Prelude
Go to my profile page for musical references and cues to enhance the experience.
Alright, with that having been said, please enjoy the chapter...
...
Chapter 16
"A Divine Liturgy" ("Avalon Blade Works"): An Ode to GOD
The Son's Devotional Organs (Sinfonietta Serenade),
A Elegy (Eulogy), For The Priest Lost in Darkness
... ... ...
In the midst of his shock, though, once again, Archer could feel the the pull of yet another Reality Marble sucking him. But that should've been impossible?
No two Realty Marbles could possibly co-exist in the same space! They would always clash with each other, each trying to impose their own vision of an Internal World as a new layer upon the base world.
But even so, he found himself pulled into yet another Reality Marble - this one, strangely like his own. Only, not quite as barren, and with more gears in the sky, working ceaselessly like his own, yet seemingly at quicker and more efficient pace.
Strangely enough, he could still observe and hear Saber where he was, as though looking through a glass plane, even though he had been sucked into another Reality Marble.
"Yo, nice to see you again, Archer." A voice called out.
Archer didn't need to turn around to recognize it as the voice of a teenage Emiya Shirou.
"Hmph." Archer scoffed bemusedly, "Yet another one?"
"Yeah." Caster confirmed, "I'm Caster, by the way."
Turning to look at him, he was young, though the extortion from over-using his magecraft was obvious. Tanned skin and pale hair abound. He must've exterted even more than Archer had during his lifetime, though - to have those symptoms show up at such a young age.
"Died young, trying to be a hero?" Archer asked.
Caster shook his head. "No, actually, I died pretty old," Caster answered, "About 55 years or so. I'm surprised I was summoned so young, myself. Though I don't think my skin or hair had been like this at this age."
"The Grail's Work, then."
"Yeah, it would seem like it."
That brought an end to their conversation, but Caster continued, as he still had he wanted to say. And there was still time to waste before Saber called upon him.
"Y'know," Caster said, "I still don't quite like you, Archer."
Archer snorted, "Same here."
"But," Caster continued, "I'm grateful, for what you showed me during my war. I still became a hero, but thankfully, at least, I never went down your path of becoming a Guardian."
"Is that so? Well, I'm glad I could at least steer one version of Emiya Shirou off the wrong path."
"Yeah," Caster agreed, "Though Rin had a large part in it, too. And I didn't want to outlive my children, after all."
"Children?" Archer asked.
"Ah, yeah. Saber was surprised about that, too. One boy, and one girl. Twins, in fact."
Well, that was certainly surprising, but now wasn't really the time to be talking about these things.
Archer shook his head, getting back to the more important matter and questions at hand.
"This Reality Marble," Archer asked, "How is it - ?"
Caster nodded, understanding Archer's confusion.
"Yes. Normally, Reality Marbles wouldn't be able to co-exist in the same space, let alone be able to exist within one another. Since, after all, they both are competing to temporarily create another layer on The World."
"But," Caster explained, "This is a unique circumstance. Since we all share the same origin, in more senses than one, there exists a commonality between us and our worlds that makes this possible. But, even with that circumstance, it still wouldn't have been possible without Saber's willing agreement and permission. Or even if I hadn't been summoned as Caster."
If Saber hadn't agreed, then their Reality Marbles likely just would've ended up clashing, as per the normal laws of Reality Marbles trying to overwrite each other, Archer guessed.
What Archer could tell was left unsaid, though, was that to even attempt trying do something as absurd as this, creating a Reality Marble within another Reality Marble, also required extensive magecraft knowledge and expertise, especially on the topic of Reality Marbles.
A topic which was still, in this age, very obscure and ill-researched, owing to the nature of its rarity among magus. Somehow, though, Caster knew full-well what he was doing.
"You seem to know what're doing, though." Archer commented, "How is that?"
"I learned a lot about the subject of Reality Marbles, and about myself, from the clock tower's research."
"What?" Now that comment threw Archer for a loop.
"You subjected yourself to their research?" Archer asked, "But, wouldn't they try to -"
"I had Zelritch's protection."
"Ah, that explains things."
(Though, Archer mused, that didn't explain why that crazy old man would want to support that version of Emiya Shirou. Maybe as a favor to Rin? Interest as a magus in the subject of Reality Marbles? Or perhaps just an amused whim of his? Well, whatever the case may be - it certainly seemed to have worked.)
"Plus, I have some practical experience." Caster said, "Trying to manipulate other Reality Marbles, too, fighting off Dead Apostles and their parents."
"Right..." Archer said. No surprises there - that this version if Emiya Shirou would involve himself in such dangerous life-saving activities as well.
His inquiry finished, Archer turned his attention back to Saber.
"Shouldn't we be trying to assist?" He asked.
"I'm just waiting for his signal." Caster explained, "And you'd just be a liability here, without the World here to back you up."
Archer grunted, annoyedly, but he couldn't deny that. Something of this scale really did require some immense firepower to deal with, which it looked like only Saber had, at the moment. Well, for now, he could just take a break, he supposed. If Saber failed here, then he could step in while the Beast was wounded and finish it off. But for now, this was fine.
...
The Newborn Beast roared, even as it shivered in fear.
Even it could see that the sheer power before him was more than enough to completely destroy every last trace of its existence. It struggled, and bashed desperately against the edges of the Reality Marble, trying in vain to break out and escape to gain the advantage.
Saber, however, knew that he couldn't do both - to keep the Reality Marble stable against the tremendous strength of the Newborn Beast while also using Excalibur at its full potential. He'd have to leave that part to his other self.
