-65:49:08
Matō Kariya had fallen into a pitch-black dream.
He could see nothing.
He could hear nothing.
Only his skin could feel the shockingly dense pressure of the darkness.
Where, is this — here seemed to be inside someone’s body.
Therefore, Kariya asked the darkness—who are you.
As if with a suffocating pressure, the darkness rumbled low. Like the angry roars of stormy winds; like the sky had fallen and the earth had cracked.
"I am—
The alienated—
The ridiculed—
The despised—"
The dense black shadow that moved within the darkness was like a human shape poised to attack.
The bones and skull immersed in the pitch-darkness.
The pair of bright eyes even more terrible than the darkness.
Berserker—the manifestation of Matō Kariya’s curse, no, the Servant his hatred had called from the ends of time.
"No need to praise my name—
No need to envy my body—
I am the shadow under the radiance of heroic spirits—
Birthed of the darkness of glorious legend—"
Like a miasma that rose forth from underground, the sound of sighs of hatred wrapped around Kariya from every direction.
Kariya began to feel uneasy; just as he was about to turn his gaze, the icy touch of metal gauntlet gradually neared, catching mercilessly on Kariya’s clothes.
Thus was Kariya’s thin body lifted into midair, before Berserker’s eyes—he was fixed in a position where he could not but meet that crazed gaze.
"And so—
I hate—
I resent—
Nourished by the sighs of the people precipitated within the darkness, people that curse the light—"
"..."
Kariya struggled against the gauntlets mercilessly locked around his throat, groaning in pain. In his eyes, yet appeared another indistinct and confused scene.
A sword shining bright light, and holding onto the hilt, a radiant young warrior.
This person was not a stranger to Kariya.
That was the Einsberns’ Servant – Saber...
"This is my disgrace—
Because of her unsullied glory, I must forever be belittled—"
The Black Knight's helmet cracked apart.
The face revealed was shrouded in darkness, but that pair of fiery eyes, and the teeth trembling from hunger, could be clearly seen.
"You are, the sacrifice—"
He pronounced coldly, embracing Kariya without another word, coldly flashing sharp teeth piercing into his jugular.
Kariya screamed in agony.
But this scream could not move the other. The berserk Black Knight sucked at the blood seeping from Kariya’s throat, and swallowed heavily.
"Good, give me more—
Your blood and flesh, your life—
Let them ignite my hatred—!!"
No...
Stop...
Save me!
Kariya used all the words he could think of to beg forgiveness, hoping there would be someone to extend a helping hand, but in this darkness, it was impossible for him to obtain salvation.
A miasma of red flashed intermittently before his eyes, consciousness confounded by pain and fear gradually becoming foggy.
But he still squeezed out the last remaining bit of strength, and cried out in his loudest voice.
***
—Waking with a pained cry, he was still within the darkness.
But even thus, the stench of rotting given out by the ice-cold and damp air, as well as the hair-raising sound emitted by thousands of worms crawling, still told him clearly—this was, without question, the real world.
The dream of just now, compared to reality, exactly which world seemed more merciful to Kariya—
At least, from the one fact of being able to forget that this body was about to die, perhaps remaining in the world of nightmares would be happier.
By exactly what miracle he—burned and having fallen from the rooftop of a building—had been saved, and how he had returned to the underground worm storage of the Matō residence again alive, was now impossible to understand through his memory alone.
His limbs felt dulled, but he knew that he was chained to a wall, his hands shackled. He could not stand on his own feet; his shoulders, supporting the weight of his entire body, hurt as if they were about to be torn from their sockets. But compared to the itch of the worms covering his body, it was not even worth mentioning.
The worms licked at burnt skin, and under that skin was new skin colored pink. It looked as if the burns were currently healing—though the reason was unknown.
It looked as if the Crest Worms intended to use Kariya’s body as a seedbed to extend his life. But this was completely useless. In order to re-grow the skin, prana had already been forcibly consumed; the few days of life left in Kariya’s body were also about to dry up. He could clearly feel that even the simple action of drawing a breath and then expelling it was depleting his strength.
