From Dusk (III)
Over the Ryuudo temple, Caster busied herself with sealing the Singularity that was pouring abominations all over the mountain.
With the return of Rin and Saber, on top of Shirou's alliance with the mysterious last Servant, all of the forces of the Grail War sans Lancer were part of their coalition. They had overwhelming power over the other factions, and even though the circumstances forced them into a reactive position, they still had the upper hand by a wide margin.
Victory would clearly be theirs.
Then why was she so uneasy? Despite their overwhelming advantages, she couldn't shake off the feeling of dread clutching at her chest. She hadn't overlooked anything and made every possible preparation well in advance.
The truth was that things were simply going far too well. Even though there had been several setbacks they had yet to suffer any significant loss. The world didn't work that way. If things looked too good to be true, chances were that it was exactly like that.
When would the other shoe drop? The longer the war stretched, the more she felt it would come any moment.
That Shadow-thing worried her, and not just because it was clearly an Anti-Spiritual entity. Her instincts told her that it was the herald of a tragedy that had yet to be truly revealed. She knew all about tragedies, after all, and she could tell one as soon as she saw it.
But she had her hands full enough of other matters to worry about that at present. Sitting right on top of the Greater Grail, the Singularity over the temple had the most power. If not for the chokepoint of the stairs, it wouldn't have been possible to contain the abominations.
Fortunately, Rider and Berserker together were making short work of their numbers, but that didn't mean she could lower her guard. Zouken's False Assassins were around and she expected them to make a move anytime.
They never came. Zouken was no idiot and knew that the greatest power of an assassin was the element of surprise, and he had lost it.
After several minutes the Singularity collapsed and the abominations were cleared up. Caster descended from the sky to join Rider, Berserker, and Illya.
"Is everyone alright? Then let's get moving. Shirou is waiting."
She grabbed them and they teleported away to the last location.
[br]
At the Fuyuki Memorial Park, the battle still raged, as thousands of abominations poured out from the Singularity.
Saber's sword made quick work of them as they approached, especially because Shirou and Rin were taking care of the rearguard.
"How have you been fighting these things all on your own?"
"It's a long story, and there weren't this many in the beginning," he said. "What happened to you guys though, where have you been?"
"We ran into one of Zelretch's creations inside my attic while we were looking for information on the Grail. He's made some kind of chest using the Second Magic and it trapped us inside its distorted time-space."
"Wait, you don't mean that old chest, do you?" "You have been inside my house?"
"Of course I've been inside your house! I've looked everywhere for you. Except inside of a magic wooden chest, evidently."
"Even my Workshop? You didn't go through my notes, did you?"
"I didn't think you'd appreciate it if I did, so I let Caster take care of it. It's not like she'd profit from knowing your Magecraft."
"And?"
"And what? There was nothing that could tell us where you disappeared to so she put them back. Why?"
"W-Well if I told you it would be like you had read them, wouldn't it?" "I guess, but-"
"This is not the time for such discussions," Saber chided.
"Right, sorry," Shirou apologized.
The fight continued but he couldn't stop wondering what had gotten Rin so upset. Even if he had read her notes, it wasn't like he would steal her research and she knew that. Anyway, Saber was right and it wasn't the time for things like that.
Now that a Servant was on the scene the Grail reacted accordingly and the swarm was more aggressive than before. If the pattern was the same as usual, Shadow Servants would start to appear soon.
He didn't have to wait long. From the almost indiscernible mass of clawed abominations, two pitch-black human figures emerged, charging at Saber. One was a tall, bare-chested man holding a sword, shaped like a spiral, while the other was a figure clad in armor from head to toe with a single slit in the helmet burning with a red light.
"Ah."
The gasp came from Saber. Whomever this imitation was, Saber knew it well.
It charged at her with an unholy roar and it actually managed to push back Saber. The brief shock caused by its appearance was enough to give the creature the upper hand for a fraction of a second. More than enough for the other one to flank Saber while her sword was occupied.
"Saber!" Rin called out.
