A/N: (May 5th)
Guess who's been sick the past week, eh?
Haha…ha. It's been a not-fun time. As of writing this, my fever has broken and I'm on the way to recovery, but still feel a bit drowsy. As such, these Author's Notes will be a bit short.
It's also why this chapter is releasing an hour early— I don't really want to stay up until midnight to release this chapter, so you're getting it ahead of schedule by a smidge.
I'm really, really, really glad that last chapter was well-received, though. That was probably the most fun I've written a chapter. Ryougi Shiki and Saber— two faces of Type-Moon going head-to-head? I couldn't not make that a reality in my story. I'm glad you all liked it too.
To answer a question: Yes, Avalon reactivating a bit is why Shirou was able to stand. It also helped regenerate some of his energy, because beforehand using Rho Aias had drained him for almost all he was worth.
Alright, hope you enjoy this one. Below, I have some news to share.
Let's get into it.
Chapter 23: To Save and Protect, Part One
P.O.V: A Certain Burial Agent
She only felt nothing for a few seconds.
Floating in a black sea of blankness, unable to feel, think, hear, move, see…
…then it all came washing back to her, ever so surely.
'…Yeah.'
As thought came back to her body, she could only lament.
Maybe she wanted Sakura to end it for good. A small, miniscule part of her, really did desire that outcome.
But the rest knew it wasn't over yet. It would never be.
She had to keep moving— she had to keep fighting. If she couldn't die, then she had to do something with that curse.
Her mind regains full consciousness. She could see light barely seeping through her closed eyelids. Gritting her teeth, now devoid of blood, she remembers the thought of those impassable stone walls.
The horrors, and screams of the villagers— people she knew, and she cared for— all of them being turned into fodder.
All the while, the figures standing atop those walls watched— laughed, and enjoyed the slaughter.
She grabs her rifle.
Of course— she couldn't disappear just yet. Even death couldn't take her.
Perhaps it was a curse. But in this moment, it was a blessing.
She still had a job to do, after all.
"It's…almost time…"
She hears the mutterings of a girl in black, as she breaks open her eyelids, and peers to the center of the room.
Laying still, she lifts her rifle.
"Almost time…for what, Sakura-san?"
The white-haired Matou jerks her head around, and her face pales even more than it already was.
Despite Sakura's ghostly appearance, she herself seemed like she was witnessing a phantom.
"You…!"
Ciel smirks. As the tendrils rush toward her, she pulls her trigger with her right finger. Her left hand grips something at her waist, and throws it up into the air.
She watches the bullets immediately be absorbed, consumed by some black void that Sakura had likely flashed into existence between the two of them.
Then, pain.
Yelping out, she feels something sharp pierce into her chest.
Once again, her body loses its ability to move. She glances down, and—
'…again?!'
A black razor had effortlessly stabbed into her left breast, and utterly impaled her heart.
She feels several others stab into her body, and twirl like blades of a blender.
"I don't know what kind of trick you pulled— but you're not going to do it again!"
She glares up at the Matou girl, clad in black. Her face had grown out of its shock, and back into a hateful gaze.
Unable to move again, she can't defend from even more tendrils rushing at her body, and—
…Nothing, again.
…
…
'…That won't be enough.
Nothing you ever do will be, Sakura-san.'
Life comes back into her eyes again.
"H-How are you…?!"
She hears Sakura's voice sputter out words of utter disbelief.
But before the Matou could attack again, Ciel closes her eyes.
Just as a high-pitched bang sets off in the chamber, causing Sakura to scream out in pain.
Ciel sighs, as she feels the tendrils holding her loosen from her body. She activates her magic circuits— the absolute massive quantity of them, and blows them all apart.
'…Glad that flashbang worked.'
With her vision stunned a tad, but not nearly as much as Sakura's was, Ciel breaks into a sprint, orbiting her enemy.
"You…You!"
A hateful scream of rage echoes through the whole Mansion, and Ciel watches as Sakura unleashes pained beams of black in all directions.
Since she couldn't see, none of them were as accurate as before, allowing Ciel to jump and weave through each oncoming one. She reloads her magazine, only needing a few seconds to do so, and points her gun and empties her rifle.
The black shadows still seem to involuntarily protect her body, but thanks to Sakura being dazed, their movements were more sluggish. A bullet strikes her arm— accompanied by a spurt of blood erupting from her forearm.
She sees Sakura grimace for a second— seeming more offended by being hit than actually being in pain, and she jerks her head right at her.
Sakura opens her eyelids to reveal bloodshot, confused pupils— yet Ciel could tell she was still locked onto her.
Frustration. That was the emotion Ciel felt emanating from her dark-clothed enemy.
Frustration, in not being able to put her down. Frustration, in having to be on the defensive.
"I'm supposed to be stronger…now…!"
The dark flame aura around the Matou grows more and more potent, causing a sinking feeling in the Burial Agent's heart.
"I'm supposed…to be able…to KILL YOU!"
Releasing all of her rage at once, Ciel watches as multiple black spheres emerge from her aura, and begin moving around the tattered tiled floor.
Before her eyes, she watches a dance of horrors. Inhuman…creatures? Familiars?
Ciel couldn't tell exactly what they were— only that they were only somewhat humanoid in design, with a cylindrical shape and long, tentacle-like arms. Multiple, symmetrical glowing dots, possibly resembling eyes, could be seen on their main bodies as they emerge from the black pools and gaze down upon her like giants.
"Kill her…kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her! You don't belong here, Executor!"
The giants of black obey her commands, and start moving in Ciel's direction. She takes a breath, and calmly assesses the whole field.
What she saw before her, she hasn't seen in her entire life. She's fought several Dead Apostles, a few Demon-candidates, and heretical Mages in her time.
None of them could do something like this. In the face of the unknown, she had to remain calm.
'Six black giants. Tendrils still out to get me—!'
As she thinks, she ducks under one that attempted to slash at her throat, and bounces backward, hopping into the air as one of the giants' arms attempts to squash her.
'And…'
She centers in on the cause of it all— the white-haired Matou, wearing an unnaturally dark dress.
Ciel notices her gripping her stomach. 'So all of this…is hurting her?'
Every movement of the Shadows around her seems to put some strain on the girl's face. At the very least, it meant that Sakura wasn't entirely level-headed from what was probably some sort of physical pain.
'Still…'
Ciel opens her hands, and her gun begins to transform into an entirely new shape.
In a glowing flash of light, and in only a second or two, the rifle vanishes, and is replaced with something even larger.
A massive, grey blade, segmented and spiked on one edge, with blades that taper down to points sharper than scalpels. It's easily twice her own height, and she's forced to carry it with two hands for balance.
Her Seventh Holy Scripture, the weapon she primarily uses to hunt Dead Apostles, and one of the greatest assets of the Burial Agency, had several forms— Immolation, Conviction, just to name a couple.
But if she was fighting giants, then, she had to take them down with an equally large weapon.
Thus was her Seventh Holy Scripture: Blood Loss.
That was the name of the great sword she carries in her hands. With a determined hop, she dodges another massive arm, and rushes up to the giant's main body, several meters into the air.
'Fall—!'
With a whip of her arms, the sword in her hand barrels down.
It strikes the giant diagonally, cleaving it in two. The halves of its body fold away from each other like a cut sheet of paper, and start dissipating— disintegrating, like ashes.
Another Giant reaches out for her, but she retaliates in kind.
"Hyah!"
Slashing her blade once more, it breaks out into segments, nearly tripling its range as its tips hit their mark.
The Giant falters backward. As it stumbles, Ciel lands on the ground, regains her footing, and, focusing magical energy in her legs, blasts forward from the ground once more.
The Shadow Giant attempts to reach her, but the speed of her strike was simply too fast. Her sword reaches it first, and pierces into its abdomen, creating a human-sized hole in its middle.
As Ciel comes out the other end and tucks and rolls back into a stand, she watches that giant, too, begin to vanish into black dust.
Then, the pain sets in on her body.
A searing sizzle on her skin, causing her to grunt as she checks the damage.
'That was too reckless…!'
She had gotten some of the Shadow Giant's blood, if it even was that, on herself, which seemed to be toxic to human skin.
It burned on her body, and even through her clothes. If the situation wasn't so dire, she'd likely be concerned about her modesty, but she had to remain composed.
She had only eliminated two— four more were still left, and…
And…
'…Dammit…!'
She watches as the sphere of black begins to birth more of those creatures.
Oversized, mysterious, yet terrifying creatures of the night, whose eyes stare at her like alien stars. Their Master stands behind them, and, while still scowling at her, breaks into a tiny smirk.
