“The Holy Grail is the Cage of SE.RA.PH
and also, it is the Great Observer of the Imaginary Sea.
Heaven or Hell, now into the Sea of Electrons-“
-Fate/Extra
The sky burns.
Houses collapse into ruin.
People fall to the ground.
Roads come to an end.
The conflict started here. With this, the world that was will be restored. It is here that “I” alone had survived.
Don’t remember/Never forget.
Oblivion is salvation and sin.
Never forget.
“I” was born from perdition.
This must be a nightmare. This had to be somewhere; it could be anywhere, these events that occurred in the true memories of childhood.
Childhood 'accident' - check.
A torrent of blood flows, and a voice resonating with bitter resentment can be heard.
Lives fade away without a thought. Friends, family, strangers: all gone. Soldiers with guns, families trying to hold together,
-a grotesque struggle to the last, until a gentle peace descends as death comes to claim them.
I could not accept all I have seen. The question of "why?" never left me.
Even with the divide between conflict and catastrophe, why did such a tragedy occur?
No, more importantly-
Why has this world been turned into a hell on Earth?
A gentle rain begins to fall. All things that once lived fade away, leaving only one behind. Amidst the helplessness and despair, their soul's last feelings are of rage and regret. The rain wets their cheeks as their eyes close one last time, dying forgotten and alone.
Seeing this, I struggle to rise from the depths of death. I will not accept what I have been shown. If I can live again, I will definitely-
But there are no second chances.
And before long, the rain has cleansed the scorched earth.
Never forget.
“I” was born from perdition.
What that means-
Somehow, please don’t forget it.
------------------------------------
My faded consciousness starts to clear up and the familiar site of desks and chairs fills my vision.
That’s right…
After winning the fight, I returned to the now-lifeless school. Almost all the people are gone. I am the only Master. I am the last living “human,” in this tournament.
No, “human,” isn’t exactly the right word, either.
From my past experience I am sure all the NPCs are now also gone. There is no more use for them.
…My eternal war ends here.
Only the Master and Servant who won this nameless war remain.
In any case, the path to the Automaton will open for the winner; even I don’t know where it could be. During my trek through this war, I have never actually reached this stage as a competitor or as a NPC.
While reminiscing about those times a mechanical voice rings:
“The War ends here. The path to the Moon Cell is open to you. Pass through the door to the battlefield once more.”
… I have a goal which needs to be accomplished. I have crushed the dreams of countless other magi to arrive at this point.
Yet, deep inside of myself I am still unsure. Maybe I will find what I am looking for once I approach the trophy of this meaningless conflict.
With an exhausted strength, I grip onto one of the desks and slowly pull myself up. My steps are slow and grave but before long I reach for the door which I have slid open so many times that the action has become automatic. Without any sort of resistance it moves, revealing the hallway of a school that never was.
------------------------------------
“… It’s almost a miracle that we have survived so long.”
An impossible beauty sits in the middle of a room decorated to look like a replica of the Imperial Palace of the same far eastern country in which I di-
Ah, have the rigors of yesterday caught up with me?
------------------------------------
The flames dance.
/In that hand is steel.
The earth cracks.
/In that hand is poison.
The sea dries.
/In that hand is the heat of 209,200 joules.
I see a bloodstained dream.
/Many people are injured.
I see a dream that consumes.
/Many wise men surrender.
I see a dream without a dream.
/Many of us tire of the future.
Lament.
But for what reason?
----------------------------------
“Master? Master? Are you okay Master? I know it must have been exhausting fighting all those battles with your condition, but you’re almost there, Master. The world that you seek is finally at your fingertips.” My Servant expresses her concern over my apparent spacing out.
She’s especially worried today.
Usually I would consider her one of the more frivolous Heroic Spirits who haunt this illusion of normality. I wonder if it’s because today will be the last day that I will see her, or whether it is for another reason.
“Huh? Why am I being so gloomy? Bad, Tamamo, bad.”
As she berates herself I can’t help but smile. She really is beautiful, but that’s to be expected.
Heroic Spirit, Legendary Soul.
An existence which is regarded as a miracle and a mystery by those who are alive. They are humans who have achieved impossible feats for their time and for that; the gigantic eye in the sky has recorded them as the fittest of humanity. This saucy girl with fox ears who is hitting herself in the head is one of those Heroic Spirits, something that is human but not human all the same, but most of all she is my partner.
She saved me when I was weak, and no matter how many times I was defeated, she stood by my side with only a mirror to defend us.
I can easily recall all those times.
Running away from a swarm of locusts.
Fighting giants which towered over us and simply could not be killed.
Being pierced in the heart at an impossible angle by a spear which ignored the laws of cause and effect.
And her, always comforting me when the rigors of war were simply too much for me.
That is my Caster.
My dearest, Tamamo-no-mae.
And even if that thought comforts me, I am overwhelmed with another wave of nausea.
“Master? I think we should go see the Nurse before attempting the trek to the Automaton.”
----------------------------------
Now that I am about to leave this scene behind I have to say that I am somewhat pensive. There have been countless times when I have lain on that bed on the brink of life and death cared for by this fellow NPC.
“Congratulations.” Even if she should enthusiastic, it is all part of her programming. A mere string of ones and zeros make her up. “This is my parting gift to you as wished for by the Moon Cell.”
She moves towards her table, that long unnaturally purple hair slowly sways as she moves back towards me and places a three tier box in my hands.
“Huh? Please don’t make that face. I haven’t put anything strange in it.”
But I’m not making a face. My face has been exactly the same since the moment I have stepped into this room. These automated programs are merely move according to the directions of that supercomputer, but to recreate a whole personality in a space like this is unbelievable, yet the Automaton achieves this like nothing. I am a spirit hacker, I can etherize my soul but I can’t recreate it perfectly as the Automaton has done. This program who is waiting for a reply can no longer be called a program, she is a living, breathing, girl.
She is Matou Sakura.
All NPC’s have a model; someone who was alive, living, or may one day be alive, even I had a model; although sometimes I forget that my origin was as a NPC. Either way this Matou Sakura who is in front of me is the digital image of a Matou Sakura who lived and had exactly the same gestures as this Matou Sakura in front of me. I don’t know exactly how that makes me feel, to know that everyone in this school has a base somewhere, even that boorish student president, that completely immature teacher, and that cold priest who still unsettles me.
“All right, then. I wish you the best of luck!”
“Wai-“
But I am quickly ushered out and the door is shut right in my face, but behind that door which is now immovable I hear one last girlish sigh and, “Am I done now?”
Perhaps there is some part of the personality which never leaves.
But as I walk down the hall with this ridiculous lunch in my hands I remember I didn’t even get to ask about my nausea. But it’s fine; after all, I know what it comes from. I abhor war. It must come from the traumas of my childhood, living through a proxy war that served as a contest between the two world powers at the time. Whenever I the sky rains fire, every time there is conflict, every time blood is split, I cannot help but to become physically sick. It must be some sort of higher irony that now I am in an eternal battlefield and have fought and killed a countless number of times.
First, it was to survive, but later it was to make those who I have stepped on worth something, anything. And now, I have reached my goal. In a few moments, the world become one which no longer needs to fight and I will have achieved my true goal, but before that.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaa, I can’t believe my Master summoned me like that. This must be the first time this has happened.”
I do something that I shouldn’t have.
“Tamamo, do you mind if we visit the chapel first? There is someone I wish to talk to.”
“Ahhh, my Master and I are finally on first name terms, of course, my dear.” I think at one point, I have stopped caring about how she talks. “But do you really have to talk to that man? He’s so… ominous, and we have horrible compatibility unlike you and I do.”
She pouts, trying to be cute.
“Well that’s why I asked you first.”
“Hah? Oh… then, of course.”
Caster is utterly shameless; however, when confronted what seems to be another person’s true affections towards her... she’s like putty.
---------------------
Stepping into this place is like stepping into a breath of fresh air, the SE.RA.PH has less control over this area which is contradictory since this area is one of the most important areas in the whole entire site. The SE.RA.PH will correct any contradictions are occur; however, this is the area where Masters can perform the Alteration of the Soul, by changing the flow of prana between Master and Servant one can change the base parameters of a Servant. Of course class skills and personal skills cannot be changed; however, it is the only means for a weak magus to restore his Servant’s abilities.
I have never used the Alteration of the Soul, neither have I ever actually needed to use it. As it turned out, one does not need knowledge of this “magecraft,” to actually code cast. Luckily for me, the commissionary has Mystic Codes or Formal Wear that I could use. While none of these were exactly as strong as the Mystic Codes that many of the high-class magi who are generations old carried, but they were enough to give me a chance in battle. While I also had such a low aptitude for battle, I was lucky enough to have a dormant set of magic circuits which I had no idea that I had before being awakened in this hell. Caster had not needed to worry about any stat penalties based on the incompetency of her Master. But let me state this once and only once. Caster is a weak Servant. She told me herself that her current form is nothing compared to what she was before. Her magic stat may be one of the highest ranks, but she is undoubtedly weaker than those who have received divine protection from gods or have swords which can rip apart worlds. So if the Servant is lesser, then the Master must pick up the slack. I must be the perfect Master, knowing exactly who my enemy is and what their weakness is and how to exploit such a weakness. That is how a coward fights, that’s the only way a NPC like me can fight the titans of the magi’s world.
