Fate/Grand Order story · Part 2: Cosmos in the Lostbelt, Lostbelt No.1: Permafrost Empire, Anastasia
The Tumultuous Land
Lostbelt No.1: Permafrost Empire, Anastasia. Southern Road
5 scenes, 440 lines
1. Before the battle
152 lines
I can't believe it... He really managed to separate Ivan the Terrible's true body away from that monstrosity... That golem really came through.
...Insolent whelps... Speak your names.
Beowulf. My name is Beowulf.
...Beowulf, hm? The fearsome warrior turned wise king in his old age.
What about you? The one who can fly?
... ...I am Atalante.
I see. The huntress of Greek myth. ...What about you? What is your name?
Anastasia. Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova.
Hmm. A Servant from Proper Human History...and one who bears the same name as my beloved empress.
But, you are not her.
Not at all. I am a descendant of the Romanov Dynasty, who reigned over Russia after you.
I know nothing about them. Although... Yes, I see...
The time for our pruning has come at last.
...No, you are wrong there. I will never let this Lostbelt be pruned.
What...?
Our history will continue, and Proper Human History will burn away. These facts will never change.
Now is the time to build a new, eternal empire, together with the Yaga.
... ...So that's how it is. Dammit.
... ...
...And...you would have me serve as your foundation?
Yes.
...
...Grand Duchess. The crown is not something to be merely passed on... It is neither a gift nor a right of inheritance.
...Hehe, good. My body still moves.
...I understand all too well that the sun has set on my time. I see now that my vigor and spirit have all but faded away.
My enemies are numberless, and my only ally is myself! I do not have so much as a single jester with which to relieve my solitude!
And yet...here I stand. Now then, Grand Duchess of the Beast Nation.
Fight me. Prove to me you have the power of a tsar.
Oh I will, worry not. ...I swear on the new Russia I will build in your absence.
Then I too shall swear, on the old Russia: I will never submit, no matter what the circumstances may be.
So, this is as far as I go...
So it would seem.
But first...I must ask that boy there something. Something important.
Let me pass, Servant who bears the name of my beloved empress.
... ...Very well.
Anastasia!
It's okay. He is simply making his final pilgrimage.
It doesn't matter what they discuss. Our side will not be swayed.
Maybe he'll even deliver the decisive blow for us.
...Ah, yes. That.
I must say, I can't tell if the Master of Chaldea is merely dense, or if he has deliberately chosen to turn a blind eye.
It doesn't matter either way. ...But never mind that now.
Come on out, Macarius. I know you're there.
So, Ivan the Terrible has left for his last expedition. As his mentor, I am both saddened and overjoyed to finally see this moment.
...
I bet. Regardless of what he looked like, he was a tsar through and through, even in a Lostbelt.
Now drop the act. With him out of the picture, you don't have to be Metropolitan Macarius anymore.
...Isn't that right, Rasputin?
...Rasputin? Did you say Rasputin?
Yes, I did. His True Name isn't Macarius at all. He just called himself that when he first met Ivan the Terrible. And without so much as a snicker.
His True Name is Grigori Rasputin. He is the monster responsible for the Romanov Dynasty's collapse.
Although right now, he's just a Pseudo-Servant possessing a human corpse.
Since you knew the actual Rasputin, so you'd recognize him, he had to come up with a disguise pretty quickly if he was gonna fool you.
...I see. No wonder you
...Heh. I'm sorry to spoil your gloating, but you're wrong. I am not Rasputin.
That role has come to an end, Kadoc Zemlupus.
...What do you mean by that?
Rasputin's wishes have been fulfilled. And so he is free now.
He may have been a member of the clergy, but he was also a guardian for the last of the Romanovs.
The only reason he agreed to become a Pseudo-Servant was to ensure that SHE took the throne.
Now that Ivan the Terrible has fallen, there is no tsar left but Anastasia.
Which means he no longer has any reason to remain in this world. I trust all is now clear?
