Act IV: The Sinking Beauty (3/4)

Right. I can feel her aura bearing down on me. Like an avalanche. Like sugar spilling out of a freshly opened package. Or maybe more like spilt azuki beans.

That's the spirit. Oh, right! Suzuka was the very first Servant you encountered here on SE.RA.PH, wasn't she?

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Suzuka Gozen. The heavenly maiden from the Suzuka Mountains who set off to defeat oni alongside her husband, Tamuramaro Sakanoue, during Japan's Heian period.

I knew her beauty and strength led to her being depicted as inhuman, but I never would've guessed she was actually a beast.

She isn't, Edgemiya. Her ears may be stick-on, but they're still real. Think of them like a pair of fluffy spoilers, only super close to real.

So, those ears of hers were actually fake. Does that mean your ears and paws are fake too then?

Of course not, you idiot! They're real, and they're spectacular!

It may be hard to believe, but Fox is still the daughter of a heavenly emperor. She's got pedigree out the wazoo, and can grow new ears like it's nothing!

Plus she was part of a tragic love story...

She managed to defeat Sakanoue's archenemy, Ootakemaru, but only by agreeing to marry him.

Sakanoue was driven to despair without ever learning the truth, and ended up killing Suzuka after allying himself with the oni.

The legends depicted her as having a great intellect, but for some reason, the one we've seen is obsessed with 21st-century Japan.

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Right. I don't understand why she talks like that, but it doesn't make her any less powerful.

BB even made her a Sentinel because of how much she enjoyed the Holy Grail War battles.

Of course, that was also after she scrapped me.

So, do we assume Suzuka's on BB's side then? Or the Demon God Pillar's?

Neither, I'm afraid. I don't think she cares about either of them.

That's another thing about her I don't understand. Maybe she really does only care about fighting.

I'm sure that's just an afterthought. She doesn't really have any wish for the Grail, so the best she could do was make up something that sounded good.

So for her, the war is its own reward, huh. If she's just a combat junkie, she shouldn't be too much trouble.

...

Come to think of it, I never did see her Master. Although...

It's not just her. In fact, we haven't seen a single Master since we got here, now I think about it...

I still don't know how BB, or rather, SE.RA.PH summoned so many Servants in the first place.

It's probably safe to assume they're strays, and have no Master contracts. Rogue Servants, in other words.

...

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That's enough talking for now! Her temple's right over there!

There you are, you freakin' dummies! I am so hype! I've got my ass kickin' shoes on, and a bunch of fresh asses in need of kickin'!

Enjoy your little SE.RA.PH field trip? Get crazy in awesome battles with other Servants?

Then you should be totes fine with me shanking you!

Hehe, so she was waiting for us, eh. She's clearly confident she can take us. How very like her.

So, what's your call, Fujimaru? Do we jump right in and settle this score once and for all?

Of course. I should have known you'd say something insensitive like that.

...Oh well, guess there's no point keeping it on the DL.

I just, like, forgot to mention it, y'know? It's not a secret or anything.

I literally have no clue what my Master looked like. I never saw them. They never gave me an order.

But...no big, right!? I materialized just fine without knowing anything about them!

The whole point of this whole Servant-summoning thing is nonstop winning, right? So I am like, super-awesome!

The only Servants left are me, you guys, and that Archer with the long hair that got away!

And since the Servants from Chaldea apparently don't count and stuff, that really just leaves me and the Archer!

So once one of us is dead, it's curtains on this whole Grail War, and someone's getting her wish granted!

So TBH, I have zero shits to give about you guys. I'm just gonna wreck you real quick so I can go kill that Archer!

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Now let's do this thing already! Four on one? Hell yeah! Bring it on!

Don't worry about being all like, fair and stuff. I've got my Karmaphage, remember? Real talk: four of you's probably not gonna be enough!

If you guys really think you can take meSuzuka Gozen, daughter of the Fourth Great Demon King, and badass teenaged Saberthen hit me with your best shot!

Hey, that like, hurt for real! I guess even puny damage from pansies like you adds up over time!

Sick, Fujimaru! If you can drag this out long enough, you might actually have a chance!

It's no use. She's so fast, I can't catch her with my Trash & Crush!

I know. What was the point of buying that key to her heart!?

