The Grail was slowly taking over.

Its functions subsiding the consciousness that was once Irisviel, who could feel herself slipping away. As more magical energy was taken in, the system inside her proceeded to shut down her body.

In time, her body will soon cease. As designed, Irisviel would no longer exist, and only the Lesser Grail would remain.

But until the last moment, before the Lesser Grail appeared, Irisviel 'lived' on.

If you called lying down in a white empty plain of existence 'living' that is.

"..." She was unable to move. Let alone sitting up, she couldn't find the power to twitch her fingers. All Irisviel could do was look up at what's above her, and see the strange darkness that hovered over her prone body. Rather odd, seeing as she could've sworn there was nothing there but a white void. Now, it was a darkness that slowly spread, perhaps a representation of how she would enter the dark soon enough.

Without being able to say a single word, Irisviel kept on staring without so much as a blink. Forced to stay in this position as more and more of her mind was slowly chipped away. The brief moment of pain she felt a while ago meant another Servant had died, their energy seeping into her body.

The awakening of the Lesser Grail grew just as much as the war drew near its end.

It won't be long until the Holy Grail comes and someone could make their wish.

Power. Influence. A chance to reach the Root.

A wish would be made and Irisviel would be the one giving it, as she would become the device that allowed such a possibility.

If things had been different, perhaps Irisviel would have found comfort in such an end. If he had been alive, then Irisviel would have gladly granted his wish. His ideal. One her husband, Kiritsugu Emiya, sought ever since she met him, when the two met on that day.

But he was dead.

Killed before even half the Servants were gone. Crushed into paste while leaving her behind. Leaving her alone until she had been easily captured, something that would have never happened had he been around. He was much better at strategy. At planning.

He was gone and soon, because of her inability to be a good Master, Rider would be gone as well. With a heavy heart, lying on the ground no different from a corpse, Irisviel's eyes slowly closed shut.

For a time, she only saw darkness.

"...no…I can't. I…I won't finish you!" A voice from nowhere then came. It had been so sudden that Irisviel didn't even know what to think. All she could tell was that the voice was…scared.

Then, before Irisviel knew it…another voice was heard in the dark. "Why…?"

"Ugh!" A pressure then slammed down onto her. One without remorse that slowly crushed her. As her eyes shot open, she then noticed something unusual. The darkness above her, it… Irisviel swore she could hear a noise coming from the darkness overhead. Like it was more than just a void, but alive and angry. But more than that, she also felt as if there was a sense of betrayal as part of that anger.

But a betrayal from what?

Then…Irisviel saw it.

The darkness in above was replaced by something else, showing her an unfamiliar scene.

From elsewhere, in a place she didn't know, she saw three creatures of blue, yellow, and red merged together. Following a creature that looked like a woman and a man who grinned.

The scene changed, showing another great creature. One obeying a man who laughed as a strange symbol shone upon him. A creature that devoured the souls of all as they rose from the depths of the sea.

A cubic monster shrieks in defiance as the world slowly crumbles. Before it, its master that has since given up his humanity raises a cube and howls.

Irisviel saw these and more. More images flash by, but she didn't even have the time to comprehend what these scenes meant. All she knew was that they were all different men and women that somehow called upon phantasmals of all sorts that Irisviel had never seen before, following their command.

With all of them lifting a small card being the most prominent scene of them all.

With voices she never heard of speaking loudly.

"It's time to duel!"

Like before, a brief image came only to just as easily vanish. For another voice followed.

"Get your game on!"

Then another.

"Let's rev it up"

Then another.

"I'm gonna hi-five the sky!"

Then another.

"The fun's just getting started!"

Then…one more voice is heard. With the entire space she was in shaking as the darkness above her shook in clear anticipation.

"Let us tear the walls between dimensions"

All Irisviel could do was stay silent and heed the voice from wherever it came. Her body froze from the authority the voice seemed to command, even when the darkness stayed still. She didn't know what was going on.

