldn't tell what it originally was.

A flash of insight appeared in his mind as he looked at the gun. Everything about its details was spoken loudly in his mind as if to reinforce what it is to him. But the only thing that holds any substance in his mind was its name.

Mourning Star

It has the amount of energy that is about to unleash as of a dying star. The azure coolant shroud covers the tri-barrel of the gun so that the gun doesn't detonate into cosmic oblivion that can be seen across vast empty space upon firing. Just carrying the thing felt like he is holding the power of an entire galaxy in his grasp.

The helmet seems to be displaying all sorts of stats to him but one thing for sure that they are sustaining his body so that it can run indefinitely without sustenance or nutrients. And the whole thing is granting him such power that it can alter his perception so that his mind doesn't go brain overload from comprehending things in 3-dimensions above or pure mind wipe and entropic collapse by dumbing down everything in his perception for him if necessary. Not only that it can protect him from the danger he would perceive, but it will also and quite literally stop any psychic interference no matter how powerful it is.

But right now, he has to put the barrier up but the flame is still as ceaseless as ever and unless one of them took action, they will stuck here among the sea of flame.

Shirou and Kuro's arms are fixed but they now stood with absolutely no idea of how to proceed next. They need something that is so powerful that it has to break physics at a fundamental level but there is hardly anything they have that can do such a thing.

Shirou closed his eyes then he starts to seek anything within his memory that can do such a thing. Throughout many of his time spent as a Counter Guardian, all of those memories were so hazy that they are nothing but more than a fading and colorless fragment compare to his recent time in Chaldea. When that isn't enough, he started to scour up even the recent one for anything possible.

That's when he finally came across one... One that he in fact spoken recently...

Second Magic... is a bitch...

Right after he went through that epiphany, a solution flashed in his mind. But he hardly sees any way to do so since such a thing is so immensely costly that it might as well out of his reach.

"I see that flash within your eyes... Do you have a solution in mind that could turn the tide?" Alfin asked as she approaches him.

"I have... But what are you talking about?..." Shirou asked in uncertainty if Alfin may potentially have the answer.

"Due to the nature of this place and our ever-approaching presence of the Root itself, the link between my soul and the Root itself has strengthened and grants me omniscient itself. I am now having every possible knowledge of everything. However, I can no longer able to use it on Alice directly but I can impart said knowledge if it is something precisely you want to know." Alfin explains her newfound ability to everyone else.

"Then..." Shirou said before Sitonai cut him off and jumps into the conversation between them.

"No... I know precisely what you are trying to reach for... But the mere amount of information alone would send you into a coma caused by brain overload. If you are trying to do it then... let me bear the burden for you." Sitonai said as she caught the attention of both of them.

"Fine... I have both of you can relay information to each other properly." Alfin said as she placed her forehead against Sitonai's frigid and cold forehead of her.

"Information and schematics in the most basic form were then transferred over to Sitonai's mind.

Despite such an amount of information for the very solution alone that could cripple Servants, Sitonai however felt no adverse effects at all as if it was all supposed to be a part of her. Like something nostalgic that she haven't felt for so long.

"Sitonai, are you alright?" Shirou asked his sister.

"Yeah... It felt like something that was supposed to belong to my host. Like a fragment in the furthest depth of my mind made whole once more. Didn't even know something like that supposed to exist at all." Sitonai said as she looks at Shirou with a solemn look on her face.

"I have a feeling that we have done something like this before... A time probably long before our summons at Chaldea. But that doesn't matter for we have to do this. Sitonai... hop on my back and relay all those information so that I can trace it." Shirou said as he crouches for Sitonai to jump on.

As they connect to each other spiritually, the knowledge that Sitonai inherited relays directly into Shirou's mind. Shirou's mind can't contain the amount of information the weapon he is about to trace should he did receive the information.

He grasps for it, the very ephemeral and hazy form it as his mind is processing a staggering amount of information at such immense speed that he felt like his brain is melting down. The brain-splitting headache and migraine that he felt are like a processing drive overheating from the sheer amount of data that it was forced to endure.

To him, it felt like hours have passed already due to how much pain is burning straight into his mind. But in reality, it was all just a few seconds.

Iri quickly jumped in and tried to heal the injury that his mind sustained from tracing it. Her power managed to soothe away the pain and agony as Shirou finally saw the hard-earned result in his hand.

Jeweled Sword Zelretch

It is a Mystic Code that belongs to the Second Magician, Zelretch himself. It is a ritual dagger with a jeweled blade and an alien technology embodying general knowledge from the far future, beyond the reach of a modern man. Its magical theory can't even be properly explained by Shirou Emiya himself although Sitonai may have complete knowledge about it.

The sword is capable of the Multi-Dimensional Refraction Phenomenon, allowing the user to draw in potentially infinite magical energy. The kaleidoscope-like jewel blade creates a small opening to the same area in another parallel world, though any further interference is impossible, and it draws in all of the magical energy from that space.

Magical energy channeled into the blade can be fired off in a blinding stream of light. Also, like a jewel, the sword can also be detonated as a one-shot explosive.

But the thing is... He doesn't intend to use it as either of them. His intention with it is far more wildly different and perilous than even the original creator's expectation.

He intends to turn the Jeweled Sword itself into an arrow and fires it at Azure Alice-demiurge. Shirou traced his bow then slotted the Jeweled Sword into the arrow's position. Alfin sees what he is trying to do and thus she quickly jumped in to prevent that suicidal attempt of his.

But it was too late to stop Shirou from trying to alter it and thus Alfin has no choice but to use it once more.

Akashic Records.

The abyss turned into the void as she raises her hand toward the Jeweled Sword that he traced, with a single thought of her, she turned the Jeweled Sword itself into an arrow that can easily soar through the vast abyss. All of these processes take a few seconds to manifest but they will all happen as if it was an instant. Alfin also does the rest of the bow firing processes for Shirou so that he doesn't notice it in an instant. Of course, without physical contact for a single touch would obliterate him in this void.

The void disappeared as the Azure Abyss returned, Shirou noticed the arrow has already been turned into an arrow and he saw Alfin who is standing on the side giving a judgmental look on him.

"Don't ever do that crap without my assistance ever again..." Alfin said to Shirou with a threatening voice.

With a chill went through his spine, Shirou and Sitonai together focus all of their power that they can pump into the arrow with all they have. Even a single magus's simple incantation with this Jeweled Sword can easily turn into an attack with power on par of Noble Phantasms. A Servant's worth of magical energy fractalized through this sword would end up output an unimaginable amount of power, bordering to limitless.

Last Disaster

They chanted as they let the arrow go. The shine it carries can be described as watching the universe's fiery birth.

As the jeweled arrow soars across the absolute hot flame unscathed through them. In just a next second, they watch as a bright light suddenly appeared and tore through the fabric of the abyss itself. Chunks of reality torn into pieces as the light quickly approach them in a matter of second. Soon... It was all just brightness and a pure white landscape. As if they have literally entered the nothingness itself.

Soon... They all found themselves standing dumbfounded, the blast of that Jeweled Sword completely cleansed the battlefield of that absolute hot flame and seems to leave Azure Alice-demiurge completely staggered due to receiving such a brutal attack like that. To call it a Noble Phantasm might be still understating it. Just to imagine that they still stood there despite they have literally gone through a complete annihilation.

