Fate Zero Event

-Prologue.

Roman calls you into the control room and apologizes for bothering you again so soon after the Da Vinci stuff. Mashu runs in apologizing for being late, saying that she’s been having trouble waking up properly for a while.

A new singularity with similar readings to a Grail War has been detected in Fuyuki, except this one takes place ten years before the one you investigated. Mashu finds it odd that there’d be something like another Grail War in the same location, so Roman calls Waver (who’s one of your Servants) to explain it for him.

Waver says that the history recorded by the Laplace system differs from the one he remembers, so Roman starts talking about similar parallel words. Waver mumbles very vaguely about some stuff I’m not sure about, but the gist I get from what he says is that worlds with only slight differences might end up in the same future, but worlds that go completely different might eventually have their “ruined branches pruned.” Then he just changes topic quickly saying that sort of stuff is outside his jurisdiction and he only knows about that because of being fused with a Heroic Spirit.

He says he’ll stick to what he knows as himself, and drops one interesting detail: according to Chaldea’s records, the 2004 Grail War you saw was Fuyuki’s first, but in Waver’s world, it was the 5th.

So FGO’s setting must have diverged from FSN’s much longer ago than we thought.

>Roman: “I see, so depending on the circumstances, The Grail War might happen five ti-FIVE TIMES!? A magic ritual that large was carried out five times!? How in the world did they hide that!? Did the Grail War turn into some Olympic-style competition event or something!?”
>Waver: “What a happy-sounding picture. But no.”


Waver explains that the Association and the Church conspired to cover up the war as we know, and that this signal is coming from 1994, where a Grail War happened in his world. Apparently, the time axis getting fucked and a Singularity forming is what allowed such an event to be detected from Chaldea’s timeline, even though that wasn’t in their history.

Since this has the potential of seeping into the timeline and fucking it all up even more, you gotta go do your thang, but Waver presents a problem: despite repeating the War so many times, the Grail had never fully materialized, had been “altered” and was at this point going to be nothing but a tool for mass genocide, all of which fucks up with your standard M.O. of “retrieve grail, receive stable timeline.”

>Protagonist: “You know this in detail, huh?”
>Waver: “I investigated it. It was my duty as an involved party… no, it was probably just for my peace of mind.”

Waver’s been researching this carefully in order to dismantle the grail properly, which is why Roman asks him to go with you this time around and you set off.


-ACT-1

You arrive on 1994 Fuyuki. Mashu remarks on how peaceful it is and how sad it’s to think the place will be destroyed in ten years, and Waver corrects her by noting that it’s not just Fuyuki, but all of history that’s gonna be destroyed, which just makes Mashu gloomier so he apologizes for the way he said it.

Waver says you should focus on preparing, asking you if you think the quiet residential district you appeared in seems peaceful. Mashu nods, and he tells her she’s too naïve to think so, since conflicts between magi will always happen in secret.

>Waver: “For instance… ‘Qi Men Dun Jia, Eight Gates Golden Locks Formation!”

He throws a spell around and reveals Assassin’s presence. He couldn’t actually sense her, but since he knew the Assassins would be posted as spies everywhere around Fuyuki and that the Ley Shift would attract attention, he threw the spell at random knowing he’d probably hit something.

You easily win the battle since the Assassins are super weak, and Waver explains how they’re actually chunks of a single Servant and that you should be prepared for when more come your way.  In the end, he tells you to get a move on and that he’ll explain things along the way.


-ACT-2

Waver opens up by explaining that the Fuyuki Grail War is a sham and that the “wish-granting artefact” is just a lie meant to lure in outsiders.

>Mashu: “To trick people by saying you’ll grant their wishes… that’s a criminal offense!”
>Waver: “Right? If there were another world where the Grail War were a universally known, you could totally sue this one.”

Still, he says that this world isn’t like that and that the Fuyuki war is the only one. In this one, the gradual defeat of the summoned Servants are essentially a countdown for the appearance of All the World's Evil, which he doesn’t go into detail beyond telling you to think of it as a bomb more than capable of destroying humanity.

More stuff we all know about how the war wasn’t originally meant for this, but then he brings up the contradictory problem of SHIVA having detected a Grail-like presence in Fuyuki, even though he knows the whole town would be in flames if the Grail had already formed. Since Angra Mainyu hasn’t burned everything to a crisp, that must mean the Grail sensed from Chaldea was a different one.

Waver realizes the 4th War is just starting, and plans to use his foreknowledge of how it will go to help them solve the situation, which is why he brought you to that harbour. He says he’ll explain later since their time is up, and you see Irisviel.

>Irisviel: “Who are you? Since you have a Servant with you, you might be a participant in this War, but…”
>Saber: “Iri, there’s something strange. I don’t feel the presence of the Lancer that lured us here.”

You can just call her “Saber” and have Mashu warn her that this is the one summoned under a different master, or…

>Protagonist: “Heroine X again?”
>Mashu: “Let’s forget about that, Master… this time things are thoroughly serious.”

Anyhow, Waver casually mentions Irisviel’s and, more importantly, Arturia’s real names and says that he’ll be their opponent instead of Lancer.

>Saber: “You…! Why do you know my name!?”
>Irisviel: “He’s not an ordinary person, he’s got long hair despite being a man. Be careful Saber!”

Saber gets ready to fight and Waver tells you to get ready since this fight will be much harder than the last, though he tells you to make sure not to eliminate Saber, despite your protests that he’s asking for too much.


You manage to push Saber into a retreat, but Waver tells you not to pursue and to prepare for the next enemy, the one Saber was actually meant to fight here, whom he’s been keeping busy using Zhuge Liang’s powers.

Diarmuid finally arrives, complaining about “that weird stone maze” and demanding to know where Saber is.

Waver calls him the “number one spearman of Fionn’s squad” which also freaks him out, and a disembodied voice remarks on him being definitely a strange one, prompting Roman to say Lancer’s master must be using magic camouflage to hide nearby.

>Waver: “Lord Kayneth, we have come here to assist you. I cannot reveal my name, but for the time being I am Lady Reines’ representative.”
>Kayneth: “Reines? My Niece? What are you saying?”

Waver says he’s reluctant to explain things in that place, so he asks if they can postpone things until the following day, saying that he’ll reveal the whereabouts of Servant Caster in exchange. Kayneth asks why Caster, but Waver assures him that it’s something he’ll want to know later.

Waver arranges to meet the following day at 10PM in the top suite of a building in the new town, and Kayneth agrees, complimenting Waver’s talent, though saying it’s a pity his English sounds likely like a country bumpkin’s. Yeah, apparently they’ve been talking in English all along.

Draco Malfoy reveals himself, Diarmuid asks him if it’s alright, but Kayneth tells him not to worry and that he’d rather wait and see whether you’re an enemy or not. Both groups agree to part ways, and you take off.


While you walk through the town, Waver explains more about how the War would not have any winners no matter how things went, since it would end up with Angra Mainyu’s birth either way. He says that, for the time being, you should try to avoid defeating the enemy Servants so as to prevent the Grail from being completed. At the very least, you should make sure there’s at least 3 Servants left alive at any time.

However, in order to do this, you first need to take out the ones he knows won’t agree to a ceasefire.

>Protagonist: “You seem gentlemanly, but you’re a despot after all!”
>Waver: “I’m aware it’s rude, you know. Truth be told, I’m more of a cowardly subservient type of guy, but right now I’m merged with a wartime schemer, so I can’t help it.”
>Protagonist: “Can’t be helped since it’s Kongming.”
>Waver: “Really, that Chinese strategist is more violent than a general.”

