A Dimensional Journey Begins with the Dragon Clan

Chapter 1209 1202. The symbol of the end of the world

Saber had not failed to anticipate the enemy's appearance.

This municipal hall is the final gathering place for all the surviving Servants. Even if the other enemies will attack each other, we cannot naively hope that they will perish together. There is still one battle left, and the enemy is undoubtedly one of Rider or Archer.

However - Archer’s intact armor and his calm and abundant aura of magic made Saber grit her teeth.

There was no doubt that this golden Servant was completely unharmed. Not only unharmed, but it could be said that he had not consumed any energy at all.

If Saber wanted to defeat Archer, she had to rely on her opponent to suffer considerable damage in the fierce battle with Rider. But at this moment, there was not a single scar left by the battle on Archer in front of her.

  I didn't expect that the King of Conquerors could not even avenge his sword... Is this Servant, whose true identity is still unknown, really that powerful? ?

Just as the last glimmer of hope was extinguished, a flame of anger suddenly rose in Saber’s heart.

No matter what the odds of winning or any tactics were, it didn't matter. Saber just felt it was unforgivable. She couldn't forgive the fact that there were still people standing between her and the Holy Grail.

"...Get out of the way..."

Saber's deep voice was filled with resentment. Her crazy obsession turned her once clear green eyes into a cloudy yellow-brown color.

"The Holy Grail... belongs to me...!"

The numerous wounds on her body could not stop Saber’s actions. She roared and swung her sword at Archer, but as soon as she took a step forward, she was pierced through the left leg by a treasure thrown from the air.

Saber fell to the ground immediately, but she clenched her teeth to prevent herself from groaning. Looking around, she saw the groups of "King's Treasure" weapons appearing in the air one after another, all of which had their blades pointed at her, ready to fire at any time.

As long as the master gave the order, countless primordial treasures would be shot at Saber at once. She had truly become the target of everyone's attack. Since her left leg had been pierced before, Saber couldn't even dodge.

"Saber... the way you fell into your arrogance and prostrated yourself on the ground made you even more beautiful."

Archer's blood-red eyes, with an uncomfortable feeling, stared at Saber, who was in a desperate situation but still trying to make a final struggle.

"I don't know why you are so obsessed with the Holy Grail that can bring about miracles. Saber, the very existence of a woman like you is already a rare 'miracle', isn't it?"

Archer's tone was unusually calm, as if the enemy in front of him was not a dangerous one. This calmness made Saber, who had no way to retreat, even more alert.

"What are you... talking about..."

"Throw away your sword and be my wife."

In this scene, in this situation, Archer's words caught Saber off guard. Because it was so unexpected, she was stunned on the spot.

"...What, what did you say...what are you going to do!?"

"Even if you don't understand, don't you feel happy after hearing this? It's me, not someone else, who recognizes your value."

Perhaps Archer was the only one who took such a conclusion for granted. The golden Servant raised his head proudly, staring at the woman in front of him whom he had fallen in love with for the first time.

"Abandon those meaningless ideals and vows. They will only bind you and bring you misfortune. All you need to do is to long for me and live under my protection. If you do so, I swear in the name of the King of All Things that I will grant you all the happiness in this world."

"..."

His arrogant tone was enough to once again ignite the anger in Saber's confused heart.

"Is it for this ridiculous purpose that you want to... compete with me for the Holy Grail?"

The second Noble Phantasm exploded as it flew past the nose of the roaring Saber. The aftermath of the impact alone blew her away.

"I am not asking for your will, but telling you my decision."

Archer's face was filled with bloodthirsty pleasure, as if he was enjoying Saber's angry resistance.

Originally, this proud Heroic Spirit did not consider his opponent as an equal competitor. Enemies were only worthy of being toyed with and humiliated, and he enjoyed watching them surrender to him. Saber's desperate counterattack, which she risked everything on, was just an ordinary sideshow for Archer.

"Okay, let me hear your answer. Although the answer is right in front of me, I'm curious about what expression you would use when you say this in person."