At the same time, she realized something had gone wrong with the greater grail. Very wrong.


Setting Irisviel down, Kirei grunted. From the brief moments he held her, he could tell that the homunculus' condition had deteriorated even further. She wouldn't last long at this rate. The war was finally near its end. Soon, one way or another, this will all end today.

Where any answers he sought would either be given, or he'd perish trying.

"Come now, Master. You should have more confidence in yourself." By his side, the ever playful Lancer spoke with no worry, only calm in her tone. As if the idea of any setbacks occurring at this critical moment didn't enter her mind.

"We're almost there." She reminds him of their goals. "Just a few more deaths and what we desire most shall be fulfilled."

"Indeed. You speak the truth." While Kirei wouldn't let down his guard, Lancer wasn't wrong either. With their position, everything seems to be in place. Their victory seemed just about indisputable, with any potential loss being rather fleeting.

Caster, Assassin, they had already died. Rider was in a position where she would perish one way or another, be it by Ruler or another Servant. And Archer would now be hunted by the man who claimed he fought for the sake of a girl, as if his desire of vengeance hadn't been a factor when he and Kariya made their deal.

And while Saber is a loose card, he and his Master were the weakest of the current members. They could be handled, with the only real threat being that of Ruler. Someone Lancer had already told him that she could handle on her own. Considering the Noble Phantasms she possessed, Kirei is actually inclined to agree.

Now, all that needs to be done is wait. Once the Einzbern gains the final few souls, she will transform and through her new form, access to the Greater Grail will be capable. Then, the winner will get a wish.

"...Lancer." With everything falling into place, it was only now Kirei felt the urge to ask Lancer what he should have some time back. The only reason he hadn't before was because until now, he had been helping Tokiomi with the presumption that he would allow his own defeat. Let Tokiomi be the ultimate winner.

Now…

"What is your wish, exactly?" Considering Lancer had been prodding him, he felt it was only fair he heard her desires. Her confession.

She gave a small humm, amused. As she stayed silent for a bit, as if she were toying with the idea of giving him an answer, eventually she relented. "My wish isn't all that special, if I'm honest." She sounded sincere. "If anything, all I want is the power to…remember."

"Remember?" That didn't sound right. If anything, after seeing some of her history and beliefs, he'd have assumed she wanted something more. His expression must have shown through, as he saw Lancer staring at him before she snickered.

"Contrary to what you may think, I have no intention of repeating my life again." It just sounded so much of a waste. "As amusing as it would be to perhaps, say, wish for Lucifer to be freed, I'm a bit more selfish than that." Crossing her arms, Lancer bent her head upward as if she were trying to see something that couldn't be seen. Softly saying, "In the end, all I desire is to remember what happened."

Curiosity piqued, Kirei couldn't stop himself from asking, "And that is?"

As he found himself near her, willing to hear her out, Lancer confessed, telling him earnestly, "The memories I lost in the final battle."

Her eyes met his own as she continued on. Her voice became soft as she confessed her dearest wish. "I'm uncertain why, but I cannot remember the exact details of Judgement Day end."

Kirei couldn't deny that hearing about Judgement Day was intriguing, even if the event had occurred in a different world.. Yet it was more interesting hearing that despite clearly participating in such an event, Lancer admitted that she has little memories of what should be a day to remember.

It wasn't something Lancer liked. "I can still vaguely recall certain events of my life. Meeting Lucifer, the other Darklords. My transformation and Solomon's end." While such occurrences sounded as if they'd be joyful, none held any meaning to Lancer as it was spoiled by one thing. "Yet what happened at the very end alludes to me. I can't remember what happened after Lucifer took arms and the angels began to rain down from the heavens to engage his army.

The further she tried looking into her memories, the more vague they became. Unreliable, even. Up until she couldn't see anything past the fog that settled onto the final moments that could be her life.

"I don't actually remember how I died." Lancer admitted, giving a small shrug of her shoulders. "Everything is a blur, and I can't find any comfort knowing just what it is I missed." Did she achieve her goals, or did she perish? Was she able to at last overthrow the one who'd cursed her for stealing, or punished further with death? "I want to remember."