He says that the two Servants that are definitely beyond saving are Caster and Archer, and that Assassin’s Master is in league with Archer’s so you’ll have to fight them too. In Berserker’s case, it’s a matter of convincing the Master, though there’s always the risk that the Servant will go batshit on his own. In the short term, having interrupted the battle between Lancer and Saber, you have Rider left to negotiate with, except…

>Mashu: “Do you think we can negotiate with them?”
>Waver: [Cringing] “…”
>Fou: “Fou?”
>Protagonist: "Why did you go silent all of a sudden?”
>Waver: “Ahhh, the key is in how well we manage the conversation…”


ACT-3

(This chapter title, "Second Owner," is the name given to the magicians entrusted by the Association with the administration of a magically-rich land. the Tohsaka, in Fuyuki's case.)

Mashu tries to set up the Summoning Circle, but finds out that she can’t for some reason. Waver explains that this land is already under a magician’s supervision, so the Leylines have been locked to prevent tampering. He hoped they’d be able to tap onto them a bit, but didn’t expect the safety to be so tight.

>Waver: “Man… That girl’s father sure has some skill.”

Since you need the circle to receive supplies from Chaldea, you have no choice but to smash the Keystone that controls the Leyline barrier. Roman says that that’ll get the land’s owner angry, but Waver answers that since the guy in question is Archer’s master, they were already going to be fighting him anyway.

The Keystone would normally be hard to find since the owner would have hidden it with magic, but Waver already knows where it is, and here’s the really interesting part:

>Waver: “The next generation heir of the Tohsakas was my student. I would eventually gain her cooperation in helping me disassemble the Greater Grail. During that time, I naturally came to understand the structure of the Leylines in this land.”

So this Waver seems to be from beyond the 10-years-later conflict to dismantle the Grail.

Roman asks him if it’s okay to mess with his future disciple’s land, and Waver answers that since this is a different time axis, he feels no responsibility towards them, and that besides, they are partly responsible for the Grail War’s existence.

>Waver: “Losing the Leyline or falling into poverty would just be them paying for their mistakes. I’m sure the future Tohsaka would understand.”
>Protagonist: “That’s some hell of an after-the-fact assurance!”

>Roman: “I really wonder… This might get you cursed in the distant future.”
>Fou: “Fou…”


-ACT-4

You're hanging around underground tunnels and run into Gilles' demon squids. Waver talks a bit about how this war’s Caster is a total nutjob who’s going to cause a bunch of innocent casualties, and you say you gotta stop him.


ACT-5

You finally locate the Leyline cardinal point and hook onto it. Waver then realizes it’s about time for you to go meet Kayneth, so you head off. While on the way, he tells you to only use telepathic communication if you need to say something and to otherwise keep your mouth shut and leave all the talking to him.

Once you reach Kayneth's apartment, you find Diarmuid and Kayneth looking hostile. Kayneth checked with the Archisorte regarding Waver’s claim to be Reines’ messenger and knows that it was a lie, but at the same time, he was contacted by the Church about being on the lookout for Caster, so he’s curious why Waver knew that would happen ahead of time.

Waver answers that it’s because he remembered it. He also reveals that he knows Kayneth originally meant to summon Iskander, but had his catalyst stolen by a student called Waver Velvet, the mere mention of whom pisses Kayneth the fuck off. He also says that he knows Sola is the one to supply his Servant with energy, and that Kayneth has a half written love letter for her in his study.

>Waver: “The opening passage is ‘Oh beautiful one who lingers in my thoughts, your eyes carry the brilliance of the morning dew…’”
>Kayneth: “Alright, alright, enough! Who the hell are you!?”
>Waver: “I am indeed Lady Reines’ representative, but I will not be granted that title until four years from now.”

He reveals that he’s from the future, and Kayneth takes it surprisingly seriously, saying that he knows of many colleagues fascinated by time-travel research. He thought it was a stupid hopeless discipline, but says that he has no other explanation for the current situation. He guesses it’s probably not True Magic, but rather some limited application and Waver agrees, so the two finally agree to talk.


ACT-6

Waver has been explaining the Servant-summoning and Ley Shift mechanism to Kayneth, who nods and says that he had heard rumours about Atlas having succeeded at creating something of the sort (which is interesting, since it means this technology might also exist inside Atlas in FSN’s universe), except Waver claims that this has all been achieved thanks to the Archibald family.

>Protagonist: (Ehhh…)
>Waver: (Idiot! Don’t pull a face!)
>Mashu: (Senpai, we need to keep a poker face right now!)
>Kayneth: “So the Archibald family has reached such outrageous achievements in the future?”
>Waver: “Of course it has all been under Lord Kayneth’s guidance. In the future, you will rapidly rise through the ranks of the Clock Tower, unify many different factions and eventually achieve the implementation of the grand project known as ‘Chaldea’.”
>Roman: (If Director Olgamarie could hear this from beyond the grave, I wonder what face she’d make…)
>Mashu: (Yeah, I can’t imagine.)
>Kayneth: “Hum. I have no relations with the Atlas Institute. Or rather, it’s more like I detest those eccentrics. There’s no way I would ever reach out to those pessimists… or so I thought but… Heheheh… [Dumbass self-satisfied grin] Ahhh, yes, I can’t really say it’s impossible!”
>Protagonist: (Ehhh…)
>Roman: (Ehhh…)
>Mashu: (This is a Lord from the Clock Tower…)
>Kayneth: “I thought I wouldn’t have enough of trump cards to deal with the disputes between the Spirit Evocation and Mineralogy departments, and it might have been a good time to shift my focus elsewhere… but to think I had the talent to head in that unexpected direction… I see, I really became childishly earnest in my old age!”
>Roman: (This is wrong! This guy’s image is totally wrong!)
>Diarmuid: “As expected of you, Master!”
>Waver: “Of course, it was not merely a technical achievement. The financial backing from the Sophia-Ri family was great too. They bore the enormous expenses of Chaldea’s construction, while you and your future wife achieved a harmonious private life.
>Kayneth: “Ahhh, so even having dedicated myself to the path of magical research, I also succeeded as a family man!”

Waver keeps buttering him up while Roman and Mashu cringe about how easily he’s swallowing Waver’s bullshit. He tells Kayneth that he’s under certain limitations as to how much he can help hasten "the glorious rise of the Archibald family", but that he can help with the war planning.

He suggests getting rid of Caster first, since he knows where his lair is, so Kayneth can get the Command Seals as reward.


Following Waver’s indications, you head to the sewers, with him brushing off Kayneth’s questions by saying that they risk the Counterforce’s interference if he reveals something that could too grand repercussions on the future. Besides, since he already intervened, that probably has caused changes already, so he’s not completely sure how things will play out anymore.

Diarmuid realizes that you’ve crossed a barrier, and Caster’s monsters rush out to ambush you. Waver explains that Caster is a weak heroic Spirit whose only merit is his Noble Phantasm, and Kayneth agrees by noting the shoddy quality of his concealing enchantments, ordering you all to attack.

>Mashu: “Senpai, it feels like we’re getting left out...”


ACT-7

You break through Gilles’ defences and finally reach his corpse-filled workshop, with Kayneth remarking that he understands why the Supervisor would want to get rid of Caster.

Gilles shows up and starts raving about how dare you interrupt his work and Roman comments on how he’s always so hard to deal with whenever they run into him. Waver says that this time his Master is a pretty bad influence as well, so he’s someone who would need to be dealt with, Grail War or not.

You dispatch Gilles, though his Master is nowhere to be seen. Kayneth wants to let the Church deal with that since Gilles was the important one and Waver pretends to agree, asking him to head to the Church and claim his Command Seal reward. Kayneth and Diarmuid leave as agreed, and Waver turns around telling you that you’re gonna go look for Ryuunosuke.

ACT-8
You wander the sewers for a bit and end up finding Ryuunosuke’s corpse. Mashu wonders if Gilles might have betrayed him, but Waver says that the blade wounds are too neat for Gilles’ style.

Waver throws Zhuge’s detection spell around and reveals the presence of a Servant Assassin, except it’s one he doesn’t recognize. He and Roman assume he’s a foreign element introduced by the warping of the Singularity, and might be related to the source of the distortion.

>Assassin: “I have no reason to fight you. Turn back and leave this place.”
>Waver: “Can’t do. I want to know who you are and what you’re doing here.”

