Fate-profaned offering

by VitaVitaAR

The Holy Grail War. A free-for-all battle to the death between seven pairs of Masters and Servants. Matsushita Ai, at the behest of the organization that has cared for her for ten years, has been sent back to her birthplace to participate in such a clash. Together with her Saber-class Servant, Okita Souji, she will descend into a violent conflict in which there can be one victor.

19. Chapter 19

The Holy Grail.

The Omnipotent Wish-Granting Device. The path to the root itself. The goal of the vicious conflict that was known as 'the Holy Grail War'.

By this point, all but one of the Servants who had originally been summoned for the purposes of doing battle for the Holy Grail were now dead. The seals that had adorned Pandora's hand after she finished twisting Lancer had faded, which meant only one thing. Saber had been victorious. The samurai was coming to try and stop her. Not that she would be successful, of course.

For she could practically see it. The Holy Grail was descending. The cup that could grant her deepest desire, that would become an infinite source of mana and allow her to consume humanity with All the Evils of the World, was materializing before her very eyes.

Avenger could feel her heartbeat quickening, her excitement swelling. The golden light that shown down was being filled… with the slowly-incarnating shape of a golden cup. Yes… yes, it was almost here! She did not need to make a wish. She did not need to use the grail as it was intended. No, she would unite it with her own body. She would use it as her mana supply, in place of her Master and in place of the box itself. With that, she could open the box and let the mud flow freely as much as she desired.

And before Avenger's very eyes, the Holy Grail was revealing itself from that brilliant light. Yes… yes, the Holy Grail was revealing its very existence to her! So long had she waited, every moment of her life cursing the gods. Ever moment until her death. The last thoughts in her mind, as she slowly succumbed, alone and friendless, to her fate… the utter hatred she felt towards the gods and the contempt she felt for those they had favored. Those they had created her to punish. All that time had lead to this very moment.

Attached to the nearby wall, bound and naked, secured with blackened constructs of Avenger's own creation, was her Master. Rani was trapped within her own mind, for the time being. Pandora had no intention of killing her when they first met, and she still did not. In fact… if she did survive the coming fire…

Perhaps it she would be spared. Not only was she created as a tool, just as Avenger herself had been, but she was the entire reason that the woman known as Pandora had managed to find a path into this world. There was some part of Pandora, deep within the dark shadow that could be called her core, that felt sympathy for the dark-skinned girl. Indeed… perhaps she alone would be allowed to survive the fire, as someone who had simply been used as a tool from the very moment of her birth.

She could sense Saber's presence, but that was hardly cause for concern. She was just about to grasp the Holy Grail! It was materializing, just as she had wished!

Just as…

She had…

Indeed, the thing that came to be in the column of light was a cup. Undeniably, it had the shape of a Grail. If that had been all that had been required of it, it would have been the perfect Holy Grail that the war had been waged for in the first place. But simply by laying eyes upon it, Avenger could discern that something was wrong.

The cup that floated in the air in front of her was no Omnipotent Wish-granting Device. It could not even be called a divine treasure on that level. In fact, it was incapable of granting wishes at all. It could not reach the root. Not a single mage who had obtained it would fine any worth in its nature aside from as some kind of curiosity. Perhaps as the basis of some sort of ritual.

And yet, Avenger couldn't help but crack a smile. She couldn't stop herself from beginning to laugh, hysteria overcoming her.

This? This was the thing they had called the Holy Grail? The thing that every Master and Servant had been fighting for?

For nearly all of them, something like this would be absolutely useless! It didn't even have the capacity to grant wishes in a manner that the victor could conceive of. It was incapable of granting a single desire!

So much death and suffering waged for this?

All it could do, its singular function… well, it was obvious to Avenger, really. It had already been demonstrated.

The only thing this 'Holy Grail' could do was enact the summoning of Servants. If she had not seen such a thing in the form of the other Servants and herself, she would have doubted even that. On every level, in every way, this 'holy grail' was nothing more than a failure. It could grant no wishes. It could forge no path to the root.

It was nothing more than a drinking cup.

And yet…

Indeed, it was useless to the other participants in this Holy Grail War. That was an undeniable fact. But it was a nearly endless wellspring of mana, a source of incredible power. It had no function, no capability to do more then act as a supply… but Avenger had never needed anything else, had she?

This 'Holy Grail' was utterly useless. But not to her.

Just as she reached out to curl her fingers around the cup, she heard a sound from behind her. Still suspended in the air, Avenger turned, now holding the 'holy grail' in one hand, cocking her head to the side as she did.

There, at the entrance to the chamber of this fake, this fraud, was Saber. Immediately, the swordswoman raised her blade, silver-gold eyes fixed on Pandora as she did.

"Avenger!" she cried. Pandora could see the look on her face, one of determination. All it did was fill Avenger with a strange sense of satisfaction.

"So there you are, Saber."

She raised the grail towards the samurai.

"Would you like to know the true nature of this thing you've been fighting for?"

---

Saber darted down the stairs. The next level was completely clear, the next after that was, as well! There was no further obstacles between her and the final, bottom floor of the parking garage. That was where Avenger had to be located! At this point, the girl samurai could feel it, that dark presence that could only be Pandora lingering just a little further. As soon as she arrived at the final floor, she would be ready! She had to be!

But it was difficult to be prepared for what she saw when she reached the bottom.

The final level of the parking garage had been hollowed out, a deep, cavernous chamber. In its very center was a shaft of light. On the opposite wall was a strange, dark mass, and in the center of the mass was what Saber recognized as an unconscious Rani IV.

And in the center of the room, reaching into the shaft of light…

"Avenger!"

Pandora had already turned to face her. In her hand… that golden cup… it had the be the Holy Grail. Avenger had already obtained it… but she wouldn't let her keep it!

"So there you are, Saber," she commented, cocking her head to one side as she raised what had to be the Holy Grail, "Would you like to know the true nature of this thing you've been fighting for?"

Saber paused for a moment, even as she kept her sword raised parallel to her eyes. What did Avenger mean, the true nature of the Holy Grail? It was an omnipotent wish-granting device, wasn't it? The goal of the Holy Grail War centered on the ability to use it to gain a wish! There wasn't anything else that could be said, was there?"

"What are you talking about, Avenger?" snapped the pale swordswoman, as she drew closer, her eyes fixed on Pandora, "Whatever your game is here, you won't be able to distract me. I won't let you take your misguided vengeance!"

"… Misguided, you say? Against those monsters calling themselves gods?"

Pandora narrowed her dull golden eyes.

"You understand absolutely nothing. Were it not for my desire to tell you the truth about this thing pretending to be the Holy Grail, I would have already killed you."

Saber readied herself. She had absolutely no reason to sit here and listen to whatever stalling tactic Avenger had devised, especially when she was already holding the Holy Grail. She had to get it out of her hands as soon as possible…!

With a sound like an explosion, Saber burst forward and reached Avenger in an instant! With a flash of her blade, she severed the enemy Servant's right arm! It spiraled through the air, trailing blood as black as All the Evils of the World, before landing some distance away, still clutching the grail. As she skidded to a halt behind Avenger, Saber swiftly turned on her heel and readied herself for an attack.

But… Avenger barely looked phased…? Even as black blood spurted from the stump that had once been her right arm…

"… So you desired a fight, first, Saber…?" questioned Avenger, almost casual as she cocked her head, "Do you not wish to understand that the Holy Grail you fought for is nothing more than a fraud?"

Instantly, the platinum blonde girl declared this a lie, in her mind. If the Holy Grail was a fake, why did Avenger still want it? How could it possibly have summoned Servants if it wasn't the real thing? Saber had no understanding of the Holy Grail in terms of its existence as an artifice of magecraft, but as a Servant she knew how it functioned as the conduit that allowed for her own summoning to occur.

She was more concerned over the fact that Avenger seemed completely unperturbed over the loss of her arm. Saber had severed it at the shoulder, and yet Avenger had barely even flinched, beyond wincing a little.

"That's nonsense!" she declared, narrowing her eyes as she did, "You're the one responsible for what happened to Lancer, trying to plunge the entire world into hell! Why should I sit here and listen to you?!"

"It's simple, really," responded Avenger, shrugging her shoulders. The stump that was all that remained of her arm had already stopped bleeding, far more quickly then Saber had expected, "I may be your enemy, but the truth is this entire Holy Grail War has been a sham from the very beginning."

Saber simply didn't understand. How could Avenger say something like that with such conviction, even after having been so critically injured? She had no intention of listening, but the sheer confusion of it gave her pause for a moment.

"There's no way that's possible," asserted Saber, after a moment, "If the Grail was able to call out to heroic spirits, it can't be a fake."

