Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

User talk:Brynhilde

2011-03-14T15:40:05Z

Sharingan0619:

... Bryn... Is this where you're referring to as the "talk" page? :|;;;

-- Fish

Hey... Anserina here. D: Please let B-L be okay. I hope the others get here soon, too...

sharingan here....where is this talk page...is it here?
and what the hell happened to BL??!

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 7

2011-03-05T00:40:34Z

Sharingan0619: /* -03:52:18 */

=== -03:52:18 ===

Now, pain had become everything to Kariya.

Whether it was the human called Matō Kariya that could feel pain, or that the concept of pain had been stuck into the body of this trash that was called Kariya—there was no longer any difference between the two. He felt that none of this mattered any more.

Which part of him hurt for what reason, why he had to experience this sort of torment—he had never known these causes and effects.

It hurt to breathe. It hurt for his heart to beat. It hurt to think. It hurt to remember.

There was nowhere to run, nothing that could be done. It seemed that he had felt like this before, but he could not remember. Perhaps he had already given up on himself.

The worms were crying within his body. The worms were writhing their bodies in pain. The culprit of his torment was at this moment also making its final struggle.

Berserker. It must be because of that resentful black spirit. At this moment Berserker was fighting; because the prana he required far exceeded that which his Master could provide, he had gone beyond control (1). The worms were suffering because they had been drained of too much prana, and so they tore at Kariya’s internal organs, ceaselessly struggling.

But that could not be helped; there was no other way.

Berserker must fight—that was what that priest had said. Kariya no longer remembered his name—but they had both made an agreement; he had agreed to let Kariya have the Grail, therefore Berserker must fight.

The Grail—at this moment only it meant everything to Kariya.

As long as he had the Grail, the war could end. As long as he had the Grail, Sakura could be saved.

There seemed to be something else, but remembering was really too painful. Those must be things outside the range of his thoughts.

Kariya did not even know what this place was. At first he had been in icy darkness, but now he felt a strange heat, and even breathing was difficult. He thought he smelled something burning; perhaps it was his own body that had been burned, but that didn’t matter. In any case his body could not move; what was most important now was Berserker’s fight—and— saving Sakura.

Sakura—ah, he would really like to see her one more time. He would really like to see that child.

But not Rin; he couldn’t see her. He mustn’t see her—no, but why was that, again?

Even thinking made him feel pain. His brain, his consciousness and his soul were all being crushed.

There was something strange. It seemed that something important had happened. Something was wrong.

Though he had become aware that something was different, Kariya’s thoughts were quickly caught up once again in endless torment.

It hurt—

There was only pain. And suffering—

For the countless time, she was thrown into the air.

For the countless time, she was effortlessly beaten to the ground.
Saber had given up counting, because she could no longer remember.

The strongest sword-wielding Servant? Who had fabricated this? —Now she was like a small boat in a storm. Facing Berserker’s waving black sword, she could only give up resistance and suffer the attack; she could not even make a single decent retaliatory blow. She did not even feel indignant at this. Her heart, immersed in hopelessness, had long since become devoid of all fighting spirit. She was no longer the heroic King of Knights that was named the incarnation of the dragon. This was truly too tragic; it made one sigh.

She should be going to save Irisviel; they had made a vow to hold up the Grail together. She could not lower her head now; she knew this clearly in her heart.

But she could not win. Facing that man, that sword, there was no way to obtain victory.

'Arondight • The Indestructible Light of the Lake’—the counterpart to King Arthur’s ‘Sword of Promised Victory’, the most precious of swords that had been obtained by men from the fairy lands.

That sword had been dyed pitch-black; the prana from his body, filled with resentment, had caused the sword by his side to also fall to become the sword of a mad warrior.

He had been the unrivalled ‘perfect knight’ admired by the masses; he had been a flower that bloomed on the precipitous peak of the way of the knight. His form and his actions had once been the greatest treasure of all who had the ambition of becoming a knight.

And yet he had committed himself to madness. Hatred roiled within the red eyes; at the same time he gave out an animalistic howl.

He roared, I hate you.
He roared, I curse you.

Exactly how was she to avoid the sword that he brandished downward full of hatred?

She could not look at him directly. Her sight blurred in tears, her legs buckled down weakly. At this moment, all Saber could do with all her strength was to protect her body before suffering the fatal impact.

Sir Lancelot, Knight of the Lake.

Now that she thought of it, the clues to his identity were everywhere.

Once he had hidden his name for the sake of a friend’s honor, disguising himself to enter a horse race. Even though he had fallen into a trap, and faced the enemy’s sharp blades with only his bare hands, he had won the victory with his skilled fighting prowess using only an elm branch.

But even though she noticed, Saber would definitely not admit it. That he who had been the subject of people’s admiration would be reduced to a Berserker—how could he be that ‘Knight of the Lake’?

Saber had once believed that they were friends. Even if their armies had clashed because of some unavoidable reasons, their hearts were nevertheless still the same. One was a subject that upheld the way of the knight, the other, a king who upheld the way of the knight.

But was this sort of partnership also only a naïve fantasy of her own?

He had never forgiven, never accepted. Even after his death, he had still cursed with resentment that ending, that tragic fate.

Lancelot and Guinevere had loved each other—yet Arturia had not seen this inescapably unrighteous action as a betrayal; this had all happened because the King had concealed her gender. The one who had to carry the burden of this conflict all her life was Guinevere.

Arturia had understood the severity of this sacrifice, and expressed thankfulness to her (2). There was also guilt in it. But for Lancelot who had fallen in love with her, she had even felt relief. This person who had the same ideals as the King would not cause the country to fall into a dangerous situation; she believed that he would share the burden with her. And in truth, he had indeed done so. Though he had fallen into the dilemma of having stepped onto an unrighteous path, he had supported Guinevere from the dark, supported the King.

That he had been exposed like a piece of ugly news, causing the two to have to stand opposed, was the single-handed plan of the traitors who hated Camelot. Because Lancelot could not sit and watch as the girl he loved was killed, Arturia could not but deal with him in the capacity of a king.

No one was wrong, but precisely because everyone was right, a tragedy had occurred.

In that case, Arturia had always fought upright with the status of a King to the very end.

Therefore, when facing the battlefield on the hill that had been dyed red with blood, she was able to argue with Heaven about the unfairness of fate.

If one carried out all the paths of striving for something, but could not obtain the right result, then it was definitely Heaven who was at fault.

In that case, she could only forever lift her head up high if the Grail that can fulfil miracles existed. Precisely because she believed — therefore she fought.

But—

"▄▃▂▄▅▅▉▉〓！！”

Before Arondight’s relentless attack, Saber’s holy sword gave out a groan. Her sword of light that promised victory—it had long since become meaningless, in the hands of its owner who had lost the will to fight. Berserker constantly rebuked Saber, who was unable to counterattack and could only defend. At this point he had already completely unleashed his true ability, and his skill with the sword was completely incomparable with his previous level. Even if Saber had been uninjured right now, she might not have been able to withstand that strong momentum.

But in the face of her opponent’s ferocious attack, and the sense of pain in her hands and legs that had long since become numb, Saber remained unmoved. The enemy’s strong prowess that was many times greater than her own, and his merciless attack, were gradually causing her spirit to crumble.

Ahah, my friend… Is this your true intention?

Do you despair thus at fate? Are you truly using hatred to curse the king and country that brought you despair?

Once we had embraced the same dream, and put our lives on the line for the sake of saving the country.

If there was no difference in our ambition, then why do you hate thus? Do you regret now?

—One cannot lead by salvation alone—

No. Tell me it is not like this.

Lancelot. Only you. I hope you can understand, because you truly are the people’s ideal knight.

I hope that you can nod in agreement that our methods are entirely correct…

—Abandoning the people who have lost their way, desiring to become a saint on one’s own—

"Stop!!”

Relying on the last of her reason, Saber blocked the black sword that fell heavily down; at the same time, she used all her strength to shout.

"Stop… please…”

Within the sound of sobbing, her knees fell weakly to the ground.

She couldn’t move; she had reached her limit. There was no way to defend against the next attack.

Perhaps this was the only salvation.

Since he was thus unwilling, thus filled with hatred—in that case, apart from using her body to receive the sharp sword that he swung, there was no other method of recompense.

At the exact moment that Saber decided to completely abandon resistance—suddenly, Berserker stopped moving.

Saber and Berserker could not have known that about ten seconds ago, the Crest Worms within the body of Kariya — who was hiding in the equipment room of the underground parking area – had ceased their activity. In order to sustain Berserker in the physical reality, the prana in Kariya’s body — which had already been in short supply — was absorbed in great amounts, and this need for prana was multiplied manifold when the final Noble Phantasm was unleashed. Finally, the Crest Worms were exhausted by their too-heavy burden.

And the backup prana, that could originally have sustained the Servant in physical form for several hours in the circumstance that the Master was not around, had also been consumed completely in ten seconds due to Berserker’s outburst (1). In this instant, the prana that drove this killing machine suddenly dried up, causing Berserker to come to an emergency halt as if having malfunctioned.

In the abrupt silence, Saber’s hand could clearly feel Berserker’s gradually fading heartbeat. The hilt of her sword tightly gripped in her hand, the sharp blade of her beloved sword pierced the black armor.

This ending was truly too ironic; who could have foreseen it?

In this fleeting instant, the victory had been decided; a slight feeling of greed made Saber ashamed of herself, and she could not but shed tears.

She knew that she should not have killed him, but had nevertheless struck a killing blow on this person that should not have been killed. Now Saber was only a prisoner to an idea—just like Diarmuid had rebuked her at the last moment, she who had stepped over countless corpses desired only the miracles of the wish-granting machine. This was the truest face of Saber in this moment.

"Even thus, I still want the Grail.”

Tears fell onto trembling gauntlets, mingling with the blood of Berserker which had slid down the blade.

"If I do not do this, my friend… If I do not do this, then I will be unable to give you any sort of recompense at all.”

"—Saddening indeed. Things have come to this, and you still make excuses to fight?”

A voice that inspired nostalgia.

She raised her head to look across. The knight’s gaze was just as it was before, calm as the tranquil surface of a lake as he looked upon the King’s tear-stained face. Having discarded the contract with his Master, in the time before he vanished, he had been released from the spell of madness.

"Lancelot…”

"Yes… Thank you. Perhaps, this is the only way I can convey my longing.”

Looking upon the sword that pierced his body with a gaze filled with compassion, Lancelot smiled wryly as he continued to speak.

"Actually… at that time I had hoped that you would personally punish me. My King… At that time I really wished that you would denounce me out of your own anger…”

The traitor knight, Lancelot who was called the culprit of the split of the Round Table — thus he spoke with sorrow to his only friend, who had never blamed him even until the very end.

"If I could have been punished by you… If you had demanded recompense from me… Then I would definitely believe in redemption… I would definitely believe that one day I can find a way to forgive myself. … The Queen is probably the same…”

This was—the regret of one man and one woman. They embraced the same ideal as the King, but because they had been too weak, they had not been able to carry this ideal through.

And these two people had, even in death, not been able to obtain salvation. They had blamed themselves deeply for having betrayed a most important person, and the burden of this self-blame they had carried for a lifetime.

Pain such as this—to whom could it have been told? Exactly what kind of admonishment, and dealt to whom, could have given them respite?

Sighing deeply, Lancelot relaxed his body, falling into the embrace of the King. The body in her arms was very light; Saber could not but feel a lump in her throat. The Servant’s gradually fading body seemed to be almost weightless.

"Even though it is in this way, in the end I still did borrow your chest…”

As if dreaming during a nap, the Knight of the Lake quietly whispered and sighed.

"To die in the King’s arms, before the King’s eyes… haha, like this it is really… as if I am a loyal knight…”

"You - shouldn't say that - "

Saber anxiously answered. Before he disappeared, there was something that she needed to tell him. She hoped that he would understand.

Not ‘as if’. It was ‘indeed is’.

She wanted to tell him, you are a loyal knight. No one knows better than I—the sincerity you devoted to the country, to the King.

So there was no more need for self-reproach. Even if it had been a mistake that was not allowed to be made—your character is not something that can be overturned by a single mistake.

I don’t want to shame you; I don’t want to lose you. Precisely because I have this wish, I can truly deny this so-called crime that you have committed.

These were Arturia’s true thoughts, but—could not become that knight’s salvation.

The knight closed his eyes as if sleeping soundly; his body was gradually dissipating. Saber saw that he was about to vanish, but nevertheless could not think of what would be the right thing to say.

"Lancelot, actually you…!”

You are not a sinner—but what significance would such words still hold for him?

Even if someone denied his crime, the one most caught up in this wrongdoing was not anyone else, but Lancelot himself.

Why had she been unaware of this lonely thought of his? Why had she been unable to release the noble spirit of this knight from a self-reproach that bordered on madness?

—A King will not understand someone else’s feelings—

These words that she had heard as she left the Round Table—who had spoken them?

The knight’s dead body did not say anything more; alongside the last remaining light, he vanished.

"—wait… wait… Lance—“

Staring at the crook of her arm that had lost its weight and was now empty, Saber began sobbing.

She could not even make a sound. She did not allow herself to make even the slightest sound. In the last moment that she had been facing a loyal knight, she had actually been unable to say even a word of reassurance—then what right had she to cry now?

A King can only be lonely and proud—

This she had said to herself; as she searched for the path to her kingdom’s salvation, exactly how many people’s opinions and troubles had she neglected?

Gawain who had heroically sacrificed himself, Galahad who had lost his life in the line of duty—what did they think of, in their last moment? Did they leave this world with the same regret and unwillingness? Why was she so certain that that was not true?

Saber cried soundlessly, tormented as if countless thorns were piercing her heart.

Could it be that she as a King should never have been high above—

If things had been thus, would it not have brought about a broken end? Could everyone be saved?

"... It isn’t finished.”

From her sobbing throat—that was the determined voice of a constantly victorious King.

"It can be compensated for… It’s not too late… I still have the Grail. I still have the miracle that can overturn fate…”

Leaning upon the sword of victory, Saber stood up.

Even if she was unable to listen to the hearts of people, even if she was rebuked for being a proud and aloof King—none of that mattered at all.

Even thus, as long as she could win the victory for her homeland and her subjects with her own hands, it would be enough—this was what she asked of herself, what she must do as a ‘King’.

As long as she could obtain the Grail, everything could be made up for; all the previous mistakes could be righted.

Now this belief was everything to Saber who had chosen the path of the King.

Covered with wounds, Saber stepped forward.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_6|Act 16, Part 6]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_8|Act 16, Part 8]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 6

2011-02-18T01:03:22Z

Sharingan0619:

=== -03:54:28 ===

The battle tactic analysis concerning Kotomine Kirei – was conducted based on information from Hisau Maiya, who had fought him twice.

He threw Black Keys for ranged battle. A single throw, together with preparatory movements, can be completed in 0.3 seconds. As for continuous throwing, it had been confirmed that he can complete four throws in 0.7 seconds. He can also attack without obstacles toward unconfirmed targets. The power of the blades, half-spiritual entities, can penetrate iron. Chances of a hit – 100% when he is using illusions.

He used Baji quan for melee fighting. Although the details were unclear, he was indeed at the level of an expert. He had seriously injured Maiya, who had a dagger, with just one blow. The destructive power of this kind of attack can snap a tree with two blows, and was extraordinarily dangerous.

The frock covering his entire body had been reinforced with bullet-proof materials and processed to protect against spells. It can defend against the impact and the penetration power of 9mm Parabellum bullets.

As for the result of pre-battle intelligence gathered from other fields – according to the magecraft teaching result report obtained from Tōsaka Tokiomi, Kotomine Kirei’s level of magecraft learning had not progressed beyond the degree of a beginner. His most outstanding skill was simply spiritual healing. If he were to use any effective measures during battle, then the only predictable one would be physical enhancement; his most adept skill, used to exert even greater physical strength.

Lastly, predicting his battle tactics.

Since Emiya Kiritsugu had thoroughly hid himself, the most information Kotomine Kirei could get to analyze Kiritsugu’s tactics would consist of rumors. The only battle in this Heaven’s Feel that forced Kiritsugu to use his ‘secret weapon’ was the fight against Lord El-Melloi. The bounded field of the Einzbern Castle at that time was still dense enough to prevent the Assassins from penetrating. Moreover, Kirei himself was tied down in the battle with Maiya and Irisivel during that time. In conclusion, it was impossible for Kirei to know about Innate Time Control and the ‘Origin Bullet’. It can be concluded that he would not have countermeasures for these.

– The above was all the information that Emiya Kiritsugu had gathered concerning the final decisive battle.

Firstly, their initial wave of attacks consists of Black Keys versus bullets. Of course, Kirei would be in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position. However, if he wanted to rely on magecraft to compensate for his lack in weaponry, then it would be very possible for Kirei to rush up fearlessly and shorten the distance between them.

At last, the Executor waved the wing-like six Black Keys and rushed toward Kiritsugu from the front. It seemed that he had made the defensive preparations for Kiritsugu’s bullets.

That was exactly what Kiritsugu had wanted. Kiritsugu could ensure the success of his killing blow precisely because Kirei had made defensive measure. It was because he was firing the magecraft bullet from his Mystic Code.

With the belief that the early bird gets the worm, Kiritsugu fired toward his opponent. Kirei should have been able to completely predict the trajectory of the bullet from Kiritsugu’s killing aura and preparatory actions. As a humanoid Shura, an Executor of the Holy Church, the quickness of Kirei’s mind far surpassed that of a bullet.

Kirei initiated a large scale magecraft.

The Black Keys that he grasped with both hands instantly swelled up into more than twice their original size. The half-spiritual blades, which were woven with magecraft to begin with, had extra prana instilled into them and were completely ‘strengthened’. Although the forceful execution of this spell evidently surpassed the limit of the weapons themselves, it was enough to handle one bullet. Kirei crossed the six enormous swords before his chest and held them in fan-like formation. The mighty destructive power of the .30-06 Springfield assault rifle bullet was completely sealed off in an instant.

The bullet was deflected away together with flying sparks. At the same time the Black Keys, which had been filled with too much prana, could no longer handle the heavy load and shattered completely.

This extraordinary skill, which allowed swords to surpass bullets, now became a wrong move. It was truly shocking that Kirei, who shouldn’t even have a Magic Crest, could exert such a surprising skill. But more importantly, this would allow the fatal destruction of Kirei’s Magic Circuits, which were currently serving as a sack full of energy. Due to Emiya Kiritsugu’s repulsion towards the ‘Origin’, Kirei’s flesh would instantly be annihilated due to the magecraft running rampant in his body – that was what was supposed to happen.

A rapidly approaching figure clad in black frock suddenly appeared within the fragments of the six Black Keys, which were scattering away. Kiritsugu couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

“Time alter——double accel!”

His body reacted sooner than his brain while he remained in shock. Kiritsugu chanted a spell.

Kiritsugu jumped backward at the last moment. Kirei’s right feet ferociously swept past the tip of Kiritsugu’s nose, and the left feet that followed up the attack didn’t land on Kiritsugu’s neck either. Kirei’s smooth roundhouse kicking attack completely missed its target under the confusion caused by Kiritsugu’s double-speed movement.

That was not within the scope of his predictions. The ‘Origin Bullet’ fired from his magecraft Contender gun was nullified – Kiritsugu couldn’t figure out the reason no matter what. Meanwhile, Kirei didn’t know the reason for Kiritsugu’s surprise. Even Kirei wouldn’t have imagined that the uniqueness of his magecraft had surprisingly nullified Kiritsugu’s killing blow.

Kirei had never been an orthodox magus. Kirei, whose Magic Circuits were yet to be developed properly, only obtained a source of prana through utilizing the spare Command Seals he received from Risei so he could instantly learn how to use magecraft. Although the characteristics of the Command Seals meant they were disposables which would disappear upon use, it had managed to save Kirei at the end. The moment that the magecraft was activated and the ‘Origin Bullet’ made contact to exert the effect, the Command Seal that served as the source of prana had simply disappeared from Kirei’s arm.

Having his one-turn-kill plan completely disrupted, Kiritsugu could only progress onto his next step. He did not expect the opponent to attack back. Although in terms of the result, Kirei’s attack would only be a waste of efforts, the overwhelming destructive power of his martial arts was evident. This man is a high-level martial artist, and Kiritsugu won’t have any chances of victory if he was pulled into melee fighting with him.

Kiritsugu ignored the damage Innate Time Control gave him as a side effect and maintained its activation and escaped Kirei’s range at once. Firstly, he had to increase the distance between them, otherwise he would have no chance. Kiritsugu would be able to deal with Kirei if the other simply threw Black Keys, but the current competition had become an authentic contest of ‘distance’. Kiritsugu was retreating, while Kirei was advancing. Since the ideal distance for them to initiate an attack differed between the two men, now they could only compete their speed on foot.

The power of mobility that Innate Time Control gave to him was Kiritsugu’s most reliable defence. Firstly, a certain distance was needed to fill the Contender bullets. As long As Kiritsugu was at a relatively close distance where his enemy’s fists won’t hit him, but at the same time won’t be able to predict the bullet’s path and thus escape, then he would be able to surely finish the enemy this time. Even if the bullet contained no magecraft, the bulletproof vests that the enemy wore which had been mentioned in Maiya’s report would be not able to stop the innate penetration power of these hunting bullets that can kill even large beasts in one shot. Though he understood that the continuous activation of Innate Time Control was nothing less than suicide, he had no other choices at this moment.

However – Even then, Kiritsugu still underestimated the man Kotomine Kirei.

It wasn’t due to Kiritsugu’s overly-fast speed or a miscalculation that caused Kirei’s roundhouse kick to go off the mark. Kiritsugu’s movement wasn’t so nimble that Kirei was completely unable to grasp it. Once he understood that Kiritsugu was only moving at twice the speed of normal human – Kirei also made appropriate calculations.

Therefore, Kiritsugu immediately experienced surprised for the second time.

The space between them was more than five steps. The tall Executor took a slight step forward, and shortened this seemingly safe distance. This step, which sneaked toward the enemy along the ground without announcing its speed, was called ‘the moving stance’. It was also one of the dangerous secret skills of Baji Quan.

