C223: End of the War and What Comes After

C223: End of the War and What Comes After

Alt Title teaser: Fate/Zero Close

Date published: 5/27/2025.

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With Kaoruko's help, the mother and daughter are settled into the newly made room and also help begin the process for burying Tokiomi's body in the Tohsaka Cemetery. The two ladies laid down flowers and candles to commemorate Tokiomi's existence. 

While they are offering their prayer to their husband/Father, Axel arrives but he isn't alone. A little girl wearing a dark mourning gown approaches with a candle of her own which she is holding with both hands and her head down as if seeking to be invisible. 

"Sakura. My precious Sakura." Aoi Tohsaka only realizes who it might as after the little girl who is about the same height as Rin sets down her candle. The girl pauses upon hearing her name but is truthfully shocked at being called her mothers precious when she believed that her mother had also agreed to give her away to the Matou's.

Yet her fervent hug and subsequent examination to see that she is in good health is a sharp contrast to her mental imagery. It makes her tear up and she returns the hug, "Kaa-san".

Rin is in a state of Pseudo-shock as she knew that she saw her sister an hour ago but struggled to belief that was so as she was supposed to be with the Matou's, studying under them and living with them to grow up healthy and happy. 

She turns to look at the nice uncle who had been helping them thus far. "Uncle, why is Sakura here?"

"I kidnapped her from the Matou's, and they couldn't do anything to stop me" He plainly says with a teasing tone in his voice but Aoi doesnt miss how Sakura shivered at the mention of the Matou family.

"Sakura-chan, tell 'kaa-san' what happened with the Matou family" While her words appear demanding,they are still incredibly soft due to the happy reunion for her. Axel asks that everyone come inside the house as he mentions how the topic might be heavy. 

Aoi frowns as she wouldn't think that the Matou would do anything too insane to the person who would be their successor. Yet as they got situated in the living room, Sakura began to describe her treatment by both Shinji as well as Zouken who she nervously calls 'evil grandpa'. There is also mention of the crest worms but upon mention of how they were forcefully burrowed into her body, Aoi threw up.

Axel brought out a bucket in time to help Aoi not dirty her floors as she empties her breakfast into it. Rin herself has stilled as she was also on a completely different understanding of what giving away her sister would be like. She expected her sister to be raised happily as the two would compete in the future for which house would be of greater standing and importance.

The graphic explanation of the pain Sakura had gone through gives Rin a bitter taste in her mouth but this soon dissipates as her magical curiosity turns to how Sakura is sitting with a gloomy smile but doesnt seem to be in pain.

"Uncle, how did you get the worms out of nee-san?"

"It's a secret technique and I didn't do it alone. I called upon an exceptional doctor to extract the worms one by one while i gave my 'prana' to keep Sakura steady. It's a doctor who has connections to my wife, in a sense it's a mimicry of ancient healing magic." he explains and he technically didn't lie, he called in Blythe who does have a good relationship with Kaoruko due to being her primary physician to resolve any of her past psychological issues. It was him who used his [Great Devourer] in it's [gluttony] format to destroy all the worms, but it was indeed Blythe who restored everything about Sakura's body back to her previous state. 

The humble attitude when completing such grand actions makes Rin see stars as she would have loved nothing more than to reach a similar level, a return to Ancient magic is the dream of every modern Magus. But now the gateway is right before her, she even slightly wishes that Sakura would leave so that she could return to her studies and grow quickly so that Axel or his family take over her studies and allow her to grow into an ancient magus of Legends. 

Hearing the entire story of Sakura's time there before Axel 'kidnapped' her, the remaining Tohsaka's feel plenty of goodwill towards him and accept his proposition to stay with his family until the holy war is over. They once again do some light shopping in which case Aoi invited her daughter Sakura to come back to their family once again.

Sakura would like being with her family again but then she remembers how the Tohsaka are under ancestral obligation to help the Matou's. As such there would be no protection to keep her from being given away to them again, it would only create a situation where she might turn to hate her sister and mother for being the ones who gave her away this time around.

Luckily for her, Axel steps in and explains her own thoughts to the girls mother who turns in horror as she realizes that she indeed could not keep Sakura with them but that doesnt mean they still couldn't remain a family but visitations are fine. The ladies work with Axel to transfer her clothing and personal toys to the Murasaki family home. 

