Part 24: Orchid Words Arc - Golden

Golden


Like the Sun

*roar*

...Her echoes reverberate and shatter everything they touch. The territory shakes apart. The spiritron energy disperses. I thought Altera and her Forces were strong. But this is something else entirely, infused to the core with unspeakably lethal power. The structure around us is shattering like glass. At first, the titan was targeting us, but now she's smashing everything in sight. She screams and destroys. She turns and destroys. She breathes and destroys. As long as the titan exists, nothing else can.

Look, Master... On the titan's shoulder...



...I see a figure. Hakunon's Body is standing on the shoulder of the giant. And that third me is being eroded away, broken down, I can tell from here. It's what I'd expect to happen, being so close to a force of destruction. Nothing alive can stand beside her. No matters what bonds they might have. No matter what they might have said to each other. Her destructive power is absolute.

The Sephyr Titan... The terrible white god... From 14,000 years ago... That titan...is loose on SE.RA.PH... Could it be... Could this be it...? ...Is this the end...? ...My Husband.

Through quivering lips, Caster speaks my name. I've never seen her this vulnerable, nor in the Capital, not even in the Holy Grail War. I can't think of anything comforting to say. All I can do is stare back. Her eyes flicker with fear, anxiety, even despair.

...My Husband, I... I'm sorry. For everything. I want to say that here and now. I've made so many mistakes... Ever since you fell asleep, I've wanted to play the part of the harlot who leads a nation to its doom... I rejected Elizabeth's invitation, I ignored Altera's last warning... And I...I bound you to me. And all... All because I didn't want to be alone. I didn't want to be alone anymore. I was afraid of being by myself again. I had to be strong. Strong enough to dominate you, or I thought I'd lose you... That's what I was most afraid of. Elizabeth wasn't wrong to warn you about me. She was right. More than right. Because I... I was desperate. I knew I couldn't be with humans like you. I only make them unhappy in the end. But even so...



The realization falls into my chest with a thud. So that's what she's been building up to all this time. She knows the ending's sad, so she wants to close the book before we get there. She knows the ending's sad, so she wants to close the book before we get there. That's the only solution to the problem she's always had. Caster's a sorcerer, a supernatural fox, and she even holds a spark of the Sun inside her - but that also makes her part of eternity, of rules she can't ever go against. The notion of anything an "end" is unbearable to her. Anything, like a peaceful relationship between a human and an anti-Hero. That's why...she wants to bring down the curtain while the msuic is still playing. But she knows that would spell death for me. She wants to end it all, but she doesn't want me to die. She's been trying to keep all that turmoil buried under her throne. Even though her "harlot" persona could have driven me to hate her. Or maybe that's what she wanted, for me to lose all affection for her and walk away on my own terms, make it easier for her that way.

...I'm sorry. I've indulged myself all this time, and now look at this place. There's no way to stop that titan. This world was doomed from the start. I knew I wouldn't be able to save you. I knew it all along. That's why... I awakened my "harlot mode" I'd sealed off before. Not to fight or anything... I just wanted to live the dream life, even for an instant. And it couldn't be any other way. Because I've lost to that titan before. I've known in my very bones that we're no match for the Umbral Star. I'm a part of the embodiment of the Sun. And so...I know everything that happened 14,000 years ago. That thing killed more than the plants and animals. More than humanity. It killed even the very personifications of nature, one by one... the Heavens, the Earth, and the Sea. The Sun, and Fire, and the Forest. All our wisdom came to nothing. The titan rejected all reason, all love. It even rejected Death itself. The very embodiment of War, with its great sword, couldn't touch that thing. ...I knew that horrible creature was bound to come back. I knew better than anyone. And not "eventually". Ever tick of the clock brought us closer to the end of time. That's why I...

...I get it. Caster was ready to witness this scene. Not from a premonition, but from her own experience, or at least the experience of another version of herself.When the Umbral arrives, the world ends. The Moon Cell Automaton can't stop that. Every lifeform and civilization on earth will be destroyed, just like it was 14,000 years ago. But Caster still hoped, wished, prayed. Simply to live with me.

Please forgive me, my dearest, for my miserable, worthless mistakes. I've given up. The world will never see tomorrow. And so... So...I want to serve you until the very end. I want to be close to you and die alongside you.

...I think back to every event since I woke up in the Millennium Capital. It's hard to say how much time has passed. It feels like both an eternity and the blink of an eye. I remember talking with Elizabeth earlier. I told her I believed in Caster. I believed she had a reason for her un-Caster-like behavior, and for the construction of the Millennium Capital. I believed she'd reveal it to me in the end.



