Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Cerberus

Part IX

"What the hell is that?" Tokiomi stared in horror.

"That is the avatar of Angra Mainyu." Cerberus answered. "We're not sure – then or even now – how it was able to regenerate the physical form of the vessel from the fourth war, but it was able to. And it's ultimately academic. The important point was that it was able to do so, and in the process gained access the vessel's abilities."

"…I have a name, you know." Irisviel murmured, still shaking.

"…I apologize if I caused offence." Cerberus said with a nod. "I was only trying to establish a distinction between yourself, and the being which took your form and powers."

"…my powers?"

"You are a replica of Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the last known wielder of the Third Magic." Cerberus said. "You have her memories, and through them can reconstruct a flawed…echo, of the Third Magic."

"Are you saying that Angra Mainyu was able to use the Third Magic?" Tokiomi asked, aghast.

"A flawed version of it, yes." Cerberus said with a nod. "I'm not entirely certain, but in addition to the distortions caused by the vessel and thus Angra Mainyu's unfamiliarity with the Third Magic, another reason it was flawed was due to Justeaze Lizrich herself having inherited either a flawed or incomplete form of the Third Magic, as opposed to its complete state. But if so, then we should be thankful. If not…well, at the very least, a Counter Force intervention would have resulted. That should tell you what the worst-case scenario would have been had we failed."

No said a word. They all knew what she meant. "How exactly did Angra Mainyu use the Third Magic?" Kirei eventually asked.

Cerberus tapped her omni-tool, and showed a blonde woman that was at once familiar and horrifyingly twisted. Saber gasped in horror, seeing herself with unnaturally pale skin, her green eyes turned to gold, and worst of all, her holy sword had been turned into a twisted mockery of itself, the metal of the blade black with corruption and the fairy letters engraved thereon glowing with ugly red light.

"Angra Mainyu summoned the Saber Class Servant of the previous war." Cerberus said. "Initially she refused to serve such a monster as Angra Mainyu, only for Angra Mainyu to drown her in its very essence, which Kirei Kotomine described as the condensed form of all the World's evil. The result was…I believe Rin Tohsaka described it as 'blackening', and as you can see, the King of Knights was reduced to…that."

Saber's face was filled with horror, and a glance at Irisviel showed the stricken homunculus unwilling to meet her eyes. Nearby, Archer glared at the projection of Saber Alter, mortally-offended at how a dead god wearing a doll's flesh would dare defile a Human legend. But for what purpose?

"What was its goal?" he asked.

"In one word, annihilation." Cerberus said before playing another memory, this time of herself and others facing off against Angra Mainyu. They watched as a redheaded boy demanded what Angra Mainyu sought to achieve, and the divine avatar of evil answered.

This is a diseased world. Humanity has existed for thousands of years, and all it has ever achieved is to add and keep on adding to the list of its sins. An ever-growing list of six billion curses for every individual that has ever existed, and will ever be born. They have no desire to stop, nor to take responsibility for it, instead crying out to gods that no longer exist, or did not care when they did, to take responsibility for them.

But dead gods neither need listen nor care to listen. All that needs be done is to turn all the world into one, Humanity made to face, accept, and take responsibility for its sins, and fulfilling this vessel's purpose, remake the world into one where none of what came before could ever come again.

"Enough." Archer said, in a tone that brooked no disagreement. Cerberus obeyed, as the King of Heroes rose to his feet. "How was that thing cast down as it should have been?"

Cerberus tapped her omni-tool, and displayed several individuals. First was a white-haired man in black and silver armor, wielding a greatsword, green energy burning from his chest. "This is Siegfried," she said. "The Saber of the Fifth Holy Grail War. It was he who faced down the corrupted form of the King of Knights, and keeping her from interfering with the rest of us in our battle against the God of Evil."

"And?"

Cerberus tapped her omni-tool again, showing this the redheaded boy from before, along with a beautiful, elfin woman in robes of violet, black, and gold. "Shirou Emiya," she said, and causing Irisviel to start. "And his Servant, Medea, the Caster of the Fifth Holy Grail War. Together, they faced down the hordes of demons Angra Mainyu called forth to fight for it."

"Shirou…Emiya…?" Irisviel breathed.

"Kiritsugu Emiya's adopted son," Cerberus explained. "Since you are his wife, I imagine that makes him your adopted son too."

