I do not own Fate/Zero or any of the characters used here.
Sola-Ui smiled as she looked from the top of an apartment complex to where Lancer had landed. Lancer had just successfully killed Rider, the biggest threat to him in the war, right after the Servant destroyed Berserker. Berserker was arguably the most powerful Servant out of the seven, so deciding to wait and kill whoever was the winner was the right move.
"Thank goodness…" Sola-Ui whispered while her hands clutched the railing. "Both Berserker and Rider are now gone, and the only ones left are Assassin and Saber…" Both of which Lancer could handle with ease, of course.
"Sola-san…" Lancer's voice said from behind her, making Sola-Ui scream in surprise.
She then began to pant a bit in order to catch her breath before saying, "Shinji! D-don't scare me like that!"
"Sorry Sola-san." Lancer apologized while looking down before saying, "Rider's presence disappeared just a moment ago. He is dead now, and his Master is still in the woods. Do you want me to… kill him too?"
Sola-Ui thought for moment about it. From Kayneth's own notes about Waver Velvet, he was a skilled alchemist but had no knowledge about offensive magic. And without Rider, Waver could not ride around in the small mecha or attack in it. All in all, Waver Velvet, while still a Master, was not a threat.
"No, we will continue to the Civic Center." Sola-Ui responded while closing her eyes. "From what you told me, Saber and Assassin are still battling each other. So we will wait for either of them to arrive. The one who arrives will be weakened like Rider was, and should not be much trouble to defeat."
"A-all right…" Lancer stuttered out before wrapping his arm around her waist and jumping towards the next building, heading towards the Civic Center that still launched the multi-colored flares.
Elsewhere:
The sound of motors and tires skidding across the asphalt echoed throughout Fuyuki City. In what seemed like half a millisecond, the motorcycles of Assassin and Saber sped down the streets neck to neck. Saber scowled as Assassin's Katana impacted her own sword, sparks flying in between them as they sped onwards. "Assassin is more familiar with the workings of this machine…" Saber thought to herself as she steered slightly to the left, putting more distance between them. "He may try something that I am unfamiliar with. I must be careful…"
"Hey, stop your thoughts about how I'm so awesome with a motorcycle Saber!" Assassin yelled while sheathing his Katana in one hand and then taking out his Glock. "I am only doing this because TIM thought it would be pretty cool that we get a motorcycle battle! Not to mention that our fights are one of the best in this fic." Assassin then fired at Saber, who blocked each of the shots with her sword.
"That's right. His Noble Phantasm allows him to see God's will." Saber thought to herself while slowing herself down a bit in order to have Assassin get ahead of her. "However, I will not allow him the time to see it!" She then sped up her Yamaha, with the hidden Excalibur reared back and prepared to swing in a wide arc. Fully prepared to cut Assassin in half by the torso.
"You know, I actually love to play Mario Cart. And guess what my favorite item to use was?" Assassin asked before throwing something over his shoulder. "The banana peel!"
The banana landed on the road right in front of the Yamaha's front wheel. When the tire passed over it, the machine began to slip and slide down the road. "Grrr!" Saber growled out in frustration as she righted her machine before focusing on the road. She then saw that Assassin had turned around and had his Katana out once more.
"Cloud can kiss my ass! I'm the only one that can fight on a motorcycle and be a badass!" Assassin shouted as he sped forward. Saber clicked her tongue as she lifted Excalibur to block, only for Assassin to twist his arm into an angle that both avoided her invisible sword, but left a long, deep gash on her right arm. Saber ignored the blood flowing from the wound and instead turned around her Yamaha to follow Assassin.
"Assassin, why would you serve a man like Kotomine Kirei?" Saber shouted as she rode right behind Assassin. "Why would you degrade yourself enough to force a Heroic Spirit to be little more than a pawn?"
"Heh, I don't serve Kirei at all Artie! The author just wanted me to stick to him so that I can be in more battles and to give him character development!" Assassin told her while turning a sharp left at the end of the street with Saber right on his tail. "As for Vash, I hated doing that to the guy too but hey, it was a good way of making another Servant die while staying true to his character. I'm not good or evil, I'm just one unpredictable feather-plucking walrus!" He then steered his Suzuki towards a car parked at the side of the street while sheathing his Katana. The Suzuki then lifted its front tire onto the car and sped upwards, the motorcycle now flying in the air while taking out his Glock. Assassin then aimed the gun at Saber before shouting, "Koo-koo-ka-fucking-choo!"
