FSN HF Day 16 (EN)

Scene 00

――――It's an altar enshrining the stars.

The fire blazes up as if to connect the heaven and the earth.
The flickering fire illuminates the dark cave,
and singes the surrounding dome.
But this can't be a proper enshrinement.
It's said to connect to the sky, but the heavens are still underground.
And the shining light isn't red, but black.
The air's impure, the wind's stagnant, and the drops of water on the walls are colored like poison.

The underground kingdom that's said to be the dragon's lair actually looks like the dragon's stomach.
No human would come here.
The only ones to come and honor this alien world are serpents fleeing from the light.

"Guh――――"
A white skull coughs in this alien world.
The one tinted by dark red light is the one who lost his Master, the Servant Assassin.

"―――This is the end. I cannot maintain my body without a supply of magical energy."
The white skull creeps across the wall.
A girl stands before him.
Swathed in a black curse, she blankly stares at the oncoming figure.

"――――I finally made it.
Magus. I cannot see you, but are you still alive?"
He stops five meters in front of the girl.
Sticking to the wall like a spider, Assassin speaks into empty space.

"――――Yes. Glad you could make it back, Assassin."
And the call reaches him.
The voice of the old magus echoes through the empty chamber.
The old man who was killed by Kotomine Kirei still lives in this underground kingdom.

It's natural.
The one killed in the forest was just a collection of worms.
The main body of the old magus, the host that contains his soul, is sleeping in the safest place on earth.
Even the priest's holy words cannot kill him unless the main body is destroyed.

"But having my limbs destroyed got me. I cannot make magical energy to send to you. And it is too much of a bother to go find a new body above ground.
...Hm, this will burden her, but it is about time. Sakura, make a contract with Assassin. You need a new bodyguard now that Berserker is defeated."

The voice echoes.
The girl clad in black curse――――Matou Sakura doesn't answer.
Ignoring the one who has absolute control over her, she looks off blankly into space.

"...What are you doing, Sakura? Are you disobeying me?"
The irritated voice also contains danger.
The old man is irritated.
He's angry that she lost Ilyasviel and Berserker.

"―――Sakura. I will ask you one more time. Are you going to defy me?"
Cold scorn.
The girl has never disobeyed this voice.
It's not fear, but submission to his absolute controlling power.
The girl does fear the old man.
Moreover, the girl cannot disobey him.
Because her heart is...

"―――Hold, magus. Perhaps there is no intelligence left in her. She has such a great power within her; it's not something a weak girl can withstand."
"―――Hm?"
His irritation disappears.
...A gentle silence.
The sounds of worms crawling fills the hell lit by black flame.

"Hm. It seems that way. I thought she would last a while, but the end came rather quickly."
The old magus sounds disappointed, yet happy.
The girl doesn't answer.
Her mind has been swallowed by darkness.

"Then――――you will take the girl as planned?"
"Do not put it like that. It is not as planned. It cannot be helped. Matou Sakura's mind disappeared. So there is nothing left that can control the monster.
So although I know it is brutal, I must take over my empty granddaughter."
A laugh.
Coming from the girl's throat.
Rising from her throat... is the old man's laughter.

"Then please hurry. My body is disappearing. I will disappear unless I am quickly supplied with magical energy."
"Very well. I shall start.
...My, this is disappointing, Sakura. You raised it to that degree. I wanted to give you the glory of obtaining the Holy Grail, but it cannot be helped.
If you must curse someone, curse yourself. The ritual did not succeed in time because you let Ilyasviel go."

A gritting sound.
A worm squirms to swap her head.
It isn't visible.
There are no worms on the girl's body.
―――It's not on the outside...
It's a distorted thought that creeps up from her heart.

Worm-user, Matou Zouken.
His main body, the host of his rotting soul, is a false nerve hidden within Matou Sakura's heart.

"Hah, her body hasn't changed yet, but I am not one to complain. I shall now take your flesh as my own.
Farewell, Sakura. You've endured more than I expected from an experiment. You have done well to please me...!"
A sound of writhing blood vessels.
Matou Zouken's spirit orders his main body to eat the girl's brain.

――――But.

"There's no need for that, Grandfather. I'm fine."

The girl puts her hand on her chest and wakes up.

"Oh. I thought it had consumed you, but you still persist? ......Hm. Sakura. The circumstances have changed, and I can no longer maintain Assassin.
It will burden you, but form a contract with him."
The old magus gives her an order.
But the girl shakes her head in refusal.

"――――What? What do you mean?"
"I told you already, Grandfather. There's no need for that."
An ice-cold voice.
At that instant.
A vast darkness swallows the white skull on the wall.

"Gi――――!?"
"Wha――――!?"
The surprise comes too late.
The assassin's body is compressed in an instant, his mask the only part not crushed.
"Gah――――ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!?"
The mask falls.
Under the white skull...
The face that should be there is a skull, just like the mask.

"......Fufu. Oh, I wondered what sort of face you had, but you had none to begin with.
You didn't hide your face, but wore the mask to make people think a face lay beneath it. Such a disappointment."
"Gi―――Girl, you―――"
"You lost your face and name, but you still wanted eternity? ...But how unfortunate. If you seek eternity, you should've sought to live forever like my grandfather.
The Holy Grail can't go back into the past and regain your name."

"Disappear, old man of the mountain. You're nothing but an assassin. You can't become the one and only Hassan."
"Gi, giaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa―――!"
Even his death cry is swallowed by the shadow.
The white skulled assassin is swallowed by the girl's shadow.

"Guh―――are you insane!? What are you doing, fool...!?"
His panic is akin to fury.
Is he surprised, or―――is he frightened?

In response to the old man's scream, the girl smiles.
"He attacked Senpai twice.
That's why I killed him. I'm the only one allowed to hurt him."
"Wha――――"
"And Grandfather. You don't need to be protected by him anymore. So we have to give him leave."

And then...
She sticks her finger into her heart and pulls out a worm that was deep within her nerves.

"――――!!!!"
How do you describe the fear, the terror?
She gouged her heart and tore her nerves, but still smiles.

"W――――What, what are you doing, Sakura――――"
The worm wriggles.
The girl stares with empty eyes at her grandfather, what used to be her grandfather, what seems to have been her grandfather.

"Oh. It was easier than I expected. I thought you would be bigger."
No. Actually, Matou Zouken's true body wasn't this small.
The old magus switched his main body when he planted himself in her heart.
To inhabit her heart, he had to be smaller than a heart.
In retrospect, his strange preference was his downfall.

"Sakura―――Sakura, don't tell me..."
"I should thank the priest. I would've been swallowed if he hadn't eliminated you."

She sees through his plan.
No, this outcome was inevitable.
The old magus didn't even try to hide his intentions, and the girl didn't disobey him.
So there was no problem.
She was just a piece of flesh that the old magus would eventually take over.
Until she betrayed him.

"H―――Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on...!!
No, no, Sakura...! Possessing you is my last resort. I shall entrust you with the gate as long as you are still conscious. All I want is for the Matou bloodline to prosper.
All I want is for you to win and obtain everything...!"

The worm squirms around.
The girl smiles at the trash in her fingers.

"All the better, then. I don't need your help anymore. I can open the gate by myself."

The impossible occurs.
The old magus only made one mistake.

"――――! Wait, wait, please, Sakura...!
This has all been for you...!
And this is how you repay me――――"

"Goodbye, Grandfather.
It must've been tiring to crawl about underground for two hundred years, right?
―――You can disappear now."

The old man has raised her too much.
Believing her to be pure, he never noticed the darkness within.

...The girl's the only one left at the altar.
The swaying black fire rejoices at the independence of the girl that embodies it.

"―――――――Fuh."
The girl stares at the blood on her hand,
"Fufu――――Fufu, ahahahahahahaha――――"
And laughs like an empty puppet.

Scene 01

Two black figures crash against one another.
One is Rider, running at great speed, striking at her enemy from all possible directions.
Her long hair blown behind her, she looks like a beautiful shooting star.

But.
A shooting star is a small star, after all.
The swordsman who Rider faces.
Rider cannot break through Saber's guard, as she firmly fixes herself on the ground and overwhelms Rider.

No matter how quickly Rider leaps to attack her blind spots, Saber deflects the daggers with a single swing of her blade, striking Rider in the same motion.
Her severe firmness reminds me of a black sun.
A large star that will consume you once you draw near.
No matter how fast Rider may move, an ephemeral shooting star can never match the light of one that burns in place.

"Ha――――ah――――"
Her sneak attack is repelled yet again, and she's wounded.
...She can retreat as Saber counterattacks because of her superhuman speed.
Rider closes in and withdraws in an instant, just like a black spark.
But her efforts merely prevent a fatal blow.

The difference in their powers is obvious.
Rider's speed decreases the more she attacks.
High-speed movement and continuous offense.
Natural healing that regenerates the wounds Saber sustains.
She's not thinking about anything that comes after.
She can't match Saber unless she uses all of her energy.

Rider's blocking Saber's attacks by attacking.
Once Saber shifts to offense, she and her master will be killed instantly.
Therefore, Rider keeps running, knowing she'll eventually burn out.

―――Her energy's lost with every passing second.
Rider said she could last two minutes.
It's been ten minutes since passing that limit.
Rider's legs are starting to give in to the strain.

In contrast, Saber is unscratched.
Rider's attacks have not reached her, and she shows no fatigue.
Technique, vitality, magical energy.
Saber overwhelms Rider in these three aspects.
Therefore―――once Rider loses her speed, her sole advantage, Saber will shift to offense.

Rider's speed is declining.
...It's only a matter of time before Saber catches up to Rider's speed.
A few more seconds. Rider will be out of breath once her next attack is blocked.
The instant Rider loses her strength and magical energy, Saber will slice her body in half.

"――――――――"
But this has been predicted.
Before they came to the cavern.
The boy told Rider of his prediction, of this exact outcome.
She knows she'll lose if she fights like this.

There's only one way to change the outcome of death.
They hold their breath and wait for the moment――――

Rider attacks Saber.
At the same instant.
I loosen the restraint on my left arm
and
start
the projection.

――――I'm disappearing.
Loosening the Shroud on Archer's arm

Search.
I'm blown away.
The wind's strong.
I'm losing my comprehension of what's before me.

Let go of the right hand.
Put the Shroud back on.
I can't bear it for even a second.
I'll lose everything.
I'll lose what I value.
Search, select.
No, every part of my body's dying at this moment.

Rider's fighting desperately.
I can't whine about this.
I... have to do... what I can... and fight.
I can't lose my concentration for even a second.
Rider's going to time it.
I have to free my left arm so I can match her timing.

Select, analyze.

But it hurts.
It's painful and scary.
Quick――――Quick, is Rid .

"――――――――"
It disappears.
Something I value disappears.
I can't remember what I lost.
But what I kept in my heart cannot be recalled ever again.

Defer. Defer. Defer. Defer.

Slash.
My right lung is torn from within.

"Guh――――"
Not yet?
I can't stay conscious.
Rider's also desperate.
I won't lose.
I give all I have to keep watching Rider.
Rider's fighting her fight.
I'll fight my own fight――――

"......!"
Rider stops.
Rider must have exhausted her reserves of energy, because she's on her knees in front of Saber.

Saber's sword moves.
Rider's going to be killed.
I...

Scene 02

―――I can't just abandon Rider.
I bear the pain and the shredding memory.
I pull out the Azoth Sword and run to the black swordsman.

If my determination was quick, my action was quick as well.
My legs are strong as an explosion,
and my body's fast as a bullet.

Regurgitation of blood, backflow of my senses, backflow of poison.

My left arm and my body become one.
An inexperienced warrior named Emiya Shirou turns into a supreme superbeing.

"――――――――"
A second feels like ten.
―――I can manage it.
I can match Saber by sacrificing Emiya Shirou.

"Run, Rider――――!"
I run to the confronting figures and attack from the side.
"......Shirou...!?"
Rider's on the ground.
"――――――――――"
Saber can only react with her eyes.

―――I got her.
I take aim at her open side and cut at her left arm with the Azoth Sword.

"Wha――――"
It breaks.
The sword that should've cut through Saber's arm shatters at the moment of contact.

At the speed of light, the counterattack comes.
An arm flies off.
A severed left arm rolls across the ground, just as I planned.

"......"
Rider jumps back, while Saber just stands there.
"Ah――――Ahh, gah――――......!"
I kneel, trying to staunch the flow of blood from my left shoulder with my remaining hand.

"Ha, guh, guh, ahhhh......!"
I writhe in agony.
"It is not that I could not react. There was no need to react, Shirou."
The black swordsman states without emotion.
She comes near me.
She steps behind my back, and...

"Now you have lost your weapon. ...Sakura does not say it, but she wishes you to live. I am to take you to her if I am able to neutralize you before you die.
But――――"

The tip of her sword pricks my spine.
A cold weight of death, able to pierce my heart with one push.

"...Choose. You can die by my sword or receive a death worse than death from Sakura. The decision is yours, Shirou."
...I'm losing consciousness.
My blood's flowing out of me, and a sword is pressed against my back.

"――――――――"
...I don't know what I chose.
There's only one thing I'm sure of.
It's that I can't save Sakura no matter what―――

Scene 03

―――I pass my limits.
I project a weapon to stop Saber while maintaining the projection for Rider.

"――――――――"
I lose my cool.
My thoughts surpass the speed of light and white out.
Madness is in the past, and the perception of madness is the starting point.

"――――Trace, fractal."
Shrinking endlessly, expanding endlessly, multiplying endlessly.
The fantasy turns into chaos with law, it came from nothingness, but it didn't come from nothingness, and many similarities arise from expansion.

"――――I am the bone of my sword."

I ready the sword I projected.

"Kaladbolg."

There's no need to aim.
The image of it hitting is there, so this attack will surely hit Saber.

"Gi, guh.........!!!!!"
It's .
Som unreturnable breaks.

I see the result with my ruptured left eye.
Rider has retreated from Saber.
Having just repelled the spiral sword, Saber is unable to pursue her.
The small opening lasts a mere two seconds.
But those two seconds are more than Rider needs.

"Noble Phantasm――――!"
Fifty meters.
Seeing the sudden gap between them, Saber instantly realizes Rider's intention.
Then there's only one way to oppose it.
A strongest attack for a strongest attack.

