Prism Mayhem (F/SN X Prisma Illya)

[Renko]

I kinda laugh a little when Saber insisted on revealing her identity to Assassin.

Nice job!

[Ausreford]

Chapter 22 - Raid on Ryuudou Temple

-

“Well, I suppose that’ll do for now.”

Upon hearing those much-awaited words, Illyasviel von Einzbern let her body collapse to the ground in a most unladylike fashion. She did not bother rescinding her Lancer Install, nor did she care if the ground was dirty from all the dust and dirt she and her Spartan (he was actually Irish, but at that moment it did not matter very much) instructor had kicked up in their ‘training’.

At least, that was what Lancer and Saber referred to their ‘beat-the-tar-out-of-magical-girls’ sessions as.

“You ain’t half bad, brat,” Lancer said, looking as though he had just come back from a short walk outside. It made Illya wonder if he was cheating by sapping her mana in order to do battle with her (which was hellish enough as-is). “Normal magi can’t hope to fight at your level. You should be glad.”

“Is that so…” Illya muttered into the ground. “Then why is it that I don’t feel all that glad right now…?”

“I completely agree!” Ruby, having transformed back into her Magical Wand of Love and Justice Form, added indignantly. “Such violent battles are not what magical girls are about! They’re more about flying around giving off sparkles, bubbles, hope – as well as displaying indecent exposure – all while obliterating the enemy in a barrage of white-hot energy!”

“Somehow I recall all our battles with the Class Cards being violent one way or another, though,” Illya mumbled. Then, with energy even she did not know she had left, she lifted her head in one swift motion. “Wait! What was that about indecent exposure?!”

“Ara, did I not mention it before?” Ruby chuckled. “A magical girl’s greatest strength is her cuteness, so it’s only natural we try to show as much of said cuteness as possible~”

“That’s not being cute!” Illya retorted. “That’s just being a pervert!”

“My, my, Illya-san,” Ruby sighed. “You won’t ever be a proper Magical Girl if you worry about tiny details like that…”

“I do worry! And it’s not a tiny detail!”

“Look, brat,” Lancer said, raising his voice to make sure they could hear him over their bickering. “This is gonna be our last training session before we raid that temple. This is as much as I can teach you, and while it’s more than enough to defeat a couple of magi, you’re still gonna have problems facing proper Servants. That’s why, I want you to leave the enemy Servants to me and Saber wherever possible. You understand?”

“… Yes,” Illya replied. As much as she hated to admit it, she was more likely to be a burden than anything else if she was to fight alongside Lancer as she was right now. If that was the case, the best support she could offer was to not get in his way. “I understand…”

“C’mon, don’t give me that face,” Lancer sighed. “You’re still a better fighter than most of the Masters in this War, I can guarantee you that much.”

Illya nodded unenthusiastically. She vaguely wondered what he meant by ‘most’, but dismissed it as a comment referring to this world’s Shirou. Seeing that his encouragement had no effect, Lancer considered his options.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he said. He did not like bringing it up, but this was a time-tested way to distract his tiny Master from just about anything. “This is something for you to keep in mind while in battle. It’s important, especially for a girl like you.”

Seeing that he had her attention, he cleared his throat and added in a serious tone:

“Absolutely no ‘Beast Mode’, okay?”

“I told you to forget about that!”

-

“Illya-san! Incoming!”

Barely hearing the words over the tumultuous roar of multiple explosions, Illya hastily dove for cover. Had she been in her Lancer Install form, she could have evaded the enemy’s magical beams without trouble, but she was not. Instead, she and Miyu had opted for their default Magical Girl forms in an attempt to maintain the element of surprise (as well as to preserve their prana), which was now proving to be a hindrance.

“Class Card, Lancer-” she began, only to be interrupted by a stray beam of magic. “R-Ruby! We’re in trouble! Isn’t there a way we can Install the cards without having to shout the command?!”

“Eh~?” Ruby whined, seemingly oblivious to the constant bombardment headed their way. “But it’s more Magical Girl-like that way!”

“Your ‘Magical Girl-likeness’ is going to get us killed!” Illya screamed as a beam of light narrowly missed her head. “Seriously! We’re going to die here!”

“Nee-san, I believe it’s time you stopped fooling around,” Sapphire said calmly as she surrounded Miyu with a powerful barrier that lasted about two seconds. “The situation is most dire.”

“Tch,” Ruby folded her wings across her ring. “Fine, fine. Just do it randomly, Illya-san. As long as you will it to in your head, the Install should work alright. It’s so boring, though…”

“Tell me things like that earlier next time!” Illya yelled, diving behind a reinforced shield created by Miyu. “Did you hear that, Miyu? We can perform the Install!”

“…No, it’s no good,” Miyu replied, hopping into the air as the spot they were at moments before was blown apart. “The Saber Install isn’t good with range. If I unleash its only ranged attack here-!”

A beam of light collided into her at that moment, cutting off the rest of her sentence and sending Miyu crashing into a wall.

“Miyu!” Illya yelled, but was forced to continue her evasion as countless more beams rained down on her. “Why...? Why’re you doing this, Caster?!”

Unfazed by the little girl’s question, their supposed ally Caster smiled.

Naturally, she was happy. Everything had gone so smoothly – almost too smoothly, in fact – that she was feeling nothing but joy at the moment. It had all been so simple, but it had been so effective at the same time.

Just like she had told them to, Saber was left at the Temple gates and Lancer ended up battling Rider. That left the main group – composed of three girls and a mediocre magus – vulnerable, and the best part of it all was that they were here.

They had run right into the room she prepared for this battle, effectively giving her an easy victory. They were putting themselves at her mercy without her having to do a thing. What more could she ask for?

“Ugh!”

Tumbling across the crater-filled floor, Emiya Shirou almost dropped the weapons in his hands. Granted, they were nothing more than broken copies of Archer’s blades, but it was the best form of offense he could muster at the moment. Right next to him was a slightly less beat-up Kuro, who was panting as though she had just run several marathons.

“This isn’t good,” she muttered. She had expected the battle to be swift, considering her opponent was a human instead of Caster, so being defeated this one-sidedly was not part of the plan. To make matters worse, she was losing despite having Shirou on her side. Despite the odds heavily in their favor, they were being overwhelmed so badly it was difficult to believe their opponent was human. "This guy is... bad news…"

Not pausing to mock her nor to let them catch their breath, the robot-like man that was Kuzuki Souichirou approached the pair, intent on continuing to crush the life out of them. The self-proclaimed Master of Caster had not spoken a single word since the start of their battle, nor had he displayed a modicum of emotion. There was nothing about this opponent she could read, and there was no opening she could take advantage of. How was she supposed to fight against someone like that?

“Kuzuki… sensei…” Shirou groaned, steadily getting to his feet. It was difficult to tell just how badly he was hurt, but Kuro knew that he was nearing his limit. “Why are you… Is Caster… controlling you…?”

“… I see,” Kuzuki said, opening his mouth for the first time. “You believe I’m being manipulated by Caster, so you hold back in the hopes of freeing me.”

Kuro tightened the grip on her swords. She had not expected Kuzuki to start talking all of a sudden, but it was an opportunity she was not going to let slip. She could not get a clear view of Illya and Miyu’s battle against Caster from where she was (not that Kuzuki gave her room to even breathe anyway), but the pain-sharing spell between her and Illya told her enough. They were fighting a losing battle, and unless they could take out Kuzuki there was no hope of victory.

Well, there’s no guarantee he’s actually her Master, after all the lies she’s already fed us, she thought. But you guys sure aren’t giving us a choice, huh?

“But you are misinformed,” Kuzuki went on. “I am acting of my own volition. I chose to take part in this Holy Grail War as Caster’s Master, and I chose to oppose you. There is no need for you to hold back, Emiya. Come at me with the intent to kill.”

“N-no way,” Shirou stammered. “Then you’re fine with all this?! She’s going to kill them! Are you alright with her doing something like that?!”

“I’m not responsible for their lives,” Kuzuki replied, his tone devoid of emotion. “They chose to get involved with this conflict, and as such it is their responsibility-”

Kuro missed the rest of his words, having teleported behind him while he was in the middle of his speech. Even with the incredible strength and speed he had displayed, there was no way for him to avoid a sudden attack to his blind spot.

I have to kill him.

The all-too-familiar voice interrupted her thoughts, bringing with it a jolt of pain that dulled her movements for a split second. Under normal circumstances, Kuro would still have been able to land her attack, but her current opponent was different.