"...I see." Frankly, Kirei was rather surprised by this. Here he had assumed Lancer would have desired some form of upheaval, to break the status quo. But surprisingly, her wish was more innocent than he ever expected.

"I know." Lancer chuckled a little, knowing her wish wasn't the most grand. "Not the most phenomenal wish of all. But it's what I want in the end." Lancer glanced at a wall as if she could see through it. "Assuming, of course, the others finish what they started."

Kirei knows exactly who Lancer is referring to. "Oh, I'm sure Kariya will set out to accomplish his goal." A man consumed by conflicting wishes. One that was noble, the other distorted and warped by his slowly breaking mind. "Win or fail, he'll at least either ensure Tokiomi is either gone, or weaken him enough, one way or another."

Lancer agreed. "I suppose one can always count on a man blinded by his own vengeance."


Finding himself grinning, Kariya could practically taste victory in his grasp.

While the worms slowly ate their way into his body, his focus was on the man he needed to kill. As he was carried by 'Berserker', Kariya couldn't keep his eyes away from where Tokiomi and his Servant had landed.

'Berserker' did well when she brought them down. Despite the vast distance between the two, she managed it regardless. Sure they had a little help from Lancer and her Master, but the rest will be all theirs'. Already tracking them, it won't be long until Kariya either finds a dead man, or a soon-to-be dead man as he chokes the life out of the bastard with his own two hands.

And between a guy who not only fell hundreds of meters from the sky against a man with a dragon-slaying Servant, Kariya felt more than a little confident at victory. 'And once he's gone, Zouken gets the Grail, Sakura is freed, and I can give Aoi the life she deserves.' The man she deserves, being a thought that went unsaid.

Aoi and Rin deserved the best, just like Sakura. Tokiomi didn't have any right being with them. If anything, the girls needed someone more…worthy.

'And thinking on it…' Kariya found himself thinking, the gears in his head turning. 'Zouken wants the Grail, but who says he asked for the wish.' Last Kariya recalled, the Grail gives two wishes. One for the Master, another for the Servant.

Meaning even if Kariya has to give Zouken the Grail, Kariya can still have his Servant make a wish. A wish for his own sake. Or maybe, if Kariya is smart enough, he can make his own wish and get rid of Zouken immediately. The bastard thought he was all smart, but would he expect Kariya to make a wish that got rid of that worm's disgusting existence?

All Kariya had to do was just act quick enough and Zouken could be gone. No Zouken meant no more suffering for Sakura. Sakura would be safe in his arms, just like Rin, like Aoi. It's people like Zouken and Tokiomi that ruined them. Put them in horrible situations.

'And because of that, they deserve every bit of agony for their crimes.' With vengeful thoughts coursing through his veins and blood, Kariya couldn't help but imagine Tokiomi dead on the ground. Zouken. All the other Masters, dead at his feet.

He just needed a little more time and he could make his wish come true. Maybe even restore himself back to normal. That way Aoi won't be alone. She along with Rin and Sakura would need someone to be there for them.

'And who better…than me.' With a rather less-than innocent smile, Kariya licked his lips as he thought of the future. His future.

All while 'Berserker', even as she headed towards where she knew her quarry would be, couldn't help but find herself thinking of something beyond the killing of a dragon. Her eyes briefly looked concerned over another matter. Her ears pick up on the noise made by the disaster being caused not by a disgusting lizard…but by Lancer and her Master's part of the plan.

Using Rider to kill the masses of this city.

"..." Dragons were vile creatures that should be taken down as soon as possible. Nothing good came from those creatures. They were heinous, revolting, and held no care for anybody but themselves. Humans were nothing more but insignificant creatures before them. That could be swatted down like a fly with no consequence whatsoever for them.

Destroying a village is no different from stepping on a bug from their perspective. Worse being that dragons weren't necessarily incapable of feeling empathy, and were much more intelligent than what they're scaly hides suggested.

