Return to Null Chapter 18:

The Lion Stirs

Everyone watched in absolute silence as Justeaze looked around the cavern. The vessel of the Holy Grail looked to her body and groped her chest, fondling them softly as a lewd and sinister grin crept across her lips. The surge of magical energy in her body was astounding, but with it came a great hunger. She needed more magical energy to feed upon, to grow stronger, to be better. And as it so happened, there was a…buffet of Heroic Spirits right in front of her.

"It has been a long time, Justeaze." Zouken said. The corrupted vessel stared at the elderly mage with empty eyes. Zouken stopped in his tracks for a moment, his smile fading somewhat. "What's wrong, Justeaze?"

"Who…are you again?"

"You….you cannot be serious." Zouken said weakly. "Do you not recognize me?"

"Ah…..I see you in this vessel's memories." Justeaze answered. "You were one of the founders of what would give me form."

"I see, so that's the form it would take."

Ritsuka looked down and saw Irisviel slowly getting up after the ordeal she was put through. The Chaldean Master tried to see if he could help her up, but Irisviel raised her hand gently, and shook her head. "I'm okay. In fact….I feel even better than before."

"That's because without those souls within you, you aren't going to die prematurely now." Zouken said mockingly. "Congratulations, I kept my end of the bargain…"

The Chaldeans mentally celebrated the news. Irisviel's life had been saved, but they still had a job to do, and right now, they had to focus on their new opponent. Ritsuka turned to Irisviel calmly, trying to figure out what to ask when the first thing came to mind. "So is that really Justeaze?"

"It is…but it isn't as well." Irisviel said. "That is her body, but that is all there is to her. The rest of it is the manifestation of the Holy Grail, but corrupted. She's not even really alive anymore."

"So that means we don't have to hold back." Emiya said.

"Good, I don't like the way she's looking." Cú replied. "Especially towards me."

"I agree." Assassin said. "Something doesn't seem right with her. She's probably planning something."

"Oh, I'm just wondering who I shall eat first." Justeaze answered. "I'm very hungry after all."

Zouken chuckled. While it was a pity that it wasn't the woman he knew in life, this would definitely suffice. He would love to see the enemies before them tremble in fear in their last moments. He always did love hearing people scream in agony and fear. "You have your pick of the litter, Justeaze. You can defeat them all in the blink of an eye."

A small giggle rang through the battlefield, catching Zouken's attention. The elderly mage turned around and saw that the culprit was none other than Irisviel, giggling like an amused child, with Ritsuka smirking in his own amusement.

"Oh, you do have a weird sense of humor." Irisviel said. "In your own desperation, you failed to notice one tiny little problem…."

"That the awakening is premature?" Zouken scoffed. "Oh I know, but it doesn't really matter. I have won!"

"But what would have happened if she awakened with five souls?" Ritsuka asked.

"She would have been invincible!"

The younger Waver raised an eyebrow at the declaration. She would have been invincible…..The young man sported a cocky grin as he turned to face the elderly mage. "Is that thing invincible right now, then?"

Zouken tried to answer to confirm it, but the moment he did, silence was all he could muster. The decrepit old man stopped in his tracks as he stared at the corrupted vessel, feeling its power even from where he stood. He thought it would be unstoppable, but it wasn't. Instead, it was much weaker due to his impatience. She wasn't invincible, and could actually be destroyed….He looked back at Irisviel and Ritsuka and saw their smirks.

That was the moment Irisviel started to clap. "Congratulations, you finally figured it out!"

"Ya got played, Zouken." Ritsuka said. "Ya fell for our trap like a novice."

"You contemptuous brat!" Zouken shouted at the Chaldean Master. "There's no way you'd be clever enough to have planned this all out!"

Ritsuka chuckled. "You're right. I'm smart, but I ain't that smart. That's why I didn't actually make the plan in the first place."

"What….?"

"Once more, ya underestimate those ya deem beneath ya." Ritsuka said. "It was Lord El- Melloi II who came up with the idea. And when he told us, we agreed to it in a heartbeat."

The elder Waver scoffed, but a faint smile could be seen on his face. "I'll thank you for the credit after we're done here, but I do appreciate the vote in confidence."

Zouken scowled as he stared back at Ritsuka. "So your part was just to harass me until I panicked!"

"Actually I was supposed to just support the others." Ritsuka said. "But I had other plans, so we had to alter it slightly. But yeah, that ended up bein' what I'd do."

Zouken gripped his cane much tighter, his teeth gnashing and grinding down at each other as his scowl turned to absolute fury as he stared at the boy. Ritsuka's grin faded slightly as he prepared himself for what was to come. "If ya wanna continue our little scuffle, then ya better hope to make it quick. Or else I'll-"

"Ritsuka, you can stop now." The elder Waver said.

"He ain't gonna leave me alone now." Ritsuka countered. "I left command to your younger self for a reason, so please, finish this without me."

"He's right…" Emiya said. "It's pointless to talk him out of it now."

The elder Waver sighed. "Just don't overdo it."

Zouken took deep breaths to try and calm himself as he stared at the corrupted vessel of Justeaze. It was clear she was getting bored of hearing all this talk, not caring if her life was in danger. She simply wanted to feed, to get to her real strength. Without uttering a word, she lunged for Kiritsugu in a maddened frenzy. Before anyone else could react, Zouken made his move, turning into a swarm of bugs and attacked Ritsuka immediately. The Chaldean Master braced himself as his opponent dragged him away from the battlefield. Zouken's swarm kept Ritsuka low to the ground causing his back to be scraped across the rocks and jagged edges of the earth beneath him, after a few moments of this, Ritsuka activated his wrist mounted flamethrowers, burning the swarm from the inside, freeing him as he hit the ground, rolling to minimize his fall. Ritsuka felt magical energy crackle around him, and immediately rolled away as a magical blast shot towards him courtesy of Zouken. "You are one stubborn, contemptuous brat!"

Ritsuka did not respond with words, and instead fired his own spell at Zouken, trying to keep his distance from the elderly mage. Zouken once more turned into a swarm, also trying to keep his distance so he could kill the boy from afar. Ritsuka looked around and found a possible spot where Zouken would hide, and lit some pipe bombs filled with thermite to try and prevent him from getting the victory. As soon as he threw them, Zouken had to change his destination, cursing under his breath as he had to find a closer spot near the Chaldean Master as the bombs exploded. Ritsuka wasted no time, shooting Zouken with water and ice to try and trap Zouken, but the elderly mage redirected the attacks back at Ritsuka, trapping the Chaldean to the ground. Ritsuka immediately melted the ice and directed the water elsewhere, waiting for Zouken to get in close and used his flamethrowers to burn the creature point blank in the face. In retaliation, Zouken sent a swarm of beetles to attack Ritsuka, pushing the boy back sharply into a boulder. A rush of blood flowed up through his throat, forcing him to cough it out with a great hack. A sharp, biting pain rushed within him, merely adding to the pain of the mana prism. Ritsuka breathed heavily as he mentally tried to find where it was, until he found the source. The impact of him hitting the boulder cracked a rib or two, but other than that, he was fine. "If ya think I'm gonna beg for mercy, you're gonna be sorely disappointed."