The spiraling sword flashed toward her exposed side. Shirou saw it happen, but he was too far to stop it. He reached out with his hand, wishing to put something in the way of the attack. A shield. A wall.
Both.
He had seen it only for an instant, but it had been enough. It had always been enough.
"Rho-"
A translucent flower appeared between Saber and the shadow Servant. Four petals unfurled and an equal number of glass-like membranes deployed in front of it.
"- Aias!"
The spiraling sword met the blossoming shield with a thunderous crash. the energy of the impact shattering the ground beneath them. Each petal was as strong and impenetrable as a fortress wall. Even with a fraction of its true power, the strongest shield of the Trojan War wouldn't be pierced by a corrupted imitation like that sword and the attack was halted.
The break in the assault gave enough reprieve to Saber to recover her footing.
"How dare you show yourself before me with that appearance?" she snarled and pushed
back the poor imitation of a hero. "Invisible Air!"
Her sword roared, as the concealing sheathe was released, causing a powerful wind to roar all around them. It quickly turned into a hurricane that swept away the lesser shadows and pushed back the Shadow Servants.
Now she had the opening to strike back. "TAAH!"
The beautiful holy blade that had just been revealed flashed through the air, splitting the creature into two vertical halves. It gave a pitiful shriek and toppled backward, crumbling to dirt as it did so.
She turned her attention to the second one. The shield that had protected Saber vanished and she charged at it, still furious. It suffered a similar fate as its companion, although this one was cut from shoulder to hip.
"Emiya... where the hell did you get a Noble Phantasm? Di- Did you just Project it?" her voice was almost shrieking. "Since when can you replicate Noble Phantasms?"
"Always have been," he said through gritted teeth. Calling out a shield wasn't as easy as a sword. It left him momentarily short on breath. "Matching Origin and Element, remember?"
"That's... that couldn't possibly explain it. At the very least... no way..." "Rin, it's not time for this discussion either," Saber reprimanded.
The release of Invisible Air had cleared their immediate surroundings of the Grail abominations, but they were already coming back in droves.
"We'll talk about it later, then," she said. It wasn't a question. "In detail."
"I don't think so," said Caster, as she materialized with the others. "Keep your nose out of
other people's business, little girl."
With the arrival of three additional Servants, the battle turned into a cakewalk. No matter how many abominations came out of the Singularity, they were easily dispatched as soon as they emerged. Caster took to the sky to close this one as well. The three Masters were thus able to catch their breath.
Shirou, in particular, was exhausted and drenched in sweat. He had been fighting for quite some time and mostly on his own.
"You look like a used rag. Clean yourself up," said Illya, handing out her handkerchief. "Ah, thanks," he replied, accepting the token and using it to wipe the sweat off his brow. "Well, aren't you the lucky one," said Tohsaka under her breath.
"Ah... what?" he asked, confused.
"What about you, Rin?" asked Illya. "You and Saber have been sitting out on us all this time." "T-That wasn't intentional! We were trapped!"
"How convenient for you," said the snow-haired girl.
"What, do you think I would let my house get wrecked if I could have helped it? It's going to cost me a fortune to restore it."
"Ah, yes, the plights of the paupers. How unfortunate."
"Yes, well, some of us aren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths."
"Ahh... please don't fight you two. The only thing that matters is that everyone is fine. Besides, shouldn't we keep helping the others?"
"There is no need," Rin shrugged. "Four Servants are far more than enough for the job. And the creatures aren't even trying to leave the park; all the food they could want is right here. You'd be more in the way than helping. Rather, bring me up to speed on what happened while I was gone."
"Right. Good idea."
It was a strange thing, standing still and having a conversation while all around them raged a furious battle.
"So... that happened," Rin said once Shirou was done retelling the events of the previous days. "We should have expected that Zouken wouldn't take the destruction of the Grail lying down. Well, as it happens I might actually have a solution for that now."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I told you I went looking into that chest for clues on the Grail, right? Well, I found them. I think I know a method to disable the barrier under the mountain. Once we do that we can access the Grail and deal with Zouken directly."