"I refuse! I absolutely will not—"

Before she could finish, Archer's Noble Phantasm dropped rapidly and pierced Saber's already injured left leg again. Hearing Saber's groan of pain, Archer couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you too shy to say it? It doesn't matter. I'll forgive you no matter how many times you make a mistake. You must first learn to suffer before you can experience the happiness I give you."

The group of Noble Phantasms floating in the air waved their sharp blades in a threatening manner, gradually approaching Saber.

Uncontrollable anger boiled over Saber's mind. Rather than being slaughtered in humiliation, it would be better to risk her life to give her enemy a taste of her own medicine.

There was no other way. If he gathered all the remaining strength in his body, he might be able to squeeze out the magic power to launch the final attack of "Sword of Promised Victory". It was not surprising that a Heroic Spirit with unfathomable strength like Archer could defend against the attack of the city's Noble Phantasm. But at this moment, he was so sure of his victory that he let his guard down and never thought that Saber would launch a counterattack.

But - if Saber were to launch a counterattack against Archer from her current position, the attack would directly affect the Holy Grail on the stage. Even if Archer completely withstood the attack and turned into charcoal, the Holy Grail would inevitably be destroyed at the same time. In that case, all efforts would be in vain.

"what to do……!"

Saber was immediately in a dilemma when faced with the two difficult choices, but at this moment, she noticed the third figure that appeared in the auditorium.

On the wall at the height of the second floor, there was no semicircular box protruding outward. Under the light of the fire, a ghost-like silhouette wearing a long windbreaker appeared - he was the true Master who had signed a contract with Saber - Emiya Kiritsugu.

Amidst the despair, there is a ray of hope.

Kiritsugu still had the power to force the Command Seals. If he could use his magical power to make the impossible possible, he might be able to break this deadlock.

As long as Kiritsugu understood Saber's current situation, he would most likely use the Command Seal. Fortunately, Archer did not notice Kiritsugu's existence.

Kiritsugu raised his right hand, revealing the Command Seals engraved on the back of his hand.

What order would be issued was entirely up to Kiritsugu. But Saber had already made up her mind. No matter how bizarre the tactics he intended to use, she would do her best to implement them. As long as she could resist Archer, she would do whatever it took. Even if his order was to abandon the pain and fight with all her strength, Saber could ignore the pain in her body and exert the maximum strength in her body until her body died. If he ordered her to teleport to the side of the Holy Grail, she would be able to escape from her current extremely disadvantageous position. Perhaps she could also defeat Archer by precisely adjusting the "Sword of Promised Victory" without damaging the Holy Grail. This was the Command Seal. If the Command Seal was used with the permission of both the Master and the Servant, no matter how impossible it was, it could be accomplished. Saber now placed everything on this last hope, because only it could bring about a shocking reversal of the current situation.

——Emiya Kiritsugu commands Saber with the Command Seals——

The deep voice shook Saber's body from the depths of her soul. This voice, so familiar that it couldn't be more familiar, announced it clearly and firmly.

——Use the Noble Phantasm to destroy the Holy Grail——

How to explain the meaning of this sentence, how to understand it, Saber's mind suddenly went blank.

"……Varied……?"

The whirlwind that rolled up dispersed the flames around it. From the center of the Wind King's barrier that had been lifted, the figure of the Golden Sword appeared.

Even though Saber's brain refused to understand, her body as a Servant still faithfully accepted the command of the Command Seal. The sword began to weave beams of light, completely ignoring the will of the sword wielder.

“What, what’s going on——what are you going to do!?”

Even Archer was dumbfounded at this moment. He originally thought that since he was facing away from the Holy Grail, Saber would never be able to fight back against him.

“…No…No!”

Saber screamed, a scream she had made with all her might. The golden sword she had raised high suddenly stopped in mid-air.

As the legendary Knight King and a Servant of the most outstanding rank, Saber possessed a special level of resistance to magic that could barely resist the restraint of the Command Spell. She used all her strength to stop herself from swinging her sword. Power and suppression, two opposing forces collided fiercely in Saber's body, and her slender body seemed to be torn apart at any time.

This excruciating pain and unimaginable suffering reminded Saber of the scene when Diarmuid Odinah died. She now experienced firsthand the anguish and humiliation that tragic hero had experienced.