...In that case, I guess what we see is what we get with you now.
Oh, I don't know about that.
I may not have Rasputin's desires any longer...but the prospect of a second chance at life does interest me.
So, now that my connection to this Lostbelt is ended, I think I will continue performing my job as I see fit.
...Well, aren't you just a giant, walking ego? Fine, I'll bite. What job are you talking about?
My job as a priest, of course: granting my blessing to newly born life.
Farewell, Grand Duchess. Long may you reign.
...So you refuse to kneel and beg my forgiveness, even after revealing your true identity.
... ...
But that's all right. This suits you better. ...Thank you, Rasputin.
In the end, it was your villainous scheming that returned Russia to its citizens, where it belongs.
To be quite honest, I think you are an absolutely horrible man, but I cannot bring myself to hate you.
...
But could I ask one last favor of you? Not that you have any right to refuse.
By all means. As long as it is within my power.
...Of course I can.
Very well then, it shall be done. And with that, I bid you farewell, Your Imperial Majesty, Tsaritza Anastasia.
...
What's wrong? Should I go ahead and kill him after all? He IS one of your greatest enemies, isn't he?
...No. That priest was not my enemy.
He is just a man who helped Russia to rot.
Aside from that, he is just another man of the cloth struggling with the demons he was born with.
...I think that's why he was always so considerate to me, even here.
Grigori Rasputin. I'm sure what he really wanted...was...
I see. He was an insufferable jerk, but I guess he did at least treat you with respect.
...All right, let's get going, Anastasia. It's finally time to settle this.
Once this Lostbelt is ours, you're going to be tsaritza, and I'm going to be the victor.
...Phew. Can't believe we really pulled that off. I guess Master and Mash must still be at the palace.
Come on, Atalante, let's go meet up with them.
Billy ought to be headed there too, now that the Oprichniki are gone.
...Yes, you are right. With Ivan dead, there is only one thing left to do.
Come, Yaga. It is time for the final battle.
I was lonely, indifferent, wicked.
Good, villainous, tyrannical.
Simple, fearsome, clearheaded. I was all these things and more.
I once had a dream. A dream of Russia as a land of joy and happiness.
...I must have been exhausted. A dream is all it ever was. Never reality.
Ruling over Russia was always a daunting task. But it was not the people's fault.
It was the fault of the world itself. A world almost devoid of food and life. A world where only the strong could hope to survive.
Walking. Walking. So much walking.
...It is as though I am on a pilgrimage.
I once dreamed of days like this, back when I was human. Simple, ordinary days, when I could spend my time doing naught but praying to God.
...But even that small luxury is now gone. This world took it away.
...Young man from Proper Human History, here to restore the world to its rightful form...
...as the Tsar who leads this world, there is something I must ask you.
...Are you prepared?
I found him amidst the blizzard, next to his Servant.
...Ivan the Terrible.
？！
How good of you to come, pruner of humanity.
As the former ruler of this world, there is something I would ask you.
I hope you will answer me honestly.
...What is it?
...Tell me what it is.
？！
Why do you wish to destroy our world? Is your own truly worth so much?
Is it worth slaughtering each and every Yaga struggling to survive here!?
...I...
...Master...
Huh...?
...Your ignorance is the greatest sin of all.
Master... I'm sorry...
？！
With Proper Human History gone, this world gained the impossible: a chance at restoration.
At first, I believed that to be a miracle. But now that I am awake, I understand the truth.
Soon, our world will be pruned.
The miracle of our survival will have been for naught. We will be driven to extinction, our very existence erased the moment this land dies.
Huh!? Don't be ridiculous, you Demonic Beast castoff!
Fixing these Lostbelt whatnots will solve everything!
How dare you call us murderers simply for working to restore humanity, you despot!?
Silence, cretin. I am speaking with this Master, not you.
Do not interrupt again.
...As I was saying.
Do you have the strength of will to do that?
To save your world means to destroy ours.