"Everyone! This is your chance! Now!" Gudao shouted as he rallies everyone into combat.

Pierce activated his boot's ability as he moved so fast that he completely disappeared from everyone's sight then suddenly appeared at another location. With his gun aimed at Alice, he pulled the trigger as it unleashes a beam so powerful that the shockwave it unleashed pushes everyone back.

With the tide of the battle changed in their favor, they have to do their best to make use of every second they were given. The thing is... it would have been better if they were alone.

"Wait... aren't those azure particles seem to converge toward somewhere?" Arnold said as he noticed the stream of Azerium moving toward somewhere around.

And just when he knew it, those particles formed into something. A horseman wielding a lance suddenly appeared as it charges toward him at a breakneck speed. Arnold quickly countered it right before it could do him any harm but upon closer inspection, he noticed that horseman has a face that resembles him.

"What?" Arnold said confusedly as he repels the oncoming attacks of the horseman.

Another stream of Azerium started to converge at someplace and another horseman emerged from the congregating mass of divine particles. This one wields a bow with a face that resembles Alfin herself. With a single pull of its bow, it unleashes a hail of endless azure bolts that rush towards Arnold at a speed that is impossible to measure.

Arnold's instinct quickly jumped into action the moment it detected her. Arnold then quickly activates the defensive property of his Spirit Phaze as he became intangible against the hail of arrows that was unleashed upon him. Although he made it past that danger, he felt that this was merely something at the beginning.

As he continues to fight back against the horsemen, another stream of Azerium started to form. Arnold knew what would happen if he let it happens and thus he tried to intercept it. However, no matter what he does, the Azerium would congregate and another horseman was made. This one is similar to Adolf and it is wielding a sword.

It raises its sword up and Arnold felt like he has to divert its swing direction or else. As he swift moves past the sword horseman, it turned around and swung its blade in his direction. The moment it did so, an arc shockwave was unleashed with such intensity that it felt like it is cleaving through the fabric of space itself. If it has swung in the direction from before, it might have also affected everyone else who is fighting against Alice.

"Hold on... Why are they only fighting me?" Arnold said as he felt like something isn't right.

And as he diverts the three horsemen away from the group that is tasked to fight Alice, the last one finally appeared. The last one resembles Alice herself and unlike the previous three, she doesn't have any weapon... No... It would be more correct to say that Alice is the weapon herself.

How would he put this... Her presence alone saps him of his strength and thus he has to stay away from Alice whenever he could. He doubts that he could even touch her before Alice would turn him into dust. Just how could he even reach her then? And he doubts even any of his ranged armaments can harm her.

And now that he realized what Alice is intending to. By literally throwing the 4 horsemen at one Servant and ganging up upon. They may have a much greater chance of actually killing their targets than separating each one individually. Because of that, he then quickly try to create a distraction so that the rest can notice what is going on.

As those four horsemen of the apocalypse are chasing after him, lashing their attacks anywhere that they could upon him. As Arnold perfectly weaves his Spirit Phaze at the right moment to prevent himself from receiving any of their attacks. He doesn't need to feel it to know how dangerous it actually is.

"Hey! Need some help here!" Arnold yelled but he was unfortunately drowned out by the surrounding conflicts.

All Arnold can do is keep weaving himself through the siege assault of the four horsemen as they try to stampede upon him. Fighting himself is one thing, but fighting four different versions of himself at one time is a whole different matter.

"Back off!" Arnold shouted as he tried to force the horsemen back.

Of course... They keep ganging up upon him because they think that once he is out of the picture, the whole battlefront will collapse. And they are right to think so. Both Arnold and Alfin just managed to tap into the power of the Root itself and gained a tremendous boost in strength and capabilities. But retapping into the inner residual Root within required extreme focus and heightened emotional tension. And with each time, all said focus and emotion vanishes instantly because once one has become omnipotent, they lost all senses of mortal semblance. In other words, their mindset literally becomes of Void Shiki.

"I really have no choice or words in what to say about this, am I?" Arnold said as he tightens the grip of his fists.

As he pushes his mind to focus as best as he could, the adrenaline rushes through his nerves like a tsunami through alleyways. Whether if the turmoil of emotions that are raging inside his heart or the deadly glare that could pierce through the most powerful barrier. It doesn't matter at all anymore, as his perception turned into pure white.

As the abyss turned into nothingness, the four horsemen of apocalypse stood there in stasis as if it couldn't perceive what is happening. As Arnold clenched his fists and prepare to unleash hell upon them, he moved...

That's it... He moved... But with a single step, he traversed the vast distance in a blink of an eye. From a practical standpoint, using the Root to take down the 4 Horsemen of Apocalypse is just pure overkill, he might be able to find a way to beat them in time but it will drag out so long that they may just suddenly realized it and gang up on someone else.

With a single body motion, he completely annihilated all four of them before they even realized. They then completely collapse into dust and fade away as the nothingness started to cease. As the threat is eliminated... at least for a while... Arnold could focus back on trying to fight back against Alice.

Alfin and Pierce are unleashing the Azerium-powered firearms of theirs at Alice. As the beam has the power fueled like a dying star slowly approaching a black hole, the pillars of light that are raining upon Alice with such ferocity that it felt like watching something on a galactical scale completely torn apart and sunder. But even despite such firepower, Alice still shrugging them off like nothing.

"Damn it... Just what can be considered as powerful enough!?" Alfin said as the Solar Prism continues to raze upon Alice.

"Alfin! Lend me a hand!" Shirou said as he traced another Jeweled Sword.

Alfin heard Shirou's request and quickly turned the Jeweled Sword itself into an arrow. If Zelretch can see it, he would have definitely rolled over in surprise probably for the first time in his immortal indulging journey of his. Once the arrow is prepared, Shirou and Sitonai together charge as much power as they can into the Jeweled Arrow so that they can maximize its effectiveness.

As the chant "Last Disaster" is yelled once more by them, the arrow once more flew towards Alice and detonate into a massive eruption of power that once again tore the fabric of reality apart from sheer power alone. Like watching the fiery birth of the world once more, the blinding light died down once more as they managed to extend the time that Alice remained concussed. And hell, it might be the only few things that could harm this divine of a being.

It is the riskiest attack they have ever done and they probably just dwarfed Enuma Elish in power. Thankfully that Gilgamesh isn't here or he might take that as an insult and then sabotaged their own efforts so far because his ego just too goddamn large for him. But if the Azerium Ward can somehow allow them to withstand that then not even Ea could hurt them.

"How many times do I have to rupture the abyss just to take her down!?" Shirou said as his mind is burning in the attempt to trace more of those Jeweled Swords.

No answer was given because they all knew that the world would run out of time before Alice would give up. But they can't afford to abandon their efforts after they have gone on for so long.

Suddenly, multiple streams of Azerium started to flow toward somewhere. Knowing what would happen next, Arnold raised his guard as the four horsemen appeared once more. But this time, they completely ignored him as they rush for the target behind him.

"Shit! Watch out!" Arnold yelled as he tried to warn of the oncoming danger.

Thankfully, his warning was heard as the combatants managed to notice them in time before the horsemen could completely demolish the combat formation. But once they have decided to focus on one target, they will do so until they were eliminated once more. And out of all the possible targets they chose, they just have to choose Richard out of all people.

