Fate/Grand Order story · Events, Anti-Primate Biosphere, Tunguska Sanctuary
Section 13: Love is Fate, Fate is...
Anti-Primate Biosphere, Tunguska Sanctuary. 0
3 scenes, 293 lines
1. Before the battle
184 lines...The old Tunguska forest.
We're back on the bleached earth...
It's all the same everywhere you look...
？！
Yes, Senpai.
There's no more sign of NFF's headquarters, the Death Zone, or the Life Zone's verdant forests and babbling brooks...
They were here not too long ago, and now, they're all gone.
...No, that's not right.
Since this endless white is the present default state of the world...
...maybe it's more accurate to say it's gone back to the way it used to be.
Fooou.
Hmm. It really is all gone without a trace, huh?
Where's the world egg, Taigong Wang?
I hid it in a place time and space work a little differently.
It's not as out there as Void Space, but it should keep the egg safe from anyone trying to meddle with it.
Then, when the times comes... When the Trees of Emptiness's roots are gone, and the skies are clear once more...
...it will launch into space automatically, and no one will be the wiser.
So, set it and forget it, huh? Sounds good to me.
I don't blame you, after what you just pulled off.
Thank you, Lord Fujimaru.
I just hope I've succeeded, truly, in bringing this conflict to a mutually beneficial conclusion.
Thanks for helping with Koyanskaya.
I hardly did anything deserving of thanks. If anything, I should be thanking you for indulging me.
So, um, thank you. Hahahaha.
？！
...
Senpai?
...I just had a thought.
？！
Oh? Please, tell us.
You can't become an Evil of Humanity without genuine love for humanity.
That's what Abe-no-Seimei told us.
I remember. That was during the mission in Heian-kyo.
Oh, Little Seimei? I mean, uhh, are you talking about the one and only Abe-no-Seimei? I see.
So then, how did Koyanskaya become a Beast?
Ahh, now I see.
？！
An excellent question, and fortunately one I am happy to answer.
You know how I told her that she doesn't actually care about humans at all?
Yes, I remember. You said you used your sage arts...
Indeed, indeed. I used them to look into the very core of her essential nature.
Fou!
...Hmm, how can I put this...? You see, when I said she doesn't care about humans...
...I was, maybe, fibbing a little.
Wha...!?
Fibbing?
？！
Fou!?
Mo. Mo.
Hey now, settle down, Fou. You're scaring Sì Bú Xiàng.
...
So, uh... You're saying you lied?
Fou fooou!
Ow ow ow ow! But not in a bad way!
I promise you it wasn't some malicious deception or anything like that!
If there is a kind of lie you can justify telling, it's the kind I told her.
Your lie was justified...?
Yes, that's right. Although she actually does hate humanity...
...I sort of used that as a jumping-off point to...convince her otherwise.
I mean, she really did seem like she couldn't care less about humans, right?
That much was apparent in both her words and deeds.
The idea that she didn't care either way was both true and falsea lie, and not a lie.
So yes, she does hate humans, and was genuinely looking forward to witnessing their extinction.
But at the same time...
...given how she came into this world...
...she actually loves us, too.
Humans. Humanity. Humankind.
No matter how much we may burn down forests, or wipe out other species...
No matter how much she may be aware of the fact that she can never peacefully coexist with us...
She still sees usthe primates who claimed to dominate this worldas just another species of the animals she loves.
What's more, some animals even form bonds of friendship and love with humans.
She can neither deny nor ignore that.
All that is to say, she has genuine love for humankind.
...Which is also why she resents us so much. She absolutely meant it when she said she wanted us to die out.
The existence of the Death Zone, which was filled with animosity and the drive to murder humans... The various skills she acquired to kill us... Her Authority's manifestation...
All of that was quite genuine.
You remember those great horns she had, right? The mark of a mature Beast?
True, she did have those horns...
...Right. I saw them, too.
(Quietly nod)
？！
And so, my conclusion is...Koyanskaya does, in fact, love humans!
But, at the same time, she also hates them and wishes them dead!
So much so that it made her want to swear off humankind forever!
Fo fou!
Not that both loving and despising something at once is actually unusual.
That's no less true for humans than it is for Beasts.
Though, some of us are more aware of that fact than others.
... ...
...That's true.
I think all the other Beasts we've met so far...
...have held those same conflicting feelings, to different degrees.
...
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So, does that mean that Koyanskaya...
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...didn't want to hate us any more than she already did?