――――Black light flows out.
A scorching wind bursts forth from Saber's sword.
A comet will attack her in the next second.
The strongest Noble Phantasm is employed to wipe out the pure white light from Rider.

"Saber......!!!!!!"
Rider lowers her stance.
The summoning circle's already completed.
A giant eye bound by blood materializes in front of her.

"――――Come, Rider――――!"
The sword, readied beside her.
Converging and spinning, the light of the star reaches the critical point.
The black sun stands ready, the flare held in both hands.

"Bellero――――"
Its true name is cast.
Rider's figure is instantly covered in white.

"Ex――――"
The true name is revealed.
Saber's sword transforms into a blazing black flame.

"――――Phon!!!!!!!!!"
"――――Calibur!!!!!!"
The two lights in the cavern contend for supremacy――――!

At that instant, I stop time.
I accelerate all my processes, disguising this instant as eternity.

"――――Trace, on."
Search, select, analyze, project.
That's my role.

The second projection.
Magic that shaves my existence away.
But we can't beat Saber without it.
We can't match Saber's Noble Phantasm, even with Bellerophon.

We knew that already.
―――――So I'm going to make her win.
If Rider's Noble Phantasm is inferior in force, I'll make up for the difference...!!!!

"―――I am the bone of my sword."

I already know what I have to use.
The projection's completed in an instant.
The greatest protection Archer knows, the Noble Phantasm that will lead Rider to victory!

"Rho Aius――――!"

I make it into reality using its true name――――!

"Gah――――!"
A shudder runs through my outstretched arm.
Nerves, muscles, and blood dance around like mad.
I frantically hold my convulsing left arm with my right.

"Gu......! Ah, ah, ahh――――!"
Bear it.
I can't stop the projection.
The lights are still competing.
If Rider loses Aius now,
she'll be vaporized in an instant――――!

"Gi――――ah, , ――――!"
My left arm jumps about, while my shoulder fires bullets into my body.
The magical energy I can't control explodes inside my body,
and just like an eraser,
turns Emiya Shirou's body white.

" ―――― ,  !!!!"
I roar out.
I scream to ward off the pain and the fear of losing myself.

Bare magical energy is smashed.
It completely destroys the balance between the two.

"Ah, ahh, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh――――!!!!"

Scattering the fourth petal the black ultimate light penetrated through,
it fills the cavern
with bright, white light.

The two Servants are blown away.
Rider smashes against the wall at the exact speed at which she charged.
Saber is hurled backward by Bellerophon and falls to the ground on her back.

They're both alive.
Rider must've used up her magical energy as she's still on the ground.
But Saber―――she's deeply wounded, but she still has some power left.

"――――――――!"
We barely had the edge in the confrontation of the Noble Phantasms.
Bellerophon had ninety percent of its light offset by Saber's holy sword.

"Ah――――――――"
I run.
I run without understanding what I have to do.
I release the Azoth Sword while I run.

"――――Sa, ber."
I run to her.
I run to her and straddle her defenseless body.

"Ah――――Shi, rou――――?"
Did she hit her head?
Saber's looking up at me absent-mindedly.

"――――――――Ah."
How must I look to her?
I'm on top of her, looking down with a dagger upraised.

"――――――――"
Saber's natural healing power is extraordinary.
She'll regenerate unless I finish her off right now.
Finish her here.
We'll be killed unless I kill Saber, who's wounded and unable to fight back.

Scene 04

"――――! Rider......!!"
I trust her.
I have to trust her and wait.

What good will it do, even if I attack Saber now?
What can I do with my projection that's already prepared?
Our plan's already been determined.
Rider accepted my strategy, temporarily acknowledging me as her master.
So――――

"――――!"
Saber's sword cuts through empty space.
Rider has already retreated out of Saber's range.
And it's the greatest retreat possible.
She jumps back to the edge of the cavern.

Saber can't pursue her.
Rider's chain is tangled around her legs.
That's why Rider went on her knees.
Rider persistently attacked Saber's upper body, entangled her legs as the final attack, and nailed her in place by piercing the nail dagger into the ground.

"You cannot stop me with such a thing...!"
Magical energy courses through Saber's body.
Saber takes on lightning and easily destroys the chain.

"――――!"
But it's too late.
The small opening lasts a mere two seconds, but that's more than Rider needs.

"Noble Phantasm――――!"
Fifty meters.
Seeing the sudden gap between them, Saber instantly realizes Rider's intention.
Then there's only one way to oppose it.
A strongest attack for a strongest attack.

――――Black light flows out.
A scorching wind bursts forth from Saber's sword.
A comet will attack her in the next second.
The strongest Noble Phantasm is employed to wipe out the pure white light from Rider.

"Saber......!!!!!!"
Rider lowers her stance.
The summoning circle's already completed.
A giant eye bound by blood materializes in front of her.

"――――Come, Rider――――!"
The sword, readied beside her.
Converging and spinning, the light of the star reaches the critical point.
The black sun stands ready, the flare held in both hands.

"Bellero――――"
Its true name is cast.
Rider's figure is instantly covered in white.

"Ex――――"
The true name is revealed.
Saber's sword transforms into a blazing black flame.

"――――Phon!!!!!!!!!"
"――――Calibur!!!!!!"
The two lights in the cavern contend for supremacy――――!

At that instant, I stop time.
I accelerate all my processes, disguising this instant as eternity.

"――――Trace, on."
Search, select, analyze, project.
That's my role.

The second projection.
Magic that shaves my existence away.
But we can't beat Saber without it.
We can't match Saber's Noble Phantasm, even with Bellerophon.

We knew that already.
―――――So I'm going to make her win.
If Rider's Noble Phantasm is inferior in force, I'll make up for the difference...!!!!

"―――I am the bone of my sword."

I already know what I have to use.
The projection's completed in an instant.
The greatest protection Archer knows, the Noble Phantasm that will lead Rider to victory!

"Rho Aius――――!"

I make it into reality using its true name――――!

"Gah――――!"
A shudder runs through my outstretched arm.
Nerves, muscles, and blood dance around like mad.
I frantically hold my convulsing left arm with my right.

"Gu......! Ah, ah, ahh――――!"
Bear it.
I can't stop the projection.
The lights are still competing.
If Rider loses Aius now,
she'll be vaporized in an instant――――!

"Gi――――ah, , ――――!"
My left arm jumps about, while my shoulder fires bullets into my body.
The magical energy I can't control explodes inside my body,
and just like an eraser,
turns Emiya Shirou's body white.

" ―――― ,  !!!!"
I roar out.
I scream to ward off the pain and the fear of losing myself.

Bare magical energy is smashed.
It completely destroys the balance between the two.

"Ah, ahh, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh――――!!!!"

Scattering the fourth petal the black ultimate light penetrated through,
it fills the cavern
with bright, white light.

The two Servants are blown away.
Rider smashes against the wall at the exact speed at which she charged.
Saber is hurled backward by Bellerophon and falls to the ground on her back.

They're both alive.
Rider must've used up her magical energy as she's still on the ground.
But Saber―――she's deeply wounded, but she still has some power left.

"――――――――!"
We barely had the edge in the confrontation of the Noble Phantasms.
Bellerophon had ninety percent of its light offset by Saber's holy sword.

"Ah――――――――"
I run.
I run without understanding what I have to do.
I release the Azoth Sword while I run.

"――――Sa, ber."
I run to her.
I run to her and straddle her defenseless body.

"Ah――――Shi, rou――――?"
Did she hit her head?
Saber's looking up at me absent-mindedly.

"――――――――Ah."
How must I look to her?
I'm on top of her, looking down with a dagger upraised.

"――――――――"
Saber's natural healing power is extraordinary.
She'll regenerate unless I finish her off right now.
Finish her here.
We'll be killed unless I kill Saber, who's wounded and unable to fight back.

Scene 05

"Ah――――Ah."
My fragmented mind is strangely clear right now.

"――――――――"
...She must be conscious again.
Saber's staring at me with cold eyes.
I...

Scene 06

There's no hesitation.
Holding her gaze, I bring down my heavy arm.

There's no resistance.
I end Saber's life with one blow.

"――――――――――, ―――"
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.
―――Such a thing will never be forgiven.

I chose this path.
I killed someone else to save Sakura.
Using my own hands, I killed someone who protected me until the very end.
Neither regret nor a confession will bring forgiveness.
...This is what it means to ally with someone.
I'll keep sacrificing important things for the one I love.

And on this path...
There's nothing brilliant enough to make up for what I've lost.

"But Saber――――"
I'll search all my life for happiness that can measure up to what I've lost.
I'll keep losing more than I gain, and I know I'll stop someday.
But―――I'm going to take responsibility for stealing things away, even if I'm pathetic, comical, or meaningless.

I don't know where I can find happiness.
But I swear to myself that I'll never give up, even if I can't see the end.

"――――Thanks. You saved me many times."

...The weight on my dagger disappears.
Silent to the end, the dark swordsman sinks into the black shadow, her eyes fixed on me.

Scene 07

...I can't bring the blade down.
My hand's shaking, and I can't pierce Saber's heart.

"――――――――"
She's just looking up at me.
She's staring at me without emotion or interest.

Only a few days.
It's only been eight days since the night I lost her.
...No I should say it's already been eight days.
It's been that long since I lost her clear, golden hair and her gentle, green eyes.

I can still clearly recall her silver armor and the beauty of her attacks.
Even though I knew nothing, she accepted me as her Master, serving as my sword to the very end.
―――No matter how many times she was wounded and faced death.
Her determination never wavered.

I won't forget about it.
I can't forget about that night, that miracle.
―――The golden hair shining under the moonlight.
It's...
An eternal scene that will never be lost, no matter how much she changes.

"――――――――"
And I realize.
I can't kill Saber.
Even though she has turned dark and her magical energy's ominous, she's still the Saber that protected me.
So―――how can I kill her?

"――――Sa, ber."
...The dagger falls.
Not onto her chest, but onto the ground.

"........."
The black swordsman says nothing.
Her body's completely healed now.
...It's probably because of the enormous amount of Sakura's magical energy.
Her body's not the only thing that healed, as her magical energy is charged as well.

"―――Shirou. I have cursed you for the first time."
I can understand Saber's hatred.
"You are telling me to kill you."
It's natural that she's disappointed.

"Very well.
As you wish, I shall――――"
The cave rumbles.
What's happening off in the darkness?
A rumbling, like a death cry, comes from the way Tohsaka went.

The vibration sounds like a lamentation.
The person causing the rumbling is frantically calling for help――――?

"Saber...!?"
I don't know if it's because of the vibration, but Saber's body is sinking into the ground.
No, she's being swallowed up by her own shadow.

"Give me your hand, Saber...!"
"―――I shall postpone your execution. Sakura is asking for help."

"......!"
...The shadow fades away.
Having drawn Saber in, it seeps into the rock and disappears.

"――――"

"――――"

"――――, ――――――――"

"――――!"
I suddenly wake up.
I realize I'm sleeping in an unfamiliar place.

"............"
...No, something's wrong.
Something's wrong, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Ha, guh――――"
I get up.
I shake my head and clear my mind.
"...That's right. I have to go."
I eliminated something important at the cost of something important.

"...The dagger... I have to take the dagger."
I pull the Azoth sword from the ground.
That's odd.
Why is the dagger that was in my hand sticking out of the ground?

"Guh――――――"
I tighten the restraint on my left arm.
I've used up most of the magical energy.
What's left in Archer's arm and myself.
I should be able to do more if I combine them, but I can only manage one more projection. I won't be able to suppress Archer's arm after that.

"―――――――"
...I'm forgetting something.
...But I should hurry for now.
My body's stiff.
I feel like I'm a tin man.

......Someone's calling for me in the distance.
The voice,
the unfamiliar voice,
feels like something important, and I move my tin body forward.

―――It takes time to go through the cave.
The rumbling has already stopped.
A warm wind that makes me want to vomit is coming from the back.

"――――――――"
My left arm hurts.
My brain shreds a little more with each step, and my thoughts are crumbling apart like a collapsing building.

I escape from the black darkness into the white darkness.
...My body's burning.
I'm a brazier, and it feels like I'm thrown inside a furnace.

My headache's getting worse.
My breath is hot, and the air's even hotter.
The heat burns my lungs, and the rotten air sticks to my throat.
I was wrong.
This isn't a furnace. It's like being inside a giant stomach.

"――――――――"
This is the last stage.
The final destination, where Sakura hid herself, Zouken lurked, and Tohsaka has now gone.
But it's too quiet.
I don't feel any battles going on.
Everything's so intensely white that I can't find Zouken's laughter, Tohsaka's figure, or Sakura's downcast expression.

"――――――――"
I walk forward without a thought for what might have happened.
I don't have time or energy to waste on that.
My thoughts are a precious resource right now.
―――I can project one more time.
I can't degrade my final weapon with unnecessary speculation.

―――I scale the cliff.
I keep my head blank as I climb, conserving what little of my mind remains.

A pillar of light that's like a black sun.
There...
...Stands Sakura, transfigured to black.

"――――Sakura."
"...?"
Sakura looks at me with wonder.
Red eyes without emotion.

"Sa―――――――"
The coldness of her eyes brings everything to a halt.
How stupid.
I made the same mistake again.

"Oh, you're here, Senpai. You were so late, I thought you ran away.
I'm sorry, I'll call myself back.
It was a mistake to arrange them at the exit to surprise you."

She smiles.
At that instant, my spine turns to ice.
Sakura's smile is so unlike her that it makes me forget about what I have to say or what I have to project.

"―――Sakura. Where's Tohsaka?"
I ask a stupid question.
Completely forgetting about bringing Sakura back, I ask something I don't need to, something that's readily apparent.

"Eh... Nee-san?"
My question hasn't taken her by surprise.
It seems she's pitying me for failing to grasp something so obvious.

"That's right. Tohsaka should've come here before me. Where is she?"
"............"

The air's hot.
It feels like the wind on my skin is melting my body.

...I look around the cavern from here.
I don't see Tohsaka below.
The only sign of human life is here.
...By Sakura's feet.
A cloth that looks like a ribbon is on the ground, dyed in black.

――――Tohsaka's presence is gone.
――――Tohsaka's body is gone.
――――Tohsaka's bloodstain doesn't even exist.

"Sakura, you..."
"Yes, you're right. Nee-san's nowhere in this world now.
Because―――I consumed her just now."

―――Who is it?