He then fired, and Saber was helpless to stop the bullet from going through her right breast and out of her back. "GAH!" Saber shouted in pain as blood poured out of the new wound and spilled onto her suit. The wound was non-fatal, but if it was not treated soon she would possibly die from blood loss. "I have to defeat Assassin soon, or I will not be able to get the Holy Grail!" Saber thought before speeding forward and passing Assassin.
"Aw common Artie! Don't be mad!" Assassin shouted as he made the Suzuki speed up in an attempt to catch up to Saber. He fired a few more times only for each shot to miss her. "I mean, you don't have anything up there to loose! I would've been a little guilty if you were as big as Red Saber, but you are as flat as a board!" That seemed to make Saber go even faster and Assassin just sighed as he put his Glock away and took out a switch. "Oh well, here is another present for you!" Assassin then pressed the button, and multiple explosions erupted in front of Saber spraying asphalt, concrete, and even cars everywhere.
Saber narrowed her eyes before shouting, "This will not stop me Assassin!" She then steered past the explosion and jumped over the large piece of concrete that was in front of her. She looked up to see a spinning car heading towards her, but simply cut it in half. The pieces fell away from her and tumbled onto the ground.
"Oh come on! I spent a lot of well deserved off-screen time doing that!" Assassin yelled as they sped towards the Fuyuki Bridge. Saber then accelerated the Yamaha putting even more distance between them and reaching the other end of the bridge in less than a second. She then got off the motorcycle and cancelled Invisible Air, revealing Excalibur to the world. She then raised the sword as it glowed a golden sheen and golden sparkles of light rose from the ground and went to the blade.
"Oh, so you wanna play chicken huh?" Assassin asked as he placed both of his hands on the handles and sped the motorcycle forward. Excalibur's glow then became blinding as Saber's hands gripped the sword tighter.
"Archer, you will be avenged." Saber thought to herself before opening her eyes and shouting, "EXCALIBUR!" She then swung the Sword of Promised Victory forward towards Assassin, a blast of golden energy beginning to race towards the Servant.
"Wait for it…" Assassin muttered to himself as the energy came closer to him. "Wait for it…" The blast was now only a foot away from him. "See ya!" Assassin then pressed his belt buckle and disappeared, just as the blast completely disintegrated the bike and rose into the air, the bridge section collapsing into the river while each the entrances remained untouched.
Saber panted as Excalibur's glow faded. She then grimaced as she placed her left hand on the bullet wound Assassin inflicted on her while thinking, "I must head to the Civic Center immediately before this wound becomes truly troublesome…" Saber then mounted her Yamaha before driving away. "At least it is now just me and Lancer…"
Oh, if only she knew…
Elsewhere (Civic Center):
Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed as he looked at the sign in front of him that read 'Wannabe Superhero's Go This Way' with an arrow pointing down a flight of stairs. He could already tell the tactic that Kotomine Kirei was attempting to employ. It was to make him become aggravated and make mistakes. A cheap and almost ineffective tactic to those who had trained and killed for years, but it would make inexperienced people quickly loose their temper. Especially if the tactic was used frequently.
"He is inviting me in…" Kiritsugu thought as he descended down the steps, his feet echoing down the dark stairway. "He wants to face me personally while the other Servants are distracting Saber. But why? Why has he been so focused on me throughout the war?" Admittedly, compared to the other Masters he was the most dangerous. But most of Kirei's tactics were meant to hurt him personally. "It does not matter. I have to get to Iri no matter what." Kiritsugu then reached the end of the stairs and saw a single door reading 'Batbunker 2.0'. He opened it to reveal a darkened room before the numerous lights overhead lit a row at a time. Revealing a practically empty room with concrete walls and ceiling. The last row of lights then turned on, revealing Kotomine Kirei with a small smirk on his face.
"Welcome Emiya Kiritsugu, to the Batbunker 2.0!" Kirei shouted while opening his arms, most likely mentioning the entire room. "It is a perfect resting place for a hopeless fool like you! Tell me, did you come to see your wife?" Kirei's smirk then got wider as Kiritsugu's eyes narrowed at him. "Well, it would probably be a bad time to tell you that I killed her two chapters ago."
