Section 8: Punisher Girl (2/2)

All right, now we know where to go.

And that little girl's gonna be waiting there for us, huh.

That's right. We'll finally get to face Abigail again.

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Hmm, real talk here: Do any of you think we can beat her?

I mean, there's something in this Singularity that's making her ridiculously strong, right?

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That's true. I'm not sure what we'll be able to do against her...

Um...

We'll just have to give it a shot and see how it goes.

You're not thinking you can just blow yourself up if worse comes to worst, are you?

...Of course not. Not once in my entire life have I seen blowing myself up as the solution to any problem.

Quiet, you, before I make you get down and worship the ground I walk on.

No, I really haven't.

Besides, blowing myself up might help me out, but it wouldn't do anything to help the rest of you, right?

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Well, then our best option is to hit her as hard and fast as we can and hope for the best.

Are you sure that's all we can do, Lord Emiya? Couldn't you copy a weapon that can strike at her weakness?

Not this time. Abigail's not a saint, or a legendary hero.

She's just an ordinary girl who gets her power from an extradimensional being, making her the edge case to beat all edge cases.

There's no myths or legends about her, which means there's no way for me to search for any weaknesses.

And if death and fear are what's giving her her power, then this whole Singularity is basically her territory.

So I'm guessing she probably doesn't have any weaknesses to exploit.

I see. That all sounds very convincing, much as I hate to admit it.

Um, excuse me...

If this whole Singularity is supporting her, we'll need to find a way to cut off that support before

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Oh good, I got your attention! It's about AbbyI mean, Abigail-senpai.

I think...I might just have figured out her weakness.

!?

It won't be long now before Master's group gets here.

So go away before they show up, would you?

Ouch.

Y-you're so cold. And not just to me; to everybody.

How can you be like that when I'm the one who summoned you here?

You may have summoned me here with the power of a Holy Grail, but we never formed a contract.

So that means we're just associates with a common goal. No more, no less. Right?

Th-that's awfully cheeky of you.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude.

Still, at least I'm easier to understand than she is, right?

W-well, yeah, I guess...

I know I had no idea what that... thing could be thinking, but still...

Really? That bad?

She IS our enemy...right?

Yes.

Man, why do there have to be so many enemies in the world? (Sniff...)

It's a little late to be asking that. Now, would you please go already?

Surely you don't have time to be wasting out here on pointless chitchat, do you?

...Fine. See you later...

Teeheeheehee. Love this lopsided really isn't any different from hate.

I wonder if she's aware of that? ...No, she probably isn't.

...Ooh, there they are.

Welcome. I take it you're all prepared to disappear forever then?

...Hi, Abby. I mean, Abigail-senpai.

Teeheehee. You remembered. Well done. Here, have a gummy.

So once we beat you, we can meet up with the other Chaldeans at this hotel, right?

You're still dreaming if you think that will ever happen...but, yes. At least in theory.

We'll just have to see who's dreaming.

Oh my, somebody's confident.

I wouldn't say confident so much as hesitantly certain. I know our odds aren't good.

Considering you've got this whole situation working in your favor, it's pretty clear we're outclassed.

But, that being said...

We'll still never know for sure unless we try.

...So that's your plan? Boring, trite, even reckless.

You sound like children confusing daydreams for reality. I think it's time I brought you back to your senses.

...Oh yes. By all means, give it your best shot.

Teehee. You're going to punish me? Go ahead then, Master. Try it.

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Fou fou fou!

Fou looks pretty worked up, too!

This is where dreams, and your journey, come to an end. Leave everything behind in reality, and give yourselves over to the abyss.

Now, come on.

Let's have some fun together, shall we? When I'm done with you, foolish Master, you won't know what healed you!

Ahaha, ahaha, ahahaha! How are you all doing? Are you still okay?

We're fine, as you can see. We can do this all day.

Don't be so stubborn, Mr. Archer. The more stubborn you all are...

...the more you'll drain your precious Master.

...Hmph. The braggadocio doesn't suit you at all, Master!

Oh really? Then why is your voice shaking?

Are you scared? Or is it just that my guess was right?

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Don't listen to her, Kouhai. You're our Master, not hers.

All you need to do is let us fight as hard as we can.