Displaying speed rivaling that of a Servant’s, Kuzuki ducked, avoided her blades, spun on the spot and slammed the back of a fist into Kuro’s side all in one swift motion.

Pain exploded across the side of her waist, and hardly a moment later Kuro crashed into a nearby pillar, almost breaking the structure in the process.

“Damn it…” she muttered, trying and failing to get to her feet. “I thought I told you to stop getting in my way…”

“Kuro! Are you alright?!” Shirou yelled. His voice sounded extremely distant, but whether it was due to her fading consciousness or his own lack of strength was unclear.

Kuro opened her mouth – presumably to say something sarcastic – only to shut it immediately as a fresh wave of pain assaulted her frame. Whatever that Kuzuki person was doing, it let him hit harder than even Bazett.

“Run…” she mumbled. Between her own pain and the pain transmitted to her from Illya, Kuro could no longer summon any strength to fight. “Run, Shirou…”

The world around her faded out of focus. The pain grew hazier and hazier, as though it too, was fading into the comfortable darkness that encroached her being.

“Run…”

Before that one word could escape her lips, the world had already gone dark.

-

“Miyu!” Illya cried, attempting to protecting both of them with Ruby’s magical barrier. “Miyu! Are you okay?!”

“Illya-san, this is bad,” Ruby pointed out, her voice now laced with a hint of worry. “We can’t hold back her attacks like this!”

“But what can we do?!” Illya yelled, watching helplessly as Caster’s unrelenting bombardment started putting cracks in her barrier. “If I Install a Class Card, then Miyu will get hit!”

“I’m… okay,” Miyu managed feebly, trying and barely managing to push herself up. “D-do it, Illya… We have no hopes of winning otherwise…”

“Miyu-sama, you can’t!” Sapphire warned. “The damage is much worse than you think! Even my regenerating abilities will take some time to heal you!”

“We need more firepower,” Miyu muttered, her expression showing just how much pain she was in just then. “But… I can’t move…”

“Isn’t there another way?!” Illya asked. “The barrier won’t last much longer!”

“… There is,” Ruby muttered, sounding dead serious for what might be the first time. “But…”

“Nee-san, that’s-” Sapphire began.

“We don’t have a choice, Sapphire-chan!” Ruby replied. “If it’s just for a minute or so, then it should be okay!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if you have something then hurry!” Illya exclaimed, her legs buckling under the strain of holding Caster at bay. “Ruby!”

“… Understood,” Ruby replied.

An eruption of light swallowed Illya, just as Caster’s Rain of Light pierced her feeble barrier. The giant pillar of raw energy deflected the Servant’s blasts, before blasting a hole through the ceiling and into the night sky.

“Illya!” Shirou yelled, forgetting about his opponent in the heat of the moment.

Almost as though it had heard him, the pillar of light rescinded, revealing an unhurt Illya wearing what appeared to be a newer version of her standard Magical Girl outfit. For a few seconds, everything was still, and even Caster stopped her attack to observe the situation at hand.

“What is this…?”Illya wondered aloud. “Ruby, this is…”

“Yes, Illya-san,” Ruby replied. “We don’t have time for an explanation, so please make this quick.”

“… Okay,” Illya replied, tightening her grip on the new wand in her hand. Ruby and Sapphire had disappeared in that pillar of light, replaced with a wand that had a sphere at its end. For reasons she could not wrap her head around just then, the sphere had two floating stars in it, and from said stars she could hear Ruby and Sapphire’s voices. “I don’t quite get what’s going on, but this means I can fight Caster now, right?”

“Illya…” Miyu gasped. “T-that’s…”

“You’re right, Miyu,” Illya replied, nodding wisely. “… I have absolutely no idea how this happened, either.”

“Don’t sweat the small details, Illya-san!” Ruby reprimanded. “You’re a Magical Girl! Just chalk it up to miracles, love power, random magic or love power!”

“Was there a need to say ‘love power’ twice…?” Illya asked. “Ugh!”

“Illya-sama, the prana consumption in this form is far greater than the Include or the Install,” Sapphire said. “If we don’t end this battle quickly, your body might not be able to handle the strain.”

“I-I got it,” Illya replied.

“Illya-” Miyu began, only to catch herself before saying anything. Without Sapphire by her side, there wasn’t anything she could say to say to Illya just then. She was in no position to offer concern, so instead she said only one thing: “Be careful.”

“Don’t worry, Miyu,” Illya assured her, a newfound confidence in her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”

-

Bright, vermillion sparks burst into being before her eyes, followed swiftly by the sharp screech of clashing metal.

As though alive, Assassin’s sword sliced through the air, each and every slash a graceful step in the samurai’s refined dance. He had not a single wasted moment; every step, every swing, was made with utmost precision – precision that could only have come from years upon years of devotion to the way of the sword. Such exquisite swordsmanship surely belonged to a noble warrior, a true swordsman worthy of countless praises and undoubtedly with a mountain of accomplishments to his name.

And yet, the man’s sword was empty.

No matter how many times her sword met his, she could not figure it out. Regardless of how their weapons clashed, there was nothing to be felt from his blade. Even with such impeccable skills, nothing of the wielder flowed into his weapon. She simply could not read his movements, his thoughts. Or perhaps she was reading him, but there was simply nothing to be read.

Within him, there was surely no pride to be found. There were no emotions, no desire, no aspirations – there was nothing in his sword that a swordsman of his caliber should have. His movements, though impressive, lost all meaning when all he wielded was an empty blade. His swordplay, rather than being techniques practiced by a warrior who sought victory, was reduced to nothing more than moves born of endless repetition. This man was hollow, and as such so was his sword.

Yet, inexplicably, he was smiling.

“What makes you smile, Assassin?” she asked as she put some distance between them. “Do you think of this battle as nothing more than a farce?”

“Of course not,” Assassin replied. “I’m merely enjoying the moment, Saber. My face simply betrayed my feelings, that’s all. Or perhaps you mean to tell me… taking joy in crossing blows with others is a foreign concept to western swordsmen?”

“Such a sentiment could only exist in honorable knights,” Saber fired back. “However, I sense no pride in your sword, Assassin. You mean to tell me that you truly understand what it means to swing a blade?”

“You misunderstand, Saber,” Assassin replied loftily. “I simply think the swordplay of accomplished swordsmen are a spectacle to behold, that’s all. It’s only to be expected that my blade lacks pride… I have no pride as a swordsman myself, after all.”

“… What did you say?” Saber asked, her expression a mixture of confusion and anger. “Are you not a Heroic Spirit, Assassin?”

“As expected, you’re too brilliant an opponent for me,” Assassin said. Whether he was speaking more to Saber or to himself was a mystery. “You proper Servants are something else, Saber. You swing your sword with a responsibility I can never have, and you take pride in the identity you carved onto the pages of history.”

She was a glorious figure extolled by many, but he was a mere shadow who could not exist without someone to cast said shadow in the first place. He had no identity to call his own, so naturally he could not be granted the same title of ‘Heroic Spirit’.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Saber,” he said, a hint of what appeared to be sadness in his voice. “But while I’m a Servant, I’m not a Heroic Spirit. I’m just a puppet summoned to do that vixen’s bidding, nothing more.”

“… What do you mean?” Saber asked, her concentration slipping ever so slightly in that moment. It did not escape Assassin’s notice, but he let it slide regardless.

“I’m-” Assassin began, only to be interrupted by a distant eruption of light from inside the Temple. “… What’s this? You have some rather interesting followers, it seems.”

“That’s…” Saber’s gaze sharpened at those words, causing a torrent of prana and wind to roar around her like a hurricane. “Move aside, Assassin. I cannot allow myself to be delayed any longer!”

“And I believe I made myself very clear as well,” Assassin replied, seemingly unaffected by Saber’s fighting spirit. “My sole purpose is to stop you. If you want to get to them, you’ll have to do so after slaying me, Saber.

“However, it wouldn’t do if your swordplay got clumsy due to impatience,” he added, descending the steps – giving up his advantage of higher ground in the process – and standing on the same level ground as Saber. “So let’s end this, Saber. In the next exchange of blows, I’ll have your head.”

“… So you’re saying you still have something up your sleeve, Assassin?” Saber asked.

“You can say that for the both of us, can you not?” Assassin replied with a smirk. “But, whether or not you can force me to use my secret technique remains to be seen.”

“… Very well,” Saber said, once more steadying her stance. “Then I shall make you move.”

