Part 375: I'll forget about you / Gem Sword Zeltretch

Video I'll Forget You (mirror)









Music: Ever-present Feeling









There were memories.
There was the warmth of life.
Her warmth was always by my side.

I kill her along with those memories.
I search through my mind and throw them away to where I can't find them again.
They'll never return.
I'll never recall her now.
Such a thing will never be forgiven.



Using my own hands, I killed someone who protected me until the very end.
Neither regret nor a confession will bring forgiveness.
…This is what it means to ally with someone.
I'll keep sacrificing important things for the one I love.

And on this path…
There's nothing brilliant enough to make up for what I've lost.

"But Saber"
I'll search all my life for happiness that can measure up to what I've lost.
I'll keep losing more than I gain, and I know I'll stop someday.
ButI'm going to take responsibility for stealing things away, even if I'm pathetic, comical, or meaningless.

I don't know where I can find happiness.
But I swear to myself that I'll never give up, even if I can't see the end.





Music: Stop



Video: Gem Sword Zeltretch (mirror)

Music: THIS ILLUSION (inst 2)





Spreading its arms to block its prey's escape, it attacks as a tidal surge.



"Es läßt frei. Werkzeug!"









But the golden flash of light forbids the giant's existence.
Six already.
Rin has cut down the endless barrage of dark curses.



But she has struck down six already.
She killed every one of them with a single blow.



And running up the cliff now, she eliminates the seventh with one stroke of her dagger.









"Es läßt frei. Eilesalve!"









It bathes the cavern in bright golden light…!















…At the sound of her voice, numerous shadows rise up.
Their number is incomparable to before.

Is it Sakura's impatience, or did the things behind her sense the risk to their master?
The magical energy emitted against the mere human called Tohsaka Rin is over a hundred million in numerical value.





"And what are you, cutting them down? I'm pulling out magical energy thousands of times your capacity. You don't have enough strength to even kill one of my shadows, so why…?"



"We're just having a pure contest of power.
I can't dispel a curse. I'm merely using my magical energy to eliminate your magical energy that's creating the shadow. Can't you tell?"



"I'm saying that's impossible…!
You don't have such magical energy. No, the light you're firing is like…"





"…Is it that sword? I don't think it's possible, but that's copying the power of Saber's Noble Phantasm. Is it a limited weapon, activated with your small magical energy, that's specialized in killing shadows?"
"Huh? You can't tell? What have they been teaching you, Sakura?"

"Whad-don't mock me…! That's the only sound explanation…"
"There's nothing to explain. This isn't a copy of Saber's Noble Phantasm nor a shadow-killing demonic sword. Sakura. This is Zelretch, a gem sword passed down the Tohsaka family."









A flash from the blade.
Light traces the dagger's swing, obliterating Matou Sakura's guardian shadows.
Not only that. Light and heat, like those of a miniature Excalibur, send rumbles through the cavern.





"AhAh."
"I don't even need to get close to you. This is actually a projectile weapon, and you're hiding yourself in the shadows.
There's no problem with exchanging blows until one of us runs out of power. …Well, I guess the ceiling will give out before we do."



You don't have any magical energy left. No matter what that sword is, you can't attack anymore"

"Really? Then let's try. Come on, Sakura. You won't reach me, no matter what you do.
It's a drastic treatment, but consider it a fee for your lesson. I'll make sure you regret doing whatever you wanted just because you got a bit stronger."



"!"















Matou Sakura is frightened and confused.
That's why she doesn't notice.
The sweat on Tohsaka Rin's forehead.
The high cost of using the gem sword, which shreds the muscles in her arm with each swing.

"I won't lose when it comes to stock, but the question is how long my body'll last"











"That's where you got it wrong. Even if you have a large supply, it's the caster that uses it.
Do you get it? No matter how much water you have, the amount that comes out depends on the size of the faucet.
The Magic Circuit called Matou Sakura can only instantaneously release about a thousand.
Then we both have the same release rate, no matter how much you may have in your stock…!"























A sword of light that releases a thousand units of magical energy with each attack and replenishes even more.
It's not using Tohsaka Rin's magical energy.
She's merely collecting the mana saturating this cavern and releasing it through the gem sword.



Odo is the energy within a magus, while mana is energy within the air.
It's self-evident which is stronger.
As Rin is inferior to Sakura, the only thing she can rely on is the mana in the air.



But there would be nothing left after that.
Air holds a finite amount of power.
Just as with humans, when the mana runs out, it takes a long time to be replenished.



What if another cavern existed here? That would mean she could oppose her enemy one more time.

And what happens if something can make that "if" into reality?
Parallel worlds.
What will happen if one can open a hole into a parallel world and pull out the unused mana from the cavern there?













"……! That distortion's the same as the Holy GrailNee-san, it can't be…!?"

"Yup, you're not the only one pulling magical energy from elsewhere. But don't get me wrong. Mine's not something that's needlessly expanded like yours. I'm merely using the mana in this cavern from parallel worlds.
I'm taking a thousand magical energy from one of the infinite parallel worlds and attacking you with brute force…!"









"No way. That's ridiculous…!"
"Do you get it? If you have an inexhaustible supply, I have a limitless supply!"