How the hell are we supposed to get Fujimaru close enough to touch her and open the coaster!?

This thing is defective, BB!

This is the chapel! Do you read me!? We're picking up tremors all around SE.RA.PH!

We're obviously starting to sink faster! What the hell are you slowpokes doing!?

It's four of you against one, right? Just hurry up and get it done!

Oh, are we already in the endgame? Guess we must be winding down then.

There won't be any victor or Holy Grail if SE.RA.PH itself falls apart, after all. So, I'ma just kill you all off, go find that Archer, and

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EXCUSE me! What'd you just call me? A flunky!?

Oh, you better take that back like, right now. You have no idea what you're talking about.

Oh yes he does. I don't know what's going on in that little fox head of yours, but you're acting exactly as though BB were pulling your strings.

You don't have a Master, a wish, or even a future happy household plan.

Of course Master would feel sorry for you.

Sorry? For me? Like hell he does. I DID have a Master. I know I did.

BB and the Demon God Pillar have nothing to do with it. I belong to the Master who summoned me.

...I heard a voice when I was summoned here. It was faint, but I still heard it.

It said they wanted to win. That they didn't want to die for nothing.

Whoever it was didn't expect anyone to hear them. It was just the kind of thing humans say whenever they realize they're about to die.

I'm going to grant their wish. I don't know them, or if they're even still alive, but they called to me.

It took every last bit of strength they had, but they called to me.

I don't know their name, and they didn't know mine, but they still entrusted me with their final wish. The most human kind of wish anyone could make!

So I HAVE to win this Holy Grail War for them!

If I ran away after hearing a wish like that, I could never face myself again!

You've got that right! Finally, the truth comes out!

In that case, I won't hold back either! This is one of the Tamamo Nine's nine great secrets...

Cat Spell, Curse: Void Cleft Great Chaos Heaven! Hahaha, "knowledge is power" has never been truer!

H-hey, what is this!? The air's all like jelly now!

That's an ultimate technique used by fox Casters! How do you know it, Cat!?

It's actually painful to use. It feels like something's crackling around in my skull!

But anyway, now's your chance, Master! Go give that fox's heart the AED it needs!

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H-hey! Time-out! Is that a key to my heart!? Secret Garden scenes are too lewd!

You can't just like...go peering into my heart when you're not even my Master. We aren't even mutuals!

Hey! Get your hand off my chest! Stop it! I don't want anyone looking inside my heart!!!

I'm like...completely exposed. The depths of my heart have been exposed.

I'll just die, then. I'll throw myself off that cliff and end it all.

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Leave it to me, Master! Running along cliffs is second nature to any maid worth her fur!

Stop right there, Suzuka Fox! Why are you disappearing? Weren't you about to throw yourself off that ledge!?

We clawed each other up like cats and dogs, but only inside your heart! Your body should be just fine!

Well, if you had YOUR heart broken, wouldn't YOU up and disappear too!?

We schoolgirls are fragile in body AND heart! If my heart gets crushed like this, I'm literally gonna just die!

And the truth is... I knew I was gonna lose even before the fight started.

I lost the second I failed to avenge my Master and started bitching about there being no place for me in the world.

What the hell are you even going on about!? Save it for someone who cares!

Hey, let go of me! You'll fall, too, you catty bitch!

Hahaha! Come on, don't be like that! Seeing as how we're one and the sameearwiseI'll help you commit seppuku later, but not today.

Besides, if you're ready to throw your life away, why not fight alongside us instead?

I'm sure Gawain up in heaven is sad to see that we don't have a Saber in our party anymore.

And don't worry! I'm a former Sentinel myself! Master wouldn't treat you like a stray cat or anything!

You've fought valiantly up to this point, Suzuka! You make a fellow fox-ear proud!

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B-but where's the honor in that? Shouldn't I be like, ending it all, right here, right now?

I'll get totes shamed for not knowing when to stay down! I mean, embarrassing much!? I'd rather die than have to put up with that!

What do you mean? Surviving is a victory. Nothing'll come of your return to the Throne besides the ones in charge catching a break. One less payment to make.

You know, that kinda makes sense. That's the one thing I don't want: to make them happy.

Then we have a deal! Stop with the sparkles!