“That’s the spirit,” Assassin smiled. “A woman is truly beautiful when she has nothing to hide. Now, show me everything you’ve got, Saber.”

Wind roared. Swords screeched. And into the still air of night, a spray of bright crimson bloomed.

-

“You seem rather preoccupied.”

The lightless room echoed the priest’s words, leaving behind a faint, barely audible sound. The space, bereft of heat, seemed to freeze his words the moment they left his lips, before the crushing silence swallowed them without mercy.

But even the shadows, born from the darkest corners of this desolate church, shrank away from the one he spoke to.

“Is there something that requires your attention?” Kirei asked, abstaining from using words that might be interpreted as an insult. He was all too familiar with the King of Heroes’ temper, and he was not looking forward to being impaled by countless Noble Phantasms just then.

“Of course not,” the King replied. “As if the mindless frolicking of mongrels could deserve my attention.”

Kirei did not reply. He knew better than to reply when Gilgamesh was clearly in a bad mood. Instead, he held his tongue, waiting for the King to continue.

“It’s not the mongrels that interest me,” Gilgamesh went on. “It is whatever’s being drawn to the gathering of mongrels that intrigues me.”

Seemingly satisfied with enlightening Kirei on the thoughts of a King, the King of Babylonia turned and headed for the church’s entrance. He did nothing more than walk casually, and yet even the shadows of night scurried away from him.

“Where are you headed?” Kirei asked.

“There’s something I wish to see,” the King replied. “If it truly is what it appears to be, then this Holy Grail War will be much more entertaining than expected.”

Without elaborating further, the King of Heroes departed for Ryuudou Temple, where he knew – and since he knew, it was a law – that the shadows beneath Mount Enzo was drawn to. He did not know what it was, and he did not know how it even came into existence, but there was one thing he was certain of.

If that shadow sought his Holy Grail, then it would be annihilated without mercy.

-

Yeah, this chapter was really late. Sorry about that…

There were lots of things I wanted to include in this chapter, but a lot of it got cut out because I didn’t want it to get too bloated. Hope it worked out, and yes, THAT battle is coming up soon. Real soon.

[honed]

Oh, interesting! Is Zouken taking the field as well?

[Renko]

Woah! An update? This fic is still alive!?

IT ISN'T DEAD!!!????

[Ausreford]

Naw, it's not dead (yet). I was just kinda busy lately so this one came out too late. Glad you guys are still sticking around!

As far as Zouken is concerned, his role may not be as big as one might expect. A lot of people were curious about him, too. I didn't know he was such a popular character...

[Base]

He isn't. We just like seeing him suffer.

[Ausreford]

Sorry about the delay here; school started, and boy oh boy I wasn’t expecting it to be this busy…

Chapter 23 - The Oldest of Kings Pt. 1

-

The world around it was silent. Lifeless. Even the darkness surrounding it feared its power. Its burning desire. Its seething rage.

It could not understand. It had no physical body, and thus no mind to process information. All it had was a tenuous link to a certain thing – the object it desired without knowing why – and that was its only motivation. It possessed nothing besides that desire, and as such had no interest in anything else.

And yet, it found itself moving. Writhing. Reaching for something that existed beyond the dark confines of this unknown place.

Somewhere close by, were several tiny lights. Insignificant and helpless before the darkness around them, but still glowing nonetheless. They were not the prize it sought; it knew – somehow, it knew – that the lights were seeking the same thing he was.

The ‘Holy Grail’.

It understood. Even without a mind of its own, it understood. And that was why, for the first time since it followed that mysterious voice here, it decided to move. To where the Grails were. To where the tiny lights were gathering.

To the place where an oddly familiar presence approached.

-

“This is pointless, Rin,” Archer complained. “At this rate, us being here would be completely pointless.”

“Not yet,” Rin muttered. “That little brat hasn’t jumped in yet, so don’t do anything for now.”

“From the looks of it, I won’t have anything to do soon,” Archer sighed. “I can’t see Caster anywhere, but as far as the other matchups are concerned, my intervention won’t be necessary.”

“What do you mean?”

“Rider’s hardly putting up a fight,” Archer replied, sounding almost disappointed. “Well, with a Master like that, I can’t really blame her. Lancer can finish her off without even using his Noble Phantasm.”

“What about Saber?” Rin asked. “Didn’t you say she was in a tough spot?”

“She’s rushing things,” Archer almost smirked as he said that. “If she could just calm down and focus, she’ll make quick work of Assassin.”

“You sure know her well,” Rin noted.

“I’ve seen how she fights,” Archer replied, giving his Master a noncommittal shrug. “If she could lose to Assassin in a fair fight, she’d have died to Berserker that night.”

“Is that right,” Rin said. She had phrased it like a statement, not a question. “I’ll take your word for it then.”

She was fidgeting – something quite rare for a magus like her – but Archer could not blame her; not only was Illyasviel not here, there was a strange surge of magical energy coming from further inside Ryuudou Temple. It definitely wasn’t a Servant, but it definitely wasn’t something a normal magus could pull off.

“Archer,” Rin said. “Can you see what’s happening inside from here?”

“That’s the third time you’ve asked me that, Rin,” Archer sighed. “I can’t see through solid wood, you know. And for the seventh time, I can’t sense or see Berserker anywhere near us either.”

“Then just say so,” Rin snapped. “Don’t give me that smartass remark.”

Archer considered replying – likely with a comment that would invoke the wrath of the Red Devil – but instead of dooming himself he looked away.

He considered the situation at hand. He couldn’t feel Berserker’s presence anywhere, and since there was no way of concealing something that big or a murderous intent so potent, it meant the Mad Servant was simply not here. Despite this being a big battle – which happened to include practically every Servant and that mysterious Illyasviel lookalike – the Master of Berserker had not dispatched her invincible protector.

Was she really intending to sit out on this battle? Was she confident enough of Berserker’s abilities that she didn’t need to so much as see what the other Servants were capable of? Or was she plotting something in the shadows?

No, it’s alright, Archer reasoned. Berserker doesn’t have any ranged attacks. If she wants to fight us, she’ll need to get close. Even if that giant hunk of muscle can jump, he can’t get close enough without me-

The air was still. The blood in his veins turned to ice. His train of thought stopped abruptly at that point, but it did not matter.

He had been focusing on finding Berserker’s presence. He had simply taken it for granted that she’d always have him around. He’d forgotten that there was a way for Berserker to be right next to them without warning.

“Rin,” he said as calmly as possible. “We need to get out of here, right now.”

“Aww… and I only just got here, too.”

Before he even had time to register that voice, Archer was in position, stepping between his Master and the unknown assailant while summoning Kanshou and Bakuya to his hands. All the distractions were removed from his mind, replaced by a fierce focus towards the enemy before them.

Even if the enemy was just a little girl, all by herself.

“Hmm, you sure moved fast,” Illyasviel said pleasantly. Berserker was nowhere to be seen, but she did not seem to be worried in the least. “And what’s with the swords? I thought you were a bowman.”

“Being able to adapt to any situation is vital for a Servant,” Archer replied. “You didn’t bring your giant protector with you this time?”

“I left him at home,” Illyasviel said. “I wouldn’t be able to get this close if I brought him along, after all.”

“And what, you thought you could kill me off sneakily?” Rin asked. “Pretty poor stealth if you announce yourself like that.”

“My, my, Rin-san,” Illyasviel smirked. “Only weaklings rely on such underhanded means. I just came here so I could beat your Archer without having to face any of his annoying arrows, that’s all.”

The tiny girl blinked, as though she was confused by what she had just said. Ever since that huge burst of prana started emitting from Ryuudou Temple, she had started feeling strangely dizzy. Now even weird things like adding ‘-san’ to Rin’s name were coming out of her mouth.

“And just how do you intend to do that?” Rin challenged, having taken that mistake as an attempt at mockery. Illyasviel might have snuck under Archer’s guard (something she’d be sure to make him suffer for later), but without Berserker she was nothing more than a magus, albeit a powerful one. “You really think you can defeat a Servant by yourself?”

“Oh, Rin,” Illyasviel sighed. “Even if it’s only in name, you are still a Master, so please act like one. Do you really think I’d go through all this-”

She winced. The detail did not escape Archer’s eyes, and he was fairly confident he knew why. There was a strange presence lurking within the mountains behind them, and it was possibly stronger than even Berserker. Rin had not said a thing about it, but Illyasviel had reacted to it. If it was something Archer and Illyasviel could sense but not Rin, then it could only be one thing.