While they do that, Axel also secures technical guardianship over Rin, at least within the magical community as Aoi is talentless in magic due to the complete lack of magic circuits in her body. Her family had long fallen out of favor regarding their lack of magic talent in recent generations.

Rin was pleased with the news as part of her master plan to become a magus of legend has been completed. While she hates studying, she can't help but be excited for what she could learn under Axel. Sakura was also happy about the news as that means that both girls would be able to spend time together in the future.

While at the Murasaki home, Rin also got to know Washio but both their reactions were more dreary compared to their behavior to Sakura. It is obvious that it is unlikely for them to get along well but at least they can cooperate when it counts.

Rin's reason for not liking Washio is because she was under the belief that he was a talentless child in the union of an ancient bloodline mage and a 'newbie' mage but it is only later that Sakura clears up by repeating Axel's words about Washio's sealed abilities. Rin's personally takes a 180 but it is mostly to explore what type of talent he might have.

Washio's dislike for Rin is instead because she bullied him a few times in school, all the while with a haughty attitude. He essentially formed a grudge against her and has no reason to be around her at all except to appease Sakura who he does like. 

On the other hand of the city, Rider and Saber have begun their conflict as after Saber's encounter with Axel and moving to reinforce Einzbern castle to protect Irisveil, they had made a plan to defeat Rider and Lancelot. Naturally, Saber had refused every one of her master's plans to simply assassinate Waver. Though she is less certain about Lancelot's master as instead she wants to have a proper conversation with the berserker servant and Saber declared that she could defeat Rider. 

As such, the duo servants (rider and Saber) have found themselves yet the moment the two meet at the waterfront once more, Iri begins to feel strange due to the influence of Angra Mainyu who is manipulating the grail. She collapsed and thus Kiritsugu had finally agreed to Sabers plan while he took her away. 

Within the mage killer's mind is his previous encounter with Axel. One thing he noticed is that while Axel spoke, sometimes his mouth didn't match the words he was saying. Over the course of an hour, he finally deciphered the hidden message that Saber didn't notice before. 

"The great-er grail is core-errupted."

"Core erupted…could it be corrupted. Is he trying to warn us that the grail is corrupted and cant grant our wishes? But how, and why. Why would someone corrupt the grail and make all our efforts now worthless?" A tinge of grief in Kiritsugus voice as he mutters out the whole phrase and his theories.

While Kiritsugu initially didn't understand this phrase, he only realized moments later when Iri began to throw up black mud, her body pulsing in a type of energy that makes the mage killer lament in hardship as the lesser grail manifests while in the car with him. He receives a vision of the widespread destruction that would follow for his wish to be made true.

Resolving his heart, he stops the car in the woods just outside the Einzbern castle. He called ahead to inform them of what is happening with Iri and the grail. They begin to send forces to help in any way they can but as they do, we return to the beach with Rider and Saber who are having a casual chat.

This continues for a few minutes until Kiritsugu suddenly leaves with Irisveil, It is only then that Berserker comes running out and while Saber attempts to mediate with him, yet her words fall on deaf ears as due to madness enhancement, he has long lost his reason except his hatred for Saber in failing Britannia. He solely blames her for it's fall to Mordred but that is only because he was powerless to stop her and Morgan from betraying his king. 

He failed as a knight and accepted the grails call to make up for his blunder yet the only thing that comes out of his mouth is a series of gut wrenching roars. Rider remains on the sidelines at Sabers request as she takes to fighting Berserker on her own. 

Sword versus sword, the two get embroiled in a artistic dance of death as they both hope to end each other. Soon enough Berserker discards his swords to embed his claws into the sides of Sabers armor. He knows all her gaps and capitalizes on it now with his attacks. 

He begins to utilize his environment as weapons to distract Saber before retrieving his sword to clash with her again yet it is not Berserker's fate to win as he visibly weakens due to Kariya finally reaching his limit. 

Berserker falls to his knees in defeat as he slowly regains his mind and apologizes to his lord and can finally explain his desires vividly. Artoria Pendragon apologizes for her inadequacies as a king, She hopes her noble knight would be willing to forgive her and give her another try next time they see each other.