And after countless losses here I am.
“I should also congratulate you.” A rumbling voice fills the chapel. I think it was spoken softly; it’s just the timbre which made it overwhelm.
Every time I would come into this room, no, make that anytime anyone comes into this room they inevitability mistake that man for a black monolith. The man’s deep black cloak rejects any sort of the light which tries to stain it. His face is one so that you cannot gaze into his eyes but I’m sure his eyes are darker than black. He is the personification of “stillness,” and a former Buddhist monk. Ironic, that a Buddhist monk and not that priest would be the keeper of this church.
“Tcch, Master, do you have to see him?” Tamamo’s peeved whisper interrupts my thoughts.
It’s understandable that Tamamo cannot stand the man. It was a monk who betrayed Tamamo-no-mae to the one she loved. She was ousted and then executed on the plains of Nasu, alone, cursing the world and humans until she became the Red Spider Lily Killing Stone which was also shattered by another virtuous monk named Gennou. Needless to say, Tamamo’s life has been disrupted many times by monks, but for some reason I find him calming.
“Thank you Souren, it has been a pleasure to come and talk with you.”
That isn’t a lie; he has helped us through this War many times. This man with his incredible knowledge of bounded fields is the only reason why we were able to crush the monster that sleeps in her Shapeless Isle and it’s Master, a magus who only wanted to prove his worth to this dying lineage.
“Did you know, newly crowned Master of the Moon Cell, that I once sought this conclusion?”
This conclusion? What is he talking about?
“I sought to find a way to the Root using people’s deaths in an attempt to end the world and record their lives. Now, even if I am only a NPC in this SE.RA.PH, I know that my former actions are useless as there is already something that records everything and anything about humanity.”
It must be because we are in this chapel that he has access to his memories, otherwise I would have to hazard that he has regained his memories like me and is a potential threat as a Master, but the only thing that registers is,
“You tried to end the world?”
“Maybe not in this timeline, but in 1998 in my own world, I definitely, without a doubt tried to end this world. Ha, I was stopped of course, not by the demon I was trying to possess, but a simple worthless boy who I thought was my puppet.” His voice gets quieter and quieter as he approaches the end of that sentence. “But like you listened to your Servant’s story perhaps you should listen to mine as well. Do not worry; I am sure you are full of anticipation to finally lay your eyes on the Holy Grail of the Seven Heavens so I will keep this very short.”
Hmm, he called it a Holy Grail, an artifact that grants any wish made famous by the Arthurian-cycle. Arthur, now that’s a name that is familiar, barely a day old. So the Moon Cell can also be considered a Holy Grail in a sense.
“It must be hard to believe but I am three hundred years old, yet even with such a gap in our years, our origins lie in the same place. I was a wandering monk who would travel the battlefields trying to bring peace to those who had already fallen. And then one day, will closing the eyes a child soldier; I realized that I could not save those who are already dead. After all, even a miracle can only affect those who are alive. So, in despair I turned away from my path and instead looked for a way to the Root using that which is not there but is there, the soul. In the end I awakened my origin to keep on searching for a way into the Root. Why did I want to go to the Great Spiral of Origin? Because it’s like the Moon Cell, it records everything and anything, even this Automaton; it processes everything and has every “if,” already inside. I thought that if only I could reach this spiral then maybe, just maybe, I could examine all those who died meaninglessly. Analyze what their happiness was, and perhaps I could be able to give some meaning to their lives. Yes, that was my goal.”
I look at the NPC who I considered, maybe not my friend but, a person who I could definitely trust in some dangerous situation.
“Now that I have had time to contemplate, I have realized just how selfish my actions are. They are the actions of a man who wanted to destroy everything because he did not understand one thing. I thought I sought true wisdom, but I was truly ignorant.”
With a clink that only I can hear Caster’s words enter my ear, “And you asked why I seemed so gloomy. This person could be King Gloomy. I told you we weren’t compatible in any way.”
Caster’s right. Caster’s an existence who lives to serve others. It doesn’t matter who or what they are, she just wants to make people happy. This Araya Souren is the other way around, he was a man troubled by humanity so much that he began to hate the world and only wished for a conclusion, any conclusion, to the world he believed was only a paradox spiral.
“I wanted you to hear my story Twice, not to only show you a path that you shouldn’t take, but also to remind you of that goal you once told me of. So go now, gaze into the heart of Luna yourself and see what it truly is that you want to change.”
I turn to leave.
We are similar and, yes, our origins are the definitely the same. He only found despair in the destructive nature of war and sought to find meaning for those who meaninglessly died. I, or rather Twice, remembers the carnage on that day. Everything around him was collapsing; everything fell without any sense of morality, and like Souren said, without any acknowledgement of the value of life. Yes, on that battlefield of despair the young Twice realized that life itself was truly a miracle. That’s why Twice became a doctor. That’s why Twice became a Master. That’s why Twice has to stop war.
And the Moon Cell waits to bless that prayer.
-------------------------------------
The man of god covered in a dark frock stands rigid as if guarding the entrance to the now defunct Arena. He is the priest, ironically nothing like St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who tells us Masters when and who it is that we rend.
He appears to be waiting for me.
“This may be fairly late to ask you this, but do you know what you are receiving?”
I already know the basics; there is a book in the library that can be read when one is a certain level as a Master.
“The Moon Cell Automaton is a supercomputer within the moon that is meant observe. It is an archive that has recorded the history of the Earth, or rather humankind, since the beginning. And for some reason, magi fight to the death for ownership of this computer.”
“Good basic knowledge, better than those who have reached this point before you.”
Naturally, I have spent more time in this forgery of a school than anymore bar the NPCs.
“The photonic crystal is what we call the ‘Moon Cell.’ Forcing other functions upon what is primarily an observation device is generally impossible, but you see, the all-seeing eye is lacking the rest of its head. The Moon cell is not a god. It must obey the laws of physics. Phenomena that are not observed do not exist. On the flip side to that, all things that are seen must be seen, even things that are not generally considered to exist. The Moon Cell is a very complete database. It records many ‘ifs’ as well. With such operation power, the Moon Cell can both elucidate the past and provide foresight.”
“So then, why did the monk call this Moon Cell, the ‘Holy Grail’?”
“Oh, he did, did he?” The priest looks amused, a natural mood for him. “Only in the past century has it been called the ‘Holy Grail.’ What you are heading towards is “knowledge of the future.” A place where you can spy upon the future. The moon has no will of its own. Intelligence is a distortion of pure observation, after all. But, if someone with a will could harness the Moon Cell they would see all their wishes granted. There doesn’t need to be any motives just that the winner of the War is “strong.”
Just strength. This priest reduces all of humanities struggles into that.
The only things that matter in this world are strength and the Holy Grail…
Ah, it starts again, for some reason it starts again, perhaps it is because I have come so close to my answer that my fate is mocking me.
----------------------------------
The flames dance.
/In that hand is steel.
The earth cracks.
/In that hand is poison.
The sea dries.
/In that hand is the heat of 209,200 joules.
When the monk said the words “Holy Grail,” I could not help but feel some sort of déjà vu. Whenever I have heard talk about the prize we are all fighting for it has been referred to as “The Photonic Abyss,” “Angelica Cage,” or even just the “supercomputer that is on the moon.”
Yes, the only time that I have heard someone call it a “Holy Grail,” was yesterday…
------------------------------
“Caster!” My racing voice tries to get Caster to retreat.
It’s no good, Caster’s a mid-range fighter. Her mirror can be thrown as a boomerang or can be used to slightly offset a blow, but that’s it.
Usually that should not matter since as the class name designates, Caster is a magus at heart, but she has yet to use a spell.
Why?
Her opponent is a Saber, one of the knight classes, a class who inherently has the skill “Magic Resistance.” So any magecraft that Tamamo uses will be nullified. There is no point in mindlessly wasting prana so she continues to fight a physical battle.
So this farce cannot be called a battle. It is mere a beatdown to which she can only agree to. His helmeted knight is slowly crushing my Servant. Any lucky attacks that Tamamo slips through his defenses are simply shrugged away, no matter how fatal they seem.
As expected of the class deemed “Most Outstanding.”
But the most peculiar thing is his Master. He didn’t speak to me during the prep period and was completely quiet during the elevator ride to this final, golden battlefield.
Without taking my eye off the “battle,” I take out my terminal to check the matrix.
His name is Mitsuru Kugamine or Kugamine Mistsuru.
That’s an eastern name that has its origin in the same country I died in, but he doesn’t exactly look like an Asian. No, he has more of a European face, and no Asian naturally has that type of hair colour… What did they call him again? When this fake school was still filled with students?
Steel rings, it’s a cold bell-like chime which cuts through the air itself.
Saber is unrelenting.
If I did not know the Servant’s class I would swear that he was fighting as a Berserker. But even with all that brute strength there is a subtle finesse, one that I cannot help but admire.