"Oh, I didn't leave any leftovers.
I finished every bit of her body and mind. Even with this body, I still remember my manners."

―――Who is it?

"But Nee-san isn't dead. She's still suffering inside of me.
...Hah. So she was a virgin. I'm letting her experience what I've been through, but she's already crying on the first day."

"Can you hear her? She's screaming for help and apologizing.
Oh... How cute of you to say that. She said 'please let me out of here, Sakura.'
Stupid Nee-san. I want to have more fun if you say that."

―――Who is it?

"Fufu, I might lose myself since it's so good.
―――Thanks for the food, Senpai. The person you brought me was a delicious treat."

―――Who's outer shell is that?

My remaining thoughts ignite.
My reason explodes, and I'm starting to forget what I'm supposed to do and who the person in front of me is.

"Sakura, you――――"
...You went too far, too far away for me to retrieve you.

"Please stop. Don't look at me with those eyes.
...Don't you know it's your own fault? You spared Saber, so Nee-san wasn't able to kill me in the end.
If Saber hadn't come to save me, I would've been killed instead."

"――――――――"
"But I'm so happy. You saved Saber and me, and you killed Nee-san.
So―――"

"No, I..."

"―――I'll swallow you too.
Come on, Senpai, Nee-san's waiting for you."

"Nee-san's been asking for your help. You should go to her and hold her hand or something."

The shadow falls.
The light from the pillar's blocked off as if a giant wall is created.

...Black shadows emerge.
I don't know where they came from, but the giants surround me like a prison.

"――――――――"
There's nowhere to run.
The giants melt into each other, becoming a tidal wave that surges over me.

All my senses disappear in an instant.
―――An infinite, boundless darkness.
I hear someone weeping as I fall into Sakura's shadow.

Scene 08

She is released.
The black Command Spell cloaking her body disappears.

A contract-breaker.
A Noble Phantasm that nullifies all magic and negates the contract with a Servant.
Without taking Sakura's life, it destroys the contract that bound her.

――――My vision isn't continuous.
Sakura's alive.
I don't know if it's reaction from being released, but she's lying on the ground like she's sleeping.

Tohsaka―――Tohsaka will make it too.
She's not bleeding anymore. She has a legitimate Magic Crest.
The Crest is the crystallization of the Tohsaka family's magic. It won't let their successor die even if she's unconscious.

"――――――――"
The cavern is shaking.
Angra Manyu.
A ridiculous curse called "all evils of the world" is writhing.

...Damn.
Even after losing its host, the black shadow hasn't disappeared.
It has grown too large.
It can come out without Sakura's help.
It will emerge so long as the Great Holy Grail still exists.

――――I'll destroy it.
I'll destroy the giant magic circle, and the shadow along with it.
Angra Manyu's fetal activity is slowly destroying the cavern.
...But I don't think it'll die even if the cavern collapses.
I have to destroy that thing here and now.

Is it possible?
...Yes, it's possible.
I'll go as near it as I can and attack it with great force.

Angra Manyu can't move as long as it's in the black fire.
I'll cleave it in two before he can emerge.
If there's anything capable of such a feat, it's――――
The greatest Noble Phantasm I know of.

"――――――――Guh."
My breathing stopped for a moment.
There's about a hundred meters to Angra Manyu.
...It's fine, I can walk this distance.
It's just one more time.
One last projection, and it's all over.
It's fine, I'll be able to do it.
I'll finish this off, take the two of them above ground, and...

"Shirou, do you hear me?"
Someone taps my shoulder.

"――――――――"
...Who is this?
She can't possibly be a stranger.
I know her. She looks dangerous, but I remember that she's trustworthy.

"Good. Can you take Sakura and Tohsaka and get out of here?"
"―――――Shirou?"
The long-haired woman stares at me for a few seconds.

"What about you?"
"I'll go after I destroy that thing. It'll be quick, but every second counts for Tohsaka. And Sakura would be affected by the shadow if she stays here. Angra Manyu might be persistent and make Sakura his Master again."

"――――Understood. I will carry Rin and Sakura.
Please rest assured. I have rested enough for that."
"Please. Go outside with those two. The cavern's collapsing. Um, R―――R- damn, your speed would have no problem with the falling rocks."

".....................
――――Then I will be going. I shall come get you after I get them to a safe place."

"Um... That's nice to hear, but make sure they're okay first. You're the only one I can trust. I'll escape by myself, so please treat Tohsaka. Sakura can't be happy without her."

...I don't think this woman has any ability to heal people.
But I still have to entrust her with Tohsaka's life.

"Certainly. But the same goes for you, Shirou.
Sakura needs you and Rin. Please remember that. ...I need you to support Sakura."

"......?"
"I shall hurry. ――――Good luck."

The woman in black picks them up with ease and runs down the cliff.
―――Weaving between the falling rocks, she hurries to the exit.

"――――――――Phew."
...I don't have to worry about them now.
They'll be saved if I let her take care of them.
So――――
Now, I just need to take care of one more thing.

Scene 09

; "――――, ――――, ――――"
My consciousness is breaking apart.
A mere hundred meters become an impossibly vast expanse.

; "――――, ――――, ――――"
It's only a matter of time before the cavern collapses.
The ceiling's crumbling down, and the ground is becoming a pile of rubble.

; "――――, ――――, ――――"
My joints are stiff.
It hurts to bend my limbs.
My nerves are hot.
Hundreds of blades are growing out of my body.
An inescapable death by skewering.
I am the bone of my sword.
I already knew that.
The time bomb was activated when I used projection.
This end has already been determined.

"――――Ha, ah――――!"
I'm crumbling apart.
I'll shatter if I continue.
I'll shatter to pieces, like so many rocks on the ground.

...I'll still make it.
My body's dying, but I won't lose myself for about a day if I stop now.

Only a day's worth of life prolongation.
But right now, I would love to have something so insignificant.
Just a day. An hour or even a minute.
If I can live, I want to stay here as long as I can, no matter how miserable it may be.

"Haa, gu――――......!"
A crack.
Not outside, but inside. The nucleus accumbens in my cerebrum breaks.
The part that administers the principle of behavior, the linkage to pleasure.
The most important part of life. Life is the pursuit of pleasure; without it, humans would become beasts.

"Haa, ah."
It's not convenient.
I still want it.
I want to keep my memory for as long as I can.
But it's disintegrating.
The pain of eating my fingers doesn't stop the memories from fading.

I disappear the more I walk on.
I won't make it.
Even if I do make it there, I probably won't remember what I need to do.
So I should stop here and wait for help――――

"――――Yeah, I remember."
But.
Somewhere outside my body, there's a big reason.
"Sakura――――let's go see flowers."
So I have to fulfill my role.

――――Time has stopped.
There's no pain.
I'm taking a whole day to make just one step.

――――I forget how to breathe.
There's no pain.
I couldn't breathe if I had all day to do it.

――――I lose the meaning.
What was pain?
Organic matter turns into inorganic substance.

I manage to keep myself.
I reach out for the wall to keep from falling.
All the shards of my existence are gathered onto a tiny foothold.
There's no way it'll support me.
The foothold breaks.

There's no principle of behavior.
There's no meaning of behavior.
There's no meaning of existence.
I don't feel any fear.
The meaning behind my existence disappears.

I'm not alive anymore.
My arms won't move for any reason.

"――――Trace."
Words come out of my mouth.
There's something still remaining even after language, neopallium, and cerebrum
are lost.

"――――On."
The body dies.
But the soul remains.

Spinning the eight verses.
The load transmits from the body to the soul, and more meaning is

"――――――――Ah."
And Emiya Shirou dies.
The standing figure is no different from a machine.
It's programmed to swing the sword, but it's a corpse with no desire to move.

But even without human intelligence...
There are machines that weave many dreams in this world.

There was a promise.
Once winter's over, when it's spring――――

A recitation of words without meaning.
A small hope that I remembered until the very end.

Scene 10

"――――――――"

I take a breath, drawing enough oxygen to allow me to move.

My throat only moves once.

Fortunately, it's not painful.
Most of my senses have turned to steel.

――――No matter how hard I try.
I'm starting to feel faint.

――――Let's go.
It's my final job.

I release my left arm.
My consciousness is about to fade away.

"――――Trace, on."

...My last projection.
I'll use the strongest sword I know to destroy the curse along with the Great Holy Grail.

"――――――――"
It'll be the definite end.
I...

Scene 11

"――――, ――――, ――――"
My consciousness is breaking apart.
A mere hundred meters become an impossibly vast expanse.

"――――, ――――, ――――"
It's only a matter of time before the cavern collapses.
The ceiling's crumbling in places, and the ground is strewn with rubble.

"――――, ――――, ――――"
My joints are stiff.
It hurts to bend my limbs.
If I let my guard down, I stop breathing. Finally, with the determination it would take to stick a knife in my throat, I manage to draw a few breaths.
I keep doing it in spite of the pain, because people can't live without oxygen.
I might be able to move without oxygen, and even if I am to breathe, I would stop moving soon.

"――――, ――――, ――――"
...It's hot.
Hundreds of blades are growing out of my body.
An inescapable death by skewering.
I am the bone of my sword.
But I already knew that.

▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ said...
The time bomb was activated when I used projection.
So this end was already determined.

"――――, ――――, ――――"
...My legs are heavy.
...I don't know what I'm doing.
My heart's about to explode from pain, fatigue, and emptiness.
But just a bit more.
Everything will end once I beat him.
There's no one in my way.
There's no one getting in my way anymore.

――――But.

"Haa――――――ah――――"
The shadow wavers.
In front of the crater, the Great Holy Grail.
Bathed in the ruddy glow, ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ is standing.

"――――Kotomine Kirei."
"Yes. It seems we've both managed to survive, Emiya Shirou."
A voice filled with strong will.
As if it's fate, the man blocks my way through this desolate realm.

"―――What are you doing?
There's nothing for you to do now."
I don't ask him how he's alive.
He's dying.
I don't feel magical energy from his body.
There's a black stain where his heart should be.
...Like me, a brief fire that's like a turned hourglass.

I don't hear his heartbeat.
He doesn't have much longer to live.
This is not speculation, but a predication.
Kotomine Kirei will die in a few minutes, even if he doesn't do anything.

"Do not ask something so obvious.
There is only one goal for me: to give birth to the curse."
"――――What? You can't do that. He won't become yours."

"Of course not. I cannot intervene with this, and I have no intention to.
But I have told you. I will bless anything that comes to life.
This is about to be born. So it is only natural for me to protect it from an outside enemy that tries to kill it."

"...Are you insane? What are you saying with that dying body of yours? And even if it's born like you wish, you'll――――"

"The same goes for you. There is no sanity here. Our end will be the same, even if we accomplish our goals.
You will destroy it, while I will protect it.
But there is nothing to be gained, no matter whose goal is achieved. You came here knowing that.
―――This is a meaningless battle. We are two madmen engaging in useless folly."

"――――――――"
...Kotomine will not back down.
He won't retreat, and I can't use projection as long as he's there.
I need time to project.
He'll smash my head if I show such an opening.

"...Why? Why are you going so far to protect him?
Even if he's born, you gain nothing. So why?"
Even on the verge of death, why does he approve of mankind's enemy, all evils of this world?

"There is no room for questions. This is my only pleasure.
――――Emiya Shirou.
As you feel supreme bliss in others' happiness.
I feel supreme bliss in others' unhappiness."

"――――"
"First of all, why kill it? It is arrogance to assume it is evil even before its birth. Is it not love to allow a life that yearns to be born into the world?"

"Don't bullshit me. He's killed many people already. I can't let him out."
"Oh. Then let me ask. What is good and evil? Are you saying murder is an absolute evil?"

"That's......"
...I can't answer such a question.
Good and evil mean nothing to me now.
The justice Emiya Shirou believed in disappeared the instant I decided to save Sakura.

"―――Fair enough. There is no answer from the start. That's what humans are like. There is no clear answer, and they accept a changing truth. We have no absolute truth from the very beginning.
Humans have both good and evil, and it's up to you to decide which is which. The start is at zero, and there is no crime in being born. I thought I'd already told you."

"――――Yeah. You said there's no crime in the baby even if it's evil."

"Correct. Humans become good or evil through learning.
A certain scripture mentions that humans are superior beings to angels. Why? Because there are people who know of evil, but do not become evil.
It's different from angels, who only know of good since birth.
Humans have evil, but can live as good, so they are superior to angels, who only know of good."

"――――And at the same time.
There are rare moments of goodwill shown by evil men.
There are bad intentions shown on a whim by saints.
The contradiction. The coexistence of good and evil is the Holy Grail that makes people human.
Living is a crime by itself, and there are punishments because one is alive. Good exists with life, and evil exists with life.
Therefore――――"

"――――You cannot inquire about the crime of one who has not yet been born.
There is no existence that is born as evil, that is unwanted by everyone.
It has no reason to be punished until it is born."

That's Kotomine's answer.
That man pardons "all evils of this world" for this reason alone.

"―――So you're going to forgive him? He's someone that can only kill. If you know he'll kill many people once he comes out, he's a definite evil for us...!"

"Yes. His nature is evil. He was made that way, after all. He was born to be evil from the very beginning.
He's not like people. This is a pure deity that people made.
But――――even if his actions are evil, we have yet to know what he thinks of it."

"Eh...?"
What Angra Manyu thinks about his own actions...?

"Yes.
If Angra Manyu considers them evil and agonizes over them, or considers them good and laughs about them. That is not something we can assume.
If that thing has emotions like those of humans and agonizes over its doings, it is evil.
But if it has no doubt about its existence, it is good. Everyone wished for him to be that way, after all. If it has no doubt about its function, it cannot be evil."

"Wha――――"
"Yes.
Those with defects at birth.
Those who were not wanted, even before birth.
It should show us the worth of worthless life: the meaning of birth."

"Would it be able to forgive itself after destroying and losing everything?
That's what I would like to know.
I want to know if it is a crime to live as you are, when you are different from others.
That is why I killed your father and let Matou Sakura live. I cannot come up with the answer by myself. That is why I wish for the birth of what can provide me with the answer."

"―――That is my goal, Emiya Shirou.
I am at the opposite extreme from you, as you have no wish for yourself. Our desires are of the same nature."

"―――――――"
...I can't comprehend him.
His wish is too alien for me.
...So there's only one thing I understand.
That's the only reason he...

