Final Game: Battle of Shinjuku

...

Grrr?

...Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks, Koyo.

？！

More or less. There's a trick to it.

Koyo's nothing like me. She's a real grown-up. She's always calm, and collected, and super considerate...

Right, Voyager?

Definitely.

...You didn't have to agree THAT quickly.

Rrr...

Oh! Did she just smile?

Yup. Not that hard, right?

Right!

...I see. So this is how you support one another in Akihabara.

...At least...I think so.

You poor thing. You must really want to go home, huh?

...I used to think so. That's been the only thing on my mind since I came to this world.

But now...I'm not so sure.

Now, I'm wondering what this world really is, and why I'm here at all.

That evil spirit pretending to be Queen Marie said she was going to sully me.

But in my Akihabara, the evil spirits were like my neighbors.

They were extremely dangerous, sure, but I had to use them in order to protect myself.

Maybe this is their way of taking revenge on me? Because they're mad at how I've been treating them?

Especially now that I'm no longer human, but an autonomous, summoned wraith... A S-Servant.

Why...I'm you, Erice.

And this time, I'm going to sully the entirety of Monde du Jeu itself!

It didn't look to me like she was trying to kill you for amusement.

As far as I can tell, this evil spirit still needs you, since you were its original host.

Well, while I'm glad my name has been cleared...

...the idea of someone with my face running around getting up to no good still doesn't sit right with me.

Besides, she's the one who arranged this trap, and got all the Chaldean Servants mixed up in this mess.

So we have to stop her once and for all, so she can never get up to no good again!

And one more thing. When this is all over, Erice, it'd be lovely if you came back to Chaldea with us.

Assuming that's what you and Master want too, of course.

I...I couldn't.

？！

...

(It's a wonderful idea, but...)

(...in order to do that, we first need to free her from the Monde du Jeu...)

By the way, there's something that's been nagging at me.

Does anyone know where this tram is headed?

I mean, there were five mystery games in total, and I thought we had cleared them all, so...

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Good point, Senpai. That's probably what it is. But there's still a larger problem.

Who planned all this in the first place, and why? Was it all just Dark Marie?

And if she was behind everything...

Even if this massive, complicated, but still almost amiable trap was her goal right from the beginning

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Right... Our actions changed the game, and the different rules led to different developments.

So the plan couldn't have gone perfectly from the start.

Which I guess means we have no way to predict where this tram will ultimately end up.

...

It's okay, Erice. Don't worry.

You're not alone anymore.

Voyager?

Hey, where are you guys right now?

？！

We're currently on a tram that's transporting us between tiny worlds...though we still don't know where it's taking us.

Well, we have an emergency request for help here, and we're gonna need you guys to handle it.

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That thing's got windows on it, right? Take a look outside.

Hey, where are you guys right now?

？！

We're currently on a tram that's transporting us between tiny worlds...though we still don't know where it's taking us.

Well, we have an emergency request for help here, and we're gonna need you guys to handle it.

？！

That thing's got windows on it, right? Take a look outside.

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Over there, Senpai! Take a closer look!

There's something coming up from beneath the sea of stars!

It's...a giant game board!

？！

Look, Senpai, they're all still here. It looks like the five games we played before were all part of one huge board!

It looks like...a large city more than anything.

...I remember this place. I know this world.

Erice...

This is...Shinjuku.

The city where I was born.

Then it must be fate that you're here, Erice, because the people who live there need you to rescue them.

Rescue them? Me?

Some kind of darkness is eroding this city.

？！

Maybe, but it's the only way I can describe it.

Someone summoned some kind of thick, dark...gunk that's swallowing up the whole city.

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I'm sorry, who's Dark Marie?

Some kind of darkness is eroding this city.

？！

Maybe, but it's the only way I can describe it.

Someone summoned a kind of light-rejecting substance that looks a lot like mud that's swallowing up the whole city.

？！

I'm sorry, who's Dark Marie?

One of the evil spirits that haunts me. She took Marie Antoinette's form to manifest outside my body.

If she's doing something that could harm all the other Heroic Spirits here, then

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...Huh? What're you talking about? You're not planning to come with me, are you?