Zouken rushed at the boy, piercing his uninjured shoulder with his cane. "That time has passed. I will break you, boy, and then I shall kill you."

Ritsuka spat some blood in the old man's face, shocking the mage to the core. "Go fuck yourself."

Zouken sharpened his gaze and dug his cane deeper into Ritsuka's shoulder. "You will regret disrespecting me like this. This I assure you."

Ritsuka used his other arm to throw a clearish liquid at Zouken, but the elderly mage flew in a swarm of insects as it hit the ground. Ritsuka clapped his hands together, ignoring the pain from his injuries as he spread the liquid around the area. He couldn't let this opportunity slip his grasp. Ritsuka ripped the cane from his shoulder, and immediately set to work to heal the wound. The Chaldean Master breathed heavily, the pain was becoming worse and worse, but he could not falter. He had to keep fighting, or else everything the team worked for would be for nothing.

As that was happening, Justeaze was pushed back off of Kiritsugu, the Counter Guardian took the opportunity to shoot at her, but the corrupted vessel teleported away without uttering a word. Assassin immediately rushed behind her, wanting to take her out before she could recover. But Justeaze anticipated her attack, and with large, blackened glass blades, pinned the woman down upon the ground, Assassin noted the blades had something moving within, and her skin crawled as she noticed it was mud. Her thoughts soon returned to Justeaze as she straddled her, licking her lips as she lowered herself towards her face. However, Saber swung her blade at her, forcing Justeaze to leap out of the way as the younger Waver fired several blasts of magical energy. Saber immediately pulled the blackened blades off of Assassin and helped her up as Kiritsugu, Emiya and Cú attacked Justeaze simultaneously. Mashu came from behind to smack the vessel in the head, but Justeaze erected a barrier and recoiled as she saw the Shielder up close. Something about her was wrong, off and just disgusting.

"You are unappetizing." Justeaze said. The older Waver took the opportunity to break her barrier and fired a bolt from his fan. The corrupted vessel simply erected another barrier and recoiled in more disgust as she stared at the man. "You are also very unappetizing."

Irisviel attacked her from behind, having regained her strength a bit, firing several glass blades at Justeaze. The vessel shattered them with a wave of her hand, but was tackled to the ground by Cú, Saber and Diarmuid. The three Servants aimed their weapons at her head, intending to kill her then and there. Justeaze simply giggled and threw them off her with a simple blast of her mind. Assassin, Emiya, and both Wavers attacked her instantly, while she dodged both Servants with ease, the two Magi's attacks landed, causing her to stumble. The corrupted vessel glared at them, and fired several glass blades towards them. Kiritsugu immediately shattered them all with a hail of bullets, but in the process did not anticipate Justeaze to use her blades to pin Kiritsugu. She slowly made her way to him, and licked her lips lewdly. "You definitely look like a snack."

"Oh no you don't!"

Justeaze grunted as a glass fist hit her in the sides, pushing her off as Irisviel walked in and glared at her predecessor scornfully. "He's not for sale."

Kiritsugu sighed as he was released from his prison. Now he had two crazy women to worry about….. Justeaze stared at Irisviel, her grin not leaving her face. "You look delicious too."

Irisviel recoiled and shivered. "Just hearing that while you're wearing my face makes my skin crawl….."

"So the main course has spunk….good!" Justeaze shouted. "I can't wait to eat you first."

"Oh would you stop sounding so bloody creepy?!" Young Waver asked as he fired several magical bolts at Justeaze. The corrupted vessel simply waved her hands to dispel them in an instant, but she left herself open to Assassin, who leapt up and kicked her in the jaw, knocking her back a few inches, but did not seem phased by the attack. Justeaze chuckled in amusement as Assassin tried to attack her again and again, each blow landed, but her strength wasn't enough to even hurt her, let alone tickle her. However, the corrupted vessel saw a small smirk appear on Assassins lips, and a chill ran down her spine as she felt two powerful aura's coming from behind. With a flick of her wrist, she blew Assassin away before conjuring a powerful barrier to protect herself as Cú and Diarmuid came from behind, attempting to pierce her with Gáe Bolg and Gáe Buidhe together. The barrier protected her from the attacks, but her face showed fear and concern as she felt the terrifying power of their spears. If she was hit by those weapons, she'd be in real trouble….. She decided to take those meddlesome Lancers out first to make sure they didn't interfere again. With a wave of her hand, she summoned several glass blades, and fired upon them before they could react, pinning them in place. As she deactivated her barrier, the corrupted vessel rushed in with more blades, hoping to cripple them, and then eat both Lancers. As soon as she fired more blades, Saber rushed in and deflected as many blades as she could. Justeaze sighed in annoyance, but quickly recovered as she noted Saber's power. Even after all the injuries she suffered, she was incredibly powerful, and would have been the most powerful combatant facing her, but that title now fell to the blue haired Lancer using runes to free himself and his partner. Justeaze tried to grab one of her glass blades with her hands, but it shattered the moment a longsword clashed with it. She turned around and saw Emiya leaping into the air and swung his blades at her face.

Justeaze immediately dodged and blasted him away with ease, only for Mashu to smack her with her shield, causing her to stumble right into Assassin, who elbowed her in the jaw again. Right behind her both Wavers attempted to fire multiple jagged stones at her, but the corrupted vessel simply tanked their attacks. Immediately she was rushed by Kiritsugu and Emiya and Irisviel, the three of them working in tandem to keep her on the defensive. Irisviel used her glass blades to try and pin the corrupted vessel in place while Kiritsugu threw Emiya by the arm right at Justeaze, his blades ready to strike. As that was happening, Mashu lowered herself, raising her shield off the ground and allowed Assassin to use it as a platform to jump into the air, her daggers ready to stab Justeaze in the back. The two Servants managed to stab her from both ends, but Justeaze simply laughed.

"You do realize that I have a high healing factor, right?" She asked playfully. "I might not be invincible due to my premature awakening, but I won't need it for something like this!"

"Oh we know that." Emiya said. "But you're only one person, so you can't fight everyone at once!"

Justeaze widened her eyes as she saw Cú and Diarmuid coming from behind, their spears ready to strike. The corrupted vessel cursed under her breath for getting so careless, she was trying to kill those two first in the first place, but she let these lesser meals distract her! The two Lancers nicked her arms with their spears, and Justeaze screamed in anger. The corrupted vessel blew everyone back, trying to get some distance between her and the two Lancers. As soon as she looked down, she saw the wounds inflicted by the white haired Archer and Assassin managed to heal, but the wounds inflicted by the Lancers did not. So that was what made her nervous…..but there was more within her. Her hunger grew bigger and bigger.

"Feast….I must feed!" Justeaze snarled. "The buffet is fighting back….but that shouldn't be possible…..it's food!"

As everyone got up and stared at her, they felt an uneasy pressure building up within her. The corrupted vessel soon lowered herself into a primal stance, her eyes becoming feral and unhinged. "If the food has banded together, then I shall need some assistance in eating them all!"

