Act 15: Meet a God, Slay a God

The Bounded Field has disappeared! But now...

...the enemy's sending in reinforcements! Tree of Emptiness seeds are flying into every area!

And now we have monsters to deal with as well. Seems we have them riled up!

Yikes! This little catfight is turning into all-out kitty warfare!

These reinforcements are going to be trouble.

Archer, Assassin, I'm trusting you two to take care of this.

What're you gonna do?

I'm going to the base of the Tree of Emptiness. There's something I need to do there.

...Yeah, all right.

You wanna take down the big boss? Fine! Just make sure you freakin' kill 'em dead!

Good luck, Lady Jeanne!

...I appreciate that.

How wonderful!

Come, throngs of oppressors! Let me hold you in my embrace!

I was hoping to face off against Rider...but I suppose it just was not to be, this time.

Oh well, perhaps another time. Go on, young one.

Thank you.

All right...let's get started, shall we? Be warned, this may get a little rough.

Wahahahahahahaha! Love!

Hah! This makes for some pretty decent training!

Don't you worry, I can handle this place on my own! Go give the boss a hand!

Got it! Leave it to me!

Oh, and one more thing.

Hm?

Don't get trapped into thinking things are over and done with.

...!

Whatever happened before, you guys are here now. So just listen to your heart and do what you want!

...Thanks! I will!

There certainly are a lot of them.

Right. Enemy forces seem to be especially concentrated at Tayasumon.

They're probably there for you, Fujimaru.

Well, look at you, big man on campus. It just goes to show what a nice, silky coat can accomplish.

？！

That's why I'm here. Me, and my Trojan Horse.

Hey, don't forget this fine tail and toe beans! I can even throw in fluffy cat ears!

We'll clear a path for you! Use that opening to head straight for the Tree of Emptiness!

Tear into it...Penelope!

Praying, praying... Curse: little sunshine!

Now, Fujimaru!

？！

Yes, yes, yes!

This is the very pinnacle of the bloody Jesuit sorcery! The climax of Mori Souiken's fever dream!

Servant Yui Shousetsu's Noble Phantasm... Goun Jouku, Mugen Houyou!

Rejoice! Rejoice, my liege, Yui Shousetsu!

The Waxing Moon has heard your long-sought ideal! The wish you have sacrificed yourself for has finally come true!

？！

Ahh, so you've come, boy draped in the shadow of death itself.

...We're here to stop you, Rider.

Shousetsu... This is horrific.

So this is Yui Shousetsu the Servant's Noble Phantasm... She creates infinite copies of herself and uses them to invade the world.

Under normal circumstances, this kind of system would collapse in failure, not ascend to become a Noble Phantasm.

But right now, she IS the Tree of Emptiness.

And the Waxing Moon's magical energythe Tree of Emptiness's very natureis making that impossible miracle possible!

This is our ideal given form.

Shousetsu sacrificed her body so the Waxing Moon would grant her wish. Now, I will do the same with my soul.

Shousetsu... Together, you and I will finally put this world right through its destruction.

...There are countless...innocent souls...in this world...

...shedding endless...bloody tears...of...regret...

I will create...a truly...equitable society...for

Yui...

You poor thing.

I will tolerate your resistance to God no longer. Bow down before me, humans.

You're ridiculous. Any being who would go around slaughtering people indiscriminately is no god in my book.

You've fallen even farther than I thought, Rider.

Not to worry. This will be over in an eyeblink.

My divine envoy will trample everything...everything in its path!

Uh-oh! Here comes the giant monster!

Come, Shousetsu! Let us destroy this world in the name of righteousness together, here at the Tree of Emptiness!

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Did you really think you could stop our ideals with such paltry power? Please, stop. It hurts to laugh.

Her magical energy must have declined after we cut off the great leylines. And yet, she's still unbelievably powerful!

My lightning is inexhaustible! No mere ghosts from the hell you call humanity could ever hope to match it!

Gaaah!

Ghhh...!

Khh!

Senpai!?

Oh, dear. You shouldn't push yourself so hard. It's not good for you.

Why you smug little...!

So, you're not yet broken. How admirable.

Senpai!

You can't help destroying things in the name of righteousness, either, can you? Isn't that why you've "fixed" so many other things?

Grr...! Curse you, Ushi Gozen!

？！

Now then, I think you've kept me waiting long enough.

Go on. Show me who you really are.

Go on. Show me who you really are.

