Part 217: End of a hero

Music: Wandering Shadow



"All right."
The thing that flies above the floor suddenly drops.
The Berkana Rune finishes its search and turns back into a stone.



An unfamiliar boy stands up in confusion.
""
Lancer realizes that he knows the voice and recalls who he is.

"You're Rider's Master. Oh, I thought you were dead alre"
He stops halfway.
He sees Tohsaka Rin behind the boy.
She's tied to a chair.
That's fine.
That's to be expected since she's captured.
But there's a bit more to the girl.




"You're Lancer…!? What, who allowed you to come in here!? You'regah!"
The fist smashes into Matou Shinji's cheek.
The light backfist blows the boy to the wall.

"Ohsorry, kid. I guess I let my hand do the talking."
He didn't kill the boy since it was unconscious.
But it would not have been unconscious if Tohsaka Rin looked paler and her clothes were more disordered. He would have consciously tried to blow the boy's head off if that were the case.
Actually, Lancer does not care how a captive is treated.
But he will not tolerate having his spoils snatched by someone else.
Spoils for him are enemies he has to kill and women he favors.

Music: Stop



"Ehw-why? This is the Einzbern castle."
"I know. Oh, don't move. I'll cut your hands free. Do as you wish after that. You can go to the hall and stop the fighting idiots, or you can go home from the back door."
The red lance appears.

"T-That's helpful, butbehind you, Lancer…!"
""

Lancer turns around at Rin's warning.
"What?"
…The one appearing there is unexpected even for him.

Music: Church on the Hill



…Kotomine Kirei, the one assumed to have been killed by Caster.

"Kirei!?"
Rin lets out a surprised voice.
Lancer glares suspiciously at the priest.

"…Hey. When did you change your religion?
Wasn't it my Master's belief not to come out into the open?"



"I have no religion to change. You are going against my order, Lancer. I thought I told you to kill Archer. Did you fail, Lancer?"

"Heh. He'll disappear even if I ignore him. I just came to finish up an unfinished jobbut if you're here, does that mean that kid is a pawn of yours?"


"Do not say it like that. We are cooperating. We work together in order to obtain the Holy Grail."
The priest says so without looking at the boy moaning in the rubble.

"I see. I knew you wouldn't die so easily. Not only were you still alive, but you were doing things behind our backs, huh?
…You have really bad taste. What are you doing, controlling that harmless Shinji?"


"HmI see, so you see him as harmless, huh? You are the same as always, even in this situation. I would not be so reluctant to do this if you weren't so smart."
The priest laughs.
He looks and sounds as though he's giving a benediction to the dying.




"…Hold on, Kotomine. What are you going to do with her? Did you tell me a lie when you said you wanted to save your pupil?"
Lancer glares at his Master while standing in front of the girl.


"It is not a lie. I have raised her to be my tool. I have deceived her for ten years, so it would be boring if she retired so easily.
That is why I ordered her protection. I have prolonged her life for only two days, but isn't that more than enough to show my love?"



"You fraud. I knew it was possible, but you really are a Master, huh? How unfair for a supervisor to take part in the game."
"You are rather calm, Rin. So you did know, huh?"

"Of course. I didn't show you my Servant because I suspected you. …But I didn't think I was deceived from the start."
"From… the start?"
Then.
The priest frowns as if the words are unexpected.

"…What? Do you have something to complain about, Kirei?"
"No. You said 'from the start', so I was merely wondering when you meant by that."
The priest grins.
He looks down at the girl with utmost pleasure.

"Hold on. Kirei, you don't mean…"
"Are you talking about the start of this Holy Grail War?
Or do you mean the previous one?"
""
With that, the girl understands everything.
Her face turns pale, and she looks up at the man she studied under for ten years in disbelief.



"You, get lost in your afterlife, you damn priest…!! You have no place to be, okay!? Even hell wouldn't take a bastard like you!
An impotent guy like you should lay on needles in hell…!!!!!"
The girl keeps on cursing him.



Of course, the priest does not care about such things.


But the boy is overawed by her change.
Matou Shinji never thought Tohsaka Rin would show this much emotion.


"Kotomine. You know Tohsaka's mine, right? Only I have business with her. You can go to the church and wait for this to be over."


"I do have business with her. I need her to become the Holy Grail here."



Matou Shinji does not understand what the priest is saying.
The only ones who understand are the priest and the sacrifice, Tohsaka Rin.


"It should be about the right time once Saber and Archer disappear.
I don't want her to struggle and waste magical energy. Let's quickly get this over with."
The priest walks away from the girl with those words.
The only one in front of Tohsaka Rin is Lancer.


"Kotomine, you…"



"Finish off that trash, Lancer. The vessel does not require a heart."


Only Matou Shinji reacts to those words.

Tohsaka Rin glares at the priest, but bites her lip without speaking.
The priest's smile already told her that she was going to be killed here.
She understands that she will not be saved and that she won't be heard even if she begs for her life.
That's why she doesn't complain.
That is the only way she can resist and that is her will of opposition.

She won't give up until the very last second.
Help might arrive even at this moment, and she might be the only one that survives after this room miraculously crumbles.
"……Well, it won't happen."
She won't give up, but she also understands it's impossible.

That's why she has no fear.
Except for one thing.
She imagines that boy's expression when he finds her dead after coming to save her.
She doesn't want him to cry.
It angers her that she's the cause of his tears, and she doesn't know how she can apologize to him.



"What's wrong, Lancer? It's just a girl. It should be easy to pierce her."
The priest shows no mercy.
To that…



"I refuse. I can't obey that order. Use the Command Spell if you want me to do it."
Lancer replies while looking at the priest as if he is an enemy.



"What?"
The priest narrows his eyes.
The master and the slave.
The air inside the room freezes as they stare at each other.