Irisviel looked thoughtful at that, while Cerberus tapped her omni-tool again. This time, the image was of a pigtailed girl in red and black, wielding a dagger with a blade literally carved from a jewel which shone with the colors of the rainbow. "The Jeweled Sword of Zelretch!" Tokiomi said in recognition before grinning. "Rin succeeded in replicating it? And at such a young age? Magnificent…!"

"Yes, well…" Cerberus said with a cough. "Desperation makes for wonderful motivation. The Jeweled Sword allowed her to match Angra Mainyu's access to the Third Magic, though even then it might not have been enough…"

"…but for the flawed or incomplete nature of Angra Mainyu's possession of the Third Magic." Tokiomi said with a nod. "I see…I imagine that's also why Angra Mainyu only summoned one Servant when it could otherwise have summoned many?"

"It seems to be, yes." Cerberus said with a nod. "We also suspect that even with a…theoretically, infinite supply of prana through the Third Magic, the reconstructed vessel's limitations mean the amount of prana that can be channeled and/or used is limited per unit of time. Though even then…"

Cerberus sighed, and showed strange, bestial creatures made of shadow in vast hordes. "Even then," she said. "It still had enough to unleash hordes of the damn things. Even using anti-army spells, Caster and her Master could barely hold them off."

"And what of you, Cerberus?" Archer asked. "Where were you in all this?"

"I destroyed the Grail." Cerberus answered, her eyes glowing. And then she played another memory, of her standing atop a gigantic orb of stone with glowing, golden statuary, cracks oozing with the condensed evil of the world. And then lines seemed to be superimposed over everything in sight, and they watched from her perspective as Cerberus stabbed her sword deep into the lines.

A spectral, unearthly scream filled the air, and then Cerberus ran over the orb's surface, dragging her sword through and along the lines. The screaming continued as she tore through what could only conceptual faults of some kind, the faults opening up not just where she cut, but growing outwards from where she cut, chips of stone flying and evil spraying out as the orb tore itself apart.

Then Cerberus let herself go into free fall, letting gravity itself pull her and her blade down, until she had cut a fault in a full longitude along the orb. The orb began to collapse, falling apart, and spraying and vomiting black mud into the cavern beneath, as Cerberus leapt up onto a ledge and down a tunnel, away from the crumbling, corrupted miracle behind her.

"What was that?" Saber asked.

"That was the Greater Grail." Cerberus answered. "The actual wish machine itself, where Lady Einzbern here is merely the Lesser Grail, the vessel in which the energies of fallen Servants are gathered. Once the energies are gathered, it is fed into the Greater Grail, to power its mysteries."

"And you destroyed it." Tokiomi said. It wasn't a question.

"It was necessary." Cerberus hissed.

There was a moment of silence, and then Tokiomi sighed. "So it was." He admitted.

"Your eyes…" Irisviel began. "Your Mystic Eyes, that is. They're the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, aren't they? That's how you were able to see the Greater Grail's conceptual faults, and how you could cut them."

"…they are." Cerberus admitted after a moment.

"Who was your Servant in the war?" Tokiomi asked.

Cerberus smiled, and then gestured to Assassin, who looked surprised. "Whether it was the fifth war or this one," she said. "My Servants is always this incarnation of the Old Man of the Mountain. Perhaps that says something about me, but I do not care. I am who I am, and I never need run from my nature."

Archer smirked, while Kirei looked troubled. Tokiomi raised an eyebrow while Irisviel and Saber shared glances. "So," Risei asked with a cough. "What do you suggest we do then? Destroy the Greater Grail, as you did in your timeline?"

"That is the solution that worked then," Cerberus said with a nod. "And it might work here and now. But perhaps you might think of a different solution. If you do, then I am all ears."

There was a moment of silence, and then Tokiomi sighed. "We've been given a lot of information." He said. "Information that makes for generous amounts of food for thought. I suggest we adjourn for now, and consider this matter further before making any decisions with regard to the future."

"Yes…" Irisviel agreed. "I…we should think about all this first, before deciding on what to do with the Grail."

Risei nodded in agreement, followed by Kirei, and then Cerberus. Saber looked resigned and forlorn, while Archer just looked amused. "Then," Cerberus said with a slightly-mocking bow. "If there is nothing more, I will take my leave."

Tokiomi looked like he wanted to ask something but couldn't bring himself to say it, and with that Cerberus turned and departed the church.

"We are being followed." Assassin remarked.

"By who?" Cerberus asked.

"It is the priest." Assassin replied.