"Sakura. You used Sakura for such a thing?"
I shake off the vagueness, glaring at the priest with all the hostility I can muster.

And...
"Yes. To that end, I have taken many lives. That is why I cannot back out now.
I told you. That is how I lived.
I lived to answer that question.
It will not change, even on the verge of my death."
He makes this declaration, holding my gaze.

"――――――――"
His words are bold.
He states it as a matter of course, saying he has no regret or doubts.

"........................I see."
That makes me realize.
We're irreconcilable. I opposed him ever since I first saw him.
...I finally realize why.

I don't want to admit it.
But it seems... I like Kotomine Kirei.
I was frantic to see him as an enemy because I didn't want to accept the fact.

He said we're similar.
I understand now.
We both believed ourselves to be sinners.
And we both lived in a certain way to free ourselves of those chains.
―――We both knew we could never be freed, but believed it was the right atonement, and sought salvation that would never be given to us.

"―――――Of course you're not going to back out."
There's no way he'll withdraw if he's the same as me.
It's not that he's trying to grant his wish because he's about to die.

...That's right. It's not that he's protecting his oath in his last moments.
That's how he lived until now.
He never walked a different path.
So even if he's to die in the next minute, he doesn't know any other way to live.

"......Humph. And this is also a way to take out my anger.
I knew it was a possibility, but at last I realize it."

He steps forward.
There's not much time left for either of us.
So we have to settle the match quickly.
We have to extinguish the other's fire before our own blows out.

"――――I envy you people.
What I sought, but could not obtain. What I obtained, but could not obtain. Many things slipped out between my fingers, no matter what commandment I used."

'What other people called happiness――――'

"I am going to release my pent-up emotions here."

'――――Did not bring me any joy.'

...Yeah. He's empty because he couldn't obtain it, no matter what he tried.
He sought and sought, but couldn't obtain happiness.
And the only way of life he found was carrying death.
So how can he abandon his way of life now?

"I see. I guess I made you waste your time, Kotomine."
I resume breathing.
Pulling oxygen into my lungs, I get my body ready for battle.

"I do not mind. Neither one of us has much time."
Strength enters Kotomine's body.
There's no way this is going to turn into a battle of magic.
We're both almost dead.
All we can do it to drive our fists into our opponent.
There's no technique or strategy involved. It's a mere brawl to the death.

He needs to kill me to make his wish come true.
I need to kill him to destroy his wish.
We both put our lives on the line.
I need to beat him and eliminate the shadow before my life burns out.

He kicks off of the ground and runs straight at me.
"Haa――――"
I don't have such power left in my legs.
I lower my stance, eyes fixed on his oncoming chest, and...
"Ahhhhhhhh――――!"
I swing my fist full-force at a speed he can't avoid...!

But my fist swings through empty space, and I'm the one who gets hit.

"Guh――――!?"
I don't see Kotomine.
That speed. The enemy that charged me disappears from my view in an instant,
crouches down by my left side, slams his palm into my stomach,
and kicks up at my body with his lightning fast legs.

"Haa――――guh......!"
His kicks are like fire.
It's been a while since I felt pain strong enough to make me lose consciousness.

"Gi――――"
How many meters was I kicked up?
The impact was strong enough to rip my head off.
No, if I'm going to talk about impact, then the second blow to my stomach was strong enough to pulverize my organs.

"You――――"
I know this.
Taking the shortest route without any initial movement. A circle and a line. It tries to damage the inside instead of outside.
"A priest using Chinese martial arts?"
And he's really good at it.
It's not something he copied on the spot...!

"That's not true. My moves are mere mimicry. It's a mimicry of taolu without much in it―――but it seems to be enough against a dying man."
He turns to me.

"......!"
He strikes again.
Forcing my fused joints to bend, I get up.

"......?"
But Kotomine stops and looks at his fist.
His hand's covered in red.
"What a troublesome body. The one attacking has to risk his life."
It is...
...A price he had to pay to attack a body made of swords.

"Haa――――ah."
...I gather my consciousness and face my enemy.
It doesn't matter.
He won't stop attacking, even if faced with the thorns of death.

"But this should make a good handicap.
In short, our fight is..."

"――――!"
Kotomine lowers his stance.
His trained body is getting ready for the explosion.

"Not a fight against someone else, but a battle with your body at stake――――!"

――――The enemy closes in.
Kotomine is far stronger than me.
His fists won't break.
At this rate, the hourglass itself will be destroyed before all the sand spills to the bottom.

"Haa――――"
I don't look away from my enemy, closing in like a spark.
There's only one thing I have to do.
I have to be faster than last time. I have to punch him faster, even if he avoids it.

――――All I can hear is the sound of my heart, pounding in my ears.
I take no notice of the rumbling or the raining bits of earth.

The one I must defeat is right in front of me.
I don't care about some centuries-old wish or the end of this small world.
For Emiya Shirou,
defeating this enemy is the last remaining purpose.

Scene 12

"――――, ――――, ――――"
My consciousness is breaking apart.

"――――, ――――, ――――"
It's only a matter of time before the cavern collapses.
The ceiling's crumbling down, and the ground is becoming a pile of rubble.

"――――, ――――, ――――"
My joints are stiff.
It hurts to bend my limbs.
My nerves are hot.
Hundreds of blades are growing out of my body.
An inescapable death by skewering.
I am the bone of my sword.
I already knew that.
The time bomb was activated when I used projection.
This end has already been determined.

"――――Ha, ah――――!"
I'm crumbling apart.
I'll shatter if I continue.
I'll shatter to pieces, like so many rocks on the ground.

...I'll still make it.
My body's dying, but I won't lose myself for about a day if I stop now.

Only a day's worth of life prolongation.
But right now, I would love to have something so insignificant.
Just a day. An hour or even a minute.
If I can live, I want to stay here as long as I can, no matter how miserable it may be.

"Haa, gu――――......!"
A crack.
Not outside, but inside. The nucleus accumbens in my cerebrum breaks.
The part that administers the principle of behavior, the linkage to pleasure.
The most important part of life. Life is the pursuit of pleasure; without it, humans would become beasts.

"Haa, ah."
It's not convenient.
I still want it.
I want to keep my memory for as long as I can.
But it's disintegrating.
The pain of eating my fingers doesn't stop the memories from fading.

I disappear the more I walk on.
I won't make it.
Even if I do make it there, I probably won't remember what I need to do.
So I should stop here and wait for help――――

"――――Yeah, I remember."
But.
Somewhere outside my body, there's a big reason.
"Sakura――――let's go see flowers."
So I have to fulfill my role.

――――Time has stopped.
There's no pain.
I'm taking a whole day to make just one step.

――――I forget how to breathe.
There's no pain.
I couldn't breathe if I had all day to do it.

――――I lose the meaning.
What was pain?
Organic matter turns into inorganic substance.

I manage to keep myself.
I reach out for the wall to keep from falling.
All the shards of my existence are gathered onto a tiny foothold.
There's no way it'll support me.
The foothold breaks.

There's no principle of behavior.
There's no meaning of behavior.
There's no meaning of existence.
I don't feel any fear.
The meaning behind my existence disappears.

I'm not alive anymore.
My arms won't move for any reason.

"――――Trace."
Words come out of my mouth.
There's something still remaining even after language, neopallium, and cerebrum
are lost.

"――――On."
The body dies.
But the soul remains.

Spinning the eight verses.
The load transmits from the body to the soul, and more meaning is

"――――――――Ah."
And Emiya Shirou dies.
The standing figure is no different from a machine.
It's programmed to swing the sword, but it's a corpse with no desire to move.

But even without human intelligence...
There are machines that weave many dreams in this world.

There was a promise.
Once winter's over, when it's spring――――

A recitation of words without meaning.
A small hope that I remembered until the very end.

Scene 13

――――No.
I can't go back if I use it.
I know I'm going to disappear anyway.
But I have to try to find some other way as long as I'm alive.

I promised that I'll protect Sakura from everything.
I can't selfishly die.
I want to live with Sakura.
So――――

"――――Trace――――"

...But there's no other way.
Sakura's crime. The absolute requirement for Sakura's happiness is the destruction of this curse.

...Only a single grain of my consciousness is left.
Sakura, I――――
"――――Trace, on."
The promise I made with you――――

; " "
A sword is in my hand.
is body last

――――No, you won't die, Shirou.
Because I'm the one that's going to shut the gate.

"――――――――――――"
It's...
The voice of someone I can't remember.

"――――――――  ?"
I can't remember, but I call her name.
I know I have to do it.
―――Because will never return if I don't.

――――Hey.
Do you want to live, Shirou? Do you want to live on, no matter what kind of life you become?

; "―――――――― "
I want to live. Name. I have to call her name and stop her.
But I want to live. I know will disappear if I nod, but I want to live from the bottom of my heart.

――――Yeah.
I'm glad to hear that. I wanted you to live instead of me.

; "―――――――― "
What are you saying, idiot?
Just come back. You won't be able to return if you go any further.
I'll take him, so, damn, I have to remember her name, but my head's turned stupid, and the important name is...

――――Then I'll show you a miracle.
It's an application of the magic I showed you earlier, but this one's amazing.
This is the sorcery everyone wanted to see, after all.

"―――――――― a."
No, I don't need to see it. Just come back.
I...

――――But the container's a bit cheap.
I can't completely reproduce it using only my own body, but it's all right. You'll be back in no time if you and Rin keep trying.

"―――――――― a......!"
She goes to the center.
The person in white becomes the sacrifice, just like in the first ritual to close the Great Holy Grail.

―――Goodbye.
We aren't related by blood.
But I'm glad we were siblings.

"――――――――"
ya.
If that's how you feel, then don't go.
I can't sacrifice you. I said we'd live together to make up for all the time you've lived alone.
But――――if one of us has to be sacrificed, then――――

―――No.
You said an older brother protects his younger sister, right?
...Yeah. I'm the older sister. So I have to protect my younger brother.

"I――――――lya."
I remember.
Her name.
Kiritsugu's real blood relative. The girl who was left alone because I came and stole him.
A girl with silver hair and red eyes that's a bit older than me―――

"Ilya―――Ilya, Ilya, Ilya, Ilya, Ilya, Ilya, Ilya, Ilya―――――!!!"
I can't reach her.
I don't hear voices any more.
I can't see anything in this light.
And at the last moment.

She smiles goodbye and shuts the gate of the Great Holy Grail.

I can see the sky.

I can go into the sky if I reach out just a bit.

But there's nothing left.
There's absolutely no energy left in my body.

I'm sinking.
The life she saved is sinking.

I clench my fist out of vexation.
I feel something cold in my hand.
The sensation rouses my mind――――

'It's all right. Rin will save you.'

――――Yeah.
There's a miracle in my hand.
A little magical energy.
A small, useless pendant, but it can at least help me reach out with my hands.

I reach out.
The gentle atmosphere and the warm sun hits my skin.

In my hand is the endless blue sky――――

Scene 14

There's no reception.
The Ryudou Temple hides in the dark, emitting alien powers like a crouching giant.
There must be wind blowing far above me.
If I strain my ears, I can hear it howling.

"...I feel a power from atop the stairs. It seems something is being created in the pond behind the compound."
"No, we don't have any business there. The gate above must be the ostensible gate for the Masters that want the Holy Grail. ...If we want the Great Holy Grail, we have to go down instead of up."
Tohsaka walks away from the stairs into the forest.

"...Are you all right, Rider? There's a boundary field around the Ryudou Temple, right? I heard Servants can only go in from the front gate."

"...I feel some strain, but this is tolerable.
This area contains the most suitable ley line in the land. Once we get inside, I can recover by drawing mana from the air."
"I see. It must be tough, but please bear with us for a bit."

We push our way through the tree branches.
There's not even an animal trail over the mountain, so we even have to climb down rock walls.

"Hm―――it should be around here, according to Ilya... Do you see anything like an entrance, Shirou?"
"What do you mean, 'like'?"

"Like a crack in a rock that we can slip through, or a suspicious-looking shrine. It's an entrance, so I don't think it'd just be a pit."
"...Don't be ridiculous. The stars are out, but I can't see anything in a forest at night――――"

...Oh, I can.
We must be behind the temple, because I see many dead trees.
There's no sign of human influence. There's nothing here but dead trees and a small stream.

"...Small stream?"
Hold on.
That means the water's coming from somewhere.

"...Rider. There's a bunch of rocks above the stream, right?
It's too dark for me to see, but is that a cave?"
"―――――Please do not turn around, Shirou."
I hear a small metallic sound.
Rider must've taken off her restraint.

"......Yes. It's a natural cave, but you should just be able to fit through. It looks like the path ends about a meter in, but I sense a magical camouflage."
"I see, thanks. ―――Tohsaka. I guess there is something like it."

We pick our way down to the stream.
...It's more like a spring flowing out from the rocks.

The stones are piled atop one another where it starts. There's a crack big enough for one person to fit through.
It's like a snow hut made from rocks.
You can see that a huge boulder is blocking the entrance, so nobody would even try to go in it.

"――――This is it. You can pass through the rock."
Tohsaka walks into the darkness without turning around.
"Please go ahead. I shall protect your back."
I nod and enter the darkness.

The sound of scraping on a hard surface.
I progress down the wet rock using my hands.
The ground slopes steeply downward.

...The weight of the darkness is stifling.
Unless I keep my back to the ground as I move, I might fall into the endless dark.

"........."
I lay flat on my back as I slowly descend.
......It's dark, and I can't tell how far down this path goes.
My breathing echoes in my ears.

"Shirou. I'm going to ask you now."
...Then.
Tohsaka, the one leading the way, suddenly speaks up.

"What?"
"The gem sword. Why did you make it for me?"
She sounds blunt, as if she's just asking to kill time while we're descending.

"Why ask?"
"―――I've told you I'm planning to kill Sakura.
Can you really give me a weapon, knowing that?"
"―――――――"
I nod in agreement.
Well, Tohsaka certainly has a point.

"I'm not okay with that. But I can't save Sakura without you. It's better to have two people instead of one.
And projecting the sword was a promise.
I couldn't keep one of my promises with you, so I wanted to keep the other."

It happened a long time ago.
I asked for Tohsaka's help after I lost Saber.
Tohsaka responded to my call for help, and I made a promise with her.

To let her win.
I promised to make her the victor.

