Fate/strange fake (Free-Range Spoilers)

[Comun]

Ideal scenario Kayneth would simply slap everyone with Ionioi Hetairoi. Which is already proven that doesn’t let him win against the two names starting with Gil.

[Asch]

makes you question what was going through kayneths head, that made him think setting all of his defenses INSIDE the hotel and not take into account any other form of attack (Or you know, pick a location that wasn't a high floor in a hotel). Then again Tine does the same here, but atleast with her situation, Gil was smart enough to have defenses set up for a ranged attack.

[CO9p5JMGv!p9]

Tine also didn't decide on the hotel, it's not like she has any control over Gil.

[FalLoShann]

Question

What happened to Haruri after Ishtar died?

[BladeOfEden]

it's not like she has any control over Gil.

Has anyone ever been able to control Gil?

[You]

Answer to FalLoShann

What happened to Haruri after Ishtar died?

Ishtar put her on the remnants of Manna and flew her to safety.

- - - Updated - - -

makes you question what was going through kayneths head, that made him think setting all of his defenses INSIDE the hotel and not take into account any other form of attack (Or you know, pick a location that wasn't a high floor in a hotel). Then again Tine does the same here, but atleast with her situation, Gil was smart enough to have defenses set up for a ranged attack.

His bounded field covered 24/32 floors, these floors were defended from ranged attacks.

The hotel, towering at a hundred and fifty-some meters in the height, kept its upright posture but collapsed as if being sucked into the ground. Because all the outside walls collapsed inward, not a shard of debris flew outward and only the dust created by the collapse spread towards the surrounding streets. Precision blasting-- a highly advanced blasting technique, used primarily to demolish tall buildings. Due to the destruction of load bearing walls and key support structures, the building collapses downward and inward on its own weight. Using the least amount of explosives to obtain the result of total destruction. To Emiya Kiritsugu, who's familiar with all blasting techniques from past to present, there's a very special appreciation for this type of art of destruction.

All of the buildings acting as the bases of magi in Fuyuki City are listed on Emiya Kiritsugu's destruction list. And Fuyuki's Hyatt hotel is one of the list's entries. Kiritsugu obtained the building's blueprints beforehand, and determined the points at which to place explosives. As long as the preparations are all complete, the actual execution requires less than an hour.

Although, the evacuees were already as far as possible from the collapsing building and outside the range of flying debris, they were showered with the dust sent flying by the collapse and mired into a state of panic. While watching the disturbance in the crowd, Kiritsugu looked for a gap with weaker wind and lit the cigarette in his hand.

"Maiya, how are things on your end?"

"Up until the end, there was no activity on the thirty-second floor. The target has not escaped from the building."

In other words-- Kiritsugu thought with some satisfaction as he looked at the ashes of the ruins of Fuyuki's Hyatt hotel-- the one called 'Lord El-Melloi' Kayneth-sama is now most certainly keeping the rubble, company.

The thirty-second floor that Kayneth was on, due to the chain reaction caused by the precision blasting, had lost its support and practically freefallen a hundred & fifty-meters to the ground. No matter, how well it is defended by a bounded field, in the face of such destructive force, it probably cannot protect the people from inside the rooms.

He didn't account for an attack from within the building that didn't directly target him.

[Asch]

Answer to FalLoShann

Ishtar put her on the remnants of Manna and flew her to safety.

- - - Updated - - -



His bounded field covered 24/32 floors, these floors were defended from ranged attacks.


He didn't account for an attack from within the building that didn't directly target him.

Thats why I said "Or you know, pick a location that wasn't a high floor in a hotel" lmao. I know kayneth wasn't expecting someone to blow up the building, but as a mage who already took great precautions to protect himself, you would think he would pick....a better location

[asterism42]

Has anyone ever been able to control Gil?

Hakuno and Fujimaru thanks to being playable characters

the most powerful magic of all

- - - Updated - - -

Thats why I said "Or you know, pick a location that wasn't a high floor in a hotel" lmao. I know kayneth wasn't expecting someone to blow up the building, but as a mage who already took great precautions to protect himself, you would think he would pick....a better location

Kayneth is a smart man but also a huge dumbass.

[You]

Thats why I said "Or you know, pick a location that wasn't a high floor in a hotel" lmao. I know kayneth wasn't expecting someone to blow up the building, but as a mage who already took great precautions to protect himself, you would think he would pick....a better location

I was replying to this statement.
>Then again Tine does the same here, but atleast with her situation, Gil was smart enough to have defenses set up for a ranged attack.

Kayneth was smart enough to have defenses set up for a ranged attack too.

[Hawkeye]

Kayneth's problem is the same as Yggdmillennia's, Rohngall's and anyone that's ever faced Waver Velvet head on. They're all expecting their enemy to fight like mages, either sling long range magic, or have to get within spitting distance to use powerful combat spells and techniques. Literally nobody expects their enemy to cast 'gun' to get around their super special barriers, or to just do the thing that mages tend not to (e.g. attack an enemy base head on like LoliJack or run the hell away like Waver) The issue with Nasuverse mages has always been the traditionalist streak that leads to things like Rin not knowing how to work a VCR and Tokiomi and Kayneth not expecting betrayal in situations where its painfully obvious. It's why the monsters of magic aren't people that perfected traditional methodology, it's the whackjobs that experimented in ways ordinary mages would never envision. Prime example being the two Aozakis basically doing magical arms race with one another and accidentally creating magic missile and the third magic. Like one of the greatest upsets was Rin vs. Medea, in a mage off, Rin didn't have a hope in hell, she knew that, so she exploited Medea's weakness as a mage who has never had to throw a punch in her life and went full kempo on her ass. It's the rigid mindset of mages that think their enemy will act like they do that leads to failure.