The tall, frock-clad figure slid in front of Kiritsugu like a Reaper, while Kiritsugu was shivering all over. Baji Quan can exert its greatest power at this distance. Kirei’s fist smashed down heavily toward the enemy with the power to reach infinity in all eight directions…

Kirei stepped forward. The concrete floor boomed under the impact, and the heavily planted forward fist smashed against Kiritsugu’s chest like a rock. Using the ‘Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards’ style, Kirei’s single blow had the same power as a grenade exploding in front of someone’s chest. Kiritsusu’s body, which took the full force of the blow, flew out into the air like a strand of hay and slammed into the support pillars that crowded the room. He never had the chance to defend himself. His thoracic cavity tore apart under the heavy hit of Kirei’s iron fist, and his lung and heart were pounded into nothing more than a mesh of meat.

Kirei remained clutching his fist and experienced the feel of death on his hand, and at the same time sighed slowly. Even a fight to the death, in which every second mattered, took only one moment to decide the victor. He experienced an emptiness that he had never felt before the moment he attained victory. This had originally been an end that he had pursued with a crazed fervor.

This lethargy made Kirei’s focus dull. He didn’t know that the opponent would actually sneak in an attack at this momentary gap. Nor did he realize that he would be the next to experience surprise.

There was a piercing pain between his brows, and the splashing red covered his field of sight.

The sound of gunfire beside his ears made Kirei instinctively raise his arms to shield his head before he understood what was going on. A rain of 9mm bullets was mercilessly showered upon him. The sleeves, which were made of Kevlar and covered in protective sigils, barely managed against the force of the bullets. Kirei was stunned.

Even Kiritsugu did not expect himself to be revived. He had already been prepared to die when Kirei neared him. In truth, Kiritsugu’s heart and lungs had indeed been completely destroyed, and the best he could manage should have been a final struggle.

However, seconds before his blood-deprived brain was about to die due to lack of oxygen, the heavy and uncontrollable injury on his body had healed completely by itself. Of course, Kiritsugu didn’t use any healing magecraft. Nonetheless, Kiritsugu had no doubts concerning this shocking miracle. He immediately understood what was going on.

The Noble Phantasm, Avalon – the holy relic that had summoned Saber and had been kept by Old Man Acht, the sheath of the holy sword that had protected Irisviel’s body for so long. Kiritsugu obtained this sheath when he separated from his wife, this sword sheath that can prevent aging and possess a mighty healing power. Since it had been sealed inside Kiritsugu’s body, who was Saber’s authentic Master, the sheath could obtain prana from Saber and exert its effect in full according to the contract.

Although Kiritsugu understood its ability, he had never confirmed it with his own eyes. Therefore, he did not expect the sheath to be able to heal fatal injuries. The current situation was completely unpredicted for him. Kiritsugu was indeed admirable; he began to consider battle tactics as soon as he realized that he had been revived. He didn’t open his eyes, and he suppressed the urge to cough as his body began to breathe again, and pretended to be dead while waiting for the chance to launch a surprise attack.

Unfortunately, the Contender in his right hand still needed a bullet to fill it. If he were really to attack the other at unawares, then he could only use his left hand to take out the short automatic machine gun from the holster on his chest and fire. However, since Kirei’s strategies against bullets were perfect, Kiritsugu must aim at his head if he were to have a chance at victory.

It was awkward angle, and he could only fire instinctively. Moreover, the target was very small. Kiritsugu, who was a master shooter, managed a hit even though these three obstacles presented themselves before them. However, though the bullet hit its target, Kirei’s head was not shot through. Only the skin on his brow was scraped. Bullets can easily be deflected off their effective angles since the skull was made of curves, and therefore it is a rule in real battles to avoid aiming at the head.

Kiritsugu adjusted the machine gun into full automatic mode after he understood his surprise attack had failed, and sealed Kirei’s movements using a tight wall of suppressive fire. At the same time, he used his right hand to take out the empty shell in the Contender’s barrel. Although it was hard to use only his left hand to control the machine gun’s kickback inertia, which was as ferocious and wild like an untamed horse, Kiritsugu’s right hand still managed to fluently carry out a series of movements. It was as if he had trained himself into a war machine.

What was more worthy of praise was his strength of mind. Even though his two hands were engaged in two completely different tasks, he actually managed to chant out a spell with a superhuman concentration.

“Time alter——double accel!”

The time within his body changed. Kiritsugu threw everything to the wind in order to maximally use the tiny gap that he had managed to steal from this strong enemy.

He drove his accelerated limbs and leapt up from the ground, jumping backwards to further the distance. The machine gun ran out of bullets. Kirei adjusted his pose. Kiritsugu threw away the machine gun and grabbed a .30-06 bullet with his now empty left hand. Kirei loomed near. With a near-flight speed – Kiritsugu filled the Contender’s open barrel with the bullet. He closed the barrel half-way, took aim –

A space of three steps separated him from Kirei’s iron fists.

The Contender once again let out a furious roar. Kirei had no time to dodge, nor did he have time to pull out Black Keys.

Actually, Kirei never intended to dodge.

Kirei once again activated his Command Seals the moment he stepped toward Kiritsugu. He strengthened his physical abilities – he accelerated his reaction time and multiplied the maximum power output of his right flexor, radius muscle, and Pronator teres muscle. There was no time to strengthen the sleeve of the bulletproof frock. The rest depended on his skill.

Kirei moved his right arm again before the Contender shot out a bullet. His arm, having transformed into a lethal megacraft Mystic Code, carved a spiral in the air and a tornado roared into being.

This movement became a spiralling force. It had originally been a defensive skill to nullify the opponent’s fits, but it had been performed at an extraordinary speed after the prana of two Command Seals had been infused into it.

The bullet, which left the barrel at a speed of 2500 inches per second, was wrapped into the spiral that moved at a divine speed. Even so, the .30-06 bullet still kept a straight path. It tore apart the Kevlar sleeves and clashed viciously with Kirei’s hardened arm, emitting alien sounds like the clash of two mill stones.

The scattering sparks distorted the usual laws of physics. It was a supernatural phenomena where the approximately 3000 pound per inch kinetic energy bended its knees to the power of prana. Kiritsugu felt a chill creeping up his skin as he watched the second Contender bullet had its trajectory forcibly changed and flew off toward the distance.

Monster – he didn’t know how to describe this man apart from that word. At this moment, Kotomine Kirei’s battle prowess could probably be considered that of a desperate man. Just what kind of a willpower was required for a living man to drill his own body into such a terrifying lethal weapon?

A piercing pain suddenly invaded his entire body. With a moan, Kiritsugu stumbled. His body had reached its limit due to the continuous activation of Innate Time Control. The blood vessels all around his body had ruptured, and the bones in his limbs also began to fracture due to having borne an unimaginable burden.

However, Kirei did not follow up his attack during this pause. He remained where he stood and did not move, as if he was observing the opponent’s next move. Large amounts of blood gushed out of his right arm where the frock sleeve was torn. It was probably because he had used too much prana with his unskilled method. His right arm, which had been overly strengthened by magecraft, was severely wounded as the price for having blocked the Contender’s blow.

The two men kept their disdainful eyes on each other, and analyzed the situation as they each thought of their next move.

According to Kirei’s analysis, Kiritsugu’s strategy – consisted of a magecraft that can accelerate his movement and a healing power that could even revive the caster even if the heart was destroyed. In other words, Kirei had to admit that he could not win no matter how heavy a wound he may deal to the enemy, unless he could destroy Kiritsugu’s brain with one blow. As for himself… his right arm had been damaged from the muscle to the bone, and he could only manage one more blow even if he was prepared to shatter his entire right fist. On the other hand, although the wound on his forehead wasn’t deep, the blood that seeped out had affected the sight of his left eye. The bulletproof ability of the frock had also been severely reduced since he had been shot at multiple times, and only the protective sigils close to his body remained intact. He had twelve Black Keys and eight Command Seals left.

According to Kiritsugu’s analysis, Kirei’s strategy – consisted of an unknown prana source that can nullify his ‘Origin Bullet’, and his ultimate Baji Quan skills. Melee fighting would be extremely disadvantageous for him. As for himself… he had lost his machine gun and the Contender needed to be filed again. His remaining weapons consist of one dagger and two grenades. The heavy wound that his chest had obtained at first had all but healed and won’t affect his movements, but he didn’t know about the damage caused by Innate Time Control –

Kiritsugu finally felt that there was something different when he attempted to tighten the muscles on his arms and legs.

He could move them; there were no difficulties. The bones which had definitely snapped a while ago were now in perfect condition, as if they had never been damaged – no, he could still feel the echo of that pain in his body, but there were no injuries.

“… I see.”

Kiritsugu finally understood the true worth of this trump card within his body. It seemed Avalon not only could heal injuries dealt by his enemies, but also the damages dealt by himself. This discovery gave Kiritsugu, whom had fallen into a desperate situation by fighting with an unimaginably strong enemy, the greatest confidence in the world.

Which means –

“Time alter——triple accel!”

Kiritsugu boldly leapt toward Kirei at the same time that he muttered that forbidden spell. His completely unpredictable acceleration caught Kirei off-guard. One blow from the hardened walnut wood smashed Kirei’s right radius and ulna. This time, his right arm was completely ruined.

As the same time that he struck out viciously with his right arm, Kiritsugu drew out the dagger by his waist using his left hand. He concluded that it didn’t matter how great a threat Kirei’s martial art skills may prove to be; victory would belong to Kiritsugu as long as he kept moving at three times the speed of a normal human. Using Innate Time Control in this way would ordinarily be suicide, but he could now use it to its full potential as a strategic weapon thanks to the protection of Saber’s sheath.

Kirei dodged the upward stab as the dagger was removed from its sheath, and used his left arm to block the downward slash and backhand horizontal swing Kiritsugu followed up with. However, Kiritsugu edged toward Kirei’s left side using these three attacks, and prepared to use Kirei’s blind spot – due to his left eye’s ruined eyesight – as his advantage. As long as he stayed to the enemy’s left side, Kiritsugu would have all the chances in the world to successfully succumb Kirei from his blind spot.

Kiritsugu’s sharp blade crept nearer, but Kirei didn’t turn and used his left side of the body to block everything. Turning around would have been pointless; his broken right arm could not possibly block Kiritsugu’s dagger. Therefore, though it was very disadvantageous for Kirei to use his left side of the body to defend himself, he had no other choices.

The dagger attacked continuously as it flashed with a chilling light. Ordinary humans would never have been able to see Kiritsugu’s movement, and could only have captured the lighting-like residual images of the dagger. However, Kirei blocked every single attack using just his left hand. Kirei, who easily defended himself even when faced with attacks made at three times the speed of normal humans, terrified Kiritsugu. There were a few attacks that Kirei would never have seen coming with his eyes, but the Executor’s left arm made effective defences as if it had grown eyes.

“Could this be the idea of – ‘hearing’ a move!?”

Kiritsugu only had a vague impression of this phrase. It had been said that when a martial artist had reached a certain advanced state in his skills, he wouldn’t need eyesight to detect the enemy’s movement. He could predict the opponent’s next move purely on the brief moment when his arm touched that of his opponent.

Then the attacks from his blind spot had also been rendered pointless. Since the direction the attacks were coming front weren’t changing, Kirei could block them even if he couldn’t see them. This man’s skills made him someone who wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even when put under the duress of speed.

Kiritsugu’s arms, legs, and heart let out sad screams of excruciating pain with every swing of the dagger. The adverse effect of Innate Time Control was also mercilessly tearing apart Kiritsugu’s flesh. At the same time, Avalon was also fixing the damage. Regardless of how Saber herself had used it, the sheath was only ‘healing’ Kiritsugu while in his body; in other words, it was only nullifying the ‘damages received’. That meant the excruciating pain of torn tendons and snapped bones were tormenting Kiritsugu’s nerves every single moment.

Even so, Kiritsugu did not hesitate. There was no need to hesitate. As long as his body could maintain its functions, he didn’t need to pay any attention to what he was feeling. Kiritsugu bet everything on the effect of the sheath of the holy sword, and continued to accelerate against the normal time flow as if his life depended on it.

“Whoaaaaaaaaa!!”

Kiritsugu’s body was reborn at the same time as it was dying. Kiritsugu shrieked out of agony while he swung his dagger, aiming for the enemy before him. His blood vessels, which endlessly repeated a cycle of rupture and repair, shed out sanguineous mists with his every move.

Kirei suddenly changed his feet stance, and rolled forward towards his left. Kiritsugu had thought that the enemy’s ability to ‘hear’ a move had been pushed to its limit, but Kirei unexpectedly used his feet to hook one of Kiritsugu’s legs from the inside. This legword was named ‘the locking stance’. Kiritsugu immediately stumbled backwards. After he finally managed to balance himself, he realized that heavy blow from Kirei was fast approaching. However, since his weight had shifted backwards, he would definitely be hit.

If so – Kiritsugu squeezed out a spell from his throat that was frothing with blood.

“Time alter ——square accel!”

The explosive pain boiled into every part of his senses. Kiritsugu leapt up and backwards, and turned in mid-air to escape out of Kirei’s range of attack. At the same time, he threw out the dagger in his left hand with all the strength in his body. Faced with this shocking repeated acceleration, Kirei couldn’t dodge no matter how good his ‘move-hearing’ skills were. The dagger tore through air and flew toward Kirei’s thigh. The Kevlar fibres were pierced through and the sharp blade stabbed deep into flesh.

Kiritsugu maintained his four-time acceleration and continued to leap backwards as if there was a throttle equipped on him. He had moved about ten meters away from Kirei in the blink of an eye. Kirei took the opportunity to take out a Black Key and throw at him, but Kiritsugu dodged it with ease and began to refill the Contender at the same time.

He pulled it and opened the barrel.

Kirei rushed up. He paid no attention to the dagger, which was still sticking out of his left leg. Even the fact that the sharp blade was tearing the wound open wider as he ran did not cause him to hesitate any.

The expelled cartridge danced in the air; the light of the golden bronze sparkled.

Kirei pulled out four Black Keys with his left hand. That was the limit to the number he can wield in one hand.

Kiritsugu put the new bullet into the barrel. The bullet slide in easily, but this split second had seemed so long in the quadruple-accelerated time.

Kirei threw his Black Keys, not to the front, but upwards. The four sharp blades danced in the air beneath the tall ceiling of the large prop warehouse like boomerangs. Kirei didn’t plan to use the Black Keys for a normal attack; Kiritsugu didn’t know his intentions. Moreover, there was no time to ponder Kirei’s intention at this moment.

With one flick upwards, the gun barrel was closed. The Contender once again transformed into that heinous murder weapon.

Kirei was getting close. He again used his martial art stances to shorten the distance between him and Kiritsugu, but he won’t be getting any nearer. Right now, Kiritsugu would definitely be able to dodge him and fire at the same time.

The Black Keys landed from above him. Kiritsugu finally perceived Kirei’s tactics when the four sharp blades surrounded him in all directions like a bird cage.

Sealing his movements – if Kiritsugu wanted to dodge Kirei’s sudden advance, there the sharp blades of the Black Keys would be waiting for him no matter where he moved toward. Kirei’s intention had always been to seal Kiritsugu’s movements when he threw the Black Keys.

The only way to stay alive was to fire before he was attacked.

Kiritsugu aimed with Contender. There was no need to be anxious, no need to be fearful. All he needed to do was focus on firing at the enemy in front of him.

Kirei stepped on the ground viciously with his right foot and leapt forward. This leap equalled to about five normal steps. His left foot would likely be broken the moment he land, but it didn’t matter; the following blow would decide the victor. There was no need to hold back; his entire body had been fully prepared. His goal was to perform one of the Eight Grand Openings – The Standing Upward Cannon. The smashing upper hook would definitely shatter the opponent’s skull into pieces.

I will win – both men believed firmly in that.

I will die – both men understood that fact.

The fist and the gun that contained the will for a sure kill finally completed their last exchange.

Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei, who were deeply engrossed in battle, did not notice the abnormality above them.

Directly above the big prop warehouse where the two men were, Irisviel’s already-cold corpse was placed upon the raised stage of the music hall.

As the ‘Guardian’, she had almost lost all signs of life. The organs within her body had already reverted to the form of the Vessel of the Grail, and was waiting to recollect the souls of the remaining Servants.

After Archer’s victory, this vessel had finally absorbed the soul of the fourth Servant.

The sealing enchantment had already disappeared. Having gathered enormous amounts of prana, its residual waves brought scorching heat to its surroundings.

The corpse of the beautiful homunculus was completely consumed by the heat in the blink of an eye, and was reduced to ashes. That was not all. The golden cup that had contacted the outside air charred the floor and the curtains, and roaring flames enveloped the completely empty stage.

On the stage where the fire was raging ever wilder, the golden cup floated in the air as if it was upheld by a pair of invisible hands. The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Grail, which the Three Noble Families of the Beginning had desired so much, had begun silently even without the presence of a priest.

Then – a gap no wider than the width of a hair, so minute and almost invisible, appeared on the ‘Gate’ that remained tightly closed. Through this tiny gap, something beyond the Gate silently seeped into the Holy Grail.

That thing seemed very similar to ‘mud’. It was black, simply and only black, a ‘thing’ that seemed like mud.

The thing that seeped into the Holy Grail suddenly overflew by one drop, then another drop. It soon became a thin black line. Like a crack that had appeared on a dam, the black torrents soon completely overflew out of the vessel and drained toward the stage floor.

The strength of the stage floor could not bear that inky black thing at all. The dirty mud seeped into the brand new building materials, eroding them, and flew even deeper like how the waters from melted snow seep into land.

The moment that the trigger of the magecraft gun was pressed –

The moment the floor moaned from the heavy step –

In that moment, Kiritsugu only saw Kirei, and Kirei only saw Kiritsugu.

The two of them did not detect that thing, which dribbled down through the ceiling, even till the end.

At that brief moment between life and death, the two men were drenched with the black dirty mud that descended from above.

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| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_5|Act 16, Part 5]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_7|Act 16, Part 7]]
|-
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</noinclude>

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 6

2011-02-18T00:55:29Z

Sharingan0619: act 16 part 6

=== -03:54:28 ===

The battle tactic analysis concerning Kotomine Kirei – was conducted based on information from Hisau Maiya, who had fought him twice.

He threw Black Keys for ranged battle. A single throw, together with preparatory movements, can be completed in 0.3 seconds. As for continuous throwing, it had been confirmed that he can complete four throws in 0.7 seconds. He can also attack without obstacles toward unconfirmed targets. The power of the blades, a half-spiritual entity, can penetrate iron. Chances of a hit – 100% when he is using illusions.

He used Baji quan for melee fighting. Although the details were unclear, he was indeed at the level of an expert. He had seriously injured Maiya, who had a dagger, with just one blow. The destructive power of this kind of attack can snap a tree with two blows, and was extraordinarily dangerous.

The frock covering his entire body had been reinforced with bullet-proof materials and processed to protect against spells. It can defend against the impact and the penetration power of 9mm Parabellum bullets.

As for the result of pre-battle intelligence gathered from other fields – according to the magecraft teaching result report obtained from Tōsaka Tokiomi, Kotomine Kirei’s level of magecraft learning had not progressed beyond the degree of a beginner. His most outstanding skill was simply spiritual healing. If he were to use any effective measures during battle, then the only predictable one would be physical enhancement; his most adept skill, used to exert even greater physical strength.

Lastly, predicting his battle tactics.

Since Emiya Kiritsugu had thoroughly hid himself, the most information Kotomine Kirei could get to analyse Kiritsugu’s tactics would consist of rumours. The only battle in this Heaven’s Feel that forced Kiritsugu to use his ‘secret weapon’ was the fight against Lord El-Melloi. The bounded field of the Einsbern Castle at that time was still dense enough to prevent the Assassins from penetrating. Moreover, Kirei himself was tied down in the battle with Maiya and Irisivel during that time. In conclusion, it was impossible for Kirei to know about Innate Time Control and the ‘Origin Bullet’. It can be concluded that he would not have countermeasures for these.

– The above was all the information that Emiya Kiritsugu had gathered concerning the final decisive battle.

Firstly, their initial wave of attacks consists of Black Keys versus bullets. Of course, Kirei would be in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position. However, if he wanted to rely on magecraft to compensate for his lack in weaponry, then it would be very possible for Kirei to rush up fearlessly and shorten the distance between them.

At last, the Executor waved the wing-like six Black Keys and rushed toward Kiritsugu from the front. It seemed that he had made the defensive preparations for Kiritsugu’s bullets.

That was exactly what Kiritsugu had wanted. Kiritsugu could ensure the success of his killing blow precisely because Kirei had made defensive measure. It was because he was firing the magecraft bullet from his Mystic Code.

With the belief that the early bird gets the worm, Kiritsugu fired toward his opponent. Kirei should have been able to completely predict the trajectory of the bullet from Kiritsugu’s killing aura and preparatory actions. As a humanoid Shura, an Executor of the Holy Church, the quickness of Kirei’s mind far surpassed that of a bullet.

Kirei initiated a large scale magecraft.

The Black Keys that he grasped with both hands instantly swelled up into more than twice their original size. The half-spiritual blades, which were woven with magecraft to begin with, had extra prana instilled into them and were completely ‘strengthened’. Although the forceful execution of this spell evidently surpassed the limit of the weapons themselves, it was enough to handle one bullet. Kirei crossed the six enormous swords before his chest and held them in fan-like formation. The mighty destructive power of the .30-06 Springfield assault rifle bullet was completely sealed off in an instant.

The bullet was deflected away together with flying sparks. At the same time the Black Keys, which had been filled with too much prana, could no longer handle the heavy load and shattered completely.

This extraordinary skill, which allowed swords to surpass bullets, now became a wrong move. It was truly shocking that Kirei, who shouldn’t even have a Magic Crest, could exert such a surprising skill. But more importantly, this would allow the fatal destruction of Kirei’s Magic Circuits, which were currently serving as a sack full of energy. Due to Emiya Kiritsugu’s repulsion towards the ‘Origin’, Kirei’s flesh would instantly be annihilated due to the magecraft running rampant in his body – that was what was supposed to happen.