...This is totes not how I thought this would go... But, fine. You won and all, so I guess I gotta do what you say. Guess we can be mutuals. I'll send a request.

Saber, Suzuka Gozen, at your service!

It's good to come out of this a little stronger. Let's head back to the front from here.

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...! No, this is...!

...! No, this is...!

Fujimaru!

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...!

Melt!? ...Oh no! She's falling!

Attacking someone in midair, eh!? You've got some nerve! What's beneath us, Suzuka!?

The lowest level of SE.RA.PH, the refuse dump! But before we get to that... We've got problems of our own!

Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Enough of your hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-ing! If you've got nothing good to say, then zip it!

All right, we're in business! The calculations are finally complete!

But we only have about five minutes at best! In SE.RA.PH time, that's eight hours until we reach the seabed!

Now that we know our rate of descent has increased, we're going to have to move our timetable up!

Fujimaru! How is the Sentinel battle coming!?

Don't tell me you haven't wrapped things up yet! Tch, just give me a sitrep!

All right. Got it. Well done, Fujimaru.

Now that you've secured a route to the center, get your people back to the church for now.

I'll be accompanying you to the planetarium, as is my duty. Now, hurry. Eight hours will blow right by.

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Are you insane? Suzuka Gozen said she fell down an inaccessible chasm. If you go down there...how do you plan on getting back out?

I suppose that rules out any rescue mission. That is unfortunate.

...Sorry. I stepped away for a moment.

I have a lot on my mind right now. I didn't mean to be so hard on you, Mable.

...So, Fujimaru. Let me make this abundantly clear so you do not misunderstand.

You're a Master of the prestigious Chaldea. It's your duty to save us and Seraphix.

Now, repeat this order back to me verbatim: you are to return to the church immediately and accompany us to the planetarium. Understood?

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Enough. No more of this foolishness! You are not seriously telling me that you're planning to waste time trying to rescue that Alter Ego after it fell into that pit.

Your job is done! That thing is dead! And that's your mission here: to dispose of monsters like the Alter Egos!

Your insubordination ends here. You are to follow my orders to the letter, understand?

Let me remind you who will be reporting on your performance when this is over: me, that's who.

You've fought tirelessly for our cause up to now. Don't let one stupid decision undo all the good work you've done up to this point, Fujimaru.

I'll pretend I didn't hear what you said just now, and you will begin to make your way to

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The way? There's only one way: down. Got any rope there, Mr. Edgelord? Or a ladder, maybe?

...A tow cable would do the trick. We can extend it with magical energy, but...five kilometers, tops.

Well, that's gonna be close. Can we count on you to remain here and take care of the wire, Mr. Edgelord?

So, I'm the one who has to pull you back up, huh? Who's going with Fujimaru?

Me, duh.

As for Passionlip... Hmm. You should sit this one out! The wire'll never hold you!

Hey, don't make fun of my weight! ...Okay, fine. I'm a little heavy, but so what?

As for the foolish feline over here... (Sigh) You'll have to stay here, too. Besides, it's obvious that spellwork earlier took its toll on you.

And Mr. Edgelord here could use the support. So just chill here, 'kay?

Gnnn... Fine! You got it. I await your return, Master!

All right. Let's get going, Fujimaru.

Meltryllis is your Servant, right? Then you're only doing what a dope Master should!

Ngh...!

...Albrecht, Albrecht. I miss you so. Don't let go of me this time.

You say you came from a place called Chaldea? Alone, and without a Servant?

If so, will you form a contract with me? As you can see, I have lost everything...

...But still, I shall dedicate the Cursed Sword Giselle to your cause. I will fight for you till the very end...because you found me.

...It's not that we hate humans. It's that we're afraid of them.

I mean, they all laugh at us and treat us like monsters. We are all so acutely aware of that.

You see I'm...not used to holding hands...like this. This is a first for me.

Oh? Why would you be disappointed that I've returned to my full strength? It's thanks to you, you know.

What do you mean my tone has changed? Do you have a problem with my attitude, too? Well, what did you expect? This is who I am, after all.

But...what remains in my heart will never change, my sweet Fujimaru.

I might grow weak, I might grow ugly... But I will never, ever forget.

The time we've spent together will be a part of me forever.

Not all swans that know they're different will fly away from their muddy lake. Don't you think?