(AN: This is a broad oversimplification and meant to be taken somewhat humourously, please do not lambast me with the specifics of the Aozaki's methodology, I have not read Mahoyo yet.)

[FalLoShann]

If mages like Kiritsugu are soldiers, then those mages like Kayneth are the ones who create weapons. Those mages only show off their craft rather than try to compete on who's better rather than actually winning a fight. In the fight between Kiritsugu and Kayneth, Kayneth is actually pissed but still bragging about his Volumen Hydrargyrum. Until Kerry shot him with an origin bullet. Volumen Hydrargyrum is theoretically a really good mystic code, but realistically, it is not suited for combat. For Kerry and Rin, they just want to win the fight. They don’t really care about a mage’s rules if it means winning a fight. It is shown in Case Files Volumes 2 and 3.

Spoiler:

Byron suffocates Atrum’s crew with his bubble, but he gets quickly overpowered by Atrum's martial arts. Touko doesn’t care about the political issue or the El-Melloi classroom. She only attacks the class because she is told to. She drew many runes underground even before the fight broke out because she knew if something happened, she would not be blindsided. With her demon box thing also killing Gray and knocking Flat out easily. She only “attacks” Maio after he tires of killing her, but it was her demon thing from her body, and the association even gave up her sealing designation with her puppet body and shit like those inside her.

( tldr: If you want to win against a mage, use common sense and bitch slap them because you won’t understand their monologue anyway; magecraft needs mystery or something. )

[All fictions]

Kayneth's problem is the same as Yggdmillennia's, Rohngall's and anyone that's ever faced Waver Velvet head on. They're all expecting their enemy to fight like mages, either sling long range magic, or have to get within spitting distance to use powerful combat spells and techniques. Literally nobody expects their enemy to cast 'gun' to get around their super special barriers, or to just do the thing that mages tend not to (e.g. attack an enemy base head on like LoliJack or run the hell away like Waver)

I wouldn't say they don't expect per se. The mention of Tokiomi is apropos here because, like, he is the one introducing the reader to the Magus Killer title, and well:

After browsing through the paper quickly while talking, Tokiomi passed the paper to Kirei. After seeing "Investigation report: Emiya Kiritsugu" as the title, Kirei's eyes narrowed slightly.

"This name... I've heard it somewhere before. Supposedly, this is a dangerous person."

"Oh, does the Holy Church also know of this? The 'Magus Killer' Emiya was really notorious at the time. Not belonging to the Association in appearance, but in fact was the Association's higher ups' killing tool."

"So in the words of the church, he would be a sort of Executor, right?"

"Even worse than that in nature. He is a freelancing assassin who underwent special training to kill magi. Because only magi are most comprehensive of other magi, he will use methods most incompatible with the rules of magi to kill other magi... he is the sort of man who will utilize despicable measures nonchalantly."

There was obvious hatred in Tokiomi's voice, yet Kirei began to bear interest for this man called Emiya Kiritsugu. He did hear rumors about this man; it seems he has opposed the Holy Church in the past, and there have been people who told Kirei to be very careful of this man.

Kirei began reading the information passed on to him. Most of what was recorded was an investigation regarding Emiya Kiritsugu's battle strategy - the cases of missing persons and accidents believed to be magi he killed; but mainly, it was an analysis of his methodology. While reading, Kirei began to gradually understand why Tokiomi hates this man. Ambush and assassination was only the tip of the iceberg.

Planting a bomb in public, striking down an airplane with many passengers on board; these were the type of unbelievable cases reported. It is also extrapolated that the tragedies of the past reported as major acts of terrorism were in fact the criminal acts of Emiya Kiritsugu for the sake of killing one magus. Although there is no convictive evidence, looking at the information given, it is a very believable story.

Assassin; that word is very befitting. Magi opposing each other to the point of killing each other, these scenarios are common. However, it is purely a competition of magecraft and usually decided through a series of processes that abide certain combat regulations. Saying it like that, the Heaven's Feel also belongs in this category; although called a 'war,' it is not a chaotic death match, but rather a series of strict rules and regulations exist.

There isn't even a single line of text recording Kiritsugu having undergone a battle like this, using the 'regulations of magi'.

"The thing called magus exists outside of human law to begin with, and that's all the more reason to strictly obey the rules of our own world."

Tokiomi said so, his calm voice seething with anger.

"But this man Emiya completely ignores all rules. He does not have a bit of pride as a magus. This kind of man is unforgivable."

"What you said was... pride?"

"Yes. Even this man surely underwent strict training as a magus.

If that's the case, then he certainly has the faith to overcome and surmount difficulties. It is impossible to forget his original intent and desire, even after attaining success."

It shows that Kerry's methods are well-known! It isn't a surprise or anything.

In fact, the fight against Kayneth is always brought up as evidence of the effectiveness of Kerry's methods but like, they failed? Kerry used a bomb, and sure it destroyed an expansive workshop, but Kayneth still lived. And when they fight, Volumen actually presses Kiritsugu, even while he's using Time Accel. He only wins due to the Origin Bullets, a mystical mean using his particular constitution. It's not using technology, it's not ambush, it's just literal magecraft pretending to be tech because it's made into a bullet.