...I can't keep that promise anymore.
So I have to keep the other promise with her.
For the girl I used to admire...
For Tohsaka Rin, who believed in someone who had nothing at the time.

"I see. You're pretty faithful."
"Yeah, but not as much as you."

Silence returns to the darkness.
The conversation ends.
We continue our descent without looking at each other.

A long path that seems to lead to hell.
The path spirals downward, and just as I'm thinking we're over a hundred meters underground...
The dark cave changes completely, welcoming us.

The path that could only accomodate one person widens up and leads on.
There's no need for light.
The cave is lit by a dim green glow, probably from some kind of luminous moss.

The path is saturated with life force.
It feels too lively.
An air of birth, filled with vigor and the joy of life.
An immense amount of odo, and mana so strong that it's almost visible.

"――――――――"
It makes me want to vomit.
The warmth of life should be dazzling, but instead it's something rotten, making me want to look away.

"............"
"――――――――"
I have no words to say to her.
This is a land of death.
Talking to each other to soften the tension would only cost us our lives.

"―――Let's go. From now on, look out for your own safety first."
...Tohsaka heads down the path, to the source of the black air.
Rider and I follow after her, concentrating on our surroundings.

"......?"
I see something red on the ground.
It's a trace of blood.
It leads to the back.

"――――――――"
Did someone come here before us?
And someone wounded badly enough to leave behind a trail of blood?

"Shirou."
"...Sorry. I'll be right there."
I shake off that train of thought and head on.
I can't be worrying about others.

"―――――――!"
My consciousness fades away if I let my guard down.
I'll disappear if I worry about needless things.
"........."
I tighten my grip on the pendant.
Letting the pain clear my mind, I step into the green darkness.

Scene 15

―――A warm wind hits my cheeks.

At its end, the path opens into a cavern.
It's about as big as the schoolground.
It's too dark to make out the ceiling, but it must be about ten meters high.

I don't detect any signs of life.
An unforgettable underground space that looks like the moonscape that I read about a long time ago.
And there...
Waits Saber, filled with absolute hostility.

She's the only one here.
I don't see Sakura, Zouken, or Assassin.
The only one blocking the way here is the girl who has turned black.

"――――――Saber."
"――――――――――"
There's no reply.

...Of course.
Saber's duty is to eliminate any intruders.
She's the gatekeeper and the executioner.
Saber's the strongest Servant Sakura has, so she can fight us by herself.

"...Hmph. It doesn't look like we can talk her into letting us through."
Tohsaka lowers her stance and reaches for the gem sword she's hiding behind her back.

―――She must intend to fight head-on.
I don't know what kind of ability the sword has, but she's going to fight Saber.

But that's not a good idea.
We still have a countermeasure, since we know Saber's powers. We can't use our only secret weapon when Zouken and Assassin are still waiting for us――――

"Wait, Tohsaka...! Saber's――――"
"Rin. I have no reason to fight you. Please do not attack me. I will go against Sakura's orders if I kill you here."

"......!"
Speaking in the same quiet tones as before, Saber stops Tohsaka in her tracks.
We comprehend what she means right away.

"...What are you doing? You're keeping watch here, right?"
"Yes. I am to eliminate anyone that passes by here.
That is Sakura's order. But―――"
"I'm an exception, and Sakura wants to see me?"
Saber nods.

"......I see. She must be serious."
She mutters.
...After taking a deep breath, Tohsaka walks over to Saber.

"Tohsaka."
"Sorry. I guess that's how it is, so I'm going ahead."
Tohsaka walks on without hesitation and passes by Saber.
And right before she disappears...

"Shirou. I don't know what'll happen to you, but I believe in you. So you'd better live up to my expectations."

"Huh?"
...Wait.
I can't understand if you complain to me without telling me what I should be doing.

"I-I'm saying it'll just be a pain if you come complaining after everything's over! ...Um, make sure you're not too late if you want to save Sakura."
Tohsaka disappears, her hair fluttering behind her.

"――――――――"
...Thanks, Tohsaka.
That gave me strength.
In short, she told me to come help her while she keeps Sakura at bay.

"That is impossible. You will die here, Shirou."
"......!"

Her hostility expands.
Tohsaka left, and Rider and I are the only ones here.
So she doesn't have to hold back anymore, huh?

"I cannot overlook what you just said. You only kill those that pass through. If he merely stays here, you should not harm him."

"I will not attack if he does not move.
But he will advance, no matter what. He knows he cannot defeat me, but all he can do is move forward.
Am I wrong, Rider?"
"I see. You served him before me, after all.
It's natural that you know his personality."

...Saber narrows her eyes.
The black holy sword is in her hands.
―――She's coming.
Rider or I.
If either one of us takes a step forward, Saber will use all her power to kill us.

"......Saber. There's nothing that'll make you back down?"
"Stop asking me that. I said this is my role."
I grab the Shroud.
...Saber shows no sign of hesitation.
We're already enemies.
I realized that back in the forest.

So...
"―――I see. Then I'll eliminate you here."
I have to accept it.

"――――"
"I'm going to save Sakura. You're in my way."
Saber's not my only enemy.
There's still Assassin and Zouken.
I can't be wasting my time here.

"Please stay back, Shirou. I shall fight Saber just as you instructed me."
Removing the restraint on her mystic eyes, Rider motions me back with one hand.

Saber raises her sword.
―――The hostility is already aimed at Rider―――

"Don't be stupid. I said we're both going to fight her. You..."
"I may not be able to defeat her, but I can keep her occupied. Fortunately, Saber does not have the ability to repel mystic eyes.
I cannot petrify her as she has more magical energy, but I can pressure her. I can match her for two minutes if I use all my strength."

Rider's eyes capture Saber.
The mystic eyes, which petrify anyone in her sight, temporarily lower Saber's ability.

"I will create the situation. Please stay there and concentrate so you do not miss our chance."
"Rider."
"――――I will be going. I shall entrust you with my life, Shirou."

Rider disappears.
The black cavalryman dashes at the swordsman with light speed.

The attack is made so quickly that human reactions cannot even perceive it.
But Saber repels it like nothing.

"―――Very well. You will disappear first, Rider."
A heavy pressure fills the cavern.
A cruel smile on her face, the black swordsman starts to move.

Scene 16

Her vision spreads out.
The instant Tohsaka Rin escapes the darkness, she forgets that she's deep underground.

The impossibly high canopy and black sun.
The huge cavern isn't a cave, but a desolate land.
There should be two, no, three kilometers across.
In the distance stands a monolithic wall.
...This is the start and the end of this war.
There should be a giant crater above the cliff.
Up there is the system that has been activated for two hundred years.

The massive rock that holds a large magic circle, the Great Holy Grail, belches black fire from its mortar-shaped center.

The embryonic movements of the black shadow.
The light illuminating the desert is a wave of magical energy.
...According to Tohsaka's records, this is what you'd call the altar of the beginning.
The middle that leads to the middle.
The circular circuit, the world of heart, Heavens Feel.
It has immeasurable magical energy, creating an alien world that lives up to its name.

"That's Angra Manyu... So the name 'all evils of this world' isn't just for show, huh?"
Rin talks lightly as she makes her way to the altar.
...She's worried about Shirou and Rider, but her situation isn't too good either.
The magical energy in the Great Holy Grail isn't something a human can handle.

The vortex of magical energy can be called infinite.
There's so much that it won't run out, not even if all the magi in the world come here and use whatever magic they wish.
It's more than anyone can use in a lifetime, and therefore can be called infinite.

"...Nothing is impossible, huh? That Holy Grail really can make any wish come true."
Her determination almost breaks, faced with the numbing premonition of death.
Keeping her spirits up with idle talk, she walks on.

―――The ones she's watching out for are Assassin and Matou Zouken.
Matou Sakura isn't a threat.
She has lost her mind, and Rin sees no danger from her.
She's just Zouken's puppet, after all.
Rin's greatest enemy is Matou Zouken.
The fight against Matou Sakura isn't important.

"......Strange. I can make it to the altar."
Zouken shouldn't allow an intruder to trespass this far.
If he's planning to attack her, it'll be on the way to the altar.
But it's not happening, and Rin's about to reach her destination.

"――――――――"
She thinks.
Why is there no interference from Zouken? Why can't she feel his or Assassin's presence?
She makes a guess.
She denies the possibility, but easily accepts it.
No, she's forced to accept it.
Because...

"―――I'm glad, Nee-san. You came here instead of running away."

...Her guess turns out to be true.

She looks up.
On top of the cliff.
With the black sun behind her, Matou Sakura welcomes her older sister.

"――――――――!"
Rin retreats a little, overwhelmed by the pressure.
...The girl has been transfigured further than Rin expected.
Angra Manyu is a Servant without form.
It's only a shadow that takes form using people's wishes.
Therefore, its powers depend on its Master.

Matou Sakura is now Angra Manyu.
"All evils of this world", the function to emit the curse is the girl called Matou Sakura.

"...Crap. If Kirei were here, I bet he'd call it a messenger from God."
Rin looks up at Sakura, who has turned into a bottomless well of magical energy, and releases her gem sword.
―――But is it something that can match the being above her?

There are two functions for weapons that support magic and ceremonial equipment that assist in rituals.
One function is to amplify.
It's a backup, increasing and supplementing one's magical energy and strengthening the spell itself.
These items are considered orthodox support equipment, and magi carry at least one. Rin's jewels are classified in this group.

Another is a limited function.
It's a special magical item where the weapon itself becomes magic.
It's activated using the magical energy of the magus and performs a predetermined divine mystery.
Its greatest advantage is that it enables the magus to use magic she's not capable of ordinarily.

It only has one application and thus lacks versatility, but for that reason, its power is immense.
A lance that always pierces the heart,
a bridle that enslaves holy beasts,
a dagger that cancels any magical effect.
Noble Phantasms of Servants are usually classified in this group.

"――――――――"
So, which is the gem sword?
Is it support equipment that gives magical energy to the user,
or is it a limited weapon that defeats the enemy with its unique ability?
...But.
No matter which it may be, nothing should be able to match Matou Sakura.

The difference in their magical energy is too vast.
No matter what kind of a magic it may be, Matou Sakura should be able to drive it back in one breath.

"What's wrong, why are you trembling, Nee-san? ...Fufu, don't tell me you've suddenly lost your nerve."
"...Well said. Where's your guardian? You're a coward, so doesn't it bother you that he's not by your side?"
"――――――――"
...The air freezes.
Hostile tension mixes into the warm air in the cavern.

"――――――――"
The black girl bites her lip and sighs.
"Grandfather's gone. He was a bother, so I crushed him along with Assassin."
She smiles gracefully.

"......"
She doesn't need to ask.
Matou Zouken was killed by Matou Sakura.
...It's natural that he hasn't shown himself.
The old magus was eaten by his own pet dog.

"I see, so you're completely free. Zouken bound you in a good way and a bad way.
You don't have anything to fear now that you killed him."
"Not quite. Not yet, Nee-san.
Killing my grandfather isn't enough. I'm this strong and I can do anything, but I'm still bound."

"...Geez. Nee-san, you're so insignificant, but you won't disappear from within me. You still torment me in my mind.
So――――as long as you live, I can't be free."

Her voice is a light singsong, but the words are heavy as slime.
The contradiction proves her madness.
The hostility in the cavern is a rhapsody of superiority and awe.

"...Oh. But you seem happy in spite of that. You killed Zouken and Assassin, so I should assume you killed Kirei as well.
What a performance for someone who hated killing... are you getting used to murder now?"

"Yes. Crushing people and eating them are no different.
For people, it's boring and meaningless if you don't have fun, and it's painful if you don't eat, right?
It's just the same. I'm the same as you. I'm just doing what everyone else's doing."

"―――Wait. Do you really mean that twisted logic?"
"It's not twisted logic. I'm not wrong.
It's different because I've gotten strong. I'm strong, so I'm different now."

"I――――I'm strong. Everything's forgiven if you're strong.
...Yes. If I'm strong and no one can beat me, everything I've done will be forgiven. If I'm not myself, everything I've done couldn't be helped...!"

A scream of rage.
It's the complaint of a petulant child who can't escape unless she believes in it.

"Do you understand, Nee-san? That's what I'm going to become. That's why I can kill anyone. It's natural for me."
"......I see. So you're going to take it out on everything you see? But what about Shirou? He still believes he can save you. Are you going to kill him too?"

"――――!"
The girl stiffens.
Rin's question is her last obstacle.
...Her excitement cools down.
Thinking about him, she regains her sanity.

A serene smile crosses her face.
"Yes. Senpai's no exception.
No―――he's the only one I want to kill, Nee-san.
...Yes. I quickly――――"

――――Want to consume Senpai.

"――――――――"
Matou Sakura's reply shows that she is beyond help.
Rin grips the gem sword and gauges the distance between them.

"...Hmph. What about taking Angra Manyu with you?
I knew you were stupid, but I didn't think you were this stupid. You let yourself be swallowed, and you've already stopped being human."
A voice filled with clear hostility.
As the supervisor of this land, Tohsaka Rin acknowledges her own sister as "evil".

"――――Fuh. You're bluffing. Please be honest with yourself, Nee-san.
You're envious of this great power, right? You're jealous, right? That's why you came to kill me even though you can't.
......Yes. You're going to take him away from me so you can keep the happiness to yourself."

The shadows stand up.
A magic of absorption, a bundle of magical energy that matches a Servant's Noble Phantasm.
Not one, but many rise up to attack.

"I won't give it to you. This is my power. All I'm going to give you is regret and despair.
I'll slowly show you what I mean."
There are four figures.
They reach out for the small person beneath them like giants protecting the girl.

"――――I'll show you the difference in our powers, Nee-san.
Nobody's going to come help you this time. You can drown in me like a bug in a lake."
The towering shadows attack her.
A titanic power that can neither be blocked nor dodged swallows Tohsaka Rin.

Scene 17

The black wave closes in.
Spreading its arms to block its prey's escape, it attacks as a tidal surge.

"Es l[auml][szlig]t frei. Werkzeug―――!"
But the golden flash of light forbids the giant's existence.
Six already.
Rin has cut down the endless barrage of dark curses.

"Wha――――"
The surprised one is Matou Sakura, the master of the shadows.
It's a natural reaction.
Each of the black giants is a match for the Noble Phantasms wielded by Servants.
For Tohsaka Rin, even one giant should be an avatar of inescapable death.

