Part 53: Update XLVIII - Small resistance

Update XLVIII - Small resistance



Music: School I


Even with Caster recovered, just landing an attack yesterday was a chore and a half. I have to find a way to penetrate that invisibility, or this won't even be a fight.

Sound: Phone ringing



Yikes! The terminal buzzes with the cipher key generation notice. ...Can I crack that invisibility before time runs out? Being able to see my opponent is a pretty basic requirement, I think. I'll make it my top priority. Maybe Rani can help me develop a strategy.





*Sigh* I want a servant, too... One that's a cute boy!



After all, isn't it better to use a skill than risk defeat by using a regular attack?

...

...It took this long to give out such a basic hint?





I guess my Servant is getting enough magic for now, so no problems there. However... My real concern is that Caster's spell failed to even touch Julius's Servant.



I guess my disappointment is easily read in my expression as Rani gives me an apologetic look. No, that's not it. Not exactly, anyway. Even given the chance, if I can't see Julius's Servant, I'm pretty much helpless at this point.

—So he's hidden from your sight. If that's the case, it'd be safe to assume that your enemy's Servant is an Assassin.

I can't say for sure, but he stays completely hidden and only attacks from the shadows. At the very least, not being able to see him will make it impossible for my Servant to attack him.



Without knowing his true identity, creating an effective strategy will be very difficult. There might be a few ways he can be hiding, such as camouflage or by means of a spell. However, as a Heroic Spirit, he may have access to something unique and unknown.

Until we confirm which of the three possibilities is the right one, we can hope to do nothing. So, for now we should concentrate on finding out how he manages to conceal his presence.

Music: Stops


...? Rani suddenly emerges from her meditation with a serious look on her face. Her look couldn't be caused by thoughts of Julius. I can see pity and puzzlement in her eyes. Is she...thinking about me...? Did something happen? As I start to ask her what just happened, she takes a deep breath and looks straight at me.



There is only you. I wished to stay silent, but I feel that I shouldn't keep secrets from you. ...This is what I've learned. Hakuno, I told you before that I'd find a link to your body—



Music: Duel of Fate




Not a single record of your memories prior to the Holy Grail War exists. I could find nothing. There is no connection to your body as you do not have a physical form. You were not born human.

—I see. No words come to mind. Honestly, I'm not too surprised. I suspected as much already. More so than for myself, I feel more for this girl and the kindness she's shown me.



You must've existed once and you might have been made a Master due to a glitch in the system. You could also be a cyber ghost, the imprint of the soul of one who has died while online. ...In either case, your existence is...indefinable. Also, it cannot be said that you are truly alive.

Being a cyber ghost is unlikely, as even Alice had all her memories of her original life. Odds are good that Hakuno was a school NPC made for the prelims. I mean, if you look back to when this all started:


While Hakuno had no clue about the Holy Grail War and Servants and Wizards and all that, the first thing she did know about was the Holy Grail itself.

While I nod in sullen understanding, I steel myself to ask the obvious question: Why? Regardless of what I am, I had a feeling this moment of revelation would come. I now know why my memory won't return. Alice's "I've finally met you" now makes sense to me. This body, this mind...is not human. I am just a remnant of a real life, a packet of data. A collection of ones and zeros.



Even if you were to win the Holy Grail and its single wish, you cannot ever leave the SE.RA.PH. Unfortunately, your existence is inexorably tied to the SE.RA.PH. ...Because of this truth, if your reason for fighting was to avoid death, you must let it go now. You no longer have to concern yourself with wounds received in battle. I know it's hard, but if you don't accept the truth, your suffering will only be intensified. Pardon my directness, but I must ask you this now.

This, here, is the core of Fate/Extra:



Does an artificial life have value? Even one that has only existed for a single month?



I really don't want to die.

Fate/Extra says: Yes.



But still, I cannot even begin to contemplate the thought of dying. And just allowing myself to disappear into the ether isn't even an option worth considering. I can think of no compelling reason for giving up now, even considering the costs. I wonder... Could this desperate desire to live be the last vestige of my previous humanity? When I faced Shinji, Dan, Alice, and Julius, my Servant was always there. Also Rin and Leo... I've experienced a lot, suffered a lot, and always did what I thought best... Now, to learn that none of it was real... That I wasn't real... It's not right— In the past, anything artificial wasn't thought to be alive and stories thought to have no life. It was believed that true life could only be born from the living. I wonder if people still feel that way, think that way, even now...

Hakuno Kishinami's life was irreplacable from the moment she first opened her eyes, and that makes her just as valuable as any other Master in here.



