Part 20: Orchid Words Arc - Concert

Concert


Triumph

Awww... After going through Flame Poem, and experiencing all of Nero's pride and love, to bring her down like this...I just feel bad about it. Even though it had to be this way...

I...have to...save SE.RA.PH... And the Earth...below it... But I...

What do you mean about saving the Earth? All you did was fight me and lose. Why are you making it complicated? Let's just say I'm stronger than the Earth and leave it at that. Now prepare yourself, Emperor. ...We've been through so much together, but it's over now. Time for the moment of truth.



Praetor...!

The moment I witness it, I sympathize with her for doing the obvious. Hakunon stands and protects Saber. I've never had that kind of conviction, but if it were Caster's life at stake, I like to think I'd do the same thing.

You would, in another world. Hakunon is always loyal to her Servants.

...Well, then. You're the side of my Husband who chose to stay with her. The Mind. The personality, in a sense. But what you're missing is your wisdom. Do you understand what's happened here? That Servant behind you just lost. There's no reason for you to defend her. She's about to lose her Regalia too. That means the one you SHOULD stand up for is...me, the one and only Caster. ...So repeat after me: "I choose Caster". Just say that, and then I'll...



She never would. There's no way she's coming over to our side. She belongs next to Saber. She's decided to stay with her, just as I've decided to stay next to Caster, until the very end. There's no difference.

...Nero, you're...

Her face slips just a tiny bit. I wonder if I'm the only one to notice. Her mood. Her tone. Even the way she stands and breathes. I spot all those cues. A number of cracks and peels form in Caster's "Queen" persona. I can almost see one or two of her millions of pent-up feelings slipping out.

Y-You're...always taking from me, Nero. Just like last time. The Moon's Holy Grail War. At the end of it, the ones who made it to the Moon Cell core were my Husband...and you. I wasn't there. I was separated. You remember. I never saw what happened in that room. So...



I thought I'd finally been chosen, out of everyone. When I saw that bright light shining on my finger, I knew it in my heart. But then...I saw you had the same ring. Imagine what that felt like. It was a shock, to say the least. ...But unfortunately for you, I DO win this time. You had your turn. Now it's mine! We're even. And if you have any objections, you can scream them from the depths of hell.





Ah, my lovely, feast your eyes! Both Regalia are mine! The Millennium Capital is no longer enough. We are the Sun! We will shine our flame over all things everywhere!

...I cannot bear to watch this. You are a monster! Your beauty beguiled us all, and concealed your cunning!

*laugh* Yes, yes, exactly! Now you know what a monster I am. Cower before my shining visage! In the East, great Kings hear the whispers of deception. In the west, they hear the call of the huxian, the rise of the legendary fox! I was once the terror of humanity. Once, I wanted nothing more than to escape from that past... But I don't care anymore, not at all. If I can dream this fleeting dream, if I can have our kingdom... Then nothing else matters, my Husband.

Our gazes lock in place. Most Wizards would wither at the mere light of Caster's eyes. I don't know whether her heart or her magic have the stronger hold on me, and I don't care. I don't look away from her gaze. I stare back into Caster's golden eyes as they cling to me. There are no other thoughts in my mind right now, nothing more important than her.

...*sigh* My, my. That you stare so longingly into the face of wretchedness... A bond for the ballads, to be sure. ...I yield. The strength of your magnificent unino is simply beyond my will to challenge. I will TEMPORARILY LEND YOU the Regalia. And may the good Master keep you honest with it. Farewell, Caster. I await your inevitable apology. And good day, other Praetor.



You know, in Nero's side, I could imagine Tamamo living decently happily without having a Millennium Capital. She doesn't strike me as the type whose happiness depends on her own personal pride, but Nero, I dunno. Living like this might be a greater disgrace than perishing gloriously in combat.

Well, as long as the other Hakuno is with her, she'll probably be happy enough. Well, we've gotten both Regalias, but didn't we forget something?

Hmm. Apology? Don't hold your breath. You lost your lover at the last moment because you were too soft with your enemy. Goodbye, Saber. Pardon me for saying so, but you and I will never meet again.

Scene break... Also, this may not be the most ridiculous / awesome scene in the game, but honestly, it's pretty high up there...


Concert Tour

Just as one would expect from the Regalia's rightful owner, victory is once again yours. Very good, very good. But now the rest is up to me. Reintegrating the Regalia requires my unique skill as the system administrator. So please excuse my abruptness, but we must move with haste.