And that kind of makes sense, Case Files and FSF make statements to the fact that a regular ass mage should make quick work of a gun. Like, even Faldeus using guns do not do their jobs, Rhongall survived because it was just a doll and Flat...well.

Kiritsugu's method have, I believe, given a lot of the fandom a very inflated view of the effectiveness of guns vs. magi.

[CO9p5JMGv!p9]

I wouldn't call Volumen unsuited for combat, Kayneth just didn't realize you need to upload the Terminator movies into it to make it good.

[tsugumi]

was it confirmed that ayaka has that mana reactor thing made by kayneth?

It was made by the OG El-Melloi head, not Kayneth.

Spoiler:

.................That being said. Look, the way certain things have played out, I wouldn't be SUPER shocked if it's revealed he tried modifying it before giving up and moving on to create VH in his quest for a more #Aesthetic supreme mystic code.

That's just speculation though.

@ the people commenting VH is a shit weapon, your instincts are sort of correct in that it was originally a computational device/remote server Kayneth invented and then retrofitted to become the VH we all know and love.

[asterism42]

I like the "blew up a plane to kill one dude" thing, since he did that because the plane was full of vampire bees that'd already killed everyone else on board

not that tokiomi'd have any way of knowing that

- - - Updated - - -

It's mentioned somewhere (I think) that VH wasn't complete by the fourth war and it was only with Reines and Waver that it was finished.

I think it's also mentioned that only Reines can use it/her to its/her fullest potential because of her Mystic Eyes

[tsugumi]

It's mentioned somewhere (I think) that VH wasn't complete by the fourth war and it was only with Reines and Waver that it was finished.

Spoiler:

Big if true and going directly into the "I would like to take a guess as to what Ayaka's deal is" column

[Comun]

Chapter 25: The shadow brings an end to a journey out of the ravine (part 1)

"You're finally here...", hatefully murmured Fillia. Her Authority held a giant harpoon in place, and her eyes faced the eastern skies at the opposite end of its golden chain.



The change was dramatic.

The golden chain instantly inflated. It grew fast and suddenly, much like the beanstalk in the fairy tale.



The stepped links recoiled with magical energy simply having Enkidu racing atop them.

Enkidu dashed on the chains with the pace of a pulsing heart.



A dense figure approached in a straight line.

She noticed days ago that someone was keeping track of her but they showed no signs of approaching until now. She tried to provoke them in the construction of her temple by choosing to conquer a forest like the forest where they used to live with that girl but even then, they wouldn't give her the fight she wanted. Fillia speculated that the Master who summoned Enkidu was either a cautious one or a creature so weak that Enkidu was forced into defense.

"If you had ignored this silly Holy Grail War and jumped at me the moment you sensed me, you could have fought alongside Gilgamesh, but you didn't."

She spoke with her eyes almost closed. Her delivery sounded almost nostalgic for an ever-distant past. After those words, the goddess Ishtar quietly raised her head.

"Be however you want. There's some virtue in living only for the sake of others without hypocrisy or dishonesty."

"Ishtar, my goddess...?"

Haruri stood in front of her, restraining Berserker. She noticed Ishtar's divinity expanding behind her and turned back.

The goddess walked to stand side by side with her appointed Head Priestess Haruri and, glaring at the enemy force approaching from the east, held her right hand out to the sky with a fearless smile.

"But..."

Next, goddess Ishtar's divine power expanded and charmed the land between the forest and the city.

"You, this piece of junk who can't impose themselves on anyone, were able to insult me... It's too late to regret, atone, or make amends for this disgrace. You will never amount to anything. Let me see you crumble, rot, dry, writhe, unravel, and collapse as you try."

This was Ishtar's first manifestation of hostility in this era.

"...!"

A nasty chill raced across Haruri's whole body as if the end of the world happened seven times over.

Her mind could have broken and ceased its vital functions had she not been blessed by Ishtar with her temple head priestess mindset.

Yet even all this violent rage becomes a voice that charms the world when unleashed by Ishtar.

A reversed nexus.

By being charmed, the otherwise inorganic land gained a faux intellect and organic life functions, enabling it to in turn gain emotions.

It became either a giant lifeform or a colony of small lifeforms.

Claymation-like waves surged as the excited lands raged like a turbulent ocean and went to attack Enkidu in conjunction with the gale winds.



"..."

Enkidu, on the other hand, said nothing.

Words were as needless as they were worthless. They only directed hostility at Ishtar.

The power of charm can't as much as reach their eyes. The chains and the air touched by Enkidu reject the goddess and everything she represents.

Through physical means alone, Enkidu escaped the assault of the earth turned into Ishtar's zealot.

In two steps, they kicked the flying waves of dirt away and punched their way through the omnidirectional hostility.

A simple stomp reverberated loud as thunder and the pulverized bedrock transformed into complexly entangled chains that began to envelop the main chain.

A tunnel of light guarding the golden bridge.

Enkidu pumped more power into the harpoon as they infiltrated the Age of Gods.

Ishtar squinted upon seeing the contending harpoon approach.

"You cheeky piece of junk."

And then she commanded Haruri, who was holding her breath as she watched the events.

"Get Berserker to help me stop the piece of junk. Leave the snakes to Gugalanna."