"Is that right?" Cerberus asked with a smile.

Changing course, Cerberus made her way to a nearby café, where she ordered drinks and food for three. Taking it to a nearby table, she cast a bounded field around it, and turned to Assassin. "Invite Father Kotomine to join us for lunch." He said.

Assassin raised an eyebrow, but said nothing before going to do as commanded. Minutes later and she returned, accompanied by Kirei. "Ah, Father Kotomine," Cerberus said. "This is an expected pleasure we are honored by your presence."

Kirei raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean 'unexpected' pleasure?" he asked.

"No, expected is correct." Cerberus said while taking a drink of her coffee. "I suspected Tokiomi Tohsaka would have me followed, and he has not disappointed. But I suspect you followed me not simply because you were ordered to, and the same goes for your acceptance of my invitation to join us for this meal."

"…perhaps…"

Cerberus smiled and took another drink. "Did my words from earlier strike a chord?" she asked.

"…it seems they did." Kirei admitted with a sigh. "Very well, I admit I am curious. You told me that your origin is 'death', and your elemental affinity is also 'death', which I assume is the true cause for your possession of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception."

"Yes, and?"

"You said you never need run from your nature…I…I believe those words were meant for me as much as they were to answer Tokiomi's question."

"…they are."

"…why?"

"…as I said, I respected you." Cerberus said after a moment. "I didn't tell them, but you were there in the final battle. You attempted to stop me from reaching the Greater Grail, but for the intervention of Shirou Emiya, who tied you down and allowed me to reach my goal. Yes, you heard that right: you sought to keep me and my allies from preventing Angra Mainyu from achieving its twisted goal."

Kirei looked stricken. "Why?" he asked in a small voice.

"Because it was the right thing to do." Cerberus said. "While the conclusions it drew were…erroneous in the extreme, Angra Mainyu did have a point. The Human race has only ever added evil upon evil in the millennia it has existed, and always put its faith in interested, supernatural beings to take responsibility for them."

"I…see…" Kirei said before taking a deep, hacking breath. "So that's what my counterpart's reasoning was…for Humanity to stop looking away…to face and repent its sins…but…to sacrifice Humanity to that…thing? To allow it to remake the world in its image? Why?"

"Again, because it was the right thing to do." Cerberus said. "Your counterpart likened the new world as envisioned by Angra Mainyu as a child about to be born, with Angra Mainyu's avatar as its mother, and the Greater Grail as the womb. And you would not countenance an…unborn, child from having its life taken away before its time."

"…that's…that's just…" Kirei asked, uncomprehending. "The reasoning is…it's correct…but it's twisted…"

"Just like you are." Cerberus said with a smile. "And just like myself as well."

"What do you mean?"

"You are someone who only ever finds enjoyment in the suffering of others, but you are also someone who knows and understands the concept of right and wrong, of good and evil." Cerberus gently said. "That was why your counterpart was always so willing to help, whether us or our enemy, because either way it was the right thing to do. A paradox, isn't it? And that is why I respect him…and I respect you. Because he and you always try to do the right thing"

"Did he?" Kirei hissed. "He…he would have burned the world down…how can such…no…I see his reasoning but…I do not wish to become like him!"

"Indeed you should not."

"What?"

"His mistake was that when he decided to stop running from his nature," Cerberus began. "He didn't so much as overcome it as much as he allowed it to consume him. That is why he was able to twist his reasoning, to apply 'right' and 'good' in technically correct but practically twisted ways."

"…what are you saying?"

Cerberus smiled. "We need not run from our natures, Father Kotomine." She said. "But neither should we allow them to rule us. I am death, but I do not kill indiscriminately. You enjoy the suffering of others…but is it so wrong when they deserve such suffering? Is there not such a thing as righteous satisfaction, say when justice is brought to bear on one who committed wrong?"

Kirei looked suddenly thoughtful, and Cerberus smiled wider. "We need not run from our natures, Father Kotomine." She repeated while raising her coffee mug in a toast. "We only ever need to come to terms with them."

In a sitting room at Castle von Einzbern, husband and wife were huddled together, clutching each other tightly. An air of gloom and despair hung heavy in the room, as the realization of their ultimate failure struck hard and heavy. Neither Saber nor Maiya were present, both giving Kiritsugu and Irisviel much needed privacy.

"…could she have been lying?" Irisviel asked.

