After Mash’s Noble Phantasm successfully manifested, the Chaldea group hurried onward toward the Great Grail.
"Caster, does the Great Grail really exist in a cavern this remote, deep in the mountains?"
"Yeah. All the ley lines around here flow into the heart of that cavern. Which means Saber must be in there too."
"Magi really do seem to enjoy building their secret bases in out-of-the-way places."
"Fou."
The Great Grail. A masterpiece without equal, created in a small mountain range in the Far East at the cost of a single homunculus’s entire life.
According to Caster and the Doctor, it was a tool for reaching the Third Magic through the Holy Grail War—and, by itself, a vast source of Magical Energy.
"...I can feel terrifying Magical Energy. I need to stay sharp."
『Yeah. Our opponent is that King Arthur, after all. Going by the legends, she was practically undefeated aside from the Battle of Camlann. She is an invincible opponent.』
"And now that she has claimed the Holy Grail as a source of Magical Energy, she will have virtually limitless reserves. We should be prepared for her to spam Noble Phantasms."
"...When you say it like that, it sounds like it really will happen, so please restrain yourself."
"Ahaha..."
An ancient king of knights possessing something so absurd being the final boss from the very start—if this were a game, the map design would have truly awful taste.
Silently grumbling about the unfairness of their current situation, Ritsuka kept moving forward.
After they had walked for some time, Caster, who had been mulling something over amid the tense silence, finally spoke.
"Oh, right. There is one thing I forgot to mention."
"Huh? Something you forgot to mention?"
"Fou?"
Realizing he had forgotten something, Caster briefly stopped walking.
Then, casually waving the staff in his hand, he drew a simple map on the ground and continued his explanation.
"This is the Great Cavern we are headed for—the place where Saber is. And this is the route we are taking."
"Wow, we are closer than I thought."
"We are, Master."
The Great Cavern, their current destination.
"...Hm."
『...This is...』
"Oh? You guys noticed already?"
And their route to the Great Cavern was drawn as though it were making a wide detour around something.
Perhaps noticing everyone’s confusion, Caster continued explaining as he drew a short line extending from the Great Cavern.
"...And this is the forest a short distance from the Great Cavern. It is where the castle Saber destroyed used to stand."
The center of whatever their current route was avoiding.
When the line he had drawn reached that spot, Caster muttered quietly.
"──It is best to avoid this place as much as possible. Something utterly ridiculous has made its nest there."
"Something utterly ridiculous...?"
"Fou...?"
"...We will not be encountering him anyway, so to explain briefly: what has nested there is a lion who lost his master. A Berserker who lost his purpose."
The reason they had chosen a route that took such a wide detour.
It was because of the Servant who, originally, should have been the strongest in this Holy Grail War.
"─Berserker. That guy has holed himself up there and refuses to move."
『...Berserker. The Class that loses its reason in exchange for tremendous physical advantages...!』
Having lost his Master to Saber, he guarded the spot where she had died and butchered everything that approached.
Unlike Saber, who possessed an extraordinary Noble Phantasm, swordsmanship, and Magical Energy, he was a Class that fought by relying solely on the toughness of his body.
"...I see. So it is a hornet’s nest we have no reason to poke."
"That is right. So even if it takes a little longer, we take the long way around. Anyone have objections?"
"I agree! If what Caster says is true, there is no reason for us to fight him!"
"Fou!"
If someone like that was planted squarely in their path, it was better to take the safe road, even if it meant going around.
It was merely casual chatter among Chaldea’s group as they headed for the Great Grail, but it was not useless information.
After all, sharing everything each person knew was the foundation of beginning an operation.
Yet perhaps he had sensed the omen of a distasteful battle approaching without fail.
‘...What a mess.’
Diego could vaguely sense that none of this conversation would be meaningless.
──────────────────────
After walking for some time, Chaldea’s group—having traveled prepared for battle—reached the entrance to the Great Cavern safely and without incident, making their worries seem needless.
"So this is where the Great Grail is."
"...It feels somehow ominous, Master."
Even Ritsuka, an ordinary person with no great knowledge of Magecraft, trembled at the overwhelming current of Magical Energy washing over her skin.
Likewise, Olga Marie could not help being astonished that a small island nation in the Far East possessed such a powerful source of Magical Energy.
She had not been out of school for long herself, but—
‘This is the starting point?’
She knew well that there were countless things such a vast quantity of pure Magical Energy could accomplish.
"...I see. So this is the extent of it. It certainly is different."
"Oh, you are holding up fairly well, pal. Not nervous?"
"Unfortunately, I am not the sort whose feelings show easily on his face."
Only Caster, who had known in advance how formidable Saber and the Great Grail were, and Diego, who for some reason could maintain his composure, remained unaffected by this overwhelming torrent of Magical Energy.
