Fate/Grand Order story · Events, Grail Front - Castle of Shining Dawn, Castle of Shadowed Dusk
Section 12: Labyrinth of Sin and Shadow
Grail Front - Castle of Shining Dawn, Castle of Shadowed Dusk. Northern Castle, Castle Interior
1 scenes, 202 lines
1. Before the battle
202 linesThe ground and even the river itself were stained a vivid red.
...The red of blood spilling from the vanquished.
How did it come to this?
No... There was no point in thinking about it. Even in this war, he was the clear and undisputed victor.
How could he not be? There was simply no way he could lose.
Each of his comrades-turned-enemies were formidable opponents...if they could put up a proper fight.
But whether things even reached that point was entirely up to him.
...Culture.
That is what this concept later came to be called.
The King of Conquerors owned countless trinkets and treasures, but he was the only aide who understood their true worth.
Their worth as art. Their worth as articles of religion.
Their worth as stories.
Honestly, there were only two people he truly feared.
One was a genius who could surely defeat him with strategy alone. The other was a fearsome warrior under the king's command, said to be the strongest fighter in the land.
So he fought them both with culture.
For instance, by stealing the king's corpse.
He paid all possible respect to the corpse. He offered sacrifices as though it was one of the gods themselves. He held games to celebrate it.
He preserved the king's corpse so perfectly that no one could find any fault with him.
And, with the king's corpse in his possession, it became far more difficult for would-be rivals to antagonize him.
It was a feat no other retainer could hope to replicate.
He governed the nation brilliantly, shutting down others' justifications for war before they could ever take root. In time, he came to be known as the soter, or savior of the land.
Having claimed undisputed victory, he raised his successor in peace and enjoyed a long life of his own.
However...
...there remained something about his lot in life that seemed like a dream he could never escape...
Good morning, Master.
You've been sleeping for some time. And it seems your dreams were not happy ones.
Have I been out that long?
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Oh yeah, it's been a minute. If Ptolemaîos's appearance is anything to go by, it must be night outside.
Where are we?
Unfortunately, we are still inside the Minotaur's famous labyrinth.
And, as we lack Ariadne's Thread to guide us, escaping will be no easy task.
What about Chaldea? Can you reach them?
No one's picking up.
I guess not.
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I'm not surprised. If the legends of the Minotaur are true, this concept no doubt repels any attempts to circumvent it.
What's more, I don't know how it happened, but the labyrinth is partially fused with the northern castle.
While it does feel a touch off in consequence, it doesn't seem to have had a deleterious effect on the shielding.
Dammit. I knew castles were at their most vulnerable immediately after they are conquered, but I still let us fall right into this trap.
It's not all your fault, Ptoley. I thought I was being careful too. Obviously I was wrong.
Ptoley? What kind of nickname is that?
Hey, I can't say "Ptolemaîos" every time I gotta talk to you. Don't blame me. I didn't name you.
Whatever happened to respect for your elders!?
...Hmm. You don't seem too worried, Master.
I'm sure things'll work out.
I have faith we can figure this out.
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You must have been through a great deal if you can say such a thing so confidently.
I see. A journey to prevent the Incineration of Humanity.
Did Da Vinci tell you about that?
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No, I just obtained some files from Chaldea's database when we contacted them before...
...and the Library of Alexandria updated its own records to match.
It can do that!?
Of course it can. Libraries are supposed to be continuously kept up to date with new discoveries.
That reminds me of a certain king's treasury.
The Treasury of Babylon, hm? I see. It does sound like it works on similar principles.
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My library is another version of the Library of Alexandria that existed long ago.
It is simultaneously a conceptual Noble Phantasm which is one with all the great libraries of history, serving as a repository of all the world's wisdom.
It automatically gains relevant knowledge whenever suitable opportunities arise.
Hehe, your story was particularly fascinating, even compared to the countless others I've read and reread.
The myriad Heroic Spirits you have met in the many Singularities you visited. Your battles...bonds...farewells...
Even among the exalted ranks of heroes who have left their mark upon history, I doubt many could boast of journeys that compare to yours.
I also learned much about Chaldea's systems supporting you, Command Spells, and the Holy Grail.
You covered all that, too?
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Yes. My apologies. As a contracted Servant, I grew curious about the mechanism behind Command Spells.
I think my investigation may have given Lady Da Vinci a poor impression of me...
Regardless, it is clear to me that Chaldea has undertaken an unbelievable amount of trial and experimentation.
Even a single one of your Command Spells shows countless signs of refinement before it became yours.
In that sense, those you bear would seem to be a downgrade. They are easier to replenish, but at the cost of being less powerful.
Original Command Spells? Are they different?
Now that you mention it, I think they said something about this.
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Hmm, so they told you only the bare minimum. Yes, this contract has been changed from the original spell.
The original Command Spell exerted far more power over a Servant, enabling them to use abilities akin to True Magic.
For example, you could give a contracted Servant the ability to teleport instantaneously.
Hey, that's perfect! We could use that now!
That sounds like our ticket out of this place!
？！
Unfortunately, your Command Spells have been greatly simplified from their original incarnations.
While this does make it possible to recharge them with Chaldea's reactors, it also leaves their capacity to command a Servant greatly reduced.
The only way they could let a Servant do something like teleport now would be with direct support from Chaldea.
Well, I suppose it could also work if a Singularity or the Servant themself were able to affect the Command Spell somehow.
But that is not all. The Holy Grails you have been collecting all this time are different from what Chaldea expected to encounter.
The Holy Grails? Not magical energy resources?
Really? Are you sure you don't mean magical energy resources?
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Oh, they are undeniably potent, but there is a significant difference in their wish-granting ability.
The first Holy Grail Chaldea recorded possessed traits similar to the Third Magic.