"! Yes, ma'am!"

Haruri ordered her Berserker Servant as told.

Now that Enkidu already came so close to them, she ordered her to stop—or destroy—them.



Berserker turned her giant body to face the eastern sky, making a quiet grinding noise against the galestorms.

She turned off all the functions she was using to block the incoming serpents and deluge and reassigned Enkidu as the sole target of all her processes.

The watcher of the forest of the gods, told in legend to have brought fear even to the Hero King Gilgamesh.



Faced with this dreadful monster—

Faced with the old friend they reduced to piles of flesh with their own hands, Enkidu quietly mumbled.

"We need to talk... Huwawa."

Enkidu charged their limbs with magical energy as they said that.

"But only after... I get this goddess that filled you with fear, and at the same time, blessings and tranquility, to shut up."

Next, Enkidu leaped in, fast as lightning, and took aim at the goddess at the temple.

But they were blocked by Berserker—the colossus called Huwawa.

Despite this agility one wouldn't expect from her gigantic size, she didn't counterattack.

Both Haruri and Berserker could feel Enkidu's power and opted to fight defensively.

It was clear that any moment of distraction was all Enkidu needed to tear them apart.

Berserker shot down an entire rain of modern missiles before, but nonetheless, she was pressured into the defensive.

The weapon created to be the linchpin keeping the gods on the surface watched their opponent solidify her defenses out of a duty to protect goddess Ishtar.

"That's a problem... Battles of attrition are not my thing. The best I can last is three days and three nights", spoke Enkidu, remembering their duel with their best friend Gilgamesh.

Nostalgic days of their lifetime.

Enkidu's words were honest and heartfelt, without a hint of snideness or sarcasm.

Because if possible—they wanted that 3-day short duel to last forever.

X 　 　 　 X

Strath region

"The units are mobilizing.", mumbled someone from the El-Melloi Classroom upon seeing the energized chain of gold launched and stretching in the air.

His words also applied to this ravine.



Because almost at the same time, two horses from the east of the city appeared, shortly after the city's police force and Tine's suited subordinates.

"I see you called this Holy Grail War's organizers. Are you insane?"

Tine Chelc's secretary doubted her eyes. She directed questioning glances to the El-Melloi class and the police squad.

Vera Levitt, representing the 20 subordinates accompanying her, replied with an indifferent face.

"This is not the moment to concern ourselves with positions and relationships."

"... It isn't. Sorry for my remark."

She had something she wanted to say but preferred not to because her statements could hurt her lady's dignity. She reminded herself a mage needs to know restraint and directed her line of sight to the members of the El-Melloi Classroom.

But her attention quickly turned to the two horses.



A man clad in armor that projected an image of fortitude and vigor looked at his surrounding with sparkles in his eyes. Behind him, a woman clung to his shoulders, trying to catch her breath.

"Oh, now that's amazing! You can't hide it from my eyes! Everyone here is a first-class mage! You look more powerful than that Saint-Germain, my self-proclaimed court mage! Ah, sorry, that might have been a rude comparison, considering he was an obvious charlatan..."

Seeing Saber casually drop information about himself, many mages momentarily suspected that he was not a Servant, but instead a local street performer.

Tine's subordinates understood that he was a Servant but were still taken aback by the huge statement. Hansa folded up with laughter.

On the other hand, the policemen who knew him well enough only smiled awkwardly.

Some El-Melloi students frowned at what they assumed to be a joke, while some others exchanged serious whispers about his identity.

"Did he say Saint-Germain?"

"Which means he's... Louis XV?"

"Could be Alexander the Great..."

"A Rákóczi...?"

"I'll take the risky bet and say he's Queen of Sheba."

Watching the little group of youngsters whispering predictions like they weren't within his earshot, Saber laughed in rhythm with the clip-clop of his horse's hooves as he walked it to a position where he could better see the western forest.

"Wait, wait, wait, Saint-Germain was cheating on me with how many other kings? I guess I should have expected that from a guy who says he's perenially unaging. And in my era, he nonchalantly drove one of those 'car' vehicles that are normal nowadays. Is it normal for a mage to normally do these abnormal things?"

"Was the Count of Saint-Germain an Atlas Institute absconder or something...? I think I learned one more thing I shouldn't have..."

Saber shrugged upon hearing the bespectacled giant say this.

"His presence alone spreads information everyone is better off not knowing. And for all he called himself the court mage, the only magecraft he ever taught me was how to fix damaged jewels."

His words left a couple of mages starry-eyed, but they refrained from making comments, perhaps judging it was not the time to pursue the topic.

"Oh! But still, things are getting impressive!"

From atop the cliffs, Saber watched the forest with childlike wonder, like the mood of the people around him was nothing.

His eyes were set on some creature's leg entangled in giant serpents. The leg fell from the sky, stomping the black flood that swallowed the forest. The series of golden explosions incurred by it occasionally lifted the bedrock into the air.

"So, is our united front to fight that creature over there? If I were manifested as a Rider, I could have distributed my power among the whole squad, but unfortunately, I'm a Saber."

Saber joyfully analyzed his forces while he gazed at the fantastical scenes before him.

And then, he suddenly turned his horse and introduced himself to the people present, as if he only now remembered to do it.

"Forgive the discourtesy of addressing you from atop my horse! I'm a Servant participating in this Holy Grail War under the Saber Saint Graph! Please understand that I can't get off the horse at the moment! This isn't a matter of status, it's simply my Master's shaky legs would prove a problem if she were to try to set her feet on the ground!"