You seem impatient, Archimedes. Do you care about the Regalia that much?

You know, say what you will about Tamamo's impulsiveness, cruelty, or general dick-ishness, but she does have pretty good instincts about this fellow.

It is necessary...for your rulership over all, that is, and for the tranquility of SE.RA.PH.

Ah, the "the tranquility of SE.RA.PH." You make it all sound so serene. Your tongue spins like the blades of a pinwheel.

A scholar must be eloquent, that his teachings be clear for future generations. Speaking of which, if we could move along... Once the Regalia is reunified, all will be as it should be. Prosperity will come to this world, and never again will your peace be threatened. We must begin! Raise your hand to the heavens and restore their true shape. Now, present the other Regalia from the false King!

Archimedes seems slightly rushed. I'm not the only one who sees that. Caster sees it too. She stands beautifully as always, but I can see quivers of caution in her fingertips. No one says a word. Even the air stands still. The thrills and terrors of the battle with Saber have washed away. Caster's cold and vicious Queen persona is fading. Sensing what Archimedes is trying to do, she reverts to her natural self and...



Please do not move a muscle, Master. Heavens me, I have a bad feeling abo-



?!

Where did that voice come from...?!







Where did she even get that stupid platform from?!



...Up above?! From right over our heads, Dark Eliza... Dark Elizabeth... She drops right in and grabs the ring.

Wh-What?! You're acting like a flying...a flying dragon! What are you doing, young maid?! That is not a child's toy! Please don't make the mistake of putting it on!

I'm no maid, thank you very much! I saw an opening, and I made my grand, dainty, sneaky entrance! And! I'm not Dark Elizabeth! I'm Dark Eliza! Or Dark Eli! You got that?!

She scolds me. Dark Eli... Dark Eli... I'll just call her "Deli" for short.

Another thing all sides of Hakuno have in common? Taking the piss out of Deli here. No matter how rough things get, you can always not take her seriously and be okay in the end.

You're going to call me what now?! Come on, you can think of something better than that!

Well... She's a picky little dragon. We all knew that.

...Not that I care about that, but hmm, you two have quite the rapport going, don't you?

N-No, it's just... Well, just a little! I'm like the childhood friend who's sick of being treated like a kid! *ahem* Look, forget the name! I'm just looking out for myself here. Watch this! I'll prove to all of you, here and now, who deserves the Regalia the most!



Well, let's see if it turns out a bit better this time...





Naturally.

The amount of mana is tremendous...I don't need an analysis Code Cast to see the negative reaction. No matter how you look at it, the amount of mana is increasing at a dangerous level. No single Servant would be able to harness this much power safely. Even if Elizabeth had a proper Master, it's not something she could control. The mana starts focusing. Then it starts expanding. Then it starts degenerating...At this rate, Elizabeth and the Regalia will both shatter...

You newt...! Take that off this instant! You'll be burned alive!



Huh, Archimedes' mods worked. Maybe Altera and Tamamo have some competition...

What?!



Didn't think I could do this, did you, Caster? I made a few special adjustments just for this. No way it's going to blow up on me now. Are you seeing this, "Your Majesty"? I'm right there on your level now.

...Impossible... This CAN'T be possible. ANOTHER Regalia wielder? So that means...





I love all the cartoon effects that follow Elizabeth around. Then again, she's got good reason to be pretty pleased right now.

Yes, yes. That's the face I wanted to see! Your towering pride crumbling down! And look, little squirrel...! I'm the Sovereign now! Everything... Everything belongs to me! Everything on the Moon belongs to me! No one else gets anything! All the castles, dresses, jewels, lives, blood, and mana... All mine! EVERYTHING...IS...MINE! ...Everything will belong to me! *laugh*

*gasp*

Elizabeth and Caster, princess and courtesan, facing each other from across the throne room. Both with the same destructive beauty, the monstrously royal gestures. Both of them anti-Heroic Spirits, both tainted by the supreme power of Royal Authority. Both of them, brazenly haughty Queens. Neither of them can ever help surrendering to their greed. They each want to be the tallest, most beautiful flower. They know their beauty makes others suffer. They want to seize power over everyone, entire countries' worth of people, and swallow everything whole. I see that now, as Elizabeth stands before Caster like she would with a mirror.



