Fate Accel Zero Order
Prelude
Dr. Roman: I'm sorry to ask you to come this early in the morning, Fujimaru.
Dr. Roman: It hasn't been long since what happened to Da Vinci, but we detected another Singularity.
Fou: Foou, fooou!
Mash: I'm sorry for being late, Doctor! I've been having trouble waking up for the past few days—Oh.
Mash: Oh, you're here already, Senpai. As a master of REM sleep, I can see you are ready anytime.
Fujimaru 1: Waking up immediately is a special skill I have.
Mash: I know. I noticed that when I first met you.
Mash: I still remember how cheerful you were when you woke up that day. That memory is one of my best to date.
Fujimaru 2: Actually, I pulled an all-nighter...
Mash: That is not good. Chaldea time is now the benchmark in this world.
Mash: Senpai, staying past 1 in the morning is bad for your body. Even if you get login bonuses at 4.
Dr. Roman: Mash, I'm glad to see that you're doing great, too. Well, can I start briefing now?
Mash: Um...s-sure. Sorry, Doctor.
Mash: You were talking about a new Singularity, right? But Doctor, aren't those coordinates the same as Singularity F?
Dr. Roman: It does appear that way on Chaldeas' map, but the temporal axis is different.
Dr. Roman: This Singularity corresponds to the point 10 years earlier in time than the Singularity F you guys investigated before.
Dr. Roman: I can't conclude that this is a Holy Grail for certain, but an extremely similar response has been observed.
Mash: Earlier, huh? But is it really possible that a Holy Grail would manifest at the same point so frequently?
Dr. Roman: Actually, even I can't explain that. So, I thought I would bring someone who seemed capable of doing it.
El-Melloi: I see. That's why you called me here.
Mash: Zhuge Liang... No, Lord El-Melloi II!
El-Melloi: Indeed, I am familiar with Fuyuki City in Japan... Or so I'd like to say.
El-Melloi: But unfortunately, my knowledge is estranged from the history recorded by Laplace here in Chaldea.
Dr. Roman: That's expected. Now that human history has been incinerated,
Dr. Roman: many different possibilities got mixed in with Chaldeas' observation results.
Dr. Roman: Perhaps, Chaldeas didn't exist in the history where Mr. El-Melloi II came from.
Dr. Roman: Your world and our world... I am not sure which one is the proper history, however...
Dr. Roman: It is obvious that both worlds are “centered and extremely close to each other.” Otherwise, you wouldn't have been summoned.
El-Melloi: You're talking about the cluster of parallel worlds in the Primary Branch... In other words, Phenomena Permissible for Revision that share the same future despite minor differences...
El-Melloi: And Phenomena Designated for Removal: the cluster of parallel worlds that would eventually lead to ruin like fallen leaves.
El-Melloi: Unfortunately, that kind of topic is out of my purview.
El-Melloi: It's a part of the World that, unless you're one with a Heroic Spirit like me, is hard to understand.
El-Melloi: Besides, it's not something Fujimaru must hear, either.
El-Melloi: So, I'm going to tell you only what I know. This is all just based on the events that occurred in my world, mind you.
El-Melloi: So. Your records indicate that the first Holy Grail War took place in Fuyuki City of 2004. However...
El-Melloi: As far as I know, the Holy Grail War has occured five times in Fuyuki City.
Mash: Five times! That many!?
Fou: Fooou?
Dr. Roman: Hm, I see. So depending on the situation, the Holy Grail War already happened five times already.
Dr. Roman: —Wait, five times already!? A ritual of that scale was performed five times!?
Dr. Roman: How did they hide it from everybody!? Don't tell me the Holy Grail War is a competitive sport in your world,
Dr. Roman: and people treat it like the Olympic Games!?
El-Melloi: A rather amusing idea, but that's not it, Doctor.
El-Melloi: In our case, the Mage's Association and the Holy Church colluded to cover everything up.
Dr. Roman: O-Of course they did... Whew, that scared me. Please continue, Professor.
El-Melloi: The temporal axis observed this time was not the 2004 where Singularity F was located, but 10 years earlier... The Fourth Holy Grail War.
El-Melloi: When it comes to my world, it's not a surprise that you could detect a Holy Grail in the past at those coordinates.
Mash: The possibility that a Holy Grail could exist at that era in the past... Indeed, that would be able to give birth to a new Singularity.
Mash: Could this be a misadjustment on Sheba's part? I mean, to observe the light of civilization in the past...
El-Melloi: I personally hope that's the case.
El-Melloi: Now that human history has been incinerated, it's impossible to observe light on a normal temporal axis.
El-Melloi: If a light is lit on Chaldeas in its current state, that can only be a Singularity that's removed from the temporal axis.
El-Melloi: Am I right, Doctor?
El-Melloi: This is probably a stain that has already been disconnected from human history and will eventually contaminate it.
Dr. Roman: Exactly, Professor. No matter what this Singularity actually is, we must retrieve the Holy Grail that exists there.
El-Melloi: I suppose so. Retrieving or destroying it is the mission given to Fujimaru.
El-Melloi: ...However, there is a problem.
El-Melloi: The main reason why the Holy Grail War was repeated five times in Fuyuki was because the Holy Grail never manifested itself, not even once.
El-Melloi: Also, due to a certain accident, this ritual has been mutated to a state you can barely call it “ritual” anymore.
El-Melloi: In conclusion, you mustn't retrieve this Holy Grail. It is a Holy Grail that must not manifest... It's just a poison.
El-Melloi: While it tempted the participants as a “wish granting device,” in truth, it was merely a device of mass destruction created for the purpose to eliminating the world.
Fujimaru 1: You are really knowledgeable.
El-Melloi: Of course, I did my research. Besides, it's my responsibility as a participant... No, I just want to reassure myself.
El-Melloi: I put in a considerate amount of effort to dismantle Fuyuki's Holy Grail.
El-Melloi: When it comes to the circumstances surrounding this land, I've left no stone unturned.
Dr. Roman: How dependable. From the way you sounded, I guess I don't have to ask you to help us, right?
El-Melloi: Doctor, you sure are a bad guy. You called me here because you wanted me to help, no?
El-Melloi: I will join this investigation. I believe I am the best observer, don't you think so?
Fujimaru 1: You'll be a great help.
Mash: Yes! It'll be very assuring to have all the information about our destination.
Fujimaru 2: You say that, but you really want to go, right?
El-Melloi: I won't deny that. The Fourth Holy Grail War is a fateful event to me in no small way.
El-Melloi: And it's about to begin right now. I'd be lying if I said that I had no interest.
Dr. Roman: Then it's settled. Get ready for Rayshift now.
Dr. Roman: The target coordinates are Fuyuki City, Japan, 1994. Looks like it's gonna be different this time around, too. So watch out!
Fou: Fou, fooou!
ACT-1: "The Man Who Knows Fuyuki"
Mash: So this is...Fuyuki before it was in flames?
Fou: Fou, fou!
Fujimaru 1: Looks peaceful.
Mash: Yes. Seeing how vibrant this city is... Somehow I feel very relieved.
Fujimaru 2: Is it rare for you?
Mash: Oh no. I've seen the scenery of modern Japan during the incident of Ogawa-heim already. There's not much difference.
Mash: But to think in 10 years, catastrophe would visit a quiet town like this...
El-Melloi: You shouldn't be too sentimental. We exist in a world where everything's been incinerated, not just this town.
Mash: Y-You are right... But...
El-Melloi: My apologies, I could've worded it better. Yes, normal life is hard to come by, but don't get obsessed over it.
El-Melloi: Fearing the inevitable tragedy like the catastrophe of war would only slow you down.
El-Melloi: Because we fight as we are confronted with the destruction of mankind's past and future.
El-Melloi: What I meant was, we should keep that in mind, and prepare ourselves for any situation.
El-Melloi: Take this instance for example. You probably think there won't be any threat in a peaceful residential district at a time where everybody is asleep, correct?
Mash: That's right. To be honest, I find it hard to believe this place was the site for a Holy Grail War...
El-Melloi: That perception is too naive. In a fight between mages, first you must question everything you see. For example...
El-Melloi: Qi Men Dun Jia, Eight Gates Golden Locks Formation!
Assassin: Ugh!
Mash: !?
Fou: Bfoooou!?
Dr. Roman: Assassin Servant!? Was that Presence Concealment!? But even so that was way too concealed!
Assassin: D-Damn you! How is that possible!?
El-Melloi: Are you asking how is it possible for me to see through your Presence Concealment? Well, I couldn't.
El-Melloi: However, I do know from my investigation that the Assassin in the Fourth Holy Grail War could split into multiple entities and monitored the entirety of Fuyuki.
El-Melloi: I knew we'd get caught in your surveillance network seeing how flashy Rayshifts can be. Then it's only natural for you to come scouting.
El-Melloi: Now that you're in my Stone Sentinel Maze, there's no point in you using Presence Concealment.
El-Melloi: Now, Fujimaru, it's time to put up a fight. I'll explain everything later.
--BATTLE--
Mash: Enemy Servant eliminated. The battle is over.
Fujimaru 1: That was a pretty easy win.
Fujimaru 2: That was pretty weak for a Servant...
El-Melloi: That was just one of the many Assassins. As you've seen, that Assassin has the ability to split and manifest multiple bodies.
El-Melloi: That's why the fight is not over yet. We must prepare for the next encounter.
Mash: Do you mean a single Heroic Spirit has the ability to manifest as a group?
El-Melloi: Not only is it a fearsome ability to use in espionage, unless one has an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, it means that Assassin can overwhelm any opponent with sheer numbers alone.
El-Melloi: Humph, but now that I've mastered Qi Men Dun Jia, they'll just end up as my prey.
El-Melloi: They'd have to keep the entire Fuyuki area under surveillance for the time being. That said, they can't exactly ignore us either.
El-Melloi: Assassin will most likely keep sending people to attack us.
El-Melloi: As a result, they have broken the golden rule of military strategy by continuously investing their combat personnel without reserve. How very sad, indeed.
El-Melloi: We'll have to fight them one after another, but they shouldn't pose too much of a threat.
El-Melloi: Just take them out the minute you lay eyes on them. Now then, there's no time to waste. Onward I say! Onward!
Fou: Fou?
Mash: Huh? But...
Fujimaru 1: Aren't you going to give us an explanation now?
Fujimaru 2: What the heck is even going on right now?
El-Melloi: Apologies, but it will have to wait. I'm not trying to be pompous, it's just we're in a race against time.
El-Melloi: Oh, don't make that face. I'll explain as many things as I can on our way, starting with the most vital matters.
Fou: Fooou...
ACT-2: "Military Intervention"
El-Melloi: To be honest, the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki is basically a scam.
El-Melloi: The whole “battle royale for the chance to grant your wish” format is just an outright lie to lure in participants.
Mash: A lie? That's terrible... Tricking someone by telling them their wishes will be granted... That's criminal!
El-Melloi: It absolutely is. If these Holy Grail Wars were a widespread thing in a different world, I bet there'd be a lot of lawsuits being filed over them.
El-Melloi: That being said, in this world...
El-Melloi: That is, in my world, that didn't happen. That's because Holy Grail Wars only took place here.
El-Melloi: It was an insidious trap. One that, with the defeat of each participating Servant, means an unprecedented disaster draws closer.
El-Melloi: When the required number of summoned Servant have been sacrificed, “All the Evils of the World” Aŋra Mainiiu will activate.
Fujimaru 1: All the Evils of the World?
Fujimaru 2: That's a pretty dangerous-sounding name.
El-Melloi: You don't need to know everything. Just consider it something like a bomb that could destroy the world.
El-Melloi: It has more than enough power to wipe out the entirety of human history up to that point.
El-Melloi: Singularity F, the first foundation you all have restored...
El-Melloi: I see that as the likely state of Fuyuki after the conclusion of the Fifth Holy Grail War.
El-Melloi: The first point to fall as the world crumbled. All because a ritual that should have never been carried out was indeed completed.
Mash: But why would someone set a trap like that? Who would do that?
El-Melloi: This ritual started off with a very different purpose, and became what it is through a ridiculous man-made disaster.
El-Melloi: That disaster is a “past event” even in this timeline.
El-Melloi: At any rate, the problem is that the paradox Sheba detected in this era is like a Holy Grail.
Dr. Roman: I see, if the Holy Grail is already here...
El-Melloi: Yes. If the Holy Grail has already manifested, this city should be in flames right now. But at a glance, that's not really the case.
El-Melloi: So the Holy Grail detected by Chaldea is likely something different from Fuyuki's Greater Grail, corrupted by Aŋra Mainiiu.
El-Melloi: If I recall, this Fourth Holy Grail War is still in its early stages now. Tonight is when everything moves into motion. We can use that.
Mash: Ah, I see. So that's why you've been so conscious of the time today.
El-Melloi: That's right. Right now, it's critical that we stay ahead of events. This harbor district will be the key.
Fujimaru 1: What's going to happen here?
El-Melloi: Hmm, it seems we have to end our chitchat before I get to explain that. The events have caught up to us.
E：???: You there. May I ask who you are?
E：???: It seems you are also participants in the Holy Grail War... Seeing how you have Servants with you.
F：Saber: Irisviel, something is strange. I no longer detect the presence of Lancer, who invited us here.
Fujimaru 1: Is that... Saber?
Dr. Roman: She appears to be, but that's not her. I mean, she's contracted with another Master already!
Fujimaru 2: Is this another Heroine X incident?