It's just that they couldn't care less expressing these sides to the meager species that is humanity. At best, humans could be used as slaves and food. At worse, killing them for mere sport or simply because a human was in their way.

'But…' It wasn't a dragon causing the collateral damage this time around. Instead, it was another Servant. One that was made into doing this, Lancer's Master claiming they would make Rider cause all of this. So that they could lure Archer and Tokiomi and bring them down.

The noise and destruction Rider is causing can still be heard. She wasn't stopping.

No matter how much further away 'Berserker' was from the source, the noise wasn't leaving.

It wasn't a dragon, but a Servant. One where, whether 'Berserker' liked it or not, she played a role in this destruction. While Lancer's Master said that Ruler would eventually deal with Rider, how long would that actually take? How much damage and lives would be done before then?

'Berserker' hated dragons. They were monsters that deserved nothing less but to be killed. Letting Rider continue her onslaught however was… not something she found herself liking.

"Berserker." Kariya, whether he sensed 'Berserkers' thoughts or not, spoke up. "Get ready. Once we find those two, I want you to immediately deal with them. The sooner they're gone, the better."

Biting her lip, 'Berserker' found herself agreeing with her Master. Perhaps if she acted fast enough, killing Archer and her pet dragon, then… she could head back and deal with Rider. Assuming Ruler didn't finish the job, then 'Berserker' could step in herself. Of course, the guilt inside 'Berserker' wasn't leaving.

Pushing it aside, 'Berserker' focused back as she couldn't let down her guard for a second. Wounded or not, a dragon is still a dragon. And while her mind was more clear, 'Berserker' knew she was much weaker in comparison to her original Saint Graph. As a Saber, she didn't hold the same strength as a Berserker.

But that didn't mean she would lose either.

Slowing down, ignoring her Master's orders to press on, 'Berserker' listened closely, knowing they were near where the dragon was. Currently they're outside the city limits, in the forest where no other person but them is around. As she silenced her footsteps, 'Berserker' eventually entered a standstill and stopped moving altogether.

"Berserker! What ar-" She covered his mouth. Her Master may not be appreciative of this fact, but his noise could easily alert the dragon. Many times 'Berserker' thought she had a dragon caught off-guard only for the beast to strike when she least expected. It's superior hearing and ability to capture an intruder's scent from miles away gave her away before she even knew it.

As such, she had developed ways in dealing with such tactics. As 'Berserker' stayed silent, while still keeping a hand over her Master's mouth as he struggled, she looked to the right and lifted her foot.

She stomped down on a branch which snapped from impact.

She then jumped up and a beam of blue light enveloped the spot she was at and vaporized everything that had been in its path. "I got you!" Landing, 'Berserker' put Kariya down and headed where the beam had come out from.

"Wait! Hold on!" Kariya immediately got up and followed. Or he tried to. No sooner did he get up Kariya collapsed down. Gasping as he felt countless parts of his body feel weak while it felt as if spikes were rammed into his skin.

His body was failing, the worms had done more damage than he thought. Even if he could move, running would be the least he could do. Slowly, Kariya got up, hissing. He then heard a shriek and deeper in the forest he saw a flash of blue.

"Well…at least she can deal with that." Which leaves Kariya with one other option. "Now I just need to deal with…" A twig snapped from behind and Kariya turned. His grin couldn't have come fast enough. "Tokiomi."

Across from him, looking rather disheveled with dirt and leaves in his hair and with some tears across his normally immaculate outfit, Tokiomi stood before him. He was holding onto his left arm while still gripping his little toy stick, not looking as perfect as he always presented himself as. Hahaha.

"Looking a little messy, Tokiomi." With a smirk, Kariya forced himself straight even as he limped. "What, have a bad landing?"

"...Matou." It seems Tokiomi hadn't expected Kariya at all. Then again, why would he? "I knew that someone was here. But I never expected it would be you."