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She didn't want to hate us any more...?
Yes, I think I understand what you mean, Senpai.
Fou?
I think she chose to set sail across the sea of stars because she wanted to let go of that hate.
Not for humanity's sake...
...No, that's not right. She did it for ALL animals, including humans.
Oh. It looks like my time is up.
Fou fooou!
Aww, are you sad to see me go? That's so cute.
Mo. Mo.
Yes, yes, don't worry, Sì Bú Xiàng, we're still going to go.
Hahahaha, besides, it would be impossible to use a secret technique that would let us stick around, at least in this Spirit Origin.
Though it is hard to tell which reason it is, given the timing and everything.
Huh?
Hard to tell the reason for what?
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Well, I'm obviously about to return to the Throne. But why?
Is it because the Special Region is gone...
...and humanity finally came to collect a Rogue Servant who's been going around without even a Holy Grail keeping him here?
Or is it that I utterly demolished my Spirit Origin and Spirit Core by using a Divine Xian-level sage art?
Well? What do you think?
Of course, I'll accept my fate either way. I am obligated to fulfill my responsibilities.
Given how Tamamo Vitch Koyanskaya modeled herself...
...in the image of Dajithe Fair-faced Golden Fox that is...
...our culture is, in a way, partially responsible for her. And taking that responsibility falls to me.
But hey, at least I managed to do something about it!
(Nod heartily)
？！
Well, this is it! If we're fortunate enough to see each other again...
...I'd appreciate being summoned as a Caster next time. I might just be able to come as a Grand
Fo... Fou!?
Idiot. You're supposed to come up with your farewell line ahead of time!
Whup, looks like it's my time, too. Of course, I already know what I want to say.
This was a good fight. A good adventure.
I really enjoyed our journey together!
I did, too! We had a few difficult battles...
...but we saw some beautiful things along the way too.
Fooou!
So I really enjoyed myself, too!
I hope we can adventure together again someday!
So long, and thanks for all the fish, Nikitich!
？！
Bye, Chaldea! Don't go dying on us too soon now, you hear!?
Farewell!
...And just like that, they're gone.
Aww. I'm gonna miss having them around.
Taigong Wang... Sì Bú Xiàng... Nikitich... Dragon...
I never did regain my memories.
I really hope that doesn't mean I forget about all this after I get back to Chaldea, you know?
You won't. I promise.
Yeah... I'm sure you're right.
It's okay. If you do, I'll just tell you all about what happened again.
Fou!
Aww, are you trying to cheer me up?
Fo...
Fufufu!
Goodbye, great heroes! You guys were lots of fun to hang out with!
If we ever get to see each other again, I hope we can go drinking next time!
As long as there are soft drinks too, I'd be down.
I would, too. That sounds wonderful.
I think we forged a deep enough connection that we'll definitely see them again!
Yeah... I think so, too!
？！
Fou fou, fooou!
Senpai! It's the Shadow Border!
Hey, there you are! We got through!
You're both okay! And so's Ibuki-Douji, I see!
We're all okay, too! And don't worry, the Shadow Border's working just fine as well!
We even managed to get in touch with the Storm Border, so they should be coming by to pick us up any moment n
Yep, so you all stay right where you are, got that!?
Oh, and one more thing. I'll tell you again properly after you get back, but I think you should hear this now too.
Well done, both of you!
I'm considering this Koyanskaya hunt a great success, so make sure you two write your mission reports accordingly!
Yes, sir!
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Understood!
2. Before the battle
53 lines...Ahh, beautiful Beast.
A superlatively beautiful woman, your beauty undiminished by the dreadful harm you have done to this world and its people.
You were truly strong.
I lost more allies than I can count to you, many of whom I considered friends.
I'll never forget the battle I fought to capture you. I thought, so many times, that I was about to die.
But eventually, we won. We finally deposed the Shang dynasty, and imprisoned you in demon-binding chains.
You never stopped struggling.
You were relentless in your determination to survive, even if you had to live in filth or subsist on mud.
Over and over, you begged us to spare your life.
Over and over, you cursed the world and everyone in it.
Somehow, even that side of you was beautiful to me.
Yes, even in your final moments...
"...Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Daji, millennium fox spirit. You who are more beautiful, and more terrifying, than anyone I have ever known."
"Yes, goodbye to you as well."
"You, who are more detestable, and more precious, than any I have ever known."
"I hope your death is longer and more painful than any of your wretched kind."
