Fate/Grand Order story · Events, Nanmei Yumihari Eight Dog Chronicles
Nansei: Final Arrow - Camellia Blossoms Fall in Anticipation of a Spring That Will Never Come
Nanmei Yumihari Eight Dog Chronicles
1 scenes, 220 lines
1. Before the battle
220 lines
Bastard... He just hopped on Yatsufusa and flew away.
Wish I'd known he could do that once he had all eight beads.
Guess it maybe doesn't matter if all he's gonna do with it is run away like a damn fraidy-cat!
Wha...!?
Wh-what is it, Izo?
Why're you clutching your stomach, Izo?
Woof!
Dustcloth!?
Woof, woof, woof!
Um... I'm here, too...
Whoa!
What happened to your body? Are you a gh-ghost?
I suppose we are technically spirits as well, but...you know what I mean.
Before I tell you what my father-in-law's been plotting...
...I have to apologize to Lord Minamoto-no-Tametomo.
I have sustained serious damage to my motor functions, but my logic circuits have been restored to normal operation.
From the information I retain, I have developed an understanding of what is happening.
It would, however, be best for you to explain, so that I may be certain.
...I will. Thank you so much for your understanding.
I also need to tell all of you about this to clear up the misunderstanding and restore Lord Tametomo's honor.
Not that I mind hearin' ya out, but...we got that kinda time?
Psst, Master. This ain't the time to be playin' with the dog.
...Oh! Right.
That may be true...but at present, we're unable to either contact Chaldea or pursue Bakin.
So in the absence of other options, the best thing we can do right now is build a clear picture of our situation.
...Y-yeah. You're right.
Please, fill us in, Omichi.
？！
...Okay.
My father-in-law, Kyokutei Bakin, wanted to bring his son, OkitsuguTakizawa Souhakuback to life.
A massive reservoir of stray spiritual energy from the Holy Grail here in this space-time sea you call "Nanmei" and Lord Tametomo called "Nansou"...
...caused him to awaken as a Rogue Servant, upon which he made his wish.
But...that wish could never be granted.
Souhaku was no Heroic Spirit, and my father-in-law knows nothing about reviving the dead.
Writing is all he knows how to do. He spent his entire life doing it.
So after much trial and error, he finally managed to call on another Rogue Servant:
Lord Minamoto-no-Tametomo, the warrior with whom his ties were deepest.
The two Servants then created imitation nations and shadows of citizens to populate them right here, all while thinking long and hard about the problem.
...
Deep down, my father-in-law was as proud as any warrior.
That never changed, even when he gave up his samurai family heritage to focus solely on writing.
But he still hoped that one day, his son, Souhaku, would achieve the dream he never could.
Unfortunately, we lived at the tail end of the Edo period...
...so he brought recognition to the Takizawa name by becoming a doctor instead.
If all he wanted to do was to swing a sword, he should've been born about fifty years earlier.
Yes...very true.
And now, even as a Heroic Spirit, he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It wasn't long before my father-in-law learned about Chaldea, most likely from Lord Tametomo.
When he did, he was overcome by the fear of his son being taken from him again.
I see... So he saw his son in Tametomo.
？！
...Yes. That's exactly right.
He looked at Lord Tametomo with childlike admiration, self-centered desire...and paternal regret.
I'm sure that must have all seemed incomprehensible to you, Lord Tametomo.
...This body is a weaponone meant to paint the battlefield scarlet.
It is a blade. A bow. It only functions when someone is present to grip it.
...However, this world is far from an ideal operating environment.
Some wielders treat me as though I were no more than a tool with which to commit atrocities.
When that happens, my logic circuits fail, I lose all sense, and am overcome by a terrible madness.
However...
It was quite plain that Kyokutei Bakin looked upon me with genuine pride.
That is sometimes all a warrior needs to risk his life in battle.
Lord Tametomo...
I really wish Pops was here to hear that...
...