Rani's route is honestly better than Rin's, I find. Rin won't develop much in her own route because she's already developed. She knows who she is, what she wants, and even getting knocked out of the War doesn't prevent her from keeping the Grail out of Leo's hands once she teams up with us.

But Rani? The moment the Grail was out of reach for her, she lost whatever meaning another person applied to her life and has to decide what she, as a person, wants for the very first time. Her route is two artifical souls, both made for a single purpose, breaking free of it and trying to figure out what it means to live.



I have sensed a spark within you. A will that will allow you to proceed and persevere. Even one such as I can attest that that is a defining characteristic of all people.

...After that, she continued on, saying that there may be something waiting for me if I survive this. If the Holy Grail does what it's said to do, it might be able to give hope to even a virtual life. I get it now. For someone like me who ”has nothing, is nothing," it shines like a beacon in the dark.

~

I will end the Holy Grail War.

If this is the only place where I am allowed to live, I can't allow it to remain as it is. I do not want this world to be a place where the only way to survive is to kill.



lmao the awkward dodge of Gatou/Ronnie's name.

I'm honestly impressed at how much work went into making these lines as generic as possible.

...use the Holy Grail... ...To reshape...the world...

—I am surprised. But for some reason, I find myself moved. If that is what you desire, please allow me to help you achieve your goal.

~

I have no clue as of yet.

There is no way I can answer. Because it is immediately after the collapse of my foundation up until now.

...Do not overexert yourself. And I understand your hesitation, Hakuno.

...Rani's concern is like a ray of sunshine piercing the gloom of my thoughts. But...to just be eliminated from the Holy Grail War and then erased. There has to be more. Shinji, Dan, and Alice, who I fought. Julius, who was betrayed. And, of course, my own Servant... The Masters whose paths I've crossed, those who I've spoken to, like Rani, Leo and Rin. The things that have happened, the hopes I had... To let it all fade away as if they had no meaning would be a complete and total waste. Dan said to accept the consequences of my acts. Regret, doubt, even defeat is okay. But whatever the odds, stand and face them. Never run away. He said to always move forward towards my goal, to take my life into my own hands. ...Thinking on his words gives me hope. If I win the Holy Grail War, will it give my life meaning? Even if there is nothing for me at the end of this, I will not give up and wait for death.

This also marks the point where Hakuno starts coming into her own. Up until now she's just been desperately avoiding getting killed, but now? Now she's found her reason to keep moving forward, even if it only amounts to keep the deaths of all those behind her from being for nothing.

...hold on a moment, when was Julius betrayed?

~~



Caster speaks to me a little more serious than usual.

I'm kind of glad that you are what you are. It's like you're one of us Servants, or that one person.

Ah, I'm sorry! I mean, I know you're not happy about being like us, but...I mean...sorry... Gah, I almost screwed up again! Anyway, the difference between you and us is focus and experience.

A-Anyway, don't give up! And if you get the Grail, you can wish all of your worries away!

She's really trying to comfort me...at least, I think she is. ...Isn't she...? I have no idea how to respond, so I try to flash her a winning smile and hope that it doesn't come across as a sardonic smirk.



...? What was that? It might've been nothing, but it seemed like Rani had a really odd expression on her face.



A-Anyway... Do you have an answer to my question? Even if you continue fighting, Hakuno, the odds of you being rewarded like the others are low. Knowing this, will you fight the black scorpion? Will you fight to the end as a Master?

Of course. While I still have lingering doubts, this is one thing that I state with absolute confidence.



Hakuno, I see a new star in the heavens, with you as its sole focus. My journey is finally— No, that is irrelevant. I will say nothing more about it. From here on, let us focus on your upcoming fight as warriors planning for victory.

I nod in agreement and silently thank Rani for the compassion she has shown me. I'm sure she wanted to say that running was okay, that there is no reason to continue fighting. But giving up would be wrong. Now, I must win the Holy Grail War in order to shape the future.

Music: School I


Shake things up? What is she planning to do?

Yes, shake things up. I will create three different kinds of magic kilns. One will react to talismans, one will react to thaumaturgy, and one will react to your enemy's chi. I will calculate the exact positions that each of these traps will need to be placed. Hakuno, I trust you'll be able to set these traps in such a way that your enemy will not notice?

—Got it. And of course, I agree with what you've suggested.

Once you're inside the Arena, I'll transmit to you more detailed instructions.