Mash: Let's not go there for now, Senpai. This time, we're being serious here...
El-Melloi: That is one of the seven Heroic Spirits summoned into the Fourth Holy Grail War. Class Saber, Altria Pendragon.
El-Melloi: That being the case, sorry, but we will be your opponent now instead of Lancer.
El-Melloi: Irisviel von Einzbern.
Altria: What... You! How do you know my True Name!?
Irisviel: This is no ordinary opponent. Be careful, Saber!
El-Melloi: Okay, Fujimaru, time for Round 2. But this opponent is quite powerful. She's on an entirely different level from Assassin.
El-Melloi: I realize I'm shoving you into a rather difficult fight, but unfortunately, I need to put one more restriction on you.
El-Melloi: ...I'm sorry, but don't defeat Saber here. Only push far enough to make her retreat.
Fujimaru 1: That's a tall order!
Fujimaru 2: And how do you propose we do that?
El-Melloi: I already told you we're pressed for time. I'll explain everything later. Now, go on and do your best!
Fou: Fou, fooou!?
--BATTLE--
Mash: The enemy Saber has withdrawn from battle!
Fujimaru 1: We don't need to go after her?
El-Melloi: Leave her be. The next one is who we should go after.
Mash: The next...one?
El-Melloi: I've been keeping the Servant who was supposed to fight Saber in my Qi Men Dun Jia formation. But it's about time...
Lancer: Who are you? Was that strange stone maze your doing!? What happened to Saber!?
Fou: Fou!?
Fujimaru 1: Something really came out!
El-Melloi: Calm yourself, First Spear of the Knights of Fianna. We're not Archibald's enemies.
Lancer: What!? You know my True Name...
F：???: Humph. We seem to be faced with a formidable opponent. How did you know that I was Lancer's Master?
Mash: ? Where is that voice coming from?
Dr. Roman: He's shielding himself with magecraft. This Servant's Master is hiding somewhere close by.
El-Melloi: Lord Kayneth, we have hastened to join your side and stand in support of you.
El-Melloi: For certain reasons, I cannot divulge my name, so let me give the name of Lady Reines as my guarantor for the time being.
F：???: Reines... My niece? I demand to know what is going on here!
El-Melloi: Though I would not hesitate to provide an explanation at the present time, I would beg your forbearance until tomorrow.
El-Melloi: However, allow me to say just one thing in advance: I can tell you the current location of Caster.
F：???: Caster? How do you know that?
El-Melloi: Tomorrow at noon, I will prove the truth of my words.
El-Melloi: I will show you anew what value lies in listening to our story.
F：???: Humph...
El-Melloi: Then, we will pay a visit to your penthouse suite in Fuyuki New Tower at 10 p.m. tomorrow night. So for tonight, will you allow us to go?
F：???: Ohh? So you even know my address, do you? ...Very well. I don't dislike a smart man like yourself.
F：???: All the more if you're a mage with a sense of gratitude. But that faint trace of a working-class accent in your English... What a shame.
F：???: But, very well. I shall accept your proposal.
F：???: Having observed how you handled Saber earlier, we will depart here in peace.
Kayneth: I will neither flee nor hide myself. I look forward to hearing just what it is you're planning.
Mash: That's... Lancer's Master?
Lancer: Are you certain about this, Master?
Kayneth: Patience, Lancer. Yes, they are clearly a suspicious bunch. But when you know so little about what you face, it's best to wait and observe.
Kayneth: Best to be cautious when starting a fight, got it?
Lancer: ...Understood.
El-Melloi: Then we'll be taking our leave. Come, let's get going, Fujimaru.
El-Melloi: Now then, we can finally take a moment to talk properly. How far did I get in my explanation earlier?
Fujimaru 1: You said that once this war ends, the world will be destroyed...
El-Melloi: Ah yes, that's right. Defeated Servants are absorbed into the Greater Grail of Fuyuki as sacrifices to bring it to completion.
El-Melloi: But what happens then is not the granting of a wish, but the release of Aŋra Mainiiu... From the start, this war was never meant to have a winner.
Dr. Roman: What a cruel tale...
Dr. Roman: After investing so much of yourself and even murdering fellow mages, your reward is the opposite of what you would wish... That's truly cruel...
El-Melloi: It certainly is. I imagine if I'd been the winner of the Fifth Holy Grail War, I would have turned evil from despair.
El-Melloi: Forgive me. And to think I'm the one who's always saying sentimentality is pointless.
El-Melloi: In my experience, the Greater Grail activates in a limited capacity after the defeat of the fifth Servant.
El-Melloi: However, that also means that if we can convince at least three Servants to withdraw from the battlefield intact...
Dr. Roman: Then the ritual will end up eternally in limbo, the Holy Grail will remain incomplete, and we can simply secure its vessel. Right?
Fou: Fooou.
Mash: Understood. So this time, we won't be fighting to defeat the other Servants, but to protect them, in a sense.
Mash: Though it'd be best if we could resolve all this amicably.
El-Melloi: Right. But we can't assume everyone will agree peacefully.
El-Melloi: Since we want the War to end in a stalemate, we need to first seek out and defeat the Servants with whom such an agreement is impossible.
Fujimaru 1: Just when I thought you were a gentleman!
Fujimaru 2: Just when I thought reason would triumph!
El-Melloi: I'm aware of my own savagery. Let me say right now that I started off as a cowardly, subservient boy.
El-Melloi: But the war strategist I housed in my body gets so worked up I couldn't help but change.
Fujimaru 1: He is THE Zhuge Liang.
El-Melloi: Truly. Strategists in Ancient China can get even more violent and ruthless than military generals.
Fujimaru 2: Sayest thou truly?
El-Melloi: What kind of foolishness is that?
El-Melloi: It's one thing if theater actors or poets use that language, but why would you talk like that? Are you making fun of them?
El-Melloi: Show some respect!
Fou: Fou, fofofooou...
El-Melloi: Now, back to our conversation.
El-Melloi: Of the participants in this Holy Grail War, there are two Servants we couldn't even try to spare... Caster and Archer.
El-Melloi: Without a shred of doubt, I can say those two would be incapable of reaching an understanding with us.
El-Melloi: So it'd be best to get them out of the way before they start engaging other Servants.
El-Melloi: That brings us to Assassin. Their Master is colluding with the one in possession of Archer.
El-Melloi: Since we plan to fight Archer, we'll inevitably have to fight Assassin too. Though they've already marked us as opponents anyway.
Mash: Oh, the one we fought right after we Rayshifted here...
El-Melloi: Next, we have Berserker... Since his madness prevents us from reasoning with him directly, everything depends on his Master.
El-Melloi: The key will be whether we can convince the Master while he's still able to keep full control over Berserker without having to use Command Spells.
El-Melloi: That said, there's always the possibility Berserker could go on a rampage himself, independent of his Master's will.
El-Melloi: One vital thing I learned after the Fourth War ended is that the one who'd summoned Berserker was in an extremely unstable condition, both physically and mentally.
El-Melloi: But I never did get to meet him myself...
Mash: Well then, shall we put dealing with Berserker on hold for now?
El-Melloi: Though I can't help but feel it is risky, yes.
El-Melloi: Therefore, by process of elimination, we can conclude that our best chances for success lie with Saber, Lancer, and Rider.
Dr. Roman: Ahh, so that's why you prevented that clash on the docks between Saber and Lancer.
Mash: Then that only leaves Rider's faction. Do you think they'd be likely to cooperate?
El-Melloi: ...
Fou: Fou?
Fujimaru 1: Why are you falling quiet all of a sudden?
Fujimaru 2: Is there something worrying you?
El-Melloi: ...Yes. It all depends on how well I can get them to accept what I'll say to them.
ACT-3: "Second Owner"
Dr. Roman: Well, Mash? How's the summoning circle coming along?
Mash: Not so well...
Fujimaru 1: Is it not working?
Mash: The Leyline is here, but it's being guarded by another spell so I can't access it.
Fou: Fooou!
El-Melloi: Hmm, I guess it's difficult to set up on a land controlled by a proper mage...
Fujimaru 1: What do you mean?
El-Melloi: All the Leylines in this area are under the control of a certain mage clan.
El-Melloi: I thought there would be a weakness I could exploit, but I was too naive.
El-Melloi: ...Her father truly is a skilled mage. With how I am now, I can tell the structure of this spell is very solid.
Mash: What should we do? At this rate we won't be able to get supplies from Chaldea.
El-Melloi: We've got no choice but to destroy the keystones the mage placed, and take the Leyline for ourselves.
El-Melloi: They should be fairly well-defended, but we'll have to break through.
El-Melloi: I'd like to avoid unnecessary combat, because we can't fight on an empty stomach. Nothing for it.
Dr. Roman: You mean destroy the barrier keystones!? If you do that, won't the mage, the Second Owner, get mad?
El-Melloi: Of course. But the family that owns this land, the Tohsakas, are also the mages that summoned Archer.
El-Melloi: In other words, they're our enemies to begin with.
Dr. Roman: ...I see. But the keystone to the Leylines should be carefully hidden, right?
El-Melloi: Don't worry. I know where they are already.
Mash: What? How did you find out?
El-Melloi: The next heir to the Tohsaka clan is a student of mine. In the end, I dismantle the Greater Grail here with her help.
El-Melloi: When that happens, I learn the structure of the Leylines in this area.
Dr. Roman: Wait a second. You're going to wreck your future student's estate?
El-Melloi: This future happens in a different timeline. I have no duty or responsibility to the Tohsakas in this era.
El-Melloi: And the Tohsaka family was one of the clans responsible for the Fuyuki Holy Grail War.
El-Melloi: If they lose their Leyline and become impoverished, it's their own fault. I'm sure the future Tohsaka will understand.
Fujimaru 1: She's not around to agree, though!
Fujimaru 2: ...Someday we might end up paying for this big time...
El-Melloi: Let's start with the nearest point.
El-Melloi: After we destroy several of the keystones, we can try setting up the circle again.
Dr. Roman: Is this okay? Stuff like this always comes back to haunt you...
Fou: Fooou...
ACT-4: "Those Who Lurk in the Dark"
Dr. Roman: Wait up! I'm picking up traces of magical energy nearby... They're not human, and they're heading straight for you!
Mash: I can see them too. What are those monsters? They look like something, um... that I want nothing to do with.
El-Melloi: They're fragments of the sea monsters summoned by Caster.
El-Melloi: The Caster who participated in this Holy Grail War has completely lost his sanity.
El-Melloi: He doesn't have any strategy or plan. He just keeps summoning familiars to devour innocent civilians.
Fujimaru 1: We have to stop them.
Fujimaru 2: Let's get them!
El-Melloi: They won't hurt us if we leave them alone, but...
El-Melloi: Even in a dark back alley like this, if innocent people come back here there'll be a disaster.
El-Melloi: Let's take the time to get rid of them.
--BATTLE--
ACT-5: "The Meeting of El-Melloi"
Mash: That's another Leyline point secured. It's going well, isn't it, Master?
Fou: Fou, fou!
El-Melloi: Yeah. But it's about time. Let's finish up here, and head to negotiate with Lancer's Master.
Mash: Is this really going to work? He seems like a very cold person...
Fujimaru 1: Yeah, he's definitely a cold-blooded mage.
Fujimaru 2: Yeah, well, he's going bald, so...
El-Melloi: Leave it to me. But Fujimaru, I'd like you to let me handle all negotiations with Lord Kayneth.
El-Melloi: I'll keep a telepathic channel open so we can communicate in secret, but keep your mouth shut at all times. Got it?
Fujimaru 1: I'll let you handle it.
Fujimaru 2: Let's see what you can do.
Lancer: ...
Dr. Roman: (His Servant seems ready to fight at any moment!?)
Mash: (The air's heavy... How is El-Melloi going to get through this, I wonder?)
Kayneth: I spoke to Archisorte last night. You were lying when you said you were acting on Reines' behalf.
El-Melloi: But you agreed to meet with us anyway. Which means...
Kayneth: There's something else I want to ask you about. Your statements about Caster last night...
Kayneth: Why were you able to know the Holy Church's actions in advance?
El-Melloi: Because for me, it happened long ago in the past.
Kayneth: What?
El-Melloi: The morning after the Servant battle at the wharf, the Overseer speaks to all participants and offers a special reward for the first to kill Caster.
El-Melloi: ...But that's not all I know.
El-Melloi: You originally intended to summon Iskandar for this battle. You even had the catalyst for it.
El-Melloi: However, it was stolen by a student at the Clock Tower, Waver Velvet...
El-Melloi: ...and you were forced to summon Diarmuid Ua Duibhne instead.
Kayneth: How did you...
El-Melloi: And it's not you that's providing the magical energy for that Servant, it's your fiancée Sola-Ui Nuada-Re Sophia-Ri.
El-Melloi: You have her in another room to keep her safe. Well, it's good to be careful.
Kayneth: ...
El-Melloi: Oh, speaking of Lady Sola-Ui. There was a love letter draft left in your study.
El-Melloi: I believe it began, “To my beautiful beloved, your eyes glisten like the morning dew...”
Kayneth: Shut up! Shut up! Enough! Who are you!?
El-Melloi: I wasn't lying when I said I was acting on behalf of Lady Reines.
El-Melloi: But I will only officially receive that duty four years from now.
El-Melloi: And thus, everything I told you is part of my memories of the past.
Kayneth: ...Humph.
El-Melloi: You're taking this seriously. I suppose I should've expected that from the leader of the Archibald family.