...Michi, you went to warn Chaldea because you had misgivings about Bakin's plan.
You fought with him bitterly, and when you made your escape, you scattered the remaining seven beads across the islands of Nansou...
...at the cost of your own memories.
Bakin, the owner of your Spirit Origin, required more beads to move about freely, and so your actions restricted his for a time.
As for me, even without an operator, I continued to store up spiritual energy using the spirit beads scattered across the islands, and used it to fire my ultimate arrow.
...Omichi. Chaldeans.
While I have no objection to sharing this information, I must stop here.
I have been able to restore my functionality, if only slightly, using what spiritual energy remains here.
And so I will use the last of my strength...
...to shoot all of you off of this island.
...Wat.
Wat.
...Lord Tametomo.
It will be just like the arrow I fired ahead of my first true shot.
I will tie your Spirit Origins to the arrowhead just like the whistle arrows used to mark the start of a battle.
Whoa, whoa, hold yer horses! Master here's a flesh and blood human, remember?
Then it will be up to all of you to keep him safe.
D-dammit, you're insane!
Man, it's been a long time since I've been a human cannonball...
Great, just like old times...
So you want us to act as Spirit Origin pods.
This must also be where we part ways.
I shall put every last bit of strength I have left into this shot, and in doing so, I shall predict the future.
It is the least I can do to make up for the terrible things I have done to you.
But...if you use up the last of your magical energy, you'll...
But, that would mean you'll...
？！
Indeed. Firing this arrow will end my life.
But that will merely send me back to this sea, much like the drops of rain that fall from the clouds above.
If that is the price for making amends, I am happy to pay it.
As for you, Sousuke, Dog Warrior...
I am depending on you to steer this arrow through space-time to its intended destination.
This role is absolutely critical, and I hope you will accept it.
Wuff...
Lord...Tametomo...
Kyokutei Bakin may have gained divine powers now that he's turned into Fusehime...
...but the fact that I am still here must mean he remains blind.
And that must mean he's relying entirely on Yatsufusa's sense of smell.
That may be our chance to defeat him.
...Rougetsu Shuren, mode transformation.
Emitting pale moonlight, my whistling arrow shall return to the source.
Tsukuyomi-style Revolving Cannon...
Shouka Yumiharizuki!!!
...Initiating countdown. Three... Two... One...
I run through the darkness, as if trying to escape it.
I can hear Yatsufusa panting as his demonic claws rattle against the crests of the space-time sea's waves.
I cling desperately to his back, frantically doing all I can simply to keep this shell intact.
Although I have regained the Holy Grail I lent to Tametomo, my Servant form is still incomplete.
I still lack my Gi beadthe bead of justice.
In its place, I have only shame and passion; anger and obsession wrack my body like a fever.
Did she betray me?
Did he let me down?
No, no. My betrayal was at the hands of...
...Run. Run like the wind, Yatsufusa. Carry my delusions to where they must go.
Bet you're glad ya got a Foreigner around now, huh, Master!?
I dunno why, but I'm feelin' right at home out here. Looks like the bottom of the sea to me.
Ain't all that easy keepin' you and Sousuke safe from these headwiner, I guess space-time head...currents?
'Course, it's not like we can afford ta have the others materialize now, either!
Woof!
Oei complained about this a lot, you know.
？！
Huh? What're you talkin' about? What'd Oei say now?
She said you and Bakin had a big fightthat made you stop working together.
She said it was too bad you and Bakin stoppedworking together after your big fight.
？！
...Oh. That.
Well, that right there pretty much covered it!
It was almost funny how Bakin and I never saw eye ta eye on anythin'.
Every damn time we worked together, we were spillin' ink and shoutin' each other down over every little detail.
"Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki" was originally only s'posed ta be twelve books long, spannin' two parts, but it ended up bein' twenty-nine volumes spannin' five parts.
And I stuck with him through all of it until we were done. I'm tellin' ya, I deserve a damn medal.