If you do this, you will be responsible for the death of every Yaga in Russia.
So I ask you! What gives you the right!?
Are you truly going to order these Yaga to die!?
I...
(Unable to answer)
？！
Answer me! If you cannot, then THAT is your answer!
I will never lose. I will never retreat so much as a single step! I shall keep this world safe!
Hrk... Khh...
(He's...coughing up blood...)
I... I still have not lost...!
These injuries are nothing to me! The lives you weaklings from Proper Human History have led are NOTHING compared to the suffering of my subjects!
Behold the power of the Yaga... The power of the Tsar...!!!
2. After the battle
31 linesAh... Aah... Aaaaaah... So, this... This is the end...
And you...you stand here, though you still lack resolve...
How fitting for one from the realm of the weak that is Proper Human History... And yet...
That grief you hold in your heart... Your empathy for others... We Yaga no longer have the capacity for it...
You may be weak, but you are also...happy... Yes... I remember now...
My empress...Anastasia...was like that...too...
She did not weep over life's hardships... Instead...she wept for others' misfortune...
It was that...excess...that I found to be...the most beautiful thing about her...
...Yes...I see now... That is why...this world...was defeated...
It is because...we lost everything...we should have cherished...above all else...
...Victory...is yours, Fujimaru... I accept...my defeat...
Even if you refuse to do so...I accept...my defeat...and so...I must...depart...
...Ivan the Terrible's disappearance...confirmed...
Holmes.
It's true. ...Everything he said was correct.
Da Vinci.
...Yup.
I'm pretty sure everything he said...was spot-on.
？！
I'm so sorry, Master. I...I knew what the ramifications of our actions were, too.
I understood that protecting our history...would mean destroying this world...
So he finally went down for good, huh? Took him long enough.
Kadoc...!
？！
I hate drawing shit out, so let's just get this done. Atalante, hurry up and finish them off.
That was the deal, right? You agreed that after they got rid of Ivan, that you'd help us kill them.
Atalante!?
...
What's wrong? You can't turn back now, not after we've come this far.
Or what? You're telling me you don't care what happens to those kids anymore?
...No, you are right. ...I am so sorry, Fujimaru.
3. Before the battle
56 lines...Just as life has winners and losers, so too does history itself.
History's true winner was always Proper Human History, the world Fujimaru set in place.
The losers are the Lostbelts, like the world the Yaga live in.
This world was supposed to be pruned. Survival here is difficult, and happiness all but forgotten.
But, it is still alive. Life here may be harsh and unbearable, but it strives to endure nonetheless.
And there are six other worlds just like it.
...That makes this something like a Holy Grail War.
We Crypters use Servants to try and ensure our own world wins.
Do battle with monsters in realms beyond your reach, and prove that you are the strongest of all.
This Russia might be a rough place to live, but it's strong. It's got a real shot at winning.
I'm going to put my whole life on the line to prove I've got what it takes once and for all.
...I am sorry. You did nothing wrong.
I admire your willingness to keep fighting, even after your world was destroyed.
More importantly, I am a Heroic Spirit from Proper Human History myself. I should be siding with you.
But...after I was summoned, I spent so much time among the Yaga that I cannot help but care for them.
So I am siding...with them.
No...!
...You serious about this? You know if you do that, you'll end up a drifter with no place to call home?
If Proper Human History disappears, it won't be long before you cease to exist too.
...Even so, I cannot do it.
Atalante...?
I cannot desert the Yaga. Not when I know too well the pain of abandonment...!
I'm afraid that doesn't change the facts, Ms. Atalante. As things stand now, you're simply refusing to face reality.
Doesn't matter. 'Cause the other reality is, you guys are screwed.
Anastasia!
...Thanks to you, we no longer need to live in fear of the Tsar. I do appreciate that.
But that no longer matters. Still, the least we can do for your efforts is to ensure that your deaths are quick and painless.