Assassin refuses to answer, saying he’ll treat you as an enemy if you try to force the issue, so Waver tells you to try and capture him without killing him.


You defeat Assassin, with Mashu remarking that his presence feels completely different from those of the rest of the 4th War Servants, and that he somehow reminds her of “Archer Emiya-senpai.”

Roman detects another Servant presence and warns you to look out, and everyone ducks for cover as thunder strikes all around. Waver’s barrier keeping Assassin restrained gets smashed to bits and he uses the opening to flee, while you look around trying to see who is it that came barrelling through.

>Iskander: “Ahh, seems the battle already started. We’re a bit late, kid.”
>Young Waver: “Eh? How odd, I thought we’d definitely be the first ones here.”

Mashu, Fou and you are surprised by how familiar the kid looks, but Old Waver is just pissed at his younger self having barged in on his plans and starts scolding him for his carelessness.

>Old Waver: “Now as well as in the future you just keep being blessed by good luck and keep pushing past your problems, and yet you still naively overestimate your own ability! It’s because you’re so shoddy that you make no progress! Don’t you have any self-awareness!?”
>Young Waver: “Hold on a minute, why are you preaching at me when we just met!? Are you sure you aren’t the one that’s been kidnapping children!?”
>Old Waver: “You absolute moron, pay more attention to the situation first! This is why you came so nonchalantly into the Grail War…  Ahhh! Idiot! Idiot! Gigantic idiot! Eat too much una-tama donburi and die!”
>Mashu: “Seems El Melloi switched into a really troublesome direction…”
>Fou: “Fou…”
>Protagonist: “Nobody wants to deal with their own dark past / It’s amusing, so let’s just watch.”

The Waver duo keep bitching at each other until Iskander interrupts, deducing from the surroundings that Zhuge-Waver is not the Caster they’re looking for. However, he also warns Waver that if he intends to pick a fight with his Master, he better be prepared to face him.

>Mashu: “El Melloi, didn’t we mean to avoid combat with rider?”
>Waver: “Let’s retreat. Better not aggravate things here.”
>Iskander: “How boring. I thought you’d have more of a backbone.”
>Young Waver: [Smugly] “Hah, you ran your mouth like that and now you’re running away. What a coward!”
>Iskander: “Don’t get carried away.”

Iskander then flicks Young Waver’s forehead, causing him to tumble back on his ass.

Both groups part ways, with Waver still grumbling about the whole thing. Roman asks him if it’ll be okay for things to have turned hostile like that, since Rider was the third Servant they meant to keep alive, and Waver answers that he does mind it, but that if you leave those two alone, they’ll probably just huddle in a room eating rice crackers and playing videogames for a while.


ACT-9

Having previously smashed the locking keystone, you go back to the bridge and finally set up the Summoning circle as usual, with Roman talking about how intervening on another family’s territory Leylines is a real pain in the ass.

>Waver: “Yeah, thanks to this, the Leyline maintained for generations by the Tohsaka has been torn to shreds. Putting it together again is going to take a great amount of skill. Ha Ha Ha, this should make good practice.”
>Protagonist: “El Melloi’s classroom sure is Spartan.”
>Waver: “Not at all, I’m just guiding myself by my pupil’s abilities and willpower. It just means I hold the daughter of the Tohsakas in that high regard.”

Roman apologizes for interrupting the cheery mood, but he’s detected a Servant approaching, which turns out to be Saber.

>Arturia: “Servant Saber, I have come to challenge you once again.”

Waver says he sees through their tricks, since the Einzbern are pulling a feint and planning to kill their enemies with a surprise attack while using their Servants as a decoy, but Irisviel comes closer and asks Waver what he means, while also saying that she knows he’s an outsider Servant.

Waver says he’d like to retreat under other circumstances, but doesn’t want to leave the Summoning Circle to be destroyed after setting it up. Instead, he suggests using the Circle to draw Saber into a battle of attrition (basically throw Servants at her until she capitulates) while telling Mashu to focus on protecting you against unexpected attacks.


ACT-10

You keep fighting Saber by summoning reinforcements from the Circle until Irisviel starts to wonder if it might not be better to retreat, though Saber says she’s still good to go for some time longer. Waver grumbles about how sturdy she is, when suddenly Mashu leaps out and blocks a surprise attack aimed at Irisviel.

>Waver: “An ambush like I expected, but that attack…!”
>Mashu: “Indeed. It was not aimed at Senpai, but at Saber’s Master.”
>Waver: “So he’s not an ally of the Einzberns?”

>Irisviel: “Assassin Class, is it? Were you planning to take advantage while we were busy fighting?”
>Assassin: “No, one prey would have been enough. My only target is you, grail bearer.”

He says he Iri’s done nothing wrong, but killing her is the quickest way of dismantling the Grail. Saber attacks him at once, and Waver says that regardless of the Assassin’s goals, they can’t risk Saber dying, so he tells you to help her.

>Assassin: “Stop getting in the way! You are not even participants in this war!”
>Waver: “I could say the same to you. Why target the Einzbern Master?”
>Assassin: “There’s no reason for me to answer. I am under the employ of something beyond human understanding. I mean no harm to those that exist within the parameters of humanity.”

…you work for the counterforce, not Cthulhu, you overdramatic cunt. Bah, anyway, he says that and then retreats.

Waver and Iri agree to leave the fight as it was, with Waver telling her that they are not really her enemies and that the fight at the harbour was something he just couldn’t avoid, reminding her that they made no attempt to attack them when they were retreating back then. Saber nods, saying she can tell they’re purposely trying to avoid a killing blow and… wait, when the hell did she put that suit back on?


Waver says that you are not interested in competing for the grail and that your goals require keeping Saber alive, so Iri agrees not to treat her as an enemy, especially since she says she already has enough of those gunning specifically for them.

Waver asks Iri if she has any idea who the Assassin is, but she says she doesn’t, outside of knowing he’s not one of the normal participants, though she feels something strange about him.

>Irisviel: “It should be the first time I’ve seen him and yet… I feel there’s a strong bond between us. Either him killing me, or me killing him, something similar happening in this place…”

Blah blah, ‘I feel we have an unbreakable destiny’ and so on.

Saber then tells her that will not happen because she’ll protect her no matter what, and that cheers Iri up somewhat. Iri thanks Mashu for her help as well, which gives us the leg-up for Infuriatingly Vague Mumbling About Mashu #123615287.

>Arturia: “That shield is similar to… maybe… that girl… no, if she herself hasn’t realized it, it’s not something I should say.”

You ask her what’s she’s looking at, but she just brushes the question off and says that for the time being that she can at least be sure you aren’t evil, and the scene ends.


ACT-11

Roman and Waver talk about how you’ve managed to make friends with both Saber and Lancer, but there is still the problem of both being mutual enemies, so it’s time to spin Kayneth another load of bullshit. He says that he’ll swallow just about anything so long as he keeps painting him as the centre of the universe, and to leave it to him since messing with people’s heads is Zhuge’s specialty.

>Protagonist: “Rather than a tactician, Zhuge’s more like a swindler.”

Your conversation’s interrupted as Waver says that you’ll have to deal with that insistent pest shadowing you, and turns around to signal to the Hassan that was tracking you, revealing that he’s been using Zhuge’s magic to detect anyone who gets closer.

You dispatch the enemy without much problem, though Mashu and Roman complain about how troublesome it’ll be to get rid of those guys permanently due to their numbers. With the coast clear, you then move on to meet Kayneth again.


Following instructions Waver had given him offscreen, Kayneth sent a familiar to contact Matou and agreed to a ceasefire and temporary alliance for the sake of beating Tohsaka’s Archer. Waver interrupts him, telling him that he must reveal something shocking to him: the true intention behind the Fuyuki Grail War. He starts by pointing out the weird aspects of the war, like how such an ostensibly almighty item would show up in a distant country and so on, and says this is because the war is actually a sham, since…

>Waver: “In truth, it’s nothing but a plot by the Toranbelio faction, our Archibald family’s political enemy. They planned to expand their influence in the time your lordship has been away from the Clock Tower!”