Indeed— Sakura may not be able to kill her.
'But that doesn't mean…I'll be able to win this fight.'
Feeling the searing pain vanish, and the damage to her body easily restored, Ciel readies her whip-sword and rushes back into the shadows.
P.O.V.: A Certain Lost Butterfly
There was no way. No way in hell that this girl was stronger than she was.
She had the familiars. She had the power.
"So why…?!"
She calls upon the endless streams of mana filling up her system, and throws it out of her in the form of weapons to eliminate that transgressor.
The trespasser, that shouldn't be here. What is a member of the Church even doing, interfering in a Grail War?
She didn't know, and she couldn't care less about the reasons. All she is that she was in the way, and she needed to—
"Die!"
Any way she could, and any effort she made, was to tear her to pieces. She sent Shadow Giant after Shadow Giant, watching as their massive arms lurched toward her body, only for her to cut them away at the last second.
Her speed— Sakura hated to admit it, but she was moving a pace too fast for her to keep up with. Her reaction time was just a step too slow, allowing that girl to outmaneuver most of her attacks, despite her quantity of tendrils, and great beasts of black attacking her.
And even if they hit their mark, what happened only a moment after was even more infuriating.
'Why…does she keep…regenerating…!?'
Every time a tendril hit its mark and slashed her arm, or tore her gut, or even now as a Giant manages to hit her body and slam her against the wall and shatter her spine—
— seconds later, she stands to her feet.
Utterly unharmed.
"…how…?"
At this point, Sakura was at a loss for words.
She had given her enough sharp and blunt-force trauma to murder her dozens of times over.
But she remains unscathed. The only thing that proved of any injuries was her tattered combat uniform, and the sweat falling down her brow.
"…It's simple, Sakura-san. It's nothing but a paradox. A simple paradox, but quite unbreakable."
With a scowling grin, Ciel remarks. "Tear me apart…rip me to pieces, crush my brain, filet my heart and all my organs, drain me of my blood…you can't ever kill me."
Her smile snapped something in the young Matou.
A boiling point reached in the back of her throat, and she couldn't take it anymore.
She had accepted the Dress she wore now, because she knew it would make her unstoppable. A natural disaster, that would tear through Mages and Servants alike.
She had so many trump cards, so many facets and complexities to her powers beyond a normal mage's comprehension. She was strong.
Stronger than her sister, stronger than Senpai, stronger than—!
"Ah…!"
'No! I won't use any Servants. Because I'm going to…defeat her…'
…AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
'…myself.'
Her frustrated, bitter, and angry cries flare up the dozens of familiars surrounding her body.
The ribbons of black go flying. The Shadow Giants march, and slam their arms.
Out from the pools of nothingness at her feet, come miniature animals with dead, lifeless, white glowing eyes— akin to stuffed animals, yet their white-outlined, black body told Sakura otherwise.
They hopped, skipped, and jumped at the Executor, who had already moved to defend herself. She had shifted her weapon back into a rifle, and fired a hailstorm of bullets onto Sakura's animals.
As soon as they were struck, they poofed out of existence, breaking and melting back into the pools of black at their feet.
Yet it wasn't enough— the Executor's efforts, that is.
A Shadow Giant's hand wraps around her arm, and doesn't let go. Before she could break free, another grabs her legs. A third grabs her other arm.
"If I can't kill you…"
Sakura extends her hands, and widens her fingers apart. Following her command, the Shadow Giants pull on every single one of her limbs.
A wildly satisfying sensation fills Sakura's ears as she hears the girl scream in utter, unadulterated pain.
"…Then I'll torture you, until you give up!"
The Giants pull, harder and harder. The girl's limbs stretch farther than they should ever stretch.
Multiple cracking sounds fill the hall of the Einzbern Castle, and then—!
A crunch, and a ripping tear of flesh and bone.
Multiple geysers of blood rain down upon her Familiars, who lap it up like dogs.
Sakura watches the life leave the Executors eyes, as she had completely separated her torso from her arms and legs, which were now in the hands of those black giants.
The body and head collapse— hitting the ground with a shuddering thud of meat.
Yet she knew— even Sakura knew, that none of that was nearly close enough.
"Crush her."
The Giants move in kind, and smash their arms down on her body. Hitting the earth over and over again, like children in a tantrum.
A dust cloud caked in blood pools in front of Sakura's eyes. She stares at it— not satisfied at all.
She'd have to do this for as long as it would take for Illyasviel to finish. As soon as the Dress was completed, they could leave this place.
And this utterly pointless battle would be long over.
Ba-bump.
Sakura's eyes widen.
A pain leaves her body. A stress is lifted off her shoulders, just at that moment.
"Wha…?"
The Shadow Giants cease attacking, as Sakura stares at the grand doors to the Einzbern Castle. Those weren't her focus though— rather, what was going on outside.
A sensation she had before— a contract that she had made with a certain King of Knights.
It was gone.
Severed.
"Saber…why did you…? How…did you…?!"
She couldn't believe it. Tainting a Servant with the Mud of the Grail was permanent, as far as she knew. There wasn't any way to reverse it, unless through some miracle.
She thought her enemies had no such miracles, so how…?
Sakura bites her lip. She felt marginally better, with a Servant not taking up her mana reserves, but she also didn't expect to lose that trump card so easily. And that also meant…
'Senpai…'
She cracks into a tiny smile. 'You might…be coming, aren't you?'
…
'Wait, wasn't I supposed to—?'
Because she was distracted, so were her Familiars. They answered every order she gave them, after all.
So for several seconds, the battlefield had become completely quiet.
Enough time, for—!
She jerks her head back to her task at hand. "Keep attacki—!"
Yet before her eyes, stands a certain Burial Agent. Her arms and legs were reattached to her body, with the tears at her shoulders and thighs finishing mending together.
Carrying what seemed to be a massive pile-driver in her hands— larger than her rifle, and more dense than her sword. A huge spike jutted out from the end, silver in color.
Sakura extends her hands, and commands all of her Familiars to charge.
They move— yet just as quickly, if not quicker, so does the Executor.
"Life burns away, the living falls ill.
Fragile is the body— temporary is the mind."
As the creatures of darkness approach, the girl in blue responds in kind.
Before Sakura's eyes, a massive spark of light crashes all around her enemy, striking her animals and ripping them asunder by the dozens. Even her Shadow Giants tremble as the electric-violet light sears their arms away.
'She can…use lightning…?!'
Sakura, for once, doesn't feel simple frustration at a cockroach she just couldn't put down.
But rather, as the girl gets closer…
Her heart beats a pace faster.
"Salvation is in the Earth. Rest is in my home."
And faster.
'Am I…a…fraid…?'
With her opponents singed to ashes, the Executor charges forward.
Sakura looks down at the spheres of black staining the ground, and desperately pumps her energy into them.
Black ribbons rip from the surface, straight at her enemy.
Yet at this point, they were less than a few meters away. Close enough to touch.
The spike of certain death approaches Sakura's stomach, and she can't help but close her eyes, unwilling to look at the next instant.
The Executor shouts.
A painful, cold shock pierces into Sakura's belly.
"The Flower is within my chest— Creatura del Cie—!"
Yet her enemy's voice does not finish.
Sakura opens her eyes, and feels her nerves finally calm as a massive roar shudders in her eardrums.
A black beast had appeared behind her enemy, answering Sakura's desperate call at the last moment. The spike had pierced Sakura's body, but she noticed that the Executor was a hair's breadth away from pulling the trigger to release it into her body.
Tendrils wrapped around the Executor's legs, holding her in place as the monster grabs her head and slams her down.
The weapon falls.
And the girl only struggles for a moment before she's crushed under the weight of a massive pillar of obsidian.
Sakura steps backward, as the behemoth of Greece slams its hammer directly down onto the blue-hair's body, shattering all of her bones at once with sickening, yet joyous crackling.
"I…"
She takes several steps back, grimacing in frustration as she feels her body mend the wound in her gut.
'I nearly…died…'
She didn't know how, but the pressure that was coming off of her enemy…it was more than enough to send a chill down her spine.
Even with all of her great power…she…
She takes a breath, and seals back her composure.
"That was too close…Berserker, would you mind cleaning up this mess for me?"
Of course, the blackened, muddled Hero did not answer. Instead, he continues to pummel the body over and over, giving her no chance to reform herself.
Sakura knew that if Berserker relented for even a moment, the girl would likely regenerate and be able to defeat him, but…
'As long as he keeps attacking…she'll be stuck like that.'