But she has struck down six already.
She killed every one of them with a single blow.
And running up the cliff now, she eliminates the seventh with one stroke of her dagger.

"No way――――
Es erz[auml]hlt―――Mein Schatten nimmt Sie...!"
"You're too persistent...! Geb[uuml]hr, zweihaunder......!"

The gem sword blazes with light.
The colorless blade emits seven prismatic colors, extraordinary power surging from its core.

"Es l[auml][szlig]t frei. Eilesalve――――!"
It bathes the cavern in bright golden light...!

"Hah――――!"
Destroying the last of the shadows in her way, Tohsaka Rin reaches the top of the cliff.
Matou Sakura stands before her.
The black girl stares with surprise at her older sister's arrival.

"No way――――it's not possible."
...At the sound of her voice, numerous shadows rise up.
Their number is incomparable to before.

Is it Sakura's impatience, or did the things behind her sense the risk to their master?
The magical energy emitted against the mere human called Tohsaka Rin is over a hundred million in numerical value.

"―――You're not holding back. The people of the Association would faint if they were here. They could keep a department running for a hundred years with that much magical energy."

"―――And what are you, cutting them down? I'm pulling out magical energy thousands of times your capacity. You don't have enough strength to even kill one of my shadows, so why...?"

"We're just having a pure contest of power.
I can't dispel a curse. I'm merely using my magical energy to eliminate your magical energy that's creating the shadow. Can't you tell?"

"I'm saying that's impossible...!
You don't have such magical energy. No, the light you're firing is like..."

The greatest Servant.
The light of Saber's Noble Phantasm, Excalibur.

".....Is it that sword? I don't think it's possible, but that's copying the power of Saber's Noble Phantasm. Is it a limited weapon, activated with your small magical energy, that's specialized in killing shadows?"
"Huh? You can't tell? What have they been teaching you, Sakura?"

"Wha――――d-don't mock me...! That's the only sound explanation..."
"There's nothing to explain. This isn't a copy of Saber's Noble Phantasm nor a shadow-killing demonic sword. Sakura. This is Zelretch, a gem sword passed down the Tohsaka family."

"Eh...? Zelretch...?"
"I can't believe this. You don't even know the name Zelretch?
...I don't even want to explain, but in short, it's your natural enemy.
You use souls as a perpetual motion machine to create magical energy. You're just a poor imitation of the Third Sorcery.
And I use an imitation of my great master, who travels across infinite parallel worlds. So it means I'm a copycat of the Second Sorcery...!"

A flash from the blade.
Light traces the dagger's swing, obliterating Matou Sakura's guardian shadows.
Not only that. Light and heat, like those of a miniature Excalibur, send rumbles through the cavern.

It's a pure contest of magical energy.
What kind of magic――――no, sorcery was used?
Tohsaka Rin has a stock of magical energy equal to that of Matou Sakura――――

"Ah――――Ah."
"I don't even need to get close to you. This is actually a projectile weapon, and you're hiding yourself in the shadows.
There's no problem with exchanging blows until one of us runs out of power. ...Well, I guess the ceiling will give out before we do."

"No way... Exchange blows? Don't joke around.
You don't have any magical energy left. No matter what that sword is, you can't attack anymore――――"

"Really? Then let's try. Come on, Sakura. You won't reach me, no matter what you do.
It's a drastic treatment, but consider it a fee for your lesson. I'll make sure you regret doing whatever you wanted just because you got a bit stronger."
"――――!"

"......!
Not yet! Es befiehlt―――Mein Atem schlie[szlig]t alles...!"
"Eins, zwei, RandVerschwinden――――!"

"――――――――"
Matou Sakura cannot understand what's happening.
Now she summons the shadows out of fear.
But the sword of light mercilessly eliminates them.

Matou Sakura is frightened and confused.
That's why she doesn't notice.
The sweat on Tohsaka Rin's forehead.
The high cost of using the gem sword, which shreds the muscles in her arm with each swing.

"――――I won't lose when it comes to stock, but the question is how long my body'll last――――"

Light purges the attacking shadows.
But their powers are not equal.
Tohsaka Rin and Matou Sakura. The difference in their power is still the same.
Matou Sakura's stock of magical
energy reaches a trillion.
As it cannot be used within a lifetime, it can be called an infinite supply.

"Why――――!? I'm stronger than anyone.
Nobody can scold me.
So how can you catch up to me like it's nothing...!? Someone at your level can't do anything but get swallowed...!"

"That's where you got it wrong. Even if you have a large supply, it's the caster that uses it.
Do you get it? No matter how much water you have, the amount that comes out depends on the size of the faucet.
The Magic Circuit called Matou Sakura can only instantaneously release about a thousand.
Then we both have the same release rate, no matter how much you may have in your stock...!"

"Kya......!"
"So! I don't need to prepare a supply as large as yours! I merely need a thousand magical energy each time...!
Such a large supply of magical energy is just a waste――――!"

The line of light is swung.
If a thousand light is smashed against a thousand shadow, the powers will certainly cancel each other.
But Tohsaka Rin's magical energy doesn't even reach a hundred.
The contradiction.
It doesn't need to be said that her sword creates the competition that should not be possible.

A sword of light that releases a thousand units of magical energy with each attack and replenishes even more.
It's not using Tohsaka Rin's magical energy.
She's merely collecting the mana saturating this cavern and releasing it through the gem sword.

Odo is the energy within a magus, while mana is energy within the air.
It's self-evident which is stronger.
As Rin is inferior to Sakura, the only thing she can rely on is the mana in the air.

True. The mana in this cavern reaches a thousand.
It would only be once, but with the mana's help, she would be able to eliminate a giant.

―――But there would be nothing left after that.
Air holds a finite amount of power.
Just as with humans, when the mana runs out, it takes a long time to be replenished.

Tohsaka Rin can only oppose Matou Sakura once in this world.
―――But. That being the case, consider for a moment...
What if another cavern existed here? That would mean she could oppose her enemy one more time.

And what happens if something can make that "if" into reality?
Parallel worlds.
What will happen if one can open a hole into a parallel world and pull out the unused mana from the cavern there?

"......! That distortion's the same as the Holy Grail――――Nee-san, it can't be...!?"

"Yup, you're not the only one pulling magical energy from elsewhere. But don't get me wrong. Mine's not something that's needlessly expanded like yours. I'm merely using the mana in this cavern from parallel worlds.
I'm taking a thousand magical energy from one of the infinite parallel worlds and attacking you with brute force...!"

"......!"
The girl drawing a massive supply from the Great Holy Grail gasps.

"No way. That's ridiculous...!"
"Do you get it? If you have an inexhaustible supply, I have a limitless supply――――!"

――――Gem Sword Zelretch.
It's a "miracle" that makes a path in between infinite parallel worlds.
That's the sword's only ability.
An equipment that creates a small opening too small for humans to pass and looks into another possible world.
The dagger has no function to amplify magical energy, nor does it have the power to create energy when swung.

But its sole ability is enough.
She merely needs to pull unused magical energy from the next cavern after she uses up the energy in this one.

She can move on to the next one after that.
Then next after next after next after next.
There's no end to the parallel worlds. The possibility of opposite mirrors are infinite.

Therefore, limitless.
Even if Rin's capacity is only a thousand, it doesn't matter.
An inexhaustible supply and an infinite supply.
Because the powers of their Magic Circuits are equal, the two magi are equal――――!

...Another rumbling echoes through space.
Rin's gem sword not only destroys the shadows.
Its excessive force slowly brings the cavern towards its collapse.

When that happens, the altar and the Great Holy Grail will be desroyed as well.
Matou Sakura will lose if she continues fighting.
Even if she attacks until Tohsaka Rin tires, the room will cave in shortly thereafter.

"Haa――――ah, ah――――"
...The shadows stop.
She must finally understand the origin of her enemy's power.
Gasping for breath, Sakura glares at her older sister.

"No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same. That's all that your power can manage. Have you cooled your head now?"

"Don't be ridiculous――――! This is unfair! Why, Nee-san, why are you always the one―――!"

The battle continues.
Matou Sakura keeps screaming, even though she knows it's useless and that she's pushing herself into a corner.
Along with...
The grudge she kept inside for a long, long time.

"That's right...! I was jealous of you...!
You stayed at the Tohsaka's house and were always brilliant. I hate you for never knowing any trouble.
That's why I want to win. I wanted you to praise me, just once...! Why can't you let me have a little thing like that...!"

"――――――――"
...The older sister slashes away the oncoming shadow.
Gritting her teeth, she catches a glimpse of her sister's mind.

"Why!? It was different for me. We were sisters, we were born to the same family, but I had nothing!
I was trapped in the room with worms and was treated as an object! I never led a human life, and nobody said anything kind to me...!"

"――――――――"
The hatred.
The hatred is not directed at her older sister, but...

"I almost died every day. I always looked at myself in the mirror, wanting to die. But I was scared of dying, and I didn't want to disappear by myself...!
Because I heard that I had an older sister.
I'm a child of the Tohsaka family, so I always believed that my older sister would come save me...!"

"But you never came.
You just kept smiling, having no idea. You took no notice of the miserable girl and lived happily in the Tohsaka household.
Why...!? We're sisters and we're both human, so how come you're the only one smiling like that...!?"

"――――――――"
...Her hatred isn't directed at her older sister.
It's a blind plea to herself and the world.

"I quit being human...!?
Of course! I haven't been treated like one for a long time. My eyes and hair were changed, and every cell in my body was changed so I could become the magus of Makiri...!"

"Eleven years, eleven years, Nee-san!
The Makiri didn't train me. They didn't expect anything from my intelligence.
They taught my body and made me into a mere tool that uses magic. They'd laugh that I'd become a better tool the more pain they gave me."

"They started putting poison in my food, so even eating became a terrifying agony.
Once they put me with the worms, I had to ask for Grandfather's permission even to breathe...!"

"――――――――"
She's crying.
But Rin slashes away the shadows without a word.

"...Aha, I know I'm crazy. But it hurts, and the more I begged them to stop, the more delighted they became and the more they tampered with my body.
So I'm not smart like you. It's not like I can do everything like you. All I can do is to take my pain out on others."

"――――――――"
Her oppressed soul.
Her irreparable body.
And――――

"...But is that my fault? The ones who made me like this are Grandfather, and my father that sold me to the Matou family, and Nee-san who didn't come save me...!
I didn't become this monster because I wanted to...! I was forced to become one because everyone cornered me...!"

But.

"――――Oh. What of it?"

She doesn't feel for her at all.
――――Not a single word of sympathy.

"Wha――――――――"
"Things like that happen. It's not like crying will change anything, and besides, being a monster doesn't sound so bad.
It doesn't hurt now, right?"

Cruel approval.
...The girl's cries did go a bit too far, but they were just asking for warmth.

But Rin denied it.
She says it's right to be a monster.
Saying it's because she was weak.
Her always-perfect sister tells her the hard truth.

"Nee-san―――It's all because you're like that――――!"
The shadows boil up.
The girl, who only seconds ago was about to abandon the fight under pressure from her sister, gives form to her curse and her despair.

"I see. Then let me tell you something.
I never thought it was painful.
I could turn aside most problems, and there was nothing I couldn't do.
So I've never been cornered like you, and I was never interested in what the cornered people thought."

"That's how I am. I don't understand other people's pain.
To be honest, I don't know how much pain you've suffered or what cruel treatment you've received. I'm sorry, but I'm not even going to try to understand."

Concise words.
She's not lying.
She just tells her younger sister the truth.

"But Sakura. Even as insensitive as I am...
I never thought I was blessed."
She looks straight at her.
She stares back at Matou Sakura, with all emotion contained in her words.

"Huh――――?"
She cannot understand.
What did ▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊▊ just say?

I...?
Wasn't blessed either...?

"What――――"
―――Hatred dyes her brain red.
She must be fooling around, saying such convenient things now.

――――Shut up.

"Now you tell me you weren't blessed?"
She's about to lose her mind.
She's about to break down.
Her sister has never looked at her.
She showed off her great talent and happiness.

――――Shut up.

"How can you say that――――"
She never liked or hated me,
who wanted everything from her but received nothing,
and says she's still pure and clean―――!

――――Shut up, Nee-san. I won't forgive you.

"That's not good enough―――!
I don't want to hear such things! I'm not going to listen to your excuses! Nee-san, I―――!"
'Don't need you anymore.'
The girl screams, as if denying her inner darkness.

"――――――――"
...That's the last resistance Tohsaka Rin could manage.
She makes the decision she's been postponing.
She wanted to wait for Emiya Shirou as long as she could, but she can't postpone it any longer.

――――No.
First of all, it was a mistake to entrust Shirou with their problem.
It's Tohsaka Rin's weakness against Matou Sakura.

"Sakura."
"――――Eh?"
Rin calls out to her calmly, as if saying hello.
―――At that instant.
Tohsaka Rin finishes the battle.

Scene 18

"Sakura."
She calls out and throws it.

Her strongest weapon.
She throws the sorcerer's inheritance.
"――――Welt, Ende."
The whole cavern is filled with light.

Explosion.
In the act of its own destruction, the miraculous gem sword erases all shadows.

She runs.
She runs straight at Matou Sakura.
Sakura can't move, wincing from the light.
No matter how much power she has, she's still inexperienced in battle.
So it's easy to beat her once she sets her mind to it.

Tohsaka Rin quickly closes in.
As she runs, she grasps another dagger hidden behind her back.

"――――"
Sakura can't react.
It seems she's realized she's going to be killed, but it's too late.

...She's got her.
She thrusts the dagger to finish her off,
――――Oh, I can't.
and realizes her own defeat.

'...I'm dead.'
She understands that the dagger will pierce her heart before she can dodge it.
Her body tries to counterattack, but it won't make it in time.

'――――I'm going to be killed.'

There's no fear.
She's used to being hurt by others.
And she thinks it's natural that Rin is the one doing it.

But she doesn't like getting hurt and dying scares her, so she closes her eyes.
She sighs with relief; after all, once she dies, the pain will end.

"――――?"
But there's no pain, and the end doesn't come.
Warmth fills her instead.
The instant she realizes what it is...
Matou Sakura regains her sight.

...There's blood.
Warm, human blood, flowing from the stomach.
The blood's flowing out of her older sister, whose arms are firmly wrapped around her.