...!

Besides, it's your job to stand your ground here, right?

Ugh, you really are infuriating.

None of you are real. You're all as transient as dreams.

So how can you possibly treat your Master so rudely!?

I don't think I'm treating him rudely at all.

Why do you care, anyway? He's not YOUR Master.

...I...

Abigail-senpai? Can I ask you something?

...What is it?

This is just a hunch, but...

...are you trying to keep Fujimaru alive?

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You've been hostile to us all along, but you've never shown any hostility towards our Master.

You said we're tran... Tran... Um...

Transient? "Transient" means something that comes and goes in a flash.

Yes, that's it! Transient!

You said we Servants are transient dreams...

...and since you can't stand dreams, you also hate us.

But you don't hate Master. He's the exception.

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Yes, that's right! You Servants are all the same!

You go about living your new lives without a second thought, then leave your Master with nothing but scars after using up all his power whenever you save the world!

I think you have the wrong idea. We would never do anything to hurt Mas

Your very existence is hurting him!

As long as you're around, the wounds you inflict on your Master will never heal...

But no more. Now that I've been summoned here, I won't let you get away with it.

Even if all his other Servants dieeven if I have to kill them all...

...I'll make sure that Master enjoys eternal peace. That he never has to worry about anything ever again!

...I see. So that's how you really feel, huh, Abigail?

You've got a lot of nerve, looking down your nose like that.

I'm not looking down on you. That's why I'm about to crush you with my full power.

I didn't mean at us.

...Huh?

I meant at my kouhai.

Some humans don't think of loss and goodbyes as wounds. It's not a matter of being mentally strong or weak.

Now you listen to me good, little girl. My kouhai there?

He's made a name for himself by never backing down or giving up. I'm not sure he even knows how.

Why you...!

And not only that, he's also a total pushover. So much so, he even believes you've got a good heart deep down.

And on that note... You ARE sure about this, right, Kouhai?

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Wha...? Heh? Huh?

What are you talking about? What are you going to

Heads up, Abigail: Master here's about to find himself in a bit of a predicament.

A predicament?

If you want to save his life, your only choice is to form a contract with him and swear to obey him. All right, here goes...

Anti-Fling Rondo!!!

Wha...

What were you thiiiiiinking!?

Sh-she really did it. I still can't quite believe it...

Was this really the only way?

Maybe not, but it's the first one we came up with.

Speaking as someone in charge of keeping Master safe, I probably should have said something, but since he was on board with the idea, well...

I suppose all we can do now is hope that Master knows what he's doing...

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Wh-why are you doing this!? Go on, get down from there this instant!

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!!! Don't be ridiculous!

What possible obligation would I have to help you!?

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Hwa?

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Ghhh... Nghhh...!!!

Fine! You win, okay!?

Hold on tight, Master! I'm going to get you down safely!

...Heh.

Why are you smiling like that, Lord Emiya? Is there something you're proud of?

Oh, it's nothing.

I was just thinking how Servants really do enjoy having their Master trust them enough to catch them when they fall.

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You...

You jerk! You dummy! You nincompoop! You nitwit! What in the world were you thinking!?

Don't you know that if you died, everything would be ruined!?

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(Sniff)

There you have it, Abigail.

I can understand how a child like you would want to keep Master all to yourself, but

I-it's not like that!

Huh?

Then, what is it like, Senpai?

...It's...

Since you Servants are all just dreams...

...I thought it was up to me to protect Fujimaru's dreams...

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...!

...No fair. Now what am I supposed to do?

How could you trick me like this, you...hooligan! You're like the shrewd fox from an old fable!

...Unless...maybe someone else came up with this idea?

No, they didn't.

I did bring this up as a possible weakness of yours, but Fujimaru came up with the plan.

After all, we Servants are his guardians. We'd never suggest anything that would put him in that kind of danger.

That's for sure.

I might have said a few things to get the ball rolling too, but Master's definitely the one who took it and ran with it♪

Grrr... You big jerk! You shameless cretin! You coldhearted beast!

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Still, you did form a contract with him. Maybe now you can tell us what's going on here?

...I... (Out of breath)

...F-fine... Well? What did you want to know?

A lot. But first things first

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Weeell...