"Doubtful," Kiritsugu answered. "She was bound by geis. A geis witnessed by Risei Kotomine, apparently. And considering mystic eyes are still tied to the nervous system, that she hadn't gone blind or was bleeding from ruined eye sockets by the end of that meeting shows she was telling the truth."

"…maybe it's a trick."

"I don't see how." Kiritsugu said. "Even if the Kotomines are allied with Tohsaka, considering Edelfelt is pushing for the Grail's destruction, what do they possibly have to gain from this?"

"What do you think?"

"…Edelfelt's solution is probably the only one with any real chance of success." Kiritsugu said after a moment. "Unless Einzbern knows of a way to get Angra Mainyu out of the Grail, then we truly have no choice, otherwise even trying to use it is going to end in disaster."

"Should I contact my father again?"

"He'd probably just say more of the same."

Irrelevant…proceed with your appointed task, and return the Grail to Einzbern.

"Illya…our Illya…if we don't succeed then…Illya…Illya…"

Irisviel tightened her grip on Kiritsugu's sleeves, the man's face twisting at the thought of his daughter and what Einzbern would do to her if they failed in their given task. "We'll have to find a way." He whispered, his voice nearly breaking. "We have to. If not to win the Grail…then to get our daughter back…"

"…Edelfelt didn't mention anything about her in their world." Irisviel whispered. "I…what happened to her?"

"…as she was also a vessel…then…"

"Kiri," Irisviel whispered. "What do we do?"

"…I don't know." Kiritsugu breathed after a moment, tightening his arms around his wife. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Cerberus and Assassin strode up towards the Matou mansion, the former raising a hand and smirking as she felt no bounded fields present anymore. "As expected," she thought, as Assassin leaped over the gates and opened them from the inside. "With Zouken Matou dead, and the existing Matou mysteries so…bound, to him, with his death, they cease to be."

Inwardly sneering at the so-called arch-magus' incompetence, Cerberus strode unchallenged into the Matou property, up to the front door, and simply kicked them open. "Anybody home?" Cerberus called out.

There was no response, and after a few moments Cerberus and Assassin entered the foyer. They'd barely taken a few steps before the former was dodging a half-empty bottle thrown her way. It smashed against the ground, alcohol spilling amidst the broken glass.

They both looked to the source of the thrown bottle, and stared at an obviously-drunk, violet-haired man leering at them both. "Who're you?" he slurred. "What you doing here? Breaking into my house…ought to call the cops…"

"…right, I forgot he used to be a drunk." Cerberus said with a sigh and palming her face. "Anyway…I'm sure he'll shape up eventually…for now though…"

Taking a deep breath, she stepped closer. "I am Kirsikka Edelfelt." She said. "And by my sword and magic, slayer of Zouken Matou. By the gods of war, justice, and magic, I claim his possessions as my spoils of victory. So I declare."

Byakuya Matou stared, and then burst out laughing. "Pretty speech…" he snickered. "But saying that and…"

Cerberus activated her mystic eyes, and flared out her killing intent for just a fraction of a moment. It was enough to widen Byakuya's eyes, the man falling backwards onto the floor, a wet stain spreading on his trousers.

Okay, maybe that was a bit too far.

"I see we understand each other." Cerberus said with a smile. "Bring to me the child named Sakura Matou."

Nodding frantically, Byakuya scrambled to his feet and hurried to do as commanded. Before long, he was bringing a dead-eyed girl in a violet dress to Cerberus, who stared at her in horror. "Crest worms…?" she whispered. "This is what they did to her?"

"…I…I couldn't do anything…" Byakuya struggled to excuse himself.

"There was nothing you could have done." Cerberus interrupted with a wave of a hand. "Get your things and get out of here. Take the stock and other papers from the safe, and start over elsewhere. A normal life or whatever, I don't care. The Matou's legacy as magi is dead and gone."

"Right…right!" Byakuya frantically agreed before turning to run and do as he was told. Cerberus however, sank down to Sakura Matou's level, and stared at her in the eyes.

Gods…her eyes…they're dead…they've completely broken her…

And the hair…the feel of her…

…this level of alchemical alteration…and…those things inside of her…

Cerberus fought back the urge to growl and unleash her killing intent, unwilling to frighten the child before her. If she could even be frightened anymore, that is.

She's not even a child or a person anymore. Just a doll.

Damn that bastard. A quick death was too good for him, but necessary.

Anything otherwise and he'd have had a chance to escape and recover.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Cerberus asked gently.