...Yeah, it's all so...

"Even if my wings are broken...I'll still fly to your aid."

...

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...It doesn't matter. I don't care that you came to save me, or how you did it.

Just hold my hand. Now.

Hold it tight. Tight enough to break it.

...I won't be able to feel it otherwise. My sense of touch...it isn't the best...

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Hey, if you found her, could you like, at least let me know?

Oh, you're here too, Suzuka. Well... I guess I shouldn't count my blessings. It'd be dangerous for Master to have come alone.

Wow, rude. Sooo sorry to be a third wheel, but this really isn't the time to be trading barbs, don't you think?

Do you have any idea how many enemies are on our tail!? Save the pleasantries for later!

So time for my next mission, Fujimaru! Melt can't dance, so I'll dance for her!

Oh, c'mon! This is such BS! They just keep coming...! I am like totally wiped after that heart-thing!

Ngggh... If only I had time to recover...!

Ugh, will you just like, stop calling me that? It's super cringe.

Still, good point! I'd forgotten about that!

Oh, uh, right! I knew that! Totes didn't forget or anything! C'mon, everyone, let's head back up!

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...What!? The cable's been cut!? Did that edgelord loser ditch us!?

That sounded like...the most melodramatic harp of all time...

Ending up as compacted filth at the earth's depths is not how I envisioned my final parting.

To have my eternal melody reduced to no more than hellish death metal... Nothing has ever saddened me so much.

(Nice delivery, Tristan! You must've been planning that one for a while! Signature phrase and everything!)

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No need for thanks; I'm merely carrying out orders. Arnold was insistent that I bring you back myself.

...But I am pleased to see you unscathed, all things considered.

Um, thanks for the help, but how did you get down here? The cable that's used to haul us back up top has been cut!

Such a height is a mild feat for me. Even without a rope and harness, such a descent is ease itself.

...Indeed. Leaping from a spire and gliding is a trifling thing for a Knight of the Round Table such as myself.

The problem, of course, is that the descent is far easier than the ascent. I am no bird, and so cannot fly.

Fortunately, you all have a way around that problem, don't you? I hope it would not be imposing to request to be allowed to employ that means with you.

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Okay, like, normally I am ALL ABOUT that androgynous pretty boy look, but the lunkhead bit is a big turnoff.

I get it, Suzuka, I REALLY do, but can we FOCUS!? We're counting on you!

The route to the planetarium is still open, and I'm sure the Seraphix personnel are anxious to get the heck out of here.

...We can't let Arnold in that room, though. He'll self-destruct from all the inappropriate desires it's bound to unleash in him.

Much as I wish you could head up there and knock some sense into that jerk, it's probably a lost cause.

Wait, are you saying you've been inside the Core!? Not even I'm allowed in there!

...N-not exactly. I just heard some stories. Wait. Isn't this the Calf? That must mean...

...Your former workplacethe Cruel Thenaris just ahead, Melt.

And that means...more struggling and scrambling around for our heroes!

...Or perhaps you're so far down in SE.RA.PH that you truly see yourselves as bugs now too!?

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You guessed it! The all-purpose, ever-watchful AI who's been monitoring you all this time... BB, at your service!

Hello there, Senpai. Oh, and all you other traitors too.

Are you enjoying yourselves down here? You've been gone so long I was beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten about little old me.

Sorry to say I haven't forgotten about you, though!

I show up when you least want me to. I'm like a joker during a game of old maid.

And like the filthy cockroaches scuttling around my proverbial kitchen that you are, I'll just have to squish YOU with my slippers!

...The Saber and I are the only ones who can fight. Is that why you showed up?

Thought you'd take advantage of our apparent weakness and finish us off, perhaps? Pah!

Hmph. Don't let my looks deceive you.

No one can withstand the fury of the great devil known as BB-chan.

I won't even break the rules, either. For I was the AI called upon to manage the Holy Grail War.

And that means, I play the game fair and square. No matter how much of a mistake this version of SE.RA.PH has turned out to be.

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Uh oh! I think I gave you too big of a hint there! But no matter. No more Ms. Nice AI!

Did you really think I'd just teleport you back up to the top? Au contraire! I'm sending you even further down! Down to SE.RA.PH's deepest depths!