A Servant. A Servant-like thing was in the mountains, with an unknown purpose and unknown abilities. He had no idea what on earth that thing was, Archer had half a mind to blow the entire mountain to smithereens after this was over.

“Do you really think I’d go through all this trouble without a way to call my Servant here?” Illyasviel went on, and Archer had to admit she was doing a good job trying to mask her discomfort. “There’s a very simple way to do that, you know?”

Rin did not reply, instead casting a brief look a the Command Seals etched onto the back of her hand.

“Well, Master,” Archer said under his breath. “Looks like she knows how to use them better than you do, at least.”

“Shut up,” Rin snapped. “I’ll deal with you once we’re done with her.”

“Now, let’s get started,” Illyasviel announced, as glowing red marks began appearing on her face. “By my Command Seal, I order you:

“Berserker, come to my side!”

-

A world covered in white. A canvas unblemished, yet it did not feel clean. Within this place, surely many happy memories were made, but they were simply illusions.

There was no happiness to be found here. There was only pain, regret, sorrow, anger, despair.

The dying trees wear the pristine white shroud, but their garments do nothing for that fact. They’re dying. They were born into this cold, desolate land, and here is where they perish. No one misses a tree in a forest, and no one notices when one’s life has reached its end there.

Surely, it was the same for her.

“… I see.”

She was created – no, born – into this unforgiving world. She was born into this landscape, where the blizzards don’t end and the white never fades. The child of white and silver was no different from the rest of the forest – an insignificant life wilting away, unnoticed. No matter how much white she wore, no matter how much the landscape painted her in its image, it did nothing for the hollow, black void inside.

“So you…”

Drops of red dirtied the canvas. Their presence marred the deceptive beauty of the world, but the drops themselves were so pretty. They lost their shimmer easily, but ever so briefly they pulsated with life. They were alive, even in that accursed forest.

“… protected me of your own free will?”

The white refused to fade. The blizzard continued to howl, mocking that tiny child. But in that moment, a silent promise was made, and that one promise changed the world around her.

“Let’s go back, Berserker.”

“Illya-san!”

Snapping out of her reverie just in time to avoid a barrage of energy beams, Illya dived down and shot up like a rocket. The wings of light and sparkles on her back carried her like a feather, weaving in and out of Caster’s attacks with the finesse of a dancer.

“Please focus, Illya-san!” Ruby’s voice came from the new wand in her hands. “This form is very dangerous, so we have to end this battle before it does any lasting damage!”

“That is correct, Illya-sama,” Sapphire’s voice added. “Illya-sama’s entire body is being converted into pseudo-magic circuits in order to use this form. Please finish the battle swiftly.”

“I know, but-!” Illya began, only to stop and block one of Caster’s attacks with one hand. The magic circle that appeared to shield her from the blow was much larger than usual, but summoning it also tore a gasp from her lips. “W-we can’t get close enough…!”

In all honesty, it would have been possible had Illya been alone. However, between protecting Miyu and fighting Caster, she also had to protect Kuro and Shirou from Caster’s Master. She could not launch a wide-ranged attack, but Caster was free to do whatever she wanted. Even though Illya could tell that she had the advantage in this match-up, she was the one on the defensive.

“We can’t fight her in such a confined space,” Sapphire reasoned. “We need to move somewhere with more space, Illya-sama.”

“Even if you tell me that…!” Illya replied, weaving in and out of the countless beams of light. “How am I supposed to do that in this situation?!”

“Illya-san, you need to stop talking in the middle of an action scene!” Ruby half-scolded. “If you have that much energy to spare, please focus on the battle!”

“Ah, geez!” Illya groaned. “If this place won’t do…!”

She raised a hand, and a bright sphere of light appeared in her palm. It expanded without command, swallowing the user and in an instant, the entire room. When the blinding glare finally subsided, they were no longer in the same room as before.

No one had moved so much as an inch. They were still in the exact same place within Ryuudou Temple, except the walls, ceiling and floorboards had all disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only the occupants covered in translucent pink barriers. Even Caster’s Master had a barrier, although Caster herself was nowhere to be seen.

“That’s slightly better,” Illya mumbled. “Everyone’s safe, too, so that’s good…”

“We could have spared ourselves a lot of trouble if you had done this earlier, Illya-san,” Ruby commented. “Then again, this in itself lacks a last-boss kind of tension, so it’s boring in a way…”

“Which is it?!” Illya asked. “And don’t act so carefree! Caster’s not defeated yet-”

The rest of her sentence died in her throat. No one interrupted her, and no magical beam threatened to blow her face off, but Illya still could not finish that thought. It was not difficult to see why, either; for in that moment, the world went silent.

For an instant, time froze. The space they were fighting in had been battered beyond recognition, filled with countless craters caused by dense beams of mana, but even that scene of violence and destruction went dead in that single moment. No one knew why that was – not even Caster – but they all felt it.

“Illya-san?!” Ruby called out, as Illya flew higher into the chilly night sky. “Where’re you going?”

“There’s something… coming,” Illya mumbled, staring into the distance. Even in her current form, which gave her enough power to match a proper Servant in combat, she was trembling. It was an action she could not control, it was something instinctive – it was an emotion engraved into the very genes of every living being.

It was raw, primordial fear.

And there was nothing she could do to stop whatever was causing it.

With a bestial roar that shook the very heavens, the Eighth Class Card erupted from within the mountains, soaring into the boundless black sky.

-

Hope you took a good look at Fuyuki City, Shirou. It ain’t gonna be there anymore.

I apologize for the lack of happenings here. Next chapter has a lot of battles planned though (primarily battles, actually), so look forward to that!

[Ausreford]

Much apologies for the delay. This chapter wasn’t supposed to be this late, but… dammit. On a side note, happy new year! (And I hope you haven't forgotten this fic)


Chapter 24 - The Oldest of Kings Pt 2

-

“W-what is that…?”

Despite uttering those words, Illya could not register the voice that escaped her own lips. There was something in her voice – something not entirely foreign – that shook her entire being. It was a sensation similar to what she felt when she wanted to give up on fighting the Class Cards.

Despite her current form and power, Illya could not deny the fear coursing through every cell in her body.

“That…” her lips quivered, unable to form the words she wanted to form. “That’s…”

“That’s… a Servant?” Sapphire wondered, sounding equal parts confused and wary.

“It certainly feels like a Class Card,” Ruby noted, her tone missing its usual mirth. “But that massive energy… It’s not like anything we’ve ever encountered before…”

“We have to run,” Illya said, unable to take her eyes off the black mass rising towards the sky. “We have to run.”

And yet, even as she said those words, Illya knew that running would not change anything. There was simply no running from something like that.

Down below Illya, where the battle with Caster had been raging merely moments before, the battered landscape was now utterly silent. Shirou, whose attention had been directed at Kuzuki, could not help but gawk at the distant shadow; even if he could not understand it, he knew it was something beyond what they could handle.

White-hot pain burst across his chest, followed almost immediately after by the sensation of rough rock against his back. The image of the black mass was replaced by the view of the clear, night sky, and all of a sudden that black object did not matter anymore.

Scrambling to his feet, Shirou narrowly avoided Kuzuki’s fist as his teacher proceeded to punch a hole through the ground. The pain made his movements sluggish, but there was no time for distractions like that.

“Wait, Kuzuki!” he yelled, wincing at the effort. It took every ounce of willpower just to stand, and yelling on top of that felt like each word would rip his chest apart. “This isn’t the time to fight! That black thing-”

“What about it?” Kuzuki fired back, his tone no different from the one he used in class. “My current opponent is you, Emiya. No matter what happens, I will focus on the task at hand.”

Just then, Kuzuki leapt backwards and away from Shirou. Just as Shirou brought up his blades in defense, a streak of silver sliced through the space where Kuzuki’s neck had been just moments before.

The spinning blade, having missed its target, cleaved its way into the ground, burying its misty white edge into the dirt. There was no doubt as to what the name of that blade was.

The sound of tearing fabric rang through the air, accompanied by a trail of glistening rubies. Under the pale moonlight, the droplets of crimson danced, froze for a brief moment, and ultimately collapsed onto the earth alongside-

“Kuzuki!”

The man’s body seemingly reacted to Shirou’s words, springing to its feet and narrowly avoiding Kuro’s swing. Unfazed by the huge gash on his back, Kuzuki countered with a swift hook, only to stumble as his leg gave way. He had not tripped; another spinning blade had simply hacked away at the side of his calf.