Speaking of which, your "empire"? Shoddy at best. All this talk about enjoyment and prosperity, that's all it is. Just talk. Me, I'll take ALL of SE.RA.PH for myself and drink its blood and tears until it's dry. A ruler has to be cold, merciless, uncaring. I've got royal blood in me. I'm perfect for the job! Now it's time to show my subjects my unconditional love. I'll gently wring the taxes out of them until they're all shambling husks!

This fantasy is beyond foolish! It's impossible to take that much control with just one Regalia! There's no point without the other pieces!

Oh yeah. You're right. I forgot! Good thing the Queen's ring is right there. So since I've got one to spare, let me try something...

*This* is where this scene starts becoming amazing / ridiculous. This entire scene (hell, one could argue this game), is like the Ookubo Rumi Power Hour. She's a fantastic voice actress for regular Elizabeth, all the incarnations of Elizabeth in Grand Order, and the amazingly goofy / lovable Rider of Black, Astolfo, in Fate/apocrypha and Grand Order.



Yeah, Archimedes *probably* didn't see this coming. He's got really crappy options in terms of goons who play into his primary objective...

Huh?

Seriously, what?

All sparkly, and glistening... The sweetest little jewel I ever saw...

Wait just a minute. Please. What kind of idiot would ever say a ring looks tasty...? W-Wait!





*munch* *munch*

Sh-She ate it?!

*munch* *munch* *munch*

What...? Well, dragons do love shiny things. What was she supposed to do, with it sparkling that close to her mouth? They say dragons hoard treasure for no good reason. But maybe she HAS reasons. Maybe they're perfectly good reasons. Who am I to judge?

I'm glad Hakuno could stay so calm and think things out. I wouldn't even know what to say.

*munch* *munch* ...Hm...? Hm... Huh, I...fell like...my stomach's about to...





Ow. Ow. OW OW OW! Why... Am I...BURNING?! I'M BURNING!!

The mana focuses and condenses. Elizabeth's body is about to explode. Servant or not, there's no way she can hold that much power inside her.

The mana is out of control! It's an auto-defense system against unworthy wielders. So this is how it works from inside... No, now's not the time for analysis...! What to do, what to do...?!

Aagh, it's pounding my stomach...! Hey, DJ, the amp volume's too high... NO, THAT'S NOT IT! NO NO NO NO NO...! NOOO...!



In spite of her words, I do feel Tamamo has some kind of affection for Elizabeth. Maybe not much, but I get the feeling. Now...







...Were you about to rush to her aid, dearest? No need. Our little newt just swallowed "her" ring whole. Even I didn't see that coming.

What...? Does...this mean..it's been eradicated...? There's no sign...from the Regalia... It...has faded from within Elizabeth's body...entirely!

...It's gone? Half the symbol of the Moon Cell Automaton's Royal Authority? Gone, just like that?

Oh... Oh... Why? Again...! Why, why, why?! After I navigated through SO many variables! YOU! Anti-Hero! How many times will you get in my way?! I can't take you anywhere! You embarrassment! You bottom-feeding, useless SERVANT...!

*whimper* Why does it have to end this way...? What did I do wrong?!











I imagine the default look on everyone's faces, sans Elizabeth's, right now, is "You've got to be shitting me".

Wha...?

See?

Whose fault is this, huh? Not mine! So whose is it?! It's yours, your fault! You stupid, stupid, stupid...! ...Velber Bathory Erzebet!







Well... Well, um... I'd be saying "Third time's the charm" for Achimedes' big plan, but I'd say he has bigger problems right now...

It comes out of nowhere. A powerful strike from the True Name of her Noble Phantasm being revealed straight-on. Archimedes doesn't have time to evade or even block it. All he can do is take it... This Noble Phantasm is more powerful than anything I've ever seen from Elizabeth. It blows Archimedes completely away, without leaving so much as a single speck of spiritron. The digital body of the Heroic Spirit Archimedes is completely erased. Did absorbing the Regalia upgrade her powers? Is the explanation that simple? Whatever the reason, Elizabeth is dangerous now, maybe to all of us. I feel a unique tension, something I can't describe in words, all around me. Caster takes on a combat stance. I can't say I blame her.

*laugh* What now, huh? All that big talk, and what have you got to show for it? See how powerful I am? Just you watch, little squirrel. This is the new me. I'm Dark Eliza squared! So you listen to every word I say. With this power, I will...

...My Husband!

The sky...it's splitting. Fractures run through it, like cracks in glass.



...It's not from Caster. It's from something strong enough to split the world.