"Back off!" Richard yelled as he continues to retreat from the four horsemen who are now pursuing him like a group of hunters after a fox.

Not all Servants are made equal. In this vast and open abyss, those who rely on stealth can be easily crushed underneath by the horsemen before the same thing but someone who is capable of fighting head-on.

Richard is not weak per se and his Noble Phantasm is certainly helpful to fight against those who are stronger than him mystically and it will only bolster significantly against someone who is divine like Alice. But he is definitely not prepared for hand-to-hand combat against four opponents on horseback at once.

He groaned as he takes out a bundle of dynamites then proceed to ignite them. As the sparkling flame of the ignited fuse flutters across the abyss, he threw it as hard as he could at the horsemen at the best moment he could get. Right instantly, the detonation took place as the explosion the size multiple times its normal yield occurred. He might be able to disrupt the horsemen for now but there is no telling of what he has to do to take them down.

As he saw a lance piercing through the smoke, Richard quickly moves his body and narrowly avoided it with the very little time he was given. The lance grazed his shirt before the lance horseman quickly turn around to finish the job. Just as when it tried to do so, Desmond jumped into the fray and held the lance back with his own hand. Almost as if holding back a V2 rocket, the lance horseman continues to thrust it even harder and the horse tried to force its way forward but Desmond refuses to budge a single inch as he stood there stalwartly like an unmovable wall.

Seeing the little meager chance he is given, Richard whipped out a cannon the size of him then fire it at the horseman with decisiveness. As the cannonball tore apart the horseman in an instant, anything that remains of it collapsed into a pile of dusts then fade away.

Just one down won't change anything, there are still three of them and they won't stop attacking because one of them died.

Right when Richard was catching his breath, the archer horsemen unleashes a barrage of arrows at him. Desmond quickly stood between them as he received the full brunt of the barrage. As the sheer amount of arrows impaled him is staggering, he refuses to back down as he still put his guard up. Richard saw that moment and quickly retaliate for Desmond's sake.

With a double-barrel shotgun in his hand, he quickly moves past Desmond in a blink of an eye as he pressed the muzzle straight between the eyes of the horseman. With a single pull of his trigger, the head of the bow horseman blew completely apart into nothing.

"Desmond, are you alright?" Richard asked the medic behind to see if he is alright or not.

"Tsk... This but a scratch..." Desmond said as he pulls himself up despite the grievous wounds that he received.

Suddenly, his instinct screamed as his mind quickly created a lever-action rifle with the buttstock and lever forged with additional blades with it. He doesn't know why he is capable of making such modifications but he glad that he did so because he parried the sword horseman just in the nick of time before it would have decapitated his head in a clean slash.

As the horseman relentlessly swings its longsword at Richard, all he could do is to use the bladed parts of his gun to parry and block those attacks before it would have reached him. Just a single swing of it could cleave continents into oblivion but the Azerium Ward significantly reduced its affecting damage.

Void Edge!

A whirl of slashes was unleashed with Larry at the center as the force knocks the horseman off. However, the thing managed to recover as quickly as it did before they managed to get near them. And then it started to back off away from them.

"Get that thing! Don't let it ran off!" Richard yelled as he took out a scoped bolt-action rifle in order to snipe the target.

Just after that when he fired his rifle at the sword horseman, the bullet disintegrated in midair suddenly without warning.

"Wha?..." Richard muttered in disbelief at what just happened.

Then he noticed someone else... It is the fucking unarmed horseman nearby, completely disintegrates and nullifies everything nearby it.

"How on earth am I supposed to kill that when not even anything could approach it!?" Richard said in frustration as it is visibly and upsettingly clear that the sword horseman won't get away from the unarmed one.

And when the words come out of his mouth, both the remaining horsemen' heads burst into nothing and then completely fade away. He turned back and saw Simo's Mosin Nagant still smoking from firing. Then he realized one thing... Simo's bullets ignore trajectory obstacles and can appear anywhere within its firing path.

"Cheeky bastard..." Richard said as he lets out a groan.

With all four horsemen took care of once more. They together return back to fight Alice but they just realized what was going on when the four horsemen basically distracted them from their main objective.

Alice is starting to take this battle more seriously as she unleashes more of those Flame Rend Blade of her and they were actually protected with Pierce's Azerium Barrier while everyone else continues to strike her from the blindside.

"Wait, where's Shirou and Sitonai!?" Richard asked when he noticed them collapsing on the ground.

Because they tried to trace those Jeweled Swords repeatedly and the backlash finally reached them. Irisviel has also tried to heal up the injury that they sustained but it doesn't seem that they will get up at any moment soon.

"Look out! She seems to focus her power at that core of her. She is going to do something!" Kiritsugu yelled as he tried to warn everyone of the incoming attacks.

Upon hearing his words, Pierce channeled the power of his armor and created another barrier that will protect them against whatever Alice is going to bring about... At least... that's what he wanted to believe.

And then they heard it... A voice that was spoken inside their head.

Genesis Birth

And from the core of that absolute divine being fired forte a beam with such intensity that it felt like they are witnessing the universe's fiery birth once more and this time with their own eyes. As if the power unleashed that day is now focused into just a beam that is the size of a human. Just small as that but it held unfathomable power that no mind could ever describe.

As the beam collided, Alfin felt a chill spreads within her spine. She knew that there was no possible way for the barrier to hold back such a force like that. Emotions and focus all spiked like the genesis beam that is about to collide with the Azerium Barrier that Pierce put up, Alfin's eyes turned into the color of the prism as she turned the abyss around her into the white nothingness of the void as she drags Alice along with that beam with her. At least... It won't affect anyone else.

Within the void, there is no limit to what she can do for she is in essence, omnipotent... But Alfin is no less different than her as what she is capable of is just as the same. Her time lock doesn't even have any effect on her but thankfully the beam does seem to be affected somewhat for it is moving slower than how light is supposed to be.

With unlimited knowledge, she chanted something in a language that doesn't seem to exist from anywhere. But the magic circles behind her that are forming from the incantation are telling a different story. As she has done chanting the incantation, the time lock completely gave away as the beam now moved as fast as it is supposed to be.

End of Worlds...

The incantation opened up a hole to a whole different dimension and as the beam still just move forward, the hole sucked the beam in its entirety like a star slowly being eaten away by a black hole. It results in a massive spark of light that is exponentially brighter than the quasar itself. As the force that is colliding with each other shaking even the void, both Alfin and Alice just look at each other as they are watching the madness that is unfolding.

And finally, a massive explosion occurred within the dimension that she just opened up and thus completely dazed both of them at the same time. The incantation ceased to be and the void also disappeared along with it.

To everyone else, the beam just disappeared and both Alfin and Alice were dazed for no reason. But they don't bother to care as they continue their onslaught against Alice while they still could. They don't know what Alfin just did but they knew that she has done something unfathomable to them to eliminate that beam like that.

As the Azure Alice-demiurge is still unconscious from that devastating blow that occurred, both Shirou and Sitonai finally managed to stand on their two feet and then search for the Jewel Sword once more. However, Iri tried to stop them.

"Shirou! Why are you trying to put yourselves in danger again!?" Iris said as she gives her remark to her son.