She debated in her mind whether she should try and absorb that girl like the others, but…
…the ramifications of trying to corrupt or convert someone unable to die into mana, seemed too risky to attempt.
'I don't need her, anyway. And as long as the Einzbern ritual is completed, she'll be an ant like everyone else.'
She turns around, letting her Servant rip her to pieces. His strikes evaporate her into red vapor over and over again, for what would have to be eternity if the Executor's words about her unkillable nature were true.
'I wonder if Illyasviel's Maidservants are finished, yet…?'
She could feel it— that rolling pain in her stomach, becoming ever stronger. With more Servants dying, its awakening was becoming more and more certain.
The White Grail's energy would do wonders in staving off that pain— and making her final…transformation, that much more smooth.
She feels her Shadows begin to envelop herself, as she falls into an abyss of darkness— out of sight and mind from reality.
P.O.V.: A Certain Hero of Justice
It only took a few minutes to reach the walls of the Einzbern Castle.
Much of the surrounding forest was destroyed in Saber and Assassin's fatal duel, but a few standing trees remained tall by the Castle's walls. The castle itself remained unperturbed.
Although…
Placing his hands against the beige bricks, Shirou Emiya closes his eyes.
'Trace, on.'
He pulses out a fraction of his mana, sending it throughout the structure of the entire building. With it, he could sense discrepancies in its design— and possibly even where people are located.
'One in the basement…'
He deduced those signatures to be either Leysritt or Sella, but didn't understand why one of them was missing. Ignoring that d
'…Two in the hall…'
Those were the largest energies. He couldn't make out who was who, just that they were quite powerful magical energy signatures.
There was really only one explanation for who they could be. 'Ciel-san and…
…Sakura, maybe…?'
Thoughts about meeting her again after their…last interaction, makes his body shiver for a moment. He didn't really know what to say to her.
He knew he had to punish her. No one in their right mind would simply forgive someone who was responsible for so many people's deaths.
Yet at the same time, he couldn't simply come to the same conclusion as Mikoto. 'I won't let her die. And…starting now…'
He glances back at Saten, whose face focused on the dirt below. She was gripping the motorcycle jacket tightly, and seemed to now be wearing it fully despite it being a size or so too large for her.
'…starting now, I won't let anyone else die, either.'
He focuses back on scanning through the Castle. Luckily, the four he had already detected didn't seem to be moving, which would make it easier for him.
'…Third floor.'
He felt her, isolated in a wing a few stories up. "I know where she is," he says, "Saten-san, do you want to come with me?"
Just earlier, during their final trek to the Einzbern Castle, Saten had gotten a call from Tsuchimikado, letting them know that he would be there in the next half-hour or so. Shirou had roughly calculated how fast that helicopter must be going to get from Academy City to Fuyuki in such a short amount of time, and he found out it must be moving close to the speed of a passenger jet— a good amount slower than Rider's chariot, but it was still impressive.
'Academy City's really something, huh?'
They made helicopters with top speeds that far surpass the technology of the world's militaries. In this case, it was a boon for them.
It also meant that if Saten chose to wait, she'd have to be by herself outside, waiting for Tsuchimikado to pick them up.
"…"
She didn't say anything. After what had just happened, Shirou didn't really blame her. She had barely said anything when even Tsuchimikado called.
"Trace, On."
A greenish spark lights in his hands, and in it he forms a silver, short, one-edged blade. "Here. Take this."
Saten glances up, and lets him open her hand and set the sword in her palm. "To protect yourself. You have experience with a weapon?"
"…a little. I swing around a baseball bat, sometimes." Saten mutters.
"It's the same idea, just remember you have to strike along the edge. Although I hope you don't have to use it all."
He gestures over to a side-entrance door. Since the main hall was occupied, entering through there wouldn't be the best move, especially not with an ability-less girl accompanying him.
Upon breaking open the lock, and entering through the dimly lit halls of the estate, a dreaded chill rocks up his spine.
He could only hope that they had arrived soon enough for the dread to be false.
P.O.V.: A Certain White Grail
"Lady Illyasviel, your dress is ready."
A certain Einzbern child stares down at the ornate white clothing set on the table before her.
White robes, stockings and a dress lined in gold, with a red sash meant to be worn around the neck. An equally pristine, snow-white crown sat atop the clothing, meant to be the last piece placed on her body.
The signature Mystic Code of the Einzbern family sat before her, now.
Illya looks up— at not two, but simply one of her Maidservants.
"Thank you, Sella."
The petite Einzbern gently places her hand on the dress. Indeed, she knew what had to be done for this dress to be created. '…Liz knew of her purpose the moment she was born. Her existence would become this one way or another.
…I wonder…will her life be used for good? Evil? I guess she would be ambivalent to it no matter what the wish was.'
She stares at the seven rings on the Dress's body. Currently, two of the rings' holes were lit— representing two Servants that had been absorbed into the White Grail.
All seven would have to be lit to use the Third at its fullest potential— but even then, the Grail would have to be purified for that even to be possible.
'…Would they have been able to do it? I suppose it's too late to be thinking about hopeful thoughts like that.'
"I recommend putting it on as soon as possible, Lady Illya." Sella says.
"I know."
With a neutral gaze at the dress on the table, Illya stands to her feet, and undoes the top button of her top.
But doesn't go any further, as she hears the ear-shattering roar of a beast shake the foundations of her Castle.
It was louder than a lion's, more guttural than a bear's, yet originated from something that used to have humanity.
She freezes in place. She knew exactly what it was, after all.
'Berserker…'
She bites her lip. Illya had heard those cries several minutes before, and they didn't seem any less anguished before as they did now.
'You're in pain. I know you are. But…I'm sorry.'
There wasn't anything she could do to help him. Not in this situation.
Right now, it was her life, or the life of Shirou Emiya and many others. She wouldn't let him die— or anyone else die.
And besides— she was about to do her duty. The one thing that all Einzberns were meant to do. And she, as their greatest creation, would potentially fulfill hundreds of years of sacrifice.
This was her purpose.
'So why do I…?'
Beyond the pained roars of a raging demi-god, and the sound of her own heart beating through its chest, she hears the whir of something appearing behind her.
Then, the energy felt— it was almost entirely inhuman, unable to be comprehended by reality, and only barely able to be understood by mages. Illyasviel, of course, was familiar with that energy.
She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"Perfect timing, Sakura." She says. She forces down any unnecessary thoughts, and resumes removing her clothes to change into the dress laid out in front of her.
"Yes. With this, you'll be able to manifest your soul, correct?"
Sakura's voice strangled her ears like a vice, but Illya kept her face unphased. "Correct. It will allow me to temporarily force my soul into tangibility…and will reveal my core as the Lesser Grail. That is what you want, right, Sakura?"
"Of course. Your soul will help immensely, Illyasviel. The wish that I desire…it will truly be rid of all of the evil in the world."
"…How noble of you, Sakura." Illya responded, her voice as monotone as a robot's.
Because in a way, she was one.
Illya continues. "To remove all evil in the world…I guess in a way, you really haven't forgotten the wish of our families."
"Wish?"
Sakura's voice seemed genuinely puzzled. As she removes her shirt to reveal a modest tank-top, Illyasviel turns her head and looks her in the eyes.
"The wish of our families. The purpose of this Grail War…it seems in your twisted nature, you've come right back at the start, Sakura."
'It makes my decision easier, in any case.'
Without paying the Matou girl any more mind, the Einzbern child continues with her transition into the Dress of Heaven.
"Illyasviel…curious, but do you know what it's like?"
As she slips on the silken clothes without a word, Illya nods and listens in silence.
"Do you know what it's like to be trapped? To be isolated from someone who you thought would save you? To be told what to do, day after day, to be physically harmed by your caretakers for a role that you didn't want?"
"…"
She didn't say a single word. Although, Illya did glance at Sella.
The face her maid gave…it only served to exasperate her thoughts.
Simply because of Sakura's words, they…
Setting the dress and evening the sash, Illya continues to listen to the lost butterfly's tirade.
"…I don't have a home. Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I ever did. Nearly everyone I've met in this world either tore me down or looked the other way."
Illya places her tiny fingers on the snow-white crown. Once she puts it on, the Dress's functions would activate, and it would just be up to her to execute its commands. "…What about Shirou Emiya? Rin Tohsaka?"
"…They didn't do enough. Onee-san? Give me a break. She never came for me. She's only my older sister through blood."
Illya closes her eyes. 'Older sister, huh…?'
"…Enough talking, now." Sakura huffs. "Just do the ritual."