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Fujimaru... You really are hopeless, aren't you?

Oho. Looks like there was a big change when I wasn't looking.

I'm curious to know what happened... but I think that can wait for now.

Oho. Looks like there was a big change when I wasn't looking.

I'm curious to know what happened... but I think that can wait for now.

Okay, Erice, it's time to go face your past...

...so you can take back your present.

...

...I remember this place. Back when I still lived with my grandmother, our home was here.

How could I have forgotten it? Why couldn't I remember?

And why is this place...my past...

...only being exposed in this world now?

？！

...What do you mean? That can't be...

...On second thought, maybe I should listen to you. I mean, you must've seen so many strange worlds by now.

So I think...I can trust your experience and intuition.

...! I'm so glad to hear you say that.

Hehe. Okay, Fujimaru, tell me what you think.

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You mean, Erice's heart is responsible for creating the Monde du Jeu?

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The board game...means something? I'm not sure what you

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...

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Uh-huh. Erice and I formed a contract.

I said, "I ask you," and then

"Are you my Master?" ...I remember that.

So, what are you saying? You think that has some connection to this evil spirit uprising?

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...Yes, I did. They were branded on my left hand at the same time we formed the contract.

But they disappeared when I changed into this form.

？！

...!

No way... You're saying this whole worldthis entire gameis actually my Command Spells?

That the marks of our contract the Holy Grail gave me came back in this ridiculous new form after I lost them?

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Ah...

...I'd forgotten all about this place from my past. These are the memories I'd shut away deep in my heart.

So, now that we've solved the mystery of the Monde du Jeu, you're saying we've arrived at...

...what is actually my own wish come to life?

I'm a little taken aback by this too... but I can understand where Senpai's coming from.

In the Akihabara and Shinjuku from your world, everyone has their own personal Holy Grail, right?

And the Command Spells that show up on a Master's hand basically act as a terminal connecting back to that Holy Grail.

So since Holy Grails grant people's wishes, this world may have appeared as a reflection of your own unconscious desires.

In which case, the miracles Command Spells usually perform through Servants may have manifested more directly, in the form of the city we're in right now.

That's... Ahh... I hate to admit it, but you might be right.

This place is a secret from my past I thought I'd sealed awaya reminder of the hurt I tried not to think about.

Which means I was probably trying to destroy this world for the same reasons as Louis's Master.

I just wanted to destroy. I wanted to hurt myself, because it was the only proof that I was alive.

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Yeah, that's right. I'm an ignorant child. What could I possibly want to know now?

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I-I... Okay, that might be true, but still!

That doesn't give me the right to ruin everything else like this...

Hell, I don't even have the right to go on living, since I couldn't even atone for my own sins...

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Huh?

？！

...

So that's why this battle took the form of a board game.

The Holy Grail didn't do this to punish you. It did it to challenge you.

So, you're saying all of the Monde du Jeu is...a trial? A challenge?

That I secretly wanted...to atone for my sins?

That I wanted to keep on living, even though I'm a stupid embarrassment?

...

What's wrong, Erice? Please, don't look so forlorn.

Your Majesty... I'm sorry. I just couldn't bring myself to tell you about Louis...

Now, now. None of that. You have nothing to apologize for.

The Charles you met was already a Heroic Spirit. Life and death no longer mattered to him.

But, that doesn't change the fact that I killed him!

Only because you had no choice. You did it to protect yourself, not because you truly wanted to.

If you hadn't, there's every possibility that Charles would have killed you instead.

If anyone was keeping you on edge back here in Shinjuku and Akihabara, I think it had to be...well, you.

If your evil spirits took form in this world, then I'm just as much to blame for it as anyone.

Don't be silly, Your Majesty! I know you would never have wanted things to turn out like

Oh...

See? Sometimes, things turn out a certain way no matter how much we may wish otherwise.

It's all part of the ties Servants like us inevitably form.

As long as humanity's hope and potential can be shown in places that have transcended good and evil...

...then we'll always be able to prove our worth, no matter how sullied we may have become.