"…I see. I guess it cannot be helped. I do not like wasting a Command Spell on something I can do myself…"


He raises his left arm.
The priest activates the Command Spell on his arm.

Music: Stop

Video: Command Spell (mirror)









"Kotomine, you"
His voice is a whisper now.
The spearmanLancer's chest and heart are pierced by his own lance.



"Farewell. Your duties are already at an end."
"! "
The man in blue armor falls to the floor.



"AhAh."
Redness permeates the floor.
…There's no sign of him getting back up.
The spearman in blue has been defeated by his own lance at the command of his own master.

Music: Footsteps of Destruction

""
The priest moves.
He walks over to the girl and crouches down.
…Her heart.
He stoops so that he can easily pull out Tohsaka Rin's heart.



The priest gives the boy a wordless glance.


"N-No, you can't have Tohsaka! I have so much to pay her back for, so she has to be alive…!"
Matou Shinji protests, his teeth chattering at the sight of Lancer's corpse.

""



But he stops.
The boy slowly retreats, unable to take the priest's stare.
The priest looks from the boy back to the girl.



"Is there anything you would like to say in the end? I shall at least hear out your will."
His words are simple.
"…Humph. You should know what I'm thinking in a situation like this."
Tohsaka Rin answers in her normal manner.


"You're right. You never give up until the very last second, Rin.
At the very same time, you have this wonderful side of you that admits reality.
Yes. This contradiction is very mellow."



Well. This is certainly awkward.

Music: Stop

Video: Disposal for Corpses (mirror)





Music: Whirlpool of Fate 2



"Guh."
Blood pours from his mouth.
The wound on his chest is fatal.
The weapon protruding from his back is the cursed lance that always strikes its target.

""
The priest shows no emotion.
With his lips covered in blood, he turns to Lancer.





"Hehso it did end like I imagined, huh?"
The knight leans against the wall and tries to hold up his disappearing body.
But it's only temporary.
Lancer will disappear once he falls to the ground.
He lost his heart and his Master.
He is still able to maintain his body because of his "dirty survival tricks".



The girl, who was staring at the dead priest, is brought back to reality by the laughing voice.


"What about the Holy Grail being mine? A useless guy stayed useless, huh?"
Matou Shinji kicks the priest's corpse.
The dead man does not move.
That must have pleased him, as the boy kicks the priest's head with all his might.
A heavy smacking sound echoes in the room.
The sensation and the sound excite Matou Shinji more than he expected.




He laughs.
The boy, whose sanity is almost gone, walks toward Tohsaka Rin with staggering steps.



"Sorry to keep you waiting, Tohsaka. There was a lot of interference, but we're finally alone. There are only three more Servants. I'm sure everything will be over by the time you get tired of crying here."



Every time I think I can't possibly hate him any more, he proves me wrong.

"Come on, beg me, Tohsaka. I might save you depending on how you act.
The Holy Grail is going to be mine. I might consider sharing it with you if you're going to be mine"

Music: Stop

"I'm utterly amazed. Are you really that stupid?"
Then.
Even while she's tied up and being licked on her cheek by the boy, Tohsaka Rin speaks up.

Ew. I could have done without that little detail.

"W-What…?"
"I'm asking you if you've learned your lesson yet. You were just used by Kirei.
…Listen. That Servant isn't one that can be handled.
You should know that, since you've been near him. You should wake up and run away.
You might still have time. You should run away as fast as possible if you don't want to die."

Video: End of a Hero (mirror)

It's a bit long, but the voice acting alone is worth it.

"Hah! You're just begging for your life! You're the idiot, Tohsaka. Kotomine died. Who would get in my way now?"
Matou Shinji runs his fingers along the girl's body.
At that instant…
"Hey."
Matou Shinji is punched away once again.






"H-Heh. You would've died in peace if you'd kept quiet. Fine, I won't kill you so easily.


…Come on, Gilgamesh. He wants to die in style!"

He raises his voice.
Matou Shinji's Servant, the one who can kill any heroic spirit, is summoned by his master and


"…Hey. Damn, what's he doing…!?
Can't you hear me!? I'm telling you to come here…!"
His voice sheepishly echoes through the room.
The golden Servant does not appear.
The spearman covered in blood takes another step towards the annoying boy.



"Hidadamn, damndamndamn…! What's with you!? Why are you trying to be cool when you're almost dead…!? Die already! Don't you know you're just in my way, you mons"

The lance is thrust.



"Ah"





Music: Ever-present Feeling



"Thanks. You really helped me out, Lancer."
She thanks him as soon as she's freed.
Unmindful of the dirt that covers her, she bows to Lancer.



"L-Lancer…!?"
She tries to catch him, but does not make it.
Lancer, who was leaning against a wall, crumples onto the ground.
His legs won't move.
Lancer's limbs are already dead.
The fact that he still got up, killed his master, and freed her is unbelievable.





"It's useless. A heart pierced by my lance won't heal easily.
And besides, you don't have magical energy to spare."
"…But"
"Don't worry about it. I'm used to this kind of thing. Heroes always die because of unreasonable orders."
His casual talk is like always.
The blue spearman does not change his tone, even on the verge of his death.



"Man. I guess we both ended up with boring partners."
"…Yeah. But he was just hard to handle in my case."
"You're right. I would've had no complaints if a woman like you were my partnerbut I never had luck with women.
Man, this never changes."
He laughs in self-derision.
Then…

"…Well, get going. I'll take him with me.
You go back to your partner."
The spearman in blue urges the girl.
Lancer is holding the Ansuz Rune.
The rune containing his remaining magical energy will burn this room to ashes.

""
Understanding his determination, the girl turns her back to Lancer.



Music: Stop