"Uuugh... It's f-fine, I'll be able to get off soon enough...", said the groaning girl before she raised her head to look at her surroundings.

(Oh, the priest from that church... He's alive.)

They hadn't seen each other since the church's collapse. Ayaka sighed in relief upon seeing the eyepatched priest mostly unharmed.

(Great, Ms. Vera's team is also doing fine... Huh?)

There Ayaka noticed something strange.

Aside from the police and the group wearing suits, there was a third, non-uniformed group of young people staring at her with startled shock and caution.

"It's Sajou..."

"Ayaka from Yumina, right?"

"She dyed her hair?"

Ayaka shivered upon hearing those whispers, making her forget her unstable legs and gulp.

"Huh...W-what?"

Ayaka couldn't recognize anyone there.

A Japanese-looking woman wearing a red dress observed her with a sharp glare, but Ayaka still couldn't remember.

Oblivious to Ayaka's anxieties, the youths exchanged confused words.

"But Sajou is in Romania now. We confirmed that."

"No doubt about it..."

"Really? I don't find them any similar. Sajou's smell is more harmonious and winding."

"You're just not judging with your eyes, Svin."

"However... If Svin says so, we can take it as certain that she's someone else."

These strangers were discussing her.

For the first time in a while, Ayaka remembered she was thrown into a merciless fate. She got off the horse bracing herself for worse, and spoke with a strong will.

"Hey."

All youths reacted to Ayaka's voice and turned their eyes to her.

Ayaka was staggering from the pressure. It was hard to believe they were so close to her age.

She didn't notice Saber getting off the horse, but there he was grabbing her shoulder.

"It's all fine."

"...Right, thank you."

Ayaka calmed down and asked them a question.

"You all have been saying things about my face, but... Who even are you? Do you... know me?"

Hearing this, a visibly more strong-willed member of the young group took a step forward.

"No, we don't. To be more exact, we knew you existed for a few days and that's all."

"Huh?"

"We're the ones who want to know who are you. We can still team up with someone we don't trust, knowing we'll betray them later, but with someone we don't understand, we'll have bigger problems than a need for extra caution."

The woman gestured to shoo her teammates away.

"Stop wasting time. I'll get the questions about her answered, so you go back to observing the forest. You know the world could end while we're busy with this, do you?"

In response to her words, other members started deploying magecraft tools and magic circles to react to the abnormal changes in the forest, many with a shrug.

The woman in red, with her gaze fixed straight on Ayaka, asked a direct question.

"Asking again, who are you? Why do you have Sajou's face?"

Ayaka's vision distorted and bounced back in an instant.

Not comprehending the words directed at her, Ayaka found strength within herself and replied with a question of her own.

"Why? That'd be because... I'm Sajou Ayaka... Wait, there's someone with the same face as me?"

"The answer is yes. Her hair is of a different color, but otherwise, you're physically identical. Ok... Different question, then. Have you ever heard the word Fuyuki?"

"...Well, yes, that's my hometown."

"Heh... Which part of Fuyuki did you live in? Shinto? Miyama? Homurahara?"

"Huh? Err..."

Her head hurt.

Her past ached.

Her memory twisted.

After feeling a thick fog instantly fill her brain, Ayaka managed to barely pull out a location name from the depths of her mind.

"Kurokizaka... The Semina Apartment Complex."

The woman in red squinted for a moment when she said that name, but only Saber noticed it, not Ayaka.

When Ayaka came to this city, when she said her name, the police said they would investigate her and didn't press for more details on her past.

Perhaps if she had stayed there longer, they would strongly press her over the discrepancies found in the document they received.

But since that didn't happen, Ayaka remained in the city as "Ayaka Sajou from Japan".

That's why she—Ayaka herself—didn't have any deep questions about who she was until now.

No one before confronted her.

"Can you name any friends you have in Fuyuki?"

The woman in red continued her methodical questioning, not aggressively but not softly either. Saber judged that she had no malice and that her methods were quite honest and gentle for mage standards.



That is why Saber didn't impede her questioning, but he was prepared to move in case anything happened.

"Friends...?"

The haze in Ayaka's head grew thicker, but she didn't run away from it.

(I can't run away here. If I give up now, this fog will never clear up.)

Fumbling her way through her memories, Ayaka reached out for the times in Fuyuki that she avoided looking at.

"Right... I have... had friends..."

Amidst her blurred thoughts, Ayaka remembered something.

People whose faces weren't clearly memorized. The ones who said her name.

"They told me my name was Ayaka, Sajou Ayaka..."

The names of the people who taught her she was "Sajou Ayaka".

"Gotou... Gai... and... Tsunokuma...?"

"What? ...Huh? Are you serious?"

The moment these names came up, the woman in red showed a new reaction of surprise.

"Never thought I'd hear those names here... Since you mentioned the Semina apartments, I expected to see Himuro mentioned, and maybe Mitsuzuri and Saegusa if you were really intent on fooling me... Gh... If your goal was confusing me, great job."

"????"

"C'mon, anyone can tell Ayaka is way more confused than you are."

Saber came for the save and started interjecting in the conversation.

"Hmmm... I see you can't trust Ayaka because... a friend of your group looks identical to her and has the same name, but is someone else entirely."

"Can you blame us?"