Unrelenting and expressionless, Kuro sprang into action, plunging a pair of swords into Kuzuki’s chest. Kuzuki, however, allowed his body to fall forward, causing the blades to end up grazing his shoulders instead.

What’s… going on? Shirou wondered, watching Kuro evade Kuzuki’s punches and dance around her opponent with speed and grace he had never seen from her before. Is that really… Kuro?

“I am the bone of my sword.”

Thin lines of scarlet scattered into the air, and the machine known as Kuzuki finally stopped, falling to its knees. His battered frame was covered in fresh cuts and blood stained his suit, but even then the expression on his face did not change. Kuro, seemingly unscathed, backed away and produced a bow and what appeared to be an arrow out of thin air.

“Wait, Kuro!” Shirou pleaded, but he knew it was too late. He did not know how he knew it, but he understood that Kuro would not stop.

Because in that moment, Kuro was a splitting image of him.

The sound of metal cutting through the night interrupted Shirou’s protests. Even as he forced his screaming body to move, Shirou could see their outlines against the dark canvas overhead: the all-too-familiar forms of Kanshou and Bakuya, spiraling towards Kuzuki’s crouched figure as Kuro prepared to fire her arrow. But as he raised his head to look at the face of the unforgiving archer…

… all he could see were tears.

Her arms were shaking, but not with the effort of holding her bow. Her cheeks were wet, scarred by two burning clear trails.

“Stop me,” she gasped, but it was already too late.

A streak of light tore through the air, roaring towards Kuzuki’s face. There was nothing he could do to stop it at that point, and as Shirou’s mind struggled to accept that fact-

“Get back.”

Pushing him aside and charging in front of Kuzuki was a figure he did not recognize. The person was a stranger and as far as he could tell, was just as wounded as he was. Even so, they were moving at a speed easily exceeding Shirou’s at his peak.

A screeching sound shook the air, and the shockwave of Kuro’s arrow almost knocked Shirou off his feet. However, even though the force was great, there was no explosion or crater; rather, the arrow had failed to hit its mark entirely.

“That was close,” the intruder muttered through pained gasps, throwing away the shards of Kanshou and Bakuya in their free hand. “Luckily, it’s a move I’ve already seen before.”

The rune on the back of her hand glowed, and the tip of the arrow in her grip was inches from her nose. Despite that, the look on Bazett Fraga McRemitz’s face was determined and confident.

“This isn’t like you, Chloe von Einzbern,” she said, tossing the imitation of a Noble Phantasm aside. “I didn’t figure you for the kind to do something like this.”

“Souichirou-sama!”

Teleporting to Kuzuki’s side was Caster, draping her Master with her huge purple cloak. Whispering something into her Master’s ear, the Servant melted into the shadows, taking her Master along with her.

“Wait-” Bazett began, but a sudden jolt of pain interrupted her sentence. In all likelihood, she was going to try despite her condition to slam Caster’s face in, but the strain from catching Kuro’s arrow on her already exhausted body was taking its toll.

“W-who’re you?” Shirou asked. At this stage, however, he was likely to accept whatever she said regardless of how ridiculous it sounded. Especially after seeing her catch Kuro’s arrow with her bare hands.

“That can wait,” Bazett replied, turning away from him. “You’re Illyasviel’s older brother from the beach, are you not? I’ll explain later; stopping Chloe comes first.”

The beach? Shirou wondered. Ah… she must be one of Illya’s friends. Wait; why am I accepting all this so readily?

“Stop…”

The trembling in her voice broke his train of thought. It was a tone that he had heard from Illya, but never from this girl. He found it harder to believe that the girl in front of him was actually Kuro – the strong-willed, confident Kuro who had kicked his ass so many times during their training.

“Stop… Please…” she whispered, but her body struggled against those words. An invisible force was invading every fiber of her being, and from the look in her eyes she was close to losing to it.

“Mental manipulation…?” Bazett assessed. “No, it’s too sloppy… Possession?”

“No… no…” Kuro’s eyes widened, her body jerked, and then collapsed right to the ground. Like a puppet with its strings crudely snapped, she simply crashed onto the rubble.

“Ku-”

A loud crunching sound erupted behind Kuro, sending up a large cloud of dust and debris. Bazett instantly took up a combat stance, but Shirou recognized the glow of the mysterious comet just before it plummeted into the stone.

“Illya-san, are you okay?!” Ruby’s voice cried out as the dust settled, revealing an extremely wounded Illya. “That strike was serious! You shouldn’t have tried to block it!”

“I know…” Illya coughed. “B-but… I couldn’t… I don’t know…”

“Illya! Are you okay?” Shirou said, rushing to her side as Bazett tended to Kuro. “What happened?!”

“That… thing…” Illya panted. It was only then that Shirou realized that she was trembling. Violently. “It just… sent out something. I-I tried to block it, but…”

A trickle of blood ran down her forehead. The hand that gripped her new wand was shaking so badly it was a wonder she could still hold on to it. The last time Shirou had seen her that terrified, she had been crying into his arms. It had been an unspoken responsibility of his to make sure she did not end up like that again, but he knew he had failed.

The girl before him was delicate. Fragile. She was innocent, like how a child her age should be, and that innocence was coming close to being completely shattered. All because of this battle he had been dragged into.

Who could he blame? He had not asked for any of this, but he had decided to fight. He was the Hero of Justice, the supposed ‘older brother’ of this little girl thrown into a chaos she was not prepared for. He was a Master. A magus. And at this point in time, yet again, he was completely powerless.

And no matter how much he cursed it, he simply could not change that fact.

-

“As if one faker was not enough.”

No one was there to hear his words, but the oldest King spoke in a clear voice as though addressing a subject. His scarlet irises regarded the dark shadow circling the night air with interest, almost as if he was looking at a rare animal.

He had seen the dog belonging to that mongrel Kotomine mentored. Not only was he a sorry excuse of a Heroic Spirit, his very existence was an insult to the concept of heroes. Mongrels he could tolerate; they were everywhere and even the most skilled gardener could not weed them all out. Commoners were less so, but he was magnanimous enough to accept their existence; every culture had their share of the ignorant, and if those ignorant of the might of a true King and hero decided to extol one of their own, it was inevitable that one of them would rise to a status unbefitting of them. If anything, it was only natural; everyone would want to be even a step closer to the King after all.

But fakers were another matter. Ignorance could be forgiven since it was a trait of the mongrels, but to understand that one was a faker and still embrace it was unforgiveable. The vermin guilty of that would be put down by the King personally, not because they deserve such treatment (on the contrary, his treasures would be sullied by such an act), but because it was that grave of an offense.

And that mass of black flying around the air was surely a faker as well. It certainly attempted to give off the aura of a King – of the one and only King of Heroes, in fact – but there was something else about it that he could not quite place. There was something about that black mass that even the King of Heroes could not comprehend, and that was impossible.

He had seen the object it used to attack the mongrel magus with the bright wings (the Einzbern doll that stole Kotomine’s dog, as he recalled). It was shot out of nowhere like an arrow, and there was something about that ‘arrow’ that intrigued him.

It was, without a doubt, a Noble Phantasm. Not only that, it was a Noble Phantasm that could only have belonged to one person, and he was standing right here. There was no doubt as to its authenticity, but that was impossible; that would mean the black mass flying up there was…

“What are you?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at the thing whose presence he had been feeling since the start of the Holy Grail War.

And then, without warning, all hell broke loose.

-

The first clash shook the air and lit up the night like a firework. It was sudden and violent, and just as the spark from the collision began to fade another blossomed across the night sky. The sky above Fuyuki was lit with countless brilliant flowers, each erupting with enough force to blow away Ryuudou Temple.

Seemingly out of nowhere, numerous Noble Phantasms were fired into each other, shattering as they collided with the force of a million armies. The very air was torn asunder in the exchange, and then bathed in the glimmer of countless gold specks.

“Hoh,” Gilgamesh smirked. He sounded amused, but there was no trace of mirth in his eyes. “You not only attempt to pass yourself off as a hero, you dare to break my treasures?”

Several golden ripples blossomed around the Golden King, revealing the tips of swords, lances and axes lying in the center of each one. Each weapon was a Noble Phantasm – a treasure worthy of defining a hero’s mythos. But for the oldest of Kings, they were nothing more than a part of his boundless collection.

The black mass soaring across the sky responded in kind, producing more shadowy shapes from its body. The shapes, like the ‘arrows’ at the King’s disposal, were of swords, lances and axes. The flying shadow, despite being nothing more than an embodiment of pure rage, had intended to match every weapon in the King’s treasury.