While fighting against the powerful magecraft, Saber stared at Emiya Kiritsugu who was standing in the box and shouted.

“Why!? Kiritsugu——why did it have to be you!?”

Impossible. He couldn't possibly give such an order.

Emiya Kiritsugu was so eager to obtain the Holy Grail, so why did he reject it at this moment? Was he going to let the ritual that his beloved wife had sacrificed her life to achieve go to waste?

After realizing that Saber's unusual behavior was the result of the Command Seal, Archer finally became aware of Emiya Kiritsugu's presence.

"You want to ruin my wedding, bastard!"

The group of Noble Phantasms that were originally aimed at Saber suddenly turned around and aimed at the box where Kiritsugu was.

But before the Noble Phantasm could start attacking, Kiritsugu raised his right hand again and pointed to the back of Saber's hand below - there was still the last Command Seal left on it.

——Using the Command Spell for the third time, he gave the command again——

"stop!!"

Seeing her pride and hope about to be shattered in an instant, Saber screamed with tears in her eyes.

——Saber, destroy the Holy Grail——

This is an absolute force that is completely irresistible.

The enormous compulsion of the double Command Spells ravaged and squeezed Saber’s body, at the same time drawing out the remaining magic power in her body and weaving it into the light of destruction.

The released beam of light cut across the entire auditorium and hit the Holy Grail floating on the stage. Archer swiftly dodged the attack, but because the beam of light at such a close distance was too dazzling, he was unable to launch an attack on Kiritsugu in time.

The golden Holy Grail that had once been a part of Irisviel’s body quietly lost its form in the blazing heat, and then disappeared. Saber closed her eyes, not daring to look at this scene—now, the last hope was shattered. Her battle was also over.

If that was the case, how could I open my eyes and witness this tragic scene?

In fact, she never opened her eyes again. The Noble Phantasm that had been forced to exert its power against her will had completely exhausted Saber's remaining magic power, and she could not even maintain her Servant's physical form. Saber had lost the strength and will to stay in this world. Of course, this was also because the Master, as the contractor, did not intend to leave her behind.

Keeping the posture of swinging the sword, Saber began to leave the real world, and soon, her physical body also disappeared.

At the moment when she was gradually losing touch with the real world, the last thought that flashed through Saber's mind was the mystery surrounding the character of Emiya Kiritsugu.

A lovely father who dotes on his daughter, a warrior who hopes to save the world, a killer who has despaired of justice, he displays various contradictory fragments of human nature, but in the end he betrays everything and denies everything.

Until the end, all Saber could be sure of about this man was his inner coldness and ruthlessness.

Until the very end, he and she were unable to understand each other and build a trusting relationship - no, perhaps it should be said that it was not until the very last moment that she realized that she had not understood his true thoughts at all.

But, this is understandable——

As her consciousness gradually faded, Saber laughed at herself.

How could I understand a man who had no connection with me except for giving me three orders? I was like this, and I couldn't even understand the letters from people around me.

Perhaps all of this is the torment of “the king who does not understand other people’s hearts” - a long and subtle punishment.

Although Saber left this world with scars all over her body and failed to realize her ambitions, it was perhaps a kind of compensation for her not to have to witness the tragedy that followed.

The beam of the "Sword of Promised Victory" that destroyed the Holy Grail blew away the ceiling of the stage and split the entire Civic Hall in two. The building, which had already been burned beyond recognition, could not withstand such a blow. The upper structure was destroyed, and the roof, which had lost its support, fell into the auditorium like an avalanche.

Then, through the pillars of rubble, Kiritsugu saw "it" in the exposed night sky.

Black Sun——Seen when in contact with the black mud, a symbol of the end of this world.

Kiritsugu was not able to see clearly at that time, but its entity was actually a real "hole". It was the space tunnel hidden under the altar of the Advent Ceremony and the Enzo Mountain on the east side of Miyama Town, which was connected to the "Great Holy Grail" magic circle. It absorbed the energy of the earth veins for sixty years, and now it has received the souls of six heroes. The Holy Grail is filled and turned into a huge magic vortex. This is the true form of the black "hole".