Khh...

(What're Rider and Fujimaru talking about?)

The shadow of death that follows you. The scent of death that lingers about you. Your power to righteously destroy the world by consuming magical energy, life, and even fate itself.

With all that going for you, you could even kill a god, couldn't you?

？！

...Are you talking about the Black Barrel?

...Yes. I think that is a fair interpretation of what she is saying.

If it is, it may be the silver lining of your not accompanying him, Mash.

(Hm? Hang on.)

(Is this why Mash couldn't Rayshift there? Because she carries the Black Barrel?)

Here. Bring your shadow of death to the Waxing Moon. Join us in righting this world by laying waste to it in its entirety.

Get away from him, Rider!

Pathetic.

Your sword is a pale shadow of what it once was, Miyamoto Iori.

...!

I swear, you Heroic Spirits really are hopeless.

Guh!

Iori!

Stay out of my way.

Khh!

Now, where were we, Master of Chaldea?

Once the Waxing Moon incorporates youor rather, the shadow of death that follows youthe Tree of Emptiness will bloom into a true hell.

？！

Senpai! Senpaaai!

Wait, Ushi Gozen! He doesn't have the Black Barrel! This isn't going to

We will kill and destroy everything in all realms of existence, and in their place leave a hell born of our ideals!

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Gaaah, she's not listening to a word we say! This is why I can't stand the Servants you can't reason with!

...Now's my chance.

Lancer? What did you just sa

Jeanne!

Let me show you what hell really looks like.

Is that

Flamme Du Pays Étranger.

Lancer's Noble Phantasm!

She uses that technique to consume everything in hellfire, herself included.

But here...!

(Huff... Huff...)

...

...I almost felt that. Almost.

It didn't work!

...

If you were a true demon, hell-bent on revenge, maybe these flames would actually have been hot.

But deep down, you're incapable of truly cursing the world.

That's why you need a Command Spell to fully unleash this Noble Phantasm's power. Am I wrong?

...

The only thing you've accomplished is shortening your life by burning yourself up. Have you gone mad, Lancer?

These flames...are the flames of hell...

And you still think they're enough to hurt me? How pathetic.

...and...a beacon.

He couldn't possibly ignore true flames of hell.

Huh? What are you

Now...Chiemon.

Urk... Khh!

？！

What in the world!?

Toying with your prey like a cat licking its lips? That ain't like you.

But I guess that's what happens when you shed your human trappings and let your oni nature take the wheel.

Rider. You lost because you stopped being Minamoto-no-Raikou.

Chiemon!?

But, how? I saw your Spirit Core shatter!

Chiemon! You're back from the great beyond!

You came back to life!? Then, does that mean you're

Shut up. It's not like that.

I didn't come back from anything. I just failed to die, the same way I did at Shimabara.

I think that's my Noble Phantasm.

If I had to give it a name, I'd probably call it something like "Chiemon the Undying."

"Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle."

"They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away."

"Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress."

...Chiemon. May your soul rest in peace.

...I don't need peace. I'm never going to heaven, anyway. I don't have the right, or the will.

But what I can do, Rider, is drag you down to my own hell!

Ghh... Aaaaaah!

You're not the only ones connected to the Waxing Moon.

My Spirit Origin might not be enough for a full-fledged Heroic Spirit...but it's still enough for a sacrifice!

Screw your hell! You're in MY hell now!

I'm gonna take your stupid wish to the Waxing Moon and burn it all to ash with the flames of my hatred!

Ushi Gozen's magical energy is weakening! Now's your chance, Fujimaru!

？！

Say no more! Follow my lead, Iori!

Got it! This ends here, Rider!

You fools! It'll take more than this to stop my divine envoy!

You...pathetic pack of ingrates! Disappear like the vile filth you are!

...Ahh.

It may be faint, but...I still smell...the scent of death about you...

One day...I'm sure...you will...put everything right...

Until we meet again...Master of Chaldea.

...Raikou.

...Her Spirit Origin has disappeared. Ushi Gozen is defeated!

...

M-Mom... I...

We...we killed so many people...at Shimabara...

That's why...I thought...you'd all be in hell...

I...I wanted to see you all again... And...this was the only way...I could think of...

But...when I got to hell...you weren't there...

...There was nobody there.

So, you... And Pops... And everyone else...must be in...

...

...I'm not going with you. I can't.

If one of us has to stay in hell...let it be me alone.

...Chiemon.