Part 14: Update XIV - Blood Temple - VS Rider

Update XIV - Blood Temple - VS Rider



This is it.

Music: None


By the end of today, half of the people in the Holy Grail War will be dead.

When I turn back to look at the person speaking behind me, I see Kotomine standing there. Right, the Elimination Battle is today—a day that will be the last for either Shinji or myself. —Will someone really die today? I mean... Even though I can say the words, the idea that someone's going to die is just too surreal. It can't be reality.

Come to me when you are ready. You can do something trifling like stop by the commissary if needed.

Apparently finished, he opens the door and lets himself out. All right. This is the very first Elimination Battle. Let's go... fight Shinji on the battlefield.


If you complete the Information Matrix on your opponent, you will be given the chance to raise its level to E (EXTRA). If your Matrix is at E, you'll see more of your foe's moves, as well as see when they will use their Noble Phantasm.

That last bit is key. Noble Phantasms hurt, and getting blindsided by one is the last thing you want.





The school is utterly deserted.



Even the NPCs are gone.

Music: Down to Dawn


All we can do is check in with Caster and fill out the Matrix.



We get this new option on Day 7.



Shinji Matou. A friend of sorts from the prep period who I just can't bring myself to hate. The weapon that his treasured Servant wields is...



All it entails is a basic quiz that checks if you remember basic details about your opponent. There's no penalty to messing up.

She dual-wields sabers.

...No, that doesn't sound right. Try and remember what it was. The weapon that Shinji's Servant wields is...

See? The majority of wrong answers will just repeat the question, so I'll only note ones that say something interesting.

She dual-wields pistols.

That's right. When I got a taste of her power in the Arena, she was dual-wielding old-fashioned pistols. She and the socially retarded Shinji made a good pair of troublemakers. She's like his wild big sister. Also, Shinji hid the note that he found from his Servant. What did the note say her Noble Phantasm was...?

You can tell this was made in the early '10s when people can freely use 'retarded.'



A ship.

Though the paper was old and the handwriting scratchy, I could read her ship's name—the Golden Hind. From her attack, I deduced that she captained a ship, and that's when I realized her class was Rider. Although Shinji was pretty relaxed at first, he's gotten more on edge as I've gained more information. He's been downright childish at times, like when he blocked me from entering the Arena. And slowly but surely, I pieced together the true identity of Shinji's Servant. Her true name is probably—



Francis Drake.







At any rate, it's a lucky thing I figured out her true name before the Elimination Battle. Shinji may be a fool at times, but there's no arguing that he's a hacker of incomparable talent. I hope these tidbits of information can bridge the difference in our skill levels—



And done.



Figuring out a Servant's true name gets you some info on the third tab, but there will still be some blank spots until we win the Elimination Battle.




"An inexhaustible treasury" can only mean Gilgamesh from Stay Night, but that quip about Caster is interesting...



I make a quick stop at the store to make sure we have enough heals before we head out.



And here we go.

Video: Week 1 Elimination Battle


Remember, the only way to leave the Coliseum is to win. If you are ready, I will open the gate.



Enter the Coliseum

The way to the Coliseum is now open, young Master. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will return. Remember: It's kill or be killed.





The storage room door turns into an elevator, of all things.



Music: Duel - Prelude to Confrontation






An elevator car slowly fades in around them. A barrier keeps the two teams apart.

Get a clue, huh? Well, you can't say I didn't show you how awesome I was in the prep period. Never in a million years are you going to defeat me. Shoulda ran away when you had the chance!



You can do that?





I mean, hey. I'm a fair guy. I don't like fighting against losers any more than the next talented guy.

~

I won't know unless I try.

...Excuse me? That's some bull! Did you forget you never got the best of me at school, like, ever?! How many times do you plebes have to be reminded that you'll never be on the level of a genius like me.

~~

But, I guess I better get used to it, since nobody here can defeat me.



And now Shinji is just giving her name away!

This doesn't count for the Matrix, mind. If you skip the brainstorming session and walk in with Level 3, you're stuck with it.