Avenger shook her head. Saber thought she noticed something unusual happening in the wound that was all that remained of her right arm.

"Oh, certainly, there is one way in which this is something like the true Holy Grail. It's certainly capable of allowing for the summoning ritual to occur," she replied, gesturing widely with her remaining hand, "But that's it. This thing-"

Avenger gestured towards the Holy Grail still clutched in her severed hand.

"-is no perfect wish-granting machine. Nor is it some kind of insidious trap filled with darkness. This cup has more in common with that little homunculus girl you and your Master love to coddle than anything else."

For a few moments, Saber couldn't help but let her confusion show on her face. The Holy Grail was more like Alysvial? How did that even begin to make sense? Soon, her focus returned, and she readied herself for another strike against Pandora… but she hesitated, just for a split second. If this war was fought for a fake grail, what would have been the purpose in the first place? Why create something like this, forge such a vicious conflict, if there wasn't even a real prize in the first place?

"It's an infinite source of mana, and it can allow for the summoning of heroic spirits," continued Avenger. As she spoke, a circle of purple lights suddenly began to materialize above her head. Saber's focus sharpened almost immediately. Saber's focus sharpened almost immediately. Regardless of what she was saying, it was obvious that Avenger was preparing to attack!

"But it's nothing! Can't you see? It utterly lacks any true splendor! This is no wish-granting device! It's nothing more than a well!" declared Pandora, raising her remaining hand in a rather grand gesture, "A well that all the fools, the idiots believed was a path to the root. Or, in some cases, an artifact of one of those bastard gods. But this isn't even of the same nature as the Holy Grails battled for in other wars, is it?"

There was a manic gleam growing in those doll golden eyes.

"Is it?!" Pandora practically snarled, as the purple pinpoints of light flared, unleashing a great barrage of magical energy towards Saber! Needless to say, there was no way she could let that hit her. Even as she evaded, putting on a burst of speed, she could feel each beam singeing the air as it flew past her! When they hit the ground, they carved glowing ruts into the earth, slicing through it like there was nothing there. But Saber wasn't about to let that attack go unanswered! She'd already cut off one of Avenger's arms, now she just had to go for the head!

Darting towards her opponent, before she could fire another set of beams of mana, the girl samurai drew back her sword and prepared to strike…!

But this time, there was something in the way. A circular barrier flared into existence, and with a sound something like the noise made by steel scraping along steal the tip of Saber's katana made contact with it in a shower of sparks. Almost immediately, innumerable dark purple needles materialized over the swordswoman's head and fell, forcing her to retreat!

As she did, she heard an ugly sound, and caught glimpse of another, freshly-formed arm erupting from the stump that she'd left behind, mending Avenger's body entirely. No wonder she hadn't been concerned about losing an arm!

"Can you understand, Saber?" Avenger asked, raising her new arm into the air as she spoke, "The idea of being created for use as a punishing tool? To never be told of this until the very end? One day, seeing everything burn around you because you naively chose to follow your curiosity?! That's the pain I've felt on into infinity!"

The box drifted to Pandora's side, the patterns on it twisting and warping. Saber inhaled deeply, raising her katana to the level of her eyes once more. That box absolutely contained All the Evils of the World, and so if it was opened…

"Does it sound hypocritical to you, Saber?" asked Avenger, cocking her head to one side, "Burning the world with darkness after I was used for that very purpose as a punishing tool? But the fact is, the gods desired punishment, not annihilation! So I'll destroy everything they cared about! The human race that once worshipped them…!"

The patterns suddenly converged on the corner of the box, and a torrent of blackened mud erupted from it. Feeling the wind whipping around her, her scarf fluttering in the air, Saber immediately sprinted away from the mud's path…! It splattered across the wall, and stuck there, seething like it was something alive.

"Can't you see?! This cup can't grant your wish! It's useless for everyone, except me!" declared Pandora, even in her insane tirade managing to trace Saber's movements with her dull eyes, "Do you really want it anymore, knowing that?! Knowing this whole war was a sham created by fools who didn't realize they had failed to call the Holy Grail?!"

Saber paused for only a moment. Her wish… the memory of her wish…

The fact that she had failed to fight with her comrades until the bitter end. The desire she felt to have that chance, that one last opportunity to battle together with them, no matter what sordid end they faced…

And yet…

"… I'm not fighting to claim the Holy Grail, Avenger," the platinum blonde samurai responded, taking another deep breath as she did, "I'm here to stop you. To stop this insane revenge plot. To stop you from harming any innocent people. And I'm here for my Master, Matsushita Ai. It's not as if I can say I have no regrets… but preventing you from using that cup, even if it isn't the Holy Grail, is more important than any of that."

Clashing with the shade of a man whom she had called her friend in life had simply driven that point home.

"I'm here to stop you. I'm here for Ai. And I'm here to avenge Lancer, Pandora!" she declared! Squaring up her feet, Saber readied herself for another charge! Pandora may have had a barrier in place, now, but it couldn't hold out forever, could it?! She'd break through eventually, and even if she couldn't…!

There was nothing that would withstand her most trusted technique!

But as she prepared for another attack, she heard something behind her… and the black mud that had splattered across the wall suddenly erupted forward, hurtling towards her once more! It was only because of her finely-honed instincts that Saber was able to evade the stream of corruption as it hurtled towards the spot she had just occupied! It splattered across the ground, roiling and churning on its own. So… So Avenger couldn't just create the black mud, she could control it like this as well?

That must have been how she was able to get Lancer… by surprising her with an attack by the black mud from behind, or something like that…!

"The Black Mud of Pandora's box is inexorably tied to my existence, Saber," declared Pandora, a manic grin adorning her face as she cocked her head to one side, pale gold eyes wide with a certain mad fervor, "I can manipulate it as if it were part of my body!"

Fine. There was no denying how dangerous that was, but Saber wouldn't allow it to stop her!

As the mud rose into writhing tendrils and fired itself at her once more, the girl samurai stepped back… and exploded with movement again, clearing the distance to her side in an instant! The muddy tentacles grasped at where she had stood moments before, and Saber narrowed her silver-gold eyes before seeming to vanish once more! Yes, in an instant, she had cleared the distance again, made her way to Pandora before the enemy Servant could conjure up more mud! She just had to worry about that barrier…!

The swordswoman thrust her blade, slamming the tip against that purple shield! And then again, and again… a flurry of nearly invisible thrusts, a barrage of strikes directed at points all over the surprised Avenger's defenses! A single, powerful strike wasn't enough, but barrage of blows directed at finding any sort of weakness in the defensive artifice, pinpoint blows at a blinding speed… Even if it was solid, there was no way that it could hold out forever! There was no perfect defense short of the greatest of legends!

Sensing the muck behind her stirring once move, just as a series of purple circles ignited around Avenger's head once more, Saber darted back just as the mud erupted towards her and the beams fired, blazing into the spot she had once occupied. She wouldn't let any of it touch her…!

Even from here, the platinum blonde girl could see that she had cracked Avenger's defenses, a hairline fracture having appeared in the surface of the barrier. If she could just keep up, there was no way it could possibly hold!

"… To think you were able to crack my shield like that…" commented a bewildered Pandora, staring at her shield, "… I see. A spirit of the human order without a scrap of divine influence… My defenses were always far better equipped against those touched by the gods."

"I'll pierce that shield and take you down, Avenger!" declared Saber, squaring up her feet as she readied her katana once more. Her attention was split, between the black mud seething in front of Pandora, to the Avenger-class Servant herself. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"

Avenger simply chuckled.

"So even after learning the grail was fraud, that your entire reason to be here was empty… I see," she began. But that was where Pandora was wrong. Even if that reason was gone, Saber had so many reasons to stand against the Avenger-class Servant that she had picked up along the way!

The chief among them all was Ai.

"You're arrogant… so very arrogant… this is the revenge I've desired since before I perished!" declared Avenger, raising her hands as the mud she had once used flowed back into the box, "The vengeance that I so desperately wanted the moment I understood what opening Pandora's box had done, the moment I was bathed in All the Evils of the World! You, a heroic spirit born so recently, are so very arrogant to believe that you could deny me this, Saber!"

As she spread her arms wide, dozens upon dozens of pinpoints of purple light opened above her head. Soon, the entire cavernous chamber was filled with a veritable wall of magical energy! The sheer level of power on display… while individually the lights were not strong on their own, the number of them… Saber could not even see beyond the wall of light. Her silver-gold widened. This massive amount of mana… was it because of Pandora's box?!

With a resounding chorus of sounds like the crack of thunder, the hundreds of lights fired, releasing beams of magical energy! They bombarded the walls, the floor, trying to make it impossible for Saber to escape, for her to even find room to dodge! But she wasn't going to let herself get cornered!