"I'm afraid I won't be doing that. I'm going back to the Kunlun Mountains, and one day, I'm going to become a Xian."
"Indeed..."
"Indeed, I suppose you are. Whereas I..."
"...No matter how much I wish for eternal life, I'll never get it. And you will."
"Ugh. I hate everything about this."
"..."
"Well, fine then. If that's how it's going to be..."
"I want you to live the rest of your eternal life cursed by every Beast that lives."
"You're cursing me?"
"Yes, I am."
"Unless you scoop up every last drop of blood that spills from my head after it's been cut off..."
"...you will be cursed for all of eternity."
"Hehe."
"Hehehehehehe."
"If you're going to enjoy eternal life, you'll also have to live with eternal regret."
"..."
"...You're really quite frightening, you know."
"You mean you didn't know?"
"Yes. Yes, I am! I'm Daji, the terrible nation-ruining Beast, the living embodiment of disaster and an Evil of Humanity!"
"And I will always, aaalways..."
"...hate, curse, and despise you."
According to legend...
...Taigong Wang Lu Shang was so absorbed in his writings during the final days of the Shang dynasty...
...that his wife filed for divorce and left him.
Years went by.
After the fall of the Shang dynasty, after Lu Shang gained tremendous acclaim for his role as the head tactician of the new Zhou dynasty's army...
...he was given a domain of his own as a reward for his service.
Shortly afterwards, his former wife reappeared, seeking reconciliation.
In response, Lu Shang spilled some water from a bowl and said:
"If you can return this water to the bowl, I will let you back into my life."
But of course, spilled water never returns to the bowl...
What has been spilled can never again be what it once was. A sad fact of life.
Huh?
You want to know what actually happened?
Well, uh...
Hahaha, how can I put this...?
3. Before the battle
56 lines...Huh?
Where am I?
... ...
I don't get it.
I heard Heroic Spirits stayed in the Throne of Heroes. So if the Throne is a collection of humanity's information...
...then this blue sky's probably a dream or something.
Either that, or some kind of hallucination.
Even that festival over there is probably
Wait, a festival?
Don't tell me...
Now that I, the brave Bogatyr Dobrynya Nikitich, am thought to be dead and never returning...
...are they trying to make my young wife take a new husband, even as she waits so patiently for me?
Is that what this festival is for? Some kind of bullshit wedding ceremony!?
Is that what's going on here!?
No... No, wait. That can't be right. I don't even know what year it is.
Although...hang on.
I'm pretty sure I set out to save humanity...or rather, my motherland of Russia.
Hm? So...does that mean Heroic Spirits aren't completely separated from the Throne?
Ah, whatever. So, uh...
So...
...are they really going after my wife while I'm away, AGAIN!?
Don't they ever get tired of trying the same stunt over and over?
Good grief.
Still...
If Russia really is in danger, I have to save it.
I AM the eternal warrior who can do just about anything.
... ...
...Yeah.
...Except raising kids.
That's right. It was 1908...
In that year I, Dobrynya Nikitich, materialized in Russia.
As a Bogatyr of the Sun Prince, I had some ties to the goddess of the sun as well.
The radiant Eastern goddess was present, celebrating the birth of a new life.
She said, "So what if this new life is inhuman? So what if she was born screaming?"
Though she may not reach the sun at its zenith, she was still born from brilliant light. That makes her my child.
I see. That makes sense.
And so, I ventured to the heart of the site of a massive explosion.
I made my way through all sorts of obstacles, endured all kinds of troubles and hardships...
I fought and killed strange creaturesthings that were neither dragon, nor insect, nor anything else I knew...
...that had been warped beyond recognition by the fragments of the rock that devastated Tunguska's forest.
There, on top of a pile of fallen trees that had been burnt to a crisp...I found you, still a baby.
I gave you a name...and I gave you food.
I stayed with you for as long as I could, but I was still only a Heroic Spiritan empty, transient shadow.
I couldn't be there to raise you to adulthood, much as I wished otherwise.
I couldn't be there to lessen the burden of your curse, or to let you vent your frustrations.
I could only be there when you met your end.
...
I'm sorry, Yaskaya. I hope you can forgive me.
"She will. I'm sure of it."
Ahh, it's you. My beloved spouse.
"If you don't believe me, check for yourself one day."
"I bet you'll find Yaskaya is more willing to forgive than you suspect."
You think so? I hope you're right.
I can't imagine she will. Still...
Ahh...
Ahh, it would be so nice if she would...