With a blood curdling shriek, several clones of the corrupted vessel emerged, each one of them the spitting image of the corrupted vessel herself. Soon, Justeaze and her clones giggled in an unsettling manner as they all stared manically at their prey before them.

"If she wanted to kill us, she should have opened up with that…." Assassin said.

"I don't think that she was trying to toy with us…." Young Waver said. "I think whoever's in control of her body was merely trying to get accustomed to it…."

"It doesn't matter if that's the case." The older Waver said. "We have to take them all down now."

"Do any of you have a plan?" Cú asked.

"Take out the clones first." Saber said. "She'll probably be weaker after they're taken out."

"That doesn't sound like a good plan." Kiritsugu replied. "I can't sense how strong they are individually, but killing them first won't make her weaker."

"Then the answer is simple." Young Waver said. "We break into pairs and take them all on simultaneously!"

"I was about to say that…." Older Waver mumbled.

"Then Cú and I should be in separate groups." Diarmuid said. "That way we can cover more ground, and when finished we shall help the other teams."

"I know who should pair up with who." Older Waver said. The Caster formed a telepathic link to inform them of the pairs he wanted to make, and made sure everyone was in agreement. As soon as that was done, everyone got into their teams, and rushed the corrupted vessel and her clones simultaneously.

As that was happening, Ritsuka sprayed more fluids towards Zouken, who simply retreated by turning into a swarm of bugs. The elderly mage attempted to attack Ritsuka from behind, but the Chaldean Master managed to anticipate where he'd be, and used his flamethrowers to burn the swarm, albeit slowly due to his injuries. Zouken was forced to retreat further, finding some high ground to keep away from the boy. Zouken looked at his body, and saw that the spare bugs he kept to preserve himself slowly formed over the burnt ones. Much slower than before to his displeasure. He was running out of supplies…the elderly mage felt a chill run down his spine as he took note of what Ritsuka said earlier. He knew about his trump card, and his one weakness…. That boy had planned this all from the start, ever since he burned down the manor! Zouken looked down to where the boy stood, defiantly glaring at him as he waited for Zouken to make his move. The elderly mage noted that the boy was obviously in pain, his movements were getting slow and forceful due to the injuries sustained, and whatever object he absorbed gave him a boost in mana, but at the cost of straining his body. And yet he still stood there as if he were fine. It was clear this boy would not stop until he made Zouken break under his boot. At this moment, Zouken realized their roles….

That boy was a hunter, and he was the prey.

Zouken carefully scanned the boy, wanting to see anything that he could exploit if he wanted to win. It was clear the teenage trouble maker was in bad shape, and any more damage would put him on his last legs. But he had to figure out a way to bypass his flamethrowers, or else his chances of winning would get slimmer and slimmer.

As that was happening, Ritsuka was also studying Zouken from where he stood. The look in the elderly mage's eyes showed that he had figured out Ritsuka's burning of the Matou manor was planned out in advance, just for this one moment. However, the Chaldean Master was no fool, the pain he felt within him remained sharp as ever, and with Zouken stalling like this, he knew whatever advantage he had had dwindled. When Zouken attacks, everything will be in the elderly mage's favor.

Further away, Gilgamesh watched on, resting his head upon one hand as he stared from his golden throne that he summoned. The king of heroes observed both combatants as they remained in their positions, waiting and watching one another as if anticipating each other's moves. The golden Archer continued to grin in amusement at the situation. While the Chaldean Master put up a good fight, it was clear that if this battle went for much longer, Zouken would win. And yet, the boy had no intention of slowing down, and that made Gilgamesh intrigued.

In a flash, Zouken turned into a swarm of bugs, but it was a smaller swarm. The pack quickly made its way to Ritsuka. The Chaldean Master raised his arms to use his flamethrowers, ready to burn him down once and for all. Only for a small click to sound, causing Ritsuka to widen his eyes and try again, but nothing came out. The black haired teen scowled as he realized he finally ran out of juice in his flamethrowers. Ritsuka quickly abandoned his plan in favor of clapping his hands together, and fired a torrent of water at Zouken, and as the elderly mage witnessed the attack, he laughed as he went around the water blast, and reformed into his regular form, hitting Ritsuka with several insects. The Chaldean Master hissed as several beetles cut into his skin, leaving several deep lacerations all over. Zouken took the opportunity to use his cane to bash Ritsuka in the head, dazing the boy before landing another strike, and another, and another. Blood started to drip down Ritsuka's face, clouding his vision, but the Chaldean Master would not break, nor would he give up, and in his defiance, he tried to fire a spell at Zouken, but the elder mage countered it with an advanced spell of his own. Zouken then proceeded to fire another high level spell, lifting Ritsuka off the ground, before smashing the boy back to the ground just as quickly, breaking some of Ritsuka's ribs. The Chaldean Master coughed up more blood, hacking it up as he felt more pain shoot through his body. Zouken lifted him up, then slammed him down again, giving Ritsuka a concussion. Zouken couldn't help but laugh at the situation. "You have been quite the thorn in my side this entire Grail War, but it all ends now!"

Zouken used his prison spell to slam Ritsuka to the ground again, and seeing the blood pouring from Ritsuka's face, the elderly mage felt satisfied that the boy was done. The Chaldean Servants and their allies turned in horror as they saw the sight from their peripherals, and their hearts stopped as they saw Ritsuka being held up by the spell, his arms outstretched as if on a cross. Zouken looked into the boy's face, and smiled in satisfaction as he thought the boy was done. He used his spell to lightly throw him away, as if thinking Ritsuka would be helpless to stop him now.

Meanwhile in the Chaldean Command room, nearly everyone present watched in horror as they saw Ritsuka on the ground, and not getting back up. Medusa's eyes darted back in forth in fear and helplessness, but that turned into anger as she turned to stare at Artoria and Da Vinci, both of them did not show any hint of emotion, and instead looked as calm as ever.

"Are you satisfied, Artoria?" Medusa asked, her voice cold and furious. "Your faith in Ritsuka caused him to get so bloodied and broken he won't be able to fight anymore! And it's all your and Da Vinci's fault!"

Artoria said nothing, her gaze remained transfixed on the screens before her. Medusa stared at her, her teeth just gritting as her fists clenched. "Are you seriously okay with Ritsuka getting hurt like this?! You're his combat instructor, you should have been the first one to stop him!"

Once more, Artoria remained silent. Medusa clicked her tongue, her blood boiling in frustration and helplessness at how out of control the situation had become. Ritsuka was on the ground broken and bloodied, and Artoria had the gall to remain silent. The Rider had enough, rushing at the Saber and grabbing her by the collar of her breastplate. "Say something, dammit!"

"Have you finally got it out of your system?" Artoria asked calmly.

"Medusa, just calm the heck down already!" Nobunaga shouted. "Ritsuka's gonna be fine."

"Fine? How is he going to be fine?" Medea asked. "I don't think he's getting back up without some help…."

"I mean Cú and Artoria did agree that if Ritsuka couldn't handle it, then Cú would have to step in as a plan B." Alexander replied.