Kayneth: A traveler through time, huh? I've heard that some are working very hard at that research.
Kayneth: I thought it was stupid nonsense that would never come true... Even so, I need a more believable explanation.
Kayneth: What you're saying is similar to True Magic. Of course, there must be quite the backstory involved.
El-Melloi: I'll give you an overview. Let me begin.
ACT-6: "United Battlefront"
Kayneth: I see. Observing the past projected on the Earth Environmental Model, and the Rayshift technology that implemented the Heroic Spirit Summoning System...
Kayneth: And all of this is made possible by the use of the Spiritron Calculation Engine.
Kayneth: Spiritron Calculation Engine... I'd heard rumors that the Atlas Institute was working on such a thing, but...
El-Melloi: Yes. All of these great achievements in magecraft are accomplished by the Archibald family.
Fujimaru 1: (Whaaaaat!?)
El-Melloi: (You there, don't let it show on your face!)
Mash: (Remember, poker face, Senpai!)
Fou: (Fou fou fou...)
Kayneth: So in the future, the Archibald family achieves all this?
El-Melloi: Of course, this is only possible due to your astonishing leadership. Your later exploits at the Clock Tower...
El-Melloi: ...bring together a number of different academic factions to make this huge project, “Chaldea,” a reality.
Dr. Roman: (If Director Olga Marie heard this somehow, who knows what she'd say...)
Mash: (Right, I don't even want to imagine it...)
Kayneth: Humph. I have no connection to the Atlas Institute. I dislike that group of eccentrics.
Kayneth: I would never work with those pessimists... Or so I thought, but... Heh. Hehehe.
Kayneth: I see... Well, it's not impossible, is it!?
Fujimaru 1: (Whaaaaat!?)
Dr. Roman: (Whaaaaat!?)
Mash: (Is the Lord of the Clock Tower an...)
Kayneth: Well, I was just thinking that the Evocation department and Mineralogy department weren't enough for me to get the upper hand in the academic world.
Kayneth: I was thinking perhaps it was time to find some new research. Yes. I'm surprised I had such skills in that direction, though.
Kayneth: Hmm. I guess even in my old age I can still pull off some new tricks, huh?
Dr. Roman: (What—!? He's not the kind of person I thought he was. He's not, right?)
Diarmuid: Amazing! Yes, I always believed in you.
Diarmuid: Right now, you may be struggling, but in the future you'll achieve great things!
El-Melloi: Of course, it's not only your technological achievements, but the financial backing provided by the Sophia-Ri clan.
El-Melloi: The vast amount of funds required for Chaldea was only available due to the loving relationship you have with your future wife.
Kayneth: Aww, shucks. Hehe. I've dedicated my whole life to magecraft, so I don't know if I could be a family man...
Kayneth: At least, I didn't until now! I see! Fwahahaha!
Mash: (Oh, so the reason Lord El-Melloi wanted to get the Lancer faction on his side first was that...)
Dr. Roman: (They were the easiest to trick, maybe.)
Fou: (...Fo-u.)
El-Melloi: And so we've come here to make your future glory all the more certain, Lord Archibald.
El-Melloi: But time travel brings with it certain restrictions on what you can do in the past.
El-Melloi: We can't offer you too much aid, but when it comes to information...
Kayneth: Yes, with your intervention, I'll have the advantage over the enemy at all stages in the process.
El-Melloi: The first thing you must do is eliminate Caster. The other Masters don't know where he is.
El-Melloi: If you can launch an attack first, the additional Command Spell the Overseer promised will be yours.
Kayneth: Wonderful! So I'll get a fourth Command Spell before I've even used one?
Kayneth: Hahaha! This battle's as good as won!
Kayneth: I joined this battle mostly on a whim, but if my future descendants are intervening...
Kayneth: Perhaps there's more meaning to this than I thought?
El-Melloi: Please just keep in mind that such possibility cannot be ignored.
El-Melloi: We can only speak to events that have already been decided when it comes to our intervention.
El-Melloi: We must remain silent about anything that has not been observed by anyone in this temporal axis.
El-Melloi: Otherwise, the ripples caused by the change of history will grow too great, and may activate the Counter Force.
Kayneth: Hmph...
El-Melloi: Our very intervention has caused the future to change and lose its certainty.
El-Melloi: What happens now is unknown to us as well.
Kayneth: These secret spells enter the realm of True Magic, and so they aren't that easy to use, huh? So I guess it all depends on how you use them.
El-Melloi: We're almost at Caster's workshop. This is where it gets rough.
Diarmuid: We've already passed the boundary, it seems. Something's coming!
???: HISS!
El-Melloi: Caster's pet familiars.
El-Melloi: He has a powerful Noble Phantasm, but is weak as a mage. However, in large numbers these things pose a threat.
Kayneth: Hmph. If it's giving such power to scum who can't even keep their magecraft secret...
Kayneth: I guess I'll need to personally secure this Fuyuki Grail.
Kayneth: Go, Lancer! Destroy all who would stand in my way!
Diarmuid: As you wish!
Mash: Senpai, we're being left out of this for some reason, but we have to fight, too!
Fujimaru 1: Let's help them.
Fujimaru 2: Begin the fight!
Fou: Fou, fou!
ACT-7: "Hunting for Bluebeard"
Mash: The enemy's weakening! Hurry!
Diarmuid: We'll break through. Is that all right, Master?
Kayneth: Yes. Punish the owner of these filthy beasts in the name of El-Melloi!
Fujimaru 1: El-Melloi?
Fujimaru 2: You really are related?
El-Melloi: (I'll tell you about that some other time...)
Mash: Th-This is...
Diarmuid: How disgusting...who could do such a thing to a corpse?
Kayneth: Humph. This explains the Overseer's hurry.
Dr. Roman: Be careful! I'm detecting a Servant very close to you!
G：Caster: How dare you philistines interfere with our pursuit of beauty? Are you trying to stop the awakening of the Holy Maiden, too?
Mash: Marshal Gilles de Rais?
Dr. Roman: No matter where he's summoned, this guy never listens to what you have to say...
El-Melloi: The Master who summoned him this time has only made him worse. Even without the Holy Grail War, he needs to be eliminated.
Gilles: Nonsense! You will be the ones sacrificed here!
--BATTLE--
Gilles: Ooh. So this mundane ending is also the will of God?
Mash: Servant Caster is defeated. We've won.
Fujimaru 1: Where's Caster's Master?
Fujimaru 2: We're not done here!
El-Melloi: He's not a mage who poses any threat alone, but...
El-Melloi: He is a murderer who will continue these acts on his own, even without Caster. He must be dealt with.
Kayneth: But Caster himself has been defeated. Haven't we done what the Overseer asked?
El-Melloi: Indeed. Go to the Fuyuki Church and request your additional Command Spell. We'll clean things up here.
Kayneth: Humph. That's right. I can't let the Overseer see you, can I? We'll meet again later.
Diarmuid: Thank you for your help. Hope I see you next time, future heroes.
El-Melloi: Now then, I'm not looking forward to it, but let's track down this serial killer.
ACT-8: "Irregular"
Fou: Fou?
Mash: Master! Down that corridor! Someone's lying on the ground!
El-Melloi: He's...dead. From the look of things, this was definitely the Master that summoned Caster.
Mash: ...No... Did he have a fight with his Servant?
El-Melloi: The wound is too clean. That's not how Caster would kill.
El-Melloi: But then who? Hmm...
El-Melloi: !? Eight Gates Golden Locks Formation!
Fou: Fou!?
Mash: Lord El-Melloi!? What...
Dr. Roman: Be careful, Mash, Fujimaru! A Servant is approaching you!
Mash: Huh? But there wasn't anything a moment ago...
El-Melloi: Presence Concealment. An Assassin? Without the Qi Men Dun Jia, we'd have been in danger too.
Assassin?: ...You use strange techniques. I didn't expect to be found.
Mash: Is this another one of the Assassins from before? It feels different.
El-Melloi: This is...different. There was no Servant like this in the Fourth Holy Grail War I knew.
Dr. Roman: Then this is the “irregularity” that you were searching for?
El-Melloi: Perhaps. This may be what has twisted the 1994 Fuyuki into a Singularity.
El-Melloi: Even if this isn't the original cause, there must be some connection.
Assassin?: I've no reason to fight you. If you simply let me go, I'll leave.
El-Melloi: That's not an option. We need to know who you are, and why you're here.
El-Melloi: That's practically why we came here, after all.
Assassin?: I have no reason to acquiesce to your demands, and if you insist, I'll have to fight you.
El-Melloi: You heard them, Fujimaru. Though regrettable, it seems like violence is our only option.
El-Melloi: We'll neutralize and capture them, and then get them to cooperate!
--BATTLE--
Assassin?: Tch, you're strong!
Mash: There's something strange about this Servant.
Mash: He has a different aura than the other Servants in this Holy Grail War.
El-Melloi: Yes, and he feels familiar. He's more similar to us, at Chaldea.
Fou: Fou, fou!
Mash: That's right. He seems similar to Emiya-senpai, the Archer...
Assassin?: !?
Dr. Roman: Everyone, be careful! I'm seeing a new Servant. They're heading straight for you!
El-Melloi: What? Who could it be now... Oh, no!
Mash: Oh no! Master, get down!
Assassin?: ...
Mash: Are you okay, Master?
Fujimaru 1: Yeah, thanks.
Mash: Good... But we let Assassin get away just now. I'm sorry.
Fujimaru 2: Where did Assassin go?
Mash: ...I'm sorry. I lost track of his magical energy. He's probably already left the battlefield.
El-Melloi: That lightning just now destroyed my Golden Locks Formation as well. Curse them...
Iskandar: Oooh! The battle's already begun, it seems. Looks like we're a little late, kid.
Waver: Huh? That's strange. I was sure we'd be the first.
Mash: Th-That's...
Fou: Fou!
Fujimaru 1: I definitely know that face!
Fujimaru 2: This is getting complicated!
Mash: Yeah. That Servant is probably Rider, but that Master is...
El-Melloi: The first ones here? You idiot!
El-Melloi: You know more than anybody how primitive the method you used to find this place was!
El-Melloi: You didn't really think you could get a leg up on some of the best mages in the world with that, did you?
Waver: W-Who are you? What are you talking about...
El-Melloi: This time, and every other time, you only make it through your problems thanks to good luck!
El-Melloi: And because things work out in the end, you start to overestimate your own strength!
El-Melloi: That's why you never get better! You know this, right? RIGHT?
Waver: Wait a second! Why do I have to get a lecture from someone I've never met?
Waver: Who are you, anyway? You're not the Caster who kidnapped the kids, or his Master, are you?
El-Melloi: You idiot! You can't even analyze a situation properly!? I'm astonished you thought you could survive a Holy Grail War...
El-Melloi: Christ! You're an idiot! An idiot! A huge idiot! Go choke on some rice and die!
Mash: ...Something seems to have gotten into Lord El-Melloi...
Fou: Fou...
Fujimaru 1: No one likes confronting their own past.
Fujimaru 2: It's funny. Let's watch for a minute.
Waver: W-Who do you think you are, anyway? Status-wise, you're clearly a Caster!
Waver: The Overseer's figured out that you're ignoring the Holy Grail War to do evil things.
El-Melloi: BULLSHIT! If you can view someone's status, you should be able to figure out that I'm a Pseudo-Servant, you moron!
El-Melloi: God, this is pathetic! The Command Spells on your hand are crying out in shame!
Waver: W-W-Whaaaat? A Pseudo-what?
Waver: It doesn't make sense for there to be extra Casters! No one said anything about this!
Iskandar: Hang on, kid. Whether or not that guy's a Caster, he's definitely not the owner of this workshop.
Waver: Huh? H-How can you tell?
Iskandar: By looking at the traces left here. Neither side was using the terrain, or trying to avoid damage to the area when they fought.
Iskandar: This wasn't a battle between an attacker and defender. Someone tried to run, and someone tried to stop them.
Iskandar: So neither the one who fled when we arrived, nor these people, are our enemy. They must be someone else.
El-Melloi: Yes. The King of Conquerors knows exactly how to read a battlefield.
Iskandar: Anyway, you, with the gloomy face.
El-Melloi: W-What...is it?
Iskandar: You've been picking on the kid an awful lot.
Iskandar: Does that mean you're prepared to fight the King of Conquerors?
El-Melloi: W-Why would it mean that? You know exactly which of us is in the right!
Iskandar: Maybe, but he is my Master.
Iskandar: If you want to pick a fight with him, as his Servant, that means you'll have to fight me.
Waver: Rider, you...
El-Melloi: Tch... That's...
Mash: Um, Lord? I thought the plan was to not fight Rider?
El-Melloi: Let's retreat, Fujimaru. There's no sense in fighting here.
Iskandar: Humph. How boring. And I thought you had a little more spine.
El-Melloi: ...
Waver: Hah! So you're gonna say all that, and then turn tail and run? What a wimp!
Iskandar: Hey, don't get cocky.
Waver: GWAH!
Fujimaru 1: He sent that kid flying with the flick of a finger!
Fujimaru 2: What a fickle creature...
El-Melloi: Gaah! This is pissing me off! A Servant shouldn't be getting involved in his Master's fights! Are you a helicopter parent or something?
Fujimaru 1: Calm down, Professor.
Fujimaru 2: No, I think they're supposed to do that...
Dr. Roman: But we were lucky enough to run into our third target to protect, the Rider Servant...
Dr. Roman: Was it okay for things to fall apart like that?