A rapidly approaching figure clad in black frock suddenly appeared within the fragments of the six Black Keys, which were scattering away. Kiritsugu couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

“Time alter——double accel!”

His body reacted sooner than his brain while he remained in shock. Kiritsugu chanted a spell.

Kiritsugu jumped backward at the last moment. Kirei’s right feet ferociously swept past the tip of Kiritsugu’s nose, and the left feet that followed up the attack didn’t land on Kiritsugu’s neck either. Kirei’s smooth roundhouse kicking attack completely missed its target under the confusion caused by Kiritsugu’s double-speed movement.

That was not within the scope of his predictions. The ‘Origin Bullet’ fired from his magecraft Contender gun was nullified – Kiritsugu couldn’t figure out the reason no matter what. Meanwhile, Kirei didn’t know the reason for Kiritsugu’s surprise. Even Kirei wouldn’t have imagined that the uniqueness of his magecraft had surprisingly nullified Kiritsugu’s killing blow.

Kirei had never been an orthodox magus. Kirei, whose Magic Circuits were yet to be developed properly, only obtained a source of prana through utilizing the spare Command Seals he received from Risei so he could instantly learn how to use magecraft. Although the characteristics of the Command Seals meant they were disposables which would disappear upon use, it had managed to save Kirei at the end. The moment that the magecraft was activated and the ‘Origin Bullet’ made contact to exert the effect, the Command Seal that served as the source of prana had simply disappeared from Kirei’s arm.

Having his one-turn-kill plan completely disrupted, Kiritsugu could only progress onto his next step. He did not expect the opponent to attack back. Although in terms of the result, Kirei’s attack would only be a waste of efforts, the overwhelming destructive power of his martial arts was evident. This man is a high-level martial artist, and Kiritsugu won’t have any chances of victory if he was pulled into melee fighting with him.

Kiritsugu ignored the damage Innate Time Control gave him as a side effect and maintained its activation and escaped Kirei’s range at once. Firstly, he had to increase the distance between them, otherwise he would have no chance. Kiritsugu would be able to deal with Kirei if the other simply threw Black Keys, but the current competition had become an authentic contest of ‘distance’. Kiritsugu was retreating, while Kirei was advancing. Since the ideal distance for them to initiate an attack differed between the two men, now they could only compete their speed on foot.

The power of mobility Innate Time Control gave to him was Kiritsugu’s most reliable defence. Firstly, a certain distance was needed to fill the Contender bullets. As long As Kiritsugu was at a relatively close distance where his enemy’s fists won’t hit him, but at the same time won’t be able to predict the bullet’s path and thus escape, then he would be able to surely finish the enemy this time. Even if the bullet contained no magecraft, the bulletproof vests that the enemy wore which had been mentioned in Maiya’s report would be not able to stop the innate penetration power of these hunting bullets that can kill even large beasts in one shot. Though he understood that the continuous activation of Innate Time Control was nothing less than suicide, he had no other choices at this moment.

However – Even then, Kiritsugu still underestimated the man Kotomine Kirei.

It wasn’t due to Kiritsugu’s overly-fast speed or a miscalculation that caused Kirei’s roundhouse kick to go off the mark. Kiritsugu’s movement wasn’t so nimble that Kirei was completely unable to grasp it. Once he understood that Kiritsugu was only moving at twice the speed of normal human – Kirei also made appropriate calculations.

Therefore, Kiritsugu immediately experienced surprised for the second time.

The space between them was more than five steps. The tall Executor took a slight step forward, and shortened this seemingly safe distance. This step, which sneaked toward the enemy along the ground without announcing its speed, was called ‘the moving stance’. It was also one of the dangerous secret skills of Baji Quan.

The tall, frock-clad figure slid in front of Kiritsugu like a Reaper, while Kiritsugu was shivering all over. Baji Quan can exert its greatest power at this distance. Kirei’s fist smashed down heavily toward the enemy with the power to reach infinity in all eight directions…

Kirei stepped forward. The concrete floor boomed under the impact, and the heavily planted forward fist smashed against Kiritsugu’s chest like a rock. Using the ‘Eight Postures of the Buddha Guards’ style, Kirei’s single blow had the same power as a grenade exploding in front of someone’s chest. Kiritsusu’s body, which took the full force of the blow, flew out into the air like a strand of hay and slammed into the support pillars that crowded the room. He never had the chance to defend himself. His thoracic cavity tore apart under the heavy hit of Kirei’s iron fist, and his lung and heart were pounded into nothing more than a mesh of meat.

Kirei remained clutching his fist and experienced the feel of death on his hand, and at the same time sighed slowly. Even a fight to the death, in which every second mattered, took only one moment to decide the victor. He experienced an emptiness that he had never felt before the moment he attained victory. This had originally been an end that he had pursued with a crazed fervor.

This lethargy made Kirei’s focus dull. He didn’t know that the opponent would actually sneak in an attack at this momentary gap. Nor did he realize that he would be the next to experience surprise.

There was a piercing pain between his brows, and the splashing red covered his field of sight.

The sound of gunfire beside his ears made Kirei instinctively raise his arms to shield his head before he understood what was going on. A rain of 9mm bullets was mercilessly showered upon him. The sleeves, which were made of Kevlar and covered in protective sigils, barely managed against the force of the bullets. Kirei was stunned.

Even Kiritsugu did not expect himself to be revived. He had already been prepared to die when Kirei neared him. In truth, Kiritsugu’s heart and lungs had indeed been completely destroyed, and the best he could manage should have been a final struggle.

However, seconds before his blood-deprived brain was about to die due to lack of oxygen, the heavy and uncontrollable injury on his body had healed completely by itself. Of course, Kiritsugu didn’t use any healing magecraft. Nonetheless, Kiritsugu had no doubts concerning this shocking miracle. He immediately understood what was going on.

The Noble Phantasm, Avalon – the holy relic that had summoned Saber and had been kept by Old Man Acht, the sheath of the holy sword that had protected Irisviel’s body for so long. Kiritsugu obtained this sheath when he separated from his wife, this sword sheath that can prevent aging and possess a mighty healing power. Since it had been sealed inside Kiritsugu’s body, who was Saber’s authentic Master, the sheath could obtain prana from Saber and exert its effect in full according to the contract.

Although Kiritsugu understood its ability, he had never confirmed it with his own eyes. Therefore, he did not expect the sheath to be able to heal fatal injuries. The current situation was completely unpredicted for him. Kiritsugu was indeed admirable; he began to consider battle tactics as soon as he realized that he had been revived. He didn’t open his eyes, and he suppressed the urge to cough as his body began to breathe again, and pretended to be dead while waiting for the chance to launch a surprise attack.

Unfortunately, the Contender in his right hand still needed a bullet to fill it. If he were really to attack the other at unawares, then he could only use his left hand to take out the short automatic machine gun from the holster on his chest and fire. However, since Kirei’s strategies against bullets were perfect, Kiritsugu must aim at his head if he were to have a chance at victory.

It was awkward angle, and he could only fire instinctively. Moreover, the target was very small. Kiritsugu, who was a master shooter, managed a hit even though these three obstacles presented themselves before them. However, though the bullet hit its target, Kirei’s head was not shot through. Only the skin on his brow was scraped. Bullets can easily be deflected off their effective angles since the skull was made of curves, and therefore it is a rule in real battles to avoid aiming at the head.

Kiritsugu adjusted the machine gun into full automatic mode after he understood his surprise attack had failed, and sealed Kirei’s movements using a tight wall of suppressive fire. At the same time, he used his right hand to take out the empty shell in the Contender’s barrel. Although it was hard to use only his left hand to control the machine gun’s kickback inertia, which was as ferocious and wild like an untamed horse, Kiritsugu’s right hand still managed to fluently carry out a series of movements. It was as if he had trained himself into a war machine.

What was more worthy of praise was his strength of mind. Even though his two hands were engaged in two completely different tasks, he actually managed to chant out a spell with a superhuman concentration.

“Time alter——double accel!”

The time within his body changed. Kiritsugu threw everything to the wind in order to maximally use the tiny gap that he had managed to steal from this strong enemy.

He drove his accelerated limbs and leapt up from the ground, jumping backwards to further the distance. The machine gun ran out of bullets. Kirei adjusted his pose. Kiritsugu threw away the machine gun and grabbed a .30-06 bullet with his now empty left hand. Kirei loomed near. With a near-flight speed – Kiritsugu filled the Contender’s open barrel with the bullet. He closed the barrel half-way, took aim –

A space of three steps separated him from Kirei’s iron fists.

The Contender once again let out a furious roar. Kirei had no time to dodge, nor did he have time to pull out Black Keys.

Actually, Kirei never intended to dodge.

Kirei once again activated his Command Seals the moment he stepped toward Kiritsugu. He strengthened his physical abilities – he accelerated his reaction time and multiplied the maximum power output of his right flexor, radius muscle, and Pronator teres muscle. There was no time to strengthen the sleeve of the bulletproof frock. The rest depended on his skill.

Kirei moved his right arm again before the Contender shot out a bullet. His arm, having transformed into a lethal megacraft Mystic Code, carved a spiral in the air and a tornado roared into being.

This movement became a spiralling force. It had originally been a defensive skill to nullify the opponent’s fits, but it had been performed at an extraordinary speed after the prana of two Command Seals had been infused into it.

The bullet, which left the barrel at a speed of 2500 inches per second, was wrapped into the spiral that moved at a divine speed. Even so, the .30-06 bullet still kept a straight path. It tore apart the Kevlar sleeves and clashed viciously with Kirei’s hardened arm, emitting alien sounds like the clash of two mill stones.

The scattering sparks distorted the usual laws of physics. It was a supernatural phenomena where the approximately 3000 pound per inch kinetic energy bended its knees to the power of prana. Kiritsugu felt a chill creeping up his skin as he watched the second Contender bullet had its trajectory forcibly changed and flew off toward the distance.

Monster – he didn’t know how to describe this man apart from that word. At this moment, Kotomine Kirei’s battle prowess could probably be considered that of a desperate man. Just what kind of a willpower was required for a living man to drill his own body into such a terrifying lethal weapon?

A piercing pain suddenly invaded his entire body. With a moan, Kiritsugu stumbled. His body had reached its limit due to the continuous activation of Innate Time Control. The blood vessels all around his body had ruptured, and the bones in his limbs also began to fracture due to having borne an unimaginable burden.

However, Kirei did not follow up his attack during this pause. He remained where he stood and did not move, as if he was observing the opponent’s next move. Large amounts of blood gushed out of his right arm where the frock sleeve was torn. It was probably because he had used too much prana with his unskilled method. His right arm, which had been overly strengthened by magecraft, was severely wounded as the price for having blocked the Contender’s blow.

The two men kept their disdainful eyes on each other, and analyzed the situation as they each thought of their next move.

According to Kirei’s analysis, Kiritsugu’s strategy – consisted of a magecraft that can accelerate his movement and a healing power that could even revive the caster even if the heart was destroyed. In other words, Kirei had to admit that he could not win no matter how heavy a wound he may deal to the enemy, unless he could destroy Kiritsugu’s brain with one blow. As for himself… his right arm had been damaged from the muscle to the bone, and he could only manage one more blow even if he was prepared to shatter his entire right fist. On the other hand, although the wound on his forehead wasn’t deep, the blood that seeped out had affected the sight of his left eye. The bulletproof ability of the frock had also been severely reduced since he had been shot at multiple times, and only the protective sigils close to his body remained intact. He had twelve Black Keys and eight Command Seals left.

According to Kiritsugu’s analysis, Kirei’s strategy – consisted of an unknown prana source that can nullify his ‘Origin Bullet’, and his ultimate Baji Quan skills. Melee fighting would be extremely disadvantageous for him. As for himself… he had lost his machine gun and the Contender needed to be filed again. His remaining weapons consist of one dagger and two grenades. The heavy wound that his chest had obtained at first had all but healed and won’t affect his movements, but he didn’t know about the damage caused by Innate Time Control –

Kiritsugu finally felt that there was something different when he attempted to tighten the muscles on his arms and legs.

He could move them; there were no difficulties. The bones which had definitely snapped a while ago were now in perfect condition, as if they had never been damaged – no, he could still feel the echo of that pain in his body, but there were no injuries.

“… I see.”

Kiritsugu finally understood the true worth of this trump card within his body. It seemed Avalon not only could heal injuries dealt by his enemies, but also the damages dealt by himself. This discovery gave Kiritsugu, whom had fallen into a desperate situation by fighting with an unimaginably strong enemy, the greatest confidence in the world.

Which means –

“Time alter——triple accel!”

Kiritsugu boldly leapt toward Kirei at the same time that he muttered that forbidden spell. His completely unpredictable acceleration caught Kirei off-guard. One blow from the hardened walnut wood smashed Kirei’s right radius and ulna. This time, his right arm was completely ruined.

As the same time that he struck out viciously with his right arm, Kiritsugu drew out the dagger by his waist using his left hand. He concluded that it didn’t matter how great a threat Kirei’s martial art skills may prove to be; victory would belong to Kiritsugu as long as he kept moving at three times the speed of a normal human. Using Innate Time Control in this way would ordinarily be suicide, but he could now use it to its full potential as a strategic weapon thanks to the protection of Saber’s sheath.

Kirei dodged the upward stab as the dagger was removed from its sheath, and used his left arm to block the downward slash and backhand horizontal swing Kiritsugu followed up with. However, Kiritsugu edged toward Kirei’s left side using these three attacks, and prepared to use Kirei’s blind spot – due to his left eye’s ruined eyesight – as his advantage. As long as he stayed to the enemy’s left side, Kiritsugu would have all the chances in the world to successfully succumb Kirei from his blind spot.

Kiritsugu’s sharp blade crept nearer, but Kirei didn’t turn and used his left side of the body to block everything. Turning around would have been pointless; his broken right arm could not possibly block Kiritsugu’s dagger. Therefore, though it was very disadvantageous for Kirei to use his left side of the body to defend himself, he had no other choices.

The dagger attacked continuously as it flashed with a chilling light. Ordinary humans would never have been able to see Kiritsugu’s movement, and could only have captured the lighting-like residual images of the dagger. However, Kirei blocked every single attack using just his left hand. Kirei, who easily defended himself even when faced with attacks made at three times the speed of normal humans, terrified Kiritsugu. There were a few attacks that Kirei would never have seen coming with his eyes, but the Executor’s left arm made effective defences as if it had grown eyes.

“Could this be the idea of – ‘hearing’ a move!?”

Kiritsugu only had a vague impression of this phrase. It had been said that when a martial artist had reached a certain advanced state in his skills, he wouldn’t need eyesight to detect the enemy’s movement. He could predict the opponent’s next move purely on the brief moment when his arm touched that of his opponent.

Then the attacks from his blind spot had also been rendered pointless. Since the direction the attacks were coming front weren’t changing, Kirei could block them even if he couldn’t see them. This man’s skills made him someone who wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even when put under the duress of speed.

Kiritsugu’s arms, legs, and heart let out sad screams of excruciating pain with every swing of the dagger. The adverse effect of Innate Time Control was also mercilessly tearing apart Kiritsugu’s flesh. At the same time, Avalon was also fixing the damage. Regardless of how Saber herself had used it, the sheath was only ‘healing’ Kiritsugu while in his body; in other words, it was only nullifying the ‘damages received’. That meant the excruciating pain of torn tendons and snapped bones were tormenting Kiritsugu’s nerves every single moment.

Even so, Kiritsugu did not hesitate. There was no need to hesitate. As long as his body could maintain its functions, he didn’t need to pay any attention to what he was feeling. Kiritsugu bet everything on the effect of the sheath of the holy sword, and continued to accelerate against the normal time flow as if his life depended on it.

“Whoaaaaaaaaa!!”

Kiritsugu’s body was reborn at the same time as it was dying. Kiritsugu shrieked out of agony while he swung his dagger, aiming for the enemy before him. His blood vessels, which endlessly repeated a cycle of rupture and repair, shed out sanguineous mists with his every move.

Kirei suddenly changed his feet stance, and rolled forward towards his left. Kiritsugu had thought that the enemy’s ability to ‘hear’ a move had been pushed to its limit, but Kirei unexpectedly used his feet to hook one of Kiritsugu’s legs from the inside. This legword was named ‘the locking stance’. Kiritsugu immediately stumbled backwards. After he finally managed to balance himself, he realized that heavy blow from Kirei was fast approaching. However, since his weight had shifted backwards, he would definitely be hit.

If so – Kiritsugu squeezed out a spell from his throat that was frothing with blood.

“Time alter ——square accel!”

The explosive pain boiled into every part of his senses. Kiritsugu leapt up and backwards, and turned in mid-air to escape out of Kirei’s range of attack. At the same time, he threw out the dagger in his left hand with all the strength in his body. Faced with this shocking repeated acceleration, Kirei couldn’t dodge no matter how good his ‘move-hearing’ skills were. The dagger tore through air and flew toward Kirei’s thigh. The Kevlar fibres were pierced through and the sharp blade stabbed deep into flesh.

Kiritsugu maintained his four-time acceleration and continued to leap backwards as if there was a throttle equipped on him. He had moved about ten meters away from Kirei in the blink of an eye. Kirei took the opportunity to take out a Black Key and throw at him, but Kiritsugu dodged it with ease and began to refill the Contender at the same time.

He pulled it and opened the barrel.

Kirei rushed up. He paid no attention to the dagger, which was still sticking out of his left leg. Even the fact that the sharp blade was tearing the wound open wider as he ran did not cause him to hesitate any.

The expelled cartridge danced in the air; the light of the golden bronze sparkled.

Kirei pulled out four Black Keys with his left hand. That was the limit to the number he can wield in one hand.

Kiritsugu put the new bullet into the barrel. The bullet slide in easily, but this split second had seemed so long in the quadruple-accelerated time.

Kirei threw his Black Keys, not to the front, but upwards. The four sharp blades danced in the air beneath the tall ceiling of the large prop warehouse like boomerangs. Kirei didn’t plan to use the Black Keys for a normal attack; Kiritsugu didn’t know his intentions. Moreover, there was no time to ponder Kirei’s intention at this moment.

With one flick upwards, the gun barrel was closed. The Contender once again transformed into that heinous murder weapon.

Kirei was getting close. He again used his martial art stances to shorten the distance between him and Kiritsugu, but he won’t be getting any nearer. Right now, Kiritsugu would definitely be able to dodge him and fire at the same time.

The Black Keys landed from above him. Kiritsugu finally perceived Kirei’s tactics when the four sharp blades surrounded him in all directions like a bird cage.

Sealing his movements – if Kiritsugu wanted to dodge Kirei’s sudden advance, there the sharp blades of the Black Keys would be waiting for him no matter where he moved toward. Kirei’s intention had always been to seal Kiritsugu’s movements when he threw the Black Keys.

The only way to stay alive was to fire before he was attacked.

Kiritsugu aimed with Contender. There was no need to be anxious, no need to be fearful. All he needed to do was focus on firing at the enemy in front of him.

Kirei stepped on the ground viciously with his right foot and leapt forward. This leap equalled to about five normal steps. His left foot would likely be broken the moment he land, but it didn’t matter; the following blow would decide the victor. There was no need to hold back; his entire body had been fully prepared. His goal was to perform one of the Eight Grand Openings – The Standing Upward Cannon. The smashing upper hook would definitely shatter the opponent’s skull into pieces.

I will win – both men believed firmly in that.

I will die – both men understood that fact.

The fist and the gun that contained the will for a sure kill finally completed their last exchange.

Emiya Kiritsugu and Kotomine Kirei, who were deeply engrossed in battle, did not notice the abnormality above them.

Directly above the big prop warehouse where the two men were, Irisviel’s already-cold corpse was placed upon the raised stage of the music hall.

As the ‘Guardian’, she had almost lost all signs of life. The organs within her body had already reverted to the form of the Vessel of the Grail, and was waiting to recollect the souls of the remaining Servants.

After Archer’s victory, this vessel had finally absorbed the soul of the fourth Servant.

The sealing enchantment had already disappeared. Having gathered enormous amounts of prana, its residual waves brought scorching heat to its surroundings.

The corpse of the beautiful homunculus was completely consumed by the heat in the blink of an eye, and was reduced to ashes. That was not all. The golden cup that had contacted the outside air charred the floor and the curtains, and roaring flames enveloped the completely empty stage.

On the stage where the fire was raging ever wilder, the golden cup floated in the air as if it was upheld by a pair of invisible hands. The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Grail, which the Three Noble Families of the Beginning had desired so much, had begun silently even without the presence of a priest.

Then – a gap no wider than the width of a hair, so minute and almost invisible, appeared on the ‘Gate’ that remained tightly closed. Through this tiny gap, something beyond the Gate silently seeped into the Holy Grail.

That thing seemed very similar to ‘mud’. It was black, simply and only black, a ‘thing’ that seemed like mud.

The thing that seeped into the Holy Grail suddenly overflew by one drop, then another drop. It soon became a thin black line. Like a crack that had appeared on a dam, the black torrents soon completely overflew out of the vessel and drained toward the stage floor.

The strength of the stage floor could not bear that inky black thing at all. The dirty mud seeped into the brand new building materials, eroding them, and flew even deeper like how the waters from melted snow seep into land.

The moment that the trigger of the magecraft gun was pressed –

The moment the floor moaned from the heavy step –

In that moment, Kiritsugu only saw Kirei, and Kirei only saw Kiritsugu.

The two of them did not detect that thing, which dribbled down through the ceiling, even till the end.

At that brief moment between life and death, the two men were drenched with the black dirty mud that descended from above.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_5|Act 16, Part 5]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_7|Act 16, Part 7]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Fate/Zero

2011-02-18T00:53:56Z

Sharingan0619: act 16 part 6

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Image:Fate_Zero_promo.jpg|200px|thumb|A promotional image.]]