He says that he couldn’t warn him beforehand because he’s normally forbidden from interfering with such events before they happen, and that he needed to obtain proof of it before he could even report it to him after-the-fact.

>Roman: (Wow… there’s nothing but nonsense coming out from his mouth…)

Waver claims that he stole control of the Leyline from the Tohsaka to force them to admit to the farce, and that he had met with their Master and forced him to confess to the plot.

>Mashu: (Mixing in some truth inside the lie… you are truly wicked, Lord-san…)

Not only the Tohsaka, but the other participants and the church were in it too, all for the sake of fooling Kayneth.

>Kayneth: “How scrupulous, how crafty… but for the Toranbelio, those democracy-loving fools… there’s nothing they wouldn’t be capable of!”
>Mashu: (Haah… he really took the bait…)

Waver butters him up some more by telling him that his skilful defeat of Caster will let him rekindle his love with Sola by impressing her with how reliable he is.

>Waver: “I am certain. I am quite sensitive to the way women’s emotions change. It’s something like ‘I had no interest at all until now, but seeing a facet of him that’s so reliable turned my dislike into love.’”
>Kayneth: “That’s… wait, what was it with that first part!? …Oh well, the result is wonderful in any case!”
>Roman: (I’m really feeling pity for this guy…)

Waver tells him that he must hurry back to London at once before the very foundation of magician nobility is undermined by the democratic faction, and Kayneth gets all fired up about teaching the Tornabelio a lesson.

>Diarmuid: “A new battlefield beyond the oceans. Master, though I might be unworthy, allow this Diarmuid to serve you! I had no wish for the Grail to begin with beyond an opportunity to wield my spear in the service of my Lord!”
>Waver: “Ahhh, that’s heartening. Having the Servant accompany you will no doubt ‘make Lady Sola very happy.’”

He puts emphasis around the last part.

>Kayneth: “…uh …gh…”
>[Light flash]
>Kayneth: “Lancer, by these Command Seals I order you, remain here and continue with the Grail war.”
>Diarmuid: “But why!?”
>Kayneth: “It might be a farce, but I entered nonetheless. Even if just as a formality, I must claim victory so as not to sully my honour.”
>Waver: “As expected of Lord El Melloi! That is the conduct we take so much pride in!”

Kayneth then entrusts Diarmuid to you, and it seems everything will go without a hitch, until he asks waver one final question about the love letter Waver knew about.

>Kayneth: [Tensely] “There is no way I would carelessly leave something like that for someone else to find. Perhaps, for you to have inspected it in the future, that room would have been one whose master would never return to…”
>Mashu: “…”
>Roman: ”…”
>Waver: “…yes. It is as you say.”
>Kayneth: [Smiling] “I see. I thought I should thank you for that.”
>Waver: “Your words are too kind. You are my old teacher, the Lord I aspired to be. The Great El Melloi. Your talent was the pride of the Clock Tower. Please, take care of yourself.”

You finally part ways peacefully, and end up back on the street.

As you walk down the street, Roman gets into one of his serious moods and says that although Waver probably already knows what he’s going to say, he has to ask him if he understands what he’s doing.

>Roman: “Chaldea is not a time machine, and it’s not like you are travelers from the future. This Singularity is a bubble floating on the surface of history, nothing but an extremely restricted area. Once the source of the distortion is erased, this will vanish from history as nothing more than a dream.”
>Waver: “…”
>Roman: “Regardless of your efforts, the real history will not be altered. Even if you save someone here, that salvation will only be in this place. As far as your timeline is concerned, the casualties will remain casualties and tragedies will remain tragedies. It is not possible to alter the past through Ley Shifting, so aren’t your actions pointless?”
>Waver: “…what are you saying, doctor?”
>Roman: “I wanted to make sure you understood the futility of your actions.”

He points out that he knows Waver’s going about things in a more roundabout way than needed, when he could probably fulfill their stated objective in a simpler way.

>Waver: “…futile effort, huh. It might look like that from the outside, but for me, it’s enormously significant. Even if I can’t save them, I still need to do my best. It’s not for the sake of atoning for what I couldn’t do, it’s just that if I were to ignore the same mistakes again… I cannot allow myself that weakness. That’s all. It’s nothing but self-indulgence, so I don’t mind if you laugh.”

He apologizes for roping you and Mashu in on his little self-therapy plot, but you both tell him you don’t mind.

>Waver: “Thank you. Those words are a big help.”
>Roman: [Smiling] “I guess that’s just natural for humans. Ok, I won’t say anything more about this. What’s the next plan?”

Waver says that you should meet with Berserker’s Master to verify the alliance, and the scene finally ends.


ACT-12

You meet Kariya on the forest, introducing yourselves as Kayneth’s representatives. He’s agreed to help you so long as you help him beat Tohsaka’s Archer, which Waver assures him is your goal as well. Since the Servant in question is now in the house inside that forest, they plan to ambush him there.

Mashu wonders what that place is, and he explains that it’s the Einzbern’s territory. Roman asks him if it’s okay to just go through enemy territory like that, and Waver says that it’s fine, since Iskander already tripped off just about every warning system and booby trap when he made his way through, so the road is clear.

>Waver: “You might be surprised to hear it, but on the other side, there’s just a simple drinking party going on.”

You make your way to the Einzbern’s courtyard, and Mashu’s surprised to find the three Kings sitting around drinking just as Waver said. You basically just walk right up to them, with everyone turning around to see you get close. They all realize you’re here to fight and Iskander wonders if you plan to make enemies of all of them at once, but Gil gets angry when he sees Lancelot.

>Gilgamesh: “Those enemies who have violated my commands shall face my wrath. None shall stand against my authority as the King of Heroes!”

Iskander says he won’t interfere since Gil’s got all fired up all kingly-like and Iri says she won’t do anything so long as you don’t threaten them, so everyone else steps aside and you all just gang up on Gil while they watch.


ACT-13

>Gilgamesh: “What a farce…!”
>Waver: “We did it! The greatest enemy in the Fourth grail War, the King of Heroes has been defeated!”

You stomp Gil’s face in and he disappears, having gotten like three or so lines total in the whole event. Kariya starts hyperventilating from excitement about having defeated Tohsaka’s Servant, and Roman warns you that his vitals seem dangerously low.

Waver yells at Kariya to use his Command Seal to bind Berserker before he passes out, but he’s too late and Kariya faints. Mashu checks to see if he’s alright and tells you he’s only unconscious.

>Waver: “Damnit, if his Berserker loses control then Saber…!”

As if on cue, Lancelot lunges right at Saber, and Waver tells you to take him down since you only needed him to help with Gilgamesh.

>Diarmuid: “It’s not much of a pleasant, fight, but I guess this was unavoidable when dealing with a crazed warrior…”
>Waver: “Your Noble Phantasm is effective against him, stop grumbling about inconsequential stuff and give us a hand!”


>Diarmuid: “Crimson Rose of Exorcism – Gae Dearg!”
>Waver: “Now! Finish him off!”
>Iskander: “Waaaaaaiiiiiit!”

Iskander jumps in to save Lancelot, even against Young Waver’s protests.

>Iskander: “I thought it through and made up my mind, I’ll be helping this mad warrior!”

He says he had been thinking about who he’d rather consider his main enemy and thought it’d be Gilgamesh, so now he was at a bit of a loss since you killed him. Young Waver than says he should go after Saber next in that case but…

>Iskander: “No. It’ll be that strategist with the wrinkled forehead and the irritating tone.”
>Old Waver: “Why? Our interests are not in conflict at all!”
>Iskander: “Hum. I dunno.”
>Old Waver: “I’ve been meticulously planning everything to avoid colliding with you, so why now!?”
>Iskander: “I just can’t stand you. That’s all there is to it.”