El-Melloi: I don't care! They don't plan on seriously fighting anyway.
El-Melloi: Ignore them, they'll just sit in their hideout to eat rice crackers and watch videos all day!
Dr. Roman: I don't know...
Mash: Looks like Rider is a touchy subject for Lord El-Melloi, Senpai.
Fujimaru 1: It's a problem.
Fujimaru 2: We'll have to deal with it ourselves.
Mash: I think so too, yes.
Fou: Fooou.
ACT-9: The King of Knights Returns"
Mash: The summoning circle's complete. Finally...
Dr. Roman: Good work. Now I can finally offer you some real support.
Fou: Fou, fou!
Dr. Roman: It's really a pain, though, meddling with the land another mage controls.
El-Melloi: Well, thanks to us, the Leyline the Tohsakas have kept for generations has been ripped into pieces.
El-Melloi: It'll take a lot of talent and technique to rebuild it. Hahahah. It'll be a good practice lesson.
Fujimaru 1: You're a tough teacher, huh?
Fujimaru 2: Isn't that kind of mean?
El-Melloi: Not at all. I'm simply offering my students challenges equal to their abilities and tenacity.
El-Melloi: In other words, I hold the daughter of the Tohsakas in extremely high regard... No point in talking about that now, though.
Dr. Roman: Um, I'm sorry to interrupt your break, but...
Dr. Roman: ...You have a visitor. One approaching Servant. Looks like a Saber.
Fou: Fou!?
Mash: Saber... Altria Pendragon, the one we saw at the wharf?
El-Melloi: Probably. Hmm... I guess we exposed ourselves too much.
El-Melloi: We made it very obvious that we're an enemy. It's inevitable that they'd retaliate.
Altria: Servant, Saber-class. Once again, I challenge you. Let's have a fair fight.
El-Melloi: A fair fight, huh? Humph. I know exactly what you're up to.
El-Melloi: For this Holy Grail War, the Einzberns are using their Servant as a decoy, while a hired assassin strikes from the shadows.
Irisviel: What? I'll thank you not to make false accusations.
Irisviel: And what are you planning? I can tell that you weren't an officially summoned Servant.
Mash: ...What do we do, Lord El-Melloi?
El-Melloi: I'd like to avoid unnecessary battles... But it would hurt us to leave this circle we just established.
El-Melloi: We have the high ground, Fujimaru. We'll draw out the battle until they decide to leave.
Fujimaru 1: Got it!
Fujimaru 2: We'll go with that plan.
El-Melloi: And Mash, in this battle keep an eye out for ambushes on your Master.
El-Melloi: I'll use my Qi Men Dun Jia to support you. If you sense anything strange, deal with it immediately.
Mash: Roger! Mash Kyrielight, commencing combat!
ACT-10: "The Mysterious Assassin"
Irisviel: This is tough... They have the Leylines on their side. As the fight drags on, we'll be at a disadvantage.
Altria: Irisviel, I can still fight! I have plenty of magical energy stored up!
El-Melloi: Hmm, they're hanging in there longer than I thought. This is going to be rough...
Mash: Huh!? Watch out!
Irisviel: What?
El-Melloi: I knew it! An ambush! But that attack...
Mash: Yes, it wasn't targeted at Senpai. It was for Saber's Master.
El-Melloi: They're not working with the Einzberns? So they're someone else entirely?
Assassin?: Spells that control the terrain make it so I can't hide, huh? This is tough to work with.
Mash: That's... the Servant who killed Caster's Master!?
Irisviel: It's an Assassin. Are they after both of us?
Assassin?: No, I'm only interested in one target. You, bearer of the Grail.
Irisviel: ...What?
Assassin?: It's not that you've done anything wrong. Taking your life is simply the quickest route to dismantling the Grail.
Altria: I won't let you!
Mash: Saber and Assassin have begun combat. What should we do?
El-Melloi: Regardless of what that Assassin's after, we can't lose Saber here.
El-Melloi: Fujimaru, move to support Einzbern!
--BATTLE--
Assassin?: Tch! Stop getting in my way! You're not part of the Holy Grail War, are you?
El-Melloi: Neither are you, it seems. What are you after? Why are you trying to kill the Einzbern Master?
Assassin?: ...There's no point in explaining it.
Assassin?: I am commanded from beyond the bounds of human understanding. I cannot coexist with those trapped by ethics.
Mash: Assassin has retreated. ...Shall we follow?
El-Melloi: No. Let's avoid any other battles. Overexerting ourselves just makes us a target for other enemies.
Fou: Fooou.
El-Melloi: I'd like to suggest to Einzbern that she put away her weapon for the day.
El-Melloi: You have more threats to worry about than just us.
Irisviel: ...Very well. You did save us.
El-Melloi: You may not believe me, but we don't intend to make enemies of the Einzbern clan.
El-Melloi: We couldn't help what happened on the wharf.
El-Melloi: In fact, I'd imagine Saber there found it strange that we didn't pursue her.
Altria: ...That's right, Irisviel. There's something strange about the way they fight.
Altria: I don't know why, but there's a meekness, as if they're trying to keep themselves from winning.
Irisviel: I'll make this simple. Are you our enemies, or our friends?
El-Melloi: Our goal does not involve the battle for the Grail, and to achieve that, we need your Saber to be kept safe.
El-Melloi: That's all I can say for now while still telling you the truth.
Irisviel: ...Very well. As long as you don't make yourselves obvious enemies of the Einzberns, we'll leave you alone.
Irisviel: We have lots of other enemies that we need to prioritize first.
El-Melloi: Let me ask you something. Do you know who that Assassin was?
Irisviel: Not really. He was saying something strange. That neither of you were participants in the Holy Grail War...
El-Melloi: That Assassin's presence is clearly an irregularity.
El-Melloi: Not that we're one to talk, in that respect. Our immediate goal is to solve the mystery of his identity.
Irisviel: The mystery, huh? He did seem strange, yes.
El-Melloi: What do you mean?
Irisviel: I've never met him, but for some reason...he seems like someone I'm deeply related to.
Irisviel: Like he was here only to kill me, and I was only here to be killed by him...
Altria: That can't be true!
Irisviel: It felt like we existed only to destroy and be destroyed.
El-Melloi: The intuition of a homunculus, the crowning achievement of the Einzberns' most secret techniques, cannot be easily dismissed.
Altria: ...Fated to kill each other... No. No, Irisviel. That's not true.
Altria: I will protect you with my blade. You are here on this battlefield to be victorious.
Irisviel: Yes, you're right. With a Servant like you at my side, I have nothing to fear at all.
Irisviel: One last thing, Heroic Spirit with the shield. Your support was wonderful. Thank you.
Mash: No, um...
Altria: ...(That thing that looks like a shield... If that's what I think it is, she's...)
Altria: ...(...No, if she doesn't know herself yet, it's not right for me to say...)
Fujimaru 1: Something wrong with Mash's shield?
Fujimaru 2: You know it?
Altria: ...No, not really. But you aren't bad people. That I'm sure of.
Mash: ...Y-Yes. It makes me happy to hear that, but...
Fou: Fou, fooou.
ACT-11: "Strategist's Trap"
El-Melloi: All right, now that we've settled things with Saber...
Dr. Roman: It was a de facto peace treaty, yeah. But what about Lancer... What about Lord Archibald?
Dr. Roman: He's still enemies with Saber over the Grail, right?
El-Melloi: That's the problem. There's a limit to what you can do when you're trying to be friends with both sides.
El-Melloi: Hmm... Seems like we'll need to come up with another plan.
Mash: Do you have some way to persuade him?
El-Melloi: If you want to convince someone of something, the fastest way is to present them with an illusion they want to hear.
El-Melloi: As Lord Kayneth thinks that the world revolves around him...
El-Melloi: ...he's likely to believe anything that reinforces that. A true strategist can control people's minds with ease.
Fou: Foufoufou!
Fujimaru 1: Zhuge Liang, that's a con man, not a strategist.
El-Melloi: But first... We need to deal with this Shadow that refuses to leave us alone.
Assassin: GWACH! You found me again–!?
El-Melloi: The Stone Sentinel Maze is perfect for keeping out Assassins. It's like having your own portable workshop.
El-Melloi: You fell into my clutches the second you tried to sneak up on me!
--BATTLE--
Mash: Enemy Servant eliminated... But is this another fragment?
Dr. Roman: Even if they're not tough individually, it's hard to deal with so many of them.
El-Melloi: Let's just meet up with Lord Kayneth before anyone else follows us.
Kayneth: Just like you suggested, I sent a familiar to the Matou mansion last night and negotiated with them. Berserker will join our battle,
Kayneth: with the condition that we provide for them an opportunity to face the Tohsaka clan's Servant.
El-Melloi: Thank you very much. But I'm not certain that it justified the trouble you went through...
Kayneth: What? What do you mean?
El-Melloi: There's been a major development on our side. A decisive improvement, you could say.
El-Melloi: We were able to observe several factors that were still uncertain, allowing us to share much more information with you while still avoiding paradoxes.
El-Melloi: As a result... We can now tell you the entire truth. The whole truth about the Fuyuki Grail War.
Fou: (Fo?)
Kayneth: W-What do you mean?
El-Melloi: Didn't you find it strange to begin with?
El-Melloi: Why would a huge ceremony involving a battle for an omnipotent wish granter take place in the middle of nowhere, so far from the Clock Tower?
El-Melloi: And then there's the fact that out of seven participants, only one slot was provided for the Mage's Association.
Kayneth: Yes, well... that's why I participated. Even if it didn't live up to its reputation, it was still a fun game with little risk.
El-Melloi: It's worse than simply not living up to its reputation. The whole Fuyuki Grail War is a fake.
Fujimaru 1: (Whaaaat?)
Fujimaru 2: (Hello!?)
Mash: (Senpai, you're letting it show! Keep a poker face!)
El-Melloi: This is all a conspiracy by an enemy of the Archibald family, the Trambelios.
El-Melloi: The plan was to get you away from the Clock Tower for a period of time,
El-Melloi: and then while you were away, quickly expand their influence in the Mage's Association!
Kayneth: W-What!?
El-Melloi: We knew that you would fall for this Trambelio trap, and decided to intervene in the past.
El-Melloi: But we couldn't warn you about it in advance. In order to share knowledge of the future...
El-Melloi: We needed to observe unshakable evidence in the past that a conspiracy existed.
Dr. Roman: (Wow... How does he come up with this stuff...?)
Fou: (...Fou.)
El-Melloi: Last night we found that proof. We have direct testimony from the Tohsakas, one of the three clans behind the Holy Grail War.
Kayneth: H-How did you get it?
El-Melloi: We destroyed every Leyline we could find in this city.
El-Melloi: Of course, this destruction had nothing to do with the Grail War, but that's why the Tohsakas gave in.
El-Melloi: They didn't want to lose the rights to their land over a fake Holy Grail War.
El-Melloi: The Tohsakas confessed to colluding with the Trambelios in order to lure you out with a fake fourth Grail War.
Mash: (What makes it worse is that he's mixing in truth with the lies...)
El-Melloi: They knew you wanted glory not as a researcher, but as a warrior, and created the perfect arena to lure you out...
El-Melloi: That's the true nature of the Fuyuki ritual. The other participants, the Holy Church's Overseer...
El-Melloi: They're all decoys to make the farce more believable.
Kayneth: How intricate! How wicked!
Kayneth: ...But those Trambelios, those fools that espouse “democracy” so much, might just do something like that!
Kayneth: Why... Why have I wasted so much of my valuable time on this!?
Mash: (Welp... He fell for it. Yeah.)
El-Melloi: But it wasn't a total loss. Your defeat of Caster was truly impressive.
El-Melloi: I think that display of boldness may have only increased Lady Sola-Ui's love for you.
Kayneth: Y-You think so? Hmm...
El-Melloi: I'm sure of it. I am a man who's very sensitive to how women feel in that regard. I believe it was—
El-Melloi: “I was never interested in him before, but now that I've seen how brave he is, I've gone from hating him to loving him!”
El-Melloi: It was a change of that magnitude, I believe.
Kayneth: Oh, my! Wait, what was that one part? Well, whatever. It all worked out in the end!
Dr. Roman: (Oh... I'm starting to kind of feel bad for him...)
El-Melloi: But still, there is no time to waste. You must hurry to London, and stop the Trambelio plot!
El-Melloi: No matter how secure the Archibald family is, without you they're no match for the wicked plots of the populists.
El-Melloi: The aristocracy— The feat of our very clan depends on this!
Kayneth: Curse those sneaky Trambelios! Curse you, Valuayeta!
Kayneth: I'll show you a thing or two! Sola-Ui! Hurry and get ready!
Fou: (Fooou...)
Diarmuid: Our new battle lies beyond the sea... Master, I, Diarmuid, shall accompany you!
Diarmuid: I never had a wish for the Grail to begin with. My spear shall accompany you, no matter the battle!
El-Melloi: Oh, excellent. I'm sure that if you have a Servant at your side, Lady Sola-Ui will be very happy.
Kayneth: ...Uh...hmm...
Kayneth: Lancer, by my Command Spell, I order you. Stay here and continue the Holy Grail War.
Diarmuid: W-What!?
Kayneth: Farce or not, now that I've entered the battle, I must win it in order to maintain my reputation.
El-Melloi: Amazing, Lord El-Melloi! You know exactly how important the Archibald reputation is!
Kayneth: I leave you my Servant as a present. You may represent the clan in my stead.