Seeing as she had run out of time, Illyasviel picks up the crown, and lifts it above her head.
'I guess this is it now, Onii-chan.
I'll see you around.'
She closes her eyes, as she lowers it upon her temples.
And the door to the room swings open with a crash, hitting the wall so hard the doorknob completely shattered the drywall.
"STOP!"
A male's voice, all-too familiar.
Illya petrifies, as her eyes turn to the entrance to the room, and spots a certain hero of justice standing triumphantly with a set of swords.
"Shi…rou…?"
Her voice nearly breaks, as she sees his figure sprint up to her—
—only to be stopped by a tirade of black tendrils, blocking his path.
"Where do you think you're going, Senpai?"
Unsure of what to do, Illya takes several steps backward, to protect the dress adorned on her body.
Even if she was going to end up not using it for Sakura's purposes, the Dress had to be maintained either way. Otherwise, the Heaven's Feel ritual for the Fifth War would be lost.
She glances up, and watches heads of red and white glare each other down.
"Sakura…"
His expression was tough, but filled with not an iota of hate. Juxtaposed to his opposition, whose face was saturated with naught but malice. "…move aside, Sakura."
"…You really think you're going to order me around, Senpai?"
She snaps her fingers.
"Of course I am!"
Yet the shadows she controls stop their movements, as Shirou shouts at her with unwavering will. "You're going to stop all this, Sakura. Everything. I told you before, that I would punish you if you did something bad— well here we are!"
He takes a step forward, making his presence as dominant as can be in a room where he certainly wasn't the strongest.
"…"
Indeed the Matou girl seemed to hesitate. If for only a short breath.
"…No."
Yet it didn't matter. The shadows moved in a flash, and—
Illya choked out a cough as she felt something thin and tight wrap around her neck, and forcefully lift her up into the air. In her pained eyes, she could spot another girl with dark, raven hair get dragged from outside the room and forced to float like her. In the back of her mind, she recalls seeing her at the start of the War— but couldn't remember her name.
They weren't being hanged like a noose would, which gave Illya the tiniest amount of room to breathe, but only barely.
"…You told me you wanted to be a hero of justice, Senpai. So tell me, who would a hero of justice pick— Illyasviel, or this girl?"
Illya could feel the rage boiling underneath Shirou's skin. Everything had happened too fast for him to prevent any of this from happening.
From the corner of her eye, Illya spots her maidservant move from neutrality, and wedge herself between Shirou and Sakura.
'W-Wait…Sella…!'
"D-Don't…!" Illya spurts out.
Yet she was ignored. "Sakura," Sella began, "Let go of Illyasviel this instant, or—!"
"Or what?"
A black blade shoots from the ground.
Yet its trajectory, aimed for the Einzbern maid's neck, had been interrupted by the shriek of a metallic sword.
Sella falls backward, as Shirou jumps in front of her. Her cap had fallen off her head, showing her naturally long, white hair. "Emiya-sama, you—!"
"Sakura, stop!" Shirou ignores the maidservant, but still places his body between her and her transgressor. "This is between you and me! Leave anyone else out of this!"
"…Okay." Sakura responds, her neutral, almost unamused and bored expression ever unchanging. "So answer my question, Senpai. Who do you pick?"
"…" Emiya's fists curl into themselves. "…I'm not answering. I'm telling you to Let. Them. Go."
Sakura gives a rather unsurprised sigh. "Ah…how expected of you, Senpai. You picked neither. So I suppose…"
She lifts up a tendril, aimed for the other girl's chest.
"…you don't care if she dies?"
Shirou's eyes widen, as he breaks into a sprint toward the girl.
Yet the tendril falls faster, and strikes forward like an unstoppable javelin.
"SATEN-SA—!"
And the entire room blows up into a white light.
P.O.V.: A Certain Unforgiver
"…I bestowed a single blessing upon you, young Saten. It will protect you. Once."
Saten watches as that black, thin rod careens toward her chest— yet bounces effortlessly off of the jacket she wears upon her shoulders.
The red motorcycle jacket that used to belong to the Assassin that's no longer of this world.
"I normally should be more neutral in these types of affairs, but…your heart is strong. I can't help but be biased, every so often."
And an instant later, Ruiko closes her eyes as the jacket shines out a massive light in all directions. Since she had seen it coming first, it didn't stun her as much.
She feels the tendril holding her by the neck weaken, and she slashes at it with the sword Emiya had given her, completely ripping it from her body as she lands back on the ground.
There was only one thing on her mind at that moment. And with everyone in the room temporarily disabled due to Assassin's final trick, she had the chance to make a difference.
'Just like Misaka-san, right?'
To do something.
She had saved Assassin's life earlier. Now, Assassin had saved her's.
It gave her this very chance, to bring her sword forth, and—!
She thrusts her arms forward, gripping the short blade with both hands.
A tearing and ripping of flesh hisses into Saten's ears. A gasp of a girl resounds out.
Ruiko looks up, and stares directly at the target that she had just struck true.
A girl in black, with a head of white, stares at her.
Absolutely, utterly dumbfounded, as Saten's sword had driven straight through her stomach.
Without a word, and only so much as a quiet, sputtery breath, Sakura Matou grips the sword with her hands, their skin breaking and dripping down into red drops onto the tiled floor.
At that moment, she didn't have a hint of hatred, malice or contempt in her eyes.
Only shock. Genuine, unfiltered astonishment. "You…actually…hurt me…? An ordinary girl…with no…powers…?"
Ruiko grits her teeth, and pulls the sword out of her body. Sakura stumbles backward, and collapses onto the floor.
The injury that Saten had sustained onto her was already beginning to heal up, but she still noticed a good amount of blood that had spilled onto the floor.
Indeed, Ruiko knew— once Sakura's surprise faded, she would be able to kill her with nothing more than a blink.
But here, in this brief moment, she had the upper hand— and she would take it.
"That…was for Kuroko Shirai."
Her voice seemed much more viper-like than she was expecting, but she didn't care.
She lifts her sword, not wanting to waste another second.
Her breathing increased, as well as her heartbeat. All of her vision tunnelled to the girl in black before her eyes, and nothing else seemed real except for the primal, guttural urge to…to…!
"And this…is for Kazari Uiharu."
She lifts her sword.
And a palm grasps her wrist, the second she tries to plunge it down.
"…What do you think you're doing, Emiya-san?"
"I gave you that sword to protect yourself. Not to end lives, Saten-san.
…Look."
Saten peers down, and notices one of Sakura's tentacles.
Aimed at her heart. Centimeters away from ending her life. The only reason why it hadn't stabbed her, was because Ruiko hadn't fully committed.
It was some sort of reflexive defense Sakura had, that worked beyond just her conscious thought. Just based on the look on her face, she still hadn't gotten over her injury.
Before she could gather her bearings, Emiya pulls Saten backwards, giving Sakura space as her dress expands and begins to encase her whole body.
Wrapping, and warping her away, when Saten had the chance to end her right then and there.
Saten turns her head to glare at him, but he shakes his head. "…There's a way we can stop this, without killing anyone else. Kamijou's Right Hand, remember? If there's anything I think can stop her powers, it's him. Just…let her go."
"…"
It wasn't a very strong argument in her mind, but Ruiko could get behind stopping any more lives from being lost.
'…They'll be brought back, anyway.
When we win.'
She glances over to Illyasviel, who had been quickly taken to the opposite end of the room from the now disappeared Sakura. She looked dazed, but nothing serious.
She watches Shirou run over to Illya, as Saten stares at the bloodied blade in her hand.
'…I nearly killed someone. I nearly…'
Reasoning comes back to her mind. Looking back on it, she really shouldn't have plunged that sword down a second time.
She was glad that Shirou stopped her.
'If I did it, then…when would I have stopped? I would be like how Misaka is, and…and I wouldn't even be better than Sakura.
Shiki told me to be happy. If I had killed her, then I'd be the exact…opposite…'
She bites the inside of her lip. She knew that if she had actually gone through with it, her life would irreparably be changed. Not to mention, she very well could have lost her life in the process.
She already had blood on her hands. She didn't want a whole life on her shoulders.
Stewing on those thoughts, she swivels on her heels and walks toward Emiya and Illya, who also were quickly joined by the latter's maidservant. She seemed to be dusting off the dress and tending to Illya's minor wounds, as the redhead and the Einzbern girl shared a quick embrace.
"Are you alright, Lady Illyasviel?" Sella says.
"I-I'm fine, y-yeah…physically, at least."