Medusa widened her eyes for a moment, and felt her body relax. She did remember that the two Servants made that bet afterall, no matter how tasteless it was. "You're right, if Cú can help, then Ritsuka will be fine…."

"Eh, it probably won't come to that." Blackbeard said. "Ritsuka's probably got some fight left in him."

"Are you blind?" Meuniere asked. "Do you not see the state he's in?!"

"When they return, I'll have to use my Golden Fleece in order to…..heal….his…." Medea gasped. "Oh, Artoria, you were banking on me healing him already!"

Artoria nodded with a satisfied grin. "I knew I wouldn't be able to change Ritsuka's mind from this even if I were there. So the best course of action was to simply let him get this out of his system, and have you be on standby. And after seeing him fight tooth and nail right here, I can safely say that this is what he really needed."

Perseus couldn't help but chuckle. "I must say, I can't help but feel proud at how dirty he was fighting. I can't help but support his continued effort to fight Zouken now."

"I was wondering when you'd see the light." Roman said calmly.

"And one more thing that you overlooked." Davinci said. "Ritsuka is a Master in this Grail War now. And with this many Servants under his command, Zouken would have come after him eventually. I just saw a way to give Ritsuka the means to defend himself."

Medusa's eyes widened at that statement. The Rider cursed under her breath and realized Davinci was right….. While she didn't particularly agree with Ritsuka fighting Zouken, she knew that this was the most likely outcome….

"Guys, you might want to see this!" Tatsuko shouted. Everyone turned to look at the monitors, some people staring in simple disbelief, others awe, but for those like Artoria and Nobunaga, proud smirks appeared across their lips as they witnessed something astonishing. Medusa felt her body tremble at the sight, her body soon started to tighten, fear and helplessness rushed into her in a violent wave, but another emotion soon took hold as she watched what was happening.

She was beginning to have hope now.

Back upon the battlefield, the Chaldean team and Zouken could barely believe what they were seeing as well.

Ritsuka slowly got back up, stood up in defiance once more as he stared right at Zouken with as much hatred and spite he could muster. The Chaldean Master simply spat out some blood, not even bothering to entertain any wit or barbed words with his opponent.

"How…..just how are you getting back up?" Zouken asked. "Why haven't you broken yet? Just what will it take to break you?!"

"Are ya seriously not gettin' it?" Ritsuka hissed. "Ya tried to violate a little girl, tried to ruin her life until she broke. That's reason enough to keep gettin' back up to fight ya. And I ain't stoppin' until ya finally break under my boot."

Zouken snarled in anger. This gnat has finally crossed the line, and he had had enough of his defiance. With a swift motion, Zouken turned into a swarm of beetles, and rushed towards Ritsuka in a frenzy. The Chaldean Master didn't have time to try and counter him, and was grabbed by the swarm, being dragged away to where he suspected Zouken would try to finish him once and for all. Ritsuka took the opportunity to clap his hands together with great effort, and froze some of the bugs in place. Ritsuka's plan worked, and Zouken's swarm suddenly felt off balance, swerving and tilting constantly to try and compensate for the weight, but eventually the swarm could not handle it, and started to veer towards where they began their fight. The swarm and Ritsuka crashed close by Tokiomi's corpse, his staff still standing as if it were lodged in the ground. Zouken slowly reformed into his old body, groaning from the impact, but Ritsuka slowly got back up, and panted heavily. He quickly reached for his back, and grabbed several glass vials filled with suspicious liquid.

The Chaldean Master soon threw them at Zouken, but the elderly mage dodged each and every throw, making the vials shatter on the ground behind him. Ritsuka moved to his left, trying to throw some more, but Zouken anticipated this and shot them down with magic bolts, shattering them in the middle of their arc. Ritsuka clicked his tongue but did not relent, in several steps he threw the vials haphazardly at Zouken randomly, as if he were hoping any of them would hit him. But the elderly mage did not get hit once, but the ground was filled with the liquid as if it were in a small ring. Zouken did not pay it any mind, and bashed Ritsuka in the head with his cane. Ritsuka gasped for air as he felt the blow smack him on his head, coughing some blood from the blow. The Chaldean Master tried to attack with a spell, but another blow from Zouken sent him staggering backward. Zouken smacked him again, and again and again, with Ritsuka continuing to try and fire another spell, but the pain of the mana prism and the injuries sustained from the battle. Zouken raised his cane for one more strike, but Ritsuka caught it, and wrenched it free of Zouken's grip. The elder mage adapted by summoning a group of beetles, directing them at the young Master and then watched as his insects sliced into the boy's skin, cutting him in all directions. Ritsuka merely hissed in pain until Zouken had had enough, and bade the bugs to stop. Ritsuka fell onto his back, trying to catch his breath. Zouken panted slightly before recomposing himself, walking towards the young man slowly, before smirking at seeing the boy helplessly trying to get back up.

"When I'm done with you, I'll take your little friend, and find Sakura and Kariya." Zouken said gleefully. "I'll find them, and I will make sure to resume what I intended."

Ritsuka's eyes flared in hatred, but his body could barely move now. Zouken took this opportunity to walk away from him, trying to find anything he could use to finish the boy off. Ritsuka could only move his head, trying to move, but it was in vain. It was as if his body was wanting to give in, not wanting to fight anymore….He couldn't let it end like this, could he….?

Beep Beep!

Ritsuka heard the sound of his communicator buzzing off, but he didn't see it on his person. He turned his head to the side, and saw that it was a few inches away from him, seemingly having been knocked off his person at some point in the last few minutes. The communicator came to life, showing Medusa's grim yet determined face on the other end.

"Come on Ritsuka," She said. "You promised everyone you'd win this fight, didn't you? Why are you just lying there and letting him get away?"

Ritsuka couldn't answer, his voice hitched in his throat. Medusa knew the answer he was going to say, but she pressed onward. "I know I was against you fighting this cretin, I fought against it with every argument I had, everything about this was foolish. I thought it was plain suicide for you to even consider this."

Ritsuka groaned as he felt his blood starting to calm. The Chaldean Master breathed as slowly as he could, wracking his brain in trying to keep himself from fading from consciousness.

"But you kept getting back up. Not once did you even consider running from this fight," Medusa continued. "No matter how many times Zouken hurt you, you didn't let it get through to you. You refused to give in. I still hate the idea, but I can't stop you, but he won't stop you either."

Ritsuka's eyes widened as he saw Medusa from the other end of the communicator starting to shake. He couldn't place it, but it felt she was holding herself back from going further, but in the end, she finally decided to let loose.

"SO GET BACK UP, AND KICK HIS FUCKING ASS!"

Ritsuka's eyes sharpened in that moment, his heart pumping like never before. With a snarl, Ritsuka slowly moved his body, slowly getting back up, glaring at Zouken, who turned around in utter shock as he witnessed Ritsuka's second wind. Ritsuka felt his body shake and tremble for just a moment, but he silenced it through sheer willpower alone. He could not let his body give out now, he had a job to do, and he would see it through to the end. He swore to not let this monster get away, and he would uphold that promise, even if it meant his body would break down!