The mage in red cautiously stood her ground with her response.

Saber instantly figured out it was not a case of a Master or mage belittling a Servant for being just a familiar.

(Though she's not lacking in self-respect either... She feels truly used to this situation. She must know a lot about Servants and Heroic Spirits. Not only that... she knows a lot about Fuyuki too.)

Despite knowing that, Saber maintained his policy of never hiding who he was.

"Aye, we could only be dealing with a Changeling here. The fae are terrifying, I'll have you know. You never know what they'll pull off, and most of them see humans as nothing more than a scribble on a piece of paper."

"Saber?"

"What are you trying to say?"

Ayaka and the mage in red look at Saber with many questions in their eyes. Saber responded in a clear and unevasive tone.

"Replica bodies. Illusions. Phantasmal beasts. Vampires. In this age, it's even possible to change a person's face with medical technology, no? Even simple make-up and sleight of hands could work. There are as many possible causes for there being multiple Ayakas as there are stars in the sky. But that's not the problem.", posited Saber, nodding in agreement at his own words. "It's true that you have reason to suspect Ayaka. It's only natural. But the only Ayaka I know is the one I've been watching since I was summoned, and I say she's trustworthy."

"So you want us to believe her Servant's opinion?"

"Nah, I mean I'm your guarantee."

"Our guarantee?"

"The only reason why I haven't killed all of you is that Ayaka wants to prove she's a good girl.", said Saber, flashing his brightest smile.

"...Excuse me?", Ayaka herself raised her head with a voice of disbelief.

Saber coldly continued, as if he wasn't listening to his Master's voice.

"I came here because you invited us to fight side-by-side, but all I'm seeing is my Master being lambasted with questions. As far as I'm concerned, that's enough to sign your death penalty."

"Hold up, what are you...?"

"Don't worry, Ayaka. If it comes to it, I can mobilize all my retinues at once. I'm not gonna lose this.", Saber stated with a shrug, as if it would be no big deal.

The mood of the room took a cold turn.

It was not only the woman in red. The unspeaking mages busy with their own tasks also flipped their mental switches, despite their backs remaining turned.

Next to them, Hippolyte's face was unagitated, but she had already shifted her center of balance.

She was ready to start a fight any time but Ayaka was naturally oblivious to the change in situation, Saber had a fearless smile, and the police and Tine's subordinates stiffened their expressions.



But the one to make the first move was the only one who failed to notice the rise in tension, Ayaka herself.

All Ayaka had in her mind were the scenes of the dream she had earlier that day.

Saber was in some fortress town and she saw a huge amount of people painted red.

Covered in sweat from top to bottom, Ayaka tightly gripped Saber's arm.

"Saber!"

And then yelled with all her strength.

"Don't even joke about that!"

"...Ayaka, you thought I was joking?"

"If you weren't, that's even worse! I told you before! I'll take the dirty jobs! I don't have the power to do it myself! But doesn't me being a Master mean that you will only kill people with my command?! Or maybe you don't really trust me all that much?!"

He had never seen her this serious.

Silence dominated the place.

Despite the violent attacks, flashes, and windstorms from the western forest in the background, the Bounded Field made by Butterfly Magecraft was bizarrely silent for a few seconds that felt like an eternity.



And what broke this tension was Saber's daring smile disappearing to give place to the smile of a child after a successful prank.

"Did she look like she was acting to you?", he said to the mage in red.

"Wha?", Ayaka mumbled, not understanding what happened.

The red mage closed her eyes in exasperation and answer Saber after a long sigh.

"Yeah, okay, you at the very least convinced me she's not a mage that could live off as an actress. Also that, while I still don't know if she's human or not, whatever she does, she's an amateur at it, to a terrifying degree."

"Yup. But allow me a formal apology. Faked or not, my death threat to you was awfully rude. Let me redeem myself to all of you with my future work."

"Well, these games of deceit and trickery are business as usual for us. Just apologizing already makes you better than most. But notice I didn't say 'don't sweat it'. We will, in fact, work you to the bone."

The conversation between Saber and the red mage normalized the general mood, and the mages returned to their tasks exchanging whispers like "Man, he really fooled me.", "Heroic Spirits really are on a whole other level. I couldn't see us winning.", or "I wasn't worried, Toosaka is perfect at dealing with this kind of gamble.".

"... AH? ...Was that what happened?"

After some thought, Ayaka realized she was roped into Saber's charade.

"Saber?"

"Eh, all is well when it ends w... Wah."

Saber groaned as Ayaka pulled his braid hard.

"...Hmm, but yeah, I understand that you pulled your little farce because you thought I needed help..."

"Hahaha, your talent to understand others is a real virtue, in my opinion."

"I'm really torn between my wish to thank you and my wish to scold you for joking about killing everyone. What should I do here?"

Ayaka's veins were still popping but she managed a stiff smile. Seeing that, Saber paused to think, and still with his hair being pulled, presented what he believed to be a genius idea.

"This is the kind of moment where you should try singing. When I was taken prisoner, I felt so lonely that I composed a complaint song basically saying 'I'm here so I want someone, anyone to rescue me'. I also gotta apologize for angering you, I'm sorry!"

As Saber's grandiosity neutralized Ayaka's caustic feelings, she found herself unable to feel the relief she was supposed to feel.

The dream featuring Saint-Germain was one concerning matter, but her main source of unease was the understanding that his performance now wasn't a farce, that he was indeed determined to kill all humans in sight. The knowledge that this was part of his nature.