Kayneth: Defeat everyone involved in this stupid farce, and show them who is truly strong.
El-Melloi: Leave it to me!
Diarmuid: ...Very well. If you say so, Master. I shall do my best with my new Master.
Dr. Roman: (This is awful! I've never seen someone get a Servant contract just by making stuff up!)
Kayneth: ...Oh, one last thing. You said you saw a draft of a love letter in my study, right?
El-Melloi: ...? Yes. What of it?
Kayneth: I would never allow someone to search my room while there was something so foolish still in it.
Kayneth: Am I wrong in thinking that the study you refer to...is one whose master never returned to it?
Mash: ...
Dr. Roman: ...
El-Melloi: ...Yes. That's right.
Kayneth: Humph. I suppose in that regard, I should thank you.
El-Melloi: ...Your words honor me, my old Master. You are the Lord I wished to be. You are the great El-Melloi.
El-Melloi: Your talents are the greatest treasure the Clock Tower has. Please, take care of yourself.
Dr. Roman: Lord El-Melloi... I guess here I'll call you Lord El-Melloi II, but...
El-Melloi: What is it?
Dr. Roman: I'm likely wasting my time here, but all those lies you told your predecessor...
Dr. Roman: You're aware of how false they really are, right?
Mash: What do you mean, Doctor?
Dr. Roman: Chaldea isn't a time machine. And you guys aren't there from the future.
Dr. Roman: This Singularity is just a tiny little area. A bubble appearing on the ashes of human history.
Dr. Roman: Once the irregularity that created the bubble is gone...it will be like a dream that has nothing to do with real history.
El-Melloi: ...
Dr. Roman: Thus, no matter how hard you work, you can't actually change history.
Dr. Roman: Even if you save someone here, that salvation is only temporary.
Dr. Roman: In the timeline you're from, the dead will remain dead, and the tragedy will remain a tragedy.
Dr. Roman: It's theoretically impossible to change the past via a Rayshift. Everything you're doing...is meaningless.
Fou: Fooou...
El-Melloi: And why does that matter, Doctor?
Dr. Roman: I just wanted to make sure that you personally knew that nothing would come of this.
Dr. Roman: It seems to me like you're trying to get through this as peacefully and smoothly as possible.
Dr. Roman: But you don't need to. There are simpler and easier ways, aren't there?
El-Melloi: Nothing will come of it, huh? ...Maybe that's how it looks to you. But to me, this has a lot of meaning.
El-Melloi: Even if I can't really save them, I wanted to do the best I could here.
El-Melloi: This isn't atonement for the past. My heart refused to let me—
El-Melloi: —be weak enough to make the same mistake twice. That's all.
Dr. Roman: ...
El-Melloi: You're free to laugh at me if you like.
El-Melloi: I just don't want to be forced to realize my own powerlessness again.
El-Melloi: Of course, the pain of regret is mine alone. It means nothing to anyone else.
El-Melloi: In that regard, I do feel bad for wasting Fujimaru and Mash's time, but...
Fujimaru 1: I don't mind.
Fujimaru 2: It's not a waste.
Mash: You're right. It's wrong to see something bad happening and not try to do anything to stop it.
Mash: Regardless of the result, I agree with Lord El-Melloi's plan.
Fou: Fou!
El-Melloi: Thank you. That helps a lot.
Dr. Roman: ...I see. That's what it is to be human, huh?
Dr. Roman: Okay. I won't bring it up again. So do you have a plan for our next move?
El-Melloi: Yes. Kayneth prepared an alliance for us with the Berserker group.
El-Melloi: We'd be foolish to let that go to waste.
ACT-12: "Discussing the Holy Grail"
Matou Kariya: ...You're Lancer's Master?
El-Melloi: I've been asked to participate in the Holy Grail War in his stead. You're Matou Kariya, Berserker's Master, right?
Matou Kariya: Yeah. You're going to keep your promise, right?
El-Melloi: Of course. Archer is a serious threat to us as well.
El-Melloi: But your Servant's Noble Phantasm can defeat him. If you want to deal with him, it'll help us a lot.
Matou Kariya: A one-on-one battle with the Tohsaka Servant, someplace where no one else will interfere.
Matou Kariya: You're going to provide us that? Here, in this forest?
El-Melloi: More specifically, at the mansion deep in this forest.
El-Melloi: Right now, Archer, Saber, and Rider are all there having a standoff.
Mash: Um, Lord El-Melloi, doesn't that mean they're all going to fight each other?
El-Melloi: No, it doesn't.
El-Melloi: All three of them have something they prize more than strategy: their pride as kings.
Mash: ...I see. By the way, what is this forest? It's far away from Fuyuki's city limits.
El-Melloi: This is an area the Einzberns set aside for the Holy Grail War. Of course, it has a powerful barrier.
Fou: Fou, fou!?
Dr. Roman: Wait, is it okay for us to just walk straight into a dangerous place like that?
El-Melloi: It's not a problem. Rider destroyed all the alarms and defensive traps. There's no reason to worry.
Dr. Roman: Sounds like things are getting rough. What's going on inside there?
El-Melloi: Heh. Listen to this.
El-Melloi: They're just having a drinking party.
Mash: They're really drinking, Senpai!
Mash: What is Rider wearing... Also, is that a barrel?
Mash: And what's that cup-like thing with the long handle?
Fou: ...Fou?
Dr. Roman: Hmm, I can't see what's going on since it's just audio, but it sounds like something unbelievable.
Iskandar: Oh? That's a strange pairing, I see.
Altria: Y-You people are...
Irisviel: Did you join forces with Berserker? Why?
Waver: A-Are you going to attack us here?
Matou Kariya: That's Tohsaka Tokiomi's Servant... Archer!
Berserker: aaaa...
Gilgamesh: Who gave you permission to look upon me, mad dog? Your insolence warrants death!
Iskandar: If they're here to ruin our banquet, doesn't that mean that we'd all fight them together?
Gilgamesh: No. Those who violate my laws must be judged by my wrath. I am the King of Heroes, and none may stand against me.
Iskandar: I see. So you're laying down the law as a king, then? Then there's no reason for me to get involved.
Iskandar: Saber and her Master have no problem with that, I assume?
Irisviel: I'd like to ask them to take it somewhere else... But as long as they aren't attacking us, we've no reason to intervene.
El-Melloi: Excellent! Then the terms for the battle are laid down! Berserker's only foe here is Archer.
El-Melloi: We will intervene in the fight and take down Archer! Fujimaru, your orders!
Matou Kariya: Kill him! Crush him! Berserker!
Berserker: A...uaaa!!
ACT-13: "Battle Royale"
Gilgamesh: Damn you! What a farce...
El-Melloi: We did it! The King of Heroes, the greatest threat of the Fourth Holy Grail War, is defeated!
Matou Kariya: Hahh... Hahh... Did you see that! I showed... Tokiomi...
Mash: Hm!? Berserker's Master is...
Dr. Roman: This is bad. The vital signs I'm seeing here show he's dying!
El-Melloi: Damn it! We made him use too much magical energy!
El-Melloi: Hey, if you're going to pass out, at least bind Berserker with a Command Spell!
Matou Kariya: ...
Fujimaru 1: He collapsed?
Fujimaru 2: Hang in there!
Fou: Fou, fou!
Mash: It's okay. He's just unconscious. He's still breathing.
El-Melloi: No! When this Berserker loses control, it'll go after Saber...
Berserker: Aaaaa, uaaaaa!
Altria: What? Why is it attacking me!?
El-Melloi: We've got no choice. Fujimaru, let's give up on Berserker. We'll take him out here!
Fujimaru 1: What?
Fujimaru 2: Isn't he on our side?
El-Melloi: We can't put Saber in danger here!
El-Melloi: With Archer out of the picture now, we're past the stage where we need Berserker's help anyway.
Diarmuid: This won't be a pleasant fight... But I guess I've got no choice against this mad warrior!
El-Melloi: Lancer, your Noble Phantasm gives you an advantage against him. Stop whining and help!
Waver: W-What's going on here?
Iskandar: ...
--BATTLE--
Diarmuid: Pierce him! Gáe Dearg!
Berserker: uaaaaa!
El-Melloi: Now, Fujimaru! Finish him...
Iskandar: HOLD IT!
Fou: Fou!?
Mash: Rider defended Berserker?
Waver: Hey, what are you doing!?
Iskandar: Yes, I've thought about it, and I've decided. I'm joining forces with the mad warrior.
El-Melloi: W-What!?
Waver: Where is this coming from? What's the point of siding with him?
Iskandar: Well, there isn't one, probably.
Waver: Then why? Just ignore him!
Iskandar: I'm not choosing who to side with. I'm choosing who to fight.
Iskandar: The King of Heroes was my main target, and he's gone. So I was deciding who to fight next.
Waver: Then you want to fight Saber next?
Iskandar: Nope. That gloomy-looking strategist with the furrowed brow. He's my enemy.
Mash: What?
El-Melloi: ...Why fight me? You don't stand to gain anything!
Iskandar: No, not really.
El-Melloi: I've done everything I possibly could to avoid a conflict with you! So why!?
Iskandar: I just don't like you for some reason. That's all.
El-Melloi: Wha...
Fou: Foufou?
Waver: Why!? Why do you always stop making sense whenever something important happens!?
Iskandar: What doesn't make sense here is that strategist. He doesn't make sense at all.
Iskandar: He's some kind of strange Servant, neither human nor Heroic Spirit. And his predictions are so accurate it's scary...
Iskandar: He clearly exists outside the rules of this battle. And yet he's obviously trying to intervene.
Iskandar: The one thing I can say for sure...is that he's here to interfere with the Holy Grail War.
Iskandar: I don't know what he's after, but I'm one of the Servants summoned for the battle.
Iskandar: Someone who's trying to destroy the battle itself is a far greater threat than a mere enemy, right?
El-Melloi: ...
Iskandar: Saber, Lancer, if you want to work with him, you're my enemy.
Iskandar: And thus, I'll side with Berserker. Very simple, right?
Diarmuid: ...What will you do, Master? If you order me to defeat him before Berserker, I'll do it.
Fujimaru 1: Is it okay to fight?
Fujimaru 2: Can we win?
El-Melloi: ...No, don't do it. Have you forgotten what we're here for? We're only allowed to defeat four Servants!
Mash: We've already defeated Caster and Archer, as well as most of the Assassins.
Mash: If we make an enemy out of both of them, then that's more than four...
Iskandar: Well, Berserker's very weak, and his Master is barely alive.
Iskandar: Personally, I'd like to take them and retreat. What will you do? Will you follow?
El-Melloi: ...Leave. There's nothing we can do.
Iskandar: Excellent. Enemies who are smart, but nothing else, are easy to handle.
Iskandar: Once Berserker has revived, we'll settle things then! Farewell!
ACT-14: "The Shadow Chasing Irisviel"
Fou: Fou.
Fujimaru 1: Things didn't go as planned, did they?
Fujimaru 2: Things just aren't working out, huh?
El-Melloi: That Rider, I knew he had such a crazy attitude, but... who knew it'd be this bad?!
El-Melloi: We're enemies just because? What was he on about!? He just pisses me off!
Mash: I guess Lord El-Melloi gets emotional when we deal with Rider...
El-Melloi: I'm calm! It's just a natural reaction due to the stress!
Fujimaru 1: I see.
Fujimaru 2: Lord El-Melloi is chill. Okay?
Mash: Yes...
Dr. Roman: Hmm? Hold on a second. I'm getting a magical energy signature approaching you. Its strength indicates it's a Servant.
Dr. Roman: It's different from any remaining Assassin fragments, and also from Rider and Berserker who retreated earlier.
Mash: That means...the figures don't add up, right?
El-Melloi: Yeah. There are only seven Heroic Spirits that the Fuyuki Holy Grail can call forth. Meaning it's an irregular like us. It's him.
Altria: You mean he's going after Irisviel again?
Assassin?: I look away for one second and you've got even more friends, huh? You guys are such a pain.
El-Melloi: Now that you've been caught twice by the Eight Gates Golden Locks Formation, you realize it's pointless to hide your presence?
El-Melloi: But how condescending of you to just walk straight up to us.
Assassin?: Well, I'll never get anywhere just waiting for my chance.
Assassin?: The Holy Grail War is nearing its end, and before its conclusion, I must have that homunculus destroyed.
El-Melloi: So you're after the vessel of the Holy Grail after all. It seems like our goals are similar, but our methodology is different.
Fujimaru 1: The vessel of the Holy Grail?
El-Melloi: Yes. She's pretending to be Saber's Master, but...
El-Melloi: She is serving a different purpose. She collects the souls of fallen Heroic Spirits... A Lesser Grail, the key that opens the Greater Grail.
El-Melloi: Like giving an autonomous personality to ceremonial equipment.
Irisviel: You're quite knowledgeable. But I don't really like you saying I'm pretending to be a Master. Am I not a proper Master? Is that what you want to say?
El-Melloi: There's no reason to hide anything this late in the game, homunculus.
El-Melloi: Irisviel is being used as bait. I know the true Master is hiding in the shadows.
Altria: What do you mean? Irisviel is my Master, totally and completely. I am not contracted to anyone else...
El-Melloi: What?
Irisviel: Will you see this and still doubt?
El-Melloi: Command Spells!? Then you really did contract with Saber?
Mash: Lord El-Melloi, this is no time to be surprised! The enemy Servant is coming at us!
--BATTLE--
Assassin?: Tch, giving me a hard time...