...Now then. SE.RA.PH will reach the bottom of the sea in just five and a half hours, or three minutes and change on the outside.

That means you don't have enough time to turn the tables, or even climb back up, for that matter.

Calm down, Arnold! Something must have happened! I'm sure he didn't mean to do it!

Huh!? Didn't mean to do it...!? He cut me off!

How could he do that after I treated him so well!

I'm in charge here! Me!

The director, deputy director, department manager, and the medical staff... ALL of them died a long time ago! I made sure of that!

The only one around here who's worth a damn is ME! You got that, Mable!?

Q-quite right. Only you, Arnold. Now, would you please calm down?

(Ugh... Thank goodness he doesn't know I'm also a Rockefella graduate... I've never been so happy to blend in!)

...Dammit. It's time we threw out the rule book and got ours hands dirty. We're running out of time. What is it, just under four minutes left, Mable?

I need a way to force Fujimaru into line and get him to follow my orders.

But how...? If he had a partner, I could've taken them hostage... But it looks like a solo mission.

Maybe I could get some poison from the sick bay...? But that would mean returning alone to the Command Room...

Ah!? Wh-who's there!? Is that you, Tristan!?

Calm down, Arnold. Tristan's long gone, remember?

He went down to get Fujimaru, like you ordered.

Don't you think I know that! But if not him, then who else could be creeping up on

Well, this is quite the mess. I think it's time someone "cleaned up" this place.

The mouthy Archer! You're back! Why are you alone?

Never mind! Perfect timing! I'm ordering you to get to the sick bay, ASAP. It's next to the Command Room.

Inside, there's a display case with some Type-8 B-Toxin. I want you to

Sorry, Beckman, but I'm short on time. Yammer all you like in hell.

H-huh? Wh-what, what d-did you...!?

...

...

That's all the Seraphix personnel dead. Killed in the line of duty. Now this Animusphere experiment will never be repeated.

...All that's left to destroy is the planetarium.

Their investigation into what's in there and what went on is none of my concern.

You've always been this way, haven't you? Nothing and no one gets between you and your goal, mmm?

!

No...no, no, no. This Spirit Origin pattern... It can't be...!

Oh, you haven't forgotten me already, have you?

Or perhaps those memories were stripped away when you became a Heroic Spirit?

Once upon a time, a new cult grew to prominence. It made believers out of people everywhere. Scientists, politicians, those in power, people the world over.

It offered righteous salvation. A movement of people lacking a desire for profit, absent of political opinion. No thought or possession, you might say.

They were a movement of wounded souls and talented loners, all unable to find their own place in the world.

They had talent, and the genius to save the whole world. And yet...so much of that world viewed them with nothing more than suspicion.

There was nothing evil about the group, though. In fact, there was not an evil soul to be found among them.

Well...except, perhaps, for the woman who founded it...

You...! It's you!

You killed them. You killed everyone in that building to get to her.

Of course, they would not allow me to be murdered. Killing was the only way they could be sure not to lose me.

But...you crushed them all. You crushed them like ants.

And after all that, you even killed me. You did, didn't you? Kill me, I mean.

...Oh I ended you all right. Your mortal life, at least...

That's right. But you couldn't kill my essence. Maybe if I'd existed in your world...

Yeees... I am sure I would have gladly leaped from that roof. Truly, thoughif anything at allI was bored.

You played at being an "ally of justice" but in truth...you were an absurd, insignificant little speck.

Ngh...!

Now, now. I cannot have you running amok, can I? It would be so very, very easy to snap off each of your limbs...

There can be no question of you escaping. It would be futile to try.

You butchered innocent people. Oh, how that will haunt you for eternity.

Isn't that right? You hardly needed the help of a wicked woman like me to find your own way to hell.

You cannot forgive anything, cannot reconcile with any evil. And that puts you beyond all hope of salvation.

After all, human hearts are not made of steel, are they?

If nothing else, like the Saber I consumed here, you will reach enlightenment in death.

And finally, the truth about the me of your world becomes clear...

...I see the reason why someone like you would go so far as to twist and pervert his own beliefs just to kill me.

...I'm afraid that it is only sensible now that I kill you. There is no other way.

It was you, and you alone, who sensed what the me of your world would eventually become...