Her agility, her speed… it was bolstered by being in the land she was born in, and by the feelings inscribed upon her heart by wearing that haori. Saber couldn't allow herself to be trapped by something like this! Even as blasts of magical energy rained down, she weaved through them, feeling each one pass by… once or twice, she felt a stab of pain strike as one hit her shoulder, another striking her leg, but she knew that if she let that give her even a moment's pause it would be over. Another shot was deflected, sparks flying as it clashed against her blade, and yet still, this barrage of mana was raining down…!

She had to keep moving, she had to avoid taking too many hits! If she stopped for any reason, any at all, there was no way that she would survive an onslaught like this!

But with every moment, she was making her way closer to Avenger. Every step brought her nearer and nearer to her opponent, she just had to make it…!

Suddenly, the firing stopped. Before Saber had even the briefest moment to wonder why, a hail of needle-like projectiles suddenly launched at her from above! Even backing up, at top speed, she couldn't avoid one of them slicing into her left side. With a gasp of pain, she stumbled back, but quickly righted herself. Damn it… she'd been cut off before she could reach Avenger again!

"It's only a matter of time, Saber," commented Avenger, cocking her head to the side. "What makes you think you can succeed where Lancer failed?!"

Lancer… To be honest, there was nothing. Saber had nothing she felt made her better then Lancer, though she did believe she had greater skill with the blade then the knight, Lancer was superior with the lance. But she had to try, didn't she? Or else it would make everything that happened to Lancer would be worthless. Billions of people would suffer. Ai would suffer…

"… My skill with the blade is unparalleled, but Lancer was an incredibly skilled knight. To be honest, there's no reason I should win and she should lose, when it comes to doing battle with you," Saber replied, sliding into a combat-ready stance once more, "But my Master has placed all her faith, all her hope in me. I can't let her down! And it's for Lancer's sake, too!"

"Hope?" inquired Avenger, her tone suddenly mocking, "Very well. Let me show you the truth of hope."

Just as Saber prepared herself to charge again, Avenger waved her hand with a flourish. The box floated forward with a strange humming sound, one that it hadn't put off before. Warily, Saber paused for a moment, eyeing the box. She had seen the black mud spew from Pandora's Box before, but something seemed different this time. It wasn't the same. All at once, golden lines began to flow across the box's surface, traveling towards the edge that faced Saber! Silver-gold eyes widening, the girl samurai raised her katana, ready to dodge in an instant.

"Behold, the truth behind the idea of hope, Saber!" declared Avenger, "The true nature of that falsity! This… is the Final Evil!"

The golden light gathered at the edge of the box, and Saber's entire body tensed. As a flash of light exploded from the box, her body exploded with movement as she attempted to dodge. But… no, something was wrong! Her entire vision was suddenly consumed with light! But how?! What kind of attack was this?! It wasn't the mud, nor was it the magecraft that Avenger had displayed before! There was no-where to run! Was there no escape?! But she couldn't fail Ai! She couldn't!

But-

---

The golden light faded.

Where Saber had once stood, there was a perfect orb of gold, large enough to entirely encase her. There had been no time for Avenger to custom-make the samurai's prison, as she had done with Rani. Instead, she had gone with the quickest possible route.

She could have easily killed the sealed Saber. Perhaps that was the wiser option. But… no. She had dared, she had the audacity, to mention hope. There was no way she could accept a quick end for someone who spoke of hope in her presence. So, Pandora had shown Saber the truth. What the final evil at the bottom of the box really was.

It was the falsity of hope. Hoping that there would be survivors, hoping she wouldn't be scorned… Where had any of it gotten Avenger? She had gone down in history as the one who had unleashed evil onto the world. But it wasn't merely the idea of hope she hated. It was the fact that she had seen it. The very concept of hope inscribed on the interior of the box. It truly, absolutely, was one of the blackest and most hateful evils that had ever been inflicted upon the world. The idea that someone could look forward, that they could believe that things would turn out alright no matter how bleak it looked… it was a hateful thing that made failure all the more painful.

Avenger hated the gods, but perhaps even more than that she despised the very word 'hope'.

And so, she would leave Saber encased in a world of this fakeness, this falsity. She would allow her to stew in whatever images were conjured by her own mind, her own 'hope'. When her plan had succeeded, and the world was burning with her vengeance, only then would she free Saber from her Noble Phantasm and allow the Servant to see the fruit of her failure.

To see the samurai utterly crushed, just as she had been. She'd likely fade away shortly afterwards, given her Master would be burning as well, but all that mattered was that the last obstacle there had been in her path towards vengeance suffered for daring to believe she could mention hope in Avenger's presence.

But now that Saber was incapacitated…

Avenger turned, eyes falling upon the cup still clutched in her severed arm. Given she had already regenerated, however, her arm was beginning to fade away, simply leaving the chalice lying there on the floor. To see the thing that everyone had believed was the holy grail simply lying there, tossed aside as if it was a piece of garbage, was almost amusing…

But she needed it. It was something that only she could use, out of all the Servants that had taken part in the Holy Grail War. It was something that she needed more than any single one of them, as well.

Who among them had a reason such as hers? Who among them could claim they deserved it more than she did?

Not a single one.

Avenger drifted towards the false grail. She reached out for it, and wrapped her fingers around it once more. Indeed, it was a massive source of mana, an incredible source of power yet utterly useless for the purpose of granting wishes.

And so, Pandora would simply have to unite it with her body. To make the fake Holy Grail a part of her, to make it her new supply of mana. No longer would she rely on Rani, exploiting the girl's mana to remain in the world, and no longer would she burn out and disappear before Pandora's Box finished burning away at all of humanity. No, the fake Grail would serve as a mana core to keep supplying her revenge with power.

Gripping the cup in both hands, she drew it back…

And drove it into her chest. There was an ugly squelching sound as her flesh parted, black blood spurting from her body as Avenger gritted her teeth, piercing herself with the cup, jamming it through her body with enough force… but then… yes… it was slowly being drawn into her. She was devouring the False Holy Grail.

Soon, the cup had vanished inside of her. And for a moment, just that one moment, she felt a surge of power flooding through her, mana filling her frame, blazing through her entire existence. And infinite wellspring of power!

And yet…

Something was wrong. Suddenly, agony seared through Pandora's entire being, and she gasped, spitting black blood onto the floor. Even this fake… it was rejecting her?! Denying her right?! Avenger narrowed her eyes, choking back the sensation of gagging in the back of her throat. The wound in her chest had already sealed, she would claim this False Grail no matter how it rejected her!

And then, something she hadn't expected happened.

"S-stop!"

Still suffering from the pain burning in her chest, Pandora turned towards the source of the voice.

It was a small girl in glasses with her hair in two braids. Avenger recognized her.

Saber's Master.

Matsushita Ai.

---

Eventually, she'd managed to find a gap in the debris wall. If there was one thing she could be at least somewhat thankful for about being small, it was the fact that she could squeeze through spaces like this. Ai couldn't be delayed any longer in catching up to Souji, after all. What if the girl samurai needed some kind of help? Avenger… she was strong, wasn't she? It was terrifying to know that she was the final enemy, and yet Ai pushed herself on, running as fast as she can through the rest of the parking garage. As she ran, she stared in shock at the remnants of the fight between Saber and the corrupted Lancer. There was a hole in the floor, gouges in the walls still smoldering from magical energy being shot into them… and multiple cars were demolished and crushed.

It was undeniably the aftermath of the battle between Souji and Lancer. Even proceeding down to the nest floor, Ai could see further signs of battle, such as the smashed car, the scorch marks… Everything had been touched by the fight seemed as if it had almost been destroyed. Lancer… by this point, the only thing Ai could hope for was that their former ally died in a way that fit a Knight of France, rather than a Black Knight of killing.

She'd even saved Tsubaki before the debris fall could have crushed the other girl.

But now, Lancer was most assuredly gone.

As Ai made her way across the second to last floor of the parking garage, she could hear the sounds of battle flow. Souji had already reached Avenger…! She had to hurry, to get to her Servant as quickly as she possible could!

What if Souji was injured?! What if Avenger had already gained the upper hand?! She was simply so powerful, such a famous heroic Spirit as Pandora… there was so much that could go wrong, but Ai couldn't let herself be the sort of person who wallowed in worry any longer. Not right now.

But when she got there…

The final floor of the parking garage had been converted into some kind of large chamber. Attached to the wall, with a strange dark substance, Ai could see what had to be Rani IV, her dark-skinned form clearly unconscious. But there was also some kind of golden, or… and Avenger herself.

"S-stop!" Ai found herself blurting out, in spite of the situation.

