Malignant Reboot/fireworks(not starmine)

What are they doing here!? Caster should be long gone!

How the hell should we know? But they're here now, and we've got to deal with them. Get back, Master!

It looks like...you're all okay... (Huff, huff...)

Hmph. I thought you sent these things after us.

I could say the same.

Stop that! This is no time to be squabbling!

We all need to work together to get rid of these things quickly so no one gets hurt! Agreed!?

？！

What ARE these things?

It's those shadows again! But, they seem different somehow...

Wha...!?

Ghh! I think they're even stronger than they were before!

(...Screech, screech...)

I'm not sure, but I think there's something nasty inside it.

Eh, still the same job for us.

Yes. This new enemy does not seem to be hostile to the fiends, so it is probably part of the same faction.

Come on, let us take them all out!

Phew. I'm glad that's over.

But what about the other areas? Is everyone else okay!?

Sorry, but I need to

I get how you feel, but this probably isn't the time to do anything stupid, like run off on your own.

That goes for you too, Master.

Hm...? You there! Stop hiding and show yourself!

Hehaha... You think I was hiding? Hardly my intention.

Wh-who are you!?

You want to know who I am? I feel I only just answered that question, but very well.

I am the prime AI of Build. A Master in the AI Holy Grail War.

My name is...

...Makiri Zolgen.

And I am a mage.

So if you've got the same name, does that mean you're the same guy?

...How'd you get so much wrinklier since the last time we saw you?

Hehaha. Apparently, defeated Masters whose admin privileges aren't properly taken from them can be...reused.

Now, I'm a different version of myself than I was. Perhaps that is the randomizer at work once more.

While we're on the subject, you never checked to see whether Caster's Spirit Core was truly shattered, did you?

Foolish. How very foolish. He may be half dead, but as long as he's not completely dead, I can still use him. Like so.

After all, it's not as though these things ever needed hearts and minds of their own, did they?

？！

Searching memories... Results found.

Overseer Rani-XII described the Master of Caster's defeat as "ceasing to function."

She also said she had confirmed the colossal writhing fiend's disappearance.

But she never said anything about Caster himself. We just assumed that was what she meant.

Are you kidding me!? Whose side is that crook on, anyway!?

(I wonder. Did she intentionally fail to give us an accurate picture by withholding this information?)

(Or did some quirk in the system simply render her unable to do so?)

(Our next steps will differ significantly depending on which is the case...)

What's this? That Caster there doesn't quite seem like himself, does he?

Guess that's not a huge shock since you said he was half dead.

Don't tell me you think you can beat us in a grudge match with a Servant who can barely stand.

Hehe. Apparently, I awakened to a new ability when I was rebooted.

So, I would suggest you not make the mistake of assuming I'm the same as when last we met.

？！

Be careful.

This Raniment-infused code is just as powerful as the magecraft from our world.

Hehe, hehaha. This is goodno, wicked. My head is much clearer this time.

Now I couldn't hold back even if I cared to.

There were so many things my last self could and should have tried.

For example, fusing Caster's familiars with worms.

Or perhaps parasitically attaching to one of the powerful constructs that swaggers about this world like a bug...

I see. So this horrific code of yours is what made these enemies stronger.

However, it fails in every conceivable way in terms of functionality, aesthetics, and presence. If my father were here now, he would give them a failing grade. Likely zero points.

Hahahaha! Who cares about how pretty they look?

My last self was holding back.

He still clung to ideals and a small shred of a sense of justice he just couldn't divest himself of.

On top of that, he was childish and vain, trying always to win with elegance and grace. That's why he lost.

But I'm not like that.

I know that, to achieve victory in the real world rather than some imaginary land of ideals...

...you sometimes have to sacrifice everything, no matter how ugly it may be.

For example, when one of your toys is on the verge of breaking, but still has some use...

Ghh... Gaah!

You mean, you infected your own Servant with worms too!?