Very soon, he would die--
At the same time he understood that he was absolutely unable to put up resistance, Aoi and Sakura’s faces were constantly flashing in his mind.
He had once vowed to save them with his life as the price… but in the end, his wish had not been fulfilled. This disgrace and shame tortured Kariya’s heart even more than the pain of his body.
Remembering the faces of the people he loved, but immediately after, the indifferent expression of Tōsaka Tokiomi and the sneer of Matō Zōken invaded his heart, pressed onto him until he could not breathe.
"Bastard…"
From the depths of his dry throat, Kariya cursed angrily with all the strength he had left.
"Bastard... bastard, bastard..."
The sound of his sobs was suddenly muffled by a sound of pleasured laughter that came from behind him.
The worms scurried to avoid the elderly and small silhouette propped up by a crutch and slowly walking closer to Kariya. It was none other but precisely the object of Kariya’s hatred, Matō Zōken.
"Ah, Kariya, you are really quite pitiful like this."
The elderly magus used his crutch to poke at Kariya’s jaw, forcing him to lift his head. Kariya no longer had the strength to rail at him, but nevertheless used his remaining right eye to glare at the other with hatred and murderous intent. Just looking disdainfully at his opponent already exhausted him.
“Don’t get it wrong—I’m not reprimanding you in any way. With such serious injuries, I’m surprised you came back here alive—Kariya, I don’t know who it was that saved you. But luck does not seem to be bad in the battle this time around.”
Zōken, murmuring gently to his ‘son’ as if caressing a cat, was in a particularly good mood today—thus the implication of evil was written all over his face that was full of smiles.
“Three Servants have already been taken care of; only four remain. Truth be told, I did not think you could actually hold out till now. It looks as if—this gamble, I may still have a chance at winning.”
And like that, Zōken suddenly finished speaking, retreating a few steps to distance himself from him.
“Perhaps adding one more lock on you is not a bad idea. Ah Kariya, since things have come to this point I will pass on to you the ‘trump card’ I have secreted away for this day, come on—“
Ku, Zōken’s crutch suddenly pushed at the hollow of Kariya’s throat, forcing him to open his mouth. Immediately after, it moved upward like a mouse, and was fiercely stabbed into Kariya’s mouth.
“Ah, uu…!?”
Kariya fainted from the pain. The worms followed the cavity of his mouth and mercilessly invaded his gullet, finally arriving within the spasming abdomen. Now, even if he had wanted to vomit, he could not; it was already too late.
After which—as if a red-hot block of metal had been placed into his stomach, an intense burning sensation grilled Kariya’s body from the inside.
"Uu… ah!?"
Kariya began to struggle in agony; the cuffs on his hands jangled. The blood which seemed to have stagnated now boiled, runaway, and his heart also pounded crazily, almost to the point of breaking apart.
That had been a piece of concentrated prana. The Crest Worms within Kariya’s body, which had temporarily regained vitality, began to move again. The mock prana circuits of Kariya’s entire body also started to pulse like never before, and his limbs were beginning to feel pain as if they were being torn apart—but this also meant that Kariya’s numb arms and legs could feel again.
Seeing the 'trump card' take effect, Zōken jeered loudly.
"Huhuhuhu, this does have immediate results.
Do you know? That piece of prana you swallowed just now came from a Lust Worm. The one that first absorbed Sakura’s innocence. How about that, Kariya? The vitality of a young girl, absorbed continuously over the course of this past year—it is the best magecraft energy of all, yes?"
And perhaps it was this chain of cruel actions that satisfied his sadistic heart; the elderly magus turned around, his face full of smiles. Just as he was about to leisurely leave the worm storage, his derisive mockeries once again pierced into Kariya’s ears.
"Go forth and fight, Kariya. Burn up completely the life snatched from Sakura. Do not be stingy with your blood and flesh, but bring back the Grail! If one like you can do it, that is."
After which, with the heavy closing of the doors, the surroundings were once again only filled with icy darkness and the noise of crawling worms.