"Are you sure?" Emiya asks. "Your neck still looks a bit red…"
"It's not that I'm worried about, Shirou." Illyasviel says, then closes her eyes and points to her ears. "Do you…hear that?"
All four of them in the room quiet down.
And indeed, the sounds become audible, revealing themselves after the ruckus in the room just a minute before.
Loud, guttural cries of anger, grief, and rage, somewhere in another part of the Castle, coupled with distant rumbles. Ruiko somewhat recognized its voice. "That kind of sounds like…"
"Berserker." Illya finishes for her. "He's here, in my home, somewhere…he's suffering. I know he is."
"Berserker…he was your Servant, right?" Saten asks.
Illya nods, and grips Emiya's arm tightly. "Shirou, can you do me a favor?"
Shirou kneels down, and gently pats her forehead. The action seems to settle her nerves, at least by a little. "Anything you need. What do you need me to do?"
The young Einzbern seems to bite her lip, as if unsure what to say next.
However, she resolves. Her ruby red eyes burn with conviction that none of them could put out, even when coupled with the wetness of tears.
"Help me…help me put Berserker to rest."
P.O.V.: A Certain Black Grail
Even after she had vanished from Fuyuki, the reality of what had just occurred hadn't sunk in completely yet.
The facts were right in front of her face. She had lost. Almost entirely.
And the person to seal the deal…was a girl. With absolutely no powers, and a sword that didn't even belong to her.
'She…beat me…?'
In the abyss of eternal black, Sakura stares blankly into her hand. Even after the shadows start to fade, and reality begins to melt into view, she continues to fixate on her palm in utter disbelief.
'I…have so much power now, and that foolish, powerless girl…she…beat me…?'
She grit her teeth. 'No…how was that…even possible…?!'
That wasn't even the worst of the issues. She could easily fix a stab wound in a nonlethal area of her body.
No, it's the fact that she's lost so many pieces already.
Saber. The White Grail.
And she had, in her haste to retreat back to the City of Science, forgotten to retrieve Berserker. And even if she did try to get him, it might just be that she'd get stuck in an endless battle with that immortal Executor.
'…Dammit!'
She wanted to throw, punch, or break something at that moment. It was a huge blunder on her part.
In the span of an hour or so, she had lost half of her trump cards.
'…But…'
She took a breath. She still could win this.
'Lancer and Caster…'
Those were two cards she still had left to play, and she'd make the most use out of both of them.
Stepping out of her shadows, she emerges into an empty street of Academy City. From the recognizable signs around her, she had appeared exactly where she wanted— somewhere in District 7.
'The Greater Grail…it's around here, somewhere. Probably underneath the grou—'
"Ack—!"
A painful shock shoots through her body.
It was like getting struck by a mild taser, coupled with a headache that pushed down on all sides of her head. Gritting her teeth, she realizes she had forgotten to look up.
The city skyline was being dwarfed— dwarfed by massive pillars of white light.
"What the hell…is that…?"
She called for her shadows to envelop her, and take her to whatever was causing that discrepancy.
At the same time, she released two black blobs of mana, containing the Spirit Origins of two certain Servants.
'…Find any potential enemies, and eliminate them. I mean it, Caster…Lancer.'
She watches the black masses leave, snaking and coiling across the ground, ready to appear with their Servant in full at any moment. Meanwhile, Sakura continued her trek to those strange white lights.
Luckily, her method of travel took only a few seconds.
When the blackness melted out of view, she could see it.
Right before her eyes, in the middle of a massive crater that destroyed a good city block or two of the city, was the source of those strange white pillars giving her a migraine.
Cars sprinkled across the unearthed ground; roads, streetlamps, and underground foundations collapsed onto a massive, brown, earthen crater.
She gazes above— and way beyond her head, she could see it.
A black nothingness, perfectly spherical, a kilometer or so above the ground.
'The Grail…'
She could tell it was being held down, its magical energy being kept inside of itself thanks to the ear-piercing, opposing energy that those white tendrils gave off.
And in the center, the cause of this mess stood, shaped like…
"…a girl…?"
She didn't expect that.
A girl with dark brown hair; hunched over, her eyes nearly rolled to the back of her head. She was wearing a school uniform, complete with a blazer and skirt, as well as a pair of framed glasses.
A strange, halo-esq construct floated above her head, parts of it moving up and down like audial displays. Out from her back sprouted those unnatural white lines, which expanded into those twisting, supernatural pillars.
Her entire body, from head-to-toe…it had an ethereal, unreal glow to it. Inhuman, was the light coming off of her body.
Sakura tilted her head, just as the girl's head tweaked toward her. It was then she noticed her tongue was also sticking out— forcefully, as if against her own will.
"…What…are you…?"
The butterfly in black stared upon the white moth as it flapped its many wings.
Sakura's eyes widen as a white light slashes down toward her body. Gritting her teeth, she extends her arm, and an equally large mass of black flies up to meet it.
The opposite colors clash in mid-air, and a shocking screech of mingling energies grates against Sakura's ear as the bands of light and dark completely rip each other apart.
Total annihilation, and negation.
It was then, that Sakura realized the girl's anatomy before her.
'She's using…no, she might be entirely made of Imaginary Numbers…'
Her face curls into a smile.
"So that's how you're trying to beat me, Academy City…?"
A being this artificial, and this unnatural, could only be made in a city like this. She always knew that there was something fishy happening within the City of Science, but the entity before her closed the book on that mystery.
"…You're trying to beat me at my own game…?"
Another band of light whips forth at her. And again, Sakura parries with her own dark tendril. Like matter and anti-matter, they completely negate one another.
Perfect equals.
After all, the Imaginary Element was her specialty— so of course, when faced with an enemy who used their own, they would be perfect equals.
"…Grr…!"
That sharp pain cut into her brain, however, subtly shifting her focus and making her vision blurred.
'…I'll have to destroy her entirely if I'm going to win this.'
She points at the angelic entity, and her Shadows launch into action.
Creatures of the night crawl from their hiding places, to assimilate who she deemed her enemy.
However, the white pillars suddenly shift into the defensive, and tear through her familiars nearly effortlessly. With every white band she eliminated, another would grow back almost instantly.
None of her creatures were breaking through. After summoning a handful of Shadow Giants, even they failed to break through that strange, imaginary girl's defenses.
'Another war of attrition…? For the love of…!'
She clenches her teeth, and sends all she has. The entire army of darkness, all at her beck-and-call.
She would kill that Angel holding her and the Greater Grail down, and declare her victory over the City of Science.
P.O.V.: A Certain White Grail
She was used to saying goodbye.
That's why she thought this was going to be easy, as she slowly creaks open the door to the great main hall of the Einzbern Castle.
The smell of viscera filled her nostrils immediately, causing her to repulse a little from the inane scent. However, after feeling a comforting pat on her shoulder, she continued forward.
She sees the back of Shirou Emiya in her periphery, as he walks over to one side of the balcony, overlooking the central room below.
A massive hall, meant to introduce guests, was now a slaughterhouse. Shirou and Illya peer down, and see the carnage that had begotten her home.
The floor was mangled beyond ordinary repair, akin to a warzone rather than a luxurious home. Dust clouds obscured some of their vision, but they could clearly make out the behemoth of a figure standing roughly in the center as he repeatedly,
Unendingly,
Slammed his great obsidian axe, over and over, into the ground.
Into someone. Illya peers a little closer— though not enough to be visible to Berserker, as she looks through the dust clouds and locks on who it might be.
'…Ciel…'
She looks over to Shirou, who has the same grave look as she does.
The Executor that had apparently come to help them in their time of need, was nothing more than a pile of flesh, bone, and organs at the monster's feet. The only recognizable parts of her body was her head, and some remnants of her arms and torso.
Everything else was unrecognizable piles of viscera.
An absolutely horrid sight, that smelled almost as bad as it looked. However, neither Illya nor Shirou, could let that affect them yet.
They would treat the remnants of her body respect once they dealt with the giant in the room.
They give each other one last glance.
It was now, or never. Berserker was still distracted with the girl's body— but at any moment, he may lose interest and find out that they've been watching him.
So to strike him down— it would have to be quick. Faster than Berserker could react to.
Luckily, Illya could tell— the reddish, pulsating flesh of his body, as well as his more guttural, pained screams, made her surmise that he had lost his most powerful asset: God Hand.
The Noble Phantasm of the greatest Greek Hero, who had accomplished the Twelve Labors and ascended to Godhood. Not only did it give him the ability to revive twelve times after death, but it also denied Noble Phantasms lower than A rank.