It comes to no surprised that his swordplay is superb, he is; after all, the shatterer of the Round Table. He told us that himself, on the fourth day of preparation when we met in final chimeric sea. The foreboding figure that never let his face be seen told us that even if he was the shatterer of the Round Table, he still had his pride as a knight and would still obey the rules of chivalry. His Master didn’t even stop him from telling this to us. It’s unfathomable, that the Master would let their Servant reveal information just like that.
Heroic Spirits all have weakness, particular ways that they died, geasa that they must uphold, etc. To learn one’s opponents name means to learn all their weaknesses which can be exploited. One example would be if my opponent was Aife. I would only have to scream that her horses and chariot have fallen off a cliff to take her attention away. Another example would be King Arthur who was a “dragon incarnate,” which would mean that he would be weak against anti-dragon magecraft or heroes who have slain dragons in the past.
Steel clangs, even against a sword like that, Caster’s mirror will not break. It’s a Noble Phantasm as well, a crystalized mystery created from the imagination of humans, so even if it clashes against another Noble Phantasm it will not break.
That is, unless…
And for the first time I hear the last magus I need to kill to obtain the Automaton and my past.
“gain_str (32).”
Code cast, one of the only ways for a Master to help his Servant. I have read in the library that it is a similar process to the lost art of magecraft. One channels his prana into a piece of formal wear and a spell is cast. This spell increases the strength stat of the Servant, and the number tells me how many modifiers it will gain.
Thirty-Two…
I quickly check my terminal again.
Saber’s current strength stat is B rank, with that code cast his next attack will be B+ which means that Saber’s attack has just doubled.
“Cast-“ I begin a shout.
Caster has to get away, there is no way that she can take the next attack and survive. In terms of numbers, if B rank is equivalent to the number forty, then B+ is eighty, an attack that easily surpasses the highest rank, A.
But either my voice is too late or Saber is too fast. There is no way that Caster can avoid this attack, even if she puts all her power into guarding the attack there is no way she will survive such an attack after receiving such a beating.
What are the words that have kept me alive in this War.
If the Servant isn’t enough…
“- then the Master has to make up for her!”
My hand goes into my sterile lab coat and a sword is retrieved. There is no way to describe this sword other than a legendary sword said to have slain a demon. But I’m weak; I know I’m weak since I always have relied on Caster to save me; like the time when the arena was compete carpet bombed, or when my heart almost taken by that old man of the mountain. But I also know that if I run blindly into the fray I will be nothing else but a nuisance to my partner.
So I have to do the only thing that I can do, the trump card that I have been saving up just for this moment.
The sword is raised and the switch that turns me into a magus is flicked on.
From the tips of my toes to the crown of my head, prana courses through whole existence and I say the words that change myself and this world.
“shock (64)”
The air around the faceless armor buzzes and intensifies until finally, the air itself is electrified.
It’s almost a miracle in itself that I have a mystic code that is so strong. Saber’s magic resistance is C rank, rather low for a Saber. Magic Resistance is different from the magic resistance that Caster taught me. The class skill Magic Resistance doesn’t merely mean that the Servant uses its own prana to wash away the spell, no, this is actual nullification of magecraft based on rank. So, a C rank in Magic Resistance means that Saber can cancel a spell which is below two verses, basically a spell which is C rank and below. Luckily this mystic code lets me use a B rank spell.
The electricity courses through Saber’s body paralyzing it; however, Saber is a Servant, he won’t be stunned for long.
“Caster, now!”
This is the moment we have been waiting for, it’s not a Noble Phantasm but a trump card that cannot be played unless certain conditions are fulfilled, but when those conditions are fulfilled…
It’s an enormous amount of magical energy being bended into a curse. The same curse that made up the remains of Tamamo-no-Mae after she was killed. Originally it was located where she had died, the plains of Nasu. It would be considered Tamamo’s final vengeance, a curse which cannot be used unless she is on the brink of death…
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai!”
The Red Lily blooms again.
Taking with it the soul of one of the round table.
But he wouldn’t be my final opponent if he couldn’t deal with such a trump card. His unmoving face and his unflinching resolve are testament to these blood-soaked hands.
“cure()”
That’s the correct way to counter-act Caster’s trump card. One shouldn’t take into consideration the damage that is done, but the effects of the attack. The killing stone’s ferocity doesn’t lie in its base power; in that respect it’s equal to any other of her spells. No, the true horror is the poison that invades the body corrupting the senses and all thought.
After all, why heal a Servant who is no longer going to be damaged?
“heal_(64)”
The second of the mystic codes that I have saved for this day finally sees the golden sunset. It is an item of remarkable craftsmanship which is said to be made from the hide of an ancient dragon. It doesn’t defend, but rather as the name of the spell suggests, heals my Servant.
“Ahhh, I can feel Master’s love all around me.”
Even in battle Caster’s as embarrassing as ever.
But right now I’m more worried about the fact that my opponent is not worried at all. That spell was not even two verses, a C rank in Magic Resistance means that anything under two verses is nullified. Yes, Saber should have easily nullified that sort of magecraft.
Doesn’t he feel any sort of worry at all?
Saber moves backs, not to regain his breath, but rather to analyze the situation he is in. He doesn’t need to breathe. Even now, after attacking so much he’s not even breaking a sweat. Most heroic spirits are fundamentally human. Even Tamamo, a goddess, is based off one of her human incarnation. However, he is different. I still remember when we attributed his raw strength to a Berserker.
But once Saber told us he was the shatterer of the Round table it was all clear.
Saber is a homunculus.
A clone basically, with a higher growth rate and shorter life span than a regular human, but that means nothing to a Heroic Spirit. What’s important is that a homunculus is basically a walking cluster of magic circuits.
This Saber’s Magic Stat is higher than my own Caster, a member of the spell casting class. That is how strong this servant truly is, and he hasn’t even shown his Noble Phantasm yet. But only to be fair we haven’t shown him our Noble Phantasm yet, either.
But it’s not the Servant.
It’s him.
It’s definitely him.
Call me paranoid, but he hasn’t said a word to his Servant other than to cure him and strengthen him which says two things.
He is an incompetent Master who has only made it so far because of his superior Servant.
or
He completely trusts his Servant and has already given Saber his battle plans, and since he has not needed to amend them…
-we’re playing right into his hand.
“Caster, now!”
This is the combo that we had agreed on in our room last night.
Caster rushes in with her mirror ready to strike, it’s a tactic which wouldn’t even be considered by other masters with Casters who are fighting against one of the knight class, but this Caster is different. The question right now will be whether Saber will guard, attack, break, or perhaps use a skill?
“gain_str(32),” Again, that steel voice rings through the golden sunset.
He hopes to end it with this one attack.
The armor draws closer to a Caster who can no longer stop and while Saber prepares for an overhead swing…
“Curse: Frigid Heaven!”
Caster nimbly attaches a tag onto his armor and nimbly backs away. Her agility is B rank after all.
The effects are immediate, Saber’s armor starts to glaciate; the inside of his body is probably already frozen.
And again, the knight of sword has been stunned.
This not a status effect but which can be gotten rid of by a simple code cast, but rather the Servant is truly unable to move at this moment. This would be the perfect moment to launch another attack but Tamamo does not go for another a spell. If she did that he would no longer be stunned and then he would be free to cleave her head off. No, the idea is to use this time that we have gained for,
“Mantra: Merciful Sky.”
It’s a graceful pirouette, one that truly shows off Tamamo’s divine origins, but other than that nothing happens.
He knows; I can see it in his eyes. He knows that we have just strengthened something. He must be calculating it right now. He knows that since I have a Caster it should be obvious that Caster just strengthened her magic stat. Yes, he’s taking out his terminal just to check how much it can be expected to increase.
What?
No way.
He… He just put away his terminal and returned to a somewhat uninterested viewing of the battle.
“Caster! Let’s end this while we have the momentum!”
“Of course, master.” Her voice is joyous as she bounds towards the recovering iron block.
In her hand is another tag, the one which will end this battle for the Moon.
“Tcch,” Saber makes a sound of annoyance as he retreats.
He has learnt that even if he does have Magic Resistance it either must be lacking or Caster has some sort of Noble Phantasm that bypasses his Magic Resistance.
He is wrong on all three counts.
Three?
Yes, Saber’s Magic Resistance isn’t lacking at all, neither does Caster’s Noble Phantasm bypass his Magic Resistance.
But his greatest error in judgment was to retreat and guard thinking that Caster’s tags were only suited for close combat.
Yes, I said it before didn’t I?
That Caster was suited for mid-range combat, so…
“Curse: Chaos Heaven!”
As true as an arrow, the thrown tag clips onto the armor of the knight of the sword, and the world begins to crumble. At least that must be what it feels like for the knight; if he was a human there would be no way that he would have survived. His blood vessels should have all ruptured and his capillaries could never be used again. But he is an existence that surpassed human; he is a Heroic Spirit so not a hint of blood speeds out of that armor to sully the golden sunset.
But that wasn’t the goal in the first place; Caster isn’t a monster because she does high damage. No, Caster is all about controlling the momentum of the battle and because Chaos Heaven both breaks and stuns against a guard…
The sword comes to claim Tamamo’s head.
Why wasn’t he stunned?
The sword is desperately blocked by a mirror, but it’s such a clumsy guard that the mirror goes flying away from Caster. Caster’s unsteady on her feet as that attack was beyond what she could handle.