"...All right. Let us go! Mash, Diego! Just a little farther!"
"Yes, Master! We will restore the Singularity and return to Chaldea!"
"W-wait! Come with me! How can you leave your Director behind?!"
Perhaps she had taken something from Diego’s composed demeanor. Ritsuka swiftly regained her spirit, took the lead, and moved forward.
"...Yeah. I will be right there."
Really, despite her usual tomboyishness, she could make such a dependable expression too. Diego smiled faintly.
Fujimaru Ritsuka, still inexperienced, but possessed of a sharp talent that occasionally surprised him.
Mash and Director Olga Marie, whom he had known since his days at Chaldea.
『...Diego, please take care of everyone.』
And even that softhearted Doctor.
‘...Could I show them? Could I trust them with it?’
Turning over the secret of the enormous power he carried within himself, Diego gradually stepped into the depths of the Great Cavern.
Just what could be waiting for them ahead? He could not know that yet, but—
"──I will do all that I can, Doctor Romani."
『...That is enough. Thank you, Diego.』
One thing alone was more certain than anything else—Golden Spirit would be with them.
──────────────────────
The interior of the Great Cavern was eerily silent.
Within a stillness where it seemed they could hear even one another’s breathing in minute detail, they felt an intense bloodlust that could not be concealed.
They did not even know when or from where the enemy might spring out.
To protect Ritsuka, Mash moved with her nerves more taut than ever.
"Being too tense can backfire, miss."
"......"
"...Looks like talking will not get through to her."
Caster, an experienced warrior, advised her because he knew such a posture greatly drained one’s mental strength, but this did not seem to be a situation where she could listen.
From his many experiences in battle, he knew that maintaining excessive tension like this made one easy for enemies to exploit.
By fighting them just enough and repeatedly retreating, an enemy could easily wear down their mental strength.
‘But if there is one variable—’
There were, however, people against whom such tactics would not work.
Like the man beside Caster, walking as calmly as if he were out for a stroll.
"......"
‘Heh. Now that I have looked beneath the surface, this guy really is the genuine article—a true warrior.’
Outwardly, he looked as though he simply did not grasp the situation. In reality, the opposite was true.
Prepared to respond no matter where or when an enemy attacked, he was deliberately leaving himself open.
It was done to ensure he missed not even the faintest sound—to lure the enemy into attacking through an opening he had deliberately created—
Kagagagak...!!
──Diego’s thoroughly calculated movement.
"Get down, Ritsuka."
"Hm?"
"...!? Mast──"
Kwang───!!!!!
Perhaps the enemy, too, had no leisure to simply watch them venture deeper into the Great Cavern.
『Oraoraora───!!!!!』
Taking the smoke dispersed by the wind pressure from Diego’s Stand rush as its signal—
"─Round two begins."
Archer’s bombardment began.
──────────────────────
‘What the hell is that guy...?!’
Archer, who had unleashed a powerful barrage moments earlier, was aghast to see that the enemy had suffered remarkably little damage despite the explosions’ tremendous firepower.
These were not ultra-long-range sniping shots fired from several kilometers away like before. They were arrows fired at maximum speed from point-blank range, and yet—
"......"
『Oraoraoraora───!!!!!!!!!』
Some invisible force shattered every arrow to pieces just before impact.
Those were projections—replicas.
They lacked true durability and had been made with breaking in mind from the outset, but—
‘At this rate, even Broken Phantasm will not be able to deal any real damage...!’
Even so, he was not someone who could break them as easily as snapping candy sticks, much less destroy them in midair just before impact.
And then there was that mysterious Servant with the shield. Perhaps the shield, as large as her own body, was not merely for show.
"Master, behind me!"
"Okay! Mash!"
Kwang───!!!!!
"Ghk...! Are you all right, Master?!"
"I am fine! You are the best, Mash!"
Even when arrows—swords—fired indiscriminately managed to land and explode, that shield-bearing Servant endured every bit of the shock.
There was no way to inflict proper damage upon the enemy Master like this.
And on top of that—
"It has been a while, Red Archer!"
"...You?!"
That blue-haired Caster. Could he possibly have survived?
Thanks to the Protection from Arrows possessed by the man who was the worst possible matchup for Archer—
"Sadly, arrows will not work on me!"
Archer’s [Caladbolg II: The False Spiral Sword] vanished amid Rune Magecraft.
Ranged attacks were impossible now. The only remaining option was close combat.
"...Tch. Three against one. Somehow, it feels like I am the one caught in an unfair fight."
"Heh-heh, you should have picked your side better! How does it feel to be a watchdog?!"
"Who are you calling a dog...?!"
Archer’s form vanished in an instant. Concealing his presence, he intended to close in at once.