>Iskander: “A Servant who manipulates humans and Heroic Spirits alike far too precisely for it to be mere predictions. You are clearly operating outside the rules of this war, and yet you were unable to predict my interference. ”

He says while he doesn’t get what you’re after, he can tell Waver’s here to interfere with the Grail War’s progress and that he’ll definitely be an obstacle, so he’ll consider you as his enemies, along with Saber and Lancer since they seem to be allied with you.

>Iskander: “So I’m helping Berserker. Is it clear now?”

Diarmuid asks you if you’ll fight rider as well, but Waver orders you to pull back, reminding you that you need to avoid defeating more than four Servants, and since you still plan to beat Assassin, that only leaves one more allowed target.

Since Lancelot’s exhausted and his Master’s in critical condition, Iskander wants to pull back for now, and Waver reluctantly agrees.

>Iskander: “Then we’ll fight again once Berserker’s recovered! Until then!”


ACT-14

>Protagonist: “The plan’s gone to hell, huh.”

Waver is left fuming by Iskander’s interference, groaning about how he thought he understood his personality better than anyone and yet this ended up happening. Mashu mumbles about how Iskander left him pretty emotionally shaken, and Waver shouts angrily at her about how he’s totally not angry.

>Waver: “I am calm! I’m just demonstrating a stress-relieving technique!”
>Protagonist: “Aha.”

Roman detects a Servants signature not corresponding to any of the 4th War Servants, and Saber gets on guard as she realizes it’s the red Assassin again.

>Assassin: “I take my eyes off you for a moment and your number of allies grows even more. What a troublesome bunch.”

Waver guesses he didn’t even bother using Presence Concealment this time since he’d just end up getting caught by Zhuge’s detection spell again.

Assassin says that he’s here to kill “that Homunculus” before the war reaches its final stage, to which Waver replies that his goal in targeting the Grail’s vessel is probably similar to yours, though he disagrees with his methods. You ask him what he means by “the Grail’s vessel”, and he explains how Irisviel is only pretending to be Saber’s Master, when her real role is being the Lesser Grail.

>Irisviel: “You seem to know a lot, but I object to the ‘pretending to be a Master’ part. Am I somehow unworthy to be called that to you?”
>Waver: “There’s no need to pretend at this stage, Homunculus. The Einzbern prepared you as a decoy, but I know the real Master is lurking in the shadows.”
>Arturia: “What are you saying? Irisviel is undeniably my Master. I have no contract with anybody else.”
>Waver: “Eh?”
>Irisviel: “Will you still doubt if I show you this?”
>Waver: “Command Seals!? Then, you really have a contract with Saber!?”

Mashu tells him to calm down since they have an enemy at hand, and you fight the red Assassin.


You fight off Assassin again, and Waver asks him to wait since it might not be necessary for you to be enemies. He deduces that as he does not seem to have a Master, he must be acting as an envoy of the Counterforce.

>Roman: “Counterforce!? So this Heroic Spirit is contracted to the World!?”
>Assassin: “Why did you arrive at that conclusion?”
>Waver: “We are not from this time axis either, so we have a bird’s eye of the situation. I already know that Fuyuki’s Grail War could end with the destruction of the world.”

He fesses up to Irisviel about how you’re from another timeline, how this space is actually a Singularity and how you already know how the Grail Wars end.

>Waver: “I watched carefully the failure of the Fourth, investigated the failure of the Fifth and acted to help prevent the Sixth.”

Waver explains that he’s been thinking about where the crucial difference would be between the war he remembers and this once, and that he’s now realized that it’s Irisviel himself. He says that the strategy of using a superb Lesser Grail as a Master to engage in straightforward combat is something the Einzbern wouldn’t try for another ten years.

>Waver: “A Master with the ultimate specs accompanied with a superb Servant, while also holding preferential rights over the Lesser Grail. It would be natural for you to win like that. And if you were to bring about that victory… that would be enough to set the Counterforce into motion.”

>Assassin: “The Counterforce did not act in the Grail War you know?”
>Waver: “Ahh. I won’t speak of the Third, but the Fourth and Fifth had a fifty-fifty chance of success or failure. At least from the World’s point of view, there was no emergency that might require urgent action.”

As Roman puts it, this world turns around the possibility of the Einzberns having gotten their shit together, and the Grail that you detected in Chaldea was likely Irisviel’s magic circuits.

>Waver: “Such a perfect fruit of the Einzbern’s labour would no doubt deserve to be called a pseudo-Holy Grail.”
>Irisviel: “I’m feeling conflicted about being praised like that, but more than that, I want a more detailed explanation. What in the world do you mean by the Grail’s completion meaning the destruction of the world?"
>Waver: “Ahh, I’ll explain everything in full. Agent of the Counterforce, you can come too. I’ll present you with a method to completely accomplish your duty.”
>Assassin: “Are you saying there’s an easier way than killing this homunculus?”
>Waver: “I don’t know about easy, but I have a question for you in turn. Won’t you choose something besides the easiest way? Do you truly need to kill Irisviel with your own hands?”
>Assassin: “…I don’t understand. I had not thought about it. It was a plan with no flaw, with no room for choice. But if you tell me to choose again… It’s honestly difficult to explain. Especially, as far as this homunculus is concerned, if you tell me there’s another way, I feel like I have to search for it. Why? I’ve never felt this before.”
>Waver: “This means you still have a human’s heart in you. That stupid and precious part of your soul from before you were reduced to an instrument of the counterforce.”


ACT-15

Iskander Waver and Kariya are chatting in front of the Matou house, and Kariya finishes telling them his story.

>Young Waver: “So, Kariya-san, what are you going to do now that Archer’s been defeated?”
>Kariya: “Finish off Tohsaka Tokiomi of course! Now that he’s helpless without his Servant I…”
>[Iskander punches him]

>Iskander: “Oi, Matou Kariya. What is it that you wish to protect above all? What is it that you must save above everything else?”
>Kariya: “That is… Sakura-chan…”
>Iskander: “Then will defeating this Tokiomi change the girl’s immediate circumstances?”
>Kairya: “But… without the grail, Zouken will…”
>Iskander: “Then is defeating Tokiomi a shortcut to the Grail?”
>Kariya: “…”
>Iskander: “The things you want to do, should do and can do don’t seem to mesh at all. What a huge idiot. You cannot expect to rule at my side in such a sorry state! Let’s go, boy.”
>Young Waver: “Go? Where?”
>Iskander: “Obviously, TO TRAMPLE AND PLUNDER!”

Iskander breaks into the Matou house, though Zouken wasn’t inside.... so what were those army cry sounds and dustup about if he basically just strolled into an empty house…? Anyhow, he says he set the basement on fire while he was there.

>Kariya: “T-then, Sakura-chan..? Did you save her?”
>Iskander: “Idiot. I’m no saviour, I am the King of Conquerors. This girl is therefore the fruits of my plunder. In other words, a slave.”
>Kariya: “Eh!?”
>Young Waver: “What are you saying!?”
>Iskander: “Of course, depending on the situation, a slave can be sold. Do you wish to free her? I might sell her to you for the appropriate price.”
>Kariya: “S-settling this with money?”
>Iskander: “No, the prize is that right arm of yours. Hand over your Command Seals. In your current state, you will die if you’re unlucky, so make up your mind on how you’ll use this one life of yours. Either try and flee with this girl to safety, or continue fighting with Berserker until the end.”
>Kariya: “Sakura-chan… I get it. Take my right arm.”
>Iskander: “Alright, then bite down and bear it!”

Iskander cuts off Kariya’s arm, which causes his worms to slither out of him since they’re more drawn by the Command Seals than his lifeforce. He tells Waver to heal him, but he complains that his healing skills aren’t good enough for that, so he instead orders Mithrenes (so yes, he summoned his army to invade an empty house…) to take Kariya and Sakura out of Fuyuki and to search for “that place with the red cross.”

Following this, he tells Waver they’ll go looking for the next fight, since he plans on fighting everyone else at once. Waver complains a bit, but still says that he feels they won’t lose even if they’re alone.