He’s towering over her again with his sword upright.
“Curses, woman. They were all ghastly curses that ignore my resistance. Hah, so you aren’t a proper heroic spirit, are you? You were a monster or some sort of corrupted being like that.” His voice is scornful even if it is rather high.
Now I can truly see what his armor looks like. I was wrong. It isn’t one gigantic block which covers his whole body. It’s a heavy grey armor consisting of gauntlets, a chest plate, pauldrons, greaves and a helmet. They were just so iron grey that I believed it to be one gigantic suit. This isn’t armor which protects though. It is armor which hides one’s true being, a mask so to speak, a mask that isn’t necessary for those of us who already know who he is.
I ready the Sword of Repentance yet again. I don’t have enough prana to activate it but if that is the case then I’ll just have to exceed the boundaries that have been set on this body.
Yes, to save the person who protected when I was weak I’ll throw away this chance at victory.
Even if I die I will be able to try for the Moon Cell again. But Caster will be deleted if she is defeated and all our precious memories will be gone.
“Master of this demon woman!” Saber turns his attention to me. “Hold your hand or this woman will be killed. While it is against the rules of chivalry to kill a woman, it is not to kill an abomination.”
My grip on the Sword of Repentance tightens and with some effort I put it away.
But this servant must be familiar with curses even though his magic resistance is only C rank. That’s right; Caster uses a specific type of curses, not just curses. If she just used curses we would have been destroyed by that one hero’s who life burns away when her sword reveals her death.
Caster has an EX rank in Witchcraft, something in which Caster uses all physical phenomena performed with her own body. While common Magecraft are programs that “recompose what exists around,” Caster’s witchcraft uses programs that “recompose the raw materials in one’s body,” for example; if she wanted to set someone alight she would simply ignite the sodium in a person’s body.
Caster’s first curse was to freeze the opponent, stunning them long enough to use Merciful Sky which multiplies the damage of the next spell by three. That was Chaos Heaven, which stuns the target when the target is guarding and the cycle would continue again and again and again. That was the plan for this final battle, a plan which was broken because he is son of that supposedly incestuous fairy.
So yes, I already know his identity. It isn’t that hard to guess. His origins are sad, and his ending is even more tragic.
“Don’t you of all Heroic Spirits, dare bad mouth my Servant. If there is a monster here then it would have to be you. Was it pleasing to you? To plunge that coward’s blade that you hold into the person who was your father. Did you enjoy it, bastard? Did you enjoy it, Mordred?!!!”
My words break through that armor of his and he roars in complete rage unbefitting a Saber.
“MASTER!” He roars to he who commands him for the first time.
“gain_str (32)”
“Then you shall it you slanderer. You will see the sword that has slain my father twice.” He holds the sword in both hands ready to cast the true name, ready to bestow a miracle to the world.
But it’s his words that shock me. Twice? Did he say my name or did he actually say that he has killed King Arthur twice? It isn’t all that surprising that they would face each other again considering that this is a War of Heroic Spirits but…
“Clarent!”
It is what was formerly dubbed “Sword of Peace,” which is now lost in history as the “Coward’s Blade,” after the traitor who destroyed the peace of Camelot. As the Sword of Peace it was used only for knighting ceremonies. How ironic, the exact sword which knighted all those knights was used to slay them on that hill of misfortune. For that, this sword probably has taken up a curse of destroying those who it has knighted or have used it to knight someone else. Then it would make sense the Servant who holds the strongest holy sword in existence could only stand and be destroyed by this sword.
Light that serves as Caster’s guillotine is being released by the sword.
Even if it was made by man this sword is without doubt a holy sword. While it should have been dyed black by the actions and regrets of its wielder, it seems to have regained its status as a holy sword. I wonder what King Arthur said to the son who killed him twice. Was Mordred absolved? Is that why this sword has regained its luster?
…And Caster decides to face her last moments with her head held high.
After all, this sword originally made to be used as a symbol. Without it, Mordred would have been unable to lead a country. I’m sure that Mordred has the abilities to head an army but a country? No, this knight is a fighter, not a ruler. So then when he revealed his Noble Phantasm, his Charisma must have temporarily risen to B-, just enough to rule as a regent.
-Light runs.
The light isn’t completely pure, but it’s enough to instantly destroy most Heroic Spirits that try to contend with it.
Yet it’s stopped.
One of the most famous holy swords in the world is stopped by a mere mischievous fox-girl.
“Mantra: Aphotic Cave”
The light is stopped and reabsorbed into prana.
Hah, that’s my Tamamo, my partner through this hellish war.
We’ve lasted this whole war. We’ve killed and killed. We’ve stepped on so many dreams that I think that I’m going to be sick. But every dream that has been extinguished still lives on in us. They’re all there, all the masters that we have defeated; Edelfelt, Velvet, Sophia-Ri, Fraga, those are the first names that come to mind, but I know that there are many more.
“Ahh,” He’s shocked.
For the first time both the Master and the Servant are shocked at what has just happened. While Mordred was making his speech, Caster had her head down chanting what would become our road towards victory.
“But, even Father couldn’t stand up to that attack! How could it be that…” If I could see his eyes I am sure that should have flared up for a second “It doesn’t matter, the Holy Grail is ours!”
-----------------------------------
Is there an answer for this lamentation?
And if there isn't one, I will need to create one through my own strength of will.
I have no need for memories.
I don't even really need a past.
All I need to do is keep fighting.
I hear a distant voice asking me to wake up.
--------------------------------------
“Master? Master? You’ve been out of it a lot today are you sure it’s okay to go…”
I can’t say that I’m not happy that Caster is worried about me.
“Caster, where has the priest gone?”
My head is still whirling and I notice that I am back in our room. Caster must have carried me all the way here. That would usually be suicide, but since we are the only inhabitants in this virtual school it no longer matters.
“He just left after he finished saying what he said. Master, are you sure you are okay?”
I nod my head weakly.
That scene.
That absolutely despairing scene.
Caster definitely struck the final blow to Mordred, but then what happened?
Urgh, it’s annoying that I can’t remember even if it was only yesterday.
“Master?”
“Let’s head out Tamamo. It’s time we gazed upon the Holy Grail.”
----------------------------------
The entrance to the battlegrounds is still the same dreary elevator. This elevator travels to the Arena. But the display indicates a much greater depth. Once I’m inside, the doors close heavily and the rectangular box begins to move.
---------------------------------
It’s completely pitch black here. We truly are at the bottom of the sea.
I turn to my partner and gift her a smile and behind to walk towards the light.
“We’ve come so far. From when you saved me until now.”
This is the last time I will see Caster so I have to tell her how precious I find her.
“Even if I was sick most of the time, I have to say that it’s been a lot of fun. Although back then… I have to tell you Tamamo, I never thought that we would make it here. I was just simply too weak.”
Damn, even if it’s dark the air still stings my eyes.
“You protected me no matter how pathetic, miserable, or weak I was. I know that you’re a Heroic Spirit, but I know the pain of your past as well, and how much it cost you to protect me in the way that you did. So let me tell you Tamamo, you are definitely the strongest woman in the world.”
She wistfully smiles at that.
“But, all in all, I’m beyond glad that I had you as a Servant. This may be our last time together so I just want to thank you for everything. No matter how grumpy or disagreeable I was to you, just remember that to me you are someone who cannot be replaced. So for taking care of, no, for raising Twice Pieceman, I thank you with all my heart and soul.”
And with that, hand in hand, we enter the gateway that will deliver us to the Holy Grail and the end of our war.
--------------------------------
It’s an incredibly vast room.
Actually, a space so cavernous could hardly be called a room. It is also so strangely barren, save for the alien object that dominates the center of the space.
It resembles a giant floating eye.
Though it doesn't seem threatening, it is still somewhat disconcerting.
The artifact of an alien civilization, the reason for its creation is beyond human comprehension.
It is the core of the Moon Cell and the base of the SE.RA.PH, the Holy Grail of the Seven Heavens, responsible for creating the seven seas. And in the space where the Holy Grail is enshrined, I can feel a sense of discord and dissonance.
It’s disgusting.
It’s utterly disgusting.
There is no red, but all I see is red. Red like the day that…bzzzt…
I fall down to my knees surrounded by a mountain of corpses.
Is this the fate of the winners of the Moon Cell’s war?
“Master!!!”
But Caster’s call is drowned out by a…
“_________________!"
A roar which can only come from a Berserker.
I don’t have to turn my head to know who is sitting in front of his Holy Grail atop a jumble of stone pillars, which only adds to the tumultuous atmosphere.
Sitting on top of that pile of stone as if it is a throne is the ‘king’ who should have been deleted, guarded by a mad warrior who no longer has his helmet.
So then it is only natural that what would be next is a white hot sharp pain that sends me reeling.
--------------------------------------------
"Now, the truth hidden for long years reveals itself! The world has long been at a dead end. Human efforts to circumvent it meet an unsightly end.
I want to hear you cry out in lamentation as broken history cracks and is faultily mended.
I want you to blame them in loud cries. I caress the broken surface of the Earth with knowing eyes.
I want you so smile victoriously. After several stumbles, we are finally free from human war.”
Whose words are they?
Just exactly whose words are they?