Okay, we have a plan now. All I have to do is place the traps without Julius noticing—



Once I've confirmed that you have entered the Arena, I will explain the details.



merely setting passive traps is all owed according to the rules. So, I will wish you good luck.

Issei actually vanished until this scene.

Probably so the writers wouldn't have to do two versions of his lines.



And why must you follow me all the time? You'll never beat Julius acting like a lost little puppy.





I'll be sure to return this to its rightful owner. Oh, and by the way... Your wonderful teacher has another favor to ask. Care to listen?

Bring it on!

Hmm? You don't sound all that enthusiastic, but whatever. This time around, the Arena contains a few delicacies I have yet to try. The first being... Lobster! I've never had lobster before! Get one for me, and you will find yourself well rewarded. Don't forget that I want...no... I NEED a lobster! Bring one to me during the fifth round, okay?



Tamamo's Magic finally overtakes her Strength.



Even with your Servant back at full health, Kuzuki isn't going to be a pushover. Your best bet is to plan ahead and come up with some strategies... Have you given that any thought?

Honestly, no. Hakuno just spams Skills at things, Rani's the one in charge of strategy.





Music: Fourth Chimeric Lunar Sea - Second Floor


Alright, what's the dungeon for this week?



...an...underwater jungle???



You know what, sure.



Why the hell not.



Sound: Phone ringing




We will be placing magic kilns throughout the Arena. That Servant is using something to hide his presence. So if one of these kilns can disrupt the source of his invisibility even a little, he should become visible. I analyzed the map extensively and have tried to predict the routes the black scorpion will follow.



We will be setting magic kilns in three places along these paths. Each kiln is set to have a different effect, so they have to be placed apart from each other. We will be able to determine the exact places to set the kilns once you start moving through the Arena. With that said, I wish you the best of luck.

So she already hacked the Arena and mapped its layout. Her attention to detail is truly astonishing. I should take my time and be careful so that all of her assistance doesn't go to waste.



Despite Rani already knowing the floor's layout, our own map still starts with nothing.



The swarms of low quality fish textures have become part of the usual decor.



We have a Necrophobia right off the bat.



And some loot to the side.

Master, we can take that with us with a clear conscience.



Also ramps.



Just ahead is the platform for the first kiln.



Marked by the usual shiny spot.

Sound: Phone ringing




This seems like a good place to set the kiln. Let's put it here. I will now transmit the anti-artifact kiln. Bring it into contact with the field.

Following Rani's instructions, I put the kiln on the ground. It seems as if the trap code is being encoded into the Arena.



Holy shit they actually made a custom model for it.

The installation of the magic kiln is now complete. This magic kiln should react in some way to any equipment the Servant may be using. If he is using some sort of talisman to hide his presence, this kiln will react as he passes by it.





Just past it is a split path.



But both have an enemy, so all the left ramp does is take a bit longer to cross.



There's also a crab rock just floating around.



Sound: Phone ringing




Let's put it here. I will now compile the kiln. Please wait a moment. It's done. I am now transmitting the anti-thaumaturgy kiln. Please bring it into contact with the field.

As per Rani's instructions, I put the anti-thaumaturgy kiln on the ground.



Each kiln is a different color, as an extra bit of effort.

I've received confirmation that the magic kiln has been successfully installed. If that Servant is using thaumaturgy to conceal himself, this kiln will let us know when he passes by it.



A gate is blocking off the second half of the floor.





It's no more than an attempt at deception, so please leave it be for now.

No exploration for us today, so we'll have to get the Trigger some other time.







Rani this is literally a single path we do not need you to do your best MapQuest impression.



And up one more ramp...



Is the final kiln spot.

Sound: Phone ringing




As per Rani's orders, I touch the kiln to the ground and it begins transferring data into the field.



This particular magic kiln affects the flow of the spirit through one's meridian lines and blood vessels. If that Servant's invisibility is based on martial arts or some other spiritual technique, this will react. I doubt his martial arts skills are so advanced as to become invisible, but it's better to make sure. The power produced by this particular kiln is miniscule, but if his technique needs perfection, it's that perfection which makes it fragile, in a sense. I can only pray that my meager assistance will bring you one step closer to victory. Well then, I shall see you tomorrow.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I wonder what the legendary Bajiquan master could possibly be using?

It looks like the way to the next Trigger is blocked. I should just head back now— Or maybe I should stick around and get some more training in.



To the right is a path to nowhere.

You may have noticed that Rani's map at the start listed a hidden passage right here. I kinda forgot about that and will grab it later.



So I just finish off one more level.



And leave.





Next time: SnakeHakuno, this is a sneaking mission.