>Iskander: “Hahaha! Well said boy! Let us rush to the decisive battlefield!”

And so they wander off. Leaving the Command Seals lying there. And Lancelot standing like a parked car with the keys on. In front of the house of the guy who invented Command Seals. Because HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

Zouken comes back home to find the place burning.

>Zouken: “My home is in flames!? My beautiful bugs are dead!? What have you done Kariya!? Sakura… No, it’s empty. That incorrigible boy!! Gigigigigigigigiiii!!!!!!!!”
>Berserker: [Underwater Chewbacca noises]
>Zouken: “Eh, Berserker? His magical energy’s almost depleted and he’s disappearing… these! Kariya’s Command Seals! That kid turned his back and fled from the Grail War!”
>Berserker: [More noises]
>Zouken: “Alright, good boy, good boy. You must be sad after being betrayed. This old man’s the same. I am boiling with rage. Since it’s come to this, shall we teach that ruffian a lesson?”


While Iskander was busy humping the Idiot Ball harder than Hephaestion’s supple asshole, Waver’s led you all into the cave beneath Ryuudou while explaining the Grail’s corruption to Irisviel.

Assassin asks him why he didn’t try to dismantle Grail from the start if it was that simple, and Waver answers that it’s like playing with a huge barrel of nitro-glycerine. If he fucks it up there’d be a huge disaster, so preparations are needed first and it can’t be done in a hurry. Instead, his plan it to just destroy the “barrel” itself, but in order to do that, he needed roughly three more Servants in addition to what you already brought from Chaldea, hence his little recruitment drive.

The original plan would have been to just abort the War after killing four servants and dissuading the rest, but Iskander fucked that plan up, so he’s going for the drastic measure now, using the Counter Guardian Assassin in place of the third Servant.

Assassin rambles a bit about how odd it feels to cooperate with someone, since his kind usually just gets sent to whichever battlefield to shed blood until it’s solved, but then he gets interrupted as he senses the Hundred Face Assassin near, even though Waver’s detection barrier hadn’t detected it yet.

Waver warns you that this time it’s just sending all its remaining numbers at once, and the chapter ends as the fight starts.


ACT-16

>Hundred Face: “You… why, our wish… ahh, the bell… I can hear the bell sounding… Our great ancestor… the first of the great old men… forgive me for such an unseemly…”

Hundred Face Assassin finally dies, and the red Assassin remarks that whoever was giving it instructions didn’t really grasp how to command an Assassin. Waver then says that Tohsaka had probably taken control of them after he lost Archer.

>Protagonist: “The Tohsaka house is probably in disarray.”
>Waver: “Hum. If that family blessed by talent… no, by circumstance, ends up facing adversity it’ll serve them just fine!”

You advance into the main cavern, which Mashu recognizes as the place where you fought during your investigation of Point F. Waver shows Irisviel the Grail, and she confirms its corruption, saying that it’s definitely not what her family sought. Diarmuid says he can send the evil presence inside without even needing to get close, and asks if it’s really okay to break it carelessly.

Waver says that Angra Mainyu can’t awaken yet with only four servants defeated and right now it’s just a vague mass of curses that you should be able to deal with. So of course Roman detects a high-speed moving Noble Phantasm and Iskander comes zapping into the cavern… by the way, I distinctly remember Shirou saying you had to squeeze through a few tiny holes to enter the cavern. How the hell did he get the chariot through?

>Iskander: “Oh good, I made it in time.”
>Waver: “Do you still intend to continue the Grail War? Don’t you understand the Grail is just a cup filled with curses? It’s not a tool for granting wishes, realize you’ve been tricked already!”
>Iskander: “Hmm? That’s fine by me.”
>Young Waver: “Eh?!”
>Iskander: “I just came to stop you from quitting while you were ahead. Scowling Strategist, there is no better place for us to have our final showdown!”
>Waver: “I don’t understand, why are you so hostile toward us?”
>Iskander: “Because you being able to see fate ahead of time for some reason is just boring. Then, at the very least I should provide some unexpected results.”
>Waver: “Wha…”
>Iskander: “See, I kind of understand. You are the type to pursue dominance in warfare, so you are similar to this King of Conquerors. Entertaining such a guy is my duty as a King.”
>Mashu: “Entertain… You are fighting us just to make Lord-san smile?”
>Irisviel: “How nonsensical.”
>Saber: “Nonsense it is, but that’s what this Heroic Spirit is like. This king is selfish to no end, but he will act on anything concerning his opponents. In short, although he seems like an uncultured goril… Ehem, sorry, I mean ‘rough military man’, he’s actually an extreme busybody!”


Waver tells him to just get a hint already and realize the Grail is a world-ending threat instead of wanting to fight him for fun.

>Iskander: “Hah, you sure like to grumble about inconsequential stuff! No matter what burdens you carry, no matter what you must wager, what is life for if you don’t have fun rising to those challenges?”

Waver hesitates as he sees how much Iskander is looking forward to fighting him, and asks him if it really means so much to him.

>Iskander: “Of course! I don’t know where you’re from or how we are connected, but right now the valiant man before my eyes is one I must conquer at all costs!”

This causes Waver to start laughing his ass off with that happy face that looks more like he’s going fucking psycho.

>Waver: “Sorry, my Master. I ask that you indulge my selfishness just this once. Let’s fight him. My life, the fate of the world, I’ll forget all that. Looking at that guy, I must fight him even if I don’t know whether I’ll win or lose!”
>Protagonist: “Sounds interesting.”
>Waver: “So you say. Haha, being my pupil, I should scold you for your great stupidity but… If we’re together, it’ll be fine. That guy and me are equally stupid, so it’ll be a good match!”

Mashu says she doesn’t get it, Diarmuid tries to convince her this is some badass manly thing and you fight…

ACT-17

You defeat Iskander, with him saying something about how the Stone Labyrinth (Zhuge’s NP) had a big role in it.

>Waver: “This power is not something I cultivated on my own. It’s just something I got by coincidence. In the end, reaching you with my own power..."
>Iskander: “Hah, idiot.”
>[Iskander flicks Waver’s forehead, leaving a bruise]
>Iskander: “Whose power you wield to dominate the battlefield is irrelevant. What matters is how you control and guide it. You should understand that already if you’ve looked at my Ionion Hetairoi, you oaf.”
>Waver: “Rider…”
>Iskander: “What, it hurt? Sorry, I can’t really get the amount of strength right. The feeling in my fingertips is fading… Ahh, but that deeply wrinkled forehead won’t get more wounds at this stage.”
>Waver: “How stupid. More than my body, it’s a wound that’ll resound in my heart.”
>Iskander: “Haha, so you say. Oh well, it was a good fight. Sorry kid, this is as far as I…”

Iskander vanishes at last.

>Young Waver: “Why…? I should be the one crying so why are you too?”
>Old Waver: “Ahhh, I showed something unsightly. Never thought I’d encounter something like this in this life... guh-!”

Old Waver is suddenly attacked, and everyone turns around to find Zouken and Lancelot.

>Zouken: “Kukakakaka, you’ve been too careless tactician.”

Irisviel demands to know what Zouken is doing there and he asks her the same, asking her why she’s trying to help dismantle the Grail and if she’s forgotten the dream of the three families.

>Irisviel: “You should already know just by looking at it! This ritual already failed a long time ago. The Heaven’s Feel will not be completed!”
>Zouken: “So what? Who cares? The result is inconsequential. We’ve given up everything, spent 500 years. So long as I can see its conclusion, I don’t care what form it takes.”

>Irisviel: “Are you insane!?”
>Zouken: “Well, who can distinguish between sanity and insanity anymore? Looking at this body, I should be obvious the soul’s already rotten. But I won’t allow you brats to set a single finger on this Holy Grail. This is the crystallization of our ancient dream, I will not hand it over!”