That was when Avenger turned to her. But something was strange… there was a black fluid, what could only be Pandora's blood, trickling from one corner of her mouth. Had Saber managed to injure her?! A wave of hope suddenly filled Ai's heart…

Except…

Souji was no-where to seen.

"The Master of that stubborn samurai, I see," commented the dark Servant, calmly, her eyes travelling across Ai's diminutive frame, "You may as well fall to your knees and beg for the mercy you shall never receive. "

Even though she was terrified, Ai managed to shake her head, defiance visible in her eyes.

"No… there's no way… absolutely no way you can win tonight!" declared the short brunette as she took a step forward. "Souji won't let you, and neither will I!"

"Oh really…?" asked Avenger, cocking her head to one side, "But Saber won't be able to kill me. She's trapped in her own foolish hope… and I have obtained that thing you call the Holy Grail."

Ai's heart froze.

Avenger… already had the Holy Grail?! If that was the case… was there really no stopping her?

… No, if she could use the Holy Grail, Pandora would already have unleashed the contents of her box… then, what was she doing?

Where… where was Souji…?

Suddenly, Avenger shuddered, placing a hand to her mouth as she coughed again, black blood splattering against her palm. Was… Avenger injured…?

"Urk… it's still rejecting me…" she wheezed, lowering her palm away from her mouth. It was rejecting her? What was? Did she mean the Holy Grail itself? How did something like that happen…?

But regardless, that meant that they had time. That had to be the reason that Pandora hadn't enacted her plan to incinerate all of humanity yet, because the Holy Grail was attempting to reject her attempt to establish herself as the 'victor'. But what could she do? Where was Souji? Avenger had said something about her being trapped in her hope… what did that mean?

Slowly, her eyes drifted towards the orb of golden light. If she couldn't see the beautiful samurai anywhere else…

"… Heh… but even like this, there's no way someone like you could stop me," Avenger commented, her pale gold eyes fixing on Ai once more. The small brunette magus took a wary step back. It was true, she had no way to defend herself from a Servant… "The only reason I haven't killed you already, is because the ones who attempted to prevent my vengeance are the ones who deserve to be among the first to experience it!"

So she was here on borrowed time, simply because Pandora desired it? At one point, the revelation that she was only still alive because her enemy had no interest in killing her at the moment could have been crushing, but now… she had to take what little opportunity that she still had!

"I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish, anyway," Avenger continued, with a wave of her hand. "Nor why you believe you have the right to do it. Why do you think you should prevent me from taking the revenge I so clearly deserve, after the pain caused by those bastards known as 'gods' all those years ago?!"

The smug, mocking nature of Avenger's comments had suddenly snapped, transforming into rage with her last words. There was something so terribly fractured about Pandora's very nature… was this what the opening of Pandora's Box had done to her?

"But it doesn't matter! Without a Servant, you're useless. There's no way for you to reach Saber."

Avenger gestured towards the pulsing orb of golden light. Squinting, Ai was able to discern a faint shape inside of it… it confirmed her suspicions. Within the ball of light, Saber was trapped, completely contained inside of it. There was no doubt in Ai's mind that this was somehow an effect of one of Avenger's Noble Phantasms. But… Souji was trapped inside of it, now…? She had to save her! She had to help her escape, but how? It didn't seem as if it was possible, especially if this really was one of Avenger's Noble Phantasms…

Ai banished those self-defeating thoughts from her mind, shaking her head.

She had to try!

Right now, Avenger was operating under the assumption that there was absolutely nothing she could do, wasn't she? She had even said she wanted to keep her alive, as punishment for attempting to interfere. And from Avenger's perspective, there wasn't anything that Ai could do… But she was wrong!

Okita Souji was the girl that she loved! That meant she could get through to her, no matter what!

"Oh? What ever is that look? And here I thought you'd be in tears, awaiting the fulfillment of the vengeance I have desired for thousands and thousands of years," Pandora sneered, "Don't you understand? How painful it was? How could you possibly stop vengeance that's so well-deserved?! But it doesn't matter any longer."

Pandora's words seemed self-assured, but her expression… it was manic. As if she was trying to convince herself of her own speech.

"The false grail's rejection is growing weaker and weaker. Soon, it will no longer be able to resist me, and I shall have the absolute power of this fake in order to achieve my revenge! It's… It's so beautiful, isn't it?! The final fulfillment of my hatred…!"

It was almost as if Avenger's mind was deteriorating by the second.

"… You wanted me to see your plan come to fruition, right? So isn't it better if I struggle?!" Ai asked, glaring towards the Servant. She had to hope this would work, but everything she had heard so far indicated that it would. Still… Avenger was so incredibly dangerous, if she failed… if she failed… she would die, and Souji would remain trapped before fading away, and the world would burn.

"… Struggle? Do as you wish, you're on borrowed time anyway!" declared Avenger, with a wave of her hand, "Saber is trapped within a world created by that evil thing you call hope! No matter what you do, nothing at all can possibly reach her!"

Nothing…

Ai's mind returned to that night. Returned to the very first moment her lips touched Souji's. That moment where she confessed her love. The feelings they shared together, baring their bodies and souls to one another.

Nothing…

Perhaps it would have been true… if not for that night.

Perhaps.

Ai had to try. When the world was so close to its end, she had to try!

"Souji! I need you, Souji! Whatever you're seeing in there, it's not real! Souji!"

She reached out with one small, pale hand, pressing against the orb of light. It burned, but Ai managed to hold fast.

"Please, come back to me, Souji!"

It hurt, the sensation of that burning light on her hand… it was as if her palm had been set on fire. But she had to do everything she could. Avenger merely tilted her head, seeming to watch with amusement.

"What are you really hoping to accomplish? If she can't escape on her own, it's not like you can do anything about it," Pandora commented. Indeed, she was no longer spitting blood…

"Souji, you're… you're the light in my life, Souji! You're the one who guided me out of the darkness… there's no-one else in the world who can say that!" cried Ai, watching Avenger become more and more irritated by the moment.

The small brunette knew she had very little time before Avenger decided it wasn't worth watching her react to humanity's incineration.

Ai didn't understand what it was, even though she knew what was happening to Souji. She understood not a thing about the Noble Phantasm that Pandora had used to create this falsity… but…

Souji was inside that orb of light. Even if she hadn't been their last chance, Ai could never even dream of leaving Souji behind… and this was no different. Even if the world hadn't been depending on it… Ai would have done everything, absolutely everything, that she could have.

And now this was her very last opportunity. Fear clutched at her chest. Souji… she had to free her… the possibility of failure began to weigh upon the short magus, and she could feel it… her eyes were beginning to tear up, even as she spoke again.

"Souji… It's me! Ai! I'm here for you… so follow my voice! Please…"

She could see out of the corner of her eye, a purple light building over Avenger. The final enemy Servant had lost all her patience.

But she had to try… she had to try…!

The light flared… and…!

---

It was a beautiful spring day.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, as Okita Souji sat on the wooden deck out front of her home. For a few moments, she was simply silent, then she looked down at herself in mild confusion. Wasn't she just… she was certain that there was something she was meant to be doing. But no matter what, she couldn't quite remember…

Perhaps it wasn't very important? Maybe that was it.

Ah… the sunlight was nice… she wasn't sure what she was doing here, either, to be honest, but details slowly began to filter into her mind. She was watching the cherry blossoms, waiting for her fellow Shinsengumi… and for someone very important to her.

Of course, that was it. That had to be what she was meant to be doing. Souji nodded slowly to herself, and smiled. If she had to be sitting around and waiting, a day like this was probably one of the better days to do it.

Though… what was she waiting for? She knew she was waiting for the Shinsengumi, but not why. It was so hard to remember… Souji wasn't sure why it was difficult for her to remember what she was doing. Had she done something the previous night that had addled her memory? That had to be it. It wasn't exactly like her, but she couldn't think of any other possible explanations. So, quite simply, that had to be it.

The blonde samurai let out a contented sigh. Even though it was just sitting and waiting, sometimes it was nice to take in the warmth of the sun and the beauty of her surroundings.

Even if she didn't quite remember what she was waiting for.

It was around that moment that she heard them, the steady clip-clop of a horse's hooves. Steadily, the shapes of several figures on horseback came into view… and leading them were Kondo Isami, her trusted leader, and her friend Hijikata Toshizo. She gave them a bright smile, and got to her feet, cheerfully waving. Ah, right, she was waiting for the Shinsengumi to… fight to the end? No… this wasn't battle at all… Being unable to remember precisely what she was here for was kind of embarrassing, and certainly not something she was about to mention to the other Shinsengumi.