El-Melloi: Hold on. Fighting any more isn't going to get us anywhere. There's nothing for either of us to gain.
Assassin?: Either of us to gain? It's almost like you completely understand what's going on with me.
El-Melloi: You have nothing going on, personally. You're a Servant without a Master.
El-Melloi: You're not fighting to benefit anyone at all.
Altria: No Master? Then what about the contract? How is he getting supplied with magical energy?
El-Melloi: Of course, a Servant can only materialize in this world when there's a summoning and a contract.
El-Melloi: However, in his case, the contract wasn't made with a human. ...Isn't that right, envoy of the Counter Force?
Dr. Roman: The Counter Force?! Then this Heroic Spirit has contracted with the World itself!?
Assassin?: ...How did you come to that conclusion?
El-Melloi: We're not part of this temporal axis, and thus have a bird's-eye view of the situation here.
El-Melloi: We know that the end of the Holy Grail War here in Fuyuki will lead to the end of the world.
Irisviel: What was that? What do you mean?
El-Melloi: ...I wasn't going to say anything until the end, but there's nothing for it. I'm coming clean.
El-Melloi: The ritual here at Fuyuki will succeed, unlike in the past and future, and it will lead to the activation of the Greater Grail.
El-Melloi: The reason all of this was observed by Sheba—was that this area had to be the cause of the Singularity.
Dr. Roman: I see! It wasn't just observed as an unstable dimension, but as the origin of the collapse that would become the Singularity!
Irisviel: You guys...know not only of the past, but also the future? From a different temporal axis?
El-Melloi: That is correct. I witnessed the failure of the fourth war, investigated the fifth war, and prevented the sixth war from happening. That's who I am.
El-Melloi: And I've assumed the role of pinpointing what makes this battle different from the others I've known.
El-Melloi: And the answer to that...is you, Irisviel. You are the vessel of the Holy Grail, and also a Master that controls a Servant.
El-Melloi: It was supposed to take another 10 years to complete. The Einzbern family's ultimate homunculus.
Irisviel: Ten years? That's...
El-Melloi: It's a small difference, but this is a definite advantage.
El-Melloi: I mean, for the Einzbern family to find a way to win not via a makeshift guerilla warfare, but actual frontal assault...
El-Melloi: Having a Master with the highest specs, commanding the strongest Servant, and access to the Lesser Grail.
El-Melloi: Victory is certain for Einzbern. And this victory is plenty reason...for the Counter Force to activate.
Assassin?: ...The Holy Grail War you know of didn't have any interference from the Counter Force?
El-Melloi: That's right. It wasn't a factor during the third war. Meanwhile the chance of success was about fifty-fifty during the fourth and fifth war.
El-Melloi: At the very least, from the perspective of the World there was no real emergency to get involved.
El-Melloi: During the fourth war, the Einzberns' research results were behind by one whole generation. When they finally completed their research during the fifth war, they made a mistake in their strategy.
El-Melloi: To be honest, I'm surprised to see that this time the Einzberns managed to call checkmate on everyone.
Dr. Roman: So to sum things up, this Singularity is basically...
Dr. Roman: ...the embodiment of the “if” situation where the Einzberns are the superior contestant in this war.
El-Melloi: Yes, and the Holy Grail reading that Chaldea picked up was most likely Irisviel's magical circuits themselves...
El-Melloi: Seeing how perfect the results of the Einzberns' research are this time, you can probably even call her a pseudo Holy Grail.
Irisviel: I'm not sure whether or not you're praising me or insulting me, but I'm going to need you to explain more.
Irisviel: What do you mean the world will end if the Fuyuki Holy Grail is completed?
El-Melloi: Yes, allow me to tell you everything. Agent of the Counter Force, you should follow along, as well.
El-Melloi: I'll show you an even better way to accomplish the task you have been given.
Assassin?: A simpler and even more certain way than destroying this homunculus here?
Irisviel: ...
El-Melloi: Well, I can't say that it's entirely simpler, but let me ask you something instead, Heroic Spirit.
El-Melloi: Would you do anything because it's the simpler way? Do you wish to kill Irisviel here, no matter what happens?
Fou: ...Fou?
Assassin?: ...I do not know. I have not thought of that. I had resigned myself to thinking there was no other choice. I did not have the luxury of options.
Assassin?: And now that you're telling me to choose... I am faced with a conflict within myself that is rather difficult to explain.
Assassin?: If you're telling me there is a different choice with this homunculus...then I think I would like to explore that as well.
Assassin?: I wonder why? I've never experienced this feeling before.
El-Melloi: That's because you still have a human heart left in you.
El-Melloi: A foolish but noble soul, from before you became part of the machine known as the Counter Force.
ACT-15: "To the Greater Grail"
Matou Kariya: ...And so, that's how I became Berserker's Master.
Iskandar: Hmm. I see... Hey, kid. Does everyone in this Holy Grail War have a tragic story like that?
Waver: So has that clueless optimism of yours finally gotten embarrassing?
Iskandar: Huh? Why?
Waver: ...I was stupid for asking.
Waver: So... Matou was it? Now that you've taken out Archer. What do you plan on doing next?
Matou Kariya: Finishing off Tohsaka Tokiomi, of course. He's powerless without a Servant. So, this time...
Iskandar: Right.
Matou Kariya: Bleh!
Waver: You punched him? Punched him?! Isn't that going to kill him?!
Iskandar: Hey, Matou Kariya. Who did you want to protect? Who should you save first?
Matou Kariya: That... would be Sakura...
Iskandar: So if you killed that Tokiomi guy, would the situation change for her right away?
Matou Kariya: But...without the Grail, Zouken is going to...
Iskandar: So would finishing off Tokiomi be the fastest way to get the Grail?
Matou Kariya: ...
Iskandar: Geez... So your need, priority, and capability aren't lining up in the least, you fool.
Iskandar: You're not worthy of sharing my path of conquest yet! Time to go, kid.
Waver: Huh? Where?
Iskandar: To conquer and pillage, of course!
Matou Kariya: ...Huh? Hmm... What?
Iskandar: Unfortunately, it seems the mastermind is out.
Iskandar: Well, I burned all the bugs in that basement to a crisp, so let's call it a day for now. By the way, I brought this girl here with me.
Matou Kariya: S-Sakura?! You...saved her?
Iskandar: Don't be stupid. I'm not a savior. I'm a conqueror. That makes this girl part of my plunder. She's my slave.
Matou Kariya: What!?
Waver: H-Hey. What are you saying!?
Iskandar: But now that she's my slave, I'm willing to trade her on my own terms.
Iskandar: Do you want to pay her way out of bondage? Matou Kariya, I'll do that for the appropriate price.
Matou Kariya: Y-You want to solve this with money?
Iskandar: Not at all. That right hand of yours will do. Give it to me, along with your Command Spells.
Matou Kariya: !?
Waver: Huh? But wouldn't that...
Iskandar: Well with your current state, it's possible you'd die. It's your one life, you decide what to do with it.
Iskandar: Do you take the chance to save this girl and possibly live your days, or fight to the end with Berserker? You decide.
Matou Kariya: Sakura...
Matou Kariya: ...Okay. Take my right hand.
Iskandar: Got it. Then clench your teeth hard and endure it.
Matou Kariya: Gah...
Iskandar: Good. It seems the crest worms came along with the hand. I'm sure they'd pick the Command Spells over their host.
Waver: W-Will...he be okay?
Iskandar: The rest is up to fate, though his chances are low. Kid, take care of him as much as you can.
Waver: I-I am not that good with healing spells!
Iskandar: Hey, Mithrenes!
Iskandar: This girl and half-dead boy here. Take them out of Fuyuki, find a building with a red cross on it, carry them there, and return.
Waver: ...Is that the kind of job you would ask a Heroic Spirit to do?
Iskandar: You're the one who had me get water from a river, and you want to say that?
Iskandar: Well, there is no other course. We must hurry and head to the next battle.
Waver: The next? You're going to fight them all? Without Berserker?
Iskandar: You worried, kid?
Waver: What are you saying? You're stronger than everyone.
Waver: I don't think we'd lose, even if all the Servants came at us at once!
Iskandar: Hahahaha! Well said! Now, let us hurry to the decisive battle!
Zouken: M-My manor is burning! My cute bugs are dead?
Zouken: That Kariya! What did you do!? And where's Sakura!? They ran out on me!
Zouken: Gah!! Those damn brats!
Berserker: uaaaaa...
Zouken: ...Huh? Berserker? His magical energy has been used up and he's about to disappear...
Zouken: ...These are... Kariya's Command Spells? He turned his back on the Holy Grail War and ran!
Zouken: But for him to cut off his hand and dump it here... That's not something a coward like him would do...
Berserker: uaaaaa...
Zouken: Aww, there, there. You're upset you've been betrayed too, huh? You're just like me. I just can't let this go.
Zouken: Guess we'll just have to show them...what happens to savages who oppose the Matou family.
Irisviel: I can't believe it... The Greater Grail is tainted by an Anti-Hero!?
El-Melloi: Seeing is believing. It's faster to just have you see the real thing.
Assassin?: The dismantling of the Greater Grail... If you knew a way to solve the problem at its root, why didn't you do it?
El-Melloi: Well... This is kind of like taking out nitroglycerin from a huge vat.
El-Melloi: If you're not careful, the container will break and it could spell disaster. In order to do it safely, you need preparations.
El-Melloi: It couldn't just happen over a night or two.
Dr. Roman: And yet now, you're just riding in here without any preparations...
El-Melloi: I reconsidered my methodology.
El-Melloi: If we have enough firepower to blow away our vat along with its explosive contents, it's possible things would go our way.
El-Melloi: Based on a quick estimate, in addition to us from Chaldea, if we can get at least three more Servants...
El-Melloi: We could do what we needed to.
Mash: Oh, but if we could unify the three factions...
El-Melloi: Yes, only four Servants would end up defeated, achieving our goal and resolving the issue at hand in a peaceful way.
Fou: Foou.
El-Melloi: Had we won over Rider's faction, we wouldn't have needed to deal with the Greater Grail.
El-Melloi: So we've excluded the possibility of dismantling the Greater Grail this time, but...
El-Melloi: I didn't think the Counter Force would become involved. There couldn't be a better ally if we had him on our side.
Assassin?: No matter when or where we're called for battle, we will always shed blood for purposes beyond human intellect.
Assassin?: It is not unusual for us to find ourselves against everyone, without being understood by a single person.
Assassin?: ...So this is a strange feeling. It's been a long time since I've worked with someone...Huh?
El-Melloi: Yes, they were caught in my Bounded Field as well. As I thought. I guess Presence Concealment doesn't work against a better Assassin.
Assassin?: I'm also good at lurking in the shadows. Both of us are aware of what the other is capable of.
Dr. Roman: ...An Assassin Servant!? You two are amazing. I couldn't tell at all!
Assassin: How dare you... Don't think you're going to win just because you prevented my first strike! I'm going to get you all this time!
El-Melloi: Watch out. They're different than the fragments we've dealt with up until now. They're going to mobilize everyone else left.
ACT-16: "The King's Pride"
Assassin: Why would you...try so hard to destroy our wish... Oh, a bell... I can hear the bell toll...
Assassin: O great founder—the first and the last “Old Man”...
Assassin: Please, please forgive me... I have...blundered...yet again...
Mash: Servant Assassin completely eliminated.
Assassin?: That's what happens to assassins that miss their chance and aren't able to pick the best occasion.
Assassin?: It seems the Master who gave Assassin their orders didn't know how to handle them in the right manner.
El-Melloi: Aha. The Master must've been replaced.
El-Melloi: Perhaps Tohsaka, having lost Archer, was plotting a comeback by switching to Assassin.
Fujimaru 1: The Tohsaka family is a hot mess.
Fujimaru 2: That elegant man's luck is the worst.
El-Melloi: Humph. It's only fair for a talented–no, privileged–family to meet adversity!
Fou: Fou?
Mash: Normally he's a fair person, but sometimes I feel like he's fighting with something we can't see...
Mash: This is...the place where our final battle took place in Singularity F.
Fou: ...Fooou.
El-Melloi: What do you think, Einzbern? Now that we are here, it's obvious that the magical energy radiating from the Greater Grail has been altered.
Irisviel: ...Yes. Unfortunately. This is not even close to the Holy Grail that we sought after.
Irisviel: How ironic. By the time victory was finally within our reach, what we'd desperately desired to win had already been destroyed...
Diarmuid: Even before checking its contents, I can strongly feel the evil presence hiding within.
Diarmuid: Is it okay to just break this carelessly?
El-Melloi: Only three Servants have been defeated. That's not enough to awaken Aŋra Mainiiu.
El-Melloi: Even if it overflows, it'll be just a mass of ambiguous curses with no purpose at this point. We can handle it with the force that we have now.
Dr. Roman: ...Wait. I'm picking up magical energy! A Servant is approaching at incredible speed!
Dr. Roman: That speed is not normal. It must be a type of Noble Phantasm that can increase mobility!
Mash: Increase mobility? That means...
Altria: Yes, it must be Rider.
El-Melloi: Rider!? Why now!?
Iskandar: Oh, good, good. Looks like it's still not too late.
El-Melloi: Do you still intend to continue the Holy Grail War? Don't you sense the cursed magical energy that's coming from the Greater Grail?
El-Melloi: That is not the wish granter you were looking for! Wake up already to the fact that you've been tricked!
Iskandar: Huh? Well, I don't give a damn.
Waver: You don't!?
Iskandar: No. I just came to stop you guys from running away with the winnings.