Zouken watched in utter silence and disbelief as the Chaldean Master gritted his teeth, reached into his pack, and brought out two items, his last Mana Prism, and a small tube filled with silver liquid. No….that was mercury… Where did he get mercury?

Zouken then broke out of his trance as he watched in astonishment as Ritsuka crushed the last mana prism in his hands, letting the mana surge within him. Zouken's mouth was agape, the boy's body was already breaking down from one of those things, now he absorbed another?!

Ritsuka hissed in pain for a moment, but his entire body felt like he was being burned by the sun. The searing heat within him felt like he would be turned to ash right then and there, but he did not let that stop him. The boy reared his head back, and unleashed a mighty roar that rang throughout the cavern, a symphony of man and lion combined into one. Ritsuka sprang into action then, clapping his hands together to manipulate the mercury into several whip-like tendrils. The first tendril was so fast that Zouken could do nothing as it hit his chest. Zouken felt the blow push him back, widening his eyes as he saw that some of the mercury latched onto him like glue. The elderly mage looked back at Ritsuka, who simply started to growl in pain and anger before unleashing another whip of mercury at him. Zouken tried to dodge, but Ritsuka's attack was too fast, and another blow landed upon his leg, another small piece of mercury landing on it. Zouken felt a bit of panic now, trying to run away, but Ritsuka would not let him escape, not while he drew breath. He was still a threat to Sakura, to Kariya, to Mashu, and to everyone else, and he would not fail them now.

Ritsuka jumped and spun on the ground as if he were performing a dance, using the mercury to harass Zouken every time he tried to run. Whipping him several times to weigh him down. Zouken then decided to fight back, conjuring several beetles to try and slow him down, but Ritsuka did not relent. He simply roared as he sent the mercury to slice the beetles to ribbons before returning his attention back to Zouken. The elder mage then tried several spells to try and knock Ritsuka off balance, but Ritsuka clapped his hands together, turning the whips into a sphere to shield him from the blasts.

Zouken clicked his tongue as he tried again, but the sphere soon shot out two more whips, slicing into his hands, before surrounding them inside itself. The elderly mage watched helplessly as the bugs that made up his arms were soon crushed inside the mercury like glass ornaments, and all he could do was regenerate the arms with new ones….. Ritsuka lowered his shield, his breath catching faster and faster, the pain was becoming unbearable, but still he fought on, not caring what would happen, for all that mattered was the here and now. Ritsuka howled as he sent several tendrils of mercury to whip Zouken again and again, with the elder mage crying out in helplessness. Soon, Zouken saw that the mercury was seeping into his body, worming its way inside, causing the elder mage to scream in horror. Zouken soon found a break as Ritsuka coughed up some blood, breaking his concentration for a small brief moment. That was all Zouken needed to try and attack him and retreat. The elder magus fired off a magic bolt at the ground to try and knock Ritsuka off his feet. But Ritsuka simply jumped away gracefully before landing with a small spin, launching a much larger tendril at Zouken's chest. Ritsuka hitched and gasped for air, allowing Zouken to try and escape. However before he could get far, a wall of flame erupted all around him, trapping him inside a ring. Why was the ground on fire in the... the liquid he was spreading around earlier must have been lighter fluid! But what could have ignited it?! Zouken looked around to see how this could be possible, the boy was out of fire, and the other Servants were fighting off Justeaze, so how is this possible? He soon got his answer as he turned his head, and widened his eyes in disbelief.

Tokiomi's staff glowed faintly, having been dislodged from its perch, and activated itself as if by sheer divine intervention. Ritsuka soon got up, and balled his hands into a fist. Zouken felt his body stiffen up and lock in place, the mercury that got into his body being the root cause. He couldn't move an inch, and was now at the mercy of this young man. With a quick breath, Ritsuka rushed in, and leapt straight into the fire, his right hand raised, his eyes burning with resolve as he unleashed one last roar of defiance.

"YOU'RE NOT TOUCHIN' SAKURA EVER AGAIN!"

BANG!

Ritsuka's punch sounded like a cannon firing off, everyone within the cavern heard it as if they were right there. Zouken's face recoiled as the boy's punch knocked him off his feet, and sent him flying into the ring of fire. He couldn't even scream as he felt the rest of his bugs finally caught fire, even when he flew out of the flames and hit a boulder behind him. Zouken simply gasped silently as the last of the bugs forming his body turned to ash, leaving only a small worm to wriggle about. The worm was around thumb sized, and shaped in a very…..interesting way, one that could be easily spotted if caught. The worm knew it was in danger, and tried to slither away, knowing Ritsuka wouldn't be able to catch it in time.

"Fou!"

The worm felt white hot pain course through its body as it felt something pierce flagella from behind. The worm might not see the way normal humans could, but with magic, it could see that the thing keeping it in place was a familiar white haired creature, a single claw pinning it to the ground as the critter bared its fangs and snarled at it.

"Thanks Fou…." Ritsuka said through labored breaths. "However, we're gonna need to disinfect that entire paw of yours after we're done. Can't allow such filth to stain you…"

The worm turned around and saw Ritsuka, having braved the flames, walking towards them with cold, steely eyes. With a gesture of a hand, Ritsuka used the mercury around the worm to trap it with a set of spikes, which then turned into a sphere, latching onto the worm, and trapped it within, leaving only a small peephole, not even big enough to crawl out of. Ritsuka breathed heavily for several moments, before turning to see Tokiomi's staff on the ground, and slowly made his way to pick it up. As soon as he took it, the Chaldean Master used it to support his body from falling over from the damages he sustained. Ritsuka then stared down at the worm, setting the prison down on a rock at eye level.

"I bet you're wonderin' where I got such a fancy toy, aren't ya, ya piece of trash." Ritsuka snarled. "Well, let's just say this was a little gift from Kayneth before he left."

The worm writhed and tried attacking the prison it was in, trying to find any way of escape. It kept on in a futile effort as Ritsuka watched it with contempt, feeling his blood continuing to boil within his veins. "Don't even bother. Ya can't break outta that ball, so just get comfortable."

Fou stared at Ritsuka for a few moments before his ears perked up, and left the Chaldean Master's side. The white critter soon returned with Ritsuka's communicator, still on, and Ritsuka could hear the cheers coming from the Command Room, all celebrating his victory.

"I'll give you the riot act later," Medusa said. "However, seeing you beat that bastard Zouken the way you did was quite satisfying."

Ritsuka simply snorted, smiling slightly. "Glad I could make your day…."

Ritsuka then turned his attention to the worm inside its prison and scowled. "Now that I have ya where I want ya, you're gonna be silent, and watch this. Do ya understand?"

With that out of the way, Ritsuka turned his attention back to the battle against Justeaze and her clones.

Diarmuid studied his foes carefully, his long years of battle sharpening his knowledge of the battlefield to a razor's tip. The Blackened Grail, the one who used to be referred to as Justeaze, was a dangerous opponent. If any of them should fall, their souls will be absorbed by the Grail, by her, and her strength will swell. Thus, the logical approach would be to fight defensively, avoiding the loss of any allies as that would only strengthen their foe.