She could tell— he had lost that ability, as well as most of his martial skill. Every strike he made was one of a true barbaric man gone mad, instead of a skilled warrior whose psyche was simply clouded by darkness, like how Berserker originally was.
Thus, he was beatable. But they had to do it in seconds, else his still far superior speed and power would overwhelm them before they could even retaliate.
She watches Shirou stand up atop the balcony railing, and mouth something as he pushes himself off.
"Trace, On."
He falls down from the third to the first floor. Illya watches as he lands intentionally loudly, the soles of his shoes echoing throughout the wide chamber.
Berserker lifts his head. At the same instant, Illya pulls at her hair, creating strings of white that coalesce into the shape she desires.
She picks up the sword Saten had carried a little while ago, and wraps the hair around Shirou's Projection.
The Darkened Servant turns his whole body, sizing up his enemy. At the same moment, Shirou stands to his feet, and extends his arm, supporting it with his other.
Indeed, he would go for defense. After all…
'He's not the one who's going to defeat Berserker.' Illya thought.
As she nearly finishes forming her creation, Berserker begins rushing forward with wild screams and roars that rip into her ears and shake the very earth, trembling the grand chandelier above.
Shirou responds in kind.
"Rho Aias!"
The pinkish petals of light emerge from his palm, the moment Berserker's massive weapon barrels down onto him.
In less than two or three seconds, Berserker had noticed and charged at him, clearing several meters and raising his blade.
Yet, it would not be enough.
The Rings appear in front of Emiya, creating a barrier of light against the axe of darkness.
Berserker's sword slams into the shield, and it bounces off of Rho Aias with a loud crack.
One strike had caused the petals to buckle already. Wildly, Berserker throws another strike, creating yet another lightning shaped scar.
Illya had gifted Shirou some of her mana to perform Rho Aias, but the energy it took to maintain seemed to be overwhelming him.
Quickly, she got to her feet, and started quickly climbing down the grand staircase. Shirou stood at the base of the steps, blocking the corrupted Servant from moving another inch.
Yet, his shield was quickly shattering like glass. Without him even turning around or telling her anything, she could tell his expression was 'Any day now, Illya!'
Indeed, she would finish this.
Her creation was finished— floating right by her side.
Upon the middle of the staircase, still high enough to see across the whole room, she calls out.
"Berserker!"
The behemoth had just raised his axe, but paused upon hearing her voice.
Just for a second or two, like a deer caught in headlights.
He had locked eyes with her.
She could feel his hesitation.
'Thank you for looking at me, Berserker.'
Which is why it was her chance to fling her sword—
—and impale his body with a quick, painless slash.
A massive sword of white, of her and Shirou Emiya's creation.
A blade of silver, wrapped in white hairs fortified with magic, and sharpened to a razor's edge, yet stronger than steel.
Enough to penetrate Servant flesh— even those as powerful as Berserker. She had made sure of it.
This is why it had easily cut through his body like butter, right in the center of the chest.
Illya watches as her former Servant falls to his knees with a thud. Shirou's Rho Aias vanishes, and he falls to his knees as well, panting like a dog as Illya rushes up behind him.
She places her hand on his shoulder, but he brushes her off. "Don't worry about me. Go."
Illya nods, and walks up to the man many times her size. She blinks, as the darkness begins melting away from his body. The red and black scarring his skin peels away, revealing…
…revealing his ordinary, yet incredibly tanned and stone-like skin. Just as he was when the Einzberns had summoned him.
The only imperfection upon his body was the massive, glowing white sword searing into his chest, and dripping with scarlet.
She walks up to him, and places her dainty, petite hand onto his body. Despite being impaled, and his body past his limits, the greatest Hero of Greece kneeled upright.
Even on his knees, he was easily twice her height. But that's what she liked about him.
He was a gentle giant that wanted nothing more than to keep her safe.
A man who followed her orders, because his obedience meant that he wouldn't be able to harm anyone unnecessary. Indeed, she knew his whole life story.
She knew what had happened to his wife and child. He must have seen her in a similar way to the daughter he had lost.
Illya tilts her head, and breaks into a tiny smile.
She had already seen him off once. Comparatively, the second time didn't seem as bad.
After all, she could see him with her own eyes. "Berserker. Your duties are done. You've done all that you can for me."
She sees her vision blur, and feels her cheeks wetten.
This was easy. 'And yet…I still can't help myself, can I?'
"…Thank you for protecting me. I'll take care of the rest of this War. You can rest now."
She watches as Berserker closes his golden eyes. His body begins to shimmer, and dissipate into the ether.
However, his ever-vanishing body begins to move.
It moves his arm over to her. Illya hears Shirou attempt to run over to her, but he stops as the massive palm, even larger than Illya's own torso, plants itself delicately on her forehead.
The most gentlest of touches, from the most powerful of giants. Even with his head gone, the hand remains until the last, fleeting moments of his existence.
The fingers vanish. Berserker's serrated axe and the silver sword wrapped in white fall onto the ground.
And so does she.
"…Thank you…Berserker…"
But she doesn't mourn for long. After all, she had seen him off to the fullest she could.
And there was still more conflict to be had. Until that was settled, she couldn't stop and rest.
She turns on her heels, and looks at Shirou directly.
"And you. Thank you, Shirou." She smiles. "Thank you for saving me…back there."
"…There's no need to thank me, Illya." Shirou replies. "It's what I have to do. It's what I have to do with Sakura, and everyone else, too."
"…Yeah." Illya steps up to him, and extends her hand. "Let me help you with that, Onii-chan. You helped me see Berserker off…so I'll help you fight your battles, too."
The two Mages smile at one another. There was still a lot that needed to be done, yet in that moment, she felt at home again.
He shakes her hand. Their partnership was set.
Their brief respite was indeed short, however. Illya suddenly remembered the body that they had to clean up and take care of.
"I hope I'm not interrupting, but…"
Illya suddenly freezes as she hears a voice.
Right behind her. But it wasn't out of fear— it wasn't Sakura, or anything.
But rather—
"C-Ciel?!" Emiya stammers. Illya twists her head around, and sees a certain blue Executor.
Fully reformed, and fully healed. Her clothes were battered and, quite honestly, showed some skin that a Nun would probably rather not have exposed, but the essentials were taken care of at least.
But that was the least of Illya's worries. Her main worry was—
"Y-You were…dead!" Illya exclaims. "How did you—?!"
What Ciel just pulled was on the level of True Magic, if she could just revive from being utterly killed. In fact, that was literally an effect that the Third Magic does!
"…Erm…long…story…" Ciel darts her eyes around, not really wanting to tackle the topic directly. "…but I can't really…die. Like…at all."
Illyasviel blinks. "H-how exactly is that…even possible?"
Ciel winks. "I'll tell you when you're older."
"I'm pretty sure that I'm older than you." Illya responds.
Shirou tilts his head. "Wait, wha—?"
Ciel clears her throat, to get the conversation back on track. "In any case…it seems that you've defeated Berserker. What else happened?"
"Well…" Shirou starts, staring up at the ceiling to regather his own thoughts. Illya couldn't blame him— the journey to save her likely took a lot out of him. "…Saber and Assassin defeated each other. And apparently, Tsuchimikado should be coming here soon."
"I see…" Ciel nods. "…So three Servants are out now…on top of Archer…so that makes it four?"
Illya nods. "Normally I'd be able to tell on my dress…" She gestures to the Dress of Heaven she's still wearing, which has seven rings designed on the front. One glows for every Servant absorbed by Illya, who was the Lesser Grail, or the actual Greater Grail's key.
However, when both Ciel and Shirou glanced at Illya's dress, they could only see two circles glowing. "…I can only feel Assassin and Archer. Saber is not present, and neither is Berserker…I'm guessing because their souls went to the other Lesser Grail, since they were contracted with her."
Ciel sighs. "So it all goes back to Sakura, huh…?"
The petite Einzbern gives a grave nod. "If we can purify her, or k—"
She glances over to Shirou, and shakes her head. "If we can purify her, then the souls may be able to return to me. If that's the case, then the ritual can still work."
"Well that's good to hear." Shirou nods. "We still have a chance to bring everyone back."
Illya smiles.
'Yeah. Everyone.'
…
A moment later, they hear the footsteps of Ruiko Saten come down the staircase, her phone in her hands. "Guess our mission was successful, huh?" She asks.
"Mostly." Shirou agrees.
"Well, I just got off the call with Tsuchimikado-san." Saten says. "He said he was less than three minutes away, and that was almost two minutes ago, so we should probably go outside."