As far as Archer could determine, the enemy’s ability looked like some form of telekinesis.
What its range was, how long it could be maintained. If he could learn just that much, he could turn the tables.
But to ascertain all of it in such a short time—
"──There you are."
"...Ghk!?"
『Ora───!!!!!!』
──He had simply chosen the wrong opponent.
That was all.
There was only one thing Archer did not know.
That on the opposing side was a man who displayed literally monstrous strength within his range.
And even after Archer was struck by surprise and sent flying, the others were not going to simply wait for him.
"Caster!"
"Yeah, miss! Keep him pinned down!!"
"Go!! Caster!!"
Magical Energy flowing from Ritsuka’s body naturally poured into Caster.
「My Magecraft is a cage of flame, a green giant like thorny brambles.」
There was only one thing for a Servant to do when receiving a massive supply of Magical Energy from their Master.
「Karmic retribution, a shrine that purifies the calamities of human affairs.」
That was—
"Ha ha!! There, Red Archer!! This time, victory is mine! Have a proper taste of the karma of purification!!"
「The crumbling [Wicker Man: Burning Cage of Flames].」
──A 『Noble Phantasm』. Nothing more.
"──Now, return to dust, regardless of good or evil!"
Kwaaaaaang──────!!!!!!!!!!!
A colossal giant of flame emerged alongside Caster’s chant.
Archer, who had fought Chaldea in an unstable state in order to protect one woman,
"...Ridiculous."
Could not withstand that giant’s strike, turning into golden light and vanishing.
──────────────────────
"...The enemy has been completely silenced. The battle is over."
"Good work! Mash, Caster!"
"Yeah, thanks to you, that felt great, Master."
"Fou!"
Perhaps they had grown accustomed to battle now. Mash and Ritsuka quickly relaxed their tensed bodies and savored the afterglow of victory.
They had not reached Saber yet, but defeating Archer, the powerful Servant who had guarded the way ahead, was undeniably an encouraging achievement.
And naturally, the person who had contributed most to this was Diego.
"Diego, you saved my life again."
"...It was nothing. If you are going to praise anyone, praise Mash, who protected you with her whole body."
"Of course I will! Still, I really wanted to thank you too, Diego."
How many times had she been indebted to him now? Really, all she ever did was owe him.
He was the person who appeared before anyone else to protect Ritsuka in her most dangerous moments. Then, as though nothing had happened, he would simply walk onward.
"I think I understand a little now."
"...? Understand what?"
"Yeah! You see—"
Regardless of a magus’s lineage, birth, or the strength of their Magecraft—he was someone with eyes that could look straight at the person standing before him.
"─That Diego is a kinder person than he seems?"
"...What?"
The mere existence of someone like that gave Ritsuka courage.
Words her parents had always told her.
A person who does not know courage cannot overcome fear and move forward.
"Hehe. That is all! Come on, let us go!"
"Ha ha! You took a hit there, pal!"
"M-Master and Diego...?"
"Fou!"
Her parents’ words had once gone in one ear and out the other, but today, of all days, she found herself thinking of them again.
‘A hymn to humanity is a hymn to courage!!’
‘The greatness of humanity is the greatness of courage!!’
‘M-Mom, Dad! Please stop!!’
The meaning of the 「Hymn to Humanity」 they had spoken of.
‘I miss Mom and Dad.’
Would she never see them again? She would surely find out, whether she wanted to or not, the moment she escaped this place.
So for now—
"Hey, Diego! If you do not come, we are leaving you behind!"
"...Yeah. I will be right there."
She would focus on this moment.
Making mistakes at critical moments was one of her bad habits.
──────────────────────
The Great Cavern had grown quiet, with no further enemies appearing. Did that mean the Great Grail was truly close now?
The concentration of Magical Energy in the air was climbing to a level beyond all common sense.
『...It is almost time.』
"......"
Yet Saber still did not reveal herself. No—she was certainly there, deep within.
Because she exuded a heavy presence, as if waiting for Chaldea’s group to arrive at the very innermost point.
If they went straight ahead now, a battle with the righteous King Arthur to change the fate of the world would surely begin.
──But there was someone who would not simply stand by and watch that happen.
"......!!"
"Hm? Diego? What is wrong?"
Diego was the first to notice the anomaly.
From Ritsuka, who noticed his reaction, to Caster, who was examining unnatural traces upon the ground.
They realized that something was wrong behind them.
"...Hey, hey, this joke has gone too far. Why is that guy...?!"
『A-a sudden Magical Energy reaction!? This Spirit Origin pattern is──』
A man who, driven fully mad by the sudden appearance of someone in green clothing, had left the castle he had guarded and made his way to the Great Cavern.
The 「Great Warrior」 who had restrained the rage of failing to protect what he had sworn to protect after being defeated by Saber.