Several tendrils, composed of shadow-infused fire, water, earth, and air thrashed through the group, narrowly missing several. A cruel cackle erupted from the group of Justeaze copies, their normally-lovely faces twisted into perverse joy as they toyed with their buffet.

"Gahaha! Almost got them that time!" yelled Fire Justeaze.

"The tall, dark, and handsome one looks particularly delicious…" muttered Water Justeaze.

"Please stop talking like that!" cried out Irisviel, pale features blooming into pink. "It's like facing the original one all over again….."

It was very unnerving to hear those words from someone who looked very similar to herself running around with her top exposed…

"No need to be so serious, you're thinking the same thing, Lesser Grail," commented Air Justeaze.

She was cut off by an arrow flying through her chest. Normally, such a blow would've been fatal, even to a well-made Einzbern homunculus.

"That's quite rude, young man," said Air Irisviel, ripping the arrow out of her torso.

Despite the gush of blood and ripped viscera from the arrow's barb, the woman healed instantly, leaving not even a scar on her pale flesh.

Emiya bit his lip; he had surmised the Justeaze Copies would have high speed regeneration, similar to Dark Sakura. He was hoping that splitting herself across multiple copies would at least leave her heart vulnerable, but to no avail.

"How about you let me take a swing!" yelled Cu, leaping behind Emiya with his spear glowing red.

"That one!" yelled Air Justeaze, retreating as quickly backwards as she could to put as much distance between herself and Gáe Bulg.

She knew, in the pit of her stomach, that she would not survive any strikes with that weapon. Whatever else might come, she must not be struck by that spear.

Elsewhere, Mashu was doing her best to weather the blows from Earth Justeaze. Her shield was mighty, but her foe was constantly creating tremors beneath her feet to destabilize her footing. The Older Waver was behind her, doing his best to heal while providing support to the young girl.

"Shame, I thought the injured one would make an easy, yet unappetizing snack…" quipped Earth Justeaze, frustrated at Mashu barring access to her food.

"Lord El-Melloi II, how much longer do you need?" asked Mashu, only barely managing to hold a defensive position after another tremor.

"...It''ll take too long," said the Older Waver, his face scrunched into frustration at his weakness, "She'll get me eventually, you should go over to Saber or Diarmuid. Make them pay for any victory."

"NO!" declared Mashu, planting her shield further into the ground, "We will not lose anybody in this fight! There has to be a way for us to come out of this!"

Another tremor from Earth Justeaze echoed through the duo, launching Mashu into the air. Like this, she had no way to defend herself or reposition. An earth tendril snaked underneath and rose suddenly, searching for its prey.

Mash braced herself for impact, recognizing how dangerous it was to Servants.

SMASH!

She felt the impact of Earth Justeaze's tendril, and an odd cold sensation…but only just.

"Ehh, that's weird…" said Earth Justeaze, confused, "You taste very nasty, and…I can't eat you like a Servant…"

The Older Waver felt a flash of inspiration; of course Mashu would have resistance to the Blackened Grail; Rin was capable of walking through the grail mud for the same reason. As they were flesh and blood individuals, they would be much harder to devour than a regular Servant.

"Mashu, how much magical energy do you have?" asked Waver, eyes focused.

"Ahh, it is going down, but…at least 80%?" replied Mash, feeling her energy being siphoned by the tendril attached to her chest.

"Grab that one, and wait for my signal!" ordered Older Waver.

He then opened a communication to devise his plan.

The two Assassins zipped across the battlefield, thankful for their speed. Water Justeaze's tendrils expanded and curved at unpredictable angles, as if they were fighting the water itself. Hundred Faces felt irate, wishing to create more copies to battle the Blackened Grail copies, but had to restrain herself. It took every ounce of her power to keep up, and any new Faces she made would be gobbled up by her foe.

"Kihihihi!" laughed Water Justeaze, clamoring deviously while she launched attack after attack against the two Assassin, "Good moves, sir! Ahh, in the moonlight, it is as if we are dancing!"

Kiritsugu was silent, his mind entirely focused on abusing Time Accel. While it would enable him to evade the water tendrils, the distance between Water Justeaze and himself was too great to reach. It was an impasse…but the opponent's words were not helping his concentration.

"Kiritsugu, Assassin!" came the mental voice of the Older Waver.

"Yes?" replied Kiritsugu, "I take it you have a plan?"

"Of a sort. Mashu is dealing with the one over here, can you see her?" said Older Waver.

While it was difficult to see, Kiritsugu could make out the faint details of the yellow-robed Justeaze and a bob of purple hair.

"Affirmative." replied Kiritsugu, "Has she neutralized her target?"

"Not yet, but I think we can get them both at the same time. Can you immobilize Water Justeaze?" said Older Waver, hoping one of the two had a Noble Phantasm for binding foes.

It was rare for Kiritsugu to feel regret when it came to his kit…but capturing or immobilizing enemies was not something he ever had to do in life. All he could do was kill…which of rather limited use against a near-immortal monster.

"Lord El-Melloi II," piped up Hundred Face, "I may not be able to bind her, but with Kiritsugu, I believe we can stop her movements. It will require your cooperation, however."

Hundred Faces looked at Kiritsugu, transmitting her plan to stop Water Justeaze in her tracks.

"Ahh," said Kiritusugu openly, to Water Justeaze's surprise.

"Oh, that's the first time you've said anything. I thought you were going for the 'strong and silent' approach, did I charm you a little bit?" asked Water Justeaze, mockingly.

Kiritsugu had stopped bouncing around, his Magic Circuits quieted as the water tendrils stopped their pursuit. He could feel a shadow creep behind his back, whispering into his ear…

"I just thought…should we really be fighting?" asked Kiritsugu, voice unsure.

"Eh? But you're Servants? And I'm the Grail. You're meant to be inside me." replied Water Justeaze, now confused as to the dark Assassin's sudden change.

The Counter Guardian swallowed audibly. His eyes looked away sheepishly, but continued his verbal eloquence.

"It's just…a beautiful lady like yourself…I would feel bad if I hurt you…" replied Kiritsugu, his voice trying to emote.

The effect was instant. The once-disastrously cruel Water Justeaze grew flustered and began fidgeting in the air after hearing those words.

"B-Beautiful lady! Ah, well, I suppose my Original was known for her beauty, that bug man practically worshipped at her feet…" mumbled Water Justeaze.

There was no way this was happening, thought Kiritsugu, but the truth was right in front of him.

"Continue, Counter Guardian," whispered one of Hundred Face's personas behind his back.

She was a tiny girl with purple hair and dark skin. Her mask was askew, the better to whisper instructions to her partner, as she clung to his back.

"I literally have no idea what to say to her now," replied Kiritsugu.

"Lady Einzbern shares the same soul as Lady Justeaze, the same soul of the Greater Grail. Speak to her as if she was your wife!" said Child Face.

Taking a deep breath to steel his nerves, Kiritsugu continued. His current mission was to seduce the enemy.