Iskandar: You, the strategist with a wry face. This is the perfect battlefield for us, I must say.
Fou: Fou, fooou?
El-Melloi: ...I don't get it. What is it that makes you oppose us so much?
Iskandar: It seems you somehow can see what lies beyond our fate, but isn't that boring?
Iskandar: If that's really the case, I must at least play the role of someone who ruins your plan.
El-Melloi: What?
Iskandar: I can tell, you're also chasing a shadow on the path of conquest. Which means you share the same joy as me, the King of Conquerors.
Iskandar: I must entertain a fellow like you. For that's my duty as a king.
Mash: Entertain... You stand as our enemy only to make him laugh?
Irisviel: That's crazy...
Altria: Yes, he's most certainly crazy. However, it's a motivation befitting of this Heroic Spirit.
Altria: While there is no limit to this king's selfish arrogance, his actions are based on his interest in others. In fact—
Altria: He might look like a goril– Excuse me, a brute, but the truth is, he's notorious for meddling in others' business!
El-Melloi: B-But you should also excel at assessing the situation!
El-Melloi: It's obvious the kind of catastrophe this curse-filled Greater Grail is capable of causing! The world is facing a crisis!
El-Melloi: Despite the situation, you still want to fight me for such a selfish motive!? What are you thinking!?
Iskandar: Sure, you grumble, but you do like them, don't you? Games.
El-Melloi: ...What...
Iskandar: Your burden and resolve do not matter. Unless you enjoy the challenge that's in front of you, life has no meaning.
Iskandar: Get more fired up, strategist. I will even stake my own path of conquest. Come, time to finish this.
El-Melloi: For you to go that far... Are you saying... I am worthy as your opponent?
Iskandar: Of course. Though I have no knowledge of where you came from and how you are connected with me.
Iskandar: But what stands in front of me is indeed a warrior. I won't be satisfied unless I defeat this man.
El-Melloi: ...Haha, ahahaha, hah hah hah hah hah!
Mash: Wh-What's going on...
El-Melloi: Sorry, Fujimaru, my Master. This will be my one selfish request.
El-Melloi: Let me fight him. My mission, the fate of the world... I'll put it all aside.
El-Melloi: I'll focus solely on him. I don't even know if I can win or not... Just let me at him!
Fujimaru 1: It can't be helped.
Fujimaru 2: Sounds exciting.
Mash: S-Senpai!?
El-Melloi: I appreciate your approval. Heh, if it were one of my students, I'd give the fool a good dressing-down...
El-Melloi: I won't mind even if I end up being defeated. If it's for someone as foolish as him or myself... Then there's meaning in serving him!
Fou: Fou! Foufou, fo—u!
Mash: Fou, even you give such a war cry... What's going on here doesn't make sense to me...
Diarmuid: Do not be sad, girl. This is called a man's dream. If you are also a Heroic Spirit, join them even if you don't understand.
ACT-17: "Wish of the Three Founding Families"
Waver: Rider!?
Iskandar: Ugh... Well done! Hehehe, Stone Sentinel Maze, huh? You got me there.
El-Melloi: ...
El-Melloi: This is not a skill I mastered myself. I gained it by accident.
El-Melloi: After all, with my own ability, I'm no match for you...
Iskandar: Haha, moron.
El-Melloi: !?
Fujimaru 1: Did Rider just...flick his forehead?
Waver: Why would you do that to him...
Iskandar: It doesn't matter whose power you wield on the path of conquest. How you wield it, lead it... That's what makes the difference.
Iskandar: If you saw my Ionioi Hetairoi with your own eyes, I'd expect you to understand that, at least. Idiot.
El-Melloi: Rider...
Iskandar: Huh? Did it hurt? Sorry. I don't know how to control my strength. I've lost the feeling in my fingertips lately, so...
Iskandar: Well, since you've already gotten such deep lines in your forehead, I assume a small attack won't leave a scar. Right?
El-Melloi: ...Nonsense. Some scars affect the heart more than the body.
Iskandar: Haha, give me a break. Anyway, it was a good fight. I'm sorry, kid, but it's time for me to go...
Waver: ...Why? I am the one who's supposed to cry now. Why are you crying instead?
El-Melloi: ...You're right. I'm embarrassed to be seen this way. I never thought I would have such a meeting in this lifetime...
El-Melloi: Ugh! ...What!?
Mash: Lord El-Melloi!?
Fou: Foooh!?
Altria: What was that attack!? From where!?
Zouken: Bahaha, you dropped your guard, strategist. I guess even the magecraft you're so proud of is useless if you're distracted by something so pathetic.
Berserker: aaa...Aaaaa...
Diarmuid: Berserker!?
Assassin?: Damn! I didn't expect to be ambushed at this stage!
Irisviel: You must be... Zolgen, Makiri's mage! What on earth are you doing!?
Zouken: That's my line, Einzbern!
Zouken: Helping to dismantle the Greater Grail... Have you fallen so far that you've even forgotten the wish of the Founding Three?
Irisviel: It's so obvious! This ritual failed a long time ago! Heaven's Feel will never be achieved with the Grail in a state like this!
Zouken: So what? What's wrong with it? What we become... What we achieve... That no longer has any meaning.
Zouken: We've devoted everything to the past 500 years... I don't care as long as I can witness the fruit of our labor.
Irisviel: Zolgen, are you out of your mind!?
Zouken: Who knows? How do you separate sanity from insanity? Now that my soul has withered away, I can no longer tell.
Zouken: Still, I will not let you lay one finger on this Greater Grail. This is the realization of our old dream. I will never hand it over!
Berserker: Aaaaaa!
ACT-18: "The Fallen Grail"
Mash: We have defeated Berserker!
Fujimaru 1: How's Lord El-Melloi?
Mash: He is unconscious and in critical condition. He needs help right away. But the fact that we defeated Berserker means...
Zouken: Bahaha, ahahahaha! Fools. To think you unwittingly helped to bring this ceremony to its completion.
Dr. Roman: I see, that was the fifth Servant defeated...
Zouken: At this stage, I no longer need the Lesser Grail to extract the sacrifices' magical energy. With my life's final ritual, I'll fuel them directly into the Greater Grail!
Irisviel: Huh!? I am losing the magical energy I was conserving... Zolgen, is this your doing!?
Zouken: No... I only hastened its awakening... Not in an imitation like yourself, but in a true vessel...
Mash: Master! Someone...is coming out of the Greater Grail!
Fou: Fou!?
Dark Irisviel: Well done, Makiri Zolgen. You're more shriveled up than the last time I saw you.
Zouken: Oh. Oh... Justeaze, the Chalice of Heaven... Your beauty is exquisite...
Zouken: I see... So that's it... My role was no more than to recall your visage...
Dark Irisviel: My senile old foe. Enough. Your part is over. Now, go dream of the ideals that'll never be fulfilled... Then die.
Irisviel: Zolgen!
Diarmuid: Berserker's Master...was devoured?
Dark Irisviel: It's still...not enough. As if my vessel could be filled with five measly Heroic Spirits.
Dark Irisviel: You awaken me after preparing such a pitiful offering? The preparations for the feast are far from complete!
Irisviel: Justeaze Lizrich... No, it's a ruined Holy Grail, polluted by All the Evils of the World.
Dark Irisviel: Humph. What a foolish remark from my descendant. I am the Chalice of Heaven. The incarnation of the Third Magic who shall reach the Root and annihilate all evil.
Dark Irisviel: It's time. Pledge me your lives and souls! I will draw upon your blood to fulfill the cherished wish of 1,000 years!
Diarmuid: Saber, she is...
Altria: Yes, this magical energy's density... At this rate we have no chance of victory!
Dr. Roman: I see... Since we lost Zhuge Liang–I mean, Lord El-Melloi II–we can no longer fight...
Altria: Were he safe, we may have stood a chance. But the absence of one Servant is critical!
Diarmuid: Especially against an enemy of this stature, his loss is devastating. We must retreat!
Altria: The two of us will hold her off while we evacuate the Masters and the others. Lancer, you with me!?
Diarmuid: Yes!
Irisviel: But Saber! What will become of you?
Altria: As long as the Master flees to safety, we can immediately withdraw from the front lines via Command Spells.
Altria: But, since you hold the Command Spells, everything hinges on your safety! Now, go!
Diarmuid: Heroic Spirit of the Shield! Assassin of the Counter Force! Please protect the Master!
Assassin?: Yes, leave it to me.
Mash: Y-Yes, I will!
El-Melloi: ...Ah!
Mash: I'm so glad you regained consciousness!
Fou: Foou?
El-Melloi: Ugh... My Spirit Core is undamaged, but I can't move my body... I guess a Pseudo-Servant has its limits...
El-Melloi: ...What about Saber and Lancer?
Fujimaru 1: They're fighting the Greater Grail.
El-Melloi: Ugh! In order to let us retreat?
Mash: Yes. They said we had no chance of winning at the time...
El-Melloi: No! Even if we run, we don't have any reserve forces! We must stand our ground and fight!
Waver: So what do we do!? You yourself have no strength left to stand with us!
El-Melloi: Waver Velvet, you're the key here.
Waver: ...Huh?
El-Melloi: I know who you are, you brat.
El-Melloi: You find your powerlessness repugnant. You despise your incompetency and mediocrity. You are mired in an inferiority complex, with nothing to boast of to the world.
Waver: W-What's up with you? Don't tell me...
El-Melloi: The immature dream of a brat who always laments his own weakness... Are you prepared to finally wake up?
El-Melloi: The terror of wielding overwhelming power. The terror that heavy responsibility imposes. Will you taste these sensations while you are still just a brat?
Dr. Roman: Lord El-Melloi, what are you doing!?
Fou: Fou!?
Waver: ...
Waver: Fine. I'm ready. We have no other choice, right?
El-Melloi: Hah, you truly are a fool. A fool who doesn't know his place. You truly understand nothing at all.
El-Melloi: But, that's exactly why...he once took a particular interest in you...
El-Melloi: Glory lies beyond the horizon... Huh?
Waver: Tell me! What am I supposed to do?
El-Melloi: Take my hand and pray. “The art of certain victory, the mode of harmonizing with charges, is a matter of opportunity.”
Waver: Umm... The art of certain victory...the mode of harmonizing with charges...is a matter of opportunity.
Waver: Ah! Whoa!
Waver: What's this? What's happening to me...
El-Melloi: Yes, it seems you've gained the strategist's favor. He permits you to be his temporary avatar.
El-Melloi: Instead of my broken body, he can boss you around as much as he wants.
Fou: Foou!
Waver: I can tell...there's something inside of me... Zhuge Liang... Whaaaaat!?
El-Melloi: Rejoice, young man. You are the hero you always dreamed of being. Now, can you do your new form justice?
Waver: ...Yeah, I can! I can do this!
El-Melloi: Fujimaru, sorry, but I'm entrusting you with this immature Pseudo-Servant.
El-Melloi: He's a little unreliable, but he'll be of use. Go back and aid Saber and Lancer!
Fujimaru 1: Okay!
Fujimaru 2: Leave it to me!
Mash: We need to hurry, Senpai, while Saber and Lancer are still alive!
Dark Irisviel: Hah hah, is this the best you can do? Pathetic Heroic Spirits. It's like you remained solely to nourish me.
Diarmuid: Ugh...this isn't good. I'm nearing my limit...
Altria: She's stronger than I imagined! At this rate...
Waver: Hold on a bit longer and push through!
Diarmuid: What!? Why did you return!?
Altria: No, Lancer, the boy is different from before... This magical energy... He is clearly a Servant!
Waver: We've returned to our former strength. We have Saber, Lancer, and the Counter Force Assassin...
Waver: The lineup he envisioned is assembled! All we need now is orders, Fujimaru!
Fujimaru 1: This will be the final battle!
Dark Irisviel: Foolishness... I'll devour every one of you. Return to your origins within my chalice!
--BATTLE--
Dark Irisviel: Why... This hand...was meant to reach the ends of the stars...
Altria: Did we...win?
Mash: The enemy's magical energy has disappeared... Victory is ours!
Waver: ...
Fujimaru 1: Good job!
Fujimaru 2: Are you okay?
Waver: I...I had no idea!
Waver: I never knew that fighting for one's life...was this terrifying...
Altria: You did well. Very well for one's first battle.
Diarmuid: You deserve praise for not freezing in terror. Be proud and bask in the glory of your victory.
Waver: Everyone...
Irisviel: They're all Heroic Spirits summoned to Fuyuki by the Greater Grail. Now that it's gone, they can't retain their form...
Altria: It is time to part ways. It was a taxing battle, but I am glad it ended well.
Diarmuid: May we meet on another battlefield. I am sure it will happen when the fate of the world is at stake.
Fou: Foou...
El-Melloi: The Holy Grail that we detected from Chaldea has disappeared without a trace.
El-Melloi: Also, Irisviel. You no longer have the ability to transform into the Holy Grail. What do you intend to do now?
Irisviel: Yes. Now that the Holy Grail War has been rendered meaningless, my existence is of no value.
Irisviel: I helped to destroy the Greater Grail with my own hands. There's no way that I can return to Einzbern now...
Mash: Umm, our original goal included recovering the Holy Grail that appeared in this Singularity.
Mash: If you like, why not return with us to Chaldea?
Dr. Roman: Yeah. If we abandon her, someone else might try to use her later for more sinister purposes.
Dr. Roman: It's probably best for us to take her under our wing.
Irisviel: ...For someone with no one left to turn to, it's a generous offer.