What else could I do? An empty vessel needed filling and this is what I have.

But that's not all. I'm holding nothing back. I know now is the time to move hard and fast.

By my Command Spell!

Use that power as fuel to transform your body and open the secret door once again.

Now go, my worms! My unending taboos! Devour one another, and grow once more!

Oh come on. Not again.

Hehehe, hehahahaha...

Now that I've used my worms to bind my own self to Caster and his Noble Phantasm, it can move far more freely than before.

And now that I am inside it, I am no longer exposed, either!

Behold, a truly invincible Servant! Now come, serve as sustenance for my truth!

Sakura!

I'm giving you...all the Raniment I have...Saber. So, please...

Please, don't let anything happen to my home...!

Hehaha. What's wrong? Is that all you've got?

Grr, that stupid, smug son of a bitch...

... ...

Don't even think about running away, Berserker!

I-I wasn't!

Sakura!

Sakura...

I-I'm sorry. But, if something happened to this placeto my homewell, I don't think I could take it.

I...I may not have anything left to give. But even so...

By my Command Spell.

You can use every last bit of Raniment I've got, Saber. Just, please...don't let anything happen to this place...

Sakura! This is no time for

Oho, so you used up your Command Spell. Too late. Much too late. If that was your plan, you should have done it before I transformed.

Your only hope of defeating me now would be if you had something powerful enough to completely annihilate me all at once.

And despite your extra power, it seems to me you still have nothing near that level.

In fact, you have so few resources left to spare, it's all you can do just to fight. Am I wrong?

(No, he is not. We know what we need. But we have nothing capable of such incredible output right now.)

(Kama is not that kind of Servant...)

(Even if Āyus were to use her own Command Spell...)

(...Duryodhana's Noble Phantasm would only be able to expand its range, not focus its power to a single point.)

(What else can we do...!?)

I can see the gears in your head desperately turning. It won't make any difference.

You failed to defeat this earlier, didn't you? This time will be no different than the last would have without that cowardly assassination.

So long as this monster continues to eat, it will expand infinitely! Nothing can defeat it!

With this power, I will soon rule the world. Then I will reach the Root!

Yes, it's the same as before. No difference at all.

But so long as you can see that, there are plenty of ways to combat it.

You only need to create a mechanism capable of generating sufficient instantaneous output, even if it pushes the limits.

Is that...?

？！

And he's not alone! Who're all those other people with him!?

So, on that note: gather 'round, you guys.

Aw yeah.

Enter the speedsters.

Also we're not guys, we're girls.

？！

I'll just come out and say it. I, uh, forgot the name for it, but the way Rider's Noble Phantasm works is...he takes off his mask and shows his face.

That boosts the abilities of all allies who see it. In the AIs' case, it activates and amplifies their Raniment.

But instead of immediately using that amplified Raniment, I saved it, condensed it, and sent it to this point in the future.

Huh!? But, that should not even be

Possible? It is for me. I can use void spellsor code, in this case.

It lets me slip all sorts of things into pockets of Void Space, which isn't bound to either time or space.

However, while I could open those pockets at any time, I needed the AIs' help to form a receptacle that could use their stored energy all at once.

I suppose you could say they are a necessary expense.

I've already put together a spell to activate and use that energy, too. All right, everyone, line up.

Roger that.

Are you all ready?

Just say the word.

Rider.

If you insist on being no more than a tool, I'll go ahead and use you like one.

In this case, you're going to be a switch for my spell.

Nothing would please me more.

What the...? What are you trying to do, you insolent little whelp!?

What I'm trying to say is, I made a cannon. But it can only be fired here and now.

Connections, set. Unlock requested. Adjusting target coordinates. Linking to void layer. Rotate. Connect. Turn. Open.

Unfold pockets!

Do it, Rider!

Huh?

I wonder what I should name these fireworks? Not that it matters.

It's a single-use power cannon. Pretty far from anything like a rapid-fire barrage.