Don't worry. Since we're such good friends, I'll make sure you go out with a big bang— Oh, hey! Check out my great idea! You've gotta hear this. Ready?



No thank you skips ahead.

Sure.

Always a goody-two shoes, gotta love it. Well, I hope you'll take one more direction.



You w0t m80?

Anything else is a waste of time! Obviously, even a landslide victory against you will cost me energy. Even decided battles like this one still are unfair because the victor has to waste their strength.

That sounds lame, so do me a favor and just throw that match. Then I win, and you don't get hurt, see? Whatcha think? Makes total sense, huh? And you can even feel all warm and fuzzy for helping me out!

And there's something in it for you, right? Cuz if we fought for real, no way my Servant could hold back. Hell, I'll even throw in some of the prize money I'll win. All I want is the title, anyway. C'mon, is this a great idea or a great idea? Friends helping each other out and all that jazz.

This is Shinji's core, really. He wants to be special. He wants to be known and admired. But he never realizes just how in over his head he gets until he's up against the wall.



I'm too appalled to respond.



Oh, I get it. You're so happy that you're all choked up. Then get your Servant to answer me, huh?

~

Reject.



I feel sorry for you. All this new power at your disposal is giving you an inflated ego. Hey, Servant. Why don't you try talking some sense into the head of your stupid Master?

Both options, or refusing to hear him out converge here.





Whaaa...?! How dare you speak about me like that! You're just a Servant!

Hahaha, they have a point, Master.



I'm going to miss Drake.

Your side, of course. You paid me, so I'll fight ably by your side.

Letting them throw the match would not satisfy either of us. I dislike giving less than my full effort. Let your winning instincts take over. Everything's better if you fight for it—food, women, victory. Besides, we're villains. That means if nothing else we're allowed to be splashy.

If you're going to be a villain, might as well be as flamboyant as you please. Don't hold back.



Hahaha! Temper, temper, little one! You've got big balls for being such a tiny man. I admire that.



...They're perfect for each other. I know Masters and Servants are paired by compatibility. Will their chemistry be constructive in battle?





The elevator just keeps going down.





All the way to floor 0.



But since EVERYBODY insists, I'll show you the vast difference in our abilities until you cry for mercy.

Once El Draque's culverin makes Swiss cheese out of you, it'll be too late!

Music: Duel - Kill Or Be Killed


Our battlefield is on a ship, naturally.



The battle might be over so fast that I won't get to show off... Wait for round two, then!



I'm gonna humiliate you so bad that after this game you'll never crawl out of your mom's basement!



What a greedy little boy you are, Shinji. Very well, I'll bring the rope for you to truss them up. Tie them to the mast or whatever your little heart desires.



Hmph, mercy isn't in my vocabulary. I have a thirst for the finer things in life, and that is all I care for. I may not always have good fortunes, but with humans or bombs, there's a certain fatal inevitability to life.











This is an obstacle a commoner like you couldn't hope to overcome.







Prepare yourself, you shriveled seaweed!

D-don't get carried away just because you're a little cute! For a Servant, you really don't shut up!

The time has come, for the true power of The List.






Profligate Pillaging is an Attack buff, which scales based on how much treasure Shinji got yesterday. I mean that literally, by the way, it only buffs Attack and not Break or Guard.

There's just one problem with it:





Attack buffs mean shit if you never land a hit.



Give me everything you have, and I'll consider it.

God, you really are only interested in money.




With Saber or Archer I would have needed hack(16); to avoid Culverin Cannons, but with Caster I can use a Curse and skip two attacks for the price of one!



Shinji decides to debuff the worst stat again.





Turns out that some stats have hidden effects to go with their main bonus! Defense in particular boosts magic skill damage. Just magic, mind you, so only Caster gets this bonus.



The only downside to skills is that they break the combo count for an Extra Attack, so you lose out on a bit of damage there.




And for whatever reason, she uses the same pattern next turn!





Halfway there, and the only damage I've taken is chip damage from Guarding attacks.