That's what it means to be a Heroic Spirit. To manifest as a Servant in this world. Isn't that right?

...I... I don't know. I still can't say for sure.

But! If that's true, then...

...I want to believe that someone like me becoming a Servant...

...won't be considered an insult to all the Heroic Spirits!

Then I want you to do something for me: hold your head high!

Your Majesty... I want to believe I can. I do!

But, the fact is...I'm cursed. I mean, you saw my terrible power for yourself!

Yes, I did. I could tell just how powerful that magical energy was.

It's the power of death itself. Honestly, it still frightens me. It's what caused this whole disaster in the first

Grrrrrrrrr!

Huh? Koyo?

Even I could tell what she was saying there.

You were warning us to be careful, weren't you?

Rrr!

I'm picking up some magical energy signals. Senpai, I think these might be

I don't like this. I've never seen those things before!

？！

Enemies straight ahead of the tram! Fortunately, we should be able to fight our way past them!

Get ready, SenI mean, Master! Here they come now!

...The battle is over. All the...um, imps have been destroyed.

But this is still only a taste of things to come, Senpai.

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Right. At worst...

...we could lose the entire Monde du Jeu, which is inextricably linked to Erice...

...Exactly.

...You guys should go back to Chaldea.

Huh? Where did that come from?

You still have that special space probe piece Voyager gave you, right? All you have to do is give it back to him.

That should announce your intentions to quit the game and let you leave this place.

It'd be the smart way to beat this game. Am I wrong?

...

I'm gonna go on ahead alone. Really, when you get right down to it, this whole thing is my problem to solve, anyway.

Now go on, hand your piece over and

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Huh? Why not? How can you be so blasé about

Because that's just who Senpai is, Erice.

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...Stop it. Quit teasing me! This is my mess to clean up!

You guys have much bigger things to worry about, right!? So go back and take care of them already!

You... You don't have to worry about that! I'm the one who needs to face her!

Ah! That's right... There are, aren't there?

And there's no guarantee they'll come back if you forfeit your player status...

...or that they'll ever be able to escape from their tokens...

？！

？！

Right... B-but then...

If I'm a Servant...then who summoned me...?

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I said stop it! What are you, stupid!?

Like...what right would someone like me have to be in Chaldea, among all those amazing Heroic Spirits? I mean, ME...?

It's impossible! There's no way I'd ever fit in there! Even in a million years, I could never

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Erice?

Khh... (Sniff)...

...

If the Monde du Jeu is destroyed, it would almost certainly affect your existence, too.

...

Grah! Rrr!

K-Koyo...

You're the one who guided us this far, aren't you, Voyager?

You brought us together so that we could help Erice find her way again.

Not exactly.

Oh?

I just showed you the way.

What happens next is up to Fujimaru and Erice.

...

I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm afraid more evil creatures are headed our way!

Ready to begin the exorcisms whenever you're ready, Senpai!

We've defeated all the enemies in sight. However

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Right, Master. We need to find where they're originating

You mean the other me? Yes, we do, or else this whole town will be swallowed up in darkness.

GrrrRRRrrr!

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Friends... Right...

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Right, Senpai! None of us is here alone. We have so many good friends here with us!

Damn! There's a ton of those things parading around in broad daylight!

Kabukicho's a heartbeat away form having to be completely quarantined! We'd better do something now, before the darkness does irreparable damage!

Exorcist squad, move out!

This is the exorcist squad, moving to the designated area now. Standing by for further instructions!

We shall take no prisoners today. Exorcise all evil spirits on sight!

That aside, I wonder what caused these vile imps to erupt from the underworld in such great numbers?

Hey guys, did you find which summoning gate they're coming from yet?

I'm working on it as we speak, but I'm afraid my poor back picked a hell of a time to start acting up!

Now that things have come to this, I'm afraid you'll just have to make do. If sacrifices must be made, then so be it.

Oh, it's you again. How is it you always seem to show up before I even realize you're here? ...And why, pray tell, are you looking at me like that!?

Both of you, shut up. You're ruining the scenery.

As tacticians, it's incumbent upon us to know when and where we need to be at all times.