"What?" Kiritsugu muttered, shock on his face while Kirei just chuckled.
"Snapped her pretty little neck like in canon. I have to admit, it was hilarious how horrified she was in her final moments." Kirei then put his hands into his pockets and took out three Black Keys per hand, the blades coming out in a glow of blue light. "I can see why the Heath Ledger Joker enjoyed it so much!"
"Iri is dead…" Kiritsugu thought to himself as he remembered his wife. How he was hired by the Einzbern family and saw her for the first time. How he was disgusted for Jubstacheit's lack of care towards her inexperience of society and cast her out into the snow-filled woods naked to prove her durability as a homunculus. He remembered teaching her, falling in love with her, and her giving birth to their child Illyasviel. He glared at Kirei before thinking, "I will not die here and allow you to take the Grail from her, Kotomine Kirei."
Kirei then smirked before rushing forward in high speeds, his Black Keys ready to impale Kiritsugu. Kiritsugu then lifted the Thompson Contender in his right hand and fired the Origin Shot. If the bullet, imbedded with his Code, hit Kirei then his Circuits would be fried and Kirei's body will destroy itself. Kirei smirked as he moved his body to the side and launched forward. "He dodged it?" Kiritsugu thought in shock before Kirei shot both of his fists forward at his head. "Time Alter: Double Accel!" Time then slowed down for Kiritsugu, but Kirei only seemed to be going slightly slower than before. However, it was enough for Kiritsugu to duck the blades and kick Kirei in the chest before time returned to normal. As Kirei took a few steps back Kiritsugu raised the Calico in his left hand before firing a rain of bullets at Kirei. Kirei ran away with each bullet hitting where he previously stood until Kiritsugu stopped.
"Sorry Emiya Kiritsugu, but unlike the me in canon I will not fall for your petty tricks." Kirei said, making Kiritsugu narrow his eyes. "I know of your internal Reality Marble, and I will instantly compensate my speed no matter what you do! And unlike that annoying brat from Fate/Stay night, you cannot possible face me hand to hand."
Kiritsugu narrowed his eyes at this. Kirei was rambling like an idiot, but revealed that he knows of his Reality Marble. It would be tricky to catch the man off guard, but he could do it. "I need to reload the Thompson. It is the only shot I have in defeating him…"
Kirei then smirked as he looked at Kiritsugu thinking, "I will kill you here Kiritsugu. Without you no one will save Emiya Shirou, and thus the story has no hope of continuing. I will make sure he remains in the fire to die…"
Kirei then shot forward at double his speed, and smirked even wider at Kiritsugu's shock. He shot his right fist, still holding three of his Black Keys, forward to impale Kiritsugu's head…
…only for his right foot to step on something and slip, throwing off his aim and instead impaling Kiritsugu in his chest. "What?" Kirei thought to himself as he let go of the keys, the impact of the blow making Kiritsugu cough in pain and hit the concrete wall behind him before slumping on the ground. Kirei looked at his foot for a moment before spotting a banana peel. "How can this… Assassin! TIM must have made him drop these things all over the floor!" Kirei then looked around to see numerous other banana peels on the floor with his eyes widening in growing amounts of both horror and surprise. "But, how can this be? I checked this room numerous times off-screen before fighting Kiritsugu!"
Elsewhere:
Irisviel's body laid on a table in the stage of the theatre within the Civic Center. Her face having a sorrowful expression on it while her eyes remained closed. Her hands rested on her chest, right above her heart before a flame erupted from her clothes. That flame soon encompassed Irisviel's entire body, turning it into ash. The ash then merged, forming a golden grail with intricate designs on it. It then started floating right above where Irisviel's body previously was.
Within the grail, red and black mud began to form and slowly rose upwards. It then began to slowly trickle onto the table, slowly disintegrating it with steam slowly rising.
And the spirit of Angra Mainyu laughed.
Back To The Fight:
Kirei then heard the familiar sounds of knives being removed from a body before having three Black Keys hit his right arm. "GAH!" Kirei shouted in pain before throwing away the ones in his left hand and forcibly removing the ones imbedded in him.
