Part 230: Holy Grail breakdown

Music: Footsteps of Destruction



She is not a normal knight.
She fought many monsters back when she was called a hero.
She has even fought "dragons", considered the strongest of the fantasy races.
But even Saber falters against the mountain of meat.
It is not because of its ugliness.
It is because she can tell that the lump of meat and the curse flowing out of it are the same as her.

"A Servantcan a Servant turn out to be that different if the summoning is done in the wrong way?"
Or is that the power of the Holy Grail?
She stares at it and shakes her head.



"Rin…! Where are you, Rin…!?"
She runs to the lake and yells to the other side.
She is hesitant to enter the black mud.
It is not because it would be unpleasant.
Her instincts tell her that as a half-spirit, she cannot touch it.

"!?"
She hears a voice.
It is weak, but she hears her Master.
She looks at the mountain of meat and
"Rin……!?"
She steps forward without hesitation.



"But Rin…!"
'Just don't…! You'll turn into this if you touch the mud. Please stay there and get ready to use your Noble Phantasm. This thing will explode soon. Use your Noble Phantasm on this before that…!'
Saber cannot nod to her master's words.
…She can tell that the lump of meat is about to hatch.
The squirms are turning into throbs and the mud is spreading ever further.

The lake has turned black, and the mud is spilling onto the ground.
…That thing is growing.
The world's restraining power will be activated if that thing is left alone.
It is natural for her to destroy it with her holy sword.
But to do that
"Please get out, Rin…! I can do it once you get out!"

'…Yeah. All right, I'll leave it to you. But go ahead and use it if I don't make it out on time.
…The contract between us will go away, but you should be fine if Shirou is alive.'
"Do not say such a thing…! I do not care. I can handle this curse"
Saber runs to the black mud so she can get to that lump of meat.



But her body does not move.
Her body stops when she tries to go near the lake.

"Rin, did you use the Command Spell?"
'…Of course. I can't let the only one who can destroy the Holy Grail die.
I told you it's all good. I'll easily get out from here. You can rest assured and stand by with your Noble Phantasm.'

She sounds calm and composed, like always.
"Rin."
But it does not need to be said that it is just a bluff.
The island of meat on the other side…
There is nowhere for her Master to run.



"Yeah, right. Well, talk is cheap."



She murmurs while being surrounded by arms made out of the meat.
The situation is hopeless.
Matou Shinji was saved.
…She ripped off the blood vessels and nerves connected to the meat to let Shinji out.
One can say he's "alive", ignoring all the after-effects he may have.
No, he looks like he is just unconscious, so one could say that he is healthier than the girl carrying him.



"…The problem is after that. I guess it would be desperate if it gets its heart taken away. Will it let me go if I give Shinji back?"
She slowly moves while she stares at the numerous tentacles.

But there is no exit.
The tentacles are blocking the way out to the lake.
Even if she escapes the tentacles trying to swallow her, she will not be able to get past that wall.



She almost falls along with Shinji, but she desperately keeps herself up.
She went through the cursed sea and even performed neurosurgery to separate Matou Shinji from the mountain of meat.
She went as far as using her reserve magical energy that she hadn't used for ages, but

"…Guh… That idiot. He took too much of my magical energy without any reserve. …I'm all empty now thanks to him…"
She bears the dizziness as she complains.
But she's not serious.

And it wouldn't matter even if she did have more power.
The tentacles around her are not moving because their target is standing still.
They should react right away once they find out that the thing in their body is poison.
Tohsaka Rin and Matou Shinji are alive because they do not have magical energy to be consumed.

"……! …But I guess this is it… It's getting hard for me to stay standing"



Her vision becomes hazy.
Even though she has a foothold, she is still on the mud.



Something about that picture looks incredibly dirty.

Her nerves are getting further infiltrated with each passing second.
She will become the new core of the Holy Grail if she falls down onto the meat.



"…I'm sorry, Saber. You probably won't obey me, so I'll force you to do it."
She has one more Command Spell.
That's enough for her to order Saber to use her holy sword.

"……And I have to apologize to you too.
I couldn't… save… Shinji"

Don't worry, we forgive you.

Music: Stop

Video: Destroying the Grail (mirror)



"What?"

She stops her collapsing body.
That voice.
The voice coming into her head is definitely that of the Servant she has made a contract with.



Music: Clashing Souls

There's no time to waste.
She knows his personality all too well.
He told her to run, so he must have done something that she won't escape unless she does as she's told!







"……!!!!!!"





She runs.
The arrows coming down from the sky are literally a heavy rain.
They destroys the tentacles, the ground, and everything in her path!

Not a typo. Well, not my typo.







There is no time to turn back.
She runs full-speed while carrying Shinji.





"Please, Saber…!"







Her magical energy replies to the yelling voice.

There is no need to check.







The golden sword mows down everything in its path with its overwhelming power.

Music: Stop

The mountain of meat is cut in half and breaks down.
The black mud evaporates, and the light turns the lake into a flat field.