"...Nee-san?"
The girl asks why.
Rin was definitely faster.
She could've killed her, but she stopped her dagger at the last second.

"......Geez. I can't be complaining about Shirou."
A faint voice.
It's the voice she's always dreamed of.
The voice of Tohsaka Rin that's relentless, but warm and kind.

Rin thinks to herself.
...It's nothing special.
She just realized when it counted the most.
Right when she saw Sakura up close, she realized she couldn't kill her.

"......Geez. I'm stupid."
...She's dumbfounded.
Her foolishness must be absolute if she doesn't realize it until the very last moment.
She should've realized it earlier.
...But Rin's convinced that it can't be helped.

"...Yeah, it can't be helped.
I can't ignore a slouch. I like orderly schemes, and it irritates me when people aren't repaid for their efforts."

―――And first of all...

"I like you, Sakura. I've always watched you, and I wanted you to smile. ...Yeah. I wanted to believe that you had it better the more I suffered.
I was so preoccupied with that, so I didn't even have time to think about if it was painful or not."

She embraces Sakura with love.
A once-in-a-lifetime embrace between sisters.
She softly embraces her sister, who pierced her stomach, and holds her there like a treasure.

"Nee―――san―――"
......Her warmth fades.
There's no complaint.
Tohsaka Rin regrets, not her death, but her inability to save her sister.

"I'm sorry I'm a selfish sister.
...And thanks. I'm glad you always wore that ribbon."
She crumples to the altar like a falling red flower.

"――――Ah."
The weight disappears.
It only lasted for an instant. Her older sister disappears along with the warmth.

―――But Sakura. Even as insensitive as I am...
I never thought I was blessed―――

"――――No."
What kind of loneliness is contained in Sakura's words?
Her agony for her alone.
Nobody else can understand or relieve her.
There's no such hypocrisy.

And at the same time...
What if the girl she admired felt a loneliness nobody could understand?

"――――――――No."
...What would happen then?
She was her ideal. Someone brimming with confidence, who had everything she wanted.
What if her older sister were always bound by something, just like her?

"I――――"
...Then...
The one that's weak, the one at fault, isn't her world...
...But her, the coward who couldn't look up―――
―――And there were people who clumsily loved her.

"But――――I destroyed them."

...Where did she go wrong?
She had everything.
Everything she wanted was actually right there in front of her.
They loved her and embraced her so kindly.
But she destroyed it all herself.

"――――――――Ah.
Ahh, ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......!!!!!!!"

Her hands are still frozen in place, trying to hug someone who's no longer there.
The girl, wet with her beloved sister's blood, starts to strongly curse herself.

Scene 19

...I hear sounds.
A rumbling shakes the cave.
The light and sound are still far off, but the cavern's creaking and trembling.

Is it distant thunder?
Suddenly I realize that I can't recall when I've ever heard distant thunder.

...The dagger in my hand crumbles away as Saber disappears.
It must be because I eliminated a Servant, a strong familiar.
The Azoth Sword Tohsaka created with all her magical energy crumbles away without a trace.

"――――――――"
I tighten the restraint on my left arm.
I've used up most of the magical energy.
What's left in Archer's arm and myself.
I should be able to do more if I combine them, but I can only manage one more projection. I won't be able to suppress Archer's arm after that.

"――――――――Ri... der."
That's right. What happened to her?
I get up.

My body's stiff and rigid.
It feels like my joints have turned into steel.
I could probably repel bullets now.

"Are you all right, Rider?"
I can't walk well.
I walk.

Blood comes out.
Something's coming out of my bent legs.
I pretend not to notice.
It feels like a metal pipe's protruding from my leg, but I can manage to walk if I grit my teeth.

...Something's making a sound in the distance.
It sounds like something I heard a lot as a kid.
It's probably still ingrained in my childhood memories.
One gets curious about a lot of things as a kid.

"Rider."
I walk to the wall Rider smashed into.
She's still there.
But she's covered in wounds, with her magical energy almost completely depleted.
She shouldn't be able to move for a while.
...I should have her rest.

"I'm going ahead. Please come after me once you can run again."
I murmur to Rider and start walking.

"――――Ugh. ...You treat people more roughly than I expected."
Oh, she's conscious.
Unable to stand, she watches me in a daze.

"Sorry. But I'm counting on you. Please come help me after you're slightly healed."
"――――Yes. Don't worry, I shall follow you shortly."

Rider doesn't push herself.
She knows she should start moving after she heals instead of pushing herself now.
I can depend on her because she actually thinks ahead, unlike me.

...The rumblings are coming at shorter intervals now.
There's no time to waste.
I drag my wounded body and follow after Tohsaka.

"――――Haa, haa, ha, haa――――"
I'm breathing hard.
I lean against the wall as I walk.
I'm not making bad progress.
My body's stiff, but it's nothing once I get used to it.

"Guh――――ha, gah."
Something comes out of my mouth.
I wipe it away and pretend nothing happened.

"Guh, ah――――"
My thigh muscle goes numb, and I almost fall.
It's just a little numbness.
My pants leg is ripped from inside, and I can see inside my body.
Desperately, I look away and walk on.

――――I'm almost there.
Warm wind hits my body.
"――――All right."
I slap my cheeks and start running.

I burst out of the darkness.
The familiar deserted land fills my vision.
No.
This isn't something I've seen.
That thing didn't exist in Ilya's memory.

"――――So that's..."
The main cause of this ridiculous war.
The guy who took Sakura from me.

"――――It's about to be born."
Pressure and unpleasantness hit my whole body.
The breathing of life tells me it's about to hatch.

A flash of light and a rumble.
The light came from the top of the cliff, wreaking havoc on the cavern.
...I don't know what's going on, but such flashy things can only come from Tohsaka.

Then that means――――
"You're in a rush."
The distorted embryo looks at me, even though it has no eyes.

...There's no mistake about it.
He wants to come out right this second, maybe because he doesn't like how Tohsaka's raging around.
But his body's not ready yet.
His placenta is inside the black pillar.
He can't come out until his body's completely formed.

He's impatient because Tohsaka's about to destroy the womb itself, and that's why he wants his body completed, even if it may be hurriedly built.
He wants to be summoned into this world as a Servant with a body.

"―――――Fuck that."
I run.
A desperate clash of light and shadow.

"――――Sakura――――?"
Once I'm close enough to tell that it's the battle between Tohsaka and Sakura...
The time in this cavern stops.
I can only think of one possible cause of the great light.

'Nee-san'
With a childish cry, the world starts to quake.

This isn't the destruction of the cavern walls by the light.
This is destruction on a more fundamental level. The cavern is shaking because the giant shadow's trying to come out.

"That's――――"
A chill runs up my spine.
I get a bad feeling.
Hearing Sakura's cry, I imagine the worst possible outcome.

"Tohsaka――――Tohsaka, Tohsaka――――!"
I run.
Panting frantically, I scramble up the cliff on all fours.

――――The tremor doesn't stop.
I hear a large boulder crash to the ground somewhere in the cavern.

"Haa――――Haa, haa, haa, ha――――!"
I don't care what's happening behind me.
I run in desperation, covering myself in dirt.
...And my eyes are seared with the fact that I was too late.

"――――――――Tohsaka."
...The ground's shaking.
I can't see Tohsaka's face, since she's lying face down.
She looks like a large flower, fallen from its stem.

"..............., .........Sen... pai..."
I raise my face.
Backing away from Tohsaka's blood-soaked body, as if fleeing, is
...Sakura, cursing her own existence.

Scene 20

"――――Sakura."
"......I killed her. Nee-san cared about me, but I killed her―――"

Sakura's voice isn't directed at me.
She's rejecting everything.
Her own body, covered in Tohsaka's blood, her darkened self, the pillar connected to her.
She's cursing everything with all her might.

"I was stupid. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. There's nothing but pain. You always told me not to lose, but I was too stupid to understand. Senpai believed in me, but I just kept betraying him―――"

The shadow's binding Sakura.
The black Command Spell's binding Sakura's body.

"......No... I have to stop... But I can't go back―――no, no, I don't want this―――!"

―――She's refusing it.
Sakura's refusing the shadow.
She's hating herself, refusing the temptations from the shadow, and trying to kill herself.

But she can't.
Sakura's necessary as a host for the shadow.
It won't allow her to take her own life.
Sakura's being torn apart by both the shadow and her own guilty conscience.

"――――――――"
...So Tohsaka won.
Sakura regained her sanity.
Tohsaka chose her sister's life in the very end.

Sakura's Sakura.
Her heart doesn't change, no matter how much the shadow swallows her.
...I'm the one who made her like that.
This would never have happened if I hadn't gotten scared back then and scolded her.

"――――――!"
I run to Tohsaka.
She's still breathing.
――――It's too early to give up.

"Sakura. Tohsaka's still alive."
"――――――――――?"

"Right, she's not dead. She can be saved. No, she has to be saved. We have to save her. Right, Sakura?"

"Ah――――eh?"
Light returns to her eyes.
―――The restraint of the shadow loosens a bit.

Her eyes focusing on us, Sakura finally sighs with relief,
"――――! No, run, Senpai――――!"
and frantically tries to control herself.

"――――! ――――!"
Covering Tohsaka's body with my own, I receive the shadow's blow on my back.
"Ah――――no, Senpai. I, I......!"

The shadows come up behind Sakura.
......Damn it.
He's not alive yet, but his sense of danger's first-class?

"I know. It's that kid's fault for not giving up. He's throwing a tantrum because he doesn't want you taken away.
―――Hold on. I'll smack him and get him off of you."
I start walking towards Sakura.

"No――――please stop, Senpai――――!"
The shadow grazes my cheek.
It should've cut through my neck, but Sakura's scream made it miss.

"Haa――――ah, ah, uh......!"
Clutching at herself, Sakura fights against it.
Instead of disappearing, the shadows keep increasing in number.

"Uh... uhh, uhhhh..."
She's crying.
Sakura's crying.
It's not because of the pain of the shadow swallowing her.
She's crying from frustration because she can't suppress herself.

"......No, Senpai. I can't suppress it. Nee-san taught me, but I'm going to lose. ...I wasn't strong. I'm a coward, a wimp, and a terrible person."
Another step.
The shadow's lance grazes my cheek.

"――――! No, why are you coming, Senpai...!?
I'll kill you if you come any closer...!"
Another step.
I put my right hand on my left shoulder.

"Why? Run. Please run, Senpai. Please take Nee-san and run...!
You can forget about me...! I'll, I'll die here! I can die by myself...! I don't want you to see me like this...!"

――――The shadow's pressure gets stronger with each step.
My advance is hurting Sakura's body and mind.

"Why aren't you listening to me...!?
I won't hold back if you're going to come any closer. I'll kill you before you kill me...!"
"I don't need to explain. I'm going to get you out of here and save Tohsaka. That's what I said, right?"

"―――Are you still going on about that?
...Don't. I can't be saved. No, I shouldn't be saved. I shouldn't live."

Another step.
"――――!"
The shadow hits my stomach.
...It didn't pierce me. It's just a strike.
Sakura's intentionally trying to push me away.

"See, you saw that. This is how I am. I can't go back, and he's not going to let me go.
And――――even if I do go back..."

"...I've killed a lot of people. I killed many people, killed Nii-san, killed Grandfather, and killed Nee-san...!
What―――What do you want me to do...!? I can't give back what I've taken. I've killed many people. Are you still telling me to live...!?"

"――――――――"
...I see.
She can't back out now.
She's trapped by crimes she can't atone for.

There's no salvation.
Even if it wasn't Sakura's will, those actions will haunt her forever.
Even if she's released from the shadow, the darkness will remain within her.
But.

"―――Of course. You took lives, so take responsibility, Sakura."

I release the restraint on my left arm.
The last time. I remove the red cloth that barely kept me alive.

...I feel faint.
I have to go forward before I disappear.
There are things I have to tell her.

"Sen... pai."
"Yes. I don't know where the crime is, or how heavy it is."
"......!"
The shadows lance toward my chest, shoulder, left leg, and stomach.
Clank.
The shadows don't pierce me, but slide off with a spark.

"But I'll protect you. I'll protect you from everything.
It may be hypocrisy, but my ideal has always been to protect the one I love―――"
I move forward.
Sakura's right in front of me now.

"No――――Senpai, your body's..."
......Trace, on.
I only think about one thing.
I use every last ounce of my remaining magical energy for its projection.

The last projection.
I raise the dagger that breaks all contracts.
I can't see her face clearly.

"Sen, pai."
"I'm going to punish you. This is gonna be harsh, so grit your teeth."
"―――――――――"
I hear her gasp.
Then.
With a "yes", Sakura holds out her chest―――

Hoping this will be her punishment...

"Let's go home, Sakura. Cut your ties with him."

And I thrust it into her heart with a single breath.

Scene 21

――――Everything's falling apart.
The collapse is definitive.
The search that took the Einzbern a thousand years.
The earnest desire that took the Makiri five hundred years.
The continuous world that was never completed is about to end.

"Oh――――Oh, ohhhhhhh."
Amidst the chaos, it is still conscious.

――――I don't want to die――――

The body's a mere collection of dark red flesh, bearing no resemblance to a human being.
The swarm of worms fills the cavern.
It cannot maintain its body, even when using all of the worms.

"Oh, ohhh, oh, oh――――"
The writhing figure is just a moving pile of meat.
But it's alive.
The mass curses its rotting, melting body.

――――I don't want to die――――

Its obsession is the only thing keeping it in this world.

"Ohh――――Ohh, oh――――oh――――"
It crawls.
Makiri Zouken. The old magus, his soul's vessel destroyed, remains in this world only through sheer force of will.
But it's only a matter of time before he dies.
He stuffed his rotting soul into a hurriedly-constructed worm, but he can't heal his wounds after being killed twice.

――――I don't want to die――――

The old magus has turned into a pile of flesh, and will die after going through immense pain.
He'll rot until the very end and die in regret.
With his earnest desire in front of him.
What he yearned for, what he was about to obtain.

"Oh――――Ohh, ohhhhh."
Is his dying cry from pain or anguish?

――――I don't want to die――――

He doesn't want to die.
How can he just disappear?
Five hundred years.
The result he achieved after five hundred years, the reward he deserves, is right in front of him, so why does he have to disappear?

