Fate/Grand Order story · Events, Concave Illogical Number, Imaginary Trench
Final Act: Firing a Salute to the Abyss
Concave Illogical Number, Imaginary Trench. Nautilus
1 scenes, 301 lines
1. Before the battle
301 lines
Well, everyone, I'm proud to announce Operation: Imaginary Scramble is complete, and without a single casualty.
And it's all thanks to all of you, crew and passengers alike. In fact, I'd say...you're all part of the Nautilus's crew now.
I only wish I could have been a better leader. I was a complete failure as captain, from start to finish.
Well that's just not true.
Don't be silly. You were great.
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Master is right! You were so cool when you called out to me back there... Ehehe, even just remembering it makes me smile!
It's true! Nobody here is at all disappointed in your performance as captain!
Now you're just embarrassing me... Still, I do feel like I learned and grew a lot on this voyage, despite being a Servant.
So once again... Thank you. All of you.
...So how are we going to get out of this place?
As a matter of fact, Van Gogh and I have already discussed that.
By the way, is it all right if I still call you "Van Gogh"? Would you prefer "Clytie"?
Van Gogh is fine! I still have Vincent van Gogh's talent and can paint the same paintings he did, so I think it suits me fine!
I might still end up going through the occasional identity crisis in the future...
But in general, I'm looking forward to being a Greek girl who uses "Van Gogh" as a pseudonym!
A pseudonym, huh? I'm all for it. Go ahead an' call yourself whatever you like. Say, once we get back ta Chaldea, how'd ya like to collaborate?
Ooh, that sounds amazing! Although the Van Gogh part of me feels like I'm supposed to criticize you incessantly until you get sick of me...
Hey, just 'cause ya got Van Gogh's memories don't mean you gotta do everything he did.
Oh man, two art legends working together before my very eyes!? Sugoincredible! I've never been happier to be a Heroic Spirit! Though I'm also terrified for what this means for next year's ServantFes!
This is all delightfully heartwarming... but it's also taken us quite a ways off track, no?
Ehehe, you're right. Sorry about that... Okay, let me explain.
This final area has lots of resources just floating around from the wreckage of my giant spirit body.
So, if we combine those resources with the surplus we already have on the ship...
...the Nautilus can transform them into pure magical energy and make them into a Holy Grail.
Really!? Is that even possible!?
Ehehe. Luckily, there's so much magical energy here that I can easily meet the conditions to make a Holy Grail just by altering Void Space a little.
Once we have the Holy Grail, we can use it to restore Void Space back to how it used to be no problem. We can even give it new protections that'll make it harder to be invaded again.
After that, the Nautilus can easily emerge from its Zero Sail, and Chaldea can collect the rest of the Holy Grail.
Ehehe, and just like that, everyone's happy.
There you have it. That should work, right, Professor?
Hmm. The idea of using a powerful artifact like a Holy Grail as casually as any other item is pretty humbling, but it does definitely seem possible.
If you like, I could do it right now...
That easy, huh?
Why not? Go for it.
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Ehehe, okay then, here goes...
...
...Um, maybe you could all talk about something else while I do this? It'd be kind of awkward otherwise... Ehehe.
...
So the marines are basically just autonomous familiars now, huh?
Yup, thanks to a certain tomboy Servant messin' with them. Can't have 'em revoltin' on us again, can we?
Haha, sorry about that... Wait, hold up a sec. I don't remember doin' anything to mess them up...
I hate to say it, but I think this just goes to show how much weaker we Nemos were deep down than we realized.
I don't buy that. We had to scrutinize ourself intensely to split up like this in the first place, after all. I think it has to be a bug in the Memory Partition process.
I dunno; Captain can be kind of an imbecile sometimes. What do you think, Baker?
Gosh, I don't know. It's hard to say...
Eesh. Can't pick a side, huh?
Come to think of it...
Hey, Fran?
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Uh?
What happened after we got cut off?
Remember when we lost contact? What happened afterward?
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Oh. Van Gogh used another Noble Phantasm. It was all "Nyroom, dun dun dun, kablam!"
Van Gogh's second Noble Phantasm, huh? Sounds awesome.
I wish I could've seen it.
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Yes, I would have liked to see what kind of picture it was, too.
Oh! Maybe it was Le Père Tanguy? The one she used back when she saved our lives the first time?
Huh? Le Père Tanguy?
Oh, whoops. Sorry for distracting you.
Are you able to talk while doing that?
Huh?
I was relatively mentally stable when I painted that picture, so those on the other side were never really interested in it...
As Clytie van Gogh, the only Noble Phantasms I have are De Sterrennacht and Het Gele Huis...