------------------------------------------
The red line is drawn and the battle has ended.
He should be fading away.
The Master who only gave his servant three orders.
He should be fading away.
The coward who betrayed the Round Table.
So why are they screaming?
Why are they screaming in so much despair that Tamamo actually cringes behind me?
He roars and his servant roars with him.
It must hurt, it must hurt so much. There is without a doubt that the SE.RA.PH is trying to interrupt whatever type of hacking he trying to achieve.
All of a sudden, for the first time since we met he meets my horrified gaze.
There is so much hate in those eyes, just so much…
“I will become a hero!”
And with those crazed eyes aflame he tears off his right arm.
This scene, even for a war like this is too unbelievable. So unbelievable, that I can no longer retain my consciousness.
-------------------------------
"But what has that produced?
Perpetuity! Eternity! Blisss! Stagnation!
Look upon the many corpses.
Listen to the anguish.
No one wishes for the future, only for the continuation of a mediocre happiness.
A road to a peaceful home, a sunlit window that frames no poverty or inequality.
Now-
I want you to answer once more.”
Who shouted those words?
Who shouted those words on the verge of death?
------------------------------
“You!”
I throw the pain off and dash towards the faux throne.
But I didn’t even reach half way before the mad knight ripped me from the ground and threw me across the “room.”
“Master!”
His strength stat has definitely increased, but that has come at the cost of his sanity. Mad Warrior, Berserker. There is no time to check my terminal, but experience through countless wars has given me an initiation about skills and parameters.
He doesn’t look like a Berserker at all. He can only be described as beautiful with blonde hair as fine as golden threads, and those piercing, muddied green eyes which show that he has not completely lost his sanity.
“__________________!”
Which is why I would put his Mad Enchantment rank at C. His magic and his luck stats have not increased, thankfully. Mordred is a homunculus, a walking cluster of magic circuits from the beginning of the age of man. His magic circuits are probably more advanced than another other magus alive today. If his magic stat were to increase, then we would definitely be in serious trouble.
The crazed Mordred, the infamous mastermind behind the battle of Camlann, rushes towards us without any indication from his Master.
Without thinking about her safety Caster goes in to meet him.
After the first exchange of blows I know that this is an unfair battle. During our fight on the golden lake Caster still had the advantage in agility. But now, due to Mad Enchament, Tamamo has lost whatever little edge she had in that area.
But Mad Enchantment is a double edged sword. While it boosts one’s base stats, skills can drop or be rendered useless, like his ability to ride mounted units which has been replaced by Mad Enchantment. His Magic Resistance has certainly decreased as well, now he can only nullify single action spells.
The Coward’s Blade is raised except that this time light does not run. Instead it crushes the area around Mordred.
He must have lost use of his Noble Phantasm as well.
While I should be relieved, for some reason that causes me some worry, but not as much as the Master who seems like he has completely changed.
If I were to describe him, I couldn’t because it would be like looking into a mirror, not because we look the same but because he excludes the same aura of “nothingness,” that Caster told me I exclude. His clothes which were spotless the first time we fought are now ruffled, but that is a matter of course considering he has just defied the SE.RA.PH and avoided deletion. But the biggest difference is not the disheveled black suit that he wears, but his arm…
It’s not his arm.
I know he tore his arm out which is unthinkable as, even if we are packets of data, we still feel pain. To be able to tear your arm off like that…
-what sort of being is he?
The arm which is now attached to him is someone else’s which means the command spells are also someone else’s, probably the Master who had that arm used a Berserker.
But still it doesn’t make sense. Where did he get that arm? There is no one left in the War so then…
“It would be better for you to concentrate on your Servant other than thinking about my arm.” The king of the Moon Cell’s words separates the battle to arrive at my ears.
It’s a casual voice, not the voice that I expected at all. There is only bluntness in his words, he hasn’t been trained to hide or falsify truths.
“I obtained this arm before I fought you. This is war after all. Why not kill the Master before killing the Servant? Why not take that Master’s command spells in case you lose? Everything needs to be counted for; after all, this is war.”
Caster is being beaten down and I am still on the ground unable to get up.
But those words.
Those words hurts.
Those words hurt so much.
He excuses his actions by declaring that they are acceptable because this is war.
It really makes me angry.
For the first time since I was born, I’m angrier than I am sick.
“Caster!” My voice is incredibly feeble, but that’s the reason why I am at my strongest. “At this moment I declare that I release any of the limiters that I placed upon you!”
Even if she is being overburdened by the blows of the Mad Warrior she turns to grin at me.
“Will do, Master!”
She retreats and with an impossibly graceful motion she takes out ten tags from her “Japanese dress,” and fans them out, ready to pounce back into battle.
Yes, that’s my Servant.
The ever perky, ever proud, Tamamo-no-mae.
So as her Master, even if I’m not as strong as she is, I have to at least match her effort...
With some grunting and heaving the world turns upright again. My left “arm” has been crushed and one of the lenses of my glasses has been broken, but if that’s all that was lost after being thrown by this insane warrior, then I’m definitely in good condition.
I look upon the king of world, the man on the throne that should have been mine.
“Mitsuru I’m sure that you know there are many rules in this War, but there’s one which will always stay the same. I’m sure you know that there is only one Master can obtain the Holy Grail of the Seven Heavens. And…”
Our gazes meet…
“-It’s mine!”
As just like the Servants fighting, the yells that were made in unison wrap around each other trying not to surpass the other, but to stamp the other into the ground by ripping off its wings made of hope.
---------------------------------
They clash, the ringing of clean steel and the ever-hungry roar of curses.
Even if her endurance is only E rank, Caster’s stamina is incredible, but bit by bit she loses ground to the mad swinging of Mordred.
He can only be described as a brutal earth-mover. Every time he swings the world shakes and terra is ripped away and sent hurtling towards a Caster who is only allowed to defend herself.
“So then Twice, tell me, just before I defeat you, what sort of world do you wish to create with the Holy Grail?” His question puzzles me, but does not surprise me. He doesn’t believe that his Servant is in danger of losing so why not amuse himself?
“My only wish is for a world without war.” I tell him the only wish that I have.
“Ah-ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
He laughs.
“Ahh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”
He’s not laughing at me but at my wish.
It’s such a mirthful laugh that drowns out the clashing of our Servants.
“A world without war you say? So you are not different from the plutocracy, and that family.
A world without war? In exchange for what?
A mediocre happiness?
A world of stagnation which no longer moves, and only dies?
Such a wish is wasted on something like the Holy Grail.”
Argh, again, it’s a searing hot pain that developed out of the ominous feeling that came from the Moon Cell.
Those words, where have I heard those words?
“Twice, I do not know what your origin is, but you have made it this far. Even if your wish is ridiculous, I must to have some respect for you.”
Unorthodoxly he beings a monologue amidst the incessant ringing of the Servants.
“You have heard of the Harway family have you? They currently own about ten percent of the world, and they are rapidly increasing in their holdings. In fact, after I have obtained the Holy Grail they will probably try to shut down the Akalabeth research center but that is no matter. Mordred and I, we’re the same. We’re both bastards. He was not recognized by his “father,” and I was not recognized by the woman who bore me, the current head of the Harway family. Yes, I have taken my father’s family’s name.”
No wonder I recognize the name, Kugamine, they were a successful family under the Tohno group in the 90’s. The Tohno group was a family owned group which had money in some notable newspapers. There’s a passing reference to them in one of the books in the library.
“Regardless, I was born from that union and was not recognized. But that isn’t the tragic part. I was ignored by the family and that was how I liked it. You see, the Harway family is like royalty, they are expected to keep the line pure. Yet here we were, children born from someone who wasn’t part of the Western European Conglomerate. So when my sister threatened to go public with her ancestry, she was executed, and that’s when I realized…
This world is unfair.
This world is simply so unfair.
It is advertised as equal, as just, but for people like Mordred and me. We’re just trash.” His tone is just so world weary and bitter.
“But at that time I accepted my fate and fulsomely followed the orders of that cursed family. I became the guardian for the scion of the family. As it turns out I have rather good quality magic circuits, so I was trained to become a magus capable of entering this war. I was meant to use my abilities to make sure that my half-brother would be the winner of this War. And guess what? Guess what happened in the very first round? I was paired up with him. What fate! He didn’t try to learn anything about my Servant at all; rather, he expected me to hand him the victory. Can you believe it? He felt that he was entitled to the victory, like he was entitled to the Moon Cell, like he was entitled to the world! So I killed him. I mercilessly beat him down. Mordred was happy; he was finally able to apologize to his “father,” and then kill him without any regrets to ascend to the throne that should have rightfully been his. As for me, well, I learned that there are no more heroes in this world. Spoiled brats like him exist in this world, but heroes do not walk among and with us, unlike this virtual sea.
A hero who could have saved my dying sister.
A hero who can destroy the corruption that litters our world.
A hero who can inspire hope in the hearts of these souls who have given up and can only lament.
So I decided to become a hero, not a hero of justice, just a hero and that is my wish upon our stagnating world. I wish that heroes could exist in our current era.”
He laughed at my wish, but I cannot laugh at his.
It might be completely ridiculous, but…
Heroes to guide humanity.
Heroes to protect us.