As Saber said, she had a talent to understand others.

(It's not about being good or evil. Saber's deal is that he doesn't know how to hesitate. Saber thoroughly ignores all fear, guilt, and anxiety toward the idea that his actions have consequences. Or maybe he keeps marching forward while embracing all these elements head-on.)

Ayaka couldn't think of that as something entirely bad.

It's a fact that she was many times saved by this tendency of him.

And that is why Ayaka revised her beliefs.

She now thought that she couldn't allow him to be alone in bearing the bad reputation he was needlessly accruing for her sake.

That's what she decided when she firmed their formal contract.

(When it's time to sink, we sink together.)

The mage in red commented on Ayaka's renewed determination.

"...You were already in America when we got here. So it's hard to imagine this is a bluff targeted at us, and if the goal was to keep Flat and the teacher in check, you had a lot of better people to choose from. Honestly, there's no reason you would choose Sajou, someone we can confirm things with on the phone."

"Huh? You can... call her on your phone now?"

"We did try asking her, but it was pointless. She doesn't have a clue. She seemed to suspect someone in her family did something, but it turned out she had nothing to do with it."

"O-ok..."

Someone had the same name as her.

Confronted with this fact, Ayaka...

found herself acting more cold and rational than she expected.

(Huh? Why am I so calm about this?)

Normally, it would make sense for her to react with anger, madness, and panic to the sudden realization she didn't know who she was.

But instead, she now found peace in the fact that she can clearly perceive the contradictions.

The uncomfortable part of it was how she couldn't understand what was making her feel so relieved.

(Wait, this makes no sense. It's clearly off. Why am I not actively trying to remember my past?" Even now, I'm looking for excuses... No, now is not the time for this.)

It's true that the fog greatly flickered due to the words said by the mage in red, but she remained unable to take a step into her past memories no matter what.

In fact, if Ayaka lacked the courage to ask for urgent help to make her recall her memories, she wouldn't have been able to remind herself of her logic and motives and would have failed to produce strong replies.

The mage in red ignored Ayaka for a moment and questioned Saber, with whom she hoped to join forces.

"Still, I can see you're some kind of knight Heroic Spirit... If you took part in any battle in your life you should know well how scary it is to have an unknown factor on the battlefield."

"Well, if that's your point, I'd things don't get more unknown than what's happening in the western forest."

With this sarcastic remark, Saber turned west, there seeing the woods tightly wrapped in galestorms, making it difficult to identify what was happening by looking from a distance.

Even in this situation, deafening impact and thunder were sometimes audible, accompanied by golden flashes and some giant appendage moving.

"We're not stupid enough to rush into whatever that is head-on."

"True. You're all very intelligent.", said Saber, enjoying himself as he took a look at the gathered teammates. "Isn't this exactly why you need someone to play the fool's role?"

Saber got a response from the aristocratic man manipulating butterflies to maintain the Bounded Field.

"We would obviously never invite you to fight together commanding you to be a decoy or a sacrificial pawn alone. Much less to you, who shows in your style and personality that you're a royal."

"That's not really how things work. I hear my esteemed King Arthur personally headed to battle, and it was with his own hands that he took down Vile King Vortigern and the traitor Mordred. I also went to battle many times as the first lance or solo. As one who always idolized Arthur the Ancestor King and Alexander the Great, I unrealistically dreamed of taking down a country with my martial prowess alone.", told Saber, singing more praise of past heroes than of himself.

The mage in red's faint reaction when Saber talked about King Arthur didn't escape his eyes, but knowing it was not the time to pursue that question, he contained himself.

His self-restraint didn't last long.

"By the way, you who know Fuyuki, have you seen King Arthur in- Woooooooh!"

With Ayaka pulling his braid and arm, Saber looked at the mage in red with a wish to talk more, but Ayaka's scolding convinced him to proceed with the conversation. "You'll have all the time in the world to talk about it after we solve this situation."



"I see we're both out of brilliant ideas for how to deal with the temple in the west, but we gotta do something before this war of attrition is over."

"You call something that big a war of attrition... What...?", Ayaka mumbled to herself, watching the forest west after taking in Saber's words.

But she wasn't going to interject, so she stayed quiet and let the conversation proceed.

The ones participating in the strategy meeting were the butterfly manipulator Werner Caesarmund and the mage in red Toosaka Rin.

They were joined by a mage in a blue dress named Luviagelita Edelfelt, and numerous mages claiming to be Tine Chelc's associates.

Lastly, a familiar face for Saber and Ayaka: Vera Levitt.

Priest Hansa chose to watch the debate from a distance, saying "I won't argue against your direction. At this point, the only way to conceal that thing is to defeat it, no?".

When he walked away, he joked "I'll make something up for my report. I imagine the Holy Church will wipe this city off the map if they don't buy my bullshit, hahaha", but no one present took it as a joke.

After Saber mumbled "Sounds like a thing the Holy Church would do...", he asked Vera questions to put the conversation back on track.

"Ok, tell us what is your plan. Is it to wait for that to settle and then sweep the exhausted forces? Or is it to reinforce the city or this ravine as a fortress for a siege battle? In this summon, I'm manifested not as a general commanding military tactics, but as a simple knight. I'll follow whichever strategy you capable modern mages chose." Saber then looked at Hippolyte. "Don't you think the same, Amazonian leader?"