Sounds like you really hung in there.
？！
...Yeah. I did.
Ain't gonna lie; I really loved fightin' with that grumpy old bastard.
I remember thinkin' how bad it was that our work didn't feel like work.
We were servin' our own interests more than our customers'. It just wasn't tenable.
So we had ta have a big blowout if we were ever gonna part ways without regrets!
...I see...
？！
Well... Once we were both famous enough, part of it became that we could make more money takin' on solo jobs than workin' together.
Haha!
Too real!
...Rrrr!
Whup. Looks like we're catchin' up. It's 'bout time ta bring everyone else back!
Do it!
...Yatsufusa.
Be my eyes. Find Chaldea, and point me towards them!
I will hit them with at least one strike from my Murasame.
It may not be as powerful as Tametomo's long-range arrow, but with their energy running low, and their defenses wea
!!!
Go ahead. Do whatever you want.
Yeah! ...Hm? Wait. Hang on, Izo.
What are you saying, Izo!? Don't goad our opponent!
I'm not saying we won't stop you, but if there's something you wanna do, do it.
You got regrets and want to do something about them? Go on, then.
You didn't start out wanting to be a writer, did you, old man?
But once you started, you turned out to be a goddamn genius at it.
...Yes, that's right.
Writing was all I had! I never accomplished anything else I was satisfied with.
Even when I lost Souhaku, or my sight, all I could do was keep on writing.
I'm nothing like Katsushika Hokusai. That man was BORN to paint, and nothing else!
My writing always went hand in hand with my despondence. It's all I have. All I ever had!
That so? Then you must be happy your dream finally came true.
Now you can finally live out that fight to the death you always wanted.
I have no idea why you wanted to destroy Chaldea, and I couldn't care less.
Whatever grudges you're bearing or hardships you've endured are none of my business. That's why they can be so damn maddening.
I do have one thing to say, though.
Old man, your son lived a great life.
You wanna revive him as a Heroic Spirit? Ha. Don't make me laugh.
You think just because Tametomo's a great Heroic Spirit, everyone who isn't is worthless? Of course not.
Don't talk about YOUR regrets like they're your son's. Save the fiction for your books.
Khh...!
I can imagine how he felt growing up feeble, trapped in a house he could never escape.
He was probably grumpy as shit all the damn time.
I don't blame him. Even the straightest cypress'll grow bent out of shape if you tie it up and leave it in the shadows.
But despite all that, he still had a great wife like Omichi there for him.
Or are you gonna start spouting some nonsense about how you ruined her life, too!?
Ghh...
...Pops...
Listen to me. It's still not too late!
Please, stop this now! Don't make Okitsugu any sadder than he already is!
Please, don't bring further disgrace to Lord Tametomo's good name...
Omichi...
...If only I was strong... If only I was stronger...
...I could bring peace to everyone I cared for...
Kyokutei Bakin...
Please, put your sword away!
？！
...Fujimaru.
Tell me...what would you do?
The Holy Grail that came to resemble the Eight Views from Nansou was a reservoir of immense magical energy.
Heroic Spirits gain strength from famous locations, or from mementos that symbolize who they were.
But, there is also power to be found in places far more tenuous than those.
The feelings and prayers of people who found joy in creating gathered together, forming a flow of spiritual energy that poured into the depths of time and space.
That's what it was like when I manifested as a Rogue Servant.
It didn't take me long to realize...
...that this was a singular opportunity to accomplish in death what I could not in life.
So, what would you do, Fujimaru?
If the power to bring the one you loved most back to life was there before your eyes...surely you would reach for it.
You would do everything you could to make amends for your deepest regret!
You would forget all about this world's natural laws and bow before the Holy Grail!
I know what I'm doing is wrong. But I will never be able to accomplish this unless I give into the darkness and go mad!
I have to carve a path forward with my own hands! I must!
...Yatsufusaaa!!!