Heroes to serve as an ideal that we can all strive towards.
I shake my head because I know that he’s wrong.
This is a wish that should never come true, no matter how beautiful such a world seems.
“So you wish for heroes to exist? But you see heroes aren’t born, they’re made, so your wish cannot come true unless there is a clear evil. Even if you haven’t thought about it yet, a hero requires as villain to defeat to be known as a hero.”
The desire to save something,
-is, at the same time, none other than the wish for something to be in danger.
So, I must reject his words as the path that humanity must take.
I want to stop war, I don’t want to let anyone die, lest of all-
“Caster!”
With nowhere else to dodge Caster finally receives a wound, a large wound.
“______________________!”
Mordred closes in for the kill, he might not be able to think properly, but he can smell his prey.
“Then let us see!” His voice is triumphant and self-righteous, because like the amoral priest he must believe that the ones who are “strong,” are the only ones who are right.
Mordred swings.
When he was a Saber he would swing his sword with one hand unless he used his Noble Phantasm, but now as a Berserker, either to maximize his power, or to have better control of his weapon, he has changed to a two-handed style.
This quirk allows Caster rolls out of the way; it’s at times like this that I’m glad that she also has a B rank in luck, what some would consider the most worthless parameter in this War.
And as she rises, her hands are in their most dangerous position as…
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai!”
The land turns to one of eternal bane.
“add-“
The Mitsuru’s incantation is completely drowned out by the ferocity of Caster’s spell.
It’s loud, the blast is so loud that it almost knocks me off my feet, but I steady myself because I don’t think that I could get back up if I fell down again.
There’s a gigantic hole in the area where the witchcraft met the Heroic Spirit. That is, after all, Caster’s greatest curse. But that doesn’t make sense at all. A curse should not affect the environment, only the victim which means…
-something must have blocked the curse.
“________________!”
Before I see Mordred rushing out of the dust the explosion has created, I hear his roar.
“No… No way.”
He’s completely undamaged and his sword is outstretched, ready to pierce an utterly flabbergasted Caster.
She’s dead.
Caster’s dead.
In the next second.
No, in the next moment, Caster will be dead.
It runs. Something runs through my body and-
I definitely can’t let her die.
Yes, I can’t let her die.
So if I don’t use it now and let her die...
-what’s the point of having it?
It fuses with my body until,
“Return, Caster!”
Caster disappears as the sword does not claim the head that should have been severed from the body, and instantly reappears at my side as if she has just teleported there.
Argh, it’s a hot pain. One that isn’t un-similar to how these three, now two, Command Spells were engraved upon me.
“So, you escaped death. But you were merely lucky, you know you can’t win and the moment you lose you use your third command spell… your qualifications as Master will end.”
He’s right, he’s completely right, but we haven’t played our trump card yet.
Mitsuru still doesn’t know who Caster is. He only knows that she is a monster, and that she is a fox. But even that’s wrong.
“Caster, can you use it?”
She smiles as if to say, of course, without any words.
And, with that she begins the chant,
“There are gods in Izumo.
Sure on aesthetic, breathe the soul.”
Caster’s Noble Phantasm is what I would consider special in the sense that a certain set of requirements must be met for it to be used other than just prana and saying the true name. It is an ultimate Noble Phantasm that can be only used once per battle.
“The sky shines on mountains, rivers, water, and sky.
Approve freely, prove its ablutions.”
I know that it hurts, but I continue to block out the pain. Do all Masters go through this when they use a Command Spell? I wouldn’t know. I haven’t used a command spell before. Or is this something else?
But I’m so close so I have to keep holding on.
Just… keep…
“It is called Tamamo Sizuishi.
Mirror of Inari, a Godly Artifact…
Just kidding!”
As she adds her own touch to the incantation, the world changes. Eight of her tags, filled to the brim with her prana, are spread around her. They’re special tags with what seems to be a spiral drawn right in the middle. They glow as bright as the sun itself and countless Torii gates rise up from the earth. They’re enormous. Each Torii is filled to the brim with mana. I suspect there is enough prana in each Torii to destroy a castle. And like water, it is poured into Caster’s mirror which suckles the stream as if pap, drinking until there is no end.
This is the Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu.
Mordred rushes in with no fear of the Noble Phantasm. Actually, how could he fear the immense prana that Tamamo is now seething? He has almost lost all reason, and only moves to destroy an enemy who must be defeated.
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai!”
Tamamo replies again with her strongest spell.
“add_invalid()”
It is again block by a mysterious barrier. Invalid, that’s what he must have used the first time he blocked Caster’s Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai. Does it make any attack that is performed on Mordred, magical or physical, invalid?
“Another spell, Caster!”
“Curse: Fiery Heaven!”
Even if her spell holds within it the promise of a flowering flame, today, the fire will not rule the heavens because…
“add_invalid()”
So Mitsuru seeks a battle of attrition. That may be the biggest mistake that he’s made.
“And another!”
“Curse: Frigid Heaven!”
Caster keeps on flinging curses as she sprints around the throne room of the Grail which has turned into a battlefield.
“add_invalid()”
Caster’s Noble Phantasm is specifically made for a battle of attrition. It gives her an unlimited amount of prana for a specific number of actions.
“Curse: Chaos Heaven!”
The tag, filled to the brim with prana, roars-
“add_invalid()”
And like all the others, it is drowned out by that of the code cast.
I’m sure that he obtained that code cast as he was about to be deleted. He achieved the highest power, just as he was at his most desperate.
I don’t know why but I feel there is something beautiful in that.
“Caster, we can’t stun him! Just keep using your strongest spell!”
“Alright Master! You’re lucky that I have just the right amount of health to perform it. Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai!”
But for some reason my mind denies that I find that it is beautiful.
“add_invalid()”
Because he was suffering wasn’t he? The only reason why he was able to move forward and meet me here, to do the impossible…
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai”
-was because he had been suffering so much.
Because I was an enemy that he had to destroy to reach his goal.
“add_invalid()”
He even blocks Caster’s final attack.
“________________!”
Time freezes.
I take an instant to assess his condition.
Caster’s Noble Phantasm has ended.
Using that code cast of Mitsuru’s, Mordred has blocked every curse that Caster has thrown at him; without support from her Noble Phantasm, Caster has no more prana.
But consider something. If Caster could use her Noble Phantasm again wouldn’t that mean she could use six more spells?
But Mitsuru still has that code cast, so in the end nothing will change.
I…
It hurts.
The command spell hurts.
But not as much as it does watching Caster being completely ripped apart by Mordred because I did nothing, so I have to bear that pain.
Even if I can’t protect Caster in the way she protects me.
I have to take some of her burden away.
Even if it costs me my mind.
Even if the pain costs me my sanity.
This Command Spell was engraved onto me as a weapon. If I had no use for that weapon I should have cut off my arm.
So it’s necessary.
And even if it’s impossible...
Even if everyone says it cannot be done…
“By the power vested in me by this second Command Spell, Caster, I command you to use your Noble Phantasm again!”
-I’ll create a miracle.
It breaks, something inside me breaks. No, it’s better to say that something which was separated has been re-connected. Was it because I linked myself to Moon Cell when I used these Command Spells? I don’t know as I have already lost myself.
But that’s not my thought as I hit the ground.
I’m just glad that there is an uncountable number Torii’s standing tall and proud ready to assist her in her fight.
-------------------------------------
/A dream suddenly descends upon me.
It’s a scene I have just witnessed this morning.
It might be a scene from a past I cannot recall. It’s as if I had thrown this memory away, only to have it assail me. This is probably because I am so close to the Moon Cell or have just used a crest that is connected to the Moon Cell.
/I hear a voice of lamentation.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Why do I yearn for something I despise?
Why do I lament over which I love?
In the midst of chaos, I watch as countless people die in misery.
Is there an answer for this insanity?
If there is an answer then it’s in this sky which is deep blue, the colour of the ocean. It glitters and slowly moves away in an arc.
A swimming/drowning sort of flight.
Maybe this truly eternity.
It’s like being a satellite in soundless orbit around a planet, gazing at a frozen civilization.
This future.
It should be loudly sung that no one wishes for it.
Life arose from the womb of the ocean. The virtual world preserves memory of life’s mother.
We spread out over the earth, made the land more bountiful and birthed civilizations of our own.
For what purpose?
I want the answer to that question.
Yes.
----------------------------
“Was there any value in our millennia of prosperity?”
That…
Those were the final thoughts of the man known as Twice Pieceman.
Even if I want to reject them, the Moon Cell cannot lie. It’s just an eye in the sky which mindlessly observes.
“add_invalid(). Your eyes have changed; they are no longer as naïve as they were before. What did you see? What did the Moon Cell show you?”
The Moon Cell, what did it… show me?
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai!”
It showed me Twice, yes, it showed me what Twice Pieceman dreamed for.
“add_invalid()”
I can’t deny his ideal. All my greatest works, all Twice’s greatest works have been born from war. Just that fact that I am standing here right now is because of how I have grown because of war.
And Mitsuru, didn’t he only obtain that annoying power because he was in despair?
The many revelations.
The uncounted number of rescues.
None would have happened without the hell that is war.
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai.”