"Are you certain about this?" asked Illya.
"Who do you think I am? Don't forget this has been the land of Tohsaka for many generations now, since before the Grail Wars even existed. Of course, it needs to be done from the inside, so it won't be a walk in the park, but it can be done."
"Finally some good news," Shirou sighed.
"I guess you weren't being entirely useless then, even if you did leave us with the lion's share of the work."
"Listen here. I've had enough of your attitude, you little b-"
Whatever she was about to say was cut off as the sound of the hole in the sky closing drew their attention.
With the third and final Singularity finally dealt with, Shirou let out a sigh of relief.
Medea came down and landed close to Tohsaka.
"I've heard what you said, Rin. Let's go back and discuss your findings."
"Alright, let's- "
Once more, Rin was cut off, as Medea suddenly moved, nearly diving to a spot behind Shirou, a string of spells coming out of her mouth.
[br]
It was because she had been on high alert from the beginning, that she noticed before anybody else. The golden figure perched high upon a streetlight. She moved without even alerting the others and put herself between Shirou and what was coming.
Dozens of magical barriers snapped into place. The strongest protections that she could muster layered upon each other several times over. All of her defensive power, flawlessly brought to bear.
And it was all useless.
They passed through like they weren't even there. Each and every one of them shattering or bypassing her shields entirely. A Noble Phantasm of the highest grade, every single one.
Dodging? She couldn't do such a thing. Her physical abilities weren't that much different from an ordinary Magus'. She might have succeeded anyway, but she didn't even try. She couldn't. If she moved, the one who would get hit was the person behind her, and that was unacceptable.
'I hate being right.'
Three blades found her chest. She felt the pain of the cold steel and the warmth of the blood escaping her body.
She fell. "MEDEA!"
She didn't hit the ground. Instead, it landed softly in the arms of the person she cherished above all others. His face filled her vision, worry tethering on terror etched across his features. He was talking to her, making promises that already could no longer be fulfilled.
He was unhurt. She had made it. With her body, she had managed to protect him.
But her wounds were deep and she only had one last breath left in her chest. There were many things she wanted to say. Enough to fill a lifetime. A lifetime she didn't have.
So she chose the one that she thought mattered the most as she reached out to brush his face. Something that could convey everything she wanted to tell him in a single breath.
"Thank you."
She hoped that it would be enough to save him, just as he had saved her.
And then, she felt the darkness take her.
[br]
It took everyone by surprise. Rider, Saber, and Berserker saw Medea move and put herself between her Master and the incoming threat before they ever noticed there was one.
They were alerted by her actions and thus turned just in time to defend themselves.
A rain of swords descended upon them. Berserker and Saber deflected the attacks with their blades, while Rider used her speed to dodge them, sometimes by the skin of her teeth.
Not everyone was so lucky. "MEDEA!"
For Shirou to call out Caster's true name out loud, the situation was dire. Saber dared to glance at the situation from the corner of her eye, and her heart sank.
"GILGAMESH!" she roared furiously.
"Kuhahahaha! Well met, Saber. I've been waiting to meet you again for ten long years. I must say, that lovely expression you're wearing takes me back to our last delightful encounter. What say you we pick up where we left off once I've dealt with the rabble surrounding you?"
The King of Heroes laughed. The foe who had her at his mercy before Kiritsugu forced her to destroy the Grail in the previous war had appeared before her once again. The implications of his words were clear to all. He had been lying in wait since the Fourth Grail War.
And now, after all this time, he finally decided to make his move.
Berserker attacked first. The gargantuan hero took to the sky in a single powerful leap, his roar tearing the night sky before him. Gilgamesh casually turned his Gate of Babylon towards the greatest hero in all of Greece without so much as glancing at the incoming foe, barraging him with an onslaught of legendary weapons. None connected, but the hero was pushed back and was forced to the ground, where the barrage of Noble Phantasms followed him.
However, the diversion was sufficient for Saber and Rider to advance as well.