The Fate/Zero series is available in the following languages:
*'''English'''
*[[Fate/Zero_~Spanish~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
* [[Fate/Zero (Français)|Français]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Việt Nam)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_~Brazilian_Portuguese~ |Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Hungarian)|Magyar (Hungarian)]]
*[[Fate/Zero(Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

Fate/Zero (English) is a translation project undertaken by various members of the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair Forum] and Baka-Tsuki, hosted only by Baka-Tsuki. Be sure to thank them accordingly!

'''With the announcement and confirmation of the Fate/zero anime in 2011, the team had resolved to finish the translation of the entire novel series by March. Watch this space!'''

== Story Synopsis ==
War of the Holy Grail - Pursuing the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle, this is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for it. In that battle whose conclusion was postponed three times, now, the fourth war commenced again. Entrusting their dearest wish of victory, the magi joined the battleground called "Fuyuki", but amongst them, there was a man who was always alone, and could not find out the meaning behind his fights. His name was Kotomine Kirei. Not comprehending the guidance of fate, Kirei was lost, and had kept questioning. Why someone like his was given the Command Seals. However, the fate of his fights crossed Kirei's path with a nemesis by chance. That person is - Emiya Kiritsugu. A man who was sterner than anyone else, more merciless than anyone else, and who sought the miracle of the Holy Grail.

Merely recited in fragments in Fate/Stay Night, this is the Fourth War of the Holy Grail 10 years ago. The truth which unfolded behind the battle between Shirō's foster father, Rin's father, and the younger Kotomine Kirei, is finally revealed......

== Translation ==

=== [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first post at the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=3311 Beast's Lair] forum.

Translators are asked to [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|register]] the chapters they plan to work on.

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Fate/Zero:Format_guidelines|Fate/Zero Format Guidelines]]

To Translators/Editors: It is highly suggested that you use terminology and concepts from the [http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page TYPE-MOON Wiki]. Any missing information may be picked up from [http://tatari.110mb.com/fuyuki/index.htm Fuyuki Wiki]. --[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]]

== News ==

'''Fate/zero anime has been confirmed and it will be produced by ufotable, the company that produced the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Let us all rejoice! ^^''' --[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

== Updates ==
*February 3rd, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 3 Complete

*February 4th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 4 Complete
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 5 Complete

Older updates can be found [[Fate/Zero:Update|here]].

== Fate/Zero by Nasu Kinoko & Urobuchi Gen ==

Up-to-date PDF (volumes 1-3 inclusive + pictures) available from [http://www.bakabt.com/152285-fate-zero-light-novel.html here] as a BitTorrent file.

===Volume 1 - The Untold Story of the Fourth Holy Grail War / 第四次聖杯戦争秘話 [[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v01_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 1.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|8 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_2|3 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|1 year ago]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_1|Act 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_2|Act 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_3|Act 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 3 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_4|Act 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_4|Part 4]]
:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface|Postface]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_2|Part 2]]

===Volume 2- The Mad Feast of Kings / 王たちの狂宴 [[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v02_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 2.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_5|Act 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_6|Act 6]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_7|Act 7]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_8|Act 8]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_5|Part 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_6|Part 6]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_2_Postface|Postface]]
=== Volume 3 - The Scattered Ones / 散りゆく者たち [[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v03_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 3.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_9|Act 9]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_10|Act 10]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_11|Act 11]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_12|Act 12]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_3_Postface|Postface]]

=== Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎 ===
[[Image:FZ_v04_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 4.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Interlude|Interlude]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_13|Act 13]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_14|Act 14]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_15|Act 15]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_16|Act 16]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_4|Part 4]] (100%)
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_5|Part 5]] (100%)
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_6|Part 6]] (100%)
::*Part 7
::*Part 8
::*Part 9
::*Part 10
::*Part 11
::*Part 12

:[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue:_The_Next_Day|The Next Day]]
::*Half A Year Later
::*Five Years Later

:Postface

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_4_Commentary|Commentary]]

:Another Story - Heart of Freaks

:[[Fate/Zero:Translator's_Notes|Translator's Notes and References]]

== Project Staff ==

*Project Administrator: -
*Project Supervisor: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] (Baka-Tsuki) (From Japanese + Chinese text)
::*[[User:Anserina|Anserina]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Ombapho|Ombapho]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Caradryan|Caradryan]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Byakko|Byakko]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Japanese text)
::*[[User:WingZero|WingZero]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Flamerare|Flamerare]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

=== Editors ===
::*[[User:CanonRap|CanonRap]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:mewarmo990|mewarmo990]] (Baka-Tsuki), ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Sharingan0619|Sharingan0619]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Fishnchips|Fishnchips]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Smidge204|Smidge204]] (Baka-Tsuki)

== Series Overview ==
* ''Fate/Zero #1 - 第四次聖杯戦争秘話''
First Edition Published December 29, 2006, ISBN: none (self published)

Second Edition Published January 26, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #2 - 王たちの狂宴''
First Edition Published March 31, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #3 - 散りゆく者たち''
First Edition Published July 27, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #4 - 煉獄の炎''
First Edition Published December 29, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 4

2011-02-06T04:46:55Z

Sharingan0619:

=== -'''03:59:04''' ===

The earth rumbled and clouds of sand were blown up as Ionian Hetairoi approached -

Even before such an overwhelming spectacle, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh did not move in the slightest.

The only thing dwelling in those red eyes gazing at the magnificence was complete blood-colored joy. It was a feeling beyond the bounds of mundanity, known only to the king who had completely exhausted all the pleasures of this world.

In truth, Archer was pleased.

He was tired of how he will be invited till the end of time, repeatedly, to farces that were battles in name only. And now, he had finally obtained an opponent he can recognize as an 'enemy'.

A challenge from that Rider was worth using his full strength to gain supremacy.

"Lashing dreams together and aspiring for tyranny... I will praise your enthusiasm. But brave soldiers, have any of you discerned it? The truth, that a dream is something you ought to wake up from before long."

Archer, with the key sword in hand, unlocked the vault from thin air. However, he did not deploy Gate of Babylon. What he took out was only a single sword.

"And thus, it was inevitable that I would be the one to block your path, King of Conquerors."

- Could it really be called something as specialized as a 'sword'?

It was a weapon of far too abnormal a shape. There was a grip and a hand guard, and its length was about that of a longsword. But the crucial section where the 'blade' should be assigned deviated far too much from the form of a edged weapon. It was a dull blade with a pillar made of three sections lined up, and a tip which spun in a spiral shape. The three pillar sections were like querns, slowly continuing to rotate in alternation.

Yes, that was no longer a sword. Something born before the appearance of the concept that this world called "sword" can't possibly have the shape of a known sword. It was something constructed by a God before humans. It was the actualization of the works of a God recorded at the beginning of the world.

The three quern-like cylinders, acting in concert with the movement of the Heavens, revolved as each creaked with the weight and power equivalent to tectonic movement. The enormous amount of seething and overflowing prana was beyond measurement.

"Now, know the conclusion of your unfulfilled dream. The truth shall be shown by my own hand."

Archer held his hand high above his head, and the sword of the beginning gradually raised the speed of its revolutions. Faster with each rotation, ever faster...

Rider, who perceived the threat simply through instinct, pressed on Bucephalus' reins.

"It's coming!"

He yielded the first move to Archer. That was fine. Even though he yielded it, it was just one blow. Ionion Hetairoi will trample that lonely golden shadow without waiting for the next.

That being the case, he had to devote himself to overcoming that one blow. Archer boasted incomparable Noble Phantasms; this was unmistakably a trump card only for when, in his own way, he believed the time was ripe.

Was it an anti-army Noble Phantasm?

An anti-fortress Noble Phantasm?

Or it could be an anti-personnel Noble Phantasm, and what he truly intended was to shoot only at Rider, at the head of the army, bringing him down with certainty...

It rumbled as a tornado roared, and an enormous amount of prana surged forth from Archer's sword grip.

"Now awake, Ea. A stage befitting you has been prepared!"

Ea - the God of earth and water from ancient Mesopotamian mythology who separated Heaven and Earth.

Called by this name, the Sword of Rupture is the primordial sword present at the creation of the world in the Age of Gods. The role which the blade of the beginning accomplished - it was nothing short of that which had cut apart what had been shapeless into Heaven and earth, what gave a definitely shape to that distinction.

And now, the rotating God sword, haughtily blowing up storm winds, will once again perform that miracle of genesis. The golden King of Heroes triumphantly shouted a declaration.

"Come now and look up - to Enuma Elish!"

Heaven screamed, and Earth shook.

An enormous collection of prana was released, grinding at the laws of space.

The sword tip which Archer swung down was not aimed at anyone in the first place.

It was no longer a matter of aiming at anyone. What the Sword of Rupture's blade cuts down cannot be contained to simply 'the enemy'.

Rider, driving his horse hard, saw before his eyes the fracturing the earth, and the opening of an abyss.

"Hmn?!"

He had observed the danger that was slowly occurring at his feet, but the momentum of the charging Bucephalus could no longer be repressed.

"Hii - "

The fate of falling could no longer be avoided; Waver stifled his scream. But of course, the horse and rider carrying him right now were not the kind to be daunted by a danger of this level.

"Haa - !"

Responding to Rider's reins, the heroic horse flew high into the sky with a kick of its splendid hind legs.

It was a bloodcurdling leap and glide. But sure enough, at the end of that one single instant which seemed endless to Waver, what Bucephalus landed on was firm ground on the opposite side of the fissure.

However, before he had time to feel relieved, Waver paled at the horrific state of the following cavalry.

The brigade of King's Guards, not having legs as strong as Bucephalus', could not completely cross the rupture in the earth, and fell helplessly into the abyss like an avalanche. The warhorses of the ranks further back braked at the very brink and were saved from the miserable fate of the fall; however, it was yet nothing more than the beginning of the tragedy.

"Boy, hold on!"

Reprimanding him, Rider grabbed onto Waver while clinging to Bucephalus' mane.

In the time it took the heroic horse to sense the danger and jump back to a safe zone, the fissure expanded further in width, swallowing the surrounding earth and the knights.

No - it wasn't only the earth. The cracks stretched out from the surface to empty air, distorting space and sucking in the atmosphere. Everything in the surrounding was blown into the end of the void by a surging wind.

"T-This is..."

It was such a scene that even the King of Conquerors was at a lost for words.

The Sword of Rupture commanded by the King of Heroes - what its single strike bore through was not only the earth, but the world itself, stretching to the sky. The attack was not even something to be discussed as a matter of whether it hit, or whether its force was advisable. Soldiers, horses, the dust, the sky - nearly everything that used the cut space as a foundation was swallowed and disappeared into the surging void.

Bucephalus planted his hooves firm with all his strength and resisted the atmospheric pressure of the vacuum; even as this happened, the great plain of hot sand woven by Ionion Hetairoi cracked, shattered, and collapsed into the abyss of the void like the ending of an hourglass.

Before that one blade was swung, all things were nothing more than chaos which could not form any meaning -

After that one blade was swung, a new truth divided and distinguished Heaven, Sea, and Earth.

The released tumult of genesis was no longer in the realm of an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm. It was an irregularity that broke down not only that which possessed shape, but all of creation. That was the true form of the anti-world Noble Phantasm that made the King of Heroes transcendent.

Heaven fell, Earth broke; within the darkness where everything returned to nothingness, only Archer's Sword of Rupture shone with brilliance. The dazzling light continued to complete the destruction, like a star of creation, the first thing illuminating the new world.

Rider and Waver could not ascertain all of this to the end. To begin with, the Realty Marble they were in was maintained by the total prana of the summoned Heroic Spirits. Before the world itself disappeared, the bounded field broke apart at the seams once over half of the army had been lost, and the distorted laws of space once again returned to the way they were.

And so, as though awakening from a dream, Bucephalus, carrying the two of them, landed on the great bridge of nighttime Fuyuki.

On the opposite bridgehead the golden Archer stood, blocking their path with a bewitching smile. The location of the two did not change; it was as though time had rewinded back to the outset of the battle.

The only change that could be seen was the existence of the Sword of Rupture in Archer's hand, which was still twisting and growling even now.

And the fatal change that could not be seen - the disappearance of Ionion Hetairoi, Rider's trump card.

"Rider..."

The giant Servant, with a dignified and serious face, posed a question to his Master, looking up to him with a pallid expression.

"Come to think of it, there's one thing that I have to ask you."

"...Huh?"

"Waver Velvet. Would you be a servant, and serve me?"

His entire body shook with violent emotions. Then, like the bursting of a dam, floods of tears poured out.

It was question that he knew would always be out of his reach, and yet one he had been yearning and anxiously waiting for. There was no need to search for a reply; it was because he had already prepared one, hidden deep in his heart like a treasure.

"You - "

The boy, called by his name for the first time, threw out his chest without wiping away his tears, and replied with a steady voice.

" - You, are my King. I will serve you. I will give my all for you. Please, guide me. Please let me see the same dream."

The King of tyranny smiled at the words of oath. To his servant, that smile was a reward surpassing any prize.

"Hm, very well."

As soon as his heart was enveloped by the uplifting joy - Waver's body was truly lifted into space.

"...Huh?"

The King picked up the boy's short body from the back of Bucephalus, and gently lowered him onto the surface of the asphalt road. Having lost the elevation from atop the horse and returned to the vision of his original height, Waver felt nothing but bewilderment at once again savoring his shortness and smallness.

"It is my duty as the King to exemplify the dream. And it is your duty as the servant to ascertain the dream of the King, and pass it down to later generations."

Upon a saddle so very high that his shaking hand could no longer reach it, the King of Conquerors smiled firmly but brightly as he passed down his royal command.

"Live on, Waver. See everything through to the end, live long, and tell it; the nature of your King; the sprint of this Iskander."

Bucephalus neighed, beating his hooves as though in encouragement - but in the end, was it for the King who will now face his death, or the servant who was entrusted with a difficult charge?

Waver hung his head, and did not raise it. Iskander took that as consent. There was no need for words. From this day until the end of time, the servant will be guided by the figure of the King, and the servant will remain loyal to that memory. In the face of the oath, even separation was meaningless; under the command of Iskander, the bond formed between King and servant was eternal and beyond time.

"Now, Bucephalus, to conquest!"

And so, the King of Conquerors kicked the flanks of his beloved horse, and went off to face his last sprint. Aiming for his bitter enemy who was waiting for him, he let out a screaming war cry.

He was a strategist. He acknowledged fully the indisputable flow of battle. But 'that' was different from 'this'. The King of Conquerors Iskander could not think of any other prescription other than charging toward the golden Heroic Spirit.

There was no resignation. There was no despair. What was there was only the utter excitement bursting full from his heart.

Strong - he was too strong. The hero who tore apart the world itself was undoubtedly the strongest enemy in Heaven and Earth.

In that case, this man is the last enemy.

He was higher than the peak of the Hindu Kush, hotter than the hot sands of the Mackran - he was the last obstacle in this world. And so, how could the King of Conquerors not challenge it? If he can surpass this, what laid beyond was surely the ends of the world. The faraway dream he had always been seeing was waiting to be fulfilled right now, before his eyes.

To Philotimo - he challenged it because it was unreachable; he expressed his tyranny, exemplified it, for the sake of the servant who watched over his back.

The King of Heroes, towering over his path, calmly gazed at the challenger, and released the treasures of the vault. Twenty, forty, eighty - a swarm of Noble Phantasms deployed from thin air, shining like so many glittering stars. That light made the King of Conquerors reminiscent of the starry sky of the East far off in the distance that he would look up to.

"AAAALaLaLaLaie!!"

Bellowing with a delight that shook his heart, he rushed on together with his beloved horse.

With haughty growls, the rain of stars approached. Incessantly, mercilessly, the impacts trampled over their bodies. However, that pain was nothing more than a worthless trifle compared to the excitement of this sprint.

There were times when he had succumbed to that sort of faint-heartedness - and yet was not about to reach 'the furthest end'. How foolish. What a disgrace.

The 'end' he had been seeking was now towering over his path. Having crossed countless hills, forded countless rivers, he finally discovered the ending point.

Thus, he will surpass it.

He will step across that enemy.

One step, and one step further. The only thing he had to do was simply repeat that. If he continued to accumulate it, then even that figure far in the distance will most surely be reached by his blade.

The swarm of stars poured on boisterously. In his fury where even his consciousness was prone to recede, his posture inadvertently and carelessly began to decline.

Then he realized that, at some point, he started running on his own feet. How far did his beloved horse Bucephalus reach? Where did he end? He wanted to mourn for his friend, who had boldly carried out his duty to the end, but that was why he cannot stop now. This step he will now take forward is in itself the mourning for those who were scattered.

His golden rival, as though understanding this, said something with an expression of amazement. But he could not hear him. Not even the flashes of light grazing past his ears, with the sounds of violent winds, could reach his ears.

What he heard, was simply - the sound of the waves.

The sound of the waves breaking onto the remote empty shores - of the sea at world's end.

Aah, that was it. With a bright feeling, he understood it.

How did he not recognize it during all this time? - This violent throbbing of his heart was the roaring of Oceanus.

"Hahah... AHAHAHAHA!"

He saw his dream as he ran on the beach. The sensation of the sprays he kicked up felt pleasant on his toes. The bright-red soaking his feet might be the blood flowing from his own abdomen, but what of it? Right now, he was watching a dream of the sea. How could there be any greater bliss?

The King of Heroes awaited him, right before his very eyes. One more step - and then, just one more, and his sword, brandished high, can cleave apart the crown of his head.

"Haaaah - !!"

With a ringing victory cry that reached the Heavens, he swung down the sword of the Cypriots.

It was the peak of a moment where he was convinced of his victory. The instant that should have passed in the blink of an eye seemed, for some reason, to stretch into an eternity. It was as though time had stood still -

No. In truth, it did stop - not the flow of time, but his own body.

Just before the swung sword could reach it, his blade, his limbs, his shoulders, and his abdomen were wrapped around by a tough chain; the King of Conquerors sighed.

Enkidu - the secret among secrets contained in the King of Heroes' vault. The restraint that captured even the Bull of Heaven.

" - Good grief... all these oddities, one after another..."

There was no wonder or regret. He simply derided himself for finally tripping over a small careless mistake. A bitter smile rose from his bloodstained lips.

The sword of the Cypriots could not reach him; however, Gilgamesh's Sword of Rupture pierced through Iskander's chest with its dull tip. He could feel the sensation of the slowly grinding blade inside his vitals. This sword just becomes more and more absurd - the King of Conquerors felt amazement as well as admiration, as though this was the affairs of another.

" - Have you awoken from your dream, King of Conquerors?"

"...Hm, yes. I suppose..."

It could not be carried out this time, either. It had ended with the unfulfilled dream remaining as it was - unfulfilled. However, now that he thought about it, that was a once-only dream he had wagered his life for in the past.

The fantastic dream he saw in Asia Minor in the remote past - now, in this Far East land, he was once again seeing the same dream.

Thinking nostalgically on such checkered circumstances, Iskander smiled.

If he could see the same dream for even a second time, then it would not be strange to have a third.

Which would mean -

It was nearly the right time to see the next dream.

"This expedition has, been... exciting, in all respects as well..."

Iskander murmured in satisfaction, narrowing the corners of his eyes which were blurred by a blood haze. Ascertaining his expression of rapture, Gilgamesh solemnly nodded.

"You may challenge it however many times you wish, King of Conquerors."

To his worthy opponent, whose entire body was skewered from head to toe by the rain of Noble Phantasms, yet who did not stop until thwarted by the Chain of Heaven, the King of Heroes gave his greatest reward - he honored him with true feelings of admiration.

"Until the end of time, this world will always be my garden. Thus, I can assure you. You shall never find this world tiresome."

"Ooh...? That's, good to, hear..."

In the end, carelessly giving out the appropriate response, Servant Rider was quietly extinguished.

In terms of time, it was merely a short battle. It was nothing more than an offense and defense that barely filled the few seconds it took for the mounted Heroic Spirit to gallop across to the opposite bridgehead.

However, it was equivalent to a lifetime to Waver, who had it all burned into his eyes without blinking once.

He won't ever forget it. Even if a lid was closed over his heart, he can't possibly forget. The scene that his eyes caught in the last few seconds had already become a part of his soul and was impossible to detach.

Waver simply stood rooted to the ground, alone at where he was left behind on the road, unable to move in the slightest. He repeatedly acknowledged that he must move, but he felt that if he tried to walk a single step he would collapse onto his knees.

However, he absolutely cannot kneel down now.

The golden Archer, gazing at Waver with his brutal blood-colored eyes, slowly walked up to him. He mustn't avert his eyes. Even though his entire body was frozen by terror, he at least understood that. He won't survive if he averted his eyes now.

The boy shook with fear that he did not attempt to hide, yet he stubbornly did not avert his eyes; Archer stood before him, and posed a question in a voice completely devoid of emotions.

"Boy, are you Rider's Master?"

He had thought that he couldn't possibly speak from a throat frozen by terror, but just as he was asked about his relationship with 'him', he was released from his stiffness for a little moment. Waver shook his head, and replied in a hoarse voice.

"No. I'm - his servant."

"Hmn?"

Archer narrowed his eyes, looked all over Waver in his entirety, and finally noticed that nowhere on his body conveyed the presence of the command seals.

" - I see. But boy, if you truly are a loyal subject, you have a duty to take revenge for your deceased King, do you not?"

Even with the second question, Waver answered with a strangely calm heart.

"...If I challenge you, I would die."

"Of course."

"I can't do that. I was ordered to live."

Yes - he can't die. Not now, when the last words entrusted to him by the King was engraved into his heart.

Waver must escape from this dilemma no matter what. He was before an enemy Servant and had no way to defend himself; even though it was a desperate situation where nothing can be done - the one thing he definitely cannot do was give up. He cannot ignore the way he had made the oath.

And that, was perhaps a pain far more cruel than resigning himself to death.

The boy shook helplessly before the death that he cannot escape from, but his gaze alone made his adamance known. Looking down wordlessly on that too-small stature for a short while, Gilgamesh simply nodded once.

"The path of devotion is a great labor. Do not ever mar it."