Kiritsugu raised himself from the ground and quickly fired his Calico at Kirei, who raised both of his arms to block the bullets. The bullets bounced off the Kevlar-woven robe for several minutes before they stopped and Kirei lowered his arms. The spent Calico was then thrown by Kiritsugu and impacted with Kirei's head, making him shout in pain and surprise.
"I see, the only way to fight Kirei is to be unpredictable." Kiritsugu thought to himself before saying mentally, "Time Alter: Triple Accel!" Kiritsugu's body then moved at three times its normal speed as he grabbed an Origin Shot from his pocket a reloaded it into the Thompson Contender. He then aimed the gun at Kirei and fired it before time returned to normal, his heart now feeling like it ran a marathon.
"What is happening? Is TIM making Kiritsugu perform like this to catch me off guard?" Kirei thought as he used the power of one of the extra Command Seals to switch his Mana source when the Origin Shot impacted with his right shoulder, utterly destroying any more use for the arm and making blood and bone fly everywhere.
"Avalon saved my life. If it weren't for that…" Kiritsugu thought to himself as his eyes closed momentarily, remembering Irisviel giving the mystical scabbard to him. "Iri… thank you…" A bowie knife then fell from Kiritsugu's right sleeve and into his hand while his left hand grabbed a hand grenade from his pocket. He then took out the pin for the grenade and threw the thing at Kirei. Kirei's eyes widened as he jumped away from the small explosive. However, it exploded making concrete fly everywhere and the lights flickered from the explosion. A chunk of concrete then hit the back of Kirei's knee, breaking it and making the man shout out in pain.
"No, no! This cannot be happening!" Kirei thought to himself as he landed on the ground and Kiritsugu launched towards him. He blocked every one of his knife stabs with his working left arm while thinking, "How can Kiritsugu be winning? I broke the Fourth Wall! I should be able to perfectly predict everything!" "Damn you!" Kirei shouted before attempting to punch Kiritsugu in the head once more.
"Time Alter: Square Accel!" Kiritsugu thought before time slowed down to the point where Kirei was almost not moving. Kiritsugu then stabbed the man in the forearm before jumping back and reloading the Thompson Contender once more before time returned to normal.
"You will die here Emiya Kiritsugu!" Kirei shouted before grabbing the bowie knife by the handle with his teeth and launching forward, a completely insane look in his eye as he flew forward while Kiritsugu calmly aimed the Thompson Contender at him.
Then, the ceiling above them broke and they were completely enveloped with red and black mud.
Elsewhere:
Waver Velvet still sat in the woods, looking at the spot Rider had been before he had vanished. Waver still held Rider's Nodachi, his friend's final gift to him while thinking, "H-how can I win without Rider? Why?" Tears started to return to Waver's eyes. "Why would he think that I still have a chance?"
Waver then felt the bruise that he had gotten when Rider punched him begin to sting once more. "Stop thinking you aren't strong! You are a member of Team Dai-Gurren remember?" The voice of Rider asked in his mind.
Waver's head lowered a bit at this. "Great, now I'm hearing him in my head." "But I don't have a mecha like the other members, and I am not physically strong. Not like you…" He then gulped as he continued. "A-all the spells I know are practically non-lethal and have no place in a fight…"
"Believe in the Waver who believes in you…" Rider's words echoed through his mind, making Waver's eyes tear up. Rider believed that if he could believe in himself, then anything was possible. So what the Hell was he still doing here?
"I'm a member of Team Dai-Gurren…" Waver muttered as he wiped away his tears and shakily got onto his feet while clutching the Nodachi. "W-we kick logic out and do the impossible…." He then began to walk out of the woods, and saw the flares still light up the night sky. "That's how we roll!" Waver then ran into the city as fast as he could, fully intent on reaching the Civic Center.
As long as he still breathed, his and Rider's fight was not over.
Elsewhere:
Saber parked her Yamaha in front of the Civic Center and ran inside, her clothes changing back into her armored dress as she kicked open the door. There was a massive source of Mana within the building, and Saber could tell what the source was.
The Holy Grail.
She ran past numerous rooms trying to find it, but so far was unsuccessful. Saber had to reach the Grail first. If it had formed, then whoever claimed it would be the winner. She would take the Grail and make it grant her wish. Effectively erasing herself as a Heroic Spirit forever and saving Brittan in the process.