But it was fine, regardless. Kondo would surely let her know what she was waiting for, right? Without her asking and making it obvious that she'd totally forgotten, right? Even the thought of winding up in that situation was kind of embarrassing, enough to make the girl swordswoman blush a little as she considered it.

"It's good to see you again, Okita-san," Kondo greeted her, with a smile, "How have you been doing?"

"I'm great! I've never felt better!" declared Souji, who suddenly realized that this was genuinely true. Any lingering weakness was totally gone, she felt as if she could breathe completely freely and without concern.

She'd been cured of her tuberculosis entirely!

Ah, why couldn't she remember how that had happened? Certainly, of all things, that seemed like it would be something she'd never forget! And yet, everything seemed kind of foggy… Maybe it was recent, and she'd just been managing to get back on her feet. But she wasn't dressed like that…

"I'm glad to hear it," responded Kondo, with a nod.

"Hehe, I'm glad I can sit here and talk to you!" Souji responded, brightly, "I'd been sick for so long, and things didn't look too good…"

Both Kondo Isami and Hijikata Toshizo looked at each other in confusion.

"… Are you well, Okita-san?" Hijikata asked, finally, "You certainly haven't been sick recently, and we've finally quelled those imperial loyalists."

For a moment, Souji stared. Now that she thought of it, Hijikata seemed a lot less severe, too… had she been under the influence of some strange nightmare? Maybe that was it… a terrible dream where she became deathly ill and everything began to fall apart.

But this bright, beautiful day, with her friends before her, certainly proved that there was no way such a thing could have happened.

Didn't it?

"… Ahh, maybe it was a dream, or something," replied Souji, scratching the back of her head with an awkward chuckle, "Eh-heh, it's so warm out here I might've fallen asleep."

"Did you, now? I'm surprised you weren't dreaming of your new bride."

Her new bride…?

Realization dawned on Souji, suddenly. Of course! After they'd put an end to the imperial loyalists, she'd found that lovely girl…

Ai, from the Matsushita family. At first she hadn't even realized how it was she'd felt. And she hadn't even realized it was possible for two girls to marry. But it seemed like, somehow, that was the case.

"Ah, Ai-chan!" she said, suddenly, "Now I feel a little bad… I really must have been falling asleep if I'm in a fog like this, eh-heh."

Kondo chuckled, while Hijikata simply shrugged.

"She is a fine girl," he commented, "You are quite lucky."

Given Hijikata's habits, Souji couldn't help but wonder if he was disappointed someone other than himself had got the girl in this case.

It seemed as if it was a rather likely possibility.

Souji scratched the back of her head awkwardly as she replied.

"Eh-heheh, I didn't even know we could get married until recently, but it makes me happy…" she said, with a small smile. There was a time where she never envisioned herself entering marriage at all, especially not to another girl. But such times were long past at this point. Just being around Ai made her happy, in a way that she once believed only swordplay could. Though, at the same time, she really doubted this was the same feeling that Hijikata got from his many, many affairs.

"Where is the lucky bride, anyway?" asked Kondo, glancing towards the house as he spoke.

As if on cue, the door behind Souji slid open, and from it emerged that small, fragile-looking brunette girl, her tiny frame clad in a pink kimono, her long hair up in two buns.

"Souji-chan, I-o-oh…"

She paused for a moment, eyeing the men on horses nervously. Ai was always such a shy, nervous girl, and she had never directly met the other members of the Shinsengumi before. Souji couldn't blame her reaction, especially when it came to Hijikata. He was such a scary man, even if you were ready for him he could still be pretty frightening!

Ai gave a weak, trembling smile, and then…

"Souji… I need you, Souji!"

Ah? The platinum blonde girl stared in confusion at her soon-to-be wife. What… what was she doing? Why was she saying that?

"Whatever you're seeing in there," continued Ai, "It's not real!"

Souji stared at the other girl for several moments. What she was seeing… in there…

Slowly, she glanced towards the other Shinsengumi, who were simply staying there and watching, before turning back towards Ai once more.

"What… what are you talking about, Ai-chan? Do you feel alright?" she asked.

For a few moments, Ai simply didn't reply, instead taking a position behind Souji and peering nervously at both of the Shinsengumi who had appeared. The samurai glanced towards her compatriots, who hadn't seemed to notice Ai's sudden outburst. Souji regarded her fiancé with confusion. Had she imagined that sudden cry? Something seemed very strange… but… maybe she was still groggy? If she'd fallen asleep while waiting, that had to be it. It was the only thing that could explain why neither of her friends had seen it, nor had any of the Shinsengumi following them. Her smile returning, she looked towards Ai.

"It's fine, Ai-chan. They're my comrades!" she declared, brightly.

"Please, come back to me, Souji!" cried the small brunette, in response. Souji stared in mute shock. Twice… there was no way it was a coincidence, what was going on? She glanced back towards Kondo and Hijikata.

"… My… my fiancé must not be feeling well," she tried to explain, but both men simply seemed perplexed.

"You said she was a shy girl, Okita-san," Kondo replied, "I'm not about to hold it against her. Hijikata-san can be quite a frightening man, after all!"

He smiled and glanced towards the other man, who simply turned away with a small sigh.

Neither of them had heard it, again? What did any of this mean? It was as if somehow Ai was speaking only to her, even though there was no way anyone could have missed those plaintive cries… every moment that went by, the platinum blonde swordswoman became more and more uncertain. Why was this happening?

"Souji, you're… you're the light in my life, Souji! You're the one who guided me out of the darkness… there's no-one else in the world who can say that!"

Images suddenly ran through Souji's brain, breaking through her confusion. A dark parking garage. A shadowy woman, poised to attack… attack Ai… memories were starting to awaken within her, slowly but surely. What… was this her dream? No, no, this wasn't her dream at all, was it?

As she clutched her forehead, Kondo got off of his horse and approached.

"Perhaps you're the one feeling unwell, Okita-san," he began, concerned, "Maybe you need to rest."

But it was slowly becoming more and more clear. A more and more detailed image of what was really happening was being painted by the second.

"Souji… It's me! Ai! I'm here for you… so follow my voice! Please…"

Souji began to stand.

"… No… I'm fine, Kondo-san," she replied, giving him a small smile. This moment in the sunlight, completely unaffected by illness, in a world where the Shinsengumi had never been destroyed… it was something she had hoped for, wasn't it? Not simply to fight to the end, though that was her wish, but for her friends to have never perished in the first place.

But this was an impossible world, for Hijikata Toshizo, Kondo Isami, and everyone else she had called a comrade was long dead.

This wasn't hope.

It was an illusion.

"… I'm sorry, both of you…" she began, giving them a grim smile, "… But…"

She glanced back towards Ai.

"… S-Souji… I… I love you… I… b-before I die… I wanted to tell you… one more time…"

Everything here was false. Except…

"… There's only one thing here that's real."

Suddenly gripping her katana, Souji took a deep breath, sliding her feet into a ready stance as she did. She drew her sword back, and…!

---

Her words couldn't reach Saber.

No matter how much she plead, Avenger's Noble Phantasm was simply too powerful. And it seemed as if the unhinged woman's patience had dissolved from its initial point, as she was glaring down at Ai with a ring of purple light forming above her head.

"I believe I may have changed my mind," Pandora said, those dull gold eyes managing to shine with an intensity that could only be described as terrifying, "You'll burn anyway, so why not get it out of the way? I've suffered enough to reach this point, after all."

Ai could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. She'd failed, then…? They'd all failed. She'd never see Souji again, and the world would burn in a sea of black mud.

It was the end.

Ai sat beside the golden orb, as she heard the whine of Pandora's power building. It was likely that she planned to annihilate the small magus in a single blow.

There was only one more thing Ai could say, now, as she tried to choke back her tears.

"… S-Souji…" she began, voice cracking, "… I… I love you… I… b-before I die… I wanted to tell you…"

Ai hugged herself, tightly. She couldn't be embraced by Souji…

"… O-one more time…"

There was a sound like shattering glass.

Surprised, Pandora paused, and Ai suddenly straightened, glancing towards the source of the noise.

It was the orb of golden light. From it, there protruded the blade of a katana… Saber's katana! Almost immediately, realizing that even if Ai died Saber would remain a threat for too long after the loss of her Master, Pandora trained her magic circles on the golden orb as the girl samurai cut her way free!

The first thing that Souji was greeted with immediately upon exiting the dissipating orb of light was a barrage of brilliant purple lasers. Even as they rained down, the swordswoman had already darted to the side, immediately interposing herself between her opponent and the girl she loved.

"S-Souji-san!" cried Ai, the joy palpable in her voice at the sight of her Servant.