In fact, could the Third Magic itself have been what created it...?
Ptolemaîos?
The Third Magic?
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...Hm. I've said too much. I would not want you to worry based entirely on my own groundless speculation.
All I mean to say is that this Singularity's Holy Grail may possess some unique properties.
Unique properties...
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According to my library, one year, Heroic Spirits who had become Servants began to fight amongst themselves.
The ritual they enacted in search of the Holy Grail came to be known as a Holy Grail War.
While there are some significant differences, the three castles fighting each other in this Singularity is strikingly similar to this original format.
And in that case, the reason for having the lords of the three castles fight each other is most likely
Interesting. I'd like to hear more about this, too.
Who's there!?
Well now.
Taigong Wang!
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Hello, Lord Ptolemaîos and Master. I'm just as surprised by this meeting as the rest of you.
Are you hurt?
Are you okay?
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...And I'm even more surprised to hear you worry about me. Isn't your Servant Lord Ptolemaîos?
You can't have him.
Haha, my apologies.
I used a substitution spell at the last second. It's one of my best tricks.
Still, there's no denying that I'm quite badly wounded. Doubly so now that I no longer have my Tear of the Holy Grail.
Damn...
Want to form a temporary contract?
No, I'll pass. That would be a bridge too far.
But I do appreciate your kind concern.
To be honest, I wish we could have kept our battle going just for the fun of it, but it seems it was not meant to be.
Interesting. I suppose you're more a product of your turbulent times than I thought.
Hah! Who can say? I'm not entirely sure myself.
Though a friend of mine once told me that I couldn't have gotten as far as I did if some part of me didn't enjoy the chaos of those times.
How about you, Lord Ptolemaîos?
Me? I'm no different. I've never felt so alive as I did back then.
Just following my young king into battle gave me boundless energy. Back then, it felt like I could wield my spear for days on end and never tire.
...I'm sure it did. Otherwise, you wouldn't be here now, as a Heroic Spirit.
And of course, that's also how you know just how far a shadow can fall.
...Yes, I suppose so.
I doubt we would have all kept fighting for so long after our king was gone if we didn't enjoy it.
What happened after your king was gone?
Da Vinci mentioned this earlier. In my youth, I served Iskandar, the King of Conquerors.
But upon his death, my fellow retainers and I began killing one another, tearing apart the lands he had claimed in his nearly successful quest to conquer the entire known world.
You mean the Wars of the Diadochi?
So you remember what Da Vinci told you.
In that case, no further explanation is needed.
Suffice to say that upon King Iskandar's death, my fellow retainers and I began killing one another.
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If I'm being completely honest, what scares me most is how much I actually enjoyed fighting so prolonged a war.
I backed those I once called friends into corners, maliciously manipulated them, inflicted cruel tragedies and needless death upon them, and spread misfortune and sorrow wherever I went.
In spite of all that...there was a part of me that enjoyed what I was doing.
That you enjoyed killing your closest friends simply demonstrates that you were born to be a general.
There is no draught half as sweet as war. And there are few in all of history apart from you who know how truly sweet it can taste.
...
Hey, Taigong Wang. Are you
Whoops. Looks like I pushed myself about as far as I can go.
I must at least thank you for this lovely chat before I go, or I would never live it down.
Thought Keys, activate. Initiate connection to Type One tremor space.
Return to the Four Symbols from the gate of the eight trigrams. Step upon the Two Principles and return to the Taiji.
I am here. You are there.
If you and I are one and the same, then here is there, and there is here.
...One last thing.
Lord Ptolemaîos may have already mentioned this, but I think this Singularity's Holy Grail is most likely bait.
I trust you know what that means?
I do indeed. But if you understood that, why would you choose to take part in this fight?
Well, you know. I had my subordinates' wishes to consider.
Not to mention...
...with the Tears of the Holy Grail being real, I couldn't let them fall into the wrong hands, even if I never used them myself.
Perhaps that's just part of what it means to wield royal authority.
We cannot willingly give something up, regardless of whether we plan to make use of it ourselves.
So, we fight.
Of course, when a person like your Master is involved, that could certainly change things.
I...
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Besides, after trying quite a lot, I arrived at the conclusion that I had to go along with this battle if I was to conquer this Singularity.
Well, is it any different for you?
...No, it isn't.
Thank you, Taigong Wang.
You're quite welcome. Now then.
From the Taiji, reach the Two Extremes. Link the Four Symbols and produce the eight trigrams.
My words are law! Now go! Go! Gooo!!!
Mo, mo, mo!
Sì Bú Xiàng!
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Mo, mo! (Clearly happy)
Whoa! We're back in our castle!
I see. Even though you were summoned separately, he still shared a bond with Sì Bú Xiàng thanks to his Noble Phantasm.
And through that bond, he was able to penetrate the Bounded Field, just as we discussed regarding the Command Spells earlier.
This kind of magecraft is nearly akin to magic, and yet, he cast it so easily...
Where's Taigong Wang now?
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I don't sense him anywhere. Looks like the effort of casting that spell made him disappear.
Mo?
Don't worry, there's nothing to be sad about. That wasn't your master.
We just saw you come back! Are you okay, Fujimaru!?
Da Vinci!
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It seems leaving the labyrinth also restored our comms access.
What do you wanna do now, Master?
Take back the Tears of the Holy Grail, of course.
You have to ask? We go after the Tears of the Holy Grail .
Indeed. That is our only option.
We must recover the Tear of the Holy Grail that was taken from the northern castle, no matter what.
Besides, as long as you possess our own Tear of the Holy Grail, Thēseus is bound to notice our escape and come after us.
So, once again, we must go on the offensive.
And this time, Master, we will bring this war to a definitive end!