"—You... you cur, you Faker!"
Gilgamesh ground his teeth as he glared at Emiya. His crimson eyes were ablaze with a mix of fury and irritation, loathing the interference in his divine struggle.
Even under that piercing gaze, Emiya merely let out a composed snort. He turned his focus toward me, his voice steady despite the chaos.
"—Protect me, Berserker. I shall weave the incantation. Only my Reality Marble possesses the means to counter the treasury of the King of Heroes."
You understand that much, do you not?
At Emiya's words, I nodded and adjusted the grip on my blade. I knew it all too well. Every passing second of this grueling endurance had etched that truth into my very bones.
Seeing my resolve, Emiya began his chant.
"....I am the bone of my sword."
As the verses left his lips, magical energy manifested into a visible haze, beginning to coil around him like a shifting shroud.
Feeling his prana expand and saturate the air, I turned my head to face Gilgamesh.
"—Are you prepared, King of Heroes?"
"You dare to look down upon Us from the dirt! ....Very well. I shall personally see to it that you accompany that Faker to the underworld!"
[Gate of Babylon (The King's Treasure)]!
Behind Gilgamesh, a blinding, golden radiance manifested—ripples in space that multiplied without end.
From the exponentially expanding waves, a hail of blades erupted, surging toward Emiya and me with lethal intent.
Each was a first-class Noble Phantasm capable of effortlessly skewering a Servant, yet Emiya merely reached out toward the oncoming storm.
"Steel is my body and fire is my blood.....[Rho Aias]!"
Once more, the seven-petaled pink flower—the shield whispered to be invincible against all projectiles—unfolded in the air.
Watching the roseate shield intercept his treasures, Gilgamesh's face contorted with rage. He opened new ripples in the blind spots behind the barrier, but—
"—Not on my watch!"
I lunged toward the Noble Phantasms targeting Emiya, swinging my sword with every ounce of my strength.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"I have created over a thousand blades."
I parried them.
Clang! Clang!
"Unknown to Death. Nor known to Life."
If there was a blade I could not deflect, I intercepted it with my own flesh.
Clang! Squelch! Clang!
"Have withstood pain to create many weapons."
Even if it meant being used as a living shield, I would not allow a single treasure to reach Emiya.
Clang! Squelch! Clang! Squelch! Squelch!
"Yet, those hands will never hold anything....So as I pray—"
By the time the incantation neared its final verse, five swords were buried deep within my body.
They were lodged in my right shoulder, my left lung, my liver, and my right forearm. Yet, even as I swiped away the remaining steel, I allowed a grin to spread across my face.
"—Unlimited Blade Works!"
The incantation was complete. With those final words, the world began to invert.
"....Go, Berserker. Save Rin. I shall be the one to lay the King of Heroes low."
Emiya spoke while looking back at me just before the transition was finalized, then vanished into the Reality Marble alongside Gilgamesh. I stared at the spot where they had stood and let out a hollow, breathy laugh.
"Ha.... Cough. To say that... after seeing the state I'm in... you truly are a bastard."
...I had every intention of doing so, even without the reminder.
Dragging my failing body by sheer force of will, I turned toward the Holy Grail.
Please be alive... Rin.
***
"—What in the gods' names is this..."
At the entrance of Ryuudou Temple, Artoria had parted ways with Emiya—he to support Elius, and she to aid Rin in destroying the Grail.
Having raced to the location where she sensed Rin's presence, Artoria was now paralyzed with horror.
She could only look up at the manifestation of the Holy Grail, now a physical horror of meat and sinew, sitting in the heart of the overflowing mud.
How could this be called a Grail? It was no vessel for wishes; it was a poisoned chalice filled with the Malice of Humanity, a tide capable of bringing about extinction.
...Was this truly the thing I sought so desperately?
Dazed, Artoria shook her head violently to clear her thoughts. She could not afford to falter now.
Her senses told her Rin was nearby. She could not simply stand and watch.
Frantically, she scanned the area for her Master.
"—Rin! Where are you, Rin!"
—...Saber.
"....! Rin!"
The sudden telepathic link made Artoria whip her head toward the source of the voice.