They all head toward the grand doorway. Illyasviel watches as Ciel, Saten, and even Shirou make their exit.
"Oh! Saten-san, apparently Ciel can't die when she's killed."
"Eh?!" Illya hears Saten exclaim. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. Although I have no idea why Emiya-kun worded it that way…"
Illya giggles lightly, then glances back at the top of the stairway.
She spots Sella at the railing, giving a formal maid bow.
Illyasviel von Einzbern responds in kind with her own curtsy. 'Thank you for taking care of me, Sella. I have to go now.'
Sella gestures a shooing motion with her hand, as if to say "Yes yes, I understand. Now get out of here."
'As dutiful as ever, I see. Alright.' Illya gives one more courtesy bow…
…then turns on her heels, toward her destiny.
Location: Academy City
P.O.V.: A Certain Scientific Railgun
She didn't really know what emotion she was feeling.
It was either everything all at once, or nothing at all. Regardless, Mikoto Misaka felt her heart pump uncomfortably slow as she soared through Academy City's streets, clutching a girl about her size tightly in her arm as the other swung along the light poles and metal scaffolding with electric ropes.
For some reason, she could feel everything in her simmering. She wasn't boiling over in rage, or grief, or anger— just a gentle, chilling simmer.
In some ways, she scared herself. She's never felt like this before— or at least, not nearly this intensely.
Her Sisters were one thing.
Her friends, that she swore to keep separate from the darkness of the world, were another.
Recovering in that laboratory with Kokutou-sensei and the others had put her head back on her shoulders and gave her powers back, but it still didn't change what she had to do.
'I need to end this. All of this. This entire War needs to end, tonight.'
She glanced over to the brunette mage, whose head was resting on her shoulders, and the rest of her body wrapped in a blanket.
"But first…I'm getting you to a hospital."
Luckily, the nearest hospital was also the most effective: it was home to that frog-faced doctor, who could apparently bring anyone to full health even if they had sustained life-threatening injuries. As long as they were alive, he could heal them.
Closing her eyes, Misaka felt the electromagnetic pulses throughout Tohsaka's body. Indeed, her heart was still pumping, and her brain was still firing electrical signals.
She was alive, so she could be saved.
'If only…'
She remembered back to several nights ago, when another twintailed girl had been injured beyond repair.
'If only I had grabbed her and pulled her ou…argh, don't think about that!'
She bit her lip so hard she tasted copper, then continued flying.
As she clears another building and sees the hospital only a flew blocks away, however, she feels a tap on her shoulder.
"Hm? You're awake?" Mikoto asks. She tried to sound as neutral as possible, but she could tell her voice was chillingly monotone— almost artificially so, like a façade. "That's good. Just wait a few more minutes, and I'll be getting you into a hospital be—"
"…no…"
The weak, raspy voice of Rin Tohsaka muttered in her ear. It was as quiet as a pindrop, but since her head was laying right on her shoulder, Mikoto could hear her loud and clear.
"…What do you mean no?" Misaka replies. "If we don't get you to one, you are actually going to die. And I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I'm not in the mood to see any more dead bodies."
She twitched. She definitely could have worded that better.
"…" The mage breathes weakly through her nose, juxtaposed to her light, automatic breathing from before. "…Church…"
"Church? There aren't any Churches in…oh."
Mikoto's eyebrows furrow. Why did Tohsaka want her to take her to a Church, of all places?
The Underground Church, where that suspicious Priest who oversaw the Grail War? Which speaking of, she's been meaning to give him a talk or two.
If he was supposed to watch the War, then why the hell has he been doing such a bad job at it? Innocent people are gone, and he's just watching?
She felt her eye twitch again. A part of her now wanted to go to that Church, too. It wasn't too far, either; just a little further than the hospital that Mikoto was planning on taking her.
"Is that Overseer going to heal you?" Mikoto asks. He had healed one of Kamijou's classmates before, so she assumed he was capable of doing the same thing for Tohsaka.
Indeed, the brunette mage gives a slight nod. "Alright. I'll take you there then. But I won't leave until I see some actual healing be done."
Swiveling around, she switches toward the Underground Mall, and hops off the rooftops.
The massive spires of white light were ever closer now, illuminating the city in a strange, whitish glow. If Mikoto could describe it, it was much brighter than a full moon night; which ironically, it also was, but darker than noon.
It felt like dawn or dusk, but with unworldly, unnatural white light instead of the warm glow of the morning.
She shakes her head, focusing on the task at hand. Kamijou and Index were going after those lights; her job was to heal Tohsaka.
Before long, she lands at the entrance to the Mall. Unsurprisingly, thanks to the Code Red from earlier, no one was out and about in the streets, and no workers were in the mall after closing hours.
Remembering where Saber and Assassin had guided them from before, she traces along several cage-closed restaurants and stores for electronics and clothing, before setting her eyes on an inconspicuous brick wall, between two stores.
She steps forward in the near-pitch darkness, and places her hand on one of the bricks. Indeed, instead of gripping onto it, she watches her fingers disappear behind the brick.
'This is the place.'
She switches Tohsaka onto her other shoulder, since she was starting to get tired on one side, and carefully enters through the veiled entrance.
Her eyes immediately meet the sight of a downward stone staircase, with walls lit with torches. Taking a light breath to prepare for what's to come, she starts walking.
She still didn't trust Kirei Kotomine. Despite only meeting him once, she could tell there was something about him that was trouble— much like a Kihara, although significantly more subtle.
There wasn't anything off-putting specifically, but rather the energy he gave off. It was tough for Mikoto to truly rationalize, but it still didn't mean she could trust him.
She remembered what Fujino and Kokutou-sensei had told her.
'I won't do this recklessly. I'll play this smart. I'll play it slow, but planned.'
She wouldn't risk Tohsaka's life with a man she didn't know very well, just to accomplish her own vendetta. She'd see Tohsaka get healed first, then she'd take her leave.
It didn't take long to reach the bottom of the staircase. Next was a short hallway, which simply led up to a pair of shut wooden doors.
She knocks on them loudly.
"Come in."
In almost no time at all, she had gotten a response. Wanting to waste no more time, she swings the doors open.
"Overseer." Mikoto steps forward, making her footsteps assertive and known. At the end of the pew-filled chamber, at the foot of the altar, stood a certain Overseeing Priest. "Kirei Kotomine, right?"
"Yes, this is he." She notices his back was turned to her, and he seemed to be wiping his hands with a red cloth.
His jacket was also removed, hung in the corner of the room and mostly out of sight, revealing his black, tight-fitting shirt that exposed his large muscles all across his arms, chest, and stomach.
In a pure physical comparison, he was much stronger than she was. Her upper hand was her Level 5— or at this point, only Level 4 status.
"Someone got injured. Your job is to help them out, right?"
"Indeed, that does seem to be my purpose, nowadays…" Kotomine said. Setting the cloth aside, he directs her to a door to the side of the Church. "There's a bedroom within here. Its purpose was originally for reconciliation, although considering no one usually comes down here to confess, converting it to a place of rest was more practical."
He opens the door and flips a switch, which triggers a few magecraft-powered torches to light up with a small wsssh. The bedroom within was rather simple: it had the same color scheme as the main Church, with a queen-size bed and white linen sheets, along with a small dresser, bedside table, desk, and cabinets.
"Her injuries are mostly in the stomach and a bit on the neck." Mikoto says. She sets Tohsaka down on the bed, then takes her place against the wall to watch Kotomine do his diligence.
As Kotomine lifts up Tohsaka's shirt to inspect the injuries, he glances his eyes back at her. "You may take your leave if you want, young Misaka."
"I'm good, thanks."
"If you insist."
She watches as he removes Tohsaka's top to examine any other injuries on her body. Luckily, she had a camisole underneath to preserve her modesty.
After seeing the majority of the trauma was in her stomach area, Kotomine unfurls his sleeve, revealing a complex of red tattoos running down his forearm. At first Mikoto was rather confused as to why the member of a clergy would have tattoos in the first place— it should be some sort of sin, although she never read any Bible herself— but then saw one part of the tattoo begin to glow.
A reddish light, just like how a…
"…Are those Command Seals?"
Kirei answers without a shred of hesitation. "Indeed. As I am the Overseer, I have inherited the past, unused Command Seals of previous Masters. And since these Seals are simply sources of magical energy at their cores…"
As he places his hand on Tohsaka's stomach, the reddish light coming from the Seals begin to unfurl from his palm and into her skin. Slowly, her extra-pale complexion starts to have shades of color to it again.