“Impressive, mongrel!” the Golden King laughed, his irises mad with anger despite his words. “Your impudence truly knows no bounds! To think you’d fail to realize your folly even now!”

A seemingly infinite number of golden ripples danced across the air, filling the space above Fuyuki with their radiant glow. From the viewpoint of a mere mortal on the ground, it was as if the sun itself had descended upon the earth. Such was the unmatchable might of a King, of the greatest of Heroic Spirits.

Such was the power of the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh.

Against the radiance that drowned out the glow of the moon, the moon itself vanished. The dark shadow overhead let out a single bestial roar, and mere moments later its shadowy weapons blocked out all light from above. In order to match the King’s endless armory, it too produced countless Noble Phantasms cloaked in its vile shadow, obscuring the moon with its black canvas.

It was foolish to even think of counting the number of weapons. It was ridiculous to wonder how far the golden ripples and murky shadows stretched. It was inevitable to think of escape upon witnessing such a spectacle, but even that was foolish; in the face of such power, there was simply no escape.

“Holy… Grail…”

The Eighth Class Card seethed, muttering the only words it knew. Those were the only words important to it, for it was this ‘Holy Grail’ that defined it. It was this very prize alone that mattered. And now, a single obstacle stood in its way. An obstacle covered in gold, and an obstacle it could not fully comprehend. But it mattered not; if it had to obliterate this obstacle, then it would do so, even if it had to bring down heaven itself.

And so it screamed. It let loose a roar without words, without meaning but one: to annihilate anything and everything in its way. And in response to its one command, one simple action occurred.

The sky fell.

-

Millions of pitch-black swords, enough to swarm the night sky and drown out the moon, flooded down to crush the miserable vermin below with its mighty cascade. With a single command, the shadow had summoned forth a monolithic cloudburst of jet-black malice, roaring with fury and teeming with bloodlust.

In response, the Golden King merely waved a hand.

Countless pillars of blinding gold light shot forth from their dazzling ripples, tearing through the night to meet the incoming cascade of blades. Each individual weapon carried with it the wrath and power of the eldest of Kings, capable of eradicating any target upon contact.

The shadows fell, and the lights rose. It was but a fleeting moment, but in the eyes of all who were present to bear witness to the spectacle, that scene was carved forever into their minds. It lasted merely a moment, and then it happened: the rising golden lights met the rain of shadows.

As the infinite number of weapons collided, their sparks erupted into grand explosions, incinerating the darkness of the night and setting the very skies aflame. All scenery vanished, and blinding light swallowed up the sky. It was the cacophony of true war, of true power, and in the minutes it took for the explosions to die down, the battlefield above Fuyuki was the very image of chaos, each second lasting an eternity and every moment a frame of utter destruction.

In the wake of the exchange of Kings, the heavens bled shards of glimmering silver and gold; like diamond dust wafting through the gaps in the clouds, the remnants of countless broken Noble Phantasms rained down on Fuyuki. It was an almost tranquil moment, after the violent howl of battle unleashed just seconds before.

But the tranquility would not last. With another mighty bellow, the sky overhead began to shake, and in the shadow of the clouds descended a grand shadow that once again eclipsed the moon.

At first glance, it was some sort of building or perhaps a fallen chunk of the sky itself. But as it continued to fall, it became evident that the giant mass was a sword – a sword that could level an entire landscape with a single swing.

It was a Noble Phantasm befitting its name: Ig-Alima, the Mountain Felling Sword.

“Such an unsightly display.”

In the face of such an awe-inspiring weapon, the King of Heroes merely spoke thus.

“A King’s treasury is not some commoner’s toolshed,” he said. “To bring out just one weapon to demonstrate one’s wealth is no different from a beggar flaunting his rice bowl. To show such a pathetic display before me… you truly amuse me, mongrel.”

Several golden ripples opened up, and in an instant the gigantic sword was stopped in its tracks and suspended in mid-air. Binding it and holding it in place, however, was what appeared to be a single golden chain that looked insignificant by comparison.

“What will you do now, you filthy cur?” the King challenged.

Almost as though it heard those words, the mass of shadow stretched out a single hand. Before the King could even speak another scathing comment, a very familiar-looking chain shot out of the murky palm.

Ig-Alima melted into the shadows, and the now-free chain that was Enkidu clashed with what appeared to be an identical replica of it above the streets of Fuyuki. Like two hungry snakes, the chains danced, slithering around and slamming into each other in attempt to break the other. It was an almost tame display compared to the clash of countless weapons earlier, but the air around the King of Heroes was now very different.

“… You would dare to mock me like this, vermin?” he muttered, the very air around him shaking as the King’s anger threatened to erupt. “Had it simply been a simple act of trying to mimic the King, ending your pathetic existence would have barely sufficed. But you would even mock my friend…”

Every golden rippled faded into nothing. In their place, a single golden ripple appeared before the King of Heroes.

“… Rejoice, vermin,” he said, as a single golden handle appeared from the ripple and rested in his hand. “For I shall now wipe out every last trace of your existence with a treasure far beyond what you deserve.”

The weapon in his hand was not something that seemed feasible as a sword of any kind. Its blade was more of a cylindrical pillar of sorts, which made it impossible for it to slice anything. But that was of no concern; it was the penultimate Noble Phantasm, and the pinnacle of all Divine Constructs in existence.

“Behold, scum,” Gilgamesh announced. “This is what it means to incur the wrath of the King of all of heaven and earth!”

As the segments of the ‘blade’ began to spin, the air around the Golden King screamed. There was nothing in all of existence that could match this sword, and even the space around him shook in the presence of its force.

“… Annihilate…”

The air screeched once more, but this time it was the air around the giant black shadow in the sky. The Eighth Class Card, for the first time, ascended further into the sky and charged towards the King of Heroes. However, it was not blindly flying towards him; the shadow, too, held a similar looking ‘sword’ in its hand that was tearing across the space around it.

The skies screamed. The earth screeched. The world, in that single visceral instant, shook violently, struggling to keep itself intact as it braced itself for the impending clash of unmatched Divine Constructs.

At the same time, the shadow and the King of Heroes hollered the same, unmistakable name:

“Enuma Elish!”

-

… Huh. This would actually have been more appropriate had I uploaded it on the last day of 2016, but whatever. Hope you liked this one!

[ItsaRandomUsername]

Gilgamesh showing up to the party is one way to get your 2017 off to a bad start.

For the peeps in the story, I mean. IRL, good to see you back in action, Ausreford.

[Fate Lovers]

Very nice chapter, as always. I hope to read much more of this. I hope that Kuro is able to break out of whatever funk the Archer card is causing her to undergo.

[ZidanReign]

Enuma Elish Vs Enuma Elish

Such a paradox.

[Draconic]

What he said.

Two forces trying to unmake each other with an infinite amount of force. I have no idea what's about to happen, but I can't wait to see the result.

[Ausreford]

Chapter 25 - At the End of the Battle

-

“… Hey, Ruby? W-what on earth is happening?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea either,” Ruby replied. “But at the very least, it would seem like someone else is engaging the black shadow.”

Illya wondered if ‘engage’ was really the right word. Sure, whoever was shooting an uncountable number of beams at the black thing was technically fighting it, but to use ‘engage’ was an understatement.

In all honesty, the two sides were waging an all-out war.

“I-isn’t this kind of bad?” Illya asked. She was not entirely thrilled at the aspect of fighting that black shadow, especially not after it had knocked her out of the sky so easily, but there was no telling just how catastrophic this battle could turn out to be. “Shouldn’t we do something?”

“It’d be wiser to stay out of it,” Sapphire replied. “This isn’t at the level where we can just jump in thoughtlessly.”

On a personal level, Illya agreed. Even if it were Miyu, she would likely say the same thing. She understood that this was a battle beyond their abilities, but at the same time she could not help but feel like she should step in.

And when the skies started screeching, she knew she had to act.

She did not know much about magecraft, Servants and Masters or any of those things. She knew next to nothing about Noble Phantasms, so it was difficult for her to appreciate the quality of the ‘arrows’ being fired across the skies. But no matter how ignorant she was, even she could tell that something was definitely wrong when space itself started to bend.

“There’s… no way…”

However, Illya’s excitement was not shared by the rest of her companions. One by one, the stronger fighters on her team were brought down to their knees just by being in the general vicinity of that overwhelming pressure and magical energy.