"You saved them, but never showed them the ideals you lived by…"
Rider's words echoed through her head. Yes, that was her flaw. She only demonstrated, but never explained her ideas. It was that fatal flaw in her rule as King of Brittan that made her land suffer. It lead to the betrayal of her most trusted knight, the deaths of both friends and comrades, her killing the son who only wanted to be loved by her, and finally her own death which lead to the despair of millions. And when she took out herself from history, thereby preventing that mistake, Brittan would continue to be the mighty country it once was.
Saber then opened the door to the theatre room, and saw at the stage floating in midair was the Holy Grail.
"The Grail…" She whispered as she slowly walked forward, ignoring the pain her wounds from battling with Assassin gave her.
"A.T FIELD!" A voice shouted while the air above Saber seemed to get heavier. Saber jumped back as a multi-colored shield slammed into the ground where she previously stood, making a fairly big crater in the ground. Saber looked to the side to see Lancer with his spear in hand while the red-haired woman stood behind him. Saber then spotted the two Command Seals on her right hand, signifying that she was now Lancer's Master.
"I will not let you get the Holy Grail." That was the only thing Lancer said before he shot towards her.
Elsewhere:
Kirei coughed out blood and black mud before, with great difficulty and pain, he lifted himself to his knees and looked around. There was a massive hole on the ceiling and the Grail's corrupted contents were all over the floor. The lights were also off and worst of all he could not see Emiya Kiritsugu.
"Why?" Kirei thought through clenched teeth. "I've come so close, and yet TIM rips my victory from my very hands!" Kirei then felt a barrel of a gun on his back, right where his heart should be. He knew who was behind him, so he didn't even bother asking. "You saw it didn't you? What the Grail truly was…"
"Yes." Was Kiritsugu's short and quiet reply. Kirei expected it of coarse, after all in both canon and in this fic off-screen Kiritsugu had his ideals thrown in his face and was showed what his wish would bring to the world. Not to mention that he 'killed' his 'daughter' and the Source of all Evil who was wearing his wife's 'skin' in an attempt to make him give his wish. Also he got a curse from the spirit to suffer a long, painful death, which sucked no matter how you put it. "I will not use it. There is too much loss and not enough gain."
"Heh, oh how you are so much like Archer in Fate/Stay night…" Kirei chuckled out before he grinned maniacally. "But if you are going to do it, then you will neversee your daughter again. The Einzbern's will not allow it! You would throw away your daughter just to keep the world safe from Angra Mainyu! To quote a man greater than I am, 'It would be funny if it weren't so pathetic'." Kirei thought about that for a moment. "And like he said after that, 'Oh what the Hell? I'll laugh anyway!' GHAHAHAHAHAAHA!"
Kiritsugu said nothing, but his finger began to pull on the trigger.
"Damn you TIM!" Kirei shouted while looking at the 'screen'. "Damn you and my creator for making us into glorified puppets! And you…" Kirei then glanced at Kiritsugu while a savage grin formed on his face. "I'll be seeing you again very soo-!"
Kiritsugu then fired the Thompson Contender into Kirei's heart, making the man lay on the ground while his blood mixed with the Grail's contents.
Kotomine Kirei was dead.
"No, you won't." Kiritsugu told the corpse before looking up at the hole in the ceiling.
There was one last thing he must do.
Back With Saber And Lancer:
The sound of steel clashing rang throughout the theatre. Sola-Ui looked on as Lancer and Saber exchanged blows at equal strength and speed. And while she was nervous for Lancer's safety, she could tell Saber was tiring from this short battle and the one she had previously. Blood poured from underneath her armor and right arm, and she was slightly swaying from side to side. Indicating that she was suffering from blood loss.
Such an advantage could not be wasted.
"Shinji, finish her so that we can get the Grail and end this." Sola-Ui commanded, internally wincing for her tone while Lancer just nodded understandingly.
"Lance of…" Lancer began, only to stop when Sola-Ui gasped in shock and horror. He looked back to see Sola-Ui with her hand over her mouth shivering and her eyes widened with utter fear. "Sola-san?"
"E-Emiya K-Kiritsugu…!" Sola-Ui muttered in horror, making Lancer look to where she was staring at. Indeed, on the other side of the theatre was Emiya Kiritsugu with a cold expression on his face as he raised his right hand, revealing his three Command Seals.