He had no reason to raise his hand against a mongrel who was neither Master nor traitor. That was his decision as the King.

Waver watched his departure as the golden Heroic Spirit turned on his heels and calmly walked away. Before long, the figure was gone from his sight, and a cold wind blowing across the river completely scattered the air of battle that had been stretched out the entire time; afterward, the lone boy realized that he had been left behind in the night, and finally understood that everything had ended.

His knees shook again at the miracle that was his survival.

Right before Archer changed his mind, he truly had the intent to kill Waver. The killing intent which he released as naturally as breathing had wordlessly announced that. Had Waver averted his eyes, or collapsed with fear, or choked in his reply, that would likely have truly happened.

If one was to sneer at how he had only begged for his life, then one simply did not know of the remorselessness of the King of Heroes. Simply being alive after resisting his terror was a conflict, and a victory. It was the first time Waver Velvet had gained a victory in a challenge by himself.

It was an unsightly and very small battle. It was far from brave, or spectacular. No one yielded to him, and he obtained no plunder. The only thing he did was survive and escape from a dilemma.

Even so, Waver was happy. He was proud. Only Waver himself could understand how priceless it was for him to arrive at that impossible conclusion under those circumstances. That honor was in him only. Even if it appeared unsightly to an onlooker, there was no reason to feel ashamed.

He complied with the order of the King. He saw everything through to the end, and lived on.

He wanted to be praised. By that massive, heavy palm. By his rough, unreserved, and thick voice. This time, he wouldn't need to hide his embarrassment. He could have throw out his chest unreservedly and boasted about his accomplishments to the man.

Yet - in this night sunken in silence, Waver was helplessly alone. No one was beside him. Like the him from eleven days ago, Waver was alone, left behind in a heartless and apathetic corner of the world.

The battle was only for him. No one had noticed what he had surpassed by himself in his loneliness. No one was praising him.

But if one to call it a cruel treatment - then no, it wasn't.

He had been rewarded with more than enough words of praise just now. The grandest King in the world had recognized and assigned him. He was told that he would be added into the ranks of the servants.

The order of events was simply reversed.

He had now been praised for the far future as well; the only thing to do now was to devote all that remained of his life to accumulate enough accomplishments to match that eulogy.

Yes. Simply because of those words at that point in time - he was not alone.

The moment he understood this, his days as a boy was over.

And then he knew it for the first time; sometimes, tears flowed free from humiliation or regret.

Now, on the empty bridge, looking down on the black surface of the flowing river, Waver Velvet wet his cheeks without any regrets.

They were the warm and crisp tears of a man.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_3|Act 16, Part 3]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_5|Act 16, Part 5]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 4

2011-02-06T04:07:49Z

Sharingan0619: vol. 4 part 4

=== -03:59:04 ===

The earth rumbled and clouds of sand were blown up as Ionion Hetairoi approached -

Even before such an overwhelming spectacle, the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh did not move in the slightest.

The only thing dwelling in those red eyes gazing at the magnificence was complete blood-colored joy. It was a feeling beyond the bounds of mundanity, known only to the king who had completely exhausted all the pleasures of this world.

In truth, Archer was pleased.

He was tired of how he will be invited till the end of time, repeatedly, to farces that were battles in name only. And now, he had finally obtained an opponent he can recognize as an 'enemy'.

A challenge from that Rider was worth using his full strength to gain supremacy.

"Lashing dreams together and aspiring for tyranny... I will praise your enthusiasm. But brave soldiers, have any of you discerned it? The truth, that a dream is something you ought to wake up from before long."

Archer, with the key sword in hand, unlocked the vault from thin air. However, he did not deploy Gate of Babylon. What he took out was only a single sword.

"And thus, it was inevitable that I would be the one to block your path, King of Conquerors."

- Could it really be called something as specialized as a 'sword'?

It was a weapon of far too abnormal a shape. There was a grip and a hand guard, and its length was about that of a longsword. But the crucial section where the 'blade' should be assigned deviated far too much from the form of a edged weapon. It was a dull blade with a pillar made of three sections lined up, and a tip which spun in a spiral shape. The three pillar sections were like querns, slowly continuing to rotate in alternation.

Yes, that was no longer a sword. Something birthed before the appearance of the concept this world called "sword" can't possibly have the shape of a known sword. It was something constructed by a God before humans. It was the actualization of the works of a God recorded at the beginning of the world.

The three quern-like cylinders, acting in concert with the movement of the Heavens, revolved as each creaked with weight and power equivalent to tectonic movement. The enormous amount of seething and overflowing prana was beyond measurement.

"Now, know the conclusion of your unfulfilled dream. The truth shall be shown by my own hand."

Archer held his hand high above his head, and the sword of the beginning gradually raised the speed of its revolutions. Faster with each rotation, ever faster...

Rider, who perceived the threat simply through instinct, pressed on Bucephalus' reins.

"It's coming!"

He yielded the first move to Archer. That was fine. Even though he yielded it, it was just one blow. Ionion Hetairoi will trample that lonely golden shadow without waiting for the next.

That being the case, he had to devote himself to overcoming that one blow. Archer boasted incomparable Noble Phantasms; this was unmistakably a trump card only for when, in his own way, he believed the time was ripe.

Was it an anti-army Noble Phantasm?

An anti-fortress Noble Phantasm?

Or it could be an anti-personnel Noble Phantasm, and what he truly intended was to shoot only at Rider, at the head of the army, bringing him down with certainty...

It rumbled as a tornado roared, and an enormous amount of prana surged forth from Archer's sword grip.

"Now awake, Ea. A stage befitting you has been prepared!"

Ea - the God of earth and water from ancient Mesopotamian mythology who separated Heaven and Earth.

Called by this name, the Sword of Rupture is the primordial sword present at the creation of the world in the Age of Gods. The role which the blade of the beginning accomplished - it was nothing short of that which had cut apart what had been shapeless into Heaven and earth, what gave a definitely shape to that distinction.

And now, the rotating God sword, haughtily blowing up storm winds, will once again perform that miracle of genesis. The golden King of Heroes triumphantly shouted a declaration.

"Come now and look up - to Enuma Elish!"

Heaven screamed, and Earth shook.

An enormous collection of prana was released, grinding at the laws of space.

The sword tip which Archer swung down was not aimed at anyone in the first place.

It was no longer a matter of aiming at anyone. What the Sword of Rupture's blade cuts down cannot be contained to simply 'the enemy'.

Rider, driving his horse hard, saw before his eyes the fracturing the earth, and the opening of an abyss.

"Hmn?!"

He had observed the danger that was slowly occurring at his feet, but the momentum of the charging Bucephalus could no longer be repressed.

"Hii - "

The fate of falling could no longer be avoided; Waver stifled his scream. But of course, the horse and rider carrying him right now were not the kind to be daunted by a danger of this level.

"Haa - !"

Responding to Rider's reins, the heroic horse flew high into the sky with a kick of its splendid hind legs.

It was a bloodcurdling leap and glide. But sure enough, at the end of that one single instant which seemed endless to Waver, what Bucephalus landed on was firm ground on the opposite side of the fissure.

However, before he had time to feel relieved, Waver paled at the horrific state of the following cavalry.

The brigade of King's Guards, not having legs as strong as Bucephalus', could not completely cross the rupture in the earth, and fell helplessly into the abyss like an avalanche. The warhorses of the ranks further back braked at the very brink and were saved from the miserable fate of the fall; however, it was yet nothing more than the beginning of the tragedy.

"Boy, hold on!"

Reprimanding him, Rider grabbed onto Waver while clinging to Bucephalus' mane.

In the time it took the heroic horse to sense the danger and jump back to a safe zone, the fissure expanded further in width, swallowing the surrounding earth and the knights.

No - it wasn't only the earth. The cracks stretched out from the surface to empty air, distorting space and sucking in the atmosphere. Everything in the surrounding was blown into the end of the void by a surging wind.

"T-This is..."

It was such a scene that even the King of Conquerors was at a lost for words.

The Sword of Rupture commanded by the King of Heroes - what its single strike bore through was not only the earth, but the world itself, stretching to the sky. The attack was not even something to be discussed as a matter of whether it hit, or whether its force was advisable. Soldiers, horses, the dust, the sky - nearly everything that used the cut space as a foundation was swallowed and disappeared into the surging void.

Bucephalus planted his hooves firm with all his strength and resisted the atmospheric pressure of the vacuum; even as this happened, the great plain of hot sand woven by Ionion Hetairoi cracked, shattered, and collapsed into the abyss of the void like the ending of an hourglass.

Before that one blade was swung, all things were nothing more than chaos which could not form any meaning -

After that one blade was swung, a new truth divided and distinguished Heaven, Sea, and Earth.

The released tumult of genesis was no longer in the realm of an anti-fortress Noble Phantasm. It was an irregularity that broke down not only that which possessed shape, but all of creation. That was the true form of the anti-world Noble Phantasm that made the King of Heroes transcendent.

Heaven fell, Earth broke; within the darkness where everything returned to nothingness, only Archer's Sword of Rupture shone with brilliance. The dazzling light continued to complete the destruction, like a star of creation, the first thing illuminating the new world.

Rider and Waver could not ascertain all of this to the end. To begin with, the Realty Marble they were in was maintained by the total prana of the summoned Heroic Spirits. Before the world itself disappeared, the bounded field broke apart at the seams once over half of the army had been lost, and the distorted laws of space once again returned to the way they were.

And so, as though awakening from a dream, Bucephalus, carrying the two of them, landed on the great bridge of nighttime Fuyuki.

On the opposite bridgehead the golden Archer stood, blocking their path with a bewitching smile. The location of the two did not change; it was as though time had rewinded back to the outset of the battle.

The only change that could be seen was the existence of the Sword of Rupture in Archer's hand, which was still twisting and growling even now.

And the fatal change that could not be seen - the disappearance of Ionion Hetairoi, Rider's trump card.

"Rider..."

The giant Servant, with a dignified and serious face, posed a question to his Master, looking up to him with a pallid expression.

"Come to think of it, there's one thing that I have to ask you."

"...Huh?"

"Waver Velvet. Would you be a servant, and serve me?"

His entire body shook with violent emotions. Then, like the bursting of a dam, floods of tears poured out.

It was question that he knew would always be out of his reach, and yet one he had been yearning and anxiously waiting for. There was no need to search for a reply; it was because he had already prepared one, hidden deep in his heart like a treasure.

"You - "

The boy, called by his name for the first time, threw out his chest without wiping away his tears, and replied with a steady voice.

" - You, are my King. I will serve you. I will give my all for you. Please, guide me. Please let me see the same dream."

The King of tyranny smiled at the words of oath. To his servant, that smile was a reward surpassing any prize.

"Hm, very well."

As soon as his heart was enveloped by the uplifting joy - Waver's body was truly lifted into space.

"...Huh?"

The King picked up the boy's short body from the back of Bucephalus, and gently lowered him onto the surface of the asphalt road. Having lost the elevation from atop the horse and returned to the vision of his original height, Waver felt nothing but bewilderment at once again savoring his shortness and smallness.

"It is my duty as the King to exemplify the dream. And it is your duty as the servant to ascertain the dream of the King, and pass it down to later generations."

Upon a saddle so very high that his shaking hand could no longer reach it, the King of Conquerors smiled firmly but brightly as he passed down his royal command.

"Live on, Waver. See everything through to the end, live long, and tell it; the nature of your King; the sprint of this Iskander."

Bucephalus neighed, beating his hooves as though in encouragement - but in the end, was it for the King who will now face his death, or the servant who was entrusted with a difficult charge?

Waver hung his head, and did not raise it. Iskander took that as consent. There was no need for words. From this day until the end of time, the servant will be guided by the figure of the King, and the servant will remain loyal to that memory. In the face of the oath, even separation was meaningless; under the command of Iskander, the bond formed between King and servant was eternal and beyond time.

"Now, Bucephalus, to conquest!"

And so, the King of Conquerors kicked the flanks of his beloved horse, and went off to face his last sprint. Aiming for his bitter enemy who was waiting for him, he let out a screaming war cry.

He was a strategist. He acknowledged fully the indisputable flow of battle. But 'that' was different from 'this'. The King of Conquerors Iskander could not think of any other prescription other than charging toward the golden Heroic Spirit.

There was no resignation. There was no despair. What was there was only the utter excitement bursting full from his heart.

Strong - he was too strong. The hero who tore apart the world itself was undoubtedly the strongest enemy in Heaven and Earth.

In that case, this man is the last enemy.

He was higher than the peak of the Hindu Kush, hotter than the hot sands of the Mackran - he was the last obstacle in this world. And so, how could the King of Conquerors not challenge it? If he can surpass this, what laid beyond was surely the ends of the world. The faraway dream he had always been seeing was waiting to be fulfilled right now, before his eyes.

To Philotimo - he challenged it because it was unreachable; he expressed his tyranny, exemplified it, for the sake of the servant who watched over his back.

The King of Heroes, towering over his path, calmly gazed at the challenger, and released the treasures of the vault. Twenty, forty, eighty - a swarm of Noble Phantasms deployed from thin air, shining like so many glittering stars. That light made the King of Conquerors reminiscent of the starry sky of the East far off in the distance that he would look up to.

"AAAALaLaLaLaie!!"

Bellowing with a delight that shook his heart, he rushed on together with his beloved horse.

With haughty growls, the rain of stars approached. Incessantly, mercilessly, the impacts trampled over their bodies. However, that pain was nothing more than a worthless trifle compared to the excitement of this sprint.

There were times when he had succumbed to that sort of faint-heartedness - and yet was not about to reach 'the furthest end'. How foolish. What a disgrace.

The 'end' he had been seeking was now towering over his path. Having crossed countless hills, forded countless rivers, he finally discovered the ending point.

Thus, he will surpass it.

He will step across that enemy.

One step, and one step further. The only thing he had to do was simply repeat that. If he continued to accumulate it, then even that figure far in the distance will most surely be reached by his blade.

The swarm of stars poured on boisterously. In his fury where even his consciousness was prone to recede, his posture inadvertently and carelessly began to decline.

Then he realized that, at some point, he started running on his own feet. How far did his beloved horse Bucephalus reach? Where did he end? He wanted to mourn for his friend, who had boldly carried out his duty to the end, but that was why he cannot stop now. This step he will now take forward is in itself the mourning for those who were scattered.

His golden rival, as though understanding this, said something with an expression of amazement. But he could not hear him. Not even the flashes of light grazing past his ears, with the sounds of violent winds, could reach his ears.

What he heard, was simply - the sound of the waves.

The sound of the waves breaking onto the remote empty shores - of the sea at world's end.

Aah, that was it. With a bright feeling, he understood it.

How did he not recognize it during all this time? - This violent throbbing of his heart was the roaring of Oceanus.

"Hahah... AHAHAHAHA!"

He saw his dream as he ran on the beach. The sensation of the sprays he kicked up felt pleasant on his toes. The bright-red soaking his feet might be the blood flowing from his own abdomen, but what of it? Right now, he was watching a dream of the sea. How could there be any greater bliss?

The King of Heroes awaited him, right before his very eyes. One more step - and then, just one more, and his sword, brandished high, can cleave apart the crown of his head.

"Haaaah - !!"

With a ringing victory cry that reached the Heavens, he swung down the sword of the Cypriots.

It was the peak of a moment where he was convinced of his victory. The instant that should have passed in the blink of an eye seemed, for some reason, to stretch into an eternity. It was as though time had stood still -

No. In truth, it did stop - not the flow of time, but his own body.

Just before the swung sword could reach it, his blade, his limbs, his shoulders, and his abdomen were wrapped around by a tough chain; the King of Conquerors sighed.

Enkidu - the secret among secrets contained in the King of Heroes' vault. The restraint that captured even the Bull of Heaven.

" - Good grief... all these oddities, one after another..."

There was no wonder or regret. He simply derided himself for finally tripping over a small careless mistake. A bitter smile rose from his bloodstained lips.

The sword of the Cypriots could not reach him; however, Gilgamesh's Sword of Rupture pierced through Iskander's chest with its dull tip. He could feel the sensation of the slowly grinding blade inside his vitals. This sword just becomes more and more absurd - the King of Conquerors felt amazement as well as admiration, as though this was the affairs of another.

" - Have you awoken from your dream, King of Conquerors?"

"...Hm, yes. I suppose..."

It could not be carried out this time, either. It had ended with the unfulfilled dream remaining as it was - unfulfilled. However, now that he thought about it, that was a once-only dream he had wagered his life for in the past.

The fantastic dream he saw in Asia Minor in the remote past - now, in this Far East land, he was once again seeing the same dream.

Thinking nostalgically on such checkered circumstances, Iskander smiled.

If he could see the same dream for even a second time, then it would not be strange to have a third.

Which would mean -

It was nearly the right time to see the next dream.

"This expedition has, been... exciting, in all respects as well..."

Iskander murmured in satisfaction, narrowing the corners of his eyes which were blurred by a blood haze. Ascertaining his expression of rapture, Gilgamesh solemnly nodded.

"You may challenge it however many times you wish, King of Conquerors."

To his worthy opponent, whose entire body was skewered from head to toe by the rain of Noble Phantasms, yet who did not stop until thwarted by the Chain of Heaven, the King of Heroes gave his greatest reward - he honored him with true feelings of admiration.

"Until the end of time, this world will always be my garden. Thus, I can assure you. You shall never find this world tiresome."

"Ooh...? That's, good to, hear..."

In the end, carelessly giving out the appropriate response, Servant Rider was quietly extinguished.

In terms of time, it was merely a short battle. It was nothing more than an offense and defense that barely filled the few seconds it took for the mounted Heroic Spirit to gallop across to the opposite bridgehead.

However, it was equivalent to a lifetime to Waver, who had it all burned into his eyes without blinking once.

He won't ever forget it. Even if a lid was closed over his heart, he can't possibly forget. The scene that his eyes caught in the last few seconds had already become a part of his soul and was impossible to detach.

Waver simply stood rooted to the ground, alone at where he was left behind on the road, unable to move in the slightest. He repeatedly acknowledged that he must move, but he felt that if he tried to walk a single step he would collapse onto his knees.

However, he absolutely cannot kneel down now.

The golden Archer, gazing at Waver with his brutal blood-colored eyes, slowly walked up to him. He mustn't avert his eyes. Even though his entire body was frozen by terror, he at least understood that. He won't survive if he averted his eyes now.

The boy shook with fear that he did not attempt to hide, yet he stubbornly did not avert his eyes; Archer stood before him, and posed a question in a voice completely devoid of emotions.

"Boy, are you Rider's Master?"

He had thought that he couldn't possibly speak from a throat frozen by terror, but just as he was asked about his relationship with 'him', he was released from his stiffness for a little moment. Waver shook his head, and replied in a hoarse voice.

"No. I'm - his servant."

"Hmn?"

Archer narrowed his eyes, looked all over Waver in his entirety, and finally noticed that nowhere on his body conveyed the presence of the command seals.

" - I see. But boy, if you truly are a loyal subject, you have a duty to take revenge for your deceased King, do you not?"

Even with the second question, Waver answered with a strangely calm heart.

"...If I challenge you, I would die."

"Of course."

"I can't do that. I was ordered to live."

Yes - he can't die. Not now, when the last words entrusted to him by the King was engraved into his heart.

Waver must escape from this dilemma no matter what. He was before an enemy Servant and had no way to defend himself; even though it was a desperate situation where nothing can be done - the one thing he definitely cannot do was give up. He cannot ignore the way he had made the oath.

And that, was perhaps a pain far more cruel than resigning himself to death.

The boy shook helplessly before the death that he cannot escape from, but his gaze alone made his adamance known. Looking down wordlessly on that too-small stature for a short while, Gilgamesh simply nodded once.

"The path of devotion is a great labor. Do not ever mar it."

He had no reason to raise his hand against a mongrel who was neither Master nor traitor. That was his decision as the King.

Waver watched his departure as the golden Heroic Spirit turned on his heels and calmly walked away. Before long, the figure was gone from his sight, and a cold wind blowing across the river completely scattered the air of battle that had been stretched out the entire time; afterward, the lone boy realized that he had been left behind in the night, and finally understood that everything had ended.

His knees shook again at the miracle that was his survival.

Right before Archer changed his mind, he truly had the intent to kill Waver. The killing intent which he released as naturally as breathing had wordlessly announced that. Had Waver averted his eyes, or collapsed with fear, or choked in his reply, that would likely have truly happened.

If one was to sneer at how he had only begged for his life, then one simply did not know of the remorselessness of the King of Heroes. Simply being alive after resisting his terror was a conflict, and a victory. It was the first time Waver Velvet had gained a victory in a challenge by himself.

It was an unsightly and very small battle. It was far from brave, or spectacular. No one yielded to him, and he obtained no plunder. The only thing he did was survive and escape from a dilemma.

Even so, Waver was happy. He was proud. Only Waver himself could understand how priceless it was for him to arrive at that impossible conclusion under those circumstances. That honor was in him only. Even if it appeared unsightly to an onlooker, there was no reason to feel ashamed.

He complied with the order of the King. He saw everything through to the end, and lived on.

He wanted to be praised. By that massive, heavy palm. By his rough, unreserved, and thick voice. This time, he wouldn't need to hide his embarrassment. He could have throw out his chest unreservedly and boasted about his accomplishments to the man.

Yet - in this night sunken in silence, Waver was helplessly alone. No one was beside him. Like the him from eleven days ago, Waver was alone, left behind in a heartless and apathetic corner of the world.

The battle was only for him. No one had noticed what he had surpassed by himself in his loneliness. No one was praising him.

But if one to call it a cruel treatment - then no, it wasn't.

He had been rewarded with more than enough words of praise just now. The grandest King in the world had recognized and assigned him. He was told that he would be added into the ranks of the servants.

The order of events was simply reversed.

He had now been praised for the far future as well; the only thing to do now was to devote all that remained of his life to accumulate enough accomplishments to match that eulogy.

Yes. Simply because of those words at that point in time - he was not alone.

The moment he understood this, his days as a boy was over.

And then he knew it for the first time; sometimes, tears flowed free from humiliation or regret.