My, my, you certainly are staring at that map intently, Lady Reines. What an elegant portrait you paint.

Considering the only strategy you know is "everybody dies," yes, my strategies tend to be a bit more elegant.

Indeed, these sorts of grand events don't come along every day. Best to enjoy them while we can.

Welp, so much for those guys being any help. I know delegating can be hard but they're just being bakas. Zero stars, would not do business with again.

Indeed. I think it would be for the best if we handled the intel gathering ourselves.

All right, let's see if we can't put together some solid meta.

Shall I whip up a quick wiki?

Oh, hang on, I'm getting a call. Yeees? Who is iiit?

This is Mash Kyrielight. I'm here with Master Fujimaru.

I have an important report to make regarding the source of these evil creatures!

...You mean the Chaldean Servants are all working together?

Did you order them to, Fujimaru?

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Then, they're doing it all of their own volition? That's amazing.

Well, part of it does have to do with the fact that they all got caught up in this new game to begin with, so...

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Oh man, all these cultural differences are seriously throwing me for a loop. Maybe I really can't fit in...

You can do it, Erice. I know you can.

Voyager...

Grrrrrrrrr!

There are more evil creatures headed this way? Thanks for the heads-up, Koyo.

Fujimaru, can I join Chaldea's response team, too?

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I don't know if this'll count as facing myself... but I'll make it work, one way or another.

I'm sure the evil spirits inside me aren't gonna be too happy about this...

...but nothing and nobody is getting sullied here on my watch!

Erice's Noble Phantasm has been released! It's even more powerful than I expected!

Wait. Is it because you and her share a magical energy connection now, Master?

？！

Then, is it because Erice is no longer doubting herself? If so, that bodes extremely well for the upcoming battles!

Do you really think so? I mean, this power of mine is the same darkness threatening Shinjuku right now.

If it turns out these evil creatures are actually coming from inside me, then

Are you still having trouble coming to terms with it?

...I'm not sure myself. But...

...

...

As terrible as my power might be, it can still be useful. That's good enough for me.

Come on, Fujimaru. Let's get going.

I want you to help me drive this evil out of my foolish self.

Thank you!

Never mind that now!

？！

Phew...

...

Do you think I did a good job?

I do. I'm relieved, Erice.

Oh good...

But I couldn't have done this without you guiding me, Voyager. Thank you.

Still, this isn't over yet, is it?

Nope.

Then we'd all better keep moving.

Yeah.

This is Charles Babbage with the transport team.

We've successfully taken control of the local tube, and are ready to supply other teams with talismans and exorcism spells.

This is Henry Jekyll with the research team.

We've just completed production on our first round of anti-evil spirit items.

I'd like you to double-check the inventory list yourself to be sure, but I can tell you we've got three thousand handmade talismans and one thousand amulets.

We're also working as fast as we can to deploy enough golems to bring everything where it's needed. At this rate, we should be able to cover everyone in all of Shinjuku.

Unfortunately, there are so many kinds of evil spirits that our individual analyses are having trouble keeping pace.

And that's not even getting into the root cause that's making them all in the first

Khh! No, not now. We need brains to win this battle, not brawn!

Then we'd better hurry the analysis, development, and production along. Any chance we can work in parallel?

Hey, don't you think I'd be more help on the front line than back here behind the scenes!?

Yes, I do, but I'm afraid we're too short on Eastern spirit exorcism experts to spare you.

There's nothing special about it. You've just gotta give them a good smack! And if that doesn't work, use a golden headband to give their noggin a good squeeze!

Well, then do you think you could hurry up with developing the headbands?

Oh, right. Sorry! The Buddha'll take care of it!

Just keep working. Right now, that's all we can do.

We also need a way to get these exorcism gear to where it's needed. Unfortunately, my golems are a bit inflexible in that regard, but...

Hey, hey! Hippogriff Home Delivery, at your service! I'll get that talisman where it needs to go♪

Thank you!

No problemo!

Hurry up, Stolfo! This isn't a game!

Ugh, don't you think I know that, Bradamante? You don't have to rush me.

Eeeeee!