"Pretty much. However, the traits of my Saint Graph facilitate leading marches."

Hippolyte silently nodded to Saber's hint that he guessed her True Name.

Ayaka had been ignoring the conversation, but out of sudden curiosity, made a comment to Saber.

"Knowing you, I was expecting you to say you could raid the temple alone."

"Well, to be honest, that is what my knight self wants to do. But I can't do that when we're uniting in a joint army with different forces, can I? I already commanded allied forces once and I have to tell you, it's a pain in the ass."

Recalling the distant past, Saber closed his eyes in a rare expression of fatigue.

After silently shaking his head, he spoke to himself out loud.

"Well, there always is gonna be one guy who makes his own decisions and what really matters is how well you can adlib your strategies to account for his moves. But even if someone breaks formation upon failing to resist the enemy's ferocity and element of surprise, or an ally disobeys commands, their moves can be exploited to catch the opponent off-guard."

Having said all that, Saber turned his eyes to the forest in the west.

"If you think of that forest and temple as a city, whether or not a swift attack can conquer it depends on the characteristics of the general guarding it. If not a general, a king... or a god. I once defeated a kind of fiendish creature called Dead Apostle, but this will be my first time conquering the castle of a god."

"Oh my, I'm surprised you have slayed a Dead Apostle in your lifetime, Saber."

Saber reacted to Luvia's words with an awkward smile and a side glance at Hansa.

"Only one, and it took teaming up with my lifelong enemy and pretty much exhausting our combined forces. And if anything, the cleanup after it was the toughest part. I recommend you never interact with anyone from the secret side of the Church. I can't say all, but most of them are annoying."

"I agree.", Hansa replied from a distance, suggesting he heard everything.

"I agree.", also commented Rin without elaboration.

After that, Vera raised her voice as the police's representative.

"So... are you suggesting we wait here until the state in the western forest changes?"

It was a natural question for Vera, who knew they were in a race against time for the city's destruction, but it resulted in Werner shaking his head.

"No, we don't have time to wait for their conclusion. If the self-proclaimed god in question wins, things get worse for us."

"What do you mean?", asked Tine's secretary in response.

"When a Heroic Spirit is defeated in battle, their soul flows to the Lesser Grail. Do I need to say more?", answered Toosaka Rin, presumably the most informed on the subject of the Holy Grail Wars.

In Holy Grail Wars following the Fuyuki model, the Holy Grail is split into a Greater Grail and a Lesser Grail.

The Greater Grail is like a storage tank accumulating magical energy from the pulse of the land, and the Lesser Grail exists as the device that scoops up the souls of the summoned Heroic Spirits.

After a Heroic Spirit is defeated in battle and can no longer sustain their Saint Graph, their soul flows to the Lesser Grail, where it is deposited.

When the Holy Grail War is concluded, their spiritual forms solidify in the shape of the Holy Grail, forming a wish-granting device.

It's said that at this moment, the official Holy Grail can reach the domain of the Third Magic (soul materialization), allowing one to obtain actual immortality.

She remembered a strange conversation where Francesca and Faldeus mentioned "Fuyuki's Holy Grail had another purpose besides Third Magic", but Faldeus said "That's not our objective" and Francesca "I'm not interested in it, and besides, the best the Fake Grail I made can offer is a simulation of Third Magic... It'll never be able to open the hole needed to go beyond it."

The chief didn't voice any objection to these details, so Vera didn't ask for more details.

Toosaka Rin showed no signs of wanting to elaborate. She simply continued to talk about the Lesser Grail's presence.

"Does your boss know what the Lesser Grail is?", Rin asked Vera.

As someone on the side of the Holy Grail War masterminds, Vera had a moment of indecision, but since she got permission from the chief to reveal any cards in her hand except Servant True Names, she slowly nodded.

"...Yes. A collaborator named Francesca brought an Einzbern homunculus... Unit name Fillia."

"What?"

It was Ayaka who raised her voice.

"By Fillia, you mean... that Fillia?"

"There's a lot less to explain if you already know her. You can understand what Miss Toosaka is getting at."

Saber followed up Vera's words with a docile nod.

"I get it. Every time a Heroic Spirit dies, their soul flows to the Lesser Grail, which is this homunculus' body. But the problem is that this Lesser Grail is occupied by this Ishtar deity..."

"A normal Lesser Grail wouldn't be equipped with the function to convert a Heroic Spirit's soul into power they can control. But it's a different story if what's inside her really is a god or something similar enough to one."

Luvia then continued where Rin left off.

"If the first Heroic Spirit to lose the war had Divinity, it joining the Grail's stream could be what caused this awakening... or so we speculate."

"So what you're saying is that if someone loses in this tumult and their soul is absorbed... that's when things get beyond our reach?"

"Yes, and because of that, our plan is simple. We'll raid the temple now."

Intrigued by Rin's assertion, Saber asked an amused question.

"What's that? I thought I heard you say you weren't stupid enough to rush there head-on?"

"Yes, keyword head-on.", Toosaka declared, with full disrespect, as a form of a challenge to a greater power. "I don't care what that deity is... I'm going to slug her fair and square, from behind her back."

[Rafflesiac]

Funny update, references and Saber are good.

[Quoren]

" "The only reason why (I) haven't killed all of you is that Ayaka wants to prove she's a good girl.", said Saber, flashing his brightest smile."

[Megla]

Thanks for the translation