"I'm sorry, Ai-chan," replied Saber, as her feet slid into a ready stance once more, and she raised her katana parallel to her eyes. "I let myself get caught up in something like that… The sort of false hope that never could have happened."

There was a sadness to her smile, as she glanced back at Ai for a moment… but soon her gaze hardened, silver-gold eyes fixed on Avenger.

"… So, you were capable of denying the reality of my Noble Phantasm, Saber?" asked Avenger, cocking her head to one side as she did. Souji narrowed her eyes. That was no reality. It was falsity, a cruel illusion of the things she had desired in an attempt to keep her trapped. But that wasn't all. Moments after laying her eyes upon the enemy Servant, the girl samurai recognized that something was… different about her now. She seemed less composed, her eyes more wild. There were black bloodstains around her mouth, and across her dress. Had Ai somehow injured her? As much as she had faith in the small brunette's capabilities as a Master, the same couldn't be said for her ability to fight an enemy like this by herself.

Speaking of which, her Ai appeared to be thankfully not seriously injured, though her body was bruised and there were cuts here and there nothing seemed to be too concerning… That was something Souji could take solace in, in these moments as she squared off against Avenger. Her body tensed, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice!

"At least… at least it showed you the true nature of hope, didn't it?" questioned Pandora, spreading her arms wide. As she did, a multitude of purple magic circles spread above her, stretching to the ceiling.

"Get back, Ai!" warned Saber.

"B-but… I… I need to heal you, if you're injured, and-" the short girl cut herself off for a moment, and then shook her head. "… I have faith in you, Souji. I know you can end this."

With that, the short girl hurried to the entrance of the chamber, ideally out of Pandora's focus. The Avenger-class Servant appeared to be entirely focused on Saber herself, regardless.

"It's sad if you believe that's what hope is, Avenger. It was a cruel illusion of things that someone wishes for, but can never have," Saber said, carefully stepping forward. Almost immediately a barrage of lasers fired down towards her, forcing the platinum blonde swordswoman to hurl herself across the room to avoid the scorching destruction launched at the place she once stood! When she landed, Souji rolled once, swiftly righting herself and readying her sword.

"Then what is hope, Saber?!" snarled Avenger, another set of lasers firing, trained on Saber. The Servant moved, her form blurring, scarf fluttering in the air behind her as she sprinted around the room, dodging beams of destructive mana, using the flat of her blade to deflect them, sometimes just barely grazing by! It was a deadly dance, but she had to keep outrunning them!

"Can hope revive the dead?!" asked Pandora, mockingly, "Can hope punish the wicked?! Did lying there in bed and hoping you wouldn't cough yourself to death help you in any way, Okita Souji?!"

A brilliant ball of purple light ignited, swelling to be larger than Avenger herself, illuminating the entire chamber as the Servant drifted into the air, pointing up towards it. The moment she lowered her hand to point at Souji, a brilliant beam of mana tore through the room, searing the air as it went! Even though she had already begun to move, it was just barely enough for Saber to evade the brunt of the damage, the force of the impact sending her hurtling through the air, slamming into a nearby wall! She let out a gasp of pain, feeling a burning sensation blaze through her back. She heard Ai's voice call her name…

The samurai fell to the floor. Her limbs simply wouldn't respond… had her back broken? Had… had she misjudged her own injuries? It was suddenly hard to feel anything…

"Just as you said, hope is a cruel illusion!" cried Avenger, reaching out to take her box in one hand, "Just as I showed you! It's a wicked thing that can make someone believe they can still be loved! Even after they unleashed an atrocity on the world! An evil, terrible concept that seeks nothing but the misery of those who have it! The same misery you will feel when this world descends into flames and darkness, Okita Souji!"

The geometric patterns on the box twisted towards the edge once more, and it began to open…

"I have consumed that false grail! Even now, its ability to reject me becomes weaker and weaker, power is flowing through me!" continued Pandora, a wild look in her dull gold eyes, "I'll destroy everything the gods loved, I'll eradicate the very idea of hope by eradicating all of humanity, and this burning world will serve as a symbol of the revenge of Pandora, the girl betrayed by the gods!"

And the mud spewed fourth from the box, seething with black and red as it hurtled toward's Souji's prone form!

"By the power of my command seal, rise to your feet, Souji! You can do this!"

In an instant, every injury preventing Saber's movement was mended. Without a moment's delay, the samurai snapped to her feet, exploding across the room, almost leaving a trail of sizzling earth in her wake as the mud slammed into the spot where she had once laid.

"… You…" Avenger's mad gaze left Saber, falling upon Ai.

The brunette was holding up her right hand, one of the red seals fading away.

"Even if I'd wanted to use these before, I was too frightened at first," began the brunette magus, glaring at the floating Pandora, "And even after I stopped being afraid, there was only once any reason to use them. But that means I can use the last two to help the girl I love surpass you completely and take you down, Pandora!"

Avenger trembled with rage for a moment, but then her crooked grin returned.

"You can't support your Servant if you're dead!" she shouted, the box twisting in the air, the mud roiling…!

"You should be looking at me!"

Avenger's head snapped towards the source of the voice, and she could only barely erect her barrier as Souji's katana came slamming down, tip crashing into the translucent purple shield! Cracks ran through it, and the force of the blow sent Pandora hurtling towards the ground!

With a resounding crash, the divine gift of the gods slammed into the earth, hard enough to leave an impact crater! She gasped in shock, but was able to use what remained of her barrier to deflect Saber's follow-up strike, sparks flying. But even that knocked her to the side, sending Avenger rolling across the floor before she could catch herself!

Souji rose swiftly, an intense fire burning in her silver-gold eyes as she stared down the stunned Pandora, gripping her katana as she slid her feet into a ready stance, drawing her blade parallel to her eyes.

"You're wrong, Avenger!" she declared, "Hope isn't an illusion. It's nothing as tangible as that. Hope is the idea, the dream that the future can be better!"

"… D-damn you…!" snarled Avenger, opening up a barrage of lasers once more! This time, Souji sprang into action, darting out of their path even as they traced her movements!

"It didn't do anything for me, as I lay there dying in bed. I hoped for every moment that I would recover, so at least I could fight until the very end with everyone whom I called my friend!"

As Avenger struggled to rise, she summoned another great orb of magical energy. But this time, Saber was ready! She wouldn't let it take her by surprise again, now she knew just how hard it would hit! She flashed through the air, disappearing and reappearing in striking distance of her opponent!

"But that's not everything that hope is!"

Her blade slammed down, piercing the concrete! Avenger had managed to flee to the air, at the last possible moment!

"Sometimes, hope can't do anything on its own. Sometimes, it might seem like it's nothing," Saber continued as she rose, raising her sword, "… At the end, maybe that's how I thought… But that doesn't mean that's all hope can be. Hope is the drive that lets someone think of a new solution! It's the reason that sometimes the weaker opponent can imagine a future in which the defeat a seemingly insurmountable enemy and make it a reality! Hope is nothing on its own, but hope is everything that lets someone imagine something better!"

"… You… it didn't help you as you lay dying, and yet you still believe in it?! Why?! I hoped that humanity would forgive me, that it was all some kind of cruel dream, and yet I have gone down in history as the one who unleashed all evil onto this planet!" Avenger practically shrieked, dozens of orbs of purple light appearing above her arms and shoulders, "How… how dare you claim that hope is this wonderful thing! How dare you!"

The lasers fired, this time aiming to cut off every escape route Souji could possibly take! But she wasn't about to give up so easily! Her blade flashed, deflecting the first laser, then the second, then the third…! But at this rate, they might have overwhelmed her…!

"Souji!" she heard Ai's voice over the screaming of the mana lasers, "I know it ,there's know way that you'll let me down! I trust you completely!"

Saber suddenly felt power, mana flowing through her limbs. But this wasn't the command seal... it was her own self-suggestion, reinforcing her body to the point where she could achieve such a feat, beyond the capability of a magus! A faint light crawled across the edge of her blade…! She found herself moving faster then she ever had before, her limbs appearing to vanish as she deflected the seemingly endless barrage!

"Simply because hope was unable to help me when I lay dying… that doesn't mean it's wrong!" cried Okita, taking a step forward as she cast the last of the blasts away with a flick of her now-blazing sword. She was going to prove every single word of Avenger's madness wrong!

"Hope can't cure illnesses, nor revive the dead, nor punish the wicked!" she continued, "But hope can drive people to learn to cure illnesses, to deliver justice on wrongdoers, to carry on the legacy of those who came before! That's what hope is, Pandora!"

"… So… so what?!" Avenger practically screamed, her voice, her expression seeming almost desperate now, even as she summoned more and more of her magic circles, enough to fill the room with purple light, "I've already merged with the false grail! With every moment, I'm assimilating it more and more! Soon, there's nothing you'll be able to do to stop me! What can you possibly do with your hope and a single command seal!?"