You kidding me with this crap? This guy here won. Even the Tsar recognized that.
I'm not handing him over to you now. Outta the way, you jackasses!
Yaga.
...!
Tch...!
We...we know you're a good human. Please, just stand back.
We don't want to kill you...if we don't have to...
...Dammit! I don't want to have to fight you all either.
But...I'm still gonna make my way through you, whether you like it or not!
Oh no you don't!
Well, this would appear to be checkmate. Kadoc certainly planned this well.
How can you be so calm about this!? Just look at Fujimaru's face!
He's completely lost his will to fight! We need to get him out of there and make our escape!
I do not see Kadoc allowing that to happen.
With Anastasia keeping Beowulf occupied, we won't be able to count on his help.
And Mash needs to wait to gather the energy for her Noble Phantasm after using it repeatedly.
Our last ray of hope was Ms. Miyamoto, and she has vanished from this Lostbelt.
...I can't believe Atalante went over to our enemy's side. Can't you talk her out of this, Holmes?
Unless and until Fujimaru snaps out of it, Mash isn't going to be of any help.
...I'm afraid not. Frankly, our hands are tied.
Were this a matter of deduction, I could gather evidence and build a case to find the truth.
Were our opponents evil, I could handle them with logic, dialogue, and baritsu.
But this...this is something Fujimaru will need to overcome by himself.
He is not a bullet we can fire on command. He is a Master, and thus must come to terms with this on his own.
We are his allies, the ones who stand with him in defense of Proper Human History.
There is nothing we can do here but honor his wishes.
Atalante's making a move! She's about to engage Fujimaru in combat...!
...Why did it come to this? You did nothing wrong, and neither did they.
All I wanted...was to save this world.
4. Before the battle
151 lines(Huff, huff, huff...)
My strength...is leaving me... Perhaps it's because...my role here has ended...
Not yet! As long as Master hasn't given up...!
Mash...
Just stop...
？！
...Senpai...?
Now's our chance! Fiiire!
...There. You see that? I know you did.
Before I knew it, a smile of pure joy spread across my face.
After an incredibly hard-won victory, all he got in return is the worst outcome imaginable.
Death, at the hands of those he thought he had saved...
...and the knowledge that the world he worked so hard to save would ultimately be destroyed.
...That's all he has to show for his efforts, even after he finally managed to bring down Ivan the Terrible.
That's the reward he got for not only standing up to, but actually defeating that mountain of a tsar.
He fought so bravely, and now look at him. He looks so weak it's all he can do just to stay on his feet.
...If I wanted to, I could easily kill him myself now.
Even as I thought that, I found myself running.
Bowstrings are pulled back. Bullets are loaded into their chambers.
My legs keep moving. I can't hold back any longer.
I think back to a street performer I saw when I was a child, and how he kept laughing idiotically at his own comical antics.
...Hmph. He was the only one there laughing, that's for sure. As if anyone could ever put food on the table doing something so completely useless. Pathetic.
...But when did it become normal for us to see that sort of stuff as pathetic? When did we Yaga lose our ability to smile?
I keep running. As a Yaga, I've never been afraid of anything. I've always known death was inevitable.
If there's anything I AM scared of, I think...
...it's the idea of someone dying when they know how to go through life smiling.
Ah...dammit.
Patxi...?
？！
... ...You...
... ...
...I'll never forgive you.
Huh...?
？！
I'll never forgive you, for as long as I live. You know why?
Because thanks to you, I now know there's another, happier world out there.
So stand up, dammit. Stand up and fight for it.
Go on and brag about how you can smile in your world, and tell us why it should be the one to survive.
Be proud. Hold your head up high, and fight for your weak little world.
...Don't you dare go losing to a world like this, a world whose only virtue is strength!
But, I...
？！
...Yeah, you'll have a lot of blood on your hands. You won't be able to pretend it never happened.
But you've still gotta do it. After all...
...your world sounds so much more beautiful.
So it should be the one to survive.