Gilgamesh didn't seem perturbed by the numerical disadvantage. He barely glanced at the Saber and Rider class Servants before his Gate expanded, revealing dozens more weapons. Their advance was already halted.
It was just ridiculous. Did he somehow manage to become stronger in the years since the last War? No, the truth was far crueler. The King of Heroes never took Saber seriously as an opponent. She was something he wanted, something for him to play with.
Confident in her abilities as she was, she didn't think she could take three other Servants at the same time.
"Berserker!" Illya called out. "Stop playing around and get serious!" "Understood," the giant grumbled.
Herakles completely abandoned any thought of defense. He slammed down his ax-sword into the ground. His body was skewered by several Noble Phantasms the moment he did so.
He lost three lives in a single moment.
That didn't stop him or slow him down.
He took the massive bow off his back.
More Noble Phantasm struck him and two more lives were taken. A futile effort on Gilgamesh's part.
"Shooting Hundred Heads!"
It was so that the Servant of the Archer class found himself at the mercy of an onslaught of projectiles superior to even his own.
While not a fighter of the caliber of the greatest bastard son of Zeus, the King of Heroes was no slouch either. He leaped off from his perch, and while Berserker's arrows chased him, he had a vast array of defensive Noble Phantasms as well. A number of shields appeared in front of him and caught the arrows that he wouldn't have dodged.
He landed on the ground and appeared to be annoyed having been forced to the same level as them.
His shoulders shook with rage but he quickly exhaled.
"I suppose that taking on a fellow demi-god and two other heroes requires that I stretch my limbs a little bit."
And then another unexpected thing happened.
"Emiya, don't!"
[br]
"Thank you."
That's what she told him... and then she was gone, disappearing in purple motes that vanished into the night.
His mind couldn't process it. It didn't make any sense. How could someone be there and the next moment be gone?
He remained kneeling on the ground, staring at his empty arms. There was no trace left of her. Not even the blood that had stained his clothes. All gone like she never existed. Like it had all been a lie.
It had to be a lie. He hadn't made a single mistake, morally or tactically. He had done everything right.
...So why? Why was this the outcome? What was this absurd, cruel turn of events?
Why did she have to die? She only wanted to live like everyone else.
Why did she have to protect him, of all people? Why was he always the one who survived? "-IYA!"
His ears were filled with a drumming noise that drowned out everything else. When a blade impacted the ground close to him kicking up dirt on him he didn't even blink. He could only stare at his empty, useless hands.
"EMIYA! WAKE UP!"
Rin's voice pierced through the veil and he finally looked up.
A figure clad in golden armor stood on top of a streetlight, looking down upon them like they were all worthless insects.
Saber, Berserker, and Rider were all busy deflecting the countless blades that kept flying out of the golden gates hovering behind him. He alone was pushing back three Servants as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
Shirou knew the identity of the Servant, and thus how absurdly powerful he was, but he didn't care. His mind didn't have any questions to ask. There was no curiosity about his sudden and unexplained appearance. There was only one thought in Shirou's mind as he got back on his feet.
'Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him.'
Over and over and over until it blended together into a high-pitched whistle that threatened to pierce his eardrums.
People tended to believe that rage is hot, like all-consuming flames. Looking at the likes of Berserker they couldn't be blamed. But fury was different.
True fury was cold and sharp. True fury was an icy blade cutting through the chest, freezing the heart, and stopping the breath. Fury was the sorrowful final touch of a dead woman.
"The starting penalty is five," he said.
In uttering those words, his face twisted malignantly.
The ground exploded at his feet as he launched himself forward.
"Emiya, don't!"
Rin called out, but he couldn't hear it, nor he would have cared if he did. He rushed forward at a speed that ordinary humans couldn't match
"Shirou!"
Even Rider called his name, but he didn't turn. He wouldn't turn. He passed the line of the Servants and finally, the King of Heroes turned his eyes on him.
Almost as if pained to even acknowledge his existence, much less respond to his advance, the Heroic Spirit turned a single Gate in his direction and shot the blade protruding from it at him.