Souji's body tensed, and she slid her feet apart, readying her katana.

"I'm going to surpass everything you throw at me, kill you, and shatter the delusional revenge that's warped your mind!"

Avenger could do nothing more than let out a shriek of rage as she let loose her barrage of destructive mana, raining down beams of purple magical energy sufficient to cover nearly the entire chamber once more! Thankfully, Ai was still out of the direct path of the beams, so Souji could focus on evasion! It was another deadly dance, another display of speed and agility as the girl samurai darted through the razor-thing gaps between each falling beam of magical energy. In comparison to the first time, it was a much more wild and uncontrolled display of power, but that also meant it was much less coordinated!

There was barely any gap between each random burst of energy, but the aim wasn't as good, she could slip through the space between the rain of magical energy with each flash of movement!

Shaking with rage, eyes burning with a wild intensity, Pandora shook in the air even as she directed more and more beams of mana to fire down at Saber.

"I'll kill you… Kill you… kill you kill you kill you kill you kill you kill you!" screamed Avenger, as she diverted her magical energy into a single large orb once more, "I'll annihilate everything that you are, Saber!"

Souji took a deep breath, as the orb of light swelled brighter and larger, greater than any of the previous balls of magical energy she had created before. Its glow was overtaking the entire room, starting to burn away at the ceiling of the chamber as it grew bigger and bigger…!

"DIE!"

With a roar, the beam of light tore through the air, blazing a path right towards Saber! Even as she darted to the side, it followed her, carving a sizzling path through the stony floor behind her. It was so much more powerful then any of the attacks that Avenger had already used… it had to be because of the fake grail!

When Souji reached the wall, she swiftly placed her foot on it, using her agility to run along the wall, advancing upwards towards Avenger! Blind with rage, the deathly pale Servant didn't realize that Saber was doing anything other than attempting to evade her attack, even as the girl samurai ran up across the wall as swiftly as she could manage! But when she was in line with Avenger herself…!

With a shout, Saber leapt from the wall with a noise like a gunshot, flashing through the air and reaching Pandora in an instant! This time, when she attempted to summon a barrier in surprise, it shattered under Souji's blade! She struck true, piercing Avenger's torso beneath her breasts, driving her blade clear through the dark Servant as the both hurtled towards the ground!

Avenger landed first, gasping, spitting her blackened blood as she hit the floor beneath Saber! But before the platinum blonde swordswoman could attempt to ensure that her opponent died, a flurry of black mud erupted from the box and hurtled towards her, forcing her to spring backwards to avoid it!

Avenger rose, clutching the wound in her torso, glaring with fire in her golden eyes.

"What, did you think that would be enough to kill me!?" she snarled. The flow of blood was already ceasing, the wound already mending… Souji had missed the false grail, and failed to do enough damage to stop Avenger from healing.

However…

"It's simple, Avenger. I missed my target!" declared Saber, "But now I've refined my aim!"

"You won't get a second chance, Okita Souji!"

Avenger raised her hand, generating another array of purple lights once again. She was trying to use another barrage of magical energy?! No, she was turning them inwards, this wasn't another wild, rage-filled attack… this was a maneuver that Avenger had put thought into, as she constructed multiple layers of magical barriers, stacking them over and over until there was dozens! Even with the self-reinforcement that the samurai gained from wearing her haori, there was no way Souji could break through those shields quickly! Not after how many blows It had taken to destroy the first!

"I'll simply wait you out, Saber!" explained Avenger, grinning wildly, "No matter how quickly you destroy my barriers, you won't reach me before I've fully merged with the grail. I can feel it, now. It's no longer rejecting me!"

Even though Avenger was taking a more defensive approach, there was another wall of purple orbs steadily forming, spreading across the entire room…!

"You won't be able to stop me before I've fully merged with the false grail and plunged this world into darkness and fire!"

Souji took a deep breath. There was a dozen of the large, circular barriers, and it had taken quite some time to fully pierce even a single one! On top of that, the room was being filled with light again, and while she was capable of dodging the beams, trying to break the barriers at the same time… the swordswoman simply wasn't sure it was something that she could achieve.

But… she had to try! For humanity's sake! For Ai's sake!

Saber drew one foot back, even as every single point of light grew brighter, drawing her blade parallel to her eyes. Even if she didn't know if she'd be able to do it, there was no way that should could possibly allow herself to give up. She would shatter every single one of those barriers, or at least she'd throw her entire existence into doing so!

Ai's eyes drifted down to the back of her hand. There remained her final command seal. As much as she boasted about how she would use them to ensure Souji won the fight, she suddenly found herself frightened of doing so. The loss of all three command seals meant that a magus lost their right to be a Master… but was that the severance of the contract entirely, or simply the loss of the ability to order a Servant directly? She didn't need something like that, she trusted Souji more then anyone else! But in this moment, she didn't want to lose her…

Her eyes drifted from the back of her right hand, to the samurai facing down a wall of purple light.

Ai made her decision.

She placed every single drop of hope she had left into it.

"Okita Souji!" she cried, "By the power of my final command seal… break through every single one of those barriers, and kill Pandora!"

And then… then Souji could feel it.

This wasn't the self-reinforcement she had been applying the entire time, the self-suggestion that enhanced her body. This surpassed that by orders of magnitude. The final command seal that faded from Ai's hand suddenly flowed into the girl samurai's body, filling her with strength beyond what she had ever had. The light that had flowed across her weapon was no longer the simple flare that had appeared before, a blue sheath of magical energy had seemed to materialize and crawl up the length of her katana, encasing it in brilliance. Her entire body felt as if it should be shining, blazing with power! The command seal had performed reinforcement beyond anything a magus would be capable of, to allow her to shatter those barriers and reach Avenger!

"You… I'll… I'll stop you!" screamed Pandora, as her lights flared with magical energy!

Souji took a deep breath, as the blasts of magical energy began to fire! This time, they were focused, aiming at her, tracing her every movement. But her body blurred, her scarf fluttering behind her, a Saber tore her way across the room! Each blast burned its way into the floor, ripping its way through the solid stone like it was nothing, but the girl samurai a managed to keep just out of reach! This was the agility granted to her by her haori! She wouldn't allow them to catch her!

"This blade of mine… this concealed sword!" she began, "It's been the tool I used again and again, my most trusted sword. I may be a manslayer, but this is the weapon I held close to my heart even as I killed!"

Pandora almost seemed to growl, raising one hand. As she did, the black mud she had dispensed from the box suddenly rose, seething like it possessed its own will and life, and began to surge through the air towards Saber, from the opposite direction! The sword-wielding Servant decided the best path was to cut her way up the middle, breaking towards Avenger as she did! But she still had to reach her, she still had to get to those barriers!

"You won't stop me! I'll destroy you!" screamed Pandora, desperation and rage filling her voice!

"In life, I became famous for my skill with a blade, for killing others! I became famous for a sword technique that belongs to me alone!" declared Saber. She could feel it, the beams of magical energy were gaining on her, streaking through the air and hissing into the earth behind her. The mud, meanwhile, launched itself upwards, adhering to the ceiling and flowing along above her! Before she could reach the barriers, it dropped, hurtling towards Souji in an attempt to completely consume her body!

Saber sprang backwards and twisted her body in the air, the flat of her gleaming katana deflecting a flurry of lasers before they could strike, spinning immediately when her first foot hit the ground to redirect herself towards Avenger.

She wouldn't stop, she couldn't. As moved faster and faster, the world around her was reduced to a blur, with streaks of light being the lasers as she darted through them. Ahead of her, the figure of Avenger behind her dozens of barriers was in sharp relief…!

"This is my greatest pride, Avenger! Receive the brilliance of this concealed sword!"

The entire world seemed to slow down, as Souji thrust one foot forward. The moment she did, she launched herself forward, using every ounce of her strength, the strength provided by the command seal, to seemingly vanish once more! Her blade blazed brilliantly, empowered by the seal's mana, as it struck each and every one of the barriers, shattering them as Saber went!

The girl samurai paused just before Avenger, drawing her sword back. Yes… her final technique, the ultimate, unblockable blow!

"You…!"

An orb of light seemed to form above her, shimmering as it filled with boundless magical energy! Doubtlessly, Avenger had fully merged with the false grail, and yet…!

"Mumyou…"

Saber's katana gleamed in the light of the forming ball of magical energy, blazing brilliantly, as if it was illuminated by the sun!

"SANDANZUKI!"