Now, on the empty bridge, looking down on the black surface of the flowing river, Waver Velvet wet his cheeks without any regrets.

They were the warm and crisp tears of a man.

<noinclude>
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|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_4|Act 16, Part 4]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_6|Act 16, Part 6]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

Fate/Zero

2011-02-06T04:06:28Z

Sharingan0619: vol.4 part 4 updated

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Image:Fate_Zero_promo.jpg|200px|thumb|A promotional image.]]

The Fate/Zero series is available in the following languages:
*'''English'''
*[[Fate/Zero_~Spanish~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
* [[Fate/Zero (Français)|Français]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Việt Nam)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_~Brazilian_Portuguese~ |Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Hungarian)|Magyar (Hungarian)]]
*[[Fate/Zero(Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

Fate/Zero (English) is a translation project undertaken by various members of the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair Forum] and Baka-Tsuki, hosted only by Baka-Tsuki. Be sure to thank them accordingly!

'''With the announcement and confirmation of the Fate/zero anime in 2011, the team had resolved to finish the translation of the entire novel series by March. Watch this space!'''

== Story Synopsis ==
War of the Holy Grail - Pursuing the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle, this is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for it. In that battle whose conclusion was postponed three times, now, the fourth war commenced again. Entrusting their dearest wish of victory, the magi joined the battleground called "Fuyuki", but amongst them, there was a man who was always alone, and could not find out the meaning behind his fights. His name was Kotomine Kirei. Not comprehending the guidance of fate, Kirei was lost, and had kept questioning. Why someone like his was given the Command Seals. However, the fate of his fights crossed Kirei's path with a nemesis by chance. That person is - Emiya Kiritsugu. A man who was sterner than anyone else, more merciless than anyone else, and who sought the miracle of the Holy Grail.

Merely recited in fragments in Fate/Stay Night, this is the Fourth War of the Holy Grail 10 years ago. The truth which unfolded behind the battle between Shirō's foster father, Rin's father, and the younger Kotomine Kirei, is finally revealed......

== Translation ==

=== [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first post at the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=3311 Beast's Lair] forum.

Translators are asked to [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|register]] the chapters they plan to work on.

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Fate/Zero:Format_guidelines|Fate/Zero Format Guidelines]]

To Translators/Editors: It is highly suggested that you use terminology and concepts from the [http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page TYPE-MOON Wiki]. Any missing information may be picked up from [http://tatari.110mb.com/fuyuki/index.htm Fuyuki Wiki]. --[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]]

== News ==

'''Fate/zero anime has been confirmed and it will be produced by ufotable, the company that produced the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Let us all rejoice! ^^''' --[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

== Updates ==
*January 6th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 1 Complete

*January 7th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 2 Complete

*January 16th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 14: Part 3 Complete

*January 17th, 2011
:*Translation for Commentary Complete

*January 18th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 3 Complete

*January 22th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 4 Complete

*January 24th, 2011
:*Translation for Epilogue: The Next Day Complete

*January 25th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 5 Complete

*January 31st, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 1 Complete
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 2 Complete

*February 3rd, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 3 Complete

*February 4th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 5 Complete

*February 4th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 4 Complete

Older updates can be found [[Fate/Zero:Update|here]].

== Fate/Zero by Nasu Kinoko & Urobuchi Gen ==

Up-to-date PDF (volumes 1-3 inclusive + pictures) available from [http://www.bakabt.com/152285-fate-zero-light-novel.html here] as a BitTorrent file.

===Volume 1 - The Untold Story of the Fourth Holy Grail War / 第四次聖杯戦争秘話 [[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v01_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 1.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|8 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_2|3 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|1 year ago]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_1|Act 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_2|Act 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_3|Act 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 3 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_4|Act 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_4|Part 4]]
:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface|Postface]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_2|Part 2]]

===Volume 2- The Mad Feast of Kings / 王たちの狂宴 [[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v02_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 2.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_5|Act 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_6|Act 6]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_7|Act 7]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_8|Act 8]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_5|Part 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_6|Part 6]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_2_Postface|Postface]]
=== Volume 3 - The Scattered Ones / 散りゆく者たち [[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v03_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 3.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_9|Act 9]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_10|Act 10]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_11|Act 11]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_12|Act 12]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_3_Postface|Postface]]

=== Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎 ===
[[Image:FZ_v04_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 4.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Interlude|Interlude]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_13|Act 13]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_14|Act 14]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_15|Act 15]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_16|Act 16]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_4|Part 4]] (100%)
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_5|Part 5]] (100%)
::*Part 6
::*Part 7
::*Part 8
::*Part 9
::*Part 10
::*Part 11
::*Part 12

:[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue:_The_Next_Day|The Next Day]]
::*Half A Year Later
::*Five Years Later

:Postface

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_4_Commentary|Commentary]]

:Another Story - Heart of Freaks

:[[Fate/Zero:Translator's_Notes|Translator's Notes and References]]

== Project Staff ==

*Project Administrator: -
*Project Supervisor: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] (Baka-Tsuki) (From Japanese + Chinese text)
::*[[User:Anserina|Anserina]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Ombapho|Ombapho]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Caradryan|Caradryan]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Byakko|Byakko]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Japanese text)
::*[[User:WingZero|WingZero]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Flamerare|Flamerare]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

=== Editors ===
::*[[User:CanonRap|CanonRap]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:mewarmo990|mewarmo990]] (Baka-Tsuki), ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Sharingan0619|Sharingan0619]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Fishnchips|Fishnchips]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Smidge204|Smidge204]] (Baka-Tsuki)

== Series Overview ==
* ''Fate/Zero #1 - 第四次聖杯戦争秘話''
First Edition Published December 29, 2006, ISBN: none (self published)

Second Edition Published January 26, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #2 - 王たちの狂宴''
First Edition Published March 31, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #3 - 散りゆく者たち''
First Edition Published July 27, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #4 - 煉獄の炎''
First Edition Published December 29, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 2

2011-01-30T15:11:30Z

Sharingan0619: 16.2

-03：59：48

At this moment, Saber was wandering aimlessly in eastern Shinto in search of Irisviel. Naturally, she too noticed the smoke signal given out at the Fuyuki Municipal Hall.

Though she did not understand the significance of the signal, it undoubtedly had something to do with the Heaven’s Feel. Like one critically ill who would turn to any doctor, as if grasping a lifeline, Saber immediately turned the vehicle and sped in the direction where the smoke signal had flared.

Saber, who did not need to cross the Mion River to reach her destination, was not attacked by Archer who was guarding the bridge, and arrived first at the Fuyuki Municipal Hall.

Saber drove the V-MAX through the silent night scene; revving the V-type four-cylinder engine, she drove into the front porch, the walls of which still looked new.

Within her sight there was no sign of the enemy, and neither could she sense any killing intent hidden in the darkness. In that case—was the enemy hiding within the building?

Saber gazed for a moment at the pitch-black area near the outer wall of the Municipal Hall, turning the V-MAX around to the guiding road designated for visitors. She followed the sloping path that extended below the building, and entered the underground parking area.

In the underground area where the moonlight could not reach, the white light of the headlights cut through the darkness to shine on the icy cement wall. The wide car park, designed to accommodate more than a hundred cars, had not yet been opened for use; only several cars from the construction company were parked here and there, the rest of the empty space heavy with dusty air.

The rough roar of the V-MAX’s engine was also instantly swallowed up by the strange, crypt-like silence. Saber warily glanced at the surroundings. All around her was dense darkness, the shadows of the support pillars that had been built everywhere… extremely suitable for the enemy to hide his form. More importantly, her instinct felt the murderous intent that almost saturated the air.

“Ah…”

From the floor came a resentful sigh; it sounded like the groaning of the dead from a dark abyss.

Saber could not have heard this sound wrongly, for she had many times been its target—

“URRRRRR!!”

She immediately reacted to the explosion that closely followed the roar.

Saber turned(1) and retreated quickly. At her previous position, the V-MAX that had been left there was surrounded by the fire that splashed like rain. In just one instant, her beloved steel steed had turned into a shapeless heap of scrap. The gunpowder scent of burning reached Saber’s nose.

“This weapon is—“

Saber had an impression of it. This was the rain of fire that had turned Lancer’s Master and the rest— all who had fallen terrible victim to Emiya Kiritsugu’s calculations—into pitiful corpses; in this modern world, it had become a mainstream mechanized shooting weapon.

In the depths of the darkness, red lotuses of flame blossomed once more. Under the firelight that shone from the muzzle of the gun, the black shadow of Berserker lengthened to a state of deformity as it gestured threateningly on the walls of the underground parking area. Without the slightest hesitation, Saber leaped into the air, dashing out through a baptism of flying lead bullets. The stray bullets of unimaginably destructive power tore open a large hole in the cement of the ground and walls. That power obviously could not be spoken of in tandem with the weapon that Maiya had used. Saber sensed that even though she was a Servant, if she were hit she would be fatally wounded; she gnashed her teeth in anger.

Of course, she could not have known the process by which Berserker had obtained the pistols. Both of the crazed black knight’s hands held a modern firearm that Kotomine Kirei had prepared using the power of his position as Supervisor; Berserker nimbly and freely operated them as if they had been extensions of his own hands. The firearms’ structure and holster were all immersed in the hated prana, and had turned into fierce magecraft military equipment that could even threaten Saber.

“▂▂▃▃▄▄▅▅！”
The two machine guns were not in any way inferior to the black knight’s angry howl; screeching hotly, they attacked Saber. The bullets, faster than the speed of sound, were still unable to surpass the speed of Saber’s sword; nevertheless, the speed of twenty-odd bullets per second left her with only the ability to parry.

Berserker could confer the properties of a Noble Phantasm on the weapon in his hand, regardless of its origin or time period. Once it had been upgraded to the category of Noble Phantasm, the difference(2) between the two weapon types of ‘sword’ and ‘firearm’ forced Saber into a decisively disadvantageous situation.

Because the construction was not yet finished, in one corner of the parking lot were piled a large number of paint cans. One of the stray bullets impacted here; the calcinated bullet caused the solvent to explode. The underground darkness was dissipated by red lotuses of flame.

Saber was so restricted by the curtain of bullets that she could not close in; she looking around in search of a method by which she could return from certain defeat. At that time, she saw a small truck that was parked in a lot at the corner of the car park.

“—That’s it!”

Taking the risk that she would be forced into the corner with no route of retreat, Saber dashed toward the vehicle she had set her eyes on. Berserker pursued her as she fled, at the same time shooting at random with the firearms in his hands. Saber made a ferocious step that narrowly preceded the howling bullets, dashing into the back of the truck. She brandished the back of her sword upward, flinging the structure of the vehicle into the air.

At this point, the rain of bullets targeting Saber crumpled the truck as if it had been a paper model. Saber continued to hide behind the structure of the truck, pieces of which had been scattered all over, using her shoulder to halt the rotating chassis. Like this, she dashed toward Berserker.

Berserker continued to shoot, using the machine gun to mercilessly smash the structure of the truck to iron chips. Even though the heavy frame of the truck quickly met its fate of being disintegrated, from Saber’s perspective, as long as the ‘temporary shield’ could close the distance and bring Berserker into proximity of the sword’s attack, it would be enough.

“Uaoaoaoao!”

The bullets, which had penetrated the structure of the truck, grazed her face and shoulders. One bullet sent sparks flying in all directions as it impacted on the oil tank, combusting the fuel inside. The structure of the vehicle, which had already become unrecognizable, was consigned to the flames. Nevertheless, even this did not stop the footsteps of Saber’s attack.

When the distance from the adversary had closed to less than ten meters, Saber picked an opportune moment to throw the wreckage of the truck toward Berserker. Facing the flaming iron scrap, Berserker not only did not dodge, but brought up a single hand in the attempt to smash it with a single fist.

—The time was ripe.

“Ha-a!!”

Along with a high shout, Saber once again pressed in on the burning structure of the truck like an electro-optical stone(3), using all her strength to attack downward. The precious sword pierced the burning piece of iron that had been used as a distraction; the point of the sword closed in on Berserker, who had been on the other side.

Blocked by the obstacle, Berserker completely did not see Saber’s actions, and thus had no way of avoiding this attack. At the third clash of blades, Saber finally scored a hit on the enemy in one blow. From the point of her sword, a sense of having scored a direct hit travelled to her hand.
But—

“—Too shallow!?”

On Saber’s side, because of the blocking shield, she too could not directly see her target. Even though she had indeed scored a hit on the other by relying on her intuition to attack, she had ultimately not been lucky enough to have scored a critical hit in that blow. The front part of Barrier of the Wind King, though it had accurately impacted on the center of the forehead of the black helmet, it had been unable to smash the skull inside.

The outside of the truck was subject to a heavy rain of bullets, and its inside had been pierced by a sword; this time it finally broke into two pieces. Although Berserker had not received a fatal wound, because his face had been fiercely attacked, he staggered backward and would not be able to recover for a time. That was a space enough to make a follow-up attack. Now the scales of victory were tipped toward Saber.

Saber kicked aside the burning vehicle wreckage, and used the stance of the above paragraph (sword raised high above her head, a stance to intimidate the enemy) to raise her sword. This time she would definitely not let him off. She aimed at the defenseless top of Berserker’s head, and gambled victory on the following direct attack.

Stance, speed, timing were all perfect. That was a strike worthy of the name of the sword-wielding Heroic Spirit, enough to make one believe that the outcome had been decided—precisely thus, the instant when Saber’s sword was stopped in midair was especially surprising.

Berserker threw away the machine guns, trapping the blade of the Barrier of the Wind King between his bare hands before her eyes. That consummate skill was unbelievable on two counts. Not only because he had used an impossible stance to respond to Saber’s killing follow-up attack, but even more that the path of the invisible Barrier of the Wind King could not have been seen through. But the Black Knight had grabbed the white blade with his bare hands to seal Saber’s attack, as if he had known everything about Saber’s sword, from the shape to the length, like the back of his hand.

Saber suddenly realized the fatal danger of having Berserker come into contact with her weapon; she shuddered violently. She banished the astonishment of her heart to the back of her mind, and used all her strength to kick out towards the black knight’s chest area. Berserker, who could not take the blow and thus retreated, released the precious sword, causing Saber’s beloved weapon to narrowly escape the danger of being corroded by the other’s black magic.

The sprinklers on the ceiling began to react to the flames that were spreading everywhere; they began to violently spray curtains of water. Even though their bodies were exposed to the fireproof water that was falling like rain, the platinum and black knights nevertheless did not move in the slightest, as they confronted each other.

In Saber’s heart again rushed forth a question that could not be overlooked.

The deceptive illusion of Barrier of the Wind King had been ineffective against Berserker. He was obviously very familiar with the sword that was protected by an invisible sheath. In other words, that meant that he had originally known her before she had become a Heroic Spirit.

At the warehouse district and the Mion River, this black knight had shown an abnormal persistence in attacking Saber. If that had not been the Master’s instruction, but this insane Heroic Spirit’s own hatred…

The more she stared at the black fog, the more indistinct the details of the armor became. This indicated that around Berserker’s body was twined a similar delusionary protection similar to the Barrier of the Wind King, making it impossible to see the true face of this Heroic Spirit. But at this point Saber could not but believe—he was undoubtedly one of the knights who had known her.

“… From your skill, you are definitely not an anonymous knight. I ask you!”

Saber made up her mind and cried out loudly toward the enemy whom she confronted through the mist.
“Since you have recognized that I am the King of Britain Arturia Pendragon, and challenged me as such, then you should report your background, for the glory of a knight! To issue a challenge while hiding your identity is akin to making a plot!”

The sound of water like heavily falling rain began to infiltrate the clear ‘ka-da-ka-da’ sound of metal. Though it was very slight, the sound that permeated the ears was cold enough to be terrifying; undoubtedly it was made by Berserker—under the cover of the black mist, his full-body armor was trembling.

That was the gentle sound of the armor that completely covered his limbs, as the pieces rippled gently and knocked against each other.

“You…”

Saber finally discovered the origin of the strange sound that was like a sigh or a groan that crawled across the ground.

The cracked, sobbing sound (4) originated from the depths of the black helmet. Berserker’s entire body shuddered, revealing an emotion that could not be suppressed.

Laughter—when Saber understood it thus, an unspeakable shudder ran through her body.

Without any deduction or proof, with only her sixth sense as guidance, she realized—her previous interrogation had been a fatal mistake.

It was a pity that she had realized it too late. The words that would have summoned to her the worst possible curse had long since been spoken through her own lips.

The black fog that painted the black knight’s entire body began to swirl and contract. Within the rushing mist, the pitch-black armor finally revealed its true colors.

That was perfect armor that was neither exquisite nor crude, but that perfectly combined both magnificence and functionality.

The delicate, nuanced workmanship of a smith who had done everything he could—made it look both formidable and well put together. Even the countless marks on it had become carvings that highlighted the wearer’s illustrious military exploits. That was the ideal battle outfit that all knights cannot help but envy.

Saber recognized the hero that had once worn that armor to ride forth on the battlefield. At the Round Table of Camelot he had been an unrivalled swordsman more radiant than any other; he had been a knight more excellent and a warrior more loyal and brave than any other.

“You are—how could —“

She wished that she had seen wrongly. He was the ideal incarnation that embodied the true face of the ‘knight’. That illustrious appearance could not have become the pitch-black form corroded by the Mad Enhancement curse.

The black knight laughed sinisterly as if mocking Saber’s thoughts, reaching toward the hilt of the precious sword in its scabbard. That sword had neither been picked up nor stolen. This Heroic Spirit who had been hiding his name all along was finally revealing his own Noble Phantasm.

Saber could only watch on helplessly as he slowly drew the precious sword from its scabbard.

She could not have been wrong; the design of the sword was the same as that of her own, the carvings of magical(5) text the proof that it had not been forged by mortal hands. The flash of the sharp blade under the moonlight was like the water of the lake as it shone with radiance. That was a limitless sword that would not be damaged regardless of what attack it had received.

Only he who was exalted as ‘the perfect knight’ was worthy of having that sword; its name was also known as ‘the indestructible(6) light of the lake’—that was the proof that indicated the bearer’s name even more clearly than if he had said it himself.

“… Ar… thur…”

The sighing cry reverberated within the black helmet. In this one vibration, the mask that had already cracked under Saber’s previous blow now shattered.

From the fractured mask was revealed a blackened face.

Nothing remained of the beautiful visage that had once drawn the admiration of many women. Yesterday’s hatred had made him gaunt and pallid as a phantom; only his eyes filled with hatred gave out light. That was the visage of a living dead man who had lost everything because of a curse.

“… Ah…”

Saber felt her knees weaken. The unyielding King of Knights forgot herself in helplessness; as if unable to bear the weight of water droplets that rained upon her shoulders and back, she fell to her knees upon the wet floor.

—Even those who are heroes will fall to lose even the most basic of honor—

In the past, someone had spoken to her thus.

In that case, had the curse started from then?

“… Do you really…”

Saber looked at the figure before her eyes, who had long since lost the distinguished dignity of yesterday and had been thoroughly changed by falling into the seat of madness; hot tears rushed forth, and she could only question.

“… Do you really hate me that much, my friend… even if you have become like that… do you hate me that much, Knight of the Lake!”

At that instant, the young girl who maintained her glory to the very end, who fought for honor to the very last—

That was the instant when she failed.

Fate/Zero

2011-01-30T15:10:33Z

Sharingan0619:

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Image:Fate_Zero_promo.jpg|200px|thumb|A promotional image.]]

The Fate/Zero series is available in the following languages:
*'''English'''
*[[Fate/Zero_~Spanish~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
* [[Fate/Zero (Français)|Français]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Việt Nam)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_~Brazilian_Portuguese~ |Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Hungarian)|Magyar (Hungarian)]]
*[[Fate/Zero(Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

Fate/Zero (English) is a translation project undertaken by various members of the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair Forum] and Baka-Tsuki, hosted only by Baka-Tsuki. Be sure to thank them accordingly!

'''With the announcement and confirmation of the Fate/zero anime in 2011, the team had resolved to finish the translation of the entire novel series by March. Watch this space!'''

== Story Synopsis ==
War of the Holy Grail - Pursuing the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle, this is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for it. In that battle whose conclusion was postponed three times, now, the fourth war commenced again. Entrusting their dearest wish of victory, the magi joined the battleground called "Fuyuki", but amongst them, there was a man who was always alone, and could not find out the meaning behind his fights. His name was Kotomine Kirei. Not comprehending the guidance of fate, Kirei was lost, and had kept questioning. Why someone like his was given the Command Seals. However, the fate of his fights crossed Kirei's path with a nemesis by chance. That person is - Emiya Kiritsugu. A man who was sterner than anyone else, more merciless than anyone else, and who sought the miracle of the Holy Grail.

Merely recited in fragments in Fate/Stay Night, this is the Fourth War of the Holy Grail 10 years ago. The truth which unfolded behind the battle between Shirō's foster father, Rin's father, and the younger Kotomine Kirei, is finally revealed......

== Translation ==

=== [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first post at the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=3311 Beast's Lair] forum.

Translators are asked to [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|register]] the chapters they plan to work on.

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Fate/Zero:Format_guidelines|Fate/Zero Format Guidelines]]

To Translators/Editors: It is highly suggested that you use terminology and concepts from the [http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page TYPE-MOON Wiki]. Any missing information may be picked up from [http://tatari.110mb.com/fuyuki/index.htm Fuyuki Wiki]. --[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]]

== News ==

'''Fate/zero anime has been confirmed and it will be produced by ufotable, the company that produced the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Let us all rejoice! ^^''' --[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

== Updates ==
*January 30th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 1 Complete

*January 6th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 1 Complete

*January 7th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 2 Complete

*January 16th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 14: Part 3 Complete

*January 17th, 2011
:*Translation for Commentary Complete

*January 18th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 3 Complete

*January 22th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 4 Complete

*January 24th, 2011
:*Translation for Epilogue: The Next Day Complete

*January 25th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 5 Complete

Older updates can be found [[Fate/Zero:Update|here]].