It never reached Shirou as it was knocked off course by its replica coming the other way.
"You dare?"
The disdain in the Servant's voice couldn't have been more evident. More gates turned on him and more blades flew like bullets aimed at the Magus.
Each blade was met by its own duplicate, and while the originals were superior they were still knocked off course in the impact.
"You insolent worm."
As enraged as the King of Heroes was at the Faker who dared to replicate his treasures and use them against him, he had more pressing things to worry about. The three other Heroic Spirits took advantage of the distraction to charge at him once more.
The Gate of Babylon flared out. Now there were almost a hundred gates open, and every one of them had a Noble Phantasm poised to strike coming through.
Without her, he had a paltry amount of Mana at his disposal. He could maybe Project thirty blades before he ran out. Forcing himself to do more would only harm and possibly kill him.
If only he gave a damn about any of that.
A snarl came out of his mouth. His body burned as he turned a hundred nerves into impromptu Circuits. Every single Noble Phantasm in his field of vision was replicated. Several blood vessels burst out in his head and his vision cracked like a broken window.
He didn't even break stride.
His replicas fired all at once. However, they weren't aimed at their originals but at the King of Heroes himself.
It was the arrogant Heroic Spirit that was forced to redirect his weapons at the incoming projectiles instead.
The result of two hundred Noble Phantasms connecting all at once was a thundering explosion that shook even the ground. However, such a thing wasn't enough to deter the advance of the three other Heroic Spirits and in the blink of an eye, the King of Heroes found three opponents nearly within striking range.
The Golden Servant exuded sheer arrogance. He was somebody who thought that sharing the same ground as others was beneath him.
And yet, at that moment, he had been backed into a corner by the interference of a counterfeit.
Shirou could have seen the change in the eyes of the King of Heroes had he cared for it.
Disdain turned into wrathful acceptance. The next thing that came out of the Gate of Babylon was [not a sword].
The three segments of the gold-red [not a sword] spun. Once.
And the world shattered.
Everyone was thrown back. Even the mighty Berserker couldn't contend with the fury of that thing. Shirou, who was just human, was thrown back the furthest, rolling back all the way to where he had started from at Illya and Rin's feet.
Twisted Embrace was in tatters, and so was most of his body.
Broken bones, a collapsed lung, and a severe brain hemorrhage. He was tethering on the brink of death. A normal man would have little hope to survive even with immediate professional medical attention.
Bur Shirou's body was already recovering, stubbornly refusing to die.
'Can't save anyone, can't kill anyone. Can't even die right. What is the point of you? I'm not the biggest fan of people by far but, damn, there is useless and then there is this. Get a fucking grip, will ya?'
"Kh...Kh..."
Despite his injuries, Shirou forced his body to move. He picked himself up from the ground, barely managing to sit up. Both his arms were bent the wrong way, as was his right leg. Every time he exhaled he coughed up blood.
He couldn't hear anything. Both of his eardrums were busted and his left eye was shot.
Everything around him was in ruin. The ground itself had been cracked and upheaved as if it had been bombarded by high yield explosives. Part of it had melted and turned to lava
The King of Heroes was standing nonchalantly. Saber was down to one knee and so was Rider. They looked like they had only minor wounds. Only Berserker was standing upright though, looking no worse for wear.
Tohsaka and Illya were on the ground as well. However, they weren't within the area of the blast and Rin was on top of Illya, suggesting that the former had thrown both of them to the ground for protection.
It was unreal. Three Heroic Spirits together couldn't defeat a single one? Even with a demigod like Berserker on their side?
It was impossible to understand, to accept. It was as if reality itself wanted to reject everything they had done and fought for.
Ten years apart, in the same place, nothing had changed. He was just as powerless to change anything as his child self was back then. He couldn't even protect the person he held most dear.
What kind of hero couldn't even save the woman he held in his arms?
All of his worst fears, his darkest nightmares, had become reality.
And then, he found out, there was always something worse still lying in wait.
[XXX]