Kariya began sobbing silently.
-64:21:13
The warm afternoon sunlight gently warmed the outer walls of the storeroom and gradually slanted towards the west.
However, the air in the storeroom remained silent and cold. A few rays of sunlight shone in from the small skylight, as if bathing the storeroom in the soft dusk of afternoon.
Saber was sitting on the ground with her back against the wall, waiting for the arrival of that time.
In the magic circle beside her was Irisviel, who still laid face-up with her hands crossed across her chest. She was still deep asleep. Saber had, without moving, gazed at her sleeping profile ever since she brought her here this morning.
Would the magic circle that Irisviel and she drew together yesterday work as expected?
For Irisviel, who is a homunculus, it appeared as if resting in this magic circle is the only way of recovering. In the past, a ceremony would also be held with it. However, considering the current situation, it seemed to be a very distant and unreachable past.
It was truly a long night.
Caster, who hindered the battle and joined mid-way, was finally defeated.
And then, the duel with Lancer ended into a heartrending manner.
The War of the Holy Grail made great advancements last night, with two Servants leaving the battle. Saber could indeed be said to have played an extremely important part no matter what the situation of battle was.
It would be a lie to say that she’s not tired, but right now she was more worried about Irisviel’s situation.
She recalled that they were already signs since morning. Irisviel had called it a defect in the functions of a homunculus. However, Saber couldn’t figure out just what had happened yesterday to make her body condition worsen so much. It wasn’t due to wounds, nor did she undertake overly vigorous exercise. If this situation happened to the Master that formally sealed a contract with Saber, then it’s very probable that it was due to Saber’s tiredness and the increase of the prana supply that increased the Master’s burden. But if that were the case then it shouldn’t be Irisviel, who is only a substitute Master, but Kiritsugu instead.
The gentle sunlight shone in through the skylight. As the time went past noon, the sunlight also slowly changed its angle.
Finally – Irisviel moved slightly. The stilled air moved as if there were ripples stirred within.
Saber immediately widened her eyes, and saw that Irisviel was slowly sitting up as she moaned in anguish.
“…Saber…?”
Lazily brushing the silver strands of hair away from her eyes she looked at Saber, who guarded her side, with a lost gaze.
“Irisviel, how are you doing?”
“…Umm, mm. I’m fine now.”
That’s impossible. Saber wanted to rebuke, but she saw that the reddish color of Irisviel’s cheeks have returned to its normal healthy state. It’s hard to believe that she was in a coma until now.
Ahh, she gave a small stretch, as if joyfully waking up in the morning after having fully rested.
“Mmm – looks like I made you worry.”
“N… no. It’d be great if it’s really fine… but…”
“Mmm, I understand what you want to say, Saber.”
With a bitter smile, Irisviel combed through her long hair with her hands, and tidied her clothes that have gone slightly messy.
“Looks like I really did have a lot of problems after I came here. It shouldn’t matter if I just remain quietly like this, but – Saber, from now on, I may be unable to stay beside you and support you anymore.”
“Irisviel…”
Irisviel said in a rather downcast manner. On the contrary, it made Saber a little surprised.
“Sorry, although it’s very embarrassing, but compared to becoming your burden –”
“No, that’s not it. I hope you’ll be more careful with your body. It’s all my fault. I feel like this is a reminder to me, saying that because I forced you to continuously participate in battles that you…”
Saber stopped, afraid that what she may say next could hurt Irisviel. Irisviel smiled weakly, and said.
“You don’t need to worry about that. We homunculus are different from humans, and we understand the structure of our body very clearly. It’s like a car; if a car doesn’t flash a warning light when the gas runs out, then that’s really what’s called malfunctioning.”
“…”
Although those words were correct, the analogy wasn’t fitting enough. Hearing this, Saber became silent with a gloomy face. Then, with a very serious gaze, she looked at Irisviel with a frontal stare.
“… Irisviel, although you are indeed a homunculus, but I never thought of treating you differently from ordinary humans. Therefore, no matter what, you don’t need to speak so lowly of yourself.”