Irisviel: Yes, I accept. I entrust myself to you all. Master from another world, let's work for a better future.
Fujimaru 1: Yes, thank you.
Fujimaru 2: We welcome you!
Waver: Are you guys...returning, too?
El-Melloi: Yes. Zhuge Liang as well. Relax. You'll soon return to your ordinary, mediocre self.
Waver: ...
Waver: You were right. This power is still a bit too much for me.
El-Melloi: Now that you know that, it is time to continue your studies.
El-Melloi: Someday, you will be forced to bear this power.
El-Melloi: Be consoled by the fact that you still have time. Become strong while you still can.
Waver: You sound just like Rider.
El-Melloi: Humph, don't embarrass me. I am still no match for the King of Conquerors.
Waver: “Still,” you say? Does that mean you're also training? To eventually be his equal?
El-Melloi: ...
El-Melloi: The route to the surface is a labyrinth of caves, so I'll take you there. Then we part ways.
Fou: Fou, foou.
Assassin?: I guess I should say goodbye as well.
Waver: You're not returning to the surface?
Assassin?: I don't originally belong to this world, so it's a waste of time. If I wait, I'll soon be summoned back to the Throne.
El-Melloi: That's right, I forgot what type of being you were.
Irisviel: ...
Assassin?: ...It's strange. After we met, I had the feeling that only death would separate us.
Irisviel: Yes, it's weird, but I don't know why. Yet...this strange feeling is not unpleasant.
Assassin?: Yeah. Same here...
Assassin?: ...I thought I was cursed to fulfill my mission only through sacrifice or death.
Assassin?: Now, for the first time, I feel like I was able to fight to protect something.
Assassin?: Thank you. ...Although I don't know whether it's my place to say such words.
Irisviel: Yes. Goodbye. I'm glad I could meet you, nameless Heroic Spirit.
Dr. Roman: Good work! You went through a lot this time.
Fou: Foou, foou.
Dr. Roman: Da Vinci is now giving Miss Irisviel a thorough checkup.
Dr. Roman: I'm surprised. I never thought a Holy Grail could exist in such a form.
Mash: What about Lord El-Melloi? How are his injuries?
Mash: Compared to a genuine Servant, Servants like us who possess the flesh of human beings
Mash: will die if they suffer too much damage...
Dr. Roman: Yes. He'll be in the ICU for a while. He needs complete rest.
Dr. Roman: How reckless to have someone else form a contract with a Heroic Spirit while seriously injured.
Dr. Roman: He was nonchalant so you wouldn't be alarmed, but he was actually in really bad shape.
Fou: Foou.
Mash: But, thanks to him, we somehow pulled through... Also, the Heroic Spirit who was an agent of the Counter Force...
Dr. Roman: Right. What a strange encounter. To think that even after humanity's history has been incinerated, the Counter Force would still function.
Fujimaru 1: What is this “Counter Force”?
Fujimaru 2: What was he, exactly?
Dr. Roman: The Counter Force...in theory, it's a force that acts to preserve the human race.
Dr. Roman: It's said that people who accomplished rare feats of valor in life are summoned by this Counter Force.
Dr. Roman: If a crisis threatens the human race, they are summoned through time and space to eliminate the source of the calamity.
Mash: So they are Servants who have no Masters, summoned solely to fight?
Dr. Roman: Yes. Even in death, their souls are tasked with a mission to fight for all eternity.
Dr. Roman: I cannot possibly understand their feelings... They must endure unspeakable anguish.
Mash: ...Yes. Although I'm a mere Demi-Servant and not a Heroic Spirit,
Mash: I cannot imagine being summoned to battle without a Master.
Fujimaru 1: Really?
Mash: Yes. What supports me in battle is you, Senpai, the one I sealed a contract with.
Mash: That bond gives me the strength and courage to overcome fear. To fight without such support would be too cruel.
Fou: Foou...
Assassin?: ...
Assassin?: Will you come out already? You're the star performer. No one will interfere now.
E：???: Humph! So you knew. I don't want to! What a pain.
E：???: Isn't conserving energy popular in this age? I wanted to catch you off your guard.
E：???: Well, good job picking up on me instead. I appreciate the welcome. Less lonely.
E：???: But why didn't you warn your friends of the danger?
E：???: They only destroyed a contaminated Holy Grail.
E：???: I, Aŋra Mainiiu, its contents, remain separate.
Assassin?: I didn't want to rely on the help of others intervening from another world.
Assassin?: Your curse belongs solely to this world. It does not extend to theirs. It's logical for me to deal with you alone.
Aŋra Mainiiu: Oh, how nice. It's a fine thing to take pride in one's work.
Aŋra Mainiiu: I guess it would be painful for us to be pitied when we fight. No one would gain anything.
Aŋra Mainiiu: Happiness is everything, right? Well, anyway—
Aŋra Mainiiu: ...In that sense, you're just as much on the losing side as I am.
Aŋra Mainiiu: I know you're a mass murderer by your scent.
Aŋra Mainiiu: I bet you'll come “here” in the end. After you're worn out by an eternity of abuse.
Assassin?: I don't think so. This is the fate I have chosen. I was never compelled to, nor did I ever give in.
Aŋra Mainiiu: That's precisely why. You should have broken down somewhere along the line. That way you would have had a chance at peace, even salvation.
Aŋra Mainiiu: But because you couldn't stop being a “Hero of Justice” until the very end, even after death, you became a cogwheel in a mechanism like the Counter Force.
Aŋra Mainiiu: Surely that's proof you're on the losing side.
Assassin?: My life led me to this point. I have no regrets. I do admit that we're fundamentally similar.
Assassin?: You'll curse the world, and I'll save it. We are both devices with assigned roles. That's all.
Aŋra Mainiiu: — (Grin)
Aŋra Mainiiu: Okay. If you're so sure, I guess I have to show you my respect.
Aŋra Mainiiu: If curses and salvation face each other, there is no choice. We must both seek love and recognition in the way we know best.
Aŋra Mainiiu: For such an occasion, why don't you name yourself? Unlike me, you remember your own name, yeah?
G：Emiya Kiritsugu: Emiya... Kiritsugu. Or so I was called when I lived as a human being.
G：Emiya Kiritsugu: I will save the world. I did so until now, and I will forever.
Aŋra Mainiiu: There ain't a world that can be saved by humans. How long will you try to disprove that conclusion!
ACT-EX: "Retrieving the Holy Grail"
Mash: Senpai? Do we still need something here? I believe the case is closed...
Fujimaru 1: I don't think that's the last Holy Grail...
Fujimaru 2: Uh, you know. Standard procedure.
Mash: I see... Senpai's sixth sense... I understand.
Mash: I, Mash Kyrielight, shall search the premises as Senpai's Servant!
Mash: Ahhh—!?
Fujimaru 1: Mash!?
Fujimaru 2: That was fast!?
Mash: Master, this is bad! Look what I found sprawled out in the shade, near the cliff!
C：???: Ouch, that hurts, that hurts! Don't pull so hard! I'm weak, so if you pull too hard something'll snap off!
Mash: There is a suspicious-looking figure lying on the ground!
Fujimaru 1: It's the shadow itself—!?
Mash: Yes. I cannot grasp its identity even in light. But it is not quite a Shadow Servant...
Mash: What should we do, Master? He does not seem particularly evil...
C：???: Oh, so supple. Hmm, fine curves too... (Rub rub)
Mash: Hyahhh!?
C：???: Heh heh. Perks of being injured. Time to recover! Even on the verge of death, a beast's instincts are uncontrollable!
C：???: You have quite a fine Servant with you! She would give my former Master a run for her money!
C：???: I'm just talking about looks, of course. It's sad, but both are still mentally children.
Fujimaru 1: This...is a Perverted Servant!
Fujimaru 2: Mash, give him a good beating.
Mash: Y-Yes! I, Mash Kyrielight, shall mercilessly exterminate him with my new moves!
--BATTLE--
C：???: Ahh—!? You wretches seriously beat on an injured person!?
C：???: This is a scene where a virtuous person would ask, “Why were you lying on the ground?”
Mash: I beg your pardon. I'll try it again.
Mash: Why aren't you still on the ground? It looks like you're still breathing, but...
C：???: That can happen. Dead, but not really dead. You see, resurrection is my special ability.
C：???: Ah, never mind. This isn't the time to bring that up.
C：???: I know about you people. You're the ones who destroyed the Greater Grail along with that Counter Force fellow.
Mash: Y-Yes. Do you know about Senpai?
C：???: I do. I observed your Master fighting for a bit from the best seat in the house. So, anyway, what?
C：???: It's your fault that I was lying collapsed on the ground... Would you believe me if I said that?
Mash: Our fault?
The Dress of Heaven: I'll explain the rest, Avenger. At ease.
Mash: Iri!? But that form...
The Dress of Heaven: Hello, Mash and Fujimaru. Good work.
The Dress of Heaven: I'm the Dress of Heaven. I'm a different entity than Irisviel, with whom you were working until just a while ago—
The Dress of Heaven: Simply put, I'm like the spirit of the Greater Grail.
Avenger: That's right. You people destroyed a woman in black, didn't you? Think of her as a good version of that.
The Dress of Heaven: That's a crude explanation, Avenger. Why can't you be more classy...
Avenger: Forgive me. At any rate, you were beating me viciously until just a moment ago. Of course I'm going to harbor a deep grudge.
Mash: Iri is the one who beat that man in black to within an inch of his life?
The Dress of Heaven: ...Well, I hate to say it, but yes and no.
The Dress of Heaven: Fujimaru. Listen closely, for this is your group's problem as well.
The Dress of Heaven: You destroyed the black Holy Grail. That's fine. I don't mind. Even though it was painful.
The Dress of Heaven: But to be honest, that was a mistake. You shouldn't have done it.
The Dress of Heaven: The reason is—
The Dress of Heaven: The reason is, the way you destroyed it was too lenient!
The Dress of Heaven: You should've done it more thoroughly! For example, you could've blown it up together with one floor of a luxury hotel!
Fujimaru 1: Spoken like a rock star!
Fujimaru 2: ...All right, this is starting to sound familiar.
Mash: Um... Iri? What do you mean by that?
The Dress of Heaven: I'm saying you were too naive. You didn't completely destroy the black Holy Grail.
The Dress of Heaven: You broke the vessel in a clumsy manner. As a result, the Lesser Grail...
The Dress of Heaven: Irisviel was broken into shards and scattered. Each of those shards has begun working independently.
The Dress of Heaven: They are— Fire Iri, Water Iri, Earth Iri, and Wind Iri!
Fujimaru 1: The four elements of Irisviel!
Fujimaru 2: That's too many.
Avenger: Exactly. Four of them are too much to handle. I tried to get them to calm down...
Avenger: ...But I was just wasting my breath, as they attacked me.
The Dress of Heaven: Yes. Like the original Irisviel, the four split-up elements would be kind under normal circumstances.
The Dress of Heaven: But Fire Iri, who is particularly extreme, rose up in revolt.
Fujimaru 1: Fire Iri?
Fujimaru 2: Revolt?
The Dress of Heaven: Yes. And like leaping flames, the other Iris were awakened to their violent side.
The Dress of Heaven: Sad to say... but even after gaining their freedom and individual personalities, their grudge against you didn't disappear.
The Dress of Heaven: Do you understand, Fujimaru? Your war isn't over yet.
The Dress of Heaven: Four types of Irisviel, let loose in Fuyuki. You have a responsibility and a duty to defeat them.
The Dress of Heaven: They're, how can I put it... Anyway, persistent, immune to discouragement, and obstinate.
The Dress of Heaven: I'm sure they'll come back after you beat them. But please stick with them until the job is done.
The Dress of Heaven: Besides, it looks like that gloomy, yet shy, sensitive, and handsome man... Ahem. I mean, the hooded assassin has gone back.
The Dress of Heaven: In the first place, that man isn't suited for this kind of job, right?
The Dress of Heaven: I'm asking you as a favor, on behalf of Avenger.
The Dress of Heaven: Assassin... Save the city of Fuyuki instead of him. Only you people can do this job.
Fujimaru 1: Sure. Leave it to us.
The Dress of Heaven: Thank you. I was hoping for that answer, cute Master♡
Avenger: Are we done talking? Then I'm counting on you folks to take care of the rest.
Avenger: I'm not suited for fighting and I hear that woman in white doesn't want to see me, undisciplined as I am.
Avenger: From here on out, this is your domain. Teach those fragments of the Holy Grail a lesson to the very end.
Fujimaru 2: That dress is lovely.
The Dress of Heaven: (Blush) Th-This is Einzbern's formal wear. I mean...
The Dress of Heaven: It's a dress for magical rituals! Now don't pay me any more embarrassing compliments!
Avenger: Are we done talking? Then I'm counting on you folks to take care of the rest.
Avenger: I'm not suited for fighting and I hear that woman in white doesn't want to see me, undisciplined as I am.
Avenger: From here on out, this is your domain. Teach those fragments of the Holy Grail a lesson to the very end.
The Dress of Heaven: Yes. The rest is up to you, Fujimaru.
The Dress of Heaven: Also, I'd like a word with you, Avenger, so please come here. When you get right down to it, this is your fault, isn't it?
Avenger: But I'm a victim in all of this. Corporal punishment is barbarous.
Mash: ...Um...
Mash: I feel like I'm out of the loop, but we've got a new mission, Master!
Mash: Let's make a fresh start and search Fuyuki again from scratch!