The breathing seems to stabilize, switching from the mouth to the nose. Most importantly…
Mikoto steps up to the bedside, and places her own hand on Tohsaka's chest, uncaring for privacy in order to get a reading on her heart rate.
'It's actually starting to slow…'
Which was good, since her faster heart rate from earlier was an indicator of the blood loss— therefore, the heart had to pump faster in order to keep blood pressure up in the body.
"Well," Mikoto takes a step back again, crossing her arms somewhat satisfied. "You seem to be doing your job right."
"I wouldn't be the Overseer if I wasn't." Kotomine explains. "This is a neutral site, after all; both for people of science and of magic. We accept all comers."
"Right." Mikoto shrugs off his platitudes and turns around. With Tohsaka on the path to recovery, and with a job to do herself, she'd have to tentatively leave the rest in Kotomine's hands.
Before she could leave, however, she hears Kotomine clear his throat, as if he wanted to continue speaking.
"You are a daughter of Science, are you not, Misaka-shoujo?"
Giving a small sigh, since she didn't want to be in the room any longer, she halfheartedly turned around. She sees that Kotomine has spent two or three Command Spells on her healing, already. "I guess you can call me that. What's it to you?"
The Priest shakes his head. "Ah, just curiosity. And also, to give you a piece of advice going forward.
You have lived your whole life believing Science is the only path, and Academy City is the pinnacle of human development, up until this Holy Grail War. So from me to you…brace yourself. The world of magic is far from what you've experienced before. You will encounter monsters and mysteries that you cannot fathom. Your Level 5 status will eventually mean nothing."
Mikoto rolls her eyes. 'Yeah. I kinda knew that already.'
She chose not to be sarcastic, though, for the sake of the life of someone she knew being on the line. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the word of warning."
And with that, she exits the room and shuts the door with a harder-than-necessary slam.
P.O.V.: A Certain Overseeing Executor
Rin Tohsaka's injuries were more serious than he was expecting.
If the Railgun had arrived ten or twenty minutes later, he wasn't sure if his Spiritual Healing would be able to recover her— or if they did, certainly not back to a decent health. She would likely be bedridden for several weeks as her body tries to restabilize from the pure blood loss, but luckily that wasn't the case.
Using the Command Seals on his arm as the energy, he seals up the internal bleeding, and mends the mangled organs. He thought he would have to deal with a major infection of the blood, since the intestines were intermingling with the arteries and veins, but for some mysterious reason there was no infection to be had.
Chalking that up to some sort of miracle, he continues his healing, which took up much time thanks to the intricacies of the human body. It was far faster than a science-based surgery, but half an hour considering the circumstances probably wasn't ideal for her.
Upon removing the last of the bandages, he sees that the skin had closed up perfectly without any scarring.
'That should do it.'
Satisfied in his work, he washes up with a sink in the corner of the room. Staring at himself in the mirror, a question came to mind.
'Was that really necessary?'
He could have very easily just not healed her, especially after the Railgun had naïvely left Rin in his care.
There was no reason to. And there was a decent chance that she may prove to be an obstacle in his ideals.
"…"
He dries his hands, then walks up to the young Tohsaka's bedside, watching the stable rise and fall of her chest.
He feels his eyes twitch, as he recalls the last time he had seen her outside of the Holy Grail War.
Naught but a confused little girl, who still didn't know their place in the world. He had enjoyed the expression on her face, and the terror in her eyes, when the reality of what happened to her father and mother fully sunk into her.
Perhaps that is why he chose to heal her. Closing his eyes and choosing not to dwell so much on those thoughts, he begins to make his way out of the room.
Only to pause as he feels a tiny pull on his pants. "Hm?"
He turns and peers down…to see a certain brunette magus weakly staring at him with dull cerulean eyes, her hand gripping the side of his pants pocket.
Her brows were furrowed, and her mouth grinned lightly; a combination that, to him, read of nothing but pure determination. Despite him healing her, she was likely experiencing a lot of internal pain.
He was honestly surprised at her tenacity— considering just ten minutes ago, she was in a near-death state.
"Kirei…" She mutters, tugging harder. "…Your command seals…give me them."
"…" He blinks at her.
Realistically, there shouldn't be any way he would accept her request.
He chooses to give the formulaic answer first. "Doing so is a breach of neutrality in the Holy Grail War. I may heal you, but I may not give you an unfair advanta—"
"Cut…the bullshit…" She murmurs loudly. "…this War is…already messed up…you should…know that…!"
She grits her teeth as she plants one hand on the bed to push herself up. It seemed painful to do so; Kirei watches the tears roll down from her eyes, and the grunts of pain coming from her mouth as she sits somewhat upright and leans against the wall.
"Perhaps it is, Rin Tohsaka." Kirei replies. "However, if it is truly falling to depravity and chaos, should the Overseer not keep all Command Spells to himself and take care of the issues himself?"
"Please…you haven't done anything…up until now…!" She extends her arm out, gritting her teeth through the pain it took to move. "Besides…Kirei, you owe me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You. Owe. Me." Tohsaka's eyes narrow into a full glare. "My father told me…you would watch after me if anything happened to him…well guess what? Something happened, and you weren't there."
She bites her lip, choosing the pain of pulling blood from her mouth rather than the dull aching in her stomach. "…I heard you say earlier…that healing the injured is just a duty of yours…so healing doesn't count.
But if you give me some of your Command Spells…consider it payment…for abandoning me."
Kirei sighs. She knew just as well as him that she was simply trying to play with his emotions, as a last-ditch effort for some power. It was a gamble that had little-to-no payoff— no Overseer in their right mind would give her any sort of aid, especially in her condition.
Besides, Tokiomi Tohsaka's death was ten years ago, almost to the day. To use that as any sort of leverage was simply ridiculous.
"…Alright."
…But there was one small detail about him, that made him separate from any Mage, Executor, or Overseer.
He closes his fist, and lifts up his forearm. A couple of his Command Seals begin to burn to life…
…then sear off of his arm, and onto the back of the palm of Rin Tohsaka.
One wouldn't be enough to satisfy her. Three may be too much of a problem for himself. And so…
"I have replenished two of your Seals. Use them however you like— to make a new contract with a Servant, or to use upon yourself. They are now yours."
She gives him a look of almost disbelief, like she didn't believe her gamble would pay off, either. Shrugging his shoulders, he steps back and lets her set her feet on the floor and get to her feet.
After slipping her red longsleeve back on, he noticed her expression had faded back into a neutral, almost jaded stare into the distance. He chose not to pry on her thoughts, but rather on her actions.
"What will you do now, Rin?" He asks.
"…Sakura's gone off the deep end. I didn't expect it…none of us did." Stumbling a little, she catches herself on the doorframe, and stares at her two replenished Seals; a half crescent surrounding a small, thin red line. "…I have to stop her."
"I see. Will you resolve to killing her?" Kotomine asks.
Rin doesn't look back at him, but rather straightens up her posture and begins to trudge out of the Church.
"…Yeah."
Just like the Railgun a little while before, he too watches her exit the holy sanctuary, and the doors to the Church shut with an echoey creak.
He exits the reconcile room-turned bedroom, and makes his way back up to the altar, kneeling at the steps.
He decided to give himself one more useless prayer, before entering the fray himself.
He had already eliminated a potential rival of his— that woman from God's Right Seat. Really, he was surprised at how casually he had dispatched her— though a part of him knew that not all of the members would be that easily defeated.
Besides, it would not be his problem now.
Closing his eyes and locking his fingers in a prayer position…his lips grow into a smile.
'…Ah, yes. That is why I gave her my Seals.'
The smile turns into a wide grin— unbefitting of a member of the clergy like him.
He wasn't like the others, after all. He was simply a man born with a defect.
'…I wanted to see hope spark in her eyes…so it would be sweeter to see it all fall apart before her.'
See ya around, Berserker.
Alright, here's the news that I was talking about above:
I've decided to pull an Attack on Titan and split Act III into two parts. Right now, we are currently in Part One, and we still have a few chapters to go until the end of the part.
Part Two will come later— not that much later, it'll be like waiting for a new Act, if not in less time. This is simply because I want to make sure the finale is as good as possible, and thus I am giving myself more time to get ahead and write it. Rest assured— the entire story will be done by early Summer.
Apologies for the inconvenience. This story will reach the end no matter what, however. Hope you will stick with me to the end.
Oh btw, this chapter is called "To Save and Protect, Part One", but the next chapter isn't Part Two? hmm…
Let's just say that Part Two comes later. You'll see.
I'll see you all soon.
Next Chapter: "A City of Chaos" (May 10th)