"Exactly! Amongst the many women I have met…none are as beautiful as you. I…I…" stuttered Kiritsugu, before a sharp kick in the ribs by Child Face slammed the words out of him, "I would rather die than see you perish."

Irisviel held her hands to her mouth, her face now perfectly resembling a maiden in love…and one immensely jealous.

The most disturbing sight, however, was seeing Water Justeaze mirroring Irisviel.

"How can you say that?! Seriously, I worked myself into a sweat with all this fighting, and then you-you…start saying those sweet words! You should give a lady at least 2 weeks' notice! I have to try out a new hairstyle, paint my nails, find a lovely moonlit castle for us to visit…" blabbered Water Justeaze, agony now apparent on her face.

"I know, and I'm sorry…" continued Kiritsugu, now walking towards Water Justeaze who had fallen to the ground, "It's just…I can't speak my mind very well at times. Only when I'm with you can I really be honest…"

Water Justeaze bit her lip while her eyes swelled with affection. It was rather bizarre to see such an expression on the previously cruel and depraved woman; Hundred Faces genuinely did not expect for this strategy to be this effective.

"Well, be that as it may, I would normally forgive you. Yes yes, despite the dustiness, I think you'd make a fine suitor…" started Water Justeaze, before her depraved smile returned, "But I think I'd much rather eat you and make you mine forever! Yes, I'm crafting a nice spot, right next to my heart, where I can keep you for all eternity. Ahh, the thought of us together…!"

A powerful water tendril appeared, at far too close a distance for Kiritsugu to dodge reliably. That was unnecessary, however, the plan was just to keep Water Justeaze from moving for a few seconds.

"NOW!" cried out Mashu, joining the battlefield.

In her hand was an earth tendril…belonging to Earth Justeaze.

"GRRHHH!" grunted Kiritsugu as he activated Time Accel.

His goal wasn't Water Justeaze…but her water tendril. He reached his hand out, and gripped the sheathe of fluid as tightly as he could. The effect was instant, he could feel the energy composing his body being siphoned away into Water Justeaze. The woman made a lewd expression, as if she were on the cusp of ecstasy. It turned into fear, however, when she realized her mistake.

"Y-You! How did you get so-" started Water Justeaze, realizing her folly.

Sprinting as fast as he could push his degrading body with Time Accel, Kiritsugu intercepted Mashu, and they smashed the tendrils in their hands together.

With that, a circuit was made between the two. Earth Justeaze began draining Water, while Water drained Earth simultaneously. They were frozen, their energy being cycled through one another in a continuous loop. The Blackened Grail was made to consume Servants; thus, thought Waver, even its copies would prioritize absorbing Servants. However, the Elemental Justeazes were similar in composition to a Servant, and thus they couldn't do anything but absorb right now.

With the two Elementals now frozen, their front of the battle had ended. Older Waver walked over to join the group.

"Very good job, Hundred Faces," said Older Waver, "I'm not quite sure what you did with Emiya senior, but it worked magnificently."

Kiritsugu felt a strong desire to cover his face up and disappear, but repressed it as he saw Irisviel arrive. She was carried in the arms of a burly Face, who joined with Child Face.

"The Mastery of Many Skills served us well. Not all assassinations require only stealth and killing," replied Hundred Faces.

The burly Face gave a polite bow, before turning into a shadow and rejoining Hundred Faces.

"Lady Einzbern…at least half of the dialogue was from Kiritsugu," said Child Face, before giving a similar bow and returning to Hundred Faces.

With that, Irisviel walked over to Kiritsugu and placed her hands on his. The right hand, the one Kiritsugu had used to grasp Water Justeaze's tendril, was cracked and partially transparent. Simple rest and magical energy wouldn't reverse this damage.

"Here, let me see it," said Irisviel.

"About-" started Kiritsugu, who was stopped by Iri.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad," said Iri, "It's not over yet."

With her healing magecraft, Irisviel restored Kiritsugu's hand. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best she could do in her current state.

"Thank you." said Kiritsugu, trying to look Irisviel in the eyes.

Irisviel smiled sweetly, happy that Kiritsugu had survived. If he had held on a second longer…

"Lady Einzbern, what do you mean it's not over?" asked Older Waver, looking worriedly at the frozen Justeaze copies. "They're taken care of, so shouldn't we focus on the others?"

"It's as I said; those two are not defeated yet, merely trapped in a permanent loop. If it were Fire and Water, or Earth and Air, the opposing elements might annihilate each other. As it is, if Fire touches Earth, or Air touches Water, they could probably free them." explained Irisviel.

"That makes sense, it follows the laws of Alchemical Elements. Hell, if we take the Original as Quintessence, she'd probably be able to unfreeze both of them herself." said Waver, understanding the Foundation.

"Shall we eliminate them?" asked Hundred Faces, readying a knife.

"No. We don't have anything to inflict an unhealable wound, or a Noble Phantasm strong enough to utterly destroy them right now," continued Irisviel, observing the linked tendrils, "We could guard them to make sure they don't get unfrozen, but we're all rather exhausted. Ms. Shielder, you're at your limit as well. Even with a proper body, Earth Justeaze must've taken a lot from you."

"I am still capable of fighting!" urged Mashu, trying to fight her fatigue, "I am not sure if I will be able to deploy Lord Chaldeas however…"

Older Waver was beginning to understand Irisviel's logic. This was a temporary victory. Even disregarding Fire and Air, their opponents could reactivate unless they were permanently dealt with.

"Then you have a plan?" asked Older Waver.

"Yes," said Irisviel, turning to face everyone, "The Original, the Blackened Grail, shares the same soul as myself. Or, rather, I share her soul as well. Alchemy was used to create these copies, but they're still part of the Original. Therefore, they're part of me…"

"You plan on absorbing them into yourself," declared Kiritsugu, "That would remove them from the field."

"Yep!" said Irisiviel, smiling contently, "With the souls of the fallen Servants removed from me, I should have space for it, in theory…"

"Those were made from the Blackened Grail!" yelled Older Waver, "They're no longer 'just' your ancestor, they'll try and override you!"

It was a massive risk, everyone knew that. Which was greater; try and guard the Elementals despite their diminished strength, or let Irisviel absorb the Elementals and hope she keeps her individuality?

"Can you do this?" asked Kiritsugu.

Irisviel took a second to ponder everything that had occurred since she entered Fuyuki. Summoning Saber, meeting Kiritsugu and the others, and living a life away from the castle…

"Yes, I can!" answered Irisviel, with complete confidence.

"...Then go ahead." replied Kiritsugu.

If Irisviel said she can do it, then she can do it. There was no doubt in his mind.

With a deep breath, Irisviel spread her hands and gripped the Water and Earth tendrils. She felt the pull, which was expected; these weapons were meant for draining magical energy after all. She pushed through that, however, tracing the connection back to the core. Despite the color, it was still the same as hers.

Simultaneously, both Water and Earth Justeazes began to glow and dissolve. Like waves breaking down a sand castle, they disappeared, bit by bit. Until, eventually, the tendrils became mere water and dirt, and fell to the floor.

Irisviel fell to her knee, overwhelmed by the sudden surge entering her body.