"Saber." Kiritsugu spoke, making Saber look at her Master with attentive eyes.
"Help me win…" Saber thought while gripping Excalibur harder.
"He's going to make her use her Noble Phantasm on me…" Lancer thought while preparing his spear to intercept her.
"By the power of this Command Seal, use your Noble Phantasm to…" Kiritsugu continued as sweat dripped from Sola-Ui's forehead.
"Shinji…" Sola-Ui thought out worryingly. Did Saber have a Noble Phantasm they did not know about?
"Give me the Holy Grail!" Saber thought as she stood up straight.
"…Destroy the Holy Grail." Kiritsugu finished, making the first Command Seal disappear and all three of them stare at him wide-eyed.
"What?" Saber asked in a disbelieving tone while Excalibur revealed itself and she raised it, her arms shaking and thus showing she was attempting to resist the Command Seal.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Lancer shouted while preparing to throw his spear at the man. "Lance o-" Gunshots then rang out, making Lancer cry out in pain as bullets went through both his shoulders and his thigh.
"SHINJI!" Sola-Ui shouted before running to his side and holding him on her lap. "Oh Shinji…!"
"Assassin!" Saber shouted while looking at the Servant, who was sitting on one of the front seats while twirling his Glock.
"Sorry Artie, but I can't let the little emo stop this." Assassin spoke before looking at Kiritsugu his eyes narrowed, conveying his seriousness. "Do it."
Kiritsugu stared at the Servant for a second before nodding and looking back at Saber. "By the power of this second Command Seal…"
"Why Kiritsugu?" Saber questioned as Excalibur let off its golden glow. "Why would you of all people…?"
"No… my one chance at saving Misato-san, Rei-san, and Asuka-chan…!" Lancer thought as tears were let out from his eyes.
"T-this can't be how this ends…" Sola-Ui thought to herself while hugging Lancer tightly with closed eyes.
"I order you, Saber, to…" Kiritsugu muttered, the second seal in his hand now glowing crimson red.
"STTTTOOOOPPPP!" Saber and Lancer shouted simultaneously with tears coming out of their eyes.
"…Destroy the Holy Grail." Kiritsugu finished, making Saber swung Excalibur down with a horrified expression on her face.
In a flash of gold, the Grail was cut in half.
To Be Continued…
Omake- It's A Real Thing! Taiga Dojo Preview!
"Why!" Taiga yelled to the heavens while Illya looked down with a storm cloud forming above her head. "Why the Hell does this fic have to be so depressing now?"
"Because the author needs an excuse to make a sequel, and this isa Fate/Zero fic…" Illya muttered while Taiga slowly nodded.
"Yeah, yeah…" Taiga groaned out before blinking. "Wait, he is planning a sequel?"
"Stay tuned for the next chapter, 'Zero Hour'!" Illyasviel quickly yelled to the readers with a smile on her face.
"Check it out!" Taiga yelled before looking back at her student. "No seriously, he is?"
Note- And there you go! The final part to 'Fate Closes In'! I truly hope you liked the final battles, and me screwing with Kirei so that Kiritsugu would win. And now, the Grail has been destroyed and for those of you who know the series knows what happens next. For those of you who do not well… you have to wait and see. But I'll let you guys know that this fic only has two chapters left! Yay! Not only could this be my favorite fic, but my first completed one!
I also have a new challenge for all of you. You know the game Fate/Extra? Well, I challenge you readers to make a fic where all the Servants besides playable Saber are replaced by the alternative Servants I have used in the Omakes scattered around this fic. How they act within the giant supercomputer towards their Masters is up to you. Of coarse, you can change a couple if you want but I would really love to see the ones I chosen put down. Other than that, go nuts.
And do not forget, the challenge for fanart of this fic is still up! Please whatever talented artists are currently reading this fic, draw! Whoever is the best will get their drawing as the image/cover of this fic! The rest will be honorably mentioned and presented on my profile. I swear, if I had any artistic talent I would just make the thing myself. I however, utterly suck at drawing. Little kids draw stick figures better than me, so I'm begging you all to help me out with this.
Also review! Reviews increase my muse by 9000! And I need as much muse as I can get to what may be my greatest fic yet! So get reviewing!
…Please?