Me...I don't know anything.
Masters, Servants, Proper Human History, Lostbelts... I don't know the first thing about any of it.
But, if our world IS wrong...and, if there's any meaning to be found in our lives...lives that are just one hardship after another...
...I think it's that we were able to learn there's a better placea world filled with happiness, a world that's right...
We Yaga might've made a mistake and ended up in the wrong place. But I'm sure even that mistake has meaning.
Isn't that right?
That's enough, Patxi. You have to save your strength
？！
...Don't worry.
We Yaga barely even feel pain or fear.
You...and Mash...must've been way more scared. It must've hurt a lot worse for you.
But that's exactly why you've gotta keep on fighting. Why you've gotta be the ones to live.
...Well? Say something, dammit.
Let me...hear your answer...
Okay...
(Nod)
？！
...Haha... Look at you... You're crying...
...Well damn. Turns out...making you cry...isn't as much fun...as I thought...
...
...Master.
Mash.
Can you still stand?
？！
...Yes! Yes, I can...! ...I can still fight!
As long as you keep standing, Master...I'll always be there with you...!
...Dammit...!
!?
What the...!? M-my gun!
This ain't no fit place for the likes of you. Y'all done chose her for your boss, right?
Then ain't no way to settle this but a duel.
Billy!
Well, s'pose I didn't quite make it in time to save Patxi...but at least Master's still with us.
Awright, then, Ms. Greek Huntress of Myth.
I'm Billy the Kid, and I'm callin' you out!
...Understood. My name is Atalante.
Billy the Kid, I would make just one request of you.
...Please, go easy on the Yaga. All they ever wanted was to live their lives.
I cannot blame them for that. They have done nothing wrong.
...That much I can do.
Usually, I could fire my bow as swiftly and easily as water flows downstream...but this time, for some reason, it felt slow and heavy.
...Right. I see. I must have strayed from the right path the moment I sided with them.
Am I being punished for my betrayal? ...No, I don't think that is it.
I think...it is simply because...
I knew...all...along...
Rest in peace, Atalante.
No way... Boss...!
I am...so sorry, everyone...
I knew all along... As a Heroic Spirit from Proper Human History...this Lostbelt was the wrong place for me...
I also knew that...in the end...some things would need to be cut away... I knew that, and yet...I never told you...
I suppose I should have also known this was bound to happen...since I could never make up my mind...
...No. No, Boss! You've got it all wrong!
We always knew too!
We know how you used to lie awake at night, crying, trying to muffle your sobs so we wouldn't hear!
We know you've been apologizing to us all along, even though you're stronger than any of us...
...and we know you believed in our future, even though you should've cast us aside, because we're weak...
Wha...
Anyone could see where this was going!
But you still never gave up! Even though we meant to let you die!
We knew you were going to die, even if we managed to win... We can never make up for that...
...I see. I never knew...I was such a poor actor... Do not worry about it... None of you did anything wrong...
It is only natural for living things to try to survive. It is their purpose...
...Fujimaru... Patxi...was right...
Please...keep fighting to keep your world safe... I may have lost any right I had to cheer for you...
...But at least...I can still pray...that you succeed...
Ah... Boss... ...We're sorry... We're so sorry...
You doin' all right there, Salieri?
...Yes. My strength may be gone, but it seems there is still something I must do.
All that's left now...
...Hmph. Guess I should've known nothing would be that simple.
...is to take out the Crypter, and that Servant.
Beo!
Does this mean he has "bounced back," Kadoc?
Yeah, probably. ...But hey, that's life for you.
Screwups are inevitable. You can't dwell on them. You've just gotta learn from them and move on.
Besides, it should be time now. Well, Anastasia? Can you use it?
Yes. As I thought.
I have become the Tsaritza of this Lostbelt, and thus can make use of the Emergency Prerogative.
Now, I shall make our dreams a reality.
That's it. The Tree of Emptiness Orochi has connected...