Three strikes. The tip of the blade struck three times, even as Saber sailed past Avenger! Each time hit home, for there was no longer anything that could be done to obstruct them. The legendary sword technique belonging to Okita Souji and only Okita Souji, the technique that could break causality itself in order to strike its target. The technique that had slain Skuld's great boar.

It was the technique that blew a hole clear through Avenger's torso and out the other side! Pandora let out a strangled gasp as Saber hurtled through the air behind her!

The tip of the blade met the false grail, and with a sound like the ringing of the bell the golden cup was split in half!

Sparks flew up from Souji's feet as she hit the ground behind Avenger, using her momentum, she spun in place and drew her katana up to the level of her eyes, ready to strike once more

But there was no need.

Pandora slowly landing, falling to her knees. The split grail fell behind her with a dull, metallic thud. Saber's katana had destroyed not only the false grail, but Avenger's heart, as well. There was no need to ensure such a thing, when the perfectly circular hole went clear through the enemy Servant's body.

Slowly, Saber lowered her blade. The purple lights faded, the mud suddenly redirecting into Pandora's Box. The patterns on the box ceased to move, and it fell to the ground beside Avenger herself.

For a moment, the only sound in the chamber was Pandora's ragged breathing.

"It's over, Avenger," declared Saber, holding her katana at her size. The halves of the fake grail sat uselessly on the floor, split completely in half. Black blood trickled from the corner of the pale woman's mouth, and it stained Saber's blade as the glow faded, the command seal's power spent after allowing her to shatter the barriers.

"… That's… true… isn't it…?" she heard Pandora say, as her silver-gold eyes remained fixed on the dying Servant. "… To think… all it took was a spirit of the human order with the power of two command seals… And here I thought that the cancellation of divine gifts would have been my path to victory."

It was strange. For all this time, Avenger had been speaking in this crazed, obsessive, maniacal fashion. But now… now she seemed serene. As if, in death, a calmness had overtaken her. There was no ranting, no rejection of the events that were occurring. She simply sat there, speaking softly as she died.

"… This… is what your hope allowed you to do, Okita Souji?" asked Pandora, looking weakly back over her shoulder. Even now, Pandora's box was already beginning to fade, "To destroy the revenge that I planned for so long… on the tip of your sword?"

Souji shook her head. That wasn't it at all.

"No, Pandora," she began, "Hope allowed me to see the future in which I claimed victory. But it was Ai who allowed me to defeat you."

"… H… heh…"

Avenger spat blood as she coughed.

"… Is that so?" asked the dark Servant, "I'll never stop desiring revenge, Okita Souji. Even if you've struck me down here… I want to take my revenge on the gods of Greece no matter what future this world has."

"Then I'm certain someone will be there to stop you," asserted Saber, with a nod.

"… You sound so sure of that," responded Avenger, "… But somehow… I hope that's… t-…"

Avenger's body slackened.

The box finished fading into nothingness, purple motes of light drifting away into the air. Before Avenger's body hit the ground, it, too, faded into nothingness.

Pandora was gone.

As she disappeared, the black material holding Rani IV against the wall vanished, as well. Saber reacted quickly, catching the small, dark-skinned girl as she fell limply. She was still breathing and seemed to be completely unharmed.

"Souji!" cried Ai, rushing into the chamber as the girl samurai laid Rani IV down. "Y-you did it! I-"

Ai cut herself off, staring in horror at Saber's hands.

The swordswoman looked down.

She could see through her hands.

---

Souji's hands… they were fading away…

Shaking, Ai immediately grasped at her Servant in desperation. She had used all her command seals, but… that didn't mean she wasn't still providing mana. The contract between them still existed! So why… why…

Slowly, Ai's golden eyes fell upon the false grail. The only way to ensure Avenger perished had been to destroy her very core, and at her core, her heart… there had been the false grail.

"… S-Souji! N-no, I'll… I'll contract with you again, I'll…" desperately, the brunette looked from side to side. Servants were familiars, weren't they?! Even if they were of an order far beyond any others. That meant that some sort of contract could be forged, right? Something like that had to be possible, didn't it?!

"…"

The girl samurai was silent for a moment. Yes! She could reestablish a contract to support her Servant, even though the fake grail had been destroyed, couldn't she!? Ai knew it had to be true. They didn't need to be separated! That was how it worked, wasn't it?! It had to be, didn't it?! The small girl grasped at Souji's hands, holding them up, attempting to reforge the bond…

"… Ai… Ai-chan…" said her Servant, giving her a small smile, "… I… I destroyed the grail. Even if it was a fake… well… even I know that the reason a Heroic Spirit can be summoned and brought into this world as a Servant is because of the Holy Grail."

"N-no!" cried Ai, "That's… that… it doesn't have to be th-that way! Servants are familiars, e-even if they're heroic spirits, as long as a contract can be f-forged between us… it'll be fine, won't it?!"

But, as the small magus looked at Souji's slowly-fading hands, she began to realize. A human couldn't support a Servant by themselves. Not even the most powerful magus could ensure such a link was maintained without the support of something like the Holy Grail.

This was supposed to be a moment of celebration. The fact that they had defeated Avenger, the fact that they'd saved the world… this was supposed to be the moment that they could both embrace one another and be together.

"… I-it… a-after all… all this time…" Ai began, feeling tears start to well up in her eyes," We've been together all this time… I-I finally found someone I love with all my heart, a-and now you're g-going to disappear?! I-it's not fair! It's… i-it's not fair…"

Suddenly, she felt Souji's arms around her, pulling her close. The warmth of the girl samurai's body, holding her so tightly…. It should have been comforting, but instead it only served as a reminder of what she was about to lose. Ai buried her face in Souji's haori, sobbing. She'd finally discovered the girl she loved, finally found the one who could belong in her heart… and she was going to fade away.

"… I'm… so sorry, Ai-chan…" said Souji, holding Ai close, "… I… I realized, when Avenger said she had absorbed the grail, what I might have to do… but I… I'd hoped…"

The swordswoman's voice was wavering, as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"I-I'd hoped I wouldn't have to leave…"

"Wh-what's the point!?" cried Ai, looking back up at the girl she loved as she did, "I wanted so badly to be together with you, Souji! I… I wanted… a-after we defeated Avenger, I… I thought… I thought that…!"

"… I… I know…" said Souji, wiping her eyes and swallowing, hard, "… But… but even now… even now, Ai, I'll be with you, won't I? Even in the end… there's nothing in the world that can take the time we spent together away from you."

"… B-but I don't want memories… I want you, Souji," responded Ai, in a trembling voice, as she threw her arms around her slowly-fading Servant, desperately trying to see if she could somehow hold her there. "I w-wanted to be with you until the very end!"

She buried her face back into Souji's haori.

"Why?! Why did it have to be like this?!"

She could feel, even as they faded, Souji's fingers clutching at her clothing.

"… I swear, Ai… No matter what happens, even until the very end of the world… even if there's no possible way it seems like it could ever come true… we'll be together again."

Ai trembled. Even if there was no possible way… even if it didn't seem like it could ever happen. … But… When it came to heroic spirits, even recent ones like Okita Souji, didn't they always discover ways to violate what was considered to be 'possible'?

If… if there was any hope… if there was any possibility… someone who had made it to be recorded on the Throne of Heroes…

"… Ai…"

"S-Souji…"

Both girls' lips came together, one more time. One more time, Ai was able to feel Souji's warmth, and the beat of her heart. She shut her eyes and embraced her Servant tightly, just as she was embraced. The held the girl she loved close, and felt her softness of her lips.

And then, she was gone.

She could feel it, Souji had vanished entirely. She didn't want to open her eyes and see it, though… But… eventually…

Ai opened her eyes. There, as she expected, as she knew, was the empty spot on the floor that Okita Souji had once occupied. The only thing that remained of her was her fallen blade, lying there on the floor.

Almost immediately, those words of reassurance seemed hollow.

The tears began to flow once again, an Ai buried her face in her hands. Souji was gone, and there was nothing she could do about it.

She only looked up when she heard the sound of someone stirring…

"… Matsushita?"

It was Rani's voice. Slowly, Ai looked up, shaking, her eyes red. There was Rani IV, sat up, looking around slowly.

"… Avenger… you defeated Avenger?" she asked, "Then… the threat she poses is ended…"

"Ai?!"

Ai looked back over her shoulder. There was Tsubaki, and Marion… and Rani V and Alys, as well. They'd all made it down here…

Rani V immediately went to tend to Rani IV, and Tsubaki…

Wordlessly, Tsubaki knelt beside Ai, and wrapped her arms around her. Nothing had to be said. Tsubaki knew what had happened, and Ai knew that Tsubaki knew.

The broken false grail lay on the floor.

The second Minami Holy Grail War had come to an end.