You're admiring them? You're still my Servant, fight!


Pillaging wore off, so Drake's priority is to set it up again.





You can see that the empty diamond by Drake's HP has lit up.



Yeah, use my power to show them who's boss, El Draque.

Every Servant has their own condition needed to use their Noble Phantasm. For Drake, she has to hit critical HP.


Thanks to The List, I've damn near perfected the fight. If she chose to use anything other than Guard before her NP, I could have killed her without ever seeing it!



There's a small chance high damage rolls and an Extra attack could still kill her, so I play around on this turn to let Drake show off.











249 damage. If I didn't block that, that would have killed Caster if she had anything less than full HP, and a higher roll could have killed her outright! This is why a Level E Matrix is so vital, having to gamble on which attack is the one that kills you would not be a fun time.



Dammit, are you drunk right now!?



With that little health left, I can't not win on this turn.



And Shinji wastes his last turn alive doing nothing of value.

Honestly, his Code Casts are good in theory, debuffing Luck to boost the odds of Stun landing, but my Luck already as low as it can go, so it doesn't really matter.



One.



Two.



Three.



Four.



And with that, we've survived the first week of the Holy Grail War.



Music: Duel of Fate


No matter how you look at it, I'm the best! At everything! I can't lose in the first round!

It...It's YOUR fault, El Draque! This happened because you suck!



Argh! If you've got the energy to talk back, then go fight! There's no way I'm losing this!



Say what?! You think you can run away and leave me here? I lost because of you!



Well, whatever. Fortune is fickle and fate is what we make of it. We lost for a reason— We may be strong, but we didn't have what it takes to win.



It wasn't supposed to go like this. You ruined everything by becoming my Servant! Useless! Damn it! I can't believe I lost! This game sucks! Suuuucks!



When we get back, will you pat me on the head for a job well done—?

Wow, Caster is stone cold.





B-B-Because, you know, you just won this battle by accident! There's a 100% chance you'll lose in the second round. But I'll win it for sure. Think about it. Isn't it better for one of us to keep winning than for you to lose in the next round?



Cut it out, Shinji. You've lost and you know it. You can't change what happened.



...Damn it. Argh, you may have won this one game, but don't get a big head over it. In real life, I'm still a champion! Listen, when I go home, I'm gonna figure out who you really are and—

Music: Stops








Shinji lets out a desperate cry as his arms, legs and torso gradually fizzle into blackness.

Music: Deathly Silent




What?! D-Die?! But just our avatars get erased, right? There's no way you can DIE in a virtual world...

Yes. You lose, you die. This is a "war," not a "game."

Most everyone who joins this war ends up dead. The sole survivor is the only one who can go home alive.



But it's a tournament! So it's a game, right? Right?! Aaagh... Wh-Why isn't this stopping?! D-Do something! Isn't a Servant supposed to help their Master?!



But, well...the good and bad both are sent off to another world in the end. It's nothing to complain about.





But, remember what I told you when we made our contract, little boy? Be prepared, because a villain's final moments are laughably miserable!

His Servant gives a hearty laugh, even as her body is being erased by the system.



And you folks over there, let's hear some laughter, huh? It's sad when a clown doesn't get a laugh.



In life, I fought against military ships. It's against my nature to enjoy fighting weaker opponents.



Farewell, Francis Drake.

As she turned a forced smile my way, the female pirate disappeared. She was a great navigator, and the first person to circumnavigate the world. And she went out laughing. Now that she's gone... Shinji must know what his fate is.





If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this situation right now! You owe me—



Waaah! I'm really disappearing! Why? Why does it feel like I'm going to die in real life, too?!



I don't want to die yet—

Remember when Shinji was mentioned as having a custom avatar on the level of Rin, yet he still has the basic uniform everyone else has?

He didn't mod his looks, he modded his age.



Farewell, Shinji Matou.

He's gone. The person known as Shinji Matou has been erased from existence. The only thing that he has left behind...is me. The victor.



Next time: The aftermath.