Berserker, the knight of the lake, a member of the Round Table of Camelot, Lancelot disappears, and then there are two. 

Both Rider and Saber have a clear understanding of each other and Rider allows his newfound rival to recover in peace. Yet Saber can't help but feel that something is wrong as Kiritsugu should have at least called her to inform her that Iri is fine. Hearing Sabers' concern, both servants began moving towards the Einzbern castle once more. With no one inside, the barrier collapses to reveal the devastation of the battlefield between Saber and Berserker. 

Saber joins Waver onto Riders chariot as it's the quickest way to get to Kiritsugu. Within a few minutes they arrive in the forest, they find the car Sabers master was driving and soon enough the defiled space that Iri had been vomiting black mud everywhere. The lesser grail lingers above Iri but now it contains a red hue as drops of blood overflow from it. 

"Master, what is going on?"

"Axel gave us a secret message when we ambushed him yesterday. The grail is corrupted. It can only fulfill our wishes through more death and slaughter. I shall not accept it. Saber. By the power of my command seals, unleash your noble phantasm upon the false grail."

"By the power of my command seals, unleash your noble phantasm upon the false grail"

"By the power of my command seals, unleash your noble phantasm in a way that doesnt harm Irisviel von Einzbern." While in a self loathing form, he still wants to keep his wife and daughter safe. In Canon, he had already lost his wife and with the grail being corrupted, he lost all hope. But Iri is still clearly alive, just a conduit for the grail. 

If this magical apparition is destroyed then it's possible to save Iri. Waver on the other hand is confused and shocked at the situation as Saber charges up her Excalibur full force.

"Rider, are we really going to do nothing as they destroy the grail?"

"Can you not sense it master? The darkness being released by the mud that woman is expelling. It is a force that could likely corrupted even us servants if we are not careful. Nay, We shall retreat and takes charge another day." Rider brings Waver back on the chariot and begins to ride away but not before Saber unleashes the noble phantasm in a horizontal slash instead of vertical. 

The magical impact against the supposed holy artifact causes a burst of energy that sends the remnant black mud splashing out. Some of it lands on Iskander's chariot but in their focused retreat, they don't notice. 

What they do notice is one thing, Fire. The grails explosion causes the surrounding trees to be enveloped in fire and causes what would be considered the greatest fire in Fuyuki's history. Even afflicting the city itself but not half the city like original. 

In the aftermath of the explosion that destroyed the grail. Kiritsugu shambles out with Iri in his arms, he is heartbroken as she died due to the connection with the grail. With agony on his face, he shambles through the large forest and into the city, a small portion of Miyama town was set on fire and destroyed but Kiritsugu is sane enough to notice the barrier up.

The protective barrier is outside of a magus barrier. This conceals the protective barrier from normal sight . Seeing such a large scale power, he knows that it has something to do with Axel stopping the fire from spreading even further than it already has into Shinto. Roughly half the industrial half of the city had been destroyed under the intense fires. One corpse after another, he loses a bit of hope that he didn't even know he had. 

This shattered hope finally pulsed in light as he finds a child amongst the rubble, he lives but isn't breathing, likely smoke inhalation. Kiritsugu starts CPR and upon hearing a few coughs from the child, his hope pulses greater than before as this was the straw that broke the camel's back for him. 

He transfers the Avalon to the child so he can stay healthy. Then along with carrying Irisveil, he now carries the child too. Plenty of strain on his arms but it's of little issue as he makes his way back to the castle. Thanks to the clearing around the castle, it had only been partially burned but with stone being it's major composition, there was little the fire could do before it was put out by the multitude of Einzbern puppets. 

Kiritsugu is interrogated but he offers few words in return as exhaustion hits him. Reluctantly, the Einzbern accept Kiritsugu into the castle, laying Irisveil to rest and nursing the boy named Shirou back to health. Though Illyasviel does meet the boy, she is restricted from meeting her father or even told that her mother is dead. 

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Alt Title: Matou's truth, Final Battle and End of the (Un)Holy War.

Word count: 2715

Drop a comment if you wanna judge my writing or the story. I'll try to respond, especially if you're confused or anything.