Gem Sword Zelretch.
It's a "miracle" that makes a path in between infinite parallel worlds.
That's the sword's only ability.
An equipment that creates a small opening too small for humans to pass and looks into another possible world.
The dagger has no function to amplify magical energy, nor does it have the power to create energy when swung.

But its sole ability is enough.
She merely needs to pull unused magical energy from the next cavern after she uses up the energy in this one.



She can move on to the next one after that.
Then next after next after next after next.



There's no end to the parallel worlds. The possibility of opposite mirrors are infinite.



Therefore, limitless.
Even if Rin's capacity is only a thousand, it doesn't matter.



An inexhaustible supply and an infinite supply.
Because the powers of their Magic Circuits are equal, the two magi are equal!

Music: Stop









…Another rumbling echoes through space.
Rin's gem sword not only destroys the shadows.
Its excessive force slowly brings the cavern towards its collapse.

When that happens, the altar and the Great Holy Grail will be destroyed as well.
Matou Sakura will lose if she continues fighting.
Even if she attacks until Tohsaka Rin tires, the room will cave in shortly thereafter.

Video: Rejection (mirror)



She must finally understand the origin of her enemy's power.
Gasping for breath, Sakura glares at her older sister.

"No matter how many times you try, the result will be the same. That's all that your power can manage. Have you cooled your head now?"


"Don't be ridiculous! This is unfair! Why, Nee-san, why are you always the one!"



Matou Sakura keeps screaming, even though she knows it's useless and that she's pushing herself into a corner.
Along with…
The grudge she kept inside for a long, long time.



You stayed at the Tohsaka's house and were always brilliant. I hate you for never knowing any trouble.
That's why I want to win. I wanted you to praise me, just once…! Why can't you let me have a little thing like that…!"


""
…The older sister slashes away the oncoming shadow.
Gritting her teeth, she catches a glimpse of her sister's mind.



I was trapped in the room with worms and was treated as an object! I never led a human life, and nobody said anything kind to me…!"


""
The hatred.
The hatred is not directed at her older sister, but…


"I almost died every day. I always looked at myself in the mirror, wanting to die. But I was scared of dying, and I didn't want to disappear by myself…!
Because I heard that I had an older sister.
I'm a child of the Tohsaka family, so I always believed that my older sister would come save me…!"



You just kept smiling, having no idea. You took no notice of the miserable girl and lived happily in the Tohsaka household.



Why…!? We're sisters and we're both human, so how come you're the only one smiling like that…!?"





…Her hatred isn't directed at her older sister.
It's a blind plea to herself and the world.



"I quit being human…!?
Of course! I haven't been treated like one for a long time. My eyes and hair were changed, and every cell in my body was changed so I could become the magus of Makiri…!"



The Makiri didn't train me. They didn't expect anything from my intelligence.
They taught my body and made me into a mere tool that uses magic. They'd laugh that I'd become a better tool the more pain they gave me."

"They started putting poison in my food, so even eating became a terrifying agony.
Once they put me with the worms, I had to ask for Grandfather's permission even to breathe…!"


""
She's crying.
But Rin slashes away the shadows without a word.





"…Aha, I know I'm crazy. But it hurts, and the more I begged them to stop, the more delighted they became and the more they tampered with my body.



So I'm not smart like you. It's not like I can do everything like you. All I can do is to take my pain out on others."


""
Her oppressed soul.
Her irreparable body.
And


"…But is that my fault? The ones who made me like this are Grandfather, and my father that sold me to the Matou family, and Nee-san who didn't come save me…!


I didn't become this monster because I wanted to…! I was forced to become one because everyone cornered me…!"

But.

Music: Stop

"Oh. What of it?"

She doesn't feel for her at all.
Not a single word of sympathy.


"Wha"
"Things like that happen. It's not like crying will change anything, and besides, being a monster doesn't sound so bad.
It doesn't hurt now, right?"

Music: All Evil of the World

Cruel approval.
…The girl's cries did go a bit too far, but they were just asking for warmth.

But Rin denied it.
She says it's right to be a monster.
Saying it's because she was weak.
Her always-perfect sister tells her the hard truth.









The shadows boil up.
The girl, who only seconds ago was about to abandon the fight under pressure from her sister, gives form to her curse and her despair.





Concise words.
She's not lying.
She just tells her younger sister the truth.





She cannot understand.
What did just say?




"What"
Hatred dyes her brain red.
She must be fooling around, saying such convenient things now.




"Now you tell me you weren't blessed?"
She's about to lose her mind.
She's about to break down.
Her sister has never looked at her.
She showed off her great talent and happiness.

Shut up.


"How can you say that"
She never liked or hated me,
who wanted everything from her but received nothing,
and says she's still pure and clean!





I don't want to hear such things! I'm not going to listen to your excuses! Nee-san, I!"
'Don't need you anymore.'
The girl screams, as if denying her inner darkness.





No.
First of all, it was a mistake to entrust Shirou with their problem.
It's Tohsaka Rin's weakness against Matou Sakura.

Music: Stop



Rin calls out to her calmly, as if saying hello.
At that instant.
Tohsaka Rin finishes the battle.