If the objective of modern man is merely survival, then there is no reason for them to exist.
During Twice’s life, a great many lives and resources were consumed for the sake of prosperity. Why?
What was the need for such prosperity? Prosperity is just an illusion and exists only for its own sake.
“add_invalid()”
It’s his final one. Using the outer processes of the Automaton, I know that the does not have enough prana for another shield. If he only began using that code cast when Caster first used her Noble Phantasm then he would have withstood her barrage.
But…
“Tokoyo Saskisaku Daisakkai.”
Mordred is dead.
Caster’s greatest spell containing all the prana which was supplied by those Toriis is more than enough to kill any Heroic Spirit.
In the end, even if I have seen Twice’s end I couldn’t agree with Mitsuru’s vision. If the future isn’t worth the suffering of the past, that would have made those men mere murderers.
For humans who lived in the distant past, the future that man is now planning cannot be accepted. Humanity has not spent countless lives for the society that is to come.
I steel my gaze and meet Mitsuru’s.
“Now I am not naïve enough to believe that war must be completely stopped. “ Caster gasps, “But your ideology is still wrong. The future cannot be an imitation of the past. That sort of backwards thinking is even worse than stagnating the world.”
But Mitsuru is disinterested in my words.
“Look at your Servant.”
And there, with a spike blossoming from her back is Caster.
“You’re still naïve. Why do you think Servants have classes? Just because my Servant changed classes does not mean he no longer has a Noble Phantasm. The Moon Cell does limit a Servant’s Noble Phantasms to one; it does not mean that Heroic Spirits can’t have different Noble Phantasms if they qualify for different classes.”
It’s as if it were a sculpture.
Mordred just stands there motionless with his sword plunged into Caster’s chest.
How… How can he be alive?
Caster’s spell definitely killed him.
“Empty Victory: Death Cannot Still This Hand, is the name of the Noble Phantasm. It’s a curse, just like the ones your fox-woman spreads on the battlefield. On the hellfire battlefield that was Camlann, King Arthur killed Mordred; however even if he was “dead” Mordred kept attacking, fatally wounding King Arthur, and the rest is legend.”
“But you lose as well. You’re Servant is dead; he’s not even a puppet. He stopped moving the moment he achieved his vengeance.”
He nods, “But he will not be deleted, he will merely stand there. The SE.RA.PH will not delete him as he is technically ‘still using his Noble Phantasm.’”
No way, there is no way that such a situation exists.
Which would mean…
-this was his plan all along.
That’s why he was so disinterested. He knew, he knew that Mordred had this Noble Phantasm if he ever became a Berserker, but as this Noble Phantasm mutually assures destruction he could no use it until the final round.
“Twice, I’m sorry, but I can’t lose anymore. I can’t lose because I have to become a hero. A hero is someone who never loses anything.”
I can’t accept it.
Twice can’t accept it.
His world where everyone imitates the past, yes, what was all that suffering for, if that is the future?
Twice’s dream.
Twice’s ideal.
The one truth in this life that he found three seconds before his heart stopped, and I found by fighting this never-ending war.
So even if I can’t actualize my own ideal…
I’ll just do what I’ve been doing all this time and stomp on his.
Caster’s still alive. This sole command spell on my fist is proof of our connection.
Sorry my precious partner, but for Twice’s final wishes… I’m going to betray you.
“Caster!”
It must look so ridiculous, screaming at a motionless body.
But there is no hesitation as holding her gaze,
“I command you to sacrifice yourself and destroy the Servant in front of you!”
Slowly, and painfully, Caster opens her eyes, they’re bloodshot and weary.
“Master… why?” She’s not shocked by the command, but by the betrayal. “Twice… you… I….”
“By the command of this third and final spell, I, Twice Pieceman, command my Servant Tamamo-no-mae, to sacrifice herself and take the Servant that is right in front of her to the bottom of this sea of electrons.”
“Tw…i…ce.”
She just stares at me, wondering just how and why I have changed in such a short period of time.
She roars.
Her roar, filled with prana, is a lamentation that humans should not be this way.
But that roar was not resistance. She willingly let me take her life with my final Command Spell.
And as she disappears, taking the mad warrior away with her… I think, at the end, I saw a glimpse of the lonely child-goddess who just loved humans too much.
“So you’re that type of person, aren’t you Twice? You’re the type that would destroy your own dream to stop another’s?” His words are filled with distaste; I think they’re supposed to harm me.
But everything has stopped hurting.
I don’t think anything can hurt anymore.
I sacrificed Caster, my partner, the one who has saved me.
There were memories.
There was the warmth of life.
Her warmth was always by my side.
I kill her along with those memories.
I search through my mind and throw them away to where I can’t find them again.
They’ll never return.
I’ll never recall her now.
-Twice doesn’t think that such a thing will be forgiven.
I chose Twice’s path.
I sacrificed my partner to reach Twice’s goal.
“You never heard what that amoral priest said, did you?”
He shakes his head almost amused that we are both fading away.
“He is only an NPC, you are only a villain, and I am the hero. In the end the hero always wins, as that is the duty of the hero.”
“’Strength,’ he said. That amoral priest reduced humanity’s struggle into one word ‘strength.’”
A group of soldiers made to fight against an army many times their size that was far more experienced and well supplied.
Forced to flee form guerrillas, a girl of five travels on foot through a jungle that few could hope to survive.
Innocent victims of violence who rebuilt their village and their lives and their lives without help from anyone else.
Those are merely Twice’s examples.
A monk, disgusted by the violence that surrounded him, almost changed into a concept, and nearly destroyed the world.
An unfortunate courtesan, exiled from her home and chased down by the very people she loved, becomes one of the three greatest monsters in that country’s history.
And I, a weak, comical, pathetic, echo of man stepped on the dreams of those greater than myself, only to sacrifice a person who was truly precious to me just for a chance to allow others to do the same.
Those are my realities.
“And Mitsuru, do you know? He was right. Humanity doesn’t need heroes… It needs the ‘strength,’ that it has forgotten.”
Because I’m weak.
Because I’m comical.
Because I’m pathetic.
I raise my unbroken arm towards the heavens like I have done so many times before.
“- I announce!
Your self is under me; my fate is your sword.
On accordance with the resort of The Angelica Cage, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath.
I am the one who becomes all the good of the sea of electrons.
I am the one who lays out all the evils of the sea of electrons.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence,
O, keeper of the balance -!”
And…
-nothing.
“Did you think that the SE.RA.PH will let you summon another servant?”
“It’s not will the SE.RA.PH let me summon another Servant.”
I lower my fist.
“It’s what type of Servant the SE.RA.PH has let me summon!”
Three strokes are engraved on that clenched fist.
Command Spells.
The purest light runs through the throne room of the Holy Grail.
It’s a light that is so pure that the light of the Coward’s Blade cannot be compared.
“You…”
His eyes bulge, his assumptions about being a hero fade away in an instant. What sort of human could still believe in their dream after gazing upon such a Servant?
“Begone, misbegotten soul, drown in the glory of a past that could not be the future and die. There are no more heroes in this world, there are only humans, and while that is regretful we owe it to the suffering of those heroes to keep moving forward.”
There is no more salvation allowed to him, for salvation is my right hand.
Disregarding his fading body I turn to face the pure majesty that stands before me. This is the face of the one man who has surpassed all the suffering of the world to become removed from the cycle of reincarnation. His serenity washes over me even if I have just killed someone who protected me until the very end. Even if neither regret nor a confession will bring forgiveness I believe I can accept that.
…This is what it means to correct the path of humanity.
I’ll keep on sacrificing everything about Twice and myself until we become a single ideal. On this path, there is nothing brilliant for those who survived to make up for what Twice and those sacrifices lost.
Only the knowledge that their suffering was definitely not in vain.
So…
“I ask thee, art thou my Master?”
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
Servant Matrices:
Status
Class: Saber
Name: Mordred
Noble Phantasm: Clarent-The Coward’s Blade
Key Word: Homunculus
Shatterer of the Round Table
STR: B END: C AGI: C MGI: A+ LUK: D
Charisma: C Magic Resistance: C Riding: B
---------------------------
Key Word
Clarent: The Coward’s Blade
- A sword that is commonly mistaken as Caliburn or the Sword in the Stone. Some say that it is the re-forged Caliburn. Whatever its origin, this blade was used by King Arthur to knight those of her court. A holy sword with that has similar functions of Caliburn and Excalibur. The one wielding this sword will have his Charisma temporarily raised to B-. The sword is also especially proficient at fighting those who it has knighted.
Homunculus:
- Something that was originally human but has turned into a non-human through human methods. If Magi are humans given magic circuits, then homunculi are magic circuits given a human form. Homunculi usually have incredible superhuman abilities; however, it is noted that their strength as lifeforms are weaker than regular humans. Homunculi can survive on mana alone.
Shatterer of the Round Table:
- The one who destroyed the Round Table and led a revolt against King Arthur. According to legend he is known as a bastard and a traitor. This title has forever stained his legend, being the only thing one can think of when the name comes into mind.
----------------------------
Skill
Charisma [C]:
- Is fit to lead an army. With Clarent this rises to B- which deems the Heroic Spirit fit to rule as a regent.