"Look... Have you even see anyone that is dealing any significant amount of damage here? I don't even see any goddamn chip damage even! And the longer we continue this fight, we are basically wasting ourselves for the uncertainty... Unless if we can deal a devastating blow to her, we won't even get anywhere near our supposed objective at all..." Shirou said tiredly as he was just managed to recover.

"Shirou... I... I just don't want to lose you after going so far... You don't understand how many times my heart almost cracked when I see you suffer or in pain..." Irisviel said as a tear flows down from her eyes.

"Okaa-san... Sometimes... One has to put themselves first so that they can shield those who are behind. You did your own fair share already... so please... let me be the one to protect you..." Shirou said as he placed his hand on his mother's shoulder.

Irisviel can only stay silent when she watches her own son has grown into a fine person. Even when transcended his own humanity long ago, he doesn't stop growing as a person at all. This makes her proud more than how she could ever felt when seeing things like this.

"Onii-chan... It is time, am I right?" Sitonai said as she clings onto his back.

"Yeah..." Shirou said calmly...

Both of them stood resolutely as Shirou reaches out for the Jewel Sword once more. But this time... it felt almost effortlessly... There was no pain... There was no agony... Only complete serenity as if he reached the land beyond the world itself.

Jewel Sword Zelretch

The jeweled dagger appeared in his hand like magic, his mind literally skipped all the procedure and jumped into the product. But what he is holding in his hand is the real deal itself. One that nobody in their lifetime and existence as a Servant could believe.

And without even Alfin's help, a single thought went through his mind as he shapes the sword itself into a pristine arrow in a blink of an eye. As its brilliant shine soars across the abyss, everyone instinctively felt the need to evacuate without a second thought as if they knew what is coming.

The rest of the Emiya Family ran towards him because they felt it would be best to get near him and the rest go the opposite way. But the general consensus is that they have to get away from Alice as soon as they could now. They just know that they have to.

"Onii-chan, what are you doing?" Miyu said as she saw him charging the jeweled arrow.

Kiritsugu watches as the arrow lights up and illuminates the abyss itself. There is something familiar about it despite he saw it like 4-5 times ago but that feeling doesn't wane at all.

As they all look at him in hopeful expectation, the arrow reached its full power. After that, Shirou just let it go as it soars across the abyss and leaving a trail of light behind. As the prism color blazes its way through within not even the most meager amount of meaningful time, the arrow impacted Azure Alice-demiurge right at the chest as it implodes into a massive blinding explosion that tore apart the abyss itself.

When the light finally died down once more, everyone stood and watch in hesitation. They don't know how or what to proceed from there as Azure Alice-demiurge is still there and...

"Wait... I don't think she ever has that red flash within her eye..." Kuro said as she noticed a faint difference.

Yup... Shirou and Sitonai have finally managed to damage it and now it is officially pissed. As it then raised its arm and a huge amount of energy reading that they sensed are spiking tremendously out of the chart. And at this point onward, they knew... they have no escape left. The power's convergence then self-exponents itself as there is no holding back for them. There is no protection left that they think might work any longer. They can't even run for they have distanced themselves way too far to flank it.

"What do we do now?" Iri said in despair as Azure Alice-demiurge is about to unleash the most powerful attack so far.

There was silence for a few seconds before Gudao spoke up.

"Pray..." Gudao said as if he just accepted defeat.

They can all watch in silence as they heard her voice resonates inside their minds. No words are spoken yet they weigh as heavy as the mountain of burdens of their duty.

Subspace Flight

And suddenly, everyone's heads were flooded with every piece of information pertaining to said attack. But one thing they knew for sure is that... It is 'absolute erasure'... No protection that exists in this plane of existence will ever be able to save them from what is going to happen. The only thing is that... It can only attack those who were in front of the user.

And it is now focusing on the Emiya Family as they are about to erase them from existence. They will disappear as if they have never once existed.

Words of Gods: For this part, play Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Work - Last Stardust

Within the perfect dream that I felt the rain
And suddenly it is started pouring.

As everyone stood there defeated, Shirou looks as if he is scrounging through his memory for anything that could save them. Memories started to play out from the day he was first summoned. Looking through the ruined and burning city of Fuyuki where his first mission started was a sense of reminiscence that he didn't know that he once has. He shouted at everyone around him to get them as close to him as possible.

Soak on through but I kept on walking,
My shoulder shakes from the cold.

And through his journey of the Singularities, meeting many heroes from different walks of life. Each of them carries their own reason to fight and with each one he met, his armory grows larger from what was once a simple hill into a small mountain.

And with these hands, I gathered the memories
Though they are losing color and fading
With the hope that they could maybe...

Patch the hollow of my heart...

And from there, he met his own parents and those who were close to him. As they share cherish those memories with each other, both of happiness and sadness. They together grew more powerful as their bonds become unbreakable. And from those bonds, he may perhaps have become something far greater than how he could think himself of.

This thing called 'Love'
Know I would have...
Thrown it all away without hesitate

And within those passages of memories, he found the most important one that he wouldn't have forgiven himself for forgetting about. The day when he and Artoria made their oath with each other. As the memory resonates within his soul, he placed his hand on his chest as he about to pull something out of it.

If only I could find what I have lost along... THE WAY

Azure Alice-demiurge finally unleashed its attack as its swing its arm into an arc as the power unleashed erased anything within its path. As the rushing tides of power approach, Shirou took out the sheath that he used for its regeneration power. With a single chant of his that Artoria shared with him, its true power was unleashed in that very crucial moment.

If to feel PAIN is my FATE, then I just have only one thing to say...
Here in my SCAR-covered heart, colors will ALWAYS exist

As the regal and holy light of the sheath emanated them, it separated them from this plane of existence and everyone close to him from the erasure that is sweeping through. Avalon... The Holy Sheath of Excalibur that is meant to protect its user and those around from every possible attack and threat that may affect them. Granting protection up to the fifth dimension, not even the erasure that Azure Alice-demiurge dishes out upon them has any effect.

I watch the last STARDUST, rise up and fly
Dust to dust, ash to ash, into the sky...

As the attack slowly started to cease its intensity and then slowly faded away, it reveals the result as they are still remaining there as they hold to Shirou tightly as they could. The holy and pristine protection that Avalon has granted them has saved their lives.

These fragments of my Hope and Dreams, NEVER DIE

And soon Avalon wore off, but so too does Azure Alice-demiurge decisive position that it once held. As everyone lets Shirou go and stood in unison with him, Shirou saved them and they in turn will give their everything to help him. As those who stood on the opposite ends watched what happened and left in awe, Shirou closed his eyes and placed his hand once more on his chest.

I am the bone of my swords

The azure flame started to form beneath his feet and sparks started to spark from where he is...

Quietly watching the receding rainfall
The night wind, as it suddenly withdraws
With my broken heart, I stand alone...
With only silence at my side...

Steel is my body and fire is my blood

Irisviel chanted along with Shirou as she flew above and metaphysically summoned a Holy Grail. As she uses her wish-granting power, she grants everyone alongside her the ability to survive anything for one time. No matter what may happen, she would only wish to protect those she cares for she was unable in her original life.

Like fiery steel that came out of a forge, the Grail doesn't make impossible miracles but only grants a fast shortcut to things that is possible in human capability. Steel and Fire are linked to creation and are contributed to the development of Civilization. In a way, it represents Irisviel's status as a "Wishgiver".