Saber said it so straightforwardly that Irisviel conceded her defeat.
“… Saber, you’re so gentle.”
“Everyone who got to know you would think this way. Irisviel, you’re a very charismatic person.”
In order for the conversation to stop being so heavy, Saber deliberately joked with a light tone.
“For a woman, her body would often have various discomforts. There’s no need for you to be ashamed.”
With that, even Irisviel gave a bitter smile of embarrassment.
“Speaking of that, Saber, you’re also a girl – umm, wouldn’t it be problematic? You have to act as a man during such times.”
“No, about that –”
Seeing that Irisviel’s face has regained its usual smile, Saber relaxed, so she continued with a tone that’s even lighter than usual.
“You wouldn’t know it, but I had the extra protection of my Noble Phantasm when I was alive. Not to mention disease, even aging had stopped for me. Therefore, no discomforts would appear for my body. I’d still be like I am right now even ten years later.”
Then, Saber suddenly saw that Irisviel’s expression became anxious, as if she was in discomfort, so she quickly stopped.
Although she couldn’t understand how come this casual topic got Irisviel so down, Saber discovered that currently Irisviel was in no mood to chat with her.
“– Anyways, Irisviel, you don’t need to worry about anything. Indeed, I would be more relieved with you covering me, but now not many enemies are left. Even if I act alone, I’ll still have complete confidence in victory.”
“… Saber, if you truly act ‘alone’, then I won’t worry either.”
Saber couldn’t help but feel a bitterness welling up in her throat when she realized the true meanings of Irisviel’s words.
Yes, she wasn’t acting alone. The Master that made a contract with the Servant Saber was still on the same battlefield.
“Oi, Saber… from now on, will you be able to treat Kiritsugu as a comrade, and fight beside him?”
She wasn’t able to answer immediately. This act showed the struggles within the King of Knights’s heart blatantly.
“… If all other Masters seek the Holy Grail only due to their own selfish desires, then I believe the Grail should be obtained by Kiritsugu. I have no objection over becoming his ‘sword’ due to that.”
As she answered with a subdued tone, Saber furrowed her brows as if she couldn’t hide her distress.
“– But I wish the only one who becomes a ‘sword’ would be me. I don’t want to once again intervene in Kiritsugu’s methods.”
Saber’s heart couldn’t help but feel a throbbing pain as she recalled Diarmuid’s end.
No matter how much she understands the man called Kiritsugu, no matter how much a concession she’s willing to make, Saber can not forgive that scene no matter what.
“Now I need to perform battles that Kiritsugu have to agree with. As a Servant, I can obtain victory without staining the Master’s hands, can’t I? The remaining three Servants cannot win against me no matter what.”
Irisviel nodded. She could only nod. It was already a miracle for Saber to retain such a fighting spirit after having witnessed Kiritsugu’s despicable behavior with her own eyes. However, on the other hand, she also knew that right now Saber wanted very much for Kiritsugu to trust her at least minimally, but there was no possibility for Kiritsugu to do so. The meaning of the phrase ‘true victory’ differed as drastically as heaven and earth between the ‘King of Knights’ and the ‘Magus Killer’.
Relying on her unyielding will to strive until victory is obtained and a perseverance that allows her to rise once again no matter how many times she’s defeated –
A prudence that completely eliminates all possible reasons that may cause his defeat –
Although their goals are both the same, their methods are fatally different.
“For me, the Holy Grail is like myself. Because from the moment I was born, I have the ‘vessel’ that allows its descent.”
Hearing Irsiviel’s words, Saber nodded.
“I heard about it. Your duty is ‘the guardian of the vessel’.”
However, although Saber is with her 24 hours a day, she still does not know how and where she hid the ‘vessel of the Grail’. Since they trusted each other, then there’s no need for her to ask. All Saber needs to do is to accept the ‘vessel’ from her hands once she obtained victory in all battles.
“…Therefore, no matter what happens, I hope that my ‘treasure’ would be passed into the hands of those I love – Kiritsugu, and you, Saber...
seamuss