"Caster!"
"On it!"
Caster quickly set about reciting his own aria, expanding and projecting his own miniature Reality Marble into a much larger one, until it overtook even Saber's in size, and he could overlay it on top of Saber's to provide stability, and to ease off the pressure of the World's outside corrective influence on Saber's Reality Marble.
But,
It wasn't just that.
Beyond Caster's and Saber's Reality Marble, another one took shape. overlaying the other two. It was Berserker's Reality Marble, the last traces of which, he had entrusted to Caster.
The last traces of his Berserker's own Internal World, the ones he had left within his broken Excalibur, and entrusted to Caster. It was Berserker's last action, his last will.
Archer could only look on, in sheer bewilderment at what he saw.
A Tri-Layered Reality Marble, something of which was really not unlike a literal "Miniature World" in and of itself.
But, this was only possible because, even though their paths and the routes they had gone done may have differed greatly, they were still all of one origin, all of one unified heart (Ittou Isshin, 一統一心).
The similarities in their ideals was the common thread that interwove their Reality Marbles together, stitched closely by the swords of what lay deepest within their hearts, by the love they all felt for their own precious someone - For Saber, For Rin, For Sakura.
If Saber's Avalon Blade Works acted as the Heart of this miniature World, then Caster's Unlimited Blade Works acted as its bones and nerves, and Berserker's Broken Blade Works acted as its flesh and blood, which held it all together.
It was a miniature World and of itself. A microcosm of Emiya Shirou, one that perfectly represented who Emiya Shirou was, and who Emiya Shirou had the possibility to be.
A naive boy, who never stopped chasing his ideals and the girl he dreamed of, no matter what hardships came his wat, until he realized his own potential and became a True Man (His Fated Path of Chasing the Most Perfect Ideal - Fate).
A hardened boy, who became a man through continuously taking up and challenging hardships, but continuing to endure until he became tempered into a True Man that could hold firm to his ideals, no matter what challenges awaited him (His Path of Unlimited Blades and Hardships - Unlimited Blade Works).
A broken boy, who pierced through and shattered his own body, his own limits, and the limits of his ideals. All for one single girl, the boy reached out and grasped and Felt his very own Heaven with his very own hands, as his own True Man (His Path to obtaining his very own Feel of Heaven - Heaven's Feel).
This miniature world was indeed, the very embodiment of Emiya Shirou himself.
...
"Merlin! Now!" Saber ordered.
And a voice, serious but with a mysteriously playful and mischievous undertone to it, rang out in response.
"───Approved." It rang out, echoing through the bounds of Saber's Reality Marble, "Agravain, Palamedes, Bedivere, Gareth, Gaheris, Tristan, Gawain, Percieval, Kay, Lancelot, Mordred, Galahad."
Saber grasped the blade in his hands tightly.
With one simple, he released the final seal on Excalibur's true power.
"This is a battle to protect the human order."
In another Paradise, another Garden, a certain half-incubus wizard gave off a playful smirk.
"Artoria."
All 13 seals and restrictions of the Round Table had been released.
Excalibur, as if glowing in joy, sucked up all of the mana it could from its extremely dense mana environment, 3 kilometers in whole.
It was a truly ridiculous act, and yet it still seemed to hunger and call out for even more mana, as though not yet fully satisfied. But though it had not reached its full potential power just yet, still, Excalibur hummed happily, emanating with an immense golden glow and presence.
All that mana and power was focused, into one incredibly gigantic and lengthy blade of light that extended from Excalibur itself.
Even just the heat which emanated from the blade, as a mere side-effect, was so intense that even Archer could feel it almost searing his skin, even from where he stood - a layer away and near the very edges of Caster's Reality Marble. Even at his distance, and even one layer removed from where Saber was, it was a heat intense enough to make Archer feel like he could evaporate at any moment.
It was enough power to pierce through the textures of the World itself, and reveal the true nature of the Planet.
Archer shivered, despite himself.
That much power...
It was...
enough power to save the world,
and
enough power to end it.
Archer understood now.
The reason Saber had expanded his Reality Marble and reinforced it to such an extent was not to call upon the power of the countless Excaliburs that lay within.
It wasn't even to trap the Beast and cut off its connection to the Greater Grail.
Even without doing those things, this amount of fire-power would've been more than enough to completely incinerate the Beast where it stood.
No, the true reason he had trapped the Beast inside...
...Was to prevent damage to World itself, as he unleased the full power of just that one Excalibur that he held within his hands.
He didn't need to yell out its name, or to make some grand proclamation of the Beast's defeat.
Even the newborn beast knew by instinct to avoid the blade, as it quivered and struggled in vain fear.
Saber raised his sword in front of him, with both hands.
And with a single casual swing, cut off many of its limbs.
But still, the Beast continued to struggled.
"A Divine Liturgy" ("Avalon Blade Works") - Part 2 END
...
Author's Notes:
If you liked it, comment, share, favorite, etc.
...
一等親 = Ittou Shin
Literal Translation: First Rank; Most Close (Parent(s)/Relative), or the most intimate Relatives
The Actual Meaning (usage): Immediate Family
心 = Kokoro, or, Shin
Kokoro usually refers to the figurative Heart.
Shin can refer to either, but more frequently used in a literal, physical sense (i.e. Shinzo).
一統心 = Ittou Shin
Lineage (Unification) of The Heart
一統一心 = Ittou Ishin
A Lineage (Unification) of One Heart
Sharing a literal and figurative Family, a lineage of the Same Heart