"Oh――――Oh, ohhhhhhhhhhhh."
He only recalls pain.
Makiri's karma.
A noble family of magi that was driven out of their homeland and declined in this far eastern country, unable to familiarize themselves with the rules of the foreign land.
―――But that's wrong.
If that were the case, salvation would be possible.
If that were the reason for his bloodline's end, he may have accepted fate.

――――I don't want to die――――

But that's not why.
It's not that the Japanese soil didn't suit them.
The Makiri didn't die out because of an external factor.
They merely dropped out.

It has been three hundred years since the start of their search.
Three hundred years was their limit.
The family died out in Zouken's generation.
The suffering started there, and the old man could do nothing but deny the truth.
Matou Zouken's life was a frantic protest against the end of the Makiri bloodline.

――――I don't want to die――――
I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die, I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die......!!!!!

"Oh, ohh, ohhhhhhh......!!!!"
Right, dying's not possible. The rotting body. It's painful. Nothing but pain. The five hundred years were filled with pain. Pain filled the whole life. So what's so bad about seeking eternity? Suffering without satisfaction. Can't disappear without leaving anything behind. The Holy Grail is right there. Grant the wish. The answer being "not wanting to die". The wish will come true on top of the cliff. But it's impossible with this body. This short distance is nothing compared to five hundred years. So why is it so far away――――――――!!!!?

"Oh, ohh, oh, oh――――"
The meat crawls across the floor, leaving bits of itself behind.
Such tenacity.
It should have no function to move, but it moves forward with tenacity.

A thought that's filled only with obsession.
Ignoring the impending collapse, it moves forward to the Holy Grail.
But someone calls out to the hideous monster.
"――――You have changed, Makiri."
A bell-like, beautiful voice.

"What?"
He looks up.
Within the blur.
Stands a girl.

"――――――――"
The flesh stops moving forward.
It looks up at the girl in astonishment.
...The old magus doesn't see her.
A woman deep in his memory.
Einzbern's golden saint, who has stayed in his mind without fading.
―――Two hundred years ago.
His partner sacrificed herself to create the Great Holy Grail.

"――――――――"
It hasn't faded at all.
The holy woman still has the eyes he adores.
"I ask of you, my foe. Why do you not want to die?"
And the girl lets out a familiar voice.

"――――――――"
The pure question shields his mind from the pain.
Why?
Why?
Why?
Now that she asks him, it is strange.
Why doesn't he want to die?
Why shouldn't he die?
Dying means escaping the pain, so why did he cling onto life along with all the pain involved?

"Oh――――Ohh, ohhhh."
He remembers.

Yes. In the beginning, he had a supreme goal.
To obtain all creation.
To obtain all knowledge.
To reach where no man can reach.
To exceed the limits of the body and reach the infinity we call the soul.

The species called humanity has set limits.
To go outside the spiral of the brain.
To eliminate and cure all hatred and suffering.

――――He remembers.
The grief of finding out there's no such thing as paradise.
If it doesn't exist in this world, if its creation is impossible with a human body, he inspired himself to go to a place where it can be done.
Not to make a new world, but to change his human life.

"Oh――――Oh."
...That's right.
To the sky, to the limits.
Be reborn and reach the unimaginable land.
The ideal utopia.

――――It is for that reason.
That's why he sought the Holy Grail.
He sought a miracle beyond human reach.
He can't disappear until he makes it reality.
He couldn't give up, no matter how many times he was beaten, no matter how often he was shown that he could not reach it.

―――There's only one thing he dreamed of.
To eliminate all evils of this world.
They risked their lives for an ideal that couldn't come true.

"Oh――――――――"
That's why he remained.
He kept seeking even after his enemies died, knowing it was meaningless.
He believed he had a reason to exist, and that his existence would bring on a successor.

That's why he continued to live.
He can't die, no matter how much it hurts him.
He wanted to overthrow the youthful anguish he felt when he was young.
That was his way of life: the answer he came up with.

...Yes.
Even if his life is not compensated for.

"Oh――――Ohh, oh......!"
That was his first wish.
The pain.
How small is the wish of not wanting to die, compared to pursuing a wish that will not come true...!?

"――――I see. You're right, Justizia."
...He looks up at the world.
The cavern's collapsing.
Matou Sakura has been released and taken out of this small world.
The Third Sorcery that was created by mistake, Angra Manyu, is flickering like a heat haze.
―――And...
The old magus accepts that everything is out of his reach.

"So this is it.
My desire, my pain, Makiri's mission――――everything ends here."
This end was determined at the start.
This is all that Makiri's journey can accomplish, no matter where it ends.

"Ha――――Haha, hahaha."
But.
In no way is it a miserable end to a life filled with pain.

It's probably just a start.
His journey is just starting.
Five hundred years is nothing.
How can it be reached in a mere five hundred years?
What they wished for is distant, dazzling, sacred... something that will come true in the distant future.
A growth of the human species that will come after many years, thousands of years, tens of thousands of years.

So this is a trifling, but meaningful matter to start the journey.
It's not that their desire ends here.
The journey starts here.
The history to reach the distance starts its loop with an end of a dream.

"――――But how disappointing. My, I was almost there."
The voice is that of the old magus.
No matter what light he sought, he's a heretic who approved of wrongdoing.
Not hiding it until the very end, he cuts his attachment to life.

――――The last one disappears.
One of the magi that sought a miracle, the observer that also started everything, rots away.

"Five hundred years――――hah. Come to think of it, it was a desire that only lasted for an instant."
The pile of flesh is buried without trace by the crumbling rocks.

The one that lived on, taking many forms.
Every last trace of the magus vanishes from the world, as the embodiment of his desire is destroyed.

Scene 22

"――――――――"

His palm slams against me.
It doesn't matter what my body's made of.
The attack's meant to damage inside me, so the impact mercilessly pierces through me.

I'm overwhelmed in this battle.
My fists are dodged and parried, while his attacks land cleanly.
Every time his fists hit me, my vision whites out.

It's not because of the damage, but because of the pain brought on by my left arm which tries to heal and overwrite my wounded body.

"――――――――"

I protect my head.
My face hasn't turned into swords yet.
It'll be over if I'm hit there.
I can't manage to strike him, so I put everything into fending off his attacks to my head.

My sense of pain's already numbed, and my vision will be cut off soon.
The only pain my brain can sense is the invasion from my left arm.
His bloody fists pulverize my body.
My left arm frantically tries to repair me, and consequently――――

Everything turns white.
My vision and mind turn too white to be recovered.

"――――――――"

Even thinking brings pain now.
As my body is destroyed, swords are created, trying to keep it alive.
In exchange, my brain continues to be ground away.
I don't know which one of us will die first.

"――――Guh, fu......!"
The bones in his fists are destroyed.
He bears it with an agonized expression and keeps up the assault.

"――――――――"

I dodge and swing my right fist.
It's repelled.
A jolt runs through my left rib. I resist the swords stabbing my brain and punch again.

"――――――――"

I can still move.
I can still move, I can't move, this is my la-

"――――Ah."

"Ah――――"

That hurt. That one hurt.
I shouldn't feel any pain, but my body's about to cry out from it.
Flung like a rag doll, my body hits a large piece of rubble, narrowly avoiding falling off the cliff.

"――――Ah."

"Ah."

――――
I can't get up.
If the impact hurts this much, the pain to reinforce my body would be beyond imagination.

I'll go crazy.
I'll burn out, unable to bear the pain.
――――But if I go to sleep before that...
If I close my eyes...

"So this is the end. Then I shall crush your head."
The enemy walks to me.
...He can't run either.
Both of us might disappear within the next minute.
Then――――

"Ah."

What did you swear?
Who did you swear to protect?

"Ah."

Live.
She said she won't be saved unless both of you are alive.

"Ah, ah."

What did you lose?
What did you lose in exchange?

"Ah, ahh――――"

The enemy comes closer.
He drags his legs, trying to get close enough to crush my skull.

――――No way......!
I won't lose! That man has no goal! He's just following his way of life he protected...!
But I have one.
I have a goal.
I have a reason that I have to beat him, a reason that I have to win――――!

"Ahh, ah――――ah."
I don't know how much I made cry.
was crying where I couldn't see her.
She only smiled in front of me, and always cried by herself.

"Ah――――oh."
...Yes.
So I have to protect her.
The crimes committed, the crimes that condemn , the crimes remembers. I have to protect her from everything.

The girl that could only smile in front of me.
Her body was dying, but she still said she'd protect me―――

―――So she can eventually smile in front of other people.

You're getting in the way of that.
"Ah―――Ahh, ah――――"
――――Get lost.
Sakura can't smile if you exist――――!

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh――――!!!!!"

"Guh――――nu――――!?"
"Ah, ahhhhhh――――!!"
One blow.
I punch my enemy in the face with everything I have.

"You, still――――!"
"Kotomine, Kirei――――――!"
Two blows.

Three blows.

Four blows.

Five blows.

Six blows.

Seven blows――――!

"Haa, haa, ha, gah―――!!!!!!!!"
I punch, I punch, I punch, I punch......!!
This is it. There's nothing left if I miss this chance. I put all of my remaining life into this miraculous chance――――!

"――――, Ah......!!!!"
I'm blown away.
He deflected my attack and counterattacked me with a hard shot.

"Ah, gah, guh――――!"
Damn! I know! ...He won't let me punch him that easily!
He's many times stronger than me, so he can easily fend off my attacks and come finish me off――――!

"Ha――――ah――――!"
Yeah, so what...!?
The difference in our powers won't change.
Things won't conveniently go right for me.
I'm blown away, and my enemy comes to smash my head.
I'll lose. I'll lose. I'll lose. I'll lose.
It's a self-evident truth.
But my body still moves――――!

"Kotomi-"
My enemy looms over me.
My legs don't move―――yeah, my right leg really doesn't move at all―――but I fire them up to raise my body.

I won't die here.
I can't avoid the enemy's attack with these legs.
In desperation, I try to evade the death coming in the next second and――――

"―――ne?"
The guy in front of me didn't make it.
He's standing in front of me with an upraised fist.

"...This is how it ends. A simple difference in time."
He looks down at his chest.
The black stain is right where his heart should be.
...The difference in time.
So he became half-dead in the forest a bit before I did.

"You win, Emiya Shirou. I don't know how many more seconds that body will last you, but you must hurry if you need to do something."
He's just like before.
He sounds uninterested in anything, just like when I first met him at the church.

"――――Kotomine."
"You are the last Master.
Go to the Holy Grail and fulfill your wish."

The last Master.
The words contain deep weight, but the priest still sounds the same.
It's natural.
This man won't change, even on the verge of his death.
He continues to be my despicable enemy.

"―――Yeah, this is for hurting me so much. I'm going to mercilessly destroy your wish."
"―――――――"

Did he smile in his last moment?
On the verge of rusting away, my eyes no longer serve their purpose.
The priest disappears from this world, with no one to bury him.

Scene 23

The last Tiger Dojo was the final one.
Please click and return to the title screen.

Extra stage!

Side A!!

How's everyone doing? Are you dying without mercy?
This is Tiger Dojo Remix that saves you from simple choice mistakes!

Osu! Our battle just started.

Oh, don't say that. We'll get cut off if you say that line.

Well, Sakura-chan's route is about to enter its climax.
You can't be beaten when Tohsaka-san's in a big pinch!

That's right. Shirou can't beat Saber, so trust Rider and concentrate on your part!

Yup. Shirou's role is rearguard support. Watch over the fight from a distance and take the best part!

...But the story's getting really fancy. It's taking place underground, and Sakura-chan powered up a lot.

Oh, where are you going, "Fate"?

Yeah, you're right, master. I thought I could take a big part in this route, but Sakura's my rival.

I wasn't even a match against her, so I'm forced to come back to this dojo.

Ohh, what a tragic story...

So it's true that a bullied child is strong. The Tohsaka sisters are fearsome indeed. So they were both devils...

Yeah. I hate how everyone was putting their masks on.
Saber's gone black and merciless. Rin's cruel now when it counts.

I feel sorry for Shirou. I'm the only heroine that's not a two-faced person.

......Well, you certainly aren't a two-faced person...

Well, let's get on to the usual hint.
Sakura-chan route, "Heavens feel", has two endings.

One is the grand finale,
the true ending of "Fate/stay night"!

True and normal ends.

Well, you can easily get to the normal end.
The condition for the true ending depends on what you've done until now.

To come out with it, you can't get to the true end if my affection points are below four or if you've used projection one too many times!

Cheeeeest! Don't spoil!

Ouuuu... Come on, this is the last one, so you should let me!

No! This is the last stronghold in "Fate"!
But we'll tell you up-front. You can do something about Ilya-chan's affection score if you start over from Day 14!

Hey, you're coming out with it too!

Eh? But this is the Q&A. Our reason for existence is to give out hints.

I see. I don't get how it's different from a spoiler, but you're a tyrant, master.

What, you finally realized it in the 39th dojo!?

Well, the next one will be the final Tiger Dojo.
The long story's finally wrapping up.

The last bad end is rumored to be an erotic harem route, as expected from a mature-rated game!
Please keep your expectations up and keep up your indecisiveness!

Scene 24

Extra stage!

Side B!

Sorry to keep you waiting! Wanting her, her, and everyone else! This the only harem end in "Fate"!

All right! An erotic development that will keep you in animalistic passion for life awaits you―――

Wait, how is this a harem end!?

......Ouu... So am I stretching it a bit too far, master?

Geez, you can't do anything suspenseful like this!

I love having monsters you had a hard time killing come back after the ending credits and "fin" come up.

Like the blob.

Oh, Senpai. Long time no see.

Geez. This is all because you were confined by lingering affection.
You can only save one. That's the decision you made coming into the final battle, so stick with it no matter what.

Osu, that's splendid, master.
...But are you sure there's no ending to save Saber?

Play the Saber route.

You're brutally honest, but that's exactly right.

There's no ending in Sakura-chan's route to make Saber-chan happy, so all you Saber-chan supporters can give up.

Well, the Tiger Dojo is really finished.
There're forty dojos total, so thanks for bearing with us.

Wow, there's that many?
What happens if you collect all the stamps, Taiga?

You'll see after you collect them all.
The main story's about to end, so it might be fun to use the skip function and start over if you haven't seen a particular dojo.

Anyway, thanks for playing the game until now!
The main story's about to end, so please keep at it!

Yeah, thank you so much for everything until now! It was fun!
Goodbye! Let's meet again after you fully complete the game!