Wait, I know what this is... Why? Why are they coming here? Why...?! Darkness beyond SE.RA.PH...! The unknown territories, the Zero Dark Thirty...



That's...! That's the intruder who seduced my Husband the other day!

Why, why, why?! Why do you have a Regalia too?!

...

Beyond the hole in the world... Another dimension, a pitch-black one. I can't see a thing inside it...until black lights come swarming outward. What are they? Attack programs? No, maybe they're something else... What they are is broken. The lights might have been attack programs once, but now they're warped, corrupted. They've been afflicted with a disease. Their old functions no longer work as designed. They just continue to run and run until their bodies crumble and break. This process is the embodiment of destruction, and it has trampled down many lives. ...They cannot be allowed to spread through SE.RA.PH. They are an incurable disease. A deadly poison. A virus that bites down and leeches off the world itself, a Void Cell...!





...Don't misunderstand. I am your owner.





I stretch my hand out, but I can't reach far enough. The swarm rains down, annihilating everything in the area and swallowing up Elizabeth. Elizabeth, who had just displayed astonishing power, is gone in a heartbeat. The murky stream sweeps away the girl who swallowed the Regalia...





As the maiden in white gives the signal, the army stops in its tracks. "Maiden in white". Ah, of course I've seen her before.

I...I am the Great King. I am destruction itself, falling like a star to crush all those beneath.

...Her brown skin, tall and slender body, and unforgettable red eyes. She has the look of a warrior. ...No doubt about it. She's definitely someone who fights.

...Destruction.







My Husband!

That flash shaved off a piece of existence itself. It even destroyed the air. Just being near it makes my head pound and guts quiver. If Caster hadn't protected me, I don't know what would've happened. The Great King of Destruction. That's what she called herself. And I know she means exactly what she says. She is destruction personified. And her vow to crush the world is no empty boast.

That wasn't a Noble Phantasm... That was her regular attack. It looks like she's specialized to attack this world.

Caster's voice is serious. She holds onto her regal confidence, but I can see she's under pressure, much more so than with Saber. She's not just perturbed or confused. There's something deeper and darker churning inside. Something like...

...

The red eyes gaze toward us. Like I know they have before. That vision in My Room. I saw her face, heard her voice. ...A Servant I shouldn't know. But still I remember her name. The Sword of Mars. The Scourge of God. A Servant who sleeps in the Zero Dark and can reach up to Heaven's throne. Her name is...

Altera.

...The Heroic Spirit, Altera.

Caster announces the name. It's not the first time I've heard someone say it. I hear a familiar voice. Who's speaking? Caster? No. It's the other person here. In other words...



From beyond the break in the world, someone walks out of the darkness. At first, I can't see the figure's face. But I don't have to. I know what they look like. The same voice calls out... "This is not what you promised, Altera. I don't want to see this much destruction from you."

It's...Hakunon's voice. If I heard my own voiced played back to me, it would sound just like that. And the voice belongs to the woman who stands beside Altera.

A third. With you. Why am I not surprised? The three parts of the digital self, yes? Mind, Soul, and Body. I worried Master's Body might have disappeared somewhere. But you, Miss "Unknown Threat", you captured it, didn't you?

Faced with such a powerful presence, Caster stands her ground unflinching. I'm impressed. I don't think she's ever met anyone this hellbent on destruction, not in the Holy Grail War and not in the Labyrinth. So what is this feeling? Could Caster...know her? The maiden in white. The warrior of destruction. Does she know who or what "Altera" is?

The "Labyrinth" is a reference to CCC, as you might imagine. The main setting of the game was formally called the Sakura Labyrinth, named after its master, Sakura Matou, who took the name BB. Or BB-chan, if you're being exact.

Wonders never cease. To see you appear as a proper Servant. Yes, I had an inkling since you set your little trap back in My Room, but...I never would have guessed anyone could ever be more sinful than I. You were once human yourself, yes?

...You'll speak when spoken to. What are you?

Have you forgotten? Hmm, I suppose you wouldn't recognize me now. I've traveled to the High Heavens as well as the Underworld...

There's no need for anyone to know who I am. As long as I'm here, the past is irrelevant. And the same to you, Servant. Burn like the beast you appear to be.

Oh, aren't you even going to answer my question, Great King of Destruction? My Husband, join me. Hurry! I'll burn through my entire Moon Crux! ...We'll use it to...retreat!