“That’s impossible,” Bazett, otherwise known as the ‘Berserker woman’, gasped as her fists shook. Her face was pale as sheet – a color Illya had never seen on her face before. “That amount of magical energy is too ridiculous…”

The air was torn asunder by a ghastly screech, as though even the earth itself was screaming in pain. Two bright spiraling vortexes were ripping everything apart, and their fury would be unleashed at any moment. And yet, even while she understood that, Illya could not move her shaky limbs.

“Ruby-” she began, but her own legs gave in, as a thin line of blood trickled down her forehead. “Ugh…!”

The pain was more than she could bear. She knew that much. And yet, at the same time, the pain had cleared her head. Sometimes, in the middle of a crisis, a single moment was enough to change the course of destiny.

“You can’t keep this up, Illya-san!” Ruby insisted. “Your body is already at its limit! The energy output of Zwei Forme is-”

“Hey, Ruby.”

Amidst the screeching maelstrom of unstoppable mana, was a single girl’s soft, low voice.

“You once said that… you and Sapphire could supply a virtually limitless amount of mana to your wielder, right?”

“… Yes, that’s true,” Ruby replied reluctantly. “But there’s a limit to how much magical energy a person’s body can handle at any point in time, which limits our actual output.”

“But, I’ve been managing much more power than usual in this form, right?”

“T-that’s because-!”

“Illya-san,” Sapphire interjected. “What you’re thinking of is too risky. Your body is already in terrible shape; it won’t be able to handle any more.”

“… Why is that?” Illya asked, her knees almost buckling under her weight as she attempted to stand. “The battle with Caster… this form… Why am I able to handle so much mana this time?”

“… That’s because,” Ruby answered slowly. “In addition the normal magic circuits, every part of Illya-san’s body is made to act as pseudo-magic circuits. Muscles, blood vessels, nerves… Everything. That’s why you’re able to handle so much mana at once. However, it’s also why you’re in so much pain right now, and why your body is at its limit despite taking no damage in that form.”

“… I see. Then, that means we can produce an attack that has nearly an infinite amount of mana, right?”

“That’s impossible,” Sapphire replied. “Even if your capacity is above that of an average magus, Illya-sama, your body can’t handle it. You will…”

“It’s okay, Sapphire,” Illya said. Her voice was gentle, her tone confident, but it was able to drown out, ever so briefly, the chaos of the war raging above them. In that moment, her voice was all that existed. “It’s okay, Ruby. We don’t have a choice. You know that.”

“W-wait…!”

Clutching a particularly bad wound on his stomach, Shirou hobbled over, regarding his supposed sister from another dimension with a strange look in his eyes. Had she ever seen her real brother make that face before?

“What’re you trying to do, Illya?” he asked, but he knew he could not stop her. He, too, was wounded and above all else, his body was responding to the catastrophe unfolding before their eyes. Every cell in his body was quaking with fear. Even the lady who had jumped in and caught Kuro’s arrow with one hand was afraid.

But on Illya’s face – on the face of a mere child who had cried in his arms – there was a brave, albeit shaky smile.

Maybe it was her naïveté. Maybe it was her ignorance. But in that moment, it was that lack of understanding of the magnitude of the situation that gave Illya the strength to stand. Maybe it was because she did not understand the difference in their powers, that she was able to challenge it.

“Don’t worry, onii-chan,” she said, her lips quivering from the effort to form that rigid smile. “I-I mean, Shirou-san. “But I’ll be right back, so could you take care of Miyu and Kuro for me?”

And with that, the Magical Girl flew.

-

It hurts.

She soared through the air, gliding on her wings of light. A million needles forced their way into every pore of her body, digging their way past her flesh and into her bones.

It hurts so much I want to cry.

“Ruby, Sapphire, continue charging,” she said, tasting something coppery on her tongue as the two sources of unfathomable magical power unleashed their attack. “We have to protect everyone from whatever shockwaves that creates.”

I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to fight.

The world lit up as the two roaring bursts of energy collided, shaking all of creation and rupturing the fabric of space. It was a sight too majestic for words, too terrible for one to even feel fear.

But I have to protect them. I have to protect them.

The giant burst of energy fired from the earth and towards the sky began pushing back the one fired from the sky, forcing back the mass of black shadow. Even amongst everything that was going on, she could hear the shadow screaming against the force it could never hope to defeat.

I have to protect everyone.

The blast incinerated the shadow, and the resulting explosion sent huge shockwaves across the sky. They flew overhead, they disappeared into the distance, they cleaved apart the clouds across the horizon. Then one came right at her.

“It’s coming, Illya-san!”

So if it means I can protect them…

“Charge at full power, Illya-sama!”

Then I don’t care. Muscle, blood, lymph, nerves… Use all of me.

“We’re pushing it back, Ruby! Sapphire!”

Warm liquid coursed down her cheeks. It was thick, and it hurt her eyes, but she had no time to dwell on that. A giant sphere of pure light gathered at the tip of her wand, and with each passing second she could feel her body going numb.

I can’t lose… I won’t lose!

“Quintet Fire!”

The light left the tip of her wand, soaring towards the incoming shockwave. Her eyelids began to force themselves shut, even before her attack connected, and all of a sudden she just felt so sleepy.

Hey, Illya-san.

She felt like she was drifting somewhere. Somehow, her mind was blank and nothing seemed to matter anymore.

Aren’t you scared? For us, we are spirits, so we can’t ‘die’ in the same way humans can. But why is it that in such a situation, you aren’t scared at all?
She smiled. She did not know why, and she did not know how she knew, but she knew that she was smiling just then.

Of course I am, Ruby. I’ve been scared to death since the start of this whole thing and I’m still terrified now. But I know that if I don’t do something, everybody will die. So it doesn’t matter even if I can’t understand just how powerful the enemy is or something like that. I can only push forward… so I can protect everyone. Because…

An image fluttered into view. In her mind’s eye, she could see a beautiful white forest, and a single child with crimson stains across her pristine dress.

And at the tip of that child’s white fingers, was her fortress. Her defender. Her friend.

Because I know now… just how painful it is to be alone.

The last thing she saw was her beam of light, crashing violently against the shockwave and scattering it into the wind. But that was all she saw, for in the next instant, all sound vanished.

For a moment, there was a bright light, but even that too was eventually swallowed up by pitch-black darkness.

-

“Illyasviel!”

The girl in question was falling from the sky, and from the way her body was still, Bazett knew she was not going to break her fall by herself.

Despite her injuries, the Enforcer broke into a sprint, attempting to somehow cover the distance in time to catch the falling girl. However, just as she took her first steps, a scarlet shadow leapt into view and caught Illya safely in its arms.

Landing gently in front of Bazett, Archer laid a badly wounded Illya on the ground. His own clothes were badly tattered and he was only using one hand, but if he was feeling any pain his face did not betray it.

“Who are you?” Bazett asked. “Are you an ally?”

“Definitely not,” Archer replied crisply. “Whoever you are, you can rest assured I’m not an ally of-”

“Wait a minute,” Bazett said, cutting across him. “You’re… the Archer Class Card!”

“The what-”

Before Archer could even get his question out of his mouth, Bazett leapt at him, her fist aimed straight at his heart. It was an impressive speed, not only for an injured person but also for a human being in general.

Archer, however, caught the fist with one hand.

“Wait,” he said, sounding rather annoyed. “I have no idea what kind of misunderstanding you’re having right now, but don’t you have other things to do? She’s hurt pretty badly, you know?”

“Ruby… smash!”

Without warning, the crimson comet that was Kaleidostick Ruby rammed at the back of Archer’s head- or where Archer’s head would have been, had he not dodged out of the way. Instead, the Magical Wand of Love and Justice buried itself in Bazett’s face instead.

As if things couldn’t get more complicated, Archer resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

“Illya-san!” Ruby yelled, dislodging herself from the crater she made in Bazett’s face and flying straight to Illya, who was unconscious but still breathing. “Illya-san, please say something!”

“She’s alive, nee-san,” Sapphire said, having taken the more orderly approach and floated gently to Illya without any antics. “But this doesn’t look very good.”

“Agreed,” Archer butt in. “If you want to save her, I’d suggest getting her some help immediately. Unless you intend to waste more time and effort getting beat up by me?”

“… Understood,” Bazett muttered. “I will let this slide for now. However, if you try anything-”

“I won’t,” Archer said, sounding extremely annoyed. “Even like this, I’m still a Heroic Spirit, you know. I have my standards-”

“Hey! Brat!”