Now I can finally, FINALLY get started.
Master, this shaking is coming from the giant tree!
What did you do!?
？！
It's a wedge from outer space. It's designed to let this world take root.
Now that I can finally expand this Lostbelt, Proper Human History is as good as finished.
...Ivan the Terrible was broken.
He still believed in the old God, even after turning into a Yaga.
The Tree of Emptiness brought this Lostbelt back to life, but he refused to let its wedge be driven into the ground, choosing to go to sleep instead.
And in this Russia, the Tsar's word is absolute. Want to know why?
Because the Tsar is the only one who can use Russia's greatest power, the Emergency Prerogative...the ability to control the land itself.
I had to do whatever it took to make sure Anastasia assumed the throne and obtained that power for herself.
...Yes. I wonder how long it's been since you chose me back in that darkness.
Six months? A year? It's hard to say for certain, since we were in fantasy time, and it was all so hazy.
Beats me. My memories of that are so vague, it might as well've been a dream.
But all that vagueness ends now. It's time to make our dreams reality, Anastasia.
I'm finally going to fulfill my promise. I'm going to defeat these guys and become a Master worthy of you.
...Yes. I always knew you had it in you, Kadoc.
Come, Viy. My spirit of disaster, and the Romanov Dynasty's secret treasure.
Show these people your true form. Show them your dreaded Mystic Eyes that can pierce anything and everything!
...Indeed, I am no longer the Grand Duchess of the Beast Nation.
I am Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova.
I am the new Tsaritza, and I shall destroy my Master's enemies, for they are Russia's enemies as well...!
5. After the battle
50 linesHow...!? I KNOW we're stronger! I KNOW WE ARE!
So how could this happen...!?
I'd put it down to the difference in y'all's experiences.
Y'all gonna come along peacefully, or we gonna do this the hard way?
Just so's y'all know, I ain't never had nothin' to do with mages in my life, so you won't get no mercy from the likes of me.
Try anything funny, and I'll gun you down.
...No. It's not over yet!
I promised I'd make her tsaritza! If I can't do that in this world, I'll just build a new one!
Then I'll make her tsaritza there! I'm not gonna give up! I'll NEVER give up!
I know I can do what you've done! That and more!!!
...!
？！
...That so?
I've still got a card up my sleeve! With this Command Spell, the Sirius Light, I can
...Whatever Kadoc Zemlupus had up his sleeve, it was too little, too late.
Billy did not hesitate. In less than the space of a heartbeat, he pulled the trigger.
Crypter or not, Kadoc simply did not have time to react.
All of this, then, was...inevitable.
...I always did...hate guns...
No...! Anastasia! What're you doing!?
No! You didn't have to do this!
I'm a Crypter! I still had my Sirius Light!
I could've used it and remade this entire world!
Once I turned everything around, you could've won... I know you could've won!
Oh, silly... What would be the point of winning like that?
I'm Anastasia. The rightful heir to the Romanov Dynasty.
As far as I'm concerned a victory stolen on a technicality is no victory at all.
...Maybe not, but...
I also refuse to let you take your own life once I'm gone.
Calm yourself Kadoc... I believe in you.
I believe that no matter how misguided you may be, no matter how many mistakes you make...you will always do the right thing in the end.
...No, I won't.
My whole life, all I've had is regrets about things I was so sure I could do, but never got a chance.
...Hold on to those regrets, Master. Hold on to them and live on.
You know...I still can't quite believe I threw myself in front of a gun. I don't think I could ever do it again.
Listen, Kadoc. I didn't save you because you're an excellent mage.
I simply did what any Servant would do...because you believed in me.
...You should be...honored... My dear...sweet...Kadoc...
...!
...
...Damn...it...
This work, Master? Say the word and I'll put one in his ear right now.
...No, that's all right. This is good enough.
Guess I ain't done you wrong, then. ...Thanks.
Thank you, Billy.
No problem, Master. Just doin' my job.
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