I wouldn't mind... If it is a lie...
All of my rights then turned into wrongs...

I have created over a thousand blades

Miyu chanted as she uses her wish-granting power to increase the combat capabilities of everyone else. As the light of the ritual appeared under her feet, an aura spreads across the abyss as her power multiplies everyone's combat capabilities. This also included her.

And then... She dashed towards the Azure Alice-demiurge as she activates the full potential of her Kaleidostick. As her magic circuits went overdrive, the energy converged from her body into the stick formed an energy blade that is ten times the size of her but they carry such tremendous power that no one can possibly feel.

Suddenly, she split into three and no one can tell which is the afterimage or the real. But it matters little for all three of them are seen to be capable of dealing damage to it regardless. And finally, the three formed back into one as the energy blade held above the Kaleidostick becomes tremendously larger as if its size has become Ig Alima.

Without any hesitation left, she swung the massive energy blade down. But it isn't just one, she swings it in 3 different ways simultaneously and no one can tell if it was an illusion or not. But considering the power of the Kaleidostick, it is best to chalk it up as... Second Magic. A massive amount of power was unleashed at that time and...

Came from a world on its death's door. Using her power, Miyuverse Shirou was able to match Angelica (who had the abilities of Gilgamesh) with his own version of UBW. Using every sword in his arsenal, Miyuverse Shirou was able to match EA, just for a moment. Thus a representation of a 'Thousand Blades'.

Miyu faded away as if such power like that isn't ever meant to be harnessed. But at least thanks to Iri's Noble Phantasm, nobody will disappear...

As long as I protect... the things that I... BELIEVE

Unknown to Death

Nor Known to Life

This time, both Kuro and Kiritsugu jumped into the fray as they followed up on the chant itself. Using time alter, they accelerated themselves to 16 times normal. In a blink of an eye, Shirou saw the fabric of the world turned dark in a brief moment before it lights back on but now with slash marks across the fabric of reality itself. And above the divine being is a lot of Kanshou and Bakuya... So many that it actually blotted out the above. Time itself has seemed to be frozen as he can't even move his body.

Another SCAR, one more scratch...
To my heart that is made out of glass.

And within the next instant, it just all happened instantly with all those traced blades disappeared and along with the slash marks on reality. All he saw was his father sheathing the Blade of Severing and his sister who is wielding the Overedged Kanshou and Bakuya.

But... the same thing that happened to Miyu also happened to them. He doesn't even know if this is a trick his mind playing on him or they are actually fading but he never knows.

The chant that they followed up represents them in their entirety. To never be able to feel dead but also never be able to feel what it felt to live like normal again. It shows both Kiritsigu and Shirou's Status as Counter Guardians, since they are "Unknown to Death, Nor Known to Life".

It lights a SPARK burning hot...
One I had NEARly forgot

Have withstood pain to create many weapons

Sitonai followed up on her chance as she chanted the verse of her brother's Noble Phantasm. Soon, she deployed her Noble Phantasm as the abyss turned into a vast snowfield stretching to the horizon. As she rode on her polar bear, she and her ride charge toward the Azure Alice-demiurge as fast as they could. Like an oncoming blizzard that soars across the snowfield, Sitonai wields her sword with heavy arms as she musters all the strength that she could into them.

As the greatsword that she wielded become colder, she then swung the blade into Azure Alice-demiurge with such might that it could level an entire continent. The force that was created throws the entire divine being upward into the sky of the reality she made from her Noble Phantasm. The might of her attacks may have launched her straight into space above if even assume her Reality Marble is that large.

And then, she took out her bow and then aim it upward into the sky. The arrow is then empowered to the point that it started to shine like a star yet lets out a frigid aura around it, one that will literally extinguish a star if landed upon. She let the arrow go as it then soars at a speed that it contorts the space around, and within a blink of an eye... it impaled into the goddess and explode into a massive icicle that went through the torso of it.

I watch the last STARDUST
Rise up and fly...

The bear then leaped toward the icicle despite it being thousands of meters into the sky as it went even faster than how the arrow even did. As it managed to reach the icicle that still continues to fly upward into the sky, the bear then dug its claw into it then continue to climb against it with speed even more ferocious than before. Soon enough, the bear managed to reach the top and Sitonai jumped from the bear with her greatsword drawn once more.

Dust to dust, earth to earth
I say goodbye...

Power then rush into her blade as she pulled an overhead swing. As the blade radiate with overwhelming power, the entire icicle splits asunder into two. This is the attack from a Divine Spirit itself and the empowerment of Azerium allows her to do things like this. This would have been otherwise impossible in normal condition.

The moment her blade completes its job, her body can't continue to handle such power that she just displayed and thus she completely faded away with the wind.

During the original world that Emiya came from when he was alive, Sitonai or Illya at the time suffered the worst fate out of everyone. She was destined to die and be sacrificed to the Grail like how her mother supposed to be regardless of the outcome and even if he managed to cheat fate, she only has one more year at best. Her death is the "pain" within the verse that she has spoken.

Even when she is no longer, her Reality Marble still lingers. Even if it just a fleeting moment of just a few seconds. Someone else then followed up, chanting the verse even if no one heard.2

These fragments of my Hope and Dreams... GIVE ME LIFE!

Yet these hands will never hold anything

Descending at a rapid pace from the sky above is Taiga, as she held the naginata from above while her power is heating up like a meteor burning through the atmosphere. With the raging fire that the naginata has become, she turned it into something that can dish out the most damage possible with her Spirit Origin. Even if her life burnt up with the power that she attained, she has no regret left. To become a part of the family once more after such a long and distant past became nothing more than a gift that she cherished.

She has always cared for Shirou, and she probably always will. In EMIYA's own timeline, where he was betrayed and executed, she would have probably been distraught when she heard the news.

Brave Shine...

The flame engulfed the entirety of the naginata, and then the blade turned into pure heat at both ends the size of hundreds of times her body. A single slash of it now is an equivalence of detonating all the nuclear bombs to ever existed at once.

When she finally got close enough, she pushes all her might into the naginata as she tried her damn hardest to swing it like how she does normally.

Slash Empress!

With the might that can cleave mountains into nothing, she swung her naginata not only once but twice at nearly the same time. The slash was so powerful that it shatters the Reality Marble into a blinding nothingness. And... even Taiga herself evaporated along with it for such power aren't meant to ever be wielded at all.

And within the vast nothingness, something is spoken. Like a final chime before climax, he spoke with a solemn voice.

Stay the night...

And so as I pray, Unlimited Blade Work

As the white nothingness died down and replaced entirely with a starry night sky, swords littered across an empty plain with a small mountain in the distance. The two moons hang above illuminates this world giving it a mystic feel.

Save my life...

And standing atop the mountain is Shirou himself. With a determined look in his eyes, he jumped from the mountain as an array of weapons from the very top itself then followed his steps.

Brave Shine...

And as Shirou descend, the weapons' original users suddenly manifested as if they were brought to life again. And those that sit atop of his mountain are those who are important to him. So much that he would rather trade his own for others if the situation even got to that point.

In just one moment before, it is just him. And in the next one, his family is once more back at his side as if everything that happened were nothing to them. As if disappearing away wasn't even their end but rather their own new beginning.

If to feel PAIN is my FATE
Then I just have only one thing to say...