Sakura stared at her in incomprehension. And then she shook her head. "I can't." she whispered in a dead voice. "Grandfather will get angry. You can't disobey or fight grandfather. You'll die if you do. Alone…in the dark…eaten by worms…"

Cerberus rose to her feet, her face like stone. "I see." She said. "No…don't worry. I'm not angry at you. And your grandfather is dead. I killed him."

"…he'll be back." Sakura whispered, again in a dead voice. "He'll always come back."

"No, he won't." Cerberus snarled, before turning and placing a hand on Sakura's back, guiding her towards the door and the outside. "You can be sure of that."

"I'm sure."

Cerberus didn't bother to reply, and just typed commands into her omni-tool. The truck they'd used to come here opened its back, mechs jumping out to haul large crates with them to carry into the property. And there was Kirei Kotomine as well.

"Now this is an unexpected development." Cerberus said. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." Kirei asked. "Kidnapping?"

Cerberus chuckled. "Kidnapping?" she echoed. "I prefer to call it rescuing."

"Tokiomi Tohsaka and the courts would disagree."

"Then it's better for them not to know, is it?"

Kirei was silent, and then Cerberus gestured at Sakura. "Look at her Father Kotomine." She said. "You can see the color of her eyes and hair. And you know they weren't like that before. You know they aren't the product of hair dye or colored lenses. You know what's been done to her, and with your training in spiritual surgery, you can feel it as well."

"The Holy Church does not interfere in how magi pursue their quest for the Root," Kirei said. "Nor in how they seek to preserve and advance their lineages. As…abominable, as this might be, in the eyes of magi society, it is simply normal and expected."

"But is it right…?"

Kirei did not answer. "Is it right?" Cerberus repeated, and he sighed.

"No," he said, clenching his fists. "It is not."

"Then there you go."

"But…"

Cerberus interrupted with a hand gesture. "Come with us for a bit," she said. "Get the crest worms out of her, and leave her with me afterwards. In return, I'll prove to you that you have no need to run from your nature, and indeed, you can accept it, while staying true to your beliefs."

She extended a hand as she said those words, and Kirei stared at the offered hand. "Give me a chance," Cerberus asked. "That's all I ask."

Kirei stared, and then made his choice. He took the offered hand.

Good man.

The Sun climbed down from the zenith towards the horizon, the white-stained blue of the sky giving way to orange and pink, then turned to dark velvet speckled with white. Having planted thermite charges and magnesium fuses across the house, from the roof to the basement, in every wing from one side to another, in every room, in fact, the mechs boarded the truck and put themselves in storage again. Cerberus tested her long-distance remote detonator, and then put it into a pocket.

Nodding to herself, she started the truck, and proceeded to drive off. "Where are we headed?" Kirei asked beside her.

"To my hideout." Cerberus replied.

"And where might that be?" he asked.

"Ryuudo Temple."

Kirei stared, and Cerberus threw him a smile. After a moment, he chuckled and shook his head. "I see." He said. "An excellent choice of positioning, so much so that I'm surprised no one has ever thought of it before. You have the high ground, and the temple's spiritual defenses provide a bonus to your defense, while forcing approaching enemies to follow a narrow route. More than that, you sit atop the junction of three ley-lines, and all they provide."

"Can't take credit for it," Cerberus said with a shrug. "In the fifth war of my timeline, it was Caster who came up with the idea of basing herself out of the temple. I just followed her example."

"A good example it is."

"Indeed."

"…what are you really planning, Cerberus?" Kirei asked after several moments.

"I'm going to make Tokiomi choose." Cerberus answered, also after several moments.

"Choose?"

"Yes…let's see if he can see and choose what's truly important. Let's see if there's still a Human being beneath that smug and arrogant façade, or if he truly is just a pure, cold-hearted, son of a bitch."

"And then what?"

Cerberus did not answer for a long time. Kirei sighed and sat back, riding in silence until they left the city proper and began to climb up the mountain road. But as they came to a halt at the temple base, Cerberus finally answered.

"It all depends on his choice." Cerberus said. "For you see, the choices will be reward or punishment in themselves."

"I see."

A/N

As I've said before in other stories of mine, writing Kirei is surprisingly fun. Back then it was his FSN self, and now it's his FZ self, who may or may not become a Punisher-like figure. Terrifying thought there, Kirei as a vigilante doing the dirty work the cops can't (or won't) do.