"Ahhh. Disappointed." Kariya laughed. "Bet you never thought that little old me would bring you down from the sky." Tokiomi frowned at his words. Though the fact was, there was truth to them.

After crashing down from so far up, then recovering from the daze of nearly dying from such a great height, never once did Tokiomi believe Kariya would be the culprit behind it. All he knew was that, with his senses, Tokiomi detected someone with active circuits coming toward him and Archer, with his servant confirming the presence of a Servant. As such, while it wasn't elegant, Tokiomi snuck around to see if he could spot who was coming.

Sadly, as someone who isn't used to sneaking around, Tokiomi had given himself away and was spotted. 'Still, that doesn't mean I'm in trouble.' Injured he may be, but Tokiomi could tell Kariya wasn't at his best either. His stance, the way his eyes seemed to have trouble focusing on him. 'If anything, he seems worse than I.'

As such, while it hurt him, Tokiomi did his best and pushed down all the pain he was currently feeling, as any magus should be capable of doing. To be a magus is to walk with death. Expect that you could die at any moment as the life of a magus isn't one you can walk without accepting the dangers that accompany it.

"Tell me," Which included responsibilities that went with it. "Before we begin, I have something to ask of you?"

"Begging already."

Ignoring his crude remarks, Tokiomi got straight to the point. "Were you part of…Rider's attack?" There was a clear edge in Tokiomi's tone when he spoke this. Asking if Kariya had any involvement with what Rider was doing.

He could be wrong, and that would be alright. Frustrating and inelegant as it was, a small part of Tokiomi could understand why a lesser man would take his chance in attacking another, even when said person was fulfilling their responsibilities to the city. While Tokiomi is alright with the mundane folk dying in a Holy Grail War, what Rider was doing is utterly unacceptable.

As such, he had to ask…was Kariya part of this. 'And perhaps,' Tokiomi thought of the lance that pierced Archer's dragon. 'Is he also part of this?'

"..hehe." Kariya snickered. "Well, I can't really take all the credit." Around Kariya, the sounds of insects could be heard. Disgusting as it was, Kariya did have powers since he began his 'training' with Zouken. He may as well use them.

His words however were all the evidence Tokiomi needed. "I see." While still suspicious, disgust leaked from Tokiomi's voice. "So you admit that you are a part of this. Not only did you abandon your duties…But you have even committed a crime that cannot be overlooked."

"Oh, shut it you pompous airbag." This time it was Kariya who was disgusted. "My crimes. Hell, look in a mirror and take a good long look at it. The only criminal around here is you!" What he did to Sakura was unforgivable.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Sakura. Just as I will with Zouken!" With every word the sound of insects grew louder while his face twitched and squirmed along with his flesh. The worms agitated and prepared for a feast.

None of this went unnoticed by Tokiomi, who ignored Kariya's delusional comments on Sakura and paid more attention to what's around him. Hearing the sounds of chittering while noting the way Kariya's body seemed to actively twitch, as if something is burrowed just beneath his skin. His magecraft perhaps?

'Not that it matters.' If anything, Tokiomi had more important matters to attend to. Eliminating Rider is his top priority, though Tokiomi supposed killing the man involved with her rampage is necessary as well.

"Well then, Kariya, let's end this."

"For once I agree with you!" From the ground countless massive insects flew up and swarmed across their prey.

They all dove at Tokiomi as flames escaped the tip of his gem.


And at last, Kariya gets his wish. A chance to kill Tokiomi, though it's debatable he'll win, at least had he fought a perfectly healthy Tokiomi. Considering Tokiomi fell from the sky and only survived being a stain but at the cost of bruised muscles and maybe a broken arm and some cracked bones, man isn't at his best. Something Kariya will take advantage of.

All while whatever lingers in the Holy Grail prepares to bust free. I hope you all have figured out by now just who it is that resides in the Holy Grail. Because it's about to make its move. And yeah...totally used that line from Sonic Frontiers for our special guest's line. I just loved it.