Can someone ever finish a sentence here? Archer wondered, leaping away a good distance from the new intruder. And distance was important, considering said intruder was a foe he had fought once before.

“Oi, Archer!” Lancer barked, his crimson lance at the ready. Unlike Archer, however, he was nearly unscathed. “What the heck’s going on here? Explain yourself!”

“There’s not much to explain, Lancer,” Archer replied. This night was already terrible enough without having to deal with all this, and now it was getting worse. “She fell from the sky and I caught her, that’s all. Your friend over there tried to kill me for some reason and that’s when you showed up.”

“My friend-” Lancer turned to the direction Archer indicated, and froze. “… Bazett?”

“Class Card… Lancer?” Bazett hissed, backing away from the blue Servant and clutching her fists. “So there’s more than one here…?”

“Is that really you, Bazett?” Lancer asked, unable to believe what he was seeing. “But I thought you… back then…”

“What’s the meaning of this?” Bazett asked, looking from Lancer to Archer. “How did you manage to manifest yourselves-”

No, she told herself. That’s not important right now. What’s important is defeating them, then getting Illyasviel to safety.

“Wait wait wait! Time out! Time out!” Ruby yelled, using her wings to grab Bazett’s cheeks to force the Enforcer to look at her. “There’s a misunderstanding here, but he’s not who you think he is! That’s not the Class Card, Bazett-san!”

“Lancer-sama,” Sapphire said calmly, floating over to the spearman. “While I do not understand the situation that well, it would appear that you have mistaken this person for someone else. She is Bazett Fraga McRemitz, and she is a resident of our world. That is to say, she’s from the same parallel world that Illya-sama, Miyu-sama and Kuro-sama come from.”

“… So then…” Lancer said, looking more crestfallen as he processed that information. He was not beyond accepting facts like that anymore, particularly not after hearing about his current Master’s background. “She’s not… the Bazett of this world?”

Deep down, he understood that. He knew that there was no way Bazett could still be alive, for he had seen her die. His original and only Master, the Bazett Fraga McRemitz of this world, was no longer a part of it anymore. And no matter how much he prayed, that result was not going to change.

“Oh?” Ruby said, looking up with interest at Archer, who had been standing there throughout the entire exchange. “You’re still here? You’re all done here, so you can go now~”

… I kind of understand why Rin wants that thing destroyed so much now, Archer thought, feeling his eyelids twitch. In truth, he had stayed because he was worried about Illya, but it looked like it was no longer his concern; if the two sticks recognized that Bazett woman to be an ally, then Illya was in good hands.

“Of course, I have every intention of leaving,” he said. “However, I’m not sure if that spearman over there would just let me leave quietly.”

“Don’t spout nonsense, Archer,” Lancer snapped, his voice regaining some of his usual vigor. “Like I’d battle you when you’re in a condition like that.”

“Such generosity,” Archer smirked, turning to leave. “Then allow me to take my leave.”

Distant footsteps reached his ears. Someone was approaching, and at the pace they were moving, it was a single human. Definitely not a Servant, and unlikely to be a Master. It was no threat, especially not with Lancer and the brawler lady over there, but Archer, inexplicably, let his curiosity get the better of him and looked in the direction of the approaching steps.

And when he did, he froze dead in his tracks.

“Illya!”

Bright silver hair that shined in the moonlight. Beautiful porcelain skin and glistening ruby eyes. She was an Einzbern homunculus, and at first glance Archer had thought it was another Illya, just more grown up somehow. In that fraction of a second when he processed that image, his frantic mind produced a sliver of hope, that maybe this was an Illya from a parallel world where she was able to grow into an adult. But the next moment, he knew that they were different people.

As the image of the approaching homunculus sank in, he realized that she was someone else entirely. But throughout his own life, he had never once heard Illya mention someone from the Einzberns other than Leysritt and Sella, and he had never seen a homunculus besides the three of them. So if this one knew Illya, then could she possibly be…

As he struggled to come to terms with the reality before him, the homunculus known as Irisviel von Einzbern ran right past him.

-

Her legs were heavy, and her body sluggish. Her mind was blank, and her thoughts a hazy cluster of noise and static. Something else was in control, moving her limbs and pushing her ahead.

The shadows of the trees by her side shook as she passed, backing away from whatever she was just then. Light abhorred her presence, shirking away from her as she walked ahead without vision.

She knew where to go, but it was not her decision. She knew where she had to be, even if she did not know why. But it knew, and that was enough.

It did not take long for her to find it. She knew where it was, after all. It had called out to it, and the object in turn had called out to her. To it.

A slender hand stretched out into the darkness, reaching for the tiny object resting innocently atop the grass. It was still, harmless, and yet it had called her here.

Matou Sakura looked at the object resting in her fingers. It did not look like it was anything special, but that somehow did not bother her. Just then, her thoughts were not her own, and her actions were not her own. Nothing was hers – not even the vessel that was her body.

She looked again at the thin, light card held in her fingers. It had fallen from the sky – from way up there after it had been defeated. This was all that remained of that formidable force, and whatever was left of it was now calling out to the thing insider her.

She could feel something stirring inside her body. Something was resonating with the card she held in her hand, and her human mind wished to throw it away, to destroy it somehow. She knew it was dangerous, and that she had to stay as far away from it as possible.

But she could not, for the person here right now was not ‘Matou Sakura’. Right now, there was nothing about her that could be considered hers.

Not even her soul itself.

Obeying the will of the thing inside her, the vessel whose name was Matou Sakura spoke a simple word, the meaning of which even she could not understand:

“Install.”

-

This was supposed to be the New Year update, but psh. It’s still before Chinese New Year so I’ll count that as a win.

If you’re wondering why certain things are happening the way they do, I’ll get to them in the later chapters. I’ve a lot of things to explain, so it’ll take some time. Yup…

Also, as for why Enuma Elish vs. Enuma Elish didn’t blow up the planet, for one it’s coz Goldy’s upwards attack pushed back most of the Eighth’s attack, and it’s not like there were no side effects. One of them was Iri. I’ll let that sink in for a bit.

[TimeDiver]

...bwah?!?!?! This doesn't seem to be Prisma!Iri, so...

And shit. Sakurancelot? Dammit, Julian Darius.

EDIT: Oh, wait. Author's note there at the end. Nevermind.

[ItsaRandomUsername]

In which Illya shows off her determination, Lancer gets a dash of the feels, and Matou involvement is going to throw a real monkey wrench into an already derailed plot.

Can't wait for more, and good to see you truly back in good form.

[omegasonic1005]

...bwah?!?!?! This doesn't seem to be Prisma!Iri, so...

And shit. Sakurancelot? Dammit, Julian Darius.

EDIT: Oh, wait. Author's note there at the end. Nevermind.

Not. Is Avenger/Dark Sakura using the Class Card Gilgamesh.

[nick012000]

...bwah?!?!?! This doesn't seem to be Prisma!Iri, so...

And shit. Sakurancelot? Dammit, Julian Darius.

EDIT: Oh, wait. Author's note there at the end. Nevermind.

I think it's more likely to be Sakuramesh. How Gilgamesh would react to such a thing is anyone's guess - it probably depends on how Sakura acts, IMO, and given how broken she is as a person, and how submissive she tends to act when not full-blown Dark Sakura, it's as likely that he'd shrug and declare her his subordinate as to wipe her out for daring to copy him. Of course, the Gilgamesh in the Class Card might not be happy about being treated as someone else's subordinate...

[MauiLand]

In finally get a chance to gush about how much I love this story, but first there is something I feel I should point out.

When last we left Rin and Archer, they were about to get a face full of Berserker. Are you going to backtrack and explain how they were able to escape Berserker? Or might that have something to do with Iri’s arrival?

And when are we going to see Prismaverse Rin and Luvia showing up? I presume they went with Iri across the gap, and the chance for Rin on Rin interactions and poor Luvia having to deal with two of her is just too good to pass up.

[Kyte]

I am going to guess double EE broke space enough for more prismas to sneak in.

[Ausreford]

Hello, this isn't actually a new chapter update (sorry about that) but rather a status update. Due to some issues on my side I've been unable to work on the story for a really long time, but I don't want to give up on it so I'll try my best to get back to updating it as soon as possible. It might take some time because my real life issues haven't exactly been settled yet, but I hope to do so once I can.

Sorry for the trouble and thank you for your patience! For those who've stuck with me so far, I hope you'll still enjoy the story!