"Irisviel…?" asked Kiritsugu, cautiously.

The lady stood up and turned around, her face making a familiar but wholly unwelcome expression.

"Kihihhi! Darling! Look, I've got myself a new body! Ahh, flesh and blood feels so good after so long! Want to feel these babies!?" cried Irisviel, her face and voice identical to Water Justeaze, "Come to me, Lord Kiritsugu. I'll spare you if you swear to be mine!"

Everybody leapt back, summoning their weapons and preparing to fight another battle.

"Joking!" said Irisviel again, deflating the tension.

"That was not funny." said Kiritsugu, putting up his hood and face wrap.

"Good work guys…" Ritsuka said telepathically. The group widened their eyes in astonishment before Mashu decided to take the call.

"Senpai! Does this mean that….."

"Yeah, I managed to neutralize that thing, and I have it imprisoned right now. But I won't be able to do anything else… But don't worry about me. Just take care of those clones and Justeaze, and I'll try to rest up."

"Very well." Older Waver said. "We'll do just that. My younger self has been leading us very well while you were busy, loathe as I am to admit it…."

"I wish I could chuckle, right now, but right now that's not in the cards…"

"Then we'll end this quickly so we can get you out of here." Irisviel replied. Without uttering another word, the connection was severed, and the victors gave a silent nod before they locked eyes with the groups fighting fire Justeaze and Air Justeaze. They would have to perform the process all over again, all the while those fighting the original copy had to hold her off.

They would just have to hope they can hold out long enough to make it work…..

(Yatsu looks at OC, who is wearing the armor of the Dark Angels Space Marine chapter, all covered in blood and guts of Tyranids and Chaos Space Marines, his power sword resting by his seat.)

Y: Skulls for the Skull Throne!

OC: Do I hear heresy?!

Y: There is only one answer for heretics!

OC: They shall be bathed in His holy light! But after I get all this bug blood off of me. I have to look good when spreading the word of the Emperor…

Y: Funnily enough, I watched Starship Troopers with friends a few nights ago. It was fun (quite different from the book however…). I think they'd agree with wiping out bugs.

OC: They shall help us eradicate Xenos filth from the galaxy…..Oh sorry everyone, but I've been playing Space Marine 2 since the 9th, so I got carried away. I was so excited and its so much fun! Well in any case we have a lot to discuss here, and one part in particular was something that Yatsu and I have been looking forward to seeing for a LONG time. So for the beginning, we had the big reveal that Zouken had actually been played by Chaldea the entire time, and that him going after Irisviel last chapter was what they were banking on. And it wasn't Ritsuka who came up with it, but the one and only Older Waver! After having Zouken be such a chess master to be outclassed in one of his own games, it was surely satisfying to see him lose in such a way.

Y: It's a nice way to have a Chessmaster vs Chessmaster confrontation. Zouken was stuck in a rut and unable to realize that the pieces were not what he had imagined. The penalty of staying alive for so long and degrading into a pile of worms is that…well, makes one rather predictable once their habits are known.

OC: And boy he did not like being caught like that. And it lead to the finale of his fight with Ritsuka. He went all out and Ritsuka absolutely got demolished for the most of it, having his ribs broken, his flamethrowers running out of juice, and being beaten to a pulp. And yet he kept getting back up and basically told Zouken "I didn't hear no damn bell." And he pulled off the win by going absolutely apeshit. Using Kayneth's mercury and the last Mana Prism to overload his body, but to take the win with one flipping punch.

Fun fact time, the idea of Ritsuka using Kayneth's mercury was Yatsu's idea since the very beginning of this arc, and as the genius he was, made it so that Ritsuka would have to trap Zouken in it to clench his victory. And for all you Demon Slayer fans out there, I was inspired to make it due to Tanjiro vs Rui, and I even LISTENED to Tanjiro no Uta when writing that particular fight.

Y: Fun fact, mercury was believed to be effective against supernatural threats in the past. It's believed due to its resemblance to silver (a natural antibiotic), hence its old fashioned name, quicksilver. And yes, that's also the same line of logic as to why The Hunter from Bloodborne uses quicksilver bullets; mercury bullets that can be fit into any specially prepared weapon. Well, in this case, Ritsuka doesn't have the sheer finesse that Reines does (she can make the mercury into an autonomous robo-maid), nor the power that Kayneth had (we saw him create a lot of crude but dangerous attacks with it), he did have just enough to trap Zouken in.

OC: And to whip him with. He basically went Doomslayer on him in that regard. But what's important is that despite winning, Ritsuka isn't exactly in fighting condition anymore, and now has to rest on the sidelines. And it leads to the fights with Justeaze. So for the first half, Justeaze was just toying with everyone, like a good new villain. And then the clones happened…So I kinda had that idea thanks to a few friends suggesting that, so I decided to implement them. But not for Irisviel, but for Justeaze. And Yatsu basically cooked when writing that fight with the two clones, and I nearly died laughing twice while reading it lol.

Y: It was a fun write-up. My logic was: Justeaze and her descendants (the Einzbern Lesser Grails) share the same soul, and thus can affect each other's mentality. Hence, the Elemental Justeazes share the Original/Irisviel's feelings for Kiritsugu. Similar to how the Sakura 5 inherited BB/Sakura's love for Hakuno. And, similar to that, express it in highly discomorting ways. Water Justeaze was deeply hurt by Kiritsugu 'playing with a maiden's heart', but was willing to forgive it in exchange for Iri scaring the pants off everybody. For those curious, Earth Justeaze is much more tsundere; the dusty man is handsome and charming, but has zero class. If things were reversed, she would demand he learn proper manners (how to hold a fork, how to give a polite bow, stop dressing like a hobo) before he asks for her hand…and then try and eat him afterwards. Good thing Hundred Faces could adapt to that thanks to that one Skill of theirs, though success would go from 90% to 40%. As for Air and Fire Justeazes, well you'll have to stay tuned for that.

OC: Indeed. Sorry folks, but I intended for this chapter to finish the entire arc in one go so we could get to the chapter dedicated to Atsuko Tanaka, but Yatsu was right in saying this chapter was long enough, so we agreed to end the chapter here and continue next chapter. The next chapter WILL be the end of the Fate Zero Collab, we promise, and we hope to wrap it up in a nice little bow. So that's all for this week, thank you all for stopping by, and please join us again for the last chapter of the Collab next time. Owen Chaser and Yatsu sign-

(The walls blow open showing Tyranids roaring and ready to eat everyone)

OC:... Well, it looks like I have to slay more Xenos scum! FOR THE EMPEROR!

(OC activates his power sword and cuts through tyranids while laughing like a maniac as he slays the Xenos)

Y: Hrmm well, if it worked against PROPER, HIGH-TECH, BUGS WITH SPACE TRAVEL AND TRANSORBITAL WEAPONRY…

(Activate Power Armor from the real Mobile Infantry)

Y: Signing off!

(Yatsu laughs as he joins OC in slaying the Tyranids, the blood bath would take weeks to get out of the studio as the audience eats popcorn…or some of them join in to slay the bugs.)