The moment Shirou landed, he quickly made an opening move by tracing the Caliburn and broken-charge it. Swiftly like a Muramasa through the karma, the blade lights up like daybreak within a moonless night as Shirou swung it with such a speed that not even the original user could measure up. With the overflowing power that it contains, the blade cleaves through Azure Alice-demiurge and the fabric of space like a hot knife through butter.

Here in my SCAR-covered heart
Colors will always exist

Kuro applies Overedge into the pair of Kanshou and Bakuya as she jumps up into the height above before diving down with a god-shattering strike that shaken the whole field of swords. After that, she goes into a blade dance frenzy as each Overedge she traced were immediately charge to become broken-charge immediately. As she impales, slashes, cleaves, rends, all of them were not just mere random but each filled with purpose. Devoid of purpose and reason but rends with power far beyond any emotion she could muster.

Kiss me farewell, Judas
Turning to ash

Irisviel jumped into the fray as she creates as many steel-thread swords as possible, whether surrounding herself with them or placing them right above to rains storm of blades upon. She doesn't just cease there, she also utilizes her status as "Wishgiver" as she channels her power across the ground and unleashes spirals of holy flame upon Azure Alice-demiurge.

Dust to dust, this weakness of my distant past

Kiritsugu manifested once more as he wields his knife along with the Blade of Severing. As he moves with such a speed that can't be measured up or even calculated. He first draws out two magnum revolvers and fired all its cartridge chamber faster than the eyes can perceive and the projectiles were accelerated to the point that they aren't even the same the moment before they were fired. And then he quickly uses both the knife and the sword to slash and cut through Alice as fiercely as he could with such speed that he made his afterimages eating his dust.

Then when that isn't enough, he then used his Contender and accelerated its bullet to literally tore apart space itself upon firing. It was deafening like putting that same gun against your temple.

Another SCAR, one more scratch...
To my heart that is made out of GLASS

Miyu appeared once more as she wields her Kaleidostick and charges more than enough power that the energy blade formed on top is the size of a greatsword itself. As she flies with such tremendous speed that it is comparable to Kiritsugu. The Kaleidostick isn't intended to be used as a "lightsaber" but with such universal capabilities of Zelretch's creations have that one would try to utilize everything it has.

As Miyu uses the "magical Kaleido greatsword" to rend the divine being with all she has, she also utilizes the power of the Second Magic to her advantage so that she can fractalize her attack potency and speed and even attacking multiple times instantaneously at the same time.

It lights a SPARK burning hot
One I had NEARly forgot

Taiga lunged at Azure Alice-demiurge as she lets out a fearsome cry of the jaguar. As she swings her naginata while lashing out upon the goddess with such precision and deadly instinct of her that one felt they are fighting a spiritual ferocity incarnated instead of a Heroic Spirit. She spun her naginata around as the emanating heat of it could scorch jungles into ashes faster than a wildfire by hundreds of times.

I watch the LAST STARDUST
Rise up and fly

Sitonai manifested as she aims her bow once more. Riding upon her polar bear, she charges toward Azure Alice-demiurge with murderous intent, for real. She has never once felt such rage like this ever in her times being summoned. Seeing her own family in harm's way is already enough for her but to threaten their very existence itself is a whole batch of disgust stacking atop of each other.

Letting loose the arrow with coldness even more than Niflheim itself. The arrow froze its surroundings just by literally existing and left a trail of icicles behind. When it impacts Alice, the atmosphere temperature dropped harder than her body on the rubble-scattered stone floor in her original life. Despite such a sharp drop, no one cares about it as if it has no effect whatsoever on them.

Dust to dust, Ash to ash
Into the sky...

And as the tide of the battle continues to change, Shirou decided to finish off this battle for once and for all. Tracing the possibly most powerful weapon that he could ever lay eyes on, he reaches out for it and something from atop the mountain of swords flies towards him. It was the Jeweled Sword Zelretch.

As the sword landed in his hand, he then sprints toward Alice while intending to stab it right into the core. When the chance comes, he lunged toward Alice while holding the jeweled sword tight in his hand to never let it go by mistake. When he managed to do so, he plunged the sword straight into the core deep enough that only the hilt is visible externally.

These fragments of my Hopes and Dreams...

After he did so, Shirou quickly jumped from its chest into the height above. Upon reaching the climax of his jump, he changed his stance into diving head-on while raising his fist to prepare a devastating punch he about to unleash.

Shirou closed his eyes as he lets out a silent prayer. Memories started to flood back into every corner of his mind from the first day to now. The people he met, the heroes he fought alongside, and those he had a clashing rivalry with. No matter how small or indifferent it may be, he cherished them all for only this time... he is finally the hero that he made himself to be.

The glimmering stars above lighted up briefly as stardust started to gather into his clenching fist. It lights up with the stars themselves, the wishes that they had, and the dream they once held. They all now within his fist as he about to bring his deliverance.

NEVER DIE!

He punched forward with all he had. His own arm be damned as he stoops at nothing to bring this whole conflict to its conclusion. No sacrifice at this point is too little and he only wishes to see the hell he has gone through undone. As his fist collides with the Jeweled Sword, its shockwave was so powerful that the Reality Marble shakes from the impact. And the power of those stardusts transferred into the Jeweled Sword and fractalize extremely fast beyond belief and soon... the Jeweled Sword became saturated with power.

As it can't contain the power that is rising exponentially, the sword exploded into myriad lights with unfathomable power. One that can't ever be measured or even described. The starry sky is then engulfed in its light and soon, the reality falls apart on its own.

...

...

...

They returned to the abyss once more. All of his family members but Illya are breathing tiredly from fatigue and what they did.

"Damn it... We were so close..." Shirou said as he gasps for air.

Both Arnold and Alfin quickly tried to attack it but it doesn't seem to respond to their attacks at all. As they let loose their onslaught, they realized that something isn't right at all.

The Root... it is getting closer... They thought it was just something there but... if they are approaching it at such a speed, they might not have enough time left for them to defeat this divine being.

"No... We can't possibly end like this..." Gudao said as he vividly felt and remember all of what occurred there and it is still not enough.

And to make the matter worse, the Azure Alice-demiurge started to stand straight on its own. It however then ripped the core where Alice is. As it holds the core above, all Servants and Masters there saw images of what happened next.

The Azure Alice-demiurge crushed the core itself with a bare hand and unleashed an untold amount of power. One that is so powerful that it ruptured space and time itself irreversibly and so powerful that the past also felt it.

If they let her do it... The foundation of the universe will be destroyed and collapsed from inside. There will be no survivor, there will be nothing... All will be erased... even metaphorical concepts. The entire universe where it once was will be disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

"Damn it! We have to do something!" Gudao shouted in realization.

"ALICE! STOP!" Arnold yelled in sorrow as he realized what is going to happen.

Despite the panic that spreads in everyone's conscience. One man remained unnaturally calm even when the prospect of universe-wide existence erasure in accounts.

That man was Kiritsugu...

"Can't believe that I would finally see it in effect... Guess that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, heh?" Kiritsugu said with a wry smile as then charges toward the 'center' of where they are right now.

He has an ace hidden until now... One that none of his family members aware of or even his Master. During his stay in Chaldea, his time alter magecraft was refined with the help of the Caster Unions of Chaldea. Thanks to them that he knew how to accelerate beyond just 4-time and he can apply magecraft into anything and anyone.