I can still paint the picture though. But...why did we start talking about Tanguy, anyway?
Well, anyway, while we were talking, ehehe, I just about finished the Holy Grail.
Wow, that really was quick and easy.
I think the first one who brought up Tanguy was
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As it happens, I actually do remember what happened when Van Gogh used her Noble Phantasm...
Huh?
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Xiang Yu?
Did you just attack Yang Guifei?
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...So, you tried to end me in a single blow, huh, Hegemon-King?
Too bad it didn't work♪ Even your insanely sharp blade couldn't cut me off from the chaos of the stars.
X-Xiang Yu!?
Lady Yang Guifei!? What are you doing...?
Thanks for the Holy Grail, Goghie! I'll be taking this now, okay?
...I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to. We're both Foreigners, and besides, I like you. So...just stay back.
What's the meaning of this, Yang Guifei?
Stop. Put down the Holy Grail. Right now.
What she said. Otherwise, I'll fill you so full of holes you'll be emptier than the Void Sea.
C-come on, Yu-Yu, cut it out! Tell me this is just some kind of victory prank!
Nnn, I'm afraid it's nothing like that, Batty. In fact, it might be an especially bad ending for you.
Don't you ignore me!
Don't worry, Master! I'll put an end to this!
Ghh!?
I know I might not look like it, but I'm actually a pretty hard worker.
And I've been working eeextra hard studying your weaknesses to make sure none of you could stop me here. So I don't think anything you try will work.
Now, let's try this again, Master. I'm going to neutralize you now, okay♪
...Juuust kidding.
Ah... Ah... Ah...
Burn them...all...
Eeek! What are you doing, Marine!? Aah! Get away from me!!!
Byaaaaaah! Quit it! Let go of me! Yameteee!
Hey! Watch where you're grabbing me! I'm a star, youHuh!? I can't liquify my body!?
Iä...I...ä...
Baker!? Not you too!? What's wrong with her, Professor!?
I don't know! She and the marines are all completely out of control! Captain, I think it's time to use your root-level authority!
That's not working either! What did you do, Yang Guifei!?
I gave out little...gifts and made sure all my bases were covered while I waited for all of you to let your guard down.
So now that it's the final stage, and I'm positively overflowing with eldritch power, I decided it was finally time to make my move!
What kind of power did you say you had?
Now you're just being ridiculous...
Oh, but I'm not. I'm veeery serious♪
Eldritch power is an indescribable, incredibly evil power that comes straight from the outer universe.
It's often tied directly to madness, and is used by the evil gods to bring great disaster upon you all.
Say, for example, making the summoning system bug out and connect directly to the Throne♪
Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I don't sound very serious right now, do I? Let me fix that.
Hehehe. Good day to you all once again, crew of the Nautilus.
Though I bear you no ill will, I'm afraid my ultimate goals and your continued existence are mutually exclusive.
So I must be your enemy now.
Th...this is all my fault...
If I hadn't used De Sterrennacht...then Lady Yang Guifei would never have allied with an evil god!
Oh, no, no, Lady Van Gogh. Touching though your concern is, it is laughably inaccurate.
Does that mean...you've been betraying us from the very start!?
Obviously. I, too, am a Foreigner who heard the call and came here through the Throne.
Deeper. Deeper. Further. Further... Hehehe.
Th-that can't be right! The evil god that was haunting me only had me call out to gods from the same alliance!
I know it reached Hokusai, but none of the others made so much as a peep!
Yes, that's true. But fortunately, my beloved emperor has more than the necessary connections to vacate a seat for me.
And since that accursed being seems to be none the wiser this time, my beloved emperor ordered me to take advantage of this vacated seat to...let my hair down, so to speak.
So I made my way to the Throne and answered the summon just as planned.
Isn't that right, Emperor?
Huh? Master...?
...
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Hehe, hehehe. I swear, Emperor, you played it so cool you had me a bit worried at times.
Still, even knowing you were just playing around, it has been the thrill of a lifetime to follow your orders...
At any rate, I now have the Holy Grail, just as we planned. What would you have me do with it, my beloved Emperor?
...
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Ahh, yes, I see, I see.
So you wish the festivities to continue? For even more feverish dancing than ever before?
Senpai!? What are you saying!?
(I can't move!)
(I can't say anything!)
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Don't listen, Mash.
She's mad.
Huh? Wha
Now I see. In her delirium, she's completely given in to the voices in her head.
You're one to talk... Fujimaru, just say the word, and I'll kill her right here and now.
Wait! Stop! Come on, Yu-Yu, snap out of iiit!!!
This doesn't make sense... I could have sworn you were telling the truth when you made your summoning pledge!