ACT-18

You win the fight, and Mashu says that Waver’s wounds require immediate attention, but since you killed Lancelot…

>Zouken: “Kukakakakakaka! You great fools. You’ve helped complete the ritual with your own hands.”

Zouken then says that there’s no need to first pour the energy into the Lesser Grail at this stage and that everything will be fuelled directly into the Greater Grail, so he draws out the energy from Irisviel… which I’m not sure it’s how it was supposed to work and Iri should have probably begun feeling wobbly after Iskandar got offed, but I’m beyond caring about this event’s inconsistencies at this point so whatever. At least this is why Iri is walking about like nothing throughout all this.

Zouken says he’s going to awaken the “real one”, Mashu warns you that a person is coming from within the Greater Grail so you all turn around to see the black-clad Iri.

>Black Iri: “What a great event, Makiri Zolgen. Fufu, you’ve really shrivelled up in the time since we last saw each other.”


>Zouken: “Oooooooh… Justeaze, the Cup of Heaven, what beautiful form… yes, that’s right, I remembered your face…”
>Justeaze: “My senile bitter enemy… It is enough, your role is over. Go and dream of your unfulfilled ideal.”
>[Justeaze attacks him]
>Irisviel: “Zouken!?”
>Diarmuid: “Berserker’s master is… being eaten!?”
>Justeaze: “Not enough… it’s not enough yet. At best five heroic spirits won’t fill my vessel. You have awakened me with only these offerings? This banquet’s arrangements are unacceptable!”
>Irisviel: “Justeaze Lizrich… no, this is a mere shadow of her, polluted by All the World’s Evil!”
>Justeaze: “What an unbecoming remark for one of my descendants. I am the Cup of Heaven. The incarnation of the Third Magic to reach the Root and eradicate all evil. So give them unto me! Those lives, those souls! With you all as the nourishment, I will fulfil the thousand-year desire for salvation!”

Saber and Diarmuid say her magic energy is so ridiculously high that you stand no chance on your own, and Roman points out your battle capacity is diminished without Waver, so they tell you to pull back while the two hold the enemy back.

>Irisviel: “Saber! What are you doing!?”
>Saber: “Once you’re safe, you can pull us away using the Command Seal. What matters above all is getting you to safety!”
>Diarmuid: “Heroic Spirit of the Shield! Assassin of the Counterforce! I entrust Master’s safety to you!”



You retreat back into the smaller caves and check Waver’s condition. He says his Spirit Core is unharmed, but his body is pretty messed up, which is a bigger problem for a Pseudo-Servant than a normal one. He asks where Saber and Lancer are, and when you tell them they stayed back, he flips out saying that this will just end up with them getting swallowed and strengthening the enemy, so you need to go back.

>Young Waver: “Then what else do we do, you don’t have the stamina to help anymore!”
>Old Waver: “Waver Velvet. You are the trump card.”
>Young Waver: “Eh?”
>Old Waver: “I know a brat with your name. Your powerlessness is disgusting, you yourself are incompetent, your mediocrity is detestable. With no talent to be proud of, obsessed with your inferiority complex…”
>Young Waver: “Wh-why you…? Can’t be…”
>Old Waver: “The lamentation of your weakness… do you have the resolution to awaken from that immature spoiled-brat dream? The terror of wielding power beyond your grasp, the shivering fear before the weight of that responsibility, will you taste it as a yet immature youth?”
>Roman: “Lord El Melloi!? What are you-!?”
>Young Waver: “No, I’ll do it. There’s no alternative, is there?”
>Old Waver: “Huhu, you are no doubt an idiot. An overreaching fool who does not know his place. You really don’t understand a thing. But that is why, that is why he favoured you over me. Beyond that path… will be glory, perhaps?”
>Young Waver: “Tell me already, what should I do?”
>Old Waver: “Grasp my hand and focus. ‘The art of certain victory, the mode of harmonizing with charges, is a matter of opportunity.’”

That last line was a quote by Zhuge Liang, by the way. Waver does as ordered, something flashes and suddenly switches sprites to the one holding Iskander’s cape… which has no reason to be there at all, but they had to signal the powerup somehow and Takeuchi wasn’t gonna get off his ass to draw another sprite so…

>Young Waver: “Whaaaa! W-what is? I…”
>Old Waver: “Ah, the strategist has judged you worthy. You’ve been recognized as his temporary conduit. Instead of my broken-down body, he can push you around to his heart’s content.”
>Young Waver: “I… understand. There’s something inside me… Zhuge Kongming… Eeehhh!?”
>Old Waver: “Rejoice, boy. You are now a legendary hero. So, can you do it? To aim for your goal with no shame?”
>Young Waver: “…I’ll do it!”

Yes, that “rejoice” is written exactly like what you think. Pity he didn’t do the rest of the line.

Anyhow, with Young Waver in tow, you run back into the main cave.

You re-enter the Grail cave and find Saber and Diarmuid still fighting but getting pushed back. No, I don’t know why she doesn’t just Excalibur the shit out of everything either, for a Saber who’s supposedly so overwhelming that she’s certain to win the war, this event’s sure not showing any of it.

The two realize you returned and Diarmuid asks you what the fuck you’re doing, but Saber notices the change in Young Waver. He signals you all to get into formation and the battle begins.


You defeat the corrupted Justeaze and her magic energy disperses, though you turn to find Waver pretty shaken up by the whole thing.

>Waver: “Fighting… a battle risking one’s life… this is scary...”
>Saber: “You’ve done well. You fought just fine for being your first campaign.”
>Diarmuid: “The simple fact of not having frozen in fear would be commendable. You should feel proud of having claimed the honour of victory.”

With the Grail deactivated, Saber and Diarmuid begin to disappear.

>Saber: “Goodbye everyone. It was an unfortunate battle, but it ended well.”
>Diarmuid: “I hope we shall have the fortune of meeting again, in some other battlefield without the fate of the world at stake.”

Waver says that the Grail Chaldea detected never materialized in full, so you obviously can’t retrieve it as usual, but he asks Irisviel what she will do.

>Irisviel: “With the Grail War having lost its meaning, it’s the same as if my existence no longer had a purpose. To begin with, I can’t return to the Einzbern after having destroyed the Greater Grail so wilfully.”
>Mashu: “If I may, part of our objective was to retrieve the Grail that had appeared in this Singularity. If it pleases you, why not go back with us to Chaldea?”

Roman agrees, saying that if they leave her alone, someone else may come and take advantage of her powers.

>Irisviel: “For someone like me with no on to turn to, that is an unparalleled offer. Very well, then I will entrust myself to you. I am in your care, Master from another world.”


>Young Waver: “Are you leaving?”
>Old Waver: “Yes, along with the Kongming inside you. Rest easy, you’ll regress to your mediocre self soon enough.”
>Young Waver: “It’s just like you said, this power is definitely beyond my grasp.”
>Old Waver: “If you really feel that, then dedicate yourself to your studies even more from now on. I predict one of these days you’ll get stuck carrying this power. If it is any comfort, you still have time.”
>Young Waver: “You sound like Rider.”
>Old Waver: “Heh, don’t say embarrassing stuff. The King of Conquerors is still beyond my grasp.”
>Young Waver: “You say ‘still’, so that means you are still training? So you can reach him one day?”
>Old Waver: “…we’ll take you to the surface, the way there is a maze.  Then we’ll split.”

>Assassin: “Then this is all for me too.”
>Young Waver: “Won’t you come to the surface?”
>Assassin: “There’s no need. I do not belong in this world to begin with. If I wait here, I’ll be called back to the Throne before long.”
>Old Waver: “Ah, true, you’re that sort of being.”
>Irisviel: “…”
>Assassin: “How strange. From the moment I saw you, I felt we would part after one of us died.”
>Irisviel: “Ahhh, strange. I don’t understand it very well, but it is not an unpleasant feeling.”
>Assassin: “Hm, it’s the same for me. I had resigned myself to the fate given by this star, to fulfil my mission and cut down whatever is needed. This is the first time I have ever felt what it means to fight ‘to protect something. Thank you… hm, as I though, I’m not sure I deserve to say thanks or not.’”
>Irisviel: “Yes, goodbye. I am glad we met, Nameless Heroic Spirit.”


