Drip…
The sound of viscous ripples was like he had fumbled into mud.
Black looked down and saw blood, the sheet of liquid reflecting his undulating figure. In that reflection of his, he also saw a hole. It was on the right side of his chest, where the Grail Heart used to be, blood dripping out of it, becoming one with the ocean.
Drip…
Steps rang next to him.
Black found a tall, thin figure, completely black, standing next to him. Sharp claws decorated the figure's long arms, knee-length yellow hair flailing around it without wind. It had no face, but… he felt it was staring forward.
Black took his gaze off the figure and looked in the same direction.
An extremely tall stone pillar stood in the distance, reaching the sky. On top of that pillar, hung like a star in the gray sky, was a black hole, emanating a thin, reddish-yellow radiance from its periphery.
From the hole, a torrent of blood was falling, fueling the blood ocean.
Drip…
Black gulped.
"Where am I?" he asked, knowing this could not be Limitless Blood Firmament. Nor could the figure next to him be Ayin, his Zanpakuto.
"And why is that?" the figure asked, words echoing out of it like the sound of chimes mixed with distant hisses. "Why can't this be your Reality Marble? Why can't I be Ayin?"
Black's pupils shook. It was one thing for someone to know how his Reality Marble was shaped. Knowing the name of his Zanpakuto was another thing entirely.
Kai hadn't even shared Ayin's identity with his father!
Then… who was it?!
Drip…
"A Lesser Grail is nothing but a storage device," the figure, claiming itself to be Ayin, said. "When the Servants are defeated… killed, instead of letting all that magical energy return to The Root, the Lesser Grail collects it in itself.
"In this timeline, the Lesser Grail was Illyasviel von Einzbern's heart. And as she held the Lesser Grail within, she was termed the Grail Vessel. You borrowed her fate, but it didn't change the terminology itself.
"However, a Lesser Grail is not the ultimate prize. It's the Greater Grail that the Lesser Grail can summon once it is filled with the required magical energy. This is what should happen if there is no outside interference."
"… Angra Mainyu?" Black guessed.
The figure nodded. "A Greater Grail corrupted with Angra Mainyu's will, All the World's Evil, consumes all magical energy without letting it reach the Lesser Grail first," it said. "It does need the Lesser Grail to materialize itself, but not till the end. Why do you think it didn't come after you in this timeline?"
Black looked at the hole in his chest. "It couldn't see my fate."
Drip…
"Yes," the figure nodded, sounding impressed. "Were you Illyasviel? Were you an outsider? Were you Nyarlathotep? Angra Mainyu's Will is so thin, spread across the entire Bubble, that it cannot process such complex concepts. That's why, in all timelines, It always materializes through a Vessel first, to let it act in Its stead."
"… Sakura," Black named.
"Hmm." The figure continued. "Such was the case in this timeline as well. However, many things made this timeline unique, despite being merely a Key.
"First, a Contestant forced the timeline and the Greater Grail's core to accept himself as both Master and Servant.
"Second, the same Contestant forced the Counter Force to summon a Ruler Class Servant.
"Third, he manipulated the Counter Force to bring an extra Counter Guardian into the picture.
"Fourth, he forced Zelretch to select Protagonists, knowing well that such an action would affect the timeline's overall status in the Bubble.
"Fifth, he forced the presence of another pseudo-Ruler Class Servant — something that had never happened before. Not when combined with other points.
"Sixth, he conspired against fate itself, going as far as to manipulate a Bubble Entity to reap the greatest benefit in the end."
"…" Black stared at the faceless figure.
"Of course," the figure continued, "some would say that most of these things happened independently… that they were mutually exclusive… that they had nothing to do with you. I will not be part of those foolish people. Directly or indirectly, you are the cause behind everything. In doing all this, you indeed stood up to your reputation, oh, Lucky One."
Drip…
"Who are you?" Black demanded.
The figure brushed off his question by turning away its face.
"You healed the Greater Grail," it said. "However, the combined might of Enkidu and Gilgamesh damaged it beyond redemption. When you cut Medusa Alter off the Greater Grail, the last dregs of Angra Mainyu latching onto her also disappeared. And with Him disappeared all the magical energy the Greater Grail was forcibly storing within it.
"This magical energy rushed into the Lesser Grail you carried within you, finally ending your borrowed fate and materializing the Holy Grail. Normally, six Servants are enough for a Holy Grail to call upon the Greater Grail. If the wish covers the entire world, then seven are desirable. But you… you filled the Holy Grail with nine. Two of them are Counter Guardians. Two are Ruler Class Servants. Then there is Gilgamesh.
"The point is, the Greater Grail your Holy Grail summoned is the strongest… in all the Key timelines combined. But, as the Greater Grail's core itself was damaged, it is also the last one. This timeline, as it is, will never support another Holy Grail War."
Drip…
Black kept a stoic expression, refusing to acknowledge that the shower of praises was free.
"Congratulations," the figure said. "You accomplished what even the most zealous activists of peace, Characters and Contestants combined, couldn't do. You… singlehandedly brought salvation upon this world.
"Congratulations, oh, Hero of Fate. You have won the strongest Grail of Heaven. The question is… what you intend to do with it now?"
"I…"
"Before we tackle that question, though," the figure said, giving an impression of smirking, "I have another question for you. If you answer that question, I will tell you who I am. You are still interested in knowing that, aren't you?"
Black could fool himself by thinking that this figure was the Greater Grail's will. Or the Key Timeline itself. But…
He nodded.
"My question is simple," the yellow-haired figure asked. "Why does your Reality Marble… already hold a Greater Grail in it?"
Drip…
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