Oh? As I recall, I said something along these lines:
I am aware that I, too, am a defender of humanity, and I also have no desire for revenge.
And of course, since my beloved emperor has no desire to see humanity destroyed, I will gladly ignore the temptations of other gods and devote myself wholly to him.
To that end, I am even prepared to be bound with a Command Spell.
However, Emperor...if you were to wish for depravity or destruction, I would not hesitate to enact your will.
Now, tell me, my beloved emperor! What is your command!?
Depravity...
Destruction...
Senpai!?
Uh, there. No more cursed doll.
Ah!
I can talk again!
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Yes! Yes! Yes! Your wish is my command, my beloved Emperor!
Forget what I just said! Just forget it!
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Holy Grail! My Emperor desires feverish festivities! A banquet of depravity and destruction!
I therefore summon the dark dancers of the stars, the foul Foreigners who have long been lurking at the edge of the abyss!
Huh!? The Heroic Spirit summoning system just activated by itself!
What? Huh!? Where did I just get summoned!?
Oh, Master! If you're here, does that mean I'm on the Nautilus!?
What's this!? It seems Mysterious Heroine XX has picked up the scent of a hidden extra mission! Overtime pay, here I come!
Hm? I could have sworn I summoned a third Servant as well...but, the maidens gathered here will suffice.
Now, allow me to infuse you with eldritch power!!!
Aaaaaah!
Whoa! What kind of craziness have I gotten myself into now!?
Gaaaaaah! Not me too!?
Hwaaaaaa!?
I'm sorry, Master... I really am a bad girl...
Last night's drawing wasn't enough. Not nearly enough...
...Hehe, hehehe... Ahh, whatever am I going to do?
Now that I'm a bad girl, I think I'll take out all my frustration at being left home alone on you!
Master... I've only been pretending to depend on your handouts... The truth is, I've been squirreling money away...
I've been studying hard in between missions...and making solid, boring investments in space stocks, space finance, and space cryptocurrency...
All so that...I can eventually make my way out of this seemingly endless hell of working for the space man...and enjoy something like retirement...in my old age...
I ask of you: Are you my fiancé? If you are not... then you have no right to mess with my side gigs!
...So, uh, y'know...
Sorry about this, Master...
Once I saw Oei kickin' up a storm, I couldn't help but wanna get in on the action myself!
I wanna take all my ink and dump it out into the Void Sea, then paint ta my heart's content! You can gimme that much, right!?
I... I...
Behold, Emperor! The dancers you requested are here and ready!
All the embodiments of evil you could ask for! The spine-tingling charms of the inner palace right before your eyes!
Now, we will hold a festival of indescribable madness! We will sing, dance, shoot, kill, and fight for control of the Void Sea! The winner will earn the right to rule over the next era on Earth!
That's right! The Great Foreigner Festival Void Sea Scramble you asked for is finally about to begin!
Are you listening!? I never asked for this!
You've entirely stopped listening to me, haven't you?
It's not that! She was never listening to you in the first place! We just never noticed since she's so damn smart!
On the surface, she pretended to help us, but on the inside, she's as insane and conspiratorial as Kiyohime and Raikou!
That was uncalled for! I'm just a little more motherly in my other Spirit Origin, that's all!
It looks like you Heroic Spirits are saying something, but I'm afraid I have no idea what it is♪
Now, come, dancers! Claim your territories, paint the sea with your preferred color, and partake in territorial warfare while we wait for our emperor to grace us with his presence!
The winner shall take all, both for the seas and the emperor! Now, let us be on our way! Ahahahaha!!!
(Speechless)
(Agape)
(Frozen in place)
Huh?
You're not going with them, Van Gogh?
...Are you still sane, Van Gogh? Even though you're in your final form?
Yes... Ehehe, though now I feel a little left out...
But how? The eldritch power clearly made all the others lose their minds.
Hmm. I really don't like forming hypotheses about such bizarre powers, but...
...maybe when we physically defeated her evil god's terminal and cut off her link, the eldritch power targeting her didn't take root?
Look. I just threw away all the Nemo Series' dolls.
...Huh? What were we just doing?
Ngh, my head hurts... Maybe my oven has a gas leak?
Geez, you got one of those dolls too, Baker? No wonder you were actin' so weird.
So we were infected with Mental Corruption we somehow couldn't notice even with our Memory Partition... This eldritch power is truly frightening.
...So, I know things are kind of weird right now, but...
This IS an existential crisis for humanity, right? I'm not just imagining things am I?
It definitely is.
Yup, this is a real doozy.
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It looks like we'll need to begin a second operation, Acting Commander!