So I think I'll go with something nice and simple: Raniment Fireworks!

What!? Where did you get all that power!?

Already told you. This is a literal blast from the past. Don't worry too much about where it came from, Gramps.

The future's what matters now.

A future where you're completely destroyed by a ridiculously simple and absurdly oversized blast of pure power!

Now that's what I call a rocking good wake-up call. I'm almost jealous you get to experience it firsthand!

Curse you... This...can't be...

Whoa there, don't get the wrong idea. I didn't do this to save your lives.

Ha. No, I didn't come here to rescue you.

？！

This is just kind of how things worked out. I figured he was going to interfere in my plans if I didn't take him out soon.

That was quite the cannon.

You used your Rider's Noble Phantasm to draw out activated Raniment from your AIs...

...then used that Raniment to prime the pump for a blast made up of identical energy stored in Void Space.

Only a high-level conceptual shield or defensive Noble Phantasm could have stood up under so powerful an attack.

Oh? I guess at least one of you has an eye for this sort of thing.

This massive spell was also inextricably tied to this specific location.

Not only could you not use it anywhere else, you would likely not have been able to alter its position or even angle.

It was a disposable cannon custom-made for this exact situation.

To make such a thing, you would have needed to be able to create an incredibly precise single-use spell well ahead of time.

Does that mean your spellyour code, is a kind of prognostication?

Not exactly. I just measure the future and send it what it'll need.

Apparently, that's just a thing I can do.

... ...

You said you're not an AI yourself, right? Although, it probably wouldn't make any difference if you were.

If you're used to using Memory Partition, then you should be able to sense it yourself, at least a little.

Just because two people share a face doesn't mean they're necessarily the same on the inside.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyway, it's really over this time...right?

It better be. I don't EVER want to have to fight that thing again!

I'd like to just lay down, kick back, and relax like Saber's Master there...

...but I need to make sure he's dead this time before I can really let my hair down.

Sakura! Are you okaHuh!?

Wh-what's going on!?

Oh. Is the governor doing this?

Good day, everyone. I am contacting you all now in my capacity as the overseer of the System Grail War.

This one-way transmission is being sent to all Holy Grail War participants simultaneously. Please be aware that I can neither see you nor hear any responses you may give.

Now then, down to business. As of this moment, the Rider faction has completely destroyed Caster's Spirit Core.

？！

As a result, the Master of Rider, the prime AI of Transfer...

...will be given control over all assets formerly possessed by the Master of Caster, the prime AI of Build.

As part of this property transfer, the two partitions will be moved together and unified to create a new partition named Transfer/Build.

Preparations for this world transformation are currently underway as I speak.

So please rest assured that the vibrations you are currently feeling are a side effect of those preparations, not an earthquake.

Huh, that sounds genuinely fascinating.

World...transformation?

I think that's what she said, yes. What was that again...?

Um, let me search the rules... Okay, in the event of a Servant's death

I'm sure many of you are scratching your heads, wondering what I mean, so as your magnanimous overseer, allow me to explain.

Simply put... Do you know what a gyrocompass is?

They determine directions based on their rotational movements. You can look up more about them in the database if you're interested.

At any rate, this magecraft is a lot like a gyrocompass.

As the System Grail War proceeds, the energy generated causes this internal world to spin...

...which then causes this zero compass, the Paper Moon, to redefine its base axis.

Of course, this is a concept relevant only to this world, not a physical action that takes place in the macroworld.

At any rate, please note that the world is about to rotate.

My apologies for the inconvenience. It will not take long.

In the meantime, I suggest you brace for the inescapable rotational moment that is about to take place.

While I have ensured that this world's facilities will remain intact, I cannot be held responsible for any accidents that may occur.

That is all. I encourage you all to resume your System Grail War efforts once the locations have been reset.

World transformation... Partition unification... Rotational moment...

Oh no. This is bad!

Whoa, whoa. Why's this shaking getting stronger!?

Master! Hold on to me!