Her eyes widened in terror. The voice had come from within the fleshy mass of the Grail. Artoria's voice trembled as she spoke.
"—Rin.... surely, you are not... inside that thing....?"
—...Yes. I'm sorry, Saber. I couldn't escape. It looks like... I won't be able to get out.
"I will save you at once, Rin! Just hold on a—"
—.....No, Saber. Stop.
Artoria, who was about to charge into the cursed mire, was forced to a halt by Rin's command. She looked up at the Grail, her face pale.
"But...!"
—...No! ...This mud is like a Servant itself... Berserker managed to endure it, but that was only because he is who he is. We have no idea what will happen if you touch it.
"....I cannot accept that, Rin. You will not last long in there. I would rather go in myself.... I can surely withstand a curse of this magnitude..."
Yet, instinct whispered the truth to Artoria. If she touched that mud, she would cease to be herself.
The malice radiating from the slime was beyond comprehension. If she were submerged, unlike Elius, her mind would likely be consumed and blackened by the corruption.
But she was a knight. She could never abandon her Master. Ignoring Rin's protests, she prepared to rely on her high Magic Resistance and step into the curse.
"—!! Rin! A Command Spell....?"
—....Is it not obvious? I can't let the only person capable of destroying this thing die in such a meaningless way.
Artoria's attempt to enter the mire was physically halted by the absolute authority of a Command Spell.
With Artoria's prior consent, Rin had used the Command Spells she acquired from Shirou via Rule Breaker. Thus, she possessed the authority to command the King of Knights—and she had just expended one.
Artoria stared at the Grail in despair, but her eyes widened even further as Rin's true order echoed through their link.
—By the power of this Command Spell.... Saber! Destroy the Grail right now!
"What are you—! Urgh!"
The [Invisible Air (Bound Field of the Wind King)] shrouding her sword dispelled automatically. Against her own will, her body moved, raising the holy sword high to perform its True Name Release.
Artoria struggled, her immense Magic Resistance barely allowing her to voice her protest against the command.
"—This is... madness! Rin! You must escape!"
—Sorry, Saber. I knew you wouldn't listen, so I had to force you..... Saber. The Grail—
"....It is a bit early for final words, don't you think?"
[Excalibur Twilight Alternative (The Sword of Promised Victory in the Hour of Dusk)]!
BOOM!!!
A slash of dark-golden radiance tore through the air, slamming into the Grail and the earth beneath it. The force of the impact sent the massive vessel reeling backward.
Released from the Grail's grip, Rin slowly pushed herself up, looking toward the source of the intervention.
There stood Elius, drenched in his own blood. Using his sword as a makeshift crutch, he stood his ground and shouted with what strength he had left.
"Cough......Hurry, Rin!"
"....!! Agh!"
Rousing herself at Elius's call, Rin grabbed the unconscious Shinji and forced herself to stand, her strength drained by the curse. She began to trudge forward, one agonizing step at a time.
Squish, squish.
"Ngh!"
The thick mud tried to swallow her feet with every movement, and her limbs felt as heavy as lead.
But she could not stop. This was her only chance at life. Clinging to that thought, Rin staggered through the mire, refusing to collapse.
Finally reaching the edge of the cursed ground, Rin raised her right hand—still bearing a Command Spell—and screamed.
"—SABER!! The last of my magical energy.... I leave it to you! So take that wretched thing..... and don't leave even a shadow behind—"
BLOW IT AWAY!!!!!!!
With Rin's cry, a crimson light flared from the back of her hand. Simultaneously, a torrential surge of prana filled Artoria's vessel.
Her eyes snapped open, and recognizing her duty, Artoria settled into her stance.
The golden holy sword she held began to emit a radiance so intense it was difficult to look upon. Artoria raised the blade high, pointing it toward the heavens.
"—[Ex]....."
The Grail, having righted itself, reached out a desperate limb toward her, as if realizing the nature of the light that threatened its existence.
But Artoria brought the blade down like a hammer of divine judgment, her voice ringing out the blade's True Name.
"....[CALIBUR]!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
A massive wave of golden light—the 'Ultimate Slash' that severs everything in its path—erupted, consuming the Holy Grail in its entirety.
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