Back in Chaldea, Irisviel goes to get checked out by Da Vinci and Waver gets put in ICU in order to tend to his wounds, since he has a physical body and can’t heal as easily as a normal Servant. He’s tired after taking a serious wound and switching his possession around, but he’ll recover. Roman says Waver had been chatting just to put you at ease, but he was much more wounded than he looked.

The conversation switches to the topic of Assassin, and Roman wonders on how strange it is for the Counterforce to operate even though human history has been razed down. You ask him what the Counterforce is and he gives you a cliffnotes version with nothing interesting we haven’t heard before, the gist of which is “being one of those guys sucks balls.” Mashu then wraps it up by commenting on how she can’t imagine being summoned to fight without a Master like Assassin, because [SAPPY POWER OF FRIENDSHIP SPEECH.]

…back at the cave.

>Assassin: “Will the main star come out now? There’s no one in the way anymore.”
>???: “Haah, so you saw through it? Man, what a pain in the ass. See, isn’t conserving energy trendy in this era? I wanted to wait to catch you with your guard down, but well, nice going catching me in turn. Thanks for receiving me, I’ll come out on my own. Still, why didn’t you warn your friends? What you destroyed was only the ‘contaminated Grail’, so now there’s nothing holding [Me | Angra Mainyu] back.”
>Assassin: “I cannot rely more on the interference of people from another world. You curse concerns only this world. You cannot reach theirs, so this my task alone.”
>???: “That’s okay. Having pride in your job is a good thing.”

>???: “We are both a pair of loser dogs. I can tell by the smell, mass murderer. It’s a good match. You’ve arrived here, someone reduced to be exploited for all eternity.”
>Assassin: “Regrettably, the final fate I wished for is here. Though I might be compelled by someone, I will not yield.”
>???: “You should have been broken or torn apart somewhere. Had that been the case, you could have gotten help and some rest. Since you never gave up on the ‘Ally of Justice’ thing, you could not even rest after death and became a cog on the wheels of the Counterforce. If that’s not a loser dog, then what is?”
>Assassin: “This is the natural conclusion of my life, I have no regrets. Though I’ll admit we are similar. You continue to curse the world, I continue to save it. We are tools that continue to serve reciprocal functions. That’s all there is to it.”
>???: [Grin] “OK. If you declare it like that, I will have to show you my respect. [He reveals himself] There’s nothing to do for the curse and salvation but to clash with one another. It’s our number one specialty, a well matched courting. Won’t you give me your name?
>Assassin: [Pulling back the hood] “Emiya Kiritsugu. I was once called that when I lived as a human. I have saved the world so far and so will after this.”
>Angra Mainyu: “The world can’t be saved by one person. To what extent will you go to overturn that conclusion, you otaku…!”


ACT-EX

You go back to the Grail cave, though Mashu asks you what you’re doing there since the incident is finished.

>Protagonist: “I’ve been thinking about that last Grail…”
>Mashu: “Ah, so it’s Senpai’s sixth sense. I see then. As your Servant, Mashu Kyrielight will commence with the search of the surroundings!”

She barely takes a few steps before she bumps into something.

>Protagonist: “Already!?”
>Mashu: “Senpai, it’s an emergency! Watching secretly from that cliff, this… this…”
>Avenger: “Ow ow ow! You’re pulling too hard! I’m fragile you know!”
>Mashu: “This clearly suspicious shadow was collapsed over there!”
>Protagonist: “The shadow itself!?”
>Mashu: “Yes, his appearance doesn’t change no matter how he’s illuminated. But he seems different from a Shadow Servant. What shall we do, Master? He doesn’t seem to be a bad person, but…”
>[Avenger jumps close to Mashu]
>Avenger: “Aha, it looks like they’ve got good elasticity. Mmmh, good curve too, touch touch…”
>Mashu: “Hyaa!?”
>Avenger: “Tehihi, this has some nice perks. Ahhh, I’m restored now! Even on the verge of death, you can’t control your animal instincts. You brought a nice Servant, Otaku. A good match for my previous Master. I'm obviously only talking about the body though. Both are still like children on the inside. How sad.”
>Protagonist: “This… Sexual Harassment Servant! / Mashu, let’s do it.”
>Mashu: “Y-yes! Mashu Kyrielight will exterminate the newcomer without mercy!”


>Avenger: “Ghu… you bastards, you really went all out on an injured person!? This is the part where a good person would ask ‘why where you collapsed in this place?’!”
>Mashu: “Sorry then. Let me try again: why were you collapsed here? It looks like you can still breathe.”
>Avenger: “Well yeah, I don’t die even when I die. Resuscitating is like my special trait. Meh, enough of that talk, this is not the time. You’re them, right? The ones that destroyed the Greater Grail along with the Counterforce Oniisan?”
>Mashu: “Ah, yes. You know Senpai?”
>Avenger: “Ahh, I was watching the arena for a bit. It was because of you that I had collapsed. Will you believe it?”
>Mashu: “Because of us?”

There’s a sudden sound, and “Irisviel” suddenly shows up.

>Dress of Heaven: “I will explain from there on, Avenger. Please pull back.”
>Mashu: “Iri-san!? No, that appearance…”
>Dress of Heaven: “Greetings you two, and thank you for your work. I am the Dress of Heaven, a different being from the Irisviel who was with you. To put it simply, I am this Greater Grail’s spirit.”
>Avenger: “You know that black woman you destroyed? You can think of this as the good version.”
>Dress of Heaven: “What a rude explanation, Avenger. Why can’t you be more delicate?”
>Avenger: “My apologies. Though you were just beating the crap out of me a while ago, so I still have some resentment from that.”
>Mashu: “The one who left this black guy on the verge of death was Iri-san..?”
>Dress of Heaven: “Ehhh, yes and no. It’s a bit difficult to explain. Please listen, since this is your problem. Destroying the Grail was the right thing to do, I do not mind. Though it hurt. But you were too straightforward and made a grave mistake. Because… you were too slow to do it! You should have done it more thoroughly! ´Like, say, about enough to destroy a whole floor from a high-class hotel building!”
>Protagonist: “…alright, it’s the usual sort of development.”


>Mashu: “But, Iri-san… What does this mean?”
>Dress of Heaven: “You were too lenient and did not completely destroy the Black Grail. Due to the imprecise way you destroyed the Grail, the Lesser Grail has… Irisviel’s fragments have spread around and have begun moving independently.”

…but we blew up the Greater Grail, we didn’t even touch Irisv-Oh fuck it, who cares.

>Dress of Heaven: “They are the Irisviel of Fire, Irisviel of Water, Irisviel of Earth and the Irisviel of Wind!”

Avenger and the Dress of Heaven tried to rein them in but they were defeated (hence Avenger being beaten up). The dress says that they were originally quiet and obedient like the real Irisviel, but that the Irisviel of Fire incited them to revolt and turned the others violent. Since they tasted freedom, they’re not gonna go back easily, so now it’s your duty to take them down since you set them free in the first place. She says that they’re obstinate and won’t go down easily, so you’ll have to fight them several times until they give up.

>Dress of Heaven: “That shy, gloomy and marvellously delicate person… Ehem, I mean that hooded assassin-san has gone back already.”

So she asks you to save the city in their place.

>Protagonist: “That’s some amazing look though.”
>Dress of Heaven: [Blushing] “This is the Einzbern’s formal dress, it’s meant for magic ceremonies! Please promise not to say embarrassing things like those!”

Avenger says he’s not going with you because there’s no way he’s gonna fight those girls again, so he leaves it all in your care.

>Dress of Heaven: “This is all your fault to begin with anyway.”
>Avenger: “We’re the victims here after all.”

So they take off.

>Mashu: “Uh… uhm…. I don’t get really get it, but it seems we have our next mission, Master!”