Magic Resistance [C]:
- Surprisingly low for the Saber class and considering who the Heroic Spirit actually is. Perhaps it is due to the Master reducing this skill in favor of more MGI? Cancel spells with a chant below two verses. Cannot defend against Magecraft on the level of High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals.
Riding [B]:
- The act of riding is second nature of a knight. Most vehicles can be handled with above average skill. However, cannot ride the likes of Phantasmal Species such as Demonic Beast and Holy Beast-rank creatures.
----------------------------
Details
Character Background:
- A knight of the Round Table of Camelot. The first mention of him occurs in the Annales Cambriae entry for the year 537. He is said to be the slayer of the fabled King Arthur.
Apparently there was a prophecy about King Arthur being killed by her own child who would be born on Beltane. He was this child.
He is synonymous with the word “treachery,” and appears in Dante’s Inferno at the very lowest circle of hell.
“Bastard Son”:
- An impossibility that was made possible by one of the most perverted old men that could be still alive today.
The son of two sisters, King Arthur and Morgan Le Fay, his true identity was hidden from the Round Table just as his armor hid his face. Despite being a knight with unknown origins, his abilities in swordsmanship and straightforward chivalry earned him a seat on the Round Table.
A complete innocent that could not understand why his “father,” rejected him so. Taking advantage of the crumbling links that was the Round Table he led a revolution why Arthur was in Rome. He was crushed in the Battle of Calamnn, but not before fatally wounding King Arthur.
In his final moments he asked the one he both loved and hated:
“Do you hate me, the son of Morgan, that much?!”
To which she replied,
“Not once did I despise you. There was only one reason I would not give you the throne. You didn’t have the capacity of a King.”
He died uttering “father.”
=======================================
Status:
Class: Berserker
Name: Mordred
Noble Phantasm: Empty Victory - Death Cannot Still This Hand
Key Word: Homunculus
Shatterer of the Round Table
STR: A END: B AGI: B MGI: A+ LUK: D
Charisma: E- Magic Resistance: D Mad Enhancement: C
---------------------------
Key Word
Empty Victory: Death Cannot Still This Hand
- A curse of the body cast by Morgan Le Fay. It is the ultimate curse of vengeance. Even if the soul has left the body the body will keep on attacking the person who killed him. A Noble Phantasm that assure mutually assured destruction. Completely incompatible with Heroes that have a stock of lives. The product of a madwoman who only twisted wish was to kill her sister.
Homunculus:
- Something that was originally human but has turned into a non-human through human methods. If Magi are humans given magic circuits, then homunculi are magic circuits given a human form. Homunculi usually have incredible superhuman abilities; however, it is noted that their strength as lifeforms are weaker than regular humans. Homunculi can survive on mana alone.
Shatterer of the Round Table:
- The one who destroyed the Round Table and led a revolt against King Arthur. According to legend he is known as a bastard and a traitor. This title has forever stained his legend, being the only thing one can think of when the name comes into mind.
----------------------------
Skill
Charisma [E-]:
- Leadership skills are laughable. It is only due to the holy sword that is no longer a Noble Phantasm that this skill is retained.
Magic Resistance [D]:
- Cancel Single-Action spells. Magic Resistance of the same degree of an amulet that rejects magical energy. Rank down due to Mad Enhancement.
Mad Enhancement [C]:
- Rank up for all parameters except Luck and Mana, but in exchange one can no longer think and speak properly.
----------------------------
Details
Character Background:
- A knight of the Round Table of Camelot.
The first mention of him occurs in the Annales Cambriae entry for the year 537. He is said to be the slayer of the fabled King Arthur.
Apparently there was a prophecy about King Arthur being killed by her own child who would be born on Beltane. He was this child.
He is synonymous with the word “treachery,” and appears in Dante’s Inferno at the very lowest circle of hell.
“Bastard Son”:
- An impossibility that was made possible by one of the most perverted old men that could be still alive today.
The son of two sisters, King Arthur and Morgan Le Fay, his true identity was hidden from the Round Table just as his armor hid his face. Despite being a knight with unknown origins, his abilities in swordsmanship and straightforward chivalry earned him a seat on the Round Table.
A complete innocent that could not understand why his “father,” rejected him so. Taking advantage of the crumbling links that was the Round Table he led a revolution why Arthur was in Rome. He was crushed in the Battle of Calamnn, but not before fatally wounding King Arthur.
In his final moments he asked the one he both loved and hated:
“Do you hate me, the son of Morgan, that much?!”
To which she replied,
“Not once did I despise you. There was only one reason I would not give you the throne. You didn’t have the capacity of a King.”
He died uttering “father.”
======================
Status:
Class: Caster
Name: Tamamo-no-Mae
Noble Phantasm: Yata-no-Kagami: The Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu
Key Word: Maleficium
Red Lily of the Killing Stone of Nasu
STR: E END: E AGI: B MGI: A LUK: B
Territory Creation: C Maleficium: EX Shapeshift: A
---------------------------
Key Word
Yata-no-Kagami: The Eightfold Blessing of Amaterasu
- A mirror wielded by Tamao-no- Mae. It is one of the sacred treasures brought down from the Heavens by the god Takehinateru-no-Mikoto and was originally kept in the great shrine in the Izumo Province. According to passages in the Chronicles of Japan, the mirror was later moved to a site in the Kawachi district at the behest of the Imperial Court.
- The mirror is also known as Yata-no-Kagami and is frequently used in rites honoring the sun goddess Amaterasu. In addition to its importance in ritual observances, it is thought to possess the power to bring the dead back from the afterlife. However, since Caster’s rebirth as a Servant, this power is no longer accessible.
Maleficium:
- The Witchraft that Caster uses is all physical phenomena performed with her own body. While common Magecraft are programs that “recompose what exists around,” Witchcraft are programs that “recompose the raw materials in one’s own body.”
- According to Caster’s own words:
- “This time there is only one due to the constrains of the Moon Cell, but originally I could produce a million troops form my multiple tails!”
- This is really suspicious though.
Red Lily of the Killing Stone of Nasu:
- This skill involves the use of the infamous Killing Stone of Nasu. After her death, Tamamo-no-Mae’s sprite began to haunt the area around this stone and also imbued it with a terrible curse that killed any creature that came near it.
- Originally located in the Nasu highlands of Tochigi Prefecture, the stone was shattered by a virtuous monk by the name of Gennou who then scattered the pieces across three places in Japan. It is believed that the shards of the rock evolved into fox sprits known in Japanese as kitsune and inukmi. The legends go on to say that these newly-born spirits were bound as familiars by magi powerful enough to establish contracts with the divine.
----------------------------
Skill
Territory Creation [C]:
- This skill allows one to create a reality tailored specifically to their skills as a magus. Unfortunately for Tamamo-no-Mae, her personality is ill-suited for the task of manipulating reality and he has great difficulty even creation a small-scale crafting studio for creation minor amulets and other types of low-level talismans.
Maleficium [EX]:
- The scared rituals of the Dakini goddesses. The rituals confer the abilities to perform such actions as foretell the time and place of one’s death and manipulate the hearts and minds of both me nand women. Due to a number of very harsh lessons impressed upon her in her past, Tamamo-no-Mae no longer makes use of her still formidable skills in these areas.
Shapeshift [A]:
- This refers to the abilities of either changing ones appearance or borrowing the physical form of another. As a kitsune, or fox spirit, Tamamo-no-Mae is able to alter her appearance and even species at will. However, due to a traumatizing event in a past incarnation that resulted in her death and temporary damnation, she rarely, if ever, uses this ability.
----------------------------
Details
Character Background:
- The late Heian period.
- A beautiful woman who served Emperor Toba.
- She was said to be the disguised figure of the white-faced, nine-tailed fox.
- Her childhood name was Misukume. Working in the palace since 18 years-old, she later became a court lady of Emperor Toba under the name of Tamamo-no-Mae. She was said to have gradually gained the favor of Emperor Toba with her beauty and extensive knowledge. She was said to have the looks of a twenty year old.
- There are many theories, but later she was driven away from the palace when her identity was exposed by a Onmyouji who investigated and identified her as the cause to why Emperor Toba had fallen seriously ill. After leaving the palace, she built a bad reputation in the fields of Nasu and had to repel an subjugation army of 80,000 men dispatched under the Emperor's order.
“Dakini Deva”:
- Essentially, Tamamo-no-Mae was publicly known as a nine-tail fox. However, strictly speaking she was jackal that was worshiped as a Inari Okami.
- Thought to be an Ukanomitama. Incidentally, in the Genpei Jōsuiki is transmitted how Taira no Kiyomori seized political influence through prayers that made use of this Dakini Deva's power.
- In Fate/Extra, Tamamo-no-Mae is a soul that branched off from Amaterasu and her true identity is not that of a nine-tailed fox, but rather is treated as one of the facets of said goddess.
- Also, it’s a big mistake to categorize her as an Heroic Spirit.
- Because Tamamo-no-Mae turned into a Heroic Spirit in order to realize her wish of "becoming a good wife", she cannot manifest her original power.
- In the case that she is revived as an evil spirit, she will undergo a transformation into a large monster that can defeat even 100 heroes. It is not just for show that she is called one of Japan's Three Great Monsters.
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