Don't be scared. We're just gonna put this sticker on you.

Aaah!

...Huh. I guess she was telling the truth. But what was her deal, anyway?

...You know, this seal looks kind of creepy. And there's something written on it with a brush...

If I hand them out like this, I think I can put them on lots of people at once. Fly, little talismans, fly!

Stop scattering our precious talismans, Yu-Yu! We need all of them!

Here goes!

Yah!

Give it up!

Don't move.

...You know, I still have a hard time believing these talisman things can really drive these creatures off.

This is Bartholomew Roberts with the nautical team.

We've just finished sealing off the Mosaic Sea and all the rest of Shinjuku's waterways.

So far, still no luck finding any leads on Dark Queen Marie, the source of this black mist.

We'll continue to coordinate between ships to monitor the situation.

I repeat: we still have no leads on the whereabouts of Dark Queen Marie.

We'll continue to coordinate between ships to monitor the situation.

Phew. Now, where in the world could she be hiding? She can't possibly have slipped past everyone.

After all, if she looks just like Queen Marie, then she's gotta be just as beautiful.

Maybe even more so, since she must be styling her bangs the way that was all the rage back in the royal court.

Hold it!

...How rude. Didn't your parents ever teach you how to speak to strangers?

You're the culpritthe gate bringing all these monsters in, aren't you!? Cut it out right this instant!

Silence, commoner. Go back to the gutters you came from.

Aaah! Ruby, help!

Okay, but I really don't think we're qualified to handle someone like this!

Hehe... Hehehehe!

This is Illya! I found her! Wait! What're you...? Heeelp! Somebody help meee!

Are you okay, Illya!?

Yes, I'm fine! Thank you!

Where'd the other me go!?

That way!

Grrr?

Don't worry, Koyo. We'll find her.

Right, Voyager?

Uh-huh. She wants us to follow her.

Rrr...

What's wrong, Koyo? Why you look so sad?

...Come on. We need to find her before anyone else does.

This is Underworld Countermeasures HQ. We have located the summoning gate, Dark Marie.

Response team, ops members, move in and wrap this up ASAP.

I repeat: we have located the summoning gate, Dark Marie.

Erice and Dark Marie are facing off...!

...

Took you long enough.

I've still got time.

In fact, I had so much time to think that I realized a few things...

...including who you really are, Queenother Marie.

I could have told you that, Erice. In fact, I already did.

Now do you know what I meant when I said I was you?

...Yes, you are me. I see that clearly now.

Take a good look at me. Take a look at this cursed form dripping with dark blood.

Take a look at these horrific evil spirits whose hunger will never be satisfied.

They feed on hope and dreams of the future. And if they can't have that, they'll settle for my soul.

That's why they're drawn to mebecause I'm an easy target. At least, that's what I thought.

I didn't know who I was. I never tried to find out.

All I knew was that I was the only person in the world born without a Holy Grail, and with no bonded Servant.

Looking back now, I don't know how I could have ever believed I was just an ordinary human girl.

I guess that's just what I wanted to believe. And even more than that...

...I didn't want to know the truth.

I wanted to think that the evil spirits just showed up out of nowhere. That they came to haunt me, possess me, and consume me.

Because as long as I could convince myself of that...

...I could remain a pure, ordinary, flesh and blood human.

Maybe I could have even gone on convincing myself I was just like everyone else.

But now that you're here, Marie, I can't ignore the truth any longer.

It's true; you ARE me. Or rather, you're something that came from me.

There's no way you could have known about me and Louis otherwise.

You knew everything because you lived through everything I did. You knew my foolishness, and my weaknesses, even better than I did.

Yes, Marie, you're me. And you're an evil, impure spirit that came from me.

All these evil spirits are me.

They've been bubbling up from deep inside my flesh, my blood, my bones, and my guts this entire time.

They didn't just show up out of nowhere. They were born from me, created by me.

I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to accept it.

But now that I've met, and looked up to you, Marie... I finally realized the truth.

You're me. And I'm you.

We're not people. We're just things. Incomparably loathsome things!

...Good. It's about time you figured it out.