Indeed. And fortunately, Fran has already shown us a path to victory.
All we need do is remove the terminals feeding the Foreigners eldritch power from the Outer Gods, and it should quell their rampage.
Once they have come to their senses, even if only for a moment, we should then be able to restrain them.
Say, you were really freaking out earlier, weren't you, Goddess?
Thanks for breaking it down, Goddess. Not scared anymore then?
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...Never mention that again. Now, Van Gogh, let me ask you this: Can you still use De Sterrennacht?
Huh!? Wh-why do you ask?
That Noble Phantasm can transform Foreigners' Spirit Origins, can it not?
Then could you not use it only to extract the Outer Gods' terminals from the Foreigners, thereby severing their link?
Of course, if that degree of control is beyond your ability, then it would be far too risky to attempt...
...I'll do it! I know I can do it!
Now that I'm free of that evil god's tentacles, I'll do whatever it takes to be more helpful, Master!
Besides, if I can bring everyone back...ehehe, that would be awesome... I've always wanted to be the MVP...
You're so cool, Goghie!
You're so cute, Goghie!
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It looks like Van Gogh staying behind may just be the silver lining we need, Senpai!
Nnn, I guess that just leaves one big question. I'm pretty sure the Chaldea Foreigners will be okay once we knock the crazy outta them...
But what about Yu-Yu? It seemed like her madness ran pretty deep...
We should kill her.
I agree. But
Sorry, but no.
I'm not willing to do that.
So this isn't over yet, huh... Oh, fine. Just be warned that I'm using the pool for at least three days straight once we get back to Chaldea.
Excuse me...
Huh?
Who's there?
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It seems in all the commotion, I was summoned along with the others.
I tried to announce my presence, though it fell on deaf ears amidst those Foreigners' obnoxious ravings. Not one of you acknowledged my presence.
Kehe, would it be all right if I cried for a bit, Master?
I-I'm sorry for overlooking you...
I swear I didn't see you until now...
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That does nothing to make me feel better! (Sniff...)
Wait, no! You're insolent fools who should be begging forgiveness for failing to notice my imperial presence! I should carve my crest into your hides for this!
Hang on...
I think this might be just what we need to get us out of this new eldritch nightmare, Acting Commander!
Wu Zetian is from Tang dynasty China, and she's the grandmother of Emperor Xuanzong, the same emperor Yang Guifei calls her beloved!
With that kind of connection, I think we might be able to restore Yang Guifei to her senses as well!
Please help us, Nite-Brite!
We need your help, Nite-Brite!
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Oh!? So you would atone for ignoring me by thrusting me into the spotlight now!? Very well, I shall forgive your transgression just this once! Go on then, make the spotlight even brighter!
That aside, it sounds as though the tentacle girl who summoned us here is the one called Yang Yuhuan I have been hearing about as of late?
Then, does that mean the beloved emperor she speaks of is that Li Longji brat?
Oh ho hooo, interesting. Then it would seem the time has come to let my dark, sadistic side run free once more!
Come, ferryman, let us set off at once! I shall turn these Foreigners' seas into an ocean of poison and blood! Keh heh heh!
I could do without the poison and blood part, but it sounds good apart from that. Let's get going, Fujimaru!
We have to snap them back to their senses before it's too late!
My calculations never predicted that Wu Zetian would come to our aid... Now it just remains to be seen if this turn of events bodes well or ill...
Aah! Sorry, Xiang Yu, I forgot! Come on, Professor and Nurse! We need to get him back up and running!
Once we're done with that...I'll join the fight, too!
Now that all of humanity is at stake, it's time for our last stand! I'll do whatever it takes to stop it! I'll even use the protection of the sea that dwells within me for hand-to-hand combat!
Scáthach-Skadi... Osakabehime... Xiang Yu... Van Gogh... All of you! This will be our last, most difficult battle yet, but I know we can win together!
Nemo...!
Ehehe, I'm so happy we'll get to fight together!
Oh, and since Lady Yang Guifei obviously isn't here to project visuals we can see onto void entities anymore, I'll do my best to take her place...
I'll also diffuse the rainbow-colored arche so we can perceive it safely and make the bridge a little more cheerful, since, ehehe, we'll need all the mental solace we can get...
After all, from here on, we'll be facing something completely different from the logically mad void world we've seen so far... Now, it's a void full of otherworldly malice and outer space madness...
So I have to hide it with rainbows and caricatures...or else, we'll all go mad ourselves in an instant... Ehehe.
Oh, and if you happen to notice any imperceptible hostility while I'm cautiously painting...ehehe, please make sure to close your eyes, okay?