『Berserker...! It is definitely Berserker!』
"Why is he behind us?! Hey, Romani!!"
『I do not know either! He appeared completely out of nowhere! As though he had been there from the beginning!』
And that man was slowly tightening the noose from behind Chaldea’s group.
『■■■■■■■───!!!!!!!!!!』
A battle cry. Yes, it was merely one man’s shout. But its result was anything but ordinary.
Kugugugung──!!!
"Whoa!?"
"Master...! Please evacuate, quickly...!!"
"D-don’t tell me... he is shaking the Great Cavern with a battle cry alone...?"
The Great Cavern began to shake as though it might sink into the earth.
With sounds as if it might collapse at any moment, it began showing signs of caving in amid falling rocks.
"Hey!? You said that guy never left the castle?!"
"I cannot believe it either...! Why would that man come here of his own accord...?!"
"Aah—!! So it comes to this again after all!!"
That man was undoubtedly one of the strongest Servants, fair and square.
Though he had weakened after being defeated by Saber, his martial prowess and fighting spirit remained unchanged.
"....."
No, this was beyond that.
Someone had forcibly provoked the madness within him that should have been suppressed.
Sorrow, fury, grief. A multitude of emotions were hurled at them.
Was it guilt over the past, over failing to protect his family?
Or self-loathing for leading the little girl who had believed in him to her death?
His directionless rage steadily swelled, as though it would soon explode.
"At this rate, the Great Grail is not the problem! We are all going to get crushed to death!"
『Damn it...! There is no sign Saber intends to move! No, her Magical Energy is increasing even further!?』
"Do not tell me she intends to blow us all away along with the Berserker here!?"
As if things were not bad enough, Saber seemed unwilling to wait any longer. She was further raising the already crushing density of Magical Energy.
Clearly, she was preparing something enormous.
"The strongest King Arthur in front of us, and a mad Berserker behind us...!"
"Master, what should we do now──"
At this rate, every one of them would die without being able to lift a hand or foot.
Step──
Yes. That was what would have happened.
"──Move forward, Ritsuka."
"...Huh?"
The golden man believed.
He believed that those in whom he placed his faith could surely reach farther ahead.
That they possessed the courage to never yield, no matter what greater absurdities awaited them.
He believed it with all his strength.
"Keep going straight. In a single line, to where King Arthur is."
"T-then what about you, Diego...!!"
"......"
Diego’s presence wavered intensely, like something whipped about by a fierce wind.
"...Do not worry about me. I have already received enough."
"......!!"
Diego gently stroked Ritsuka’s head, then began to walk away.
What had Diego seen in her? Great strength? Mash’s talent? She could not know. Looking at him, Ritsuka could understand nothing.
But—
"...Okay──"
It was a back that did not waver, as if he knew she would absolutely reach what lay ahead.
"──I am leaving it to you, Diego."
"Master...?"
"Fou..."
That one thing was so clearly visible.
Upon that back was infinite trust for Ritsuka, whom he had met only today; Mash and Caster, who watched him; and even the Director and Doctor.
For people who surely could give him nothing in return.
No matter what anyone else might say—
"Leave King Arthur to me. In exchange, ──do not lose!!"
Ritsuka herself felt it that strongly.
And that resolve—
"...Yeah, I leave it to you, Master."
Though she had not used a Command Spell, the strength of that shining will reached Diego without fail.
And so, in the midst of that hair-trigger situation, the man and woman each proceeded down a different path.
Harsh roads neither could call easy.
"...What a mess."
『■■■■───.』
The golden boy entrusted his back to another for the first time today.
"I was not the one who killed your Master. Nor were they. Even knowing that, ──is this fight what you want?"
『■■■■■■───!!!!!』
"...I see. If that is your justice—"
「[Golden Spirit]」
"──Then I cannot back down either."
「──[Star Planita].」
『Oraoraora───!!!!!』
『■■■■■■───!!!!!』
Kwaaang───!!!!
A battle in which neither side could retreat.
Why it had begun, why they continued onward—neither yet knew.
"...Oh? That Noble Phantasm. ──Good. Show me what it can do."
"...! It is coming, Master!!"
「The King’s Hammer. The Aurora Reverses.」
"Go!! Mash!!!"
"───Yes!!!!"
「Temporary Deployment of an Imaginary Noble Phantasm.」
"What it is that shield truly wishes to protect."
"Go──!!!"
"───Haaaaa!!!!"
──Even so, they had resolve.
Though in different places, they gazed toward the same destination—
『[Excalibur Morgan: Sword of Promised Victory].』
『[Lord Chaldeas: The Foundation of Humanity]──!!!』
At last, the aurora shone, announcing the beginning of the [Battle of Fate].
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