Now, come into my arms. Let me embrace you. Let me console you.

You'll feel so much better once I've laid you to rest for good. No dream will ever disturb you, and you'll never again have to awaken all alone in the middle of the night.

You can forget everything. All you have to do is let me consume you, until we are one and the same.

Now, come, Erice. Come to me!

...No. No! I'm staying right here! And I'm going to change who I am!

What?

Don't be ridiculous. There's nowhere else you could possibly go where you could

That's not true. There's still Chaldea!

Erice...!

Grrr!

Chaldea? Is that some kind of joke?

I'm serious.

So you don't care if they treat you like just another tool?

If even tools have wills of their own, doesn't that make them just as alive as anything else?

Raaah!

...

You cheeky little brat! One more outburst, and I'll have you strung up for treason.

Weren't you the one espousing a Servant revolution? Or was that entire speech just a ploy to lure me in?

Silence!

？！

Did you remember something, Senpai?

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...Now that you mention it, something did seem off about it.

Each of Marie's loyal knights said something that called everything into question before they passed...

That they'd found themselves lost without their accustomed roles as knights to fall back on.

？！

Come to think of it, Emiya said something about that, too!

As I recall, he said the werewolf would go after d'Eon for the same reason it went after Gilles...

What if that means d'Eon was struggling with the same problem Gilles was?

？！

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Right... And that decision led to the werewolf hunting them down.

I thought Amadeus was the one who set Gilles and d'Eon up, but thinking about it now...

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...! So that's why the werewolf went after them?

？！

...Is that what happened to Amadeus, too?

So, if someone cut them loose, then

Traitors deserve death. Insolent peons who don't know their place deserve penance.

It's only natural, don't you think?

Then, the real werewolf is

Me, yes. I'm the real werewolf.

But so what?

Sovereignty is far more powerful than any silly rules. No game can give you an excuse to ignore the authority of royalty.

Both Gilles and d'Eon overstepped their bounds when they abandoned their knightly duties.

Amadeus, at least, assessed the situation correctly, and remained loyal. That's why he had the good sense to choose death.

But a peon giving his life for his queen is merely doing what is expected of him. It is hardly praiseworthy.

I'm royalty, after all.

Listening to you makes me think that only someone truly inhuman could stand to be royalty.

Of course. To be royalty is to be equal to a god. No ordinary human could possibly measure up.

Well, I don't agree. At all.

Then go back to the Throne of Heroes, oh-so gracious Marie. Or Chaldea, if you don't like that.

But you, Erice, you belong to me. You ARE me, after all.

...No. I refuse. I've decided to live my life on my own terms.

I wasn't asking. If you think you can get away from me, you're sorely mistaken.

I'm not going anywhere! This city is my homemy battlefield!

Voyager! Lend me your strength! I need you now more than ever!

Of course, Erice. I'll always be here for you.

We can't sit this one out either, Senpai!

？！

Aaah... Aaaaaaaaah...

How unbearably hideous... This isn't me. This isn't meee!!!

(Huff...huff...)

We did it! Dark Marie is fatally wounded!

Her pseudo-spirit form is collapsing quickly! Now's our chance to finish her off!

...Master? What is it, Master? You look pale...

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...! Now I see.

Your magical energy connection must have grown even stronger now that she's unleashed her true potential.

Hehe. So what? It's just another role you have to play.

There are still chains tying you down... The destiny the Holy Grail gave you... All these rules of the grand game coiling around you like so many snakes.

Never forget, Erice. You're me...and I'm you...

...I know that.

But I still get to choose how I live my life.

...Right, Fujimaru? Mash?

？！

...Right, Erice.

I believe we can all choose our own futures. I really do.

Yeah... We can, can't we? But then... I don't think I found this way of living on my own.

You're the one who guided me to it, Voyager.

I did.

？！

...

...

This is Underworld Countermeasures HQ. We can confirm that the summoning gate has disappeared.

We're declaring the operation a success, and are disbanding our team effective immediately. You have all fought bravely, and we thank you for that.

I repeat, the operation is a success, and we are disbanding our team effective immediately. You have all fought bravely. Thank you.