And thank you. For wanting to be at my side. For choosing me even after you've given up on everything else. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

...My Husband?

...But no. No, this is wrong.







Heavens me! O-Oh... My Husband... S-so...I'm not... I'm not the one for you? After all this, I-I...I'm just a sub-Servant...t-trying to...act like...your wife...even though I'm not even your main Servant... Imagine, me, hoping to be with you at the end... Just a foolish dream all along...

*shakes head*

"You're completely wrong. Think about it," I tell her. "Not about accepting the end. After all, eternity's way too long for a human being." She gives another sob. I give her a smile. "There's going to be a curtain call someday. That's just life. But i want to spend that life with you, and if this is the end, then we might as well go out with a bang."

You may wonder how a digital body can "die". Well, through the natural process of cell degeneration and other such biology-based hassles, a digital frame can't die. Through being vaporized (like, say, Tear Drop Photon Ray), that is most certainly possible (and why Hakunon hangs out in the ring during combat, after all).

Now, all Masters within the Moon Cell are digital copies of people who accessed the Moon Cell from Earth. So, there is a copy of Hakunon back on Earth who is still alive. However, she's stuck in a medical tube back on Earth, and, as a flesh and blood individual, will die eventually. The body dying will also lead to the digital frame's death.

...Huh...?

"We can't go out on a sour note like this, no matter how loud the band plays on this sinking ship. But you know what the worst part is? This isn't like you, Caster." "Whatever you and I stand together and face at the end, we're going to be smiling, because we have all these wonderful memories behind us." "We don't want to go out gnashing our teeth! You know what? When this war is over, let's leave the Capital behind. Don't get me wrong, your "Queen of Harlots" act has its charms, but..."

"...Your bright eyes, your cheerful voice, the loveliest smile I've ever seen..." I tell her, "I like the lively you, that shines like the sun, the best."

Ah... Ahh...Mas...ter... Such words are wasted...on someone like me. Such a miraculous, wonderful promise, all for someone like me...



The dwelling place of the gods, to be exact.

I can hear her, I can hear her clearly...at a loss for words, stunned, in shock and awe! *laugh* You must be so jealous! It serves you right! And look who came out on top!

Umm...Tamamo...? Don't tell me all that reflection didn't count for anything.

No. No, no, I have seen the error of my ways. ...I surrender completely, Master. Under these Sunlit Watery Heavens, I have completely fallen for you all over again. What was I thinking, kicking back with you while the world was about to end?! That doesn't sound like me at all, does it? I'd never really let myself sink that low! I'd be no different than that titan if I did. And you can't get a positive outcome by multiplying negatives!

Technically, you CAN get a positive number that way. I know she's on a roll, but she shouldn't get that wrong. Then again, I'm sure she was speaking figuratively, so I shouldn't put the brakes on her here. Especially since she's talking herself out of her harlot mode. I'll just stand back and enjoy the moment. The one true Sun is rising over the Zero Dark. Its golden glimmer fills my eyes.





And to all time and space, heed my words! I have but one wish! Two wishes! Well, three, maybe four, but MOSTLY just the one! And it's a very simple one! I wish to live happily with my beloved in a blessed world with a blessed future! I have finally reformed!



Gotcha!

Away with my harlotry. It's out of style anyway! As my Husband's best, proudest Servant, I will save SE.RA.PH at once!



Well, I suppose if Nero had her roses, Tamamo should be able to sparkle and shine on-demand. That's only fair.

Well, not that I care about SE.RA.PH, per se, but that's where my darling lives. So nobody threatens it, and that's final! Now onwards! HAPPY WEDDING SUNSHINE! All spirits at MAX! No need for spiritrons or mana! My source of power is....



Well, then, we should be able to wrap this up pretty quickly, huh?


Orchid Words Stage 6

It's the exact same Sephyr fight as last time, so you should be good on the attacks you'll expect to see / how to defeat her. The only problem is Nero is a bit better at this fight than Tamamo is, just given the difference between their power and attacking speed. Don't get me wrong, she's not without her advantages, and it's not a huge difference in either case. Tamamo's defense is a bit lower than Nero's too, so careful of her attacks. Well, you should always be careful with this attack line-up.



The flamethrower does a *ton* of damage against the hand cubes. I'd honestly advise use it over her EM attack. It doesn't do so much damage against Sephyr, for whatever reason, but hey, that's what the Regalia is for. Just remember to quickly dodge out of the way of her hands coming down after the cube gets destroyed.



Guess we should have expected him to pop back up eventually.



I slipped up there... Gotta be careful of those hands.



More than possible, I'm afraid.



Crushing blow.