As his steps touch on the 'ground', a magic circle formed and appeared as it completely surrounded everyone here, even Azure Alice-demiurge itself. In reality, from before all of these fightings begin, he had a feeling that fighting head-on will bring them nowhere, and thus he chose to make a contingency plan in case it isn't enough. Thank the goodness that he did so...

And it isn't just him either, he also has those who can't fight directly to assist him in making the magic circle and instructed them properly to make no mistake. And thus... he had the last laugh if he can even do so...

With a resolute look in his almost empty eyes, he holds the Blade of Severing in his hand while standing right in the middle of the magic circle. He took a deep breath as he yelled with everything he has

time alter chrono collapse

He plunged the blade down into the middle as power converges through the ritual itself. Fractures appear on the fabric of reality as the circle lights up as if something unbelievable about to happen.

Everyone looks at him in anticipation, anything is better than what would happen if Azure Alice-demiurge went through with its suicide attack.

The reality around them shatters into glasses but they never rewound themselves back to normal. Alice hasn't detonated its core yet and they were left confused at what is going on. As everything collapses reveal them inside a massive ether stream that moves upward without any possible end in sight. They felt that they are in a part of something far greater than they believe.

But the most important thing is... Azure Alice-demiurge seems to be not moving at all. It just stood there holding the core in its hand and not doing anything at all.

"Jii-san! What did you do?" Shirou asked as he is in confusion about what just happened.

"Simple... This is a contingency plan in case we may not be able to defeat her in a normal way. You know what I just did?" Kiritsugu said as he wanted to savor this very moment.

"Jii-san... I'm not you... Just be straight already..." Shirou said as he doesn't want to hear anything more after almost brushing so close to death.

"Let me shorten this for you... I basically removed the concept of time itself out of the area within the magic circle..." Kiritsugu said with a deadpan expression.

"You what!?" Shirou said in surprise when he heard of what happened.

Back in Chaldea, he decided to take up help from the Caster Union so that they can together refine his time alter magecraft to be more effective. It is thanks to them that he can accelerate things in more effective ways and can apply them to object and other Servants.

Among one of those experiments of his is to remove the concept of time in a boundary of an area. While it worked theoretically, the cost to keep up such a thing is so tremendous that it was chalked up as theoretically proven but not for practical purposes.

In the Azure Abyss, there are no such things as a lack of mana. Because of that, the spell finally found its use.

Alice's power is Fate itself. The power to control and manipulate all outcomes into whatever she desires. She can see both into the past, present, future from even separating timelines. The threads of fate itself wrapped so tightly around her that it is inseparable and can't possibly be altered at all.

Alfin's Akashic Record doesn't work on her because she only locks time in its place. To forcefully stopping the hands of time so that there is no possible way for her enemies to retaliate. As long as time still exists as a concept, she will reign regardless of outcomes.

Kritisugu's Chrono Collapse removes time entirely, and without time, there can't be fate. There will be no past, no present, no future, nothing... Nothing will happen and time in essence becomes meaningless. And without fate, Azure Alice-demiurge can't do anything but to stuck in eternal stasis.

"Wait... How come do we still move despite time no longer exist!?" Shirou said as he realized the implication.

"I didn't think we would get this far either way... But it is most likely the fact that I have also removed the concept of time from us too... And because of that, we can also move outside time itself. I don't even know... I'm an assassin, not a scholar." Kiritsugu said as he tried to explain why.

"It is because she was so intertwined with time itself that the moment it was removed, the feedback shock completely stunned her. When time is removed, so too does the majority of her power." Alfin said as if she knew how things would work.

"But still... to think that you have such a thing under your belt..." Shirou said while looking in awe of the surrounding.

"Just where are we now? It doesn't look like the Root but I can't possibly be the Azure Abyss. Scratch that, I can't think of anything similar at all..." Arnold said as he tried to comprehend the environment around him.

"This is my first too... But if I could guess, those ether streams around us are timelines themselves... We are now outside the concept of time and thus this is what it looks like to us..." Kritisugu said.

Suddenly, they heard something is moving and it is not one of them. They noticed that the Azure Alice-demiurge is starting to move and continue its process of crushing its core.

"Dear lord... while this spell is indeed powerful, it seems that its stability is left to be desired. We have to finish this fight off now before this she would go through with that last attack!" Alfin said as she realized that the spell will fall apart soon.

Words of Gods: For this part, play To Become The Foundation of The World - Trail of Cold Steel

Everyone looked at each other to find any possible solution to this imminent crisis. And then... all gaze land upon her... Illya.

Illya too understood why... the final trump card that Chaldea has. Her Noble Phantasm...

"I understood... If my soul destined to burn away then..." Illya said before someone jumped in.

"No!... I know what you are getting at but please..." Irisviel said as bitter tears started to flow from her eyes.

"You can't possibly object at such a time right now, can you?" Larry said as he is started to reach a new level of worry that he has never once got a chance to experience.

"No... It's not that... If she intends to burn her life away with a final attack... Then, please... Let me join in with her for at least the last thing I see and feel will be her gentle embrace." Irisviel said as she swallows the bitter lump of sorrow.

"Please... don't talk about sacrifice after we went through so far..." Kiritsugu said as he tried to dissuade his wife.

"We don't have much time left... And not just our world is in danger... The whole concept of our existence and everyone else is also bet in this penultimate gamble too. So... please... Let me go out in a blaze of glory than to be erased into oblivion." Illya said with unbelievable maturity.

Everyone can only look at her in sorrow. Just a little girl alone is now carrying a burden far greater than everything they could believe. As she took out her Ruby and Sapphire, the Emiya Family understood that it has to be done...

"Okaa-san... Can you please?" Illya said as she looked at her mother while holding back the flood of tears behind.

Irisviel hugged her daughter tightly, knowing that the path they will take is of no return. As both Ruby and Sapphire together fused, so does their power that will be given to Illya. Her pink frilly magical girl clothes turned into violet with a slightly longer dress. Her pink-tinted white hair grew immensely longer to the point it nearly reached her sole. The dark violet bow from behind neatly ties her hair from being messy. But the most important change of all is the pair of butterfly wings that sprouted from behind and made entirely of ether.

"The Zwei form..." Kuro and Miyu mumbled beneath their lips.

Normally, a mother would carry her daughter from her back. But this time... Illya will be the one to carry her mother. As both their status of "Wishgiver" and their connections with the Holy Grail itself, the power output of them will be so immense and impossibly tremendous that people will burn their minds to attempt to comprehend that number.

As Illya flew away into high up in the height above while carrying her mother at the back, her power was so great that it felt like watching a star rising up into the galaxy above, carrying the hope and dreams of those behinds. All they can do is watch her... looking at the trail of lights behind as their last hope soars toward the greatest height it ever could.

And it doesn't end just there... Within her Zwei form, she gains the ability to draw out the mana from parallel universes, practically raising her attack potency and power to the point that she can obliterate anything she desires. Even as a human, her Zwei form can destroy planets if she wanted to. As a Servant combined with her mother's Noble Phantasm. There is nothing holding her back from going all out.

The thing is, she will also have to convert all of her blood veins into magic circuits to draw out the maximum efficiency of the Noble Phantasm. During so, she will experience tremendous pain beyond than words can describe. And most likely her body will also be burnt into oblivion when overused.