== Fate/Zero by Nasu Kinoko & Urobuchi Gen ==

Up-to-date PDF (volumes 1-3 inclusive + pictures) available from [http://www.bakabt.com/152285-fate-zero-light-novel.html here] as a BitTorrent file.

===Volume 1 - The Untold Story of the Fourth Holy Grail War / 第四次聖杯戦争秘話 [[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v01_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 1.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|8 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_2|3 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|1 year ago]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_1|Act 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_2|Act 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_3|Act 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 3 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_4|Act 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_4|Part 4]]
:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface|Postface]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_2|Part 2]]

===Volume 2- The Mad Feast of Kings / 王たちの狂宴 [[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v02_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 2.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_5|Act 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_6|Act 6]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_7|Act 7]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_8|Act 8]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_5|Part 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_6|Part 6]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_2_Postface|Postface]]
=== Volume 3 - The Scattered Ones / 散りゆく者たち [[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v03_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 3.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_9|Act 9]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_10|Act 10]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_11|Act 11]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_12|Act 12]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_3_Postface|Postface]]

=== Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎 ===
[[Image:FZ_v04_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 4.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Interlude|Interlude]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_13|Act 13]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_14|Act 14]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_15|Act 15]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_5|Part 5]] (100%)

:Act 16
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 1]] (100%)
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_2|Part 2]] (100%)
::*Part 3
::*Part 4
::*Part 5
::*Part 6
::*Part 7
::*Part 8
::*Part 9
::*Part 10
::*Part 11
::*Part 12

:[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue:_The_Next_Day|The Next Day]]
::*Half A Year Later
::*Five Years Later

:Postface

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_4_Commentary|Commentary]] (100%)

:Another Story - Heart of Freaks

:[[Fate/Zero:Translator's_Notes|Translator's Notes and References]]

== Project Staff ==

*Project Administrator: -
*Project Supervisor: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] (Baka-Tsuki) (From Japanese + Chinese text)
::*[[User:Anserina|Anserina]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Ombapho|Ombapho]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Caradryan|Caradryan]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Byakko|Byakko]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Japanese text)
::*[[User:WingZero|WingZero]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Flamerare|Flamerare]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

=== Editors ===
::*[[User:CanonRap|CanonRap]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:mewarmo990|mewarmo990]] (Baka-Tsuki), ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Sharingan0619|Sharingan0619]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Fishnchips|Fishnchips]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Smidge204|Smidge204]] (Baka-Tsuki)

== Series Overview ==
* ''Fate/Zero #1 - 第四次聖杯戦争秘話''
First Edition Published December 29, 2006, ISBN: none (self published)

Second Edition Published January 26, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #2 - 王たちの狂宴''
First Edition Published March 31, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #3 - 散りゆく者たち''
First Edition Published July 27, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #4 - 煉獄の炎''
First Edition Published December 29, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

Fate/Zero

2011-01-30T15:09:31Z

Sharingan0619: /*Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎*/

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Image:Fate_Zero_promo.jpg|200px|thumb|A promotional image.]]

The Fate/Zero series is available in the following languages:
*'''English'''
*[[Fate/Zero_~Spanish~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
* [[Fate/Zero (Français)|Français]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Việt Nam)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_~Brazilian_Portuguese~ |Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Hungarian)|Magyar (Hungarian)]]
*[[Fate/Zero(Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

Fate/Zero (English) is a translation project undertaken by various members of the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair Forum] and Baka-Tsuki, hosted only by Baka-Tsuki. Be sure to thank them accordingly!

'''With the announcement and confirmation of the Fate/zero anime in 2011, the team had resolved to finish the translation of the entire novel series by March. Watch this space!'''

== Story Synopsis ==
War of the Holy Grail - Pursuing the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle, this is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for it. In that battle whose conclusion was postponed three times, now, the fourth war commenced again. Entrusting their dearest wish of victory, the magi joined the battleground called "Fuyuki", but amongst them, there was a man who was always alone, and could not find out the meaning behind his fights. His name was Kotomine Kirei. Not comprehending the guidance of fate, Kirei was lost, and had kept questioning. Why someone like his was given the Command Seals. However, the fate of his fights crossed Kirei's path with a nemesis by chance. That person is - Emiya Kiritsugu. A man who was sterner than anyone else, more merciless than anyone else, and who sought the miracle of the Holy Grail.

Merely recited in fragments in Fate/Stay Night, this is the Fourth War of the Holy Grail 10 years ago. The truth which unfolded behind the battle between Shirō's foster father, Rin's father, and the younger Kotomine Kirei, is finally revealed......

== Translation ==

=== [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first post at the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=3311 Beast's Lair] forum.

Translators are asked to [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|register]] the chapters they plan to work on.

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Fate/Zero:Format_guidelines|Fate/Zero Format Guidelines]]

To Translators/Editors: It is highly suggested that you use terminology and concepts from the [http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page TYPE-MOON Wiki]. Any missing information may be picked up from [http://tatari.110mb.com/fuyuki/index.htm Fuyuki Wiki]. --[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]]

== News ==

'''Fate/zero anime has been confirmed and it will be produced by ufotable, the company that produced the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Let us all rejoice! ^^''' --[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

== Updates ==
*January 30th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 1 Complete

*January 6th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 1 Complete

*January 7th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 2 Complete

*January 16th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 14: Part 3 Complete

*January 17th, 2011
:*Translation for Commentary Complete

*January 18th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 3 Complete

*January 22th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 4 Complete

*January 24th, 2011
:*Translation for Epilogue: The Next Day Complete

*January 25th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 5 Complete

Older updates can be found [[Fate/Zero:Update|here]].

== Fate/Zero by Nasu Kinoko & Urobuchi Gen ==

Up-to-date PDF (volumes 1-3 inclusive + pictures) available from [http://www.bakabt.com/152285-fate-zero-light-novel.html here] as a BitTorrent file.

===Volume 1 - The Untold Story of the Fourth Holy Grail War / 第四次聖杯戦争秘話 [[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v01_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 1.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|8 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_2|3 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|1 year ago]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_1|Act 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_2|Act 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_3|Act 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 3 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_4|Act 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_4|Part 4]]
:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface|Postface]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_2|Part 2]]

===Volume 2- The Mad Feast of Kings / 王たちの狂宴 [[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v02_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 2.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_5|Act 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_6|Act 6]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_7|Act 7]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_8|Act 8]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_5|Part 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_6|Part 6]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_2_Postface|Postface]]
=== Volume 3 - The Scattered Ones / 散りゆく者たち [[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v03_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 3.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_9|Act 9]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_10|Act 10]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_11|Act 11]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_12|Act 12]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_3_Postface|Postface]]

=== Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎 ===
[[Image:FZ_v04_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 4.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Interlude|Interlude]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_13|Act 13]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_14|Act 14]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_15|Act 15]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_5|Part 5]] (100%)

:Act 16
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 1]] (100%)
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 2]] (100%)
::*Part 3
::*Part 4
::*Part 5
::*Part 6
::*Part 7
::*Part 8
::*Part 9
::*Part 10
::*Part 11
::*Part 12

:[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue:_The_Next_Day|The Next Day]]
::*Half A Year Later
::*Five Years Later

:Postface

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_4_Commentary|Commentary]] (100%)

:Another Story - Heart of Freaks

:[[Fate/Zero:Translator's_Notes|Translator's Notes and References]]

== Project Staff ==

*Project Administrator: -
*Project Supervisor: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] (Baka-Tsuki) (From Japanese + Chinese text)
::*[[User:Anserina|Anserina]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Ombapho|Ombapho]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Caradryan|Caradryan]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Byakko|Byakko]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Japanese text)
::*[[User:WingZero|WingZero]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Flamerare|Flamerare]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

=== Editors ===
::*[[User:CanonRap|CanonRap]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:mewarmo990|mewarmo990]] (Baka-Tsuki), ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Sharingan0619|Sharingan0619]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Fishnchips|Fishnchips]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Smidge204|Smidge204]] (Baka-Tsuki)

== Series Overview ==
* ''Fate/Zero #1 - 第四次聖杯戦争秘話''
First Edition Published December 29, 2006, ISBN: none (self published)

Second Edition Published January 26, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #2 - 王たちの狂宴''
First Edition Published March 31, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #3 - 散りゆく者たち''
First Edition Published July 27, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #4 - 煉獄の炎''
First Edition Published December 29, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

Fate/Zero

2011-01-30T15:04:55Z

Sharingan0619: /* Updates */

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Image:Fate_Zero_promo.jpg|200px|thumb|A promotional image.]]

The Fate/Zero series is available in the following languages:
*'''English'''
*[[Fate/Zero_~Spanish~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
* [[Fate/Zero (Français)|Français]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Việt Nam)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_~Brazilian_Portuguese~ |Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Hungarian)|Magyar (Hungarian)]]
*[[Fate/Zero(Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

Fate/Zero (English) is a translation project undertaken by various members of the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair Forum] and Baka-Tsuki, hosted only by Baka-Tsuki. Be sure to thank them accordingly!

'''With the announcement and confirmation of the Fate/zero anime in 2011, the team had resolved to finish the translation of the entire novel series by March. Watch this space!'''

== Story Synopsis ==
War of the Holy Grail - Pursuing the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle, this is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for it. In that battle whose conclusion was postponed three times, now, the fourth war commenced again. Entrusting their dearest wish of victory, the magi joined the battleground called "Fuyuki", but amongst them, there was a man who was always alone, and could not find out the meaning behind his fights. His name was Kotomine Kirei. Not comprehending the guidance of fate, Kirei was lost, and had kept questioning. Why someone like his was given the Command Seals. However, the fate of his fights crossed Kirei's path with a nemesis by chance. That person is - Emiya Kiritsugu. A man who was sterner than anyone else, more merciless than anyone else, and who sought the miracle of the Holy Grail.

Merely recited in fragments in Fate/Stay Night, this is the Fourth War of the Holy Grail 10 years ago. The truth which unfolded behind the battle between Shirō's foster father, Rin's father, and the younger Kotomine Kirei, is finally revealed......

== Translation ==

=== [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first post at the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=3311 Beast's Lair] forum.

Translators are asked to [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|register]] the chapters they plan to work on.

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Fate/Zero:Format_guidelines|Fate/Zero Format Guidelines]]

To Translators/Editors: It is highly suggested that you use terminology and concepts from the [http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page TYPE-MOON Wiki]. Any missing information may be picked up from [http://tatari.110mb.com/fuyuki/index.htm Fuyuki Wiki]. --[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]]

== News ==

'''Fate/zero anime has been confirmed and it will be produced by ufotable, the company that produced the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Let us all rejoice! ^^''' --[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

== Updates ==
*January 30th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 16: Part 1 Complete

*January 6th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 1 Complete

*January 7th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 2 Complete

*January 16th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 14: Part 3 Complete

*January 17th, 2011
:*Translation for Commentary Complete

*January 18th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 3 Complete

*January 22th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 4 Complete

*January 24th, 2011
:*Translation for Epilogue: The Next Day Complete

*January 25th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 5 Complete

Older updates can be found [[Fate/Zero:Update|here]].

== Fate/Zero by Nasu Kinoko & Urobuchi Gen ==

Up-to-date PDF (volumes 1-3 inclusive + pictures) available from [http://www.bakabt.com/152285-fate-zero-light-novel.html here] as a BitTorrent file.

===Volume 1 - The Untold Story of the Fourth Holy Grail War / 第四次聖杯戦争秘話 [[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v01_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 1.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|8 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_2|3 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|1 year ago]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_1|Act 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_2|Act 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_3|Act 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 3 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_4|Act 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_4|Part 4]]
:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface|Postface]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_2|Part 2]]

===Volume 2- The Mad Feast of Kings / 王たちの狂宴 [[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v02_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 2.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_5|Act 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_6|Act 6]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_7|Act 7]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_8|Act 8]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_5|Part 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_6|Part 6]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_2_Postface|Postface]]
=== Volume 3 - The Scattered Ones / 散りゆく者たち [[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v03_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 3.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_9|Act 9]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_10|Act 10]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_11|Act 11]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_12|Act 12]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_3_Postface|Postface]]

=== Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎 ===
[[Image:FZ_v04_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 4.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Interlude|Interlude]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_13|Act 13]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_14|Act 14]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_15|Act 15]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_5|Part 5]] (100%)

:Act 16
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 1]] (100%)
::*Part 2
::*Part 3
::*Part 4
::*Part 5
::*Part 6
::*Part 7
::*Part 8
::*Part 9
::*Part 10
::*Part 11
::*Part 12

:[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue:_The_Next_Day|The Next Day]]
::*Half A Year Later
::*Five Years Later

:Postface

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_4_Commentary|Commentary]] (100%)

:Another Story - Heart of Freaks

:[[Fate/Zero:Translator's_Notes|Translator's Notes and References]]

== Project Staff ==

*Project Administrator: -
*Project Supervisor: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] (Baka-Tsuki) (From Japanese + Chinese text)
::*[[User:Anserina|Anserina]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Ombapho|Ombapho]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Caradryan|Caradryan]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Byakko|Byakko]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Japanese text)
::*[[User:WingZero|WingZero]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Flamerare|Flamerare]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

=== Editors ===
::*[[User:CanonRap|CanonRap]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:mewarmo990|mewarmo990]] (Baka-Tsuki), ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Sharingan0619|Sharingan0619]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Fishnchips|Fishnchips]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Smidge204|Smidge204]] (Baka-Tsuki)

== Series Overview ==
* ''Fate/Zero #1 - 第四次聖杯戦争秘話''
First Edition Published December 29, 2006, ISBN: none (self published)

Second Edition Published January 26, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #2 - 王たちの狂宴''
First Edition Published March 31, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #3 - 散りゆく者たち''
First Edition Published July 27, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #4 - 煉獄の炎''
First Edition Published December 29, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

Fate/Zero:Act 16 Part 1

2011-01-30T15:01:03Z

Sharingan0619: 16.1

=== -04:08:29 ===

Two o'clock A.M. -

The silence of the streets which have fallen asleep is deeper than usual and complete. Even the night-owl residents - perhaps terrified by the repeated cases - obeyed the appeal to self-imposed curfews and were submissively drawn into their homes. Even the shadows of cars disappeared from the road's surface. The asphalt, clearly lit by only the street lights, was frozen by the air of the winter night.

This townscape where human life had completely ceased looked like it belonged inside a scene with toys stretched to life-size. If a place beyond the recognition of normal humans is called an 'alien world', then doubtless that is what nighttime Fuyuki is.

A single heroic horse sprinted cross that bizarre landscape as though it ruled over the place. Waver was being carried on its vigorous back, hurrying towards his place of death. Directly behind him was the massive and magnificent chest of the King of Conquerors, so close that even its pounding heartbeats were transmitted.

Even if he were to survive past this night, Waver will never forget this tense, silent exaltation. There is a time known in the world as the 'moment of truth'. When the soul, released from all deception and embellishment and bared, takes in the sweeping view of the world in its true state, an instant of nothing but the shaking of the heart. Surely, that was what he was reflecting on right now. The instant when any and all of the world's mysteries and paradoxes are comprehended while they remain unanswered. The instant the meaning of existence and the value of death can be clearly grasped even without words. It is a time of supreme bliss, of release from all the bewilderment and uncertainty, the hardships of human life.

The warhorse leasurely slipped out of the sleeping city and jumped toward the riverbank, filled with still water in the color of darkness. In the still night, the great bridge they were aiming for was lit in white by the brilliance of hollow mercury lamps.

"Rider, that's......"

The King of Conquerors responded to the pointing Waver with a nod.

While standing on the bridge illuminated as if by broad daylight, his brilliantly golden majestic appearance radianted all the more, as though sneering at such counterfeits as artificial light. The remorseless coldheartedness of his eyes' deep crimson glint froze Waver's entire body with fear while they were still separated by hundreds of meters.

Servant Archer, King of Heroes Gilgamesh -

It wasn't that he hadn't prepared himself. From the beginning, he had understood that this was an unavoidable opponent. Even so, now that he was once again facing the real thing, the air of intimidation overcame all of the heart's defenses and came to crush the core of his soul.

"You scared, boy?"

Rider, who felt Waver's shaking, asked quietly. The boy frankly nodded without any pretenses at bravery.

"Yeah, I'm scared. Or I guess, to put it your way, 'my heart is jumping with excitement'."

At his tense response, the King of Conquerors' face broke into a pleased smile.

"That's exactly it. When the enemy is mighty, the yearning for the sweet wine of victory becomes utter bliss. Oh ho, looks like you understand it now."

Bucephalus strode majestically, carrying the bravely boasting Rider to the foot of the bridge.

This will be their fourth, and doubtless their final, chance meeting. The primordial King of Heroes and the legendary King of Conquerors. To the two of them, both occupying the wide four-lane road as though they owned it, the only ostacle that can hinder them is each other. The bridge was a one-way road; if one wouldn't back down, then the other wouldn't try to avoid. For a competition of tyranny between these two kingly ones, it was an inevitable, even fated, battlefield.

Bucephalus stopped his hooves, having halted after evidently sensing the will of his rider, who rewarded him by scratching his mane.

"Boy, wait here for now."

" - Huh?"

Rider lowered himself from the back of his beloved horse, stood on the ground, and began walking with an air of composure towards the waiting enemy. As though it had been prearranged, Archer also began walking to meet him halfway, his heels ringing out haughtily.

They were not warriors who simply competed with their martial skills only. Seeing as they will both compete in tyranny, in addition to crossing swords, they must also proceed through the proper channels.

"Rider, where is your vaunted chariot?"

As soon as he opened his mouth, Archer questioned him with restless anger.

"Ah, that. Well. Aggravatingly, that Saber has carried it off."

Rider replied with a carefree shrug. Archer stared at him, scrutinizing with his blood-colored eyes.

"...Did you forget what I had decided? You were informed that you would be defeated at your most perfect condition."

"Hm, now that you mention it, that's right."

With no fear for the intimidation, Rider, in an exceedingly bold and ferocious way, bent his lips and smiled.

"True, my weapon has been consumed. But do not that that lightly, King of Heroes. Tonight, Iskander is incomplete, and therefore beyond complete."

It was an incoherent manner of speaking, but Archer did not sneer at his nonsense, and looked over Rider's entire body with sharp eyes that seemed to cut into him.

" - I see. Yes, your Aura is overflowing. It is unusually stalwart. It seems you do not stand before me without some prospects of victory."

It was the truth. While he had lost one of his Noble Phantasms, the amount of prana seething off Rider right now was several times higher than before. The three expended Command Seals which Waver had intended to 'waste away meaninglessly' were unwittingly exercising an effect.

When using the Command Seals to activate the ultimate authority, the vaguer the contents, the more reduced the effects will be. On that point, as Waver's earlier orders all lacked concreteness, in terms of using the Command Seals, they were in effect wasted. On the other hand, a Command Seal activated not as an absolute command bending the will of the Servant, but based on the consent of both parties, would not only enforce but would become a way to support and amplify the Servant's actions. In this case, similar to how Kiritsugu's Saber achieved Spatial Relocation, the Command Seals can at times make possible something unprecedented which overturns the normal methods of magecraft, something on the same level as 'Magic'.

While the method of usage made little impression, as the three Seals conformed to the Servant's own will and furthermore were activated in succession, Rider received a definite effect from Waver's Command Seals - as long as he aspires to the action of 'victory', Rider will receive an amplified amount of Prana support compared to normal. Frankly, the current Rider is, even more so than in the past, at his 'most perfect'.

"Hey, Archer. Speaking of decisions, wasn't there one more agreement from our banquet before?"

"The conclusion that we would have no choice but to kill one another?"

"Didn't we say we would drink up the rest of the wine before that?"

Rider, with an honest smile unthinkable for one preparing for mortal combat, urged the King of Heroes.

"At that time, some boorish fellows tried to spoil our banquet... but there was still something left in the bottle. You can't fool my eyes."

"As expected of the king of usurpation. You are sharp-sighted when it comes to the belongings of others."

Archer, with a bitter smile, once again called forth a set of drinking vessels from the alternate-world 'vault' to his hand. The bottle was emptied, and the rest of the high-quality wine from the Age of the Gods at its bottom was poured completely into two cups; like two boxers crossing their gloves, they solemnly knocked their cups together.

"One more thing, King of Babylonia. My last summation to you."

"Permitted. State it."

His goblet still raised, and wearing a serious face while some rascally naivete remained in his gaze, Iskander began.

"For example, if my Aionion Hetairoi was equipped by your Gate of Babylon, it would undoubtedly become the most powerful army. Even that President of the West won't be more than a break of wind."

"Hm. And?"

"Once again, will you not be my ally? If we join together, we can surely conquer unto the ends of the stars."

Hearing this, the King of Heroes, as though he had heard some very satisfying satire, laughed out loud without a care.

"How deeply amusing you are. It has been a long time since I had laughed this much at something other than a jester's foolish nonsense."

Even as he laughed, his ruthless dread did not weaken in the slightest. Perhaps, to this golden-colored ruler, killing intent and great delight held roughly the same meaning.

"It is unfortunate, but I do not require a second friend. Past and future, my companion will only be one - and, there needs not be two kingly ones."

At such a resolute response, the King of Conquerors simply nodded quietly without showing his dejection.

"That is a high and lonely kingship. I shall challenge that unshakeable state of affairs with great admiration."

"Good. Display yourself to your heart's desire, King of Conquerors. You are a foe worthy of my judgement."

The two Kings gulped down their last drink together, disposed of the emptied cups, and turned back on their heels. Without turning around again, the two each returned to the bridgehead they came from.

Waver, who had watched over their last toast with a tense expression, went to meet the King's return with a sigh.

"Do you two, actually get along?"

"Well, we'll be killing each other now. Or he could be the last opponent in my entire life that I will exchange glances with. I can't be ungrateful."

"...Don't be stupid."

Waver countered Iskander's joking tone with a stifled voice.

"There's no way you can be killed. I won't accept that. Did you forget my Command Seals?"

"That's right - yeah, that's it."

With an intrepid smile, Rider once again straddled the back of the waiting Bucephalus, and unsheathed the sword affixed to his hip.

"Gather, my brethen! Tonight, we shall mark our gallant figures into the strongest legend!"

A wind of hot sand blew onto the bridge as though responding to the King's call and scattered the mist from the river.

The thoughts of the Heroic Spirits who had once saw the same dream as the King, drawn from beyond time and space, now came together and wove around the sword of the Cypriots.

A boundless blue sky. A horizon, blurred by the heat haze, that all would gaze at with a single heart in order to ascertain its very end.

The mental images of the brave ones, who crossed time to seek the battlefield, eroded even reality and changed the uninhabited great bridge into a great plain with a raging whirlwind.

And one by one, the Heroic Spirits hastened to the stage of the decisive battle they were ordered to.

"Ahh......"

This was the second time Waver had seen the spectacle of the arrayed Aionion Hetairoi in their magnificence. Even though it was no longer something to be shocked by, now that he knew the meaning of this ultimate Noble Phantasm which actualized the kingship of Iskander, he was overwhelmed by a sense of awe even greater than the first time.

The shining elites of the cavalry - the bond of lord and servant they formed with the King of Conquerors once upon a time can overcome even the separation between this life and the afterlife.

There is nowhere that their battlefield, sublimed into eternity, cannot be actualized. If the King of Conquerors would again set forth on tyranny, then no matter where he was, his servants would hasten to him.

That was the pride of being together with the King.

The joy of being able to battle together, of their hot surging blood.

"Our enemy is the King of Heroes, mightier than tens of thousands - an opponent lacking in no regards! Come, heroic warriors, show the original Heroic Spirit the way of our tyranny!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh - !!!"

At Iskander's roar, the cheers of the arrayed troops rose into the air.

Only the solitary Archer was before them, confronting the great host which boiled like the high seas, but he did not show a speck of dismay and simply stood, imposingly blocking their path. His appearance, painted in gold, was like a single arduous towering peak. The air of intimidation was unmistakably unprecedented, precisely what would come from a demigod Heroic Spirit.

"Come, lord of the vanquishers. Now you shall know the true form of a King......"

At the boldly boasting King of Heroes, the host of Heroic Spirits, led by the heroic horse Bucephalus, finally charged in a wedge formation.

Rider bellowed as he spearheaded the vanguard. Answering his roar, the knights released a battle cry. To the surging waves and harsh thundering songs, Waver also added his own small voice with all his might.

"AAAALaLaLaLaie!!"

Fate/Zero

2011-01-30T14:58:11Z

Sharingan0619: /*Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎*/

[[Category:Hosted Projects]]
[[Image:Fate_Zero_promo.jpg|200px|thumb|A promotional image.]]

The Fate/Zero series is available in the following languages:
*'''English'''
*[[Fate/Zero_~Spanish~|Español (Spanish)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Polski)|Polski (Polish)]]
* [[Fate/Zero (Français)|Français]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Việt Nam)|Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_~Brazilian_Portuguese~ |Português do Brasil (Brazilian Portuguese)]]
*[[Fate/Zero_(Hungarian)|Magyar (Hungarian)]]
*[[Fate/Zero(Italiano)|Italiano (Italian)]]
(Note: Translation progress varies for each version.)

Fate/Zero (English) is a translation project undertaken by various members of the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair Forum] and Baka-Tsuki, hosted only by Baka-Tsuki. Be sure to thank them accordingly!

'''With the announcement and confirmation of the Fate/zero anime in 2011, the team had resolved to finish the translation of the entire novel series by March. Watch this space!'''

== Story Synopsis ==
War of the Holy Grail - Pursuing the power of the "Holy Grail" which grants a miracle, this is a contest in which seven magi summon seven Heroic Spirits to compete for it. In that battle whose conclusion was postponed three times, now, the fourth war commenced again. Entrusting their dearest wish of victory, the magi joined the battleground called "Fuyuki", but amongst them, there was a man who was always alone, and could not find out the meaning behind his fights. His name was Kotomine Kirei. Not comprehending the guidance of fate, Kirei was lost, and had kept questioning. Why someone like his was given the Command Seals. However, the fate of his fights crossed Kirei's path with a nemesis by chance. That person is - Emiya Kiritsugu. A man who was sterner than anyone else, more merciless than anyone else, and who sought the miracle of the Holy Grail.

Merely recited in fragments in Fate/Stay Night, this is the Fourth War of the Holy Grail 10 years ago. The truth which unfolded behind the battle between Shirō's foster father, Rin's father, and the younger Kotomine Kirei, is finally revealed......

== Translation ==

=== [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|Registration]] ===

Those who wish to contribute are asked to first post at the [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=3311 Beast's Lair] forum.

Translators are asked to [[Fate/Zero:Registration_Page|register]] the chapters they plan to work on.

=== Format Standards ===
*[[Format_guideline|General Format/Style Guideline]]
*[[Fate/Zero:Format_guidelines|Fate/Zero Format Guidelines]]

To Translators/Editors: It is highly suggested that you use terminology and concepts from the [http://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page TYPE-MOON Wiki]. Any missing information may be picked up from [http://tatari.110mb.com/fuyuki/index.htm Fuyuki Wiki]. --[[User:Velocity7|velocity7]]

== News ==

'''Fate/zero anime has been confirmed and it will be produced by ufotable, the company that produced the Kara no Kyoukai movies. Let us all rejoice! ^^''' --[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

== Updates ==

*January 6th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 1 Complete

*January 7th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 2 Complete

*January 16th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 14: Part 3 Complete

*January 17th, 2011
:*Translation for Commentary Complete

*January 18th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 3 Complete

*January 22th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 4 Complete

*January 24th, 2011
:*Translation for Epilogue: The Next Day Complete

*January 25th, 2011
:*Translation for Act 15: Part 5 Complete

Older updates can be found [[Fate/Zero:Update|here]].

== Fate/Zero by Nasu Kinoko & Urobuchi Gen ==

Up-to-date PDF (volumes 1-3 inclusive + pictures) available from [http://www.bakabt.com/152285-fate-zero-light-novel.html here] as a BitTorrent file.

===Volume 1 - The Untold Story of the Fourth Holy Grail War / 第四次聖杯戦争秘話 [[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v01_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 1.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume1_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Prologue|Prologue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_1|8 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_2|3 years ago]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Prologue_3|1 year ago]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_1|Act 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 1 Part 5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_2|Act 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 2 Part 4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_3|Act 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act 3 Part 1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_3_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_4|Act 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_4_Part_4|Part 4]]
:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface|Postface]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Volume_1_Postface_2|Part 2]]

===Volume 2- The Mad Feast of Kings / 王たちの狂宴 [[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v02_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 2.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume2_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_5|Act 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_5_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_6|Act 6]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_6_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_7|Act 7]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_7_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_8|Act 8]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_5|Part 5]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_8_Part_6|Part 6]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_2_Postface|Postface]]
=== Volume 3 - The Scattered Ones / 散りゆく者たち [[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Full_Text|(Full Text)]]===

PDF (normal and book-binding formats) available from [http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=walk&action=display&thread=5461&page=1 here].

[[Image:FZ_v03_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 3.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume3_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_9|Act 9]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_9_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_10|Act 10]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_10_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_11|Act 11]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_11_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_12|Act 12]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_12_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_3_Postface|Postface]]

=== Volume 4 - Flames of Purgatory / 煉獄の炎 ===
[[Image:FZ_v04_cover.jpg|400px|thumb|Volume 4.]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume4_Illustrations|Novel Illustrations]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Interlude|Interlude]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_13|Act 13]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_13_Part_4|Part 4]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_14|Act 14]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_14_Part_5|Part 5]]

:[[Fate/Zero:Act_15|Act 15]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_1|Part 1]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_2|Part 2]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_3|Part 3]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Part 4]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_5|Part 5]] (100%)

:Act 16
::*[[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Part 1]] (100%)
::*Part 2
::*Part 3
::*Part 4
::*Part 5
::*Part 6
::*Part 7
::*Part 8
::*Part 9
::*Part 10
::*Part 11
::*Part 12

:[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue|Epilogue]]
::*[[Fate/Zero:Epilogue:_The_Next_Day|The Next Day]]
::*Half A Year Later
::*Five Years Later

:Postface

:[[Fate/Zero:Volume_4_Commentary|Commentary]] (100%)

:Another Story - Heart of Freaks

:[[Fate/Zero:Translator's_Notes|Translator's Notes and References]]

== Project Staff ==

*Project Administrator: -
*Project Supervisor: [[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]]

=== Translators ===

'''ACTIVE'''
::*[[User:Brynhilde|Brynhilde]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Zyzzyva165|Zyzzyva165]] (Baka-Tsuki) (From Japanese + Chinese text)
::*[[User:Anserina|Anserina]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Ombapho|Ombapho]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''MIA'''
::*[[User:Caradryan|Caradryan]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Byakko|Byakko]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Japanese text)
::*[[User:WingZero|WingZero]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)
::*[[User:Flamerare|Flamerare]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair]) (From Chinese text)

=== Editors ===
::*[[User:CanonRap|CanonRap]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:mewarmo990|mewarmo990]] (Baka-Tsuki), ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Sharingan0619|Sharingan0619]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])
::*[[User:Fishnchips|Fishnchips]] ([http://nrvnqsr.proboards20.com/index.cgi Beast's Lair])

'''KIA'''
::*[[User:Smidge204|Smidge204]] (Baka-Tsuki)

== Series Overview ==
* ''Fate/Zero #1 - 第四次聖杯戦争秘話''
First Edition Published December 29, 2006, ISBN: none (self published)

Second Edition Published January 26, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #2 - 王たちの狂宴''
First Edition Published March 31, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #3 - 散りゆく者たち''
First Edition Published July 27, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

* ''Fate/Zero #4 - 煉獄の炎''
First Edition Published December 29, 2007, ISBN: none (self published)

Fate/Zero:Act 15 Part 5

2011-01-26T18:14:49Z

Sharingan0619: /* -04:10:33 */

=== -04:10:33 ===

The Fuyuki City Hall –

This structure, which had been built at the cost of eight billion yen, was considered to be the symbol of Fuyuki Shinto’s development, together with the Central Building in front of the train station. It covered an area of 6600 square meters, and had 4700 square meters of usable space. It had a complex design that had four floors above ground and one floor below. The two-storied music hall can accommodate about 3000 patrons. The novel design by a prestigious architect had made this modern City Hall as majestic and splendid as an ancient shrine. The high ambitions that Fuyuki City had in terms of Shinto’s development could thus be seen.

However, only the outside had been completed. The interiors were still being decorated to be ready for the commemoration ceremony. Actively putting it into civil use was still a long way off. Apart from a minimal level of safety measures, the building didn’t even have electricity. Deep in the night, with no workers on site, this pristine and splendid building had become an unreal space, with an inhuman silence and an alien feeling flowing and drifting through its emptiness.

Civil planning definitely did not include magecraft in its consideration. It was a complete coincidence for the City Hall to be built on top of Fuyuki’s latest leyline – in other words, such a rare coincidence can only be attributed to the paranormal characteristics this place gained from the leyline.

Kotomine Kirei stood on the rooftop and calmly looked at the way the magecraft signals he had set off were scattering smoke in the night wind. All he had to do to infiltrate this unguarded building was to break the lock. He had already made the preparations for the ceremony and to confront an attack. All he had to do next was to stay here and wait for the remaining enemies to be attracted here by the signal.

The battle was near, yet he didn’t seem to be affected by it at all. Executors didn’t need to be excited with the prospect of bloodshed, nor did they need to make jokes to relieve the tension. They had the ideal characteristics to become tools of God’s will, and will gallop toward death with a heart containing only the ordinary feeling of completing a duty. Long years of such training allowed Kirei to display the calm and nonchalance of a practicing surgeon.

However –

“Hmph. Your face tonight is as cold as ever, Kirei.”

Archer, who walked up to the rooftop with a relaxed gait, mocked at him. Kirei laughed bitterly in his heart.

What did his face, emotionless as always, look like in the eyes of this Heroic Spirit who could look through everything? Even the shifts in his emotions that he couldn’t detect himself were unable to escape from this Heroic Spirit’s eyes.

Although his heart had wavered at the beginning, Kirei was used to it by now. Yes, he was a cold man in truth – he understood himself as if he were analysing someone else’s business.

The King of Heroes, who had just returned from the night market in the street, still wore his flamboyant and luxurious casual clothing. A residual tint of indulgency remained in those crimson eyes, and he didn’t show any sense of urgency at the approaching battle. However, this Heroic Spirit would never separate his outer appearance with his inner feelings. The battle surrounding the Holy Grail only seemed like child’s play to him.

“What do you want me to do next, Kirei? Just wait here?”

One wrong command could make Archer question the worth of his Master. Kirei, who knew this very well, shook his head after having thought about it for a while.

“The ceremony would be endangered if your power is released close to the Holy Grail. If you want to have fun, then attack head-on.”

“Mm, fine. But what do you plan to do if you’re attacked while I’m away?”

“Get Berserker to stall the enemies and I’ll use that time to summon you back. I would have to borrow the power of the Command Seals then. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”

“Permitted. However, I can’t guarantee the safety of the Holy Grail. I won’t be merciful tonight. This narrow little room may be completed destroyed.”

“That would be the worst outcome, but that would also be fate.”

Kirei nodded decisively, but Archer narrowed his eyes

“Kirei, it looks as if you understood the meaning of this war. But do you still not have a wish to bestow up on the Holy Grail? Not a single wish, even if you do manage to obtain the miracle?”

“That’s true. What’s wrong with that?”

“Although it’s yet to be completed, the ‘vessel’ is already in your hands. It may accept a ‘pre-ordered’ wish, you know.”

“… Hmm, I see. You’re saying that, if possible, a miracle can occur at the same time that the Holy Grail descends, right?”

Kirei sighed disinterestedly and thought about it for a while. At the end, he still shook his head.

“I still don’t have a wish. If I have to have one – then I wish there won’t be innocent people meddling with us in the final battle. Unfortunately, there are residents all around us. I had wanted to fight for my victory at some place desolate if possible.”

Hearing this completely boring answer, Gilgamesh said with derision.

“Hah, the thing hiding in your heart can only be guessed from around the Holy Grail.”

At the end, although those two were closer to the Holy Grail than anyone else, they also cared less for it than anyone. For those two, compared with gaining the Holy Grail, it was more meaningful to chase away those who had gathered because of it.

“– Ah, there’s one more thing. If Saber appears before I return –”

As he was about to depart, the King of Heroes stopped his steps as if having suddenly thought of something.

“– Then let Berserker play with her for a little while. I saved that mad dog’s life just for this.”

“Understood.”

Kirei still didn’t figure out the reason why Archer was so bend on Saber. However, as for Berserker, who had longed to destroy the King of Heroes due to their initial battle, things were different. The King of Heroes had allowed for Berserker’s continued existence after knowing his true name from investigating Matō Kariya. He had said ‘it’s entertaining to let that dog bite Saber”. The King of Heroes could always control his anger whenever it comes to Saber; it seemed Gilgamesh was very interested with the King of Knights.

“Say, Kirei, how’s that doll, the one Saber protected with the risk of losing her life? I heard that whatchamacallit– Vessel of the Grail – is in it.”

“Ah, you meant that.”

Kirei didn’t want to mention its existence. He had no more interest in it at this stage; he didn’t even feel the need to remember that woman’s name.

“I just killed her. There’s no more reason to keep her alive.”

<center>※※※※※</center>

Irisviel opened her eyes and looked around her surroundings.

She felt very strange. Her conscious was impeccably clear, and yet she could not think logically.

It seemed like it was not her mentality that became muddled and meaningless, but this world she was in.

Many scenes flashed past her eyes. When she beheld them, the only emotion that welled up within her heart was a meaningless and unbearable sorrow and emptiness.

The scenes that reflected from her eyes were eternally sundered from happiness or joy. That was the only thing in common amongst this kaleidoscope of confusion.

There was pain, there was humiliation, and there was regret, hatred, and loss.

Bloodshed and a desolate land. Betrayal and vengeance. Having devoted everything and still received nothing in return – it was an expensive cycle that had no rewards.

The familiar snow-covered scene continued to go on.

It was recounting the story of a clan that sealed everything they had within a castle of deep winter.

And here she finally remembered – what she was looking down upon was the two-thousand-year long pilgrimage of the Einsbern family for the Holy Grail.

The primeval Justizia and the female dolls created using her as a model… they were homunculi, fake living beings.

They were humanoid disposable created with the secret craft of alchemy and used to fulfil the unattainable lasting wish.

This lost and confused history of the Einsbern clan was written using their blood and tears as ink and their broken bones and frozen fingertips as pens. Their sighs and their despair made Irisviel’s heart clutch tight.

If the place that could see all of this had existed, then it would definitely be in the epicentre of all conflicts, within the thing that had witnessed all.

Irisviel finally understood. She was looking at the inside of the Holy Grail.

It was the Greater Grail that embraced the primeval Justizia, the Greater Grail of Mount Enzō. All homunculi were manufactured to the standard of the ‘Lady of Winter’, using her as their model. Therefore, they shared the same pain.

– No, was that really the truth?

“Why are you crying, Mother?”

When she came to, Irisviel discovered that she was in the room of her child, and was protected by the warmth of the fireplace.

Icy wind and snow gathered outside the window and the storm roared past. A pair of tiny hands clutched her mother’s arms tightly in search of protection.

“Mother, I had a nightmare. Illya dreamt that I became a wine cup.”

Although her heart was terrified, Illyaviel’s two red eyes still looked at Irisviel with trust. Though her face looked the same as her mother and all of her sisters, this child was different and she was more adorable than anyone else –

“There were seven big blocks in Illya’s heart. When Illya felt like she was about to break and was so scared but couldn’t run away, she heard Justizia-sama’s voice, and there was a big black hole above my head…”

Iriviel embraced her daughter tightly. Her silver-white fringe brushed past her daughter’s face, which was wet with tears.

“It’s alright, it’s alright… that won’t happen. You won’t see such things, Illya.”

There was one sad wish that only Irisviel possessed out of her innumerable sisters and could not share with anyone else – and that was the maternal love of a ‘Mother’.

Out of the generations of homunculi, she had been the first to give birth to a child from her womb. Out of all of her kind, only she was given a love for her child. Nonetheless, the fate that she carried was also lamentable.

Illyasviel von Einsbern was the next Vessel of the Grail, and also a mechanical part swept up into the two-thousand-year old cogwheel of delusion and stubbornness.

This shackle would not end before someone had claimed victory.

The Third Magic, the Cup of Heaven – that achievement was the only salvation.

Many sounds rushed towards Irisviel. She chanted with her countless sisters.

The Holy Grail –

Please grant the Holy Grail onto my hands –

Within the place deep within the forest where the used homunculi were discarded, the mountain of corpses made of her kin chanted. Those rotten, maggot-infested faces overlapped with Illya’s young and small face, and emitted those painful sounds.

“It’s alright –”

Full of love, the mother hugged her daughter tightly in her arms.

“Illya, you’ll definitely be freed from this shackle of fate. I will finish everything. Your daddy will also definitely fulfill this wish…”

At that time, a question suddenly flashed past her thoughts.

If this was a dream displayed by the Holy Grail – since she could see the ‘Vessel’ within so clearly and it had formed a shape – then what would Irisviel, who served as the outer cover, look like now?

It was as if the eggshell could see the innards of the chick.

If so, then this would be a giant contradiction. The shell was supposed to break when the chick hatches.

Then – who was the Irisviel that was dreaming?

The touch of Illyasviel’s slender body, which she was hugging tightly, was so realistic. Irisviel looked toward her own hands, which were hugging her daughter.

Irisviel had already disappeared. If the chick had consumed the broken shell…

The falling snow outside the window suddenly stopped. What melted into the darkness of the night was a thick black mud that stirred up ripples.

She wasn’t scared, nor was she surprised; she only comprehended it calmly and gazed upon it. The mud seeped in from all corners of the room and dripped from the chimney, and slowly soaked the ground beneath her feet.

Right, the question of ‘who was I’ was so minuscule.

She had been no one since the start. Even now, she was still ‘someone’ who used the personality of Irisviel, a woman who had already disappeared, as a mask.

Even so, Irisviel’s wish that was hidden in her heart remained true. It was the wish of a mother who thought of her beloved daughter and lamented the future of her daughter even as she drew her last breath and passed away. She had inherited the wish of this mother.

Therefore, she was the one who must fulfill that wish.

She was the existence that had been worshipped and expected because she was to fulfill everyone’s wish, because she was made to be the one.

“– It’s alright, Illyasviel, everything is about to end.”

Gently, she murmured beside the ear of the young girl, whom she was embracing for the first time.

“So let us wait here awhile. Father will definite come. He’ll come to help us fulfill all of our wishes.”

The scorching mud that clung tightly to her had elegantly dyed her skirt black.

As she waited for the moment when the wish will be granted, the woman with her body entangled in the inky darkness smiled.

Dispel all sorrows and chase away all worries.

Soon she will receive the power to fulfill wishes, and become the omnipotent wish-granting vessel that could fulfill all.

<noinclude>
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; padding: 0.2em; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
| Back to [[Fate/Zero:Act_15_Part_4|Act 15, Part 4]]
| Return to [[Fate/Zero|Main Page]]
| Forward to [[Fate/Zero:Act_16_Part_1|Act 16, Part 1]]
|-
|}
</noinclude>

User:Sharingan0619

2010-12-24T15:48:27Z

Sharingan0619: New page: Sharingan here. I used to like all the mainstream japanese animes/mangas like naruto and bleach, but when i discovered Type-moon, they all ceased to exist for me. Now i only give my time t...

Sharingan here. I used to like all the mainstream japanese animes/mangas like naruto and bleach, but when i discovered Type-moon, they all ceased to exist for me. Now i only give my time to all things Type Moon, but occasionally to some exceptions that i deem worthy.
I am a native Mandarin chinese speaker, although i am adept at reading chinese, my skills are not high enough to assist with the current fate zero translation. But my English skills are more than enough to assist with the editing. :)

Fate/Zero:Act 14 Part 2

2010-12-17T22:18:19