That's why her mother also accompanied her. So that to prevent her from dying and continuously soothe the pain away. She will also do everything in her power to help her daughter till her bitter end.

When she finally reached the zenith, the Azure Alice-demiurge looks only like a blue dot from her distance. How laughable, something that doesn't register in cosmic scale in size is about to destroy the universe as a last-ditch effort to stop them.

"Strange... When I am supposed to be most worried, I just feel absolutely nothing... Guess this is what it means to stare death at its face. To feel absolutely no worry of what to come... " Illya said as before she initiates her Noble Phantasm.

She then starts to activate her Noble Phantasm, the Zwei form is just the beginning, the real one is its strongest attack.

"I'm never... gonna give up on anything again!" Illya shouted with everything she has.

"Muscular system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, lymphatic system... Pseudo-Magical Circuit conversion... Complete!" Ruby's voice spoken in an almost mechanical tone and devoid of personality.

She then starts her downward dive at immediate terminal speed, as the fusion Kaleidostick started to converge energy at a breakneck speed... She then raised her wand with both her hands before sending down a world-shattering blow. There only two sensations that she felt clearly, an unbridled sense of pain... and her mother's warmth.

"This is... my all!" Illya yelled as she swung her wand down.

The wand then unleashes a huge beam of energy toward Azure Alice-demiurge. The power was so immense that it is rupturing through the meta-fabric of space itself and rushing down at a speed that is physically impossible to achieve.

As those who are below could feel it even before it was fired, they quickly tried to evacuate away from the blast area although it might not even be enough. In just an instant moment later... the energy beam landed upon Azure Alice-demiurge with such intensity behind that for once, there was something managed to harm it.

Its body was bashed upon by a stream of unadulterated power, it tried to scream but nobody could hear it. No one could tell what is going on as the sheer blindingness of the beam itself would dare to burn them from the light alone.

Everyone did everything they could and all they can do is just to let the situation go whatever it will be. All now lies on Illya herself...

They could feel the world around them becomes lighter, they can't tell anything for all of their senses are robbed, they don't even know what is going on at all... Everything felt so ephemeral that... it all became meaningless...

A faint voice was spoken but it soon faded away into the void...

...

...

...

...

...

Arnold opened his eyes and saw that he is sprawling all over the alter ground where Alice supposed to be. His body was overcome by a sense of heavy fatigue and never once in his life that he is this tired. He looked at the corner and saw Hitler lied there unmoving... And all around him were everyone else... the Chaldeans, Pierce, his Servant, Gudao, Desmond, Larry, Anastasia, Simo... All of them lies sprawled all over and some even rolled down the stairs.

"What... what happened..." Arnold tried to stand up but his shaking legs does little to help.

"We... we did it..." Alfin said tiredly while lying face flat on the ground.

"How?... I thought I was dead after that..." Illya said as she can't be bothered to open her eyes.

"To think that we would make it out..." Kuro said as she barely even want to use her brain.

"Wait... Where's Alice-" Arnold asked before he suddenly got the answer he wanted.

Alice is floating there, in a fetal position. Something is radiating from her, one that hardly any of them know how to put into words.

"Thank god that she is okay-" Arnold said in relief only to be spat across the face once more.

A vortex appeared right behind her, slowly sucking her into it. Right at that moment, he quickly stood up and try to reach out to her. However, he pushed back by a force field that separates between him and her. With the emergency of the situation slowly being realized by everyone else, they quickly tried to do anything they could in their power to break into but it was all in vain.

"ALICE!" Arnold yelled in worry.

"Dammit... What the heck!?" Gudao said as this is something completely unheard of.

"Alice!" Alfin yelled to reach out but her voice fell to deaf ears.

Suddenly feeling a spike of emotions, she focused her thoughts to clear up the discord to make sense of what she is feeling.

"This is... sadness and despair?" Alfin said as she examines the sensation she felt.

"ALICE! Hang in there! If you can hear me, then answer me!" Arnold shouted in despair as he tried to force his way through the barrier but it was unavailing.

"Kh... You... it can't be..." The voice of someone spoken from the back was heard.

Everyone turned around and saw Hitler is awakened once more but he is looking extremely weak after all of that. Arnold and Alfin instantly jumped towards him for any answer.

"What's happening to her!? Answer me!" Arnold shouted at Hitler while holding him up by the coat's neck.

"At this rate... She will..." Hitler said weakly but before he spoke anything about it. The answer instantly appears in their minds.

"You mean...!?" Alfin said in realization...

That one particular tell rang throughout their minds, it felt like an eternity ago that they barely could hold to any detail but they knew exactly one thing... the goddess disappeared out of her volitions.

"She is unbinding her own causalities! She barely has any hope or self-belief left. If this went through, a paradox will occur and her existence will be erased!" Alfin said as if she knew something that wasn't meant to be.

Arnold looked at Alice in sorrow. At that moment, he quickly rushes towards her with everything he has. Of course that the barrier obviously pushed him away but despite such force of nature that he is going up against, he tried to force his way to her.

"Arnold?" Alfin said when she saw what Arnold is doing.

"Arnold...!?" Shirou said as he is seeing someone doing the unthinkable.

"What are you doing...!?" Adolf Hitler tried to muster his strength to say loud enough for Arnold to hear.

"What are you trying to do here!?" Kiritsugu shouted for he can't believe the irrationally on display.

Ignoring the warnings of the others, Arnold desperately forcing through the barrier regardless of the consequences. He has made a promise to make her wish come true after seeing her simple dream, he can't allow her to succumb to such a sad fate like this.

"It's all right... Wait there for me...! You... I'll definitely..." Arnold said beneath his lips as he tries to reach for her.

And despite all the odds and impossibilities stacking against, Arnold actually started to make actual progress to reach for her. However, the others are seeing him trying to make a suicidal attempt to save someone who was so deadset on disappearing.

"ARNOLD! DON'T!" Alfin cried in sorrow as she tried to move as fast as possible towards him.

"With my own hands... Alice... I'll..." Arnold speaks under his breaths as the barrier is crushing him with sheer pressure alone.

However, the next step he took become effortless as the vortex dragged both him and Alice into the unknown. With such a sudden turn that his mind didn't process in time, both he and Alice disappeared from this world.

"ARNOOOOOLD!" Alfin lets out a loud cry of sorrow before completely broke down upon what has happened.

She stood there where Arnold and Alice once were... Everything happened so suddenly that her mind couldn't comprehend... No... It's more that her mind refuses to so that it could save her from the breakdown but... it was too late.

Alfin collapsed to her knee, memories with Arnold played out in her mind. His affections and cares left a lasting impression in her heart so much that she could remember it clearly as a pristine painting. His words of care, his confession... all of them just unfold in front of her like a floodgate completely broken against the unstoppable tide of emotions.

I'll create a masterpiece that has every color but pain and tears...

At this point... her tears started to drop like rain... She can no longer control her own sobbing as she completely broke down because of what has happened. The griefing cry of her was heard and it felt so saddening that they can't help but sympathize with her. Like a lump of sorrow concreted at her throat as swallowing this bitter taste of loss is far more painful than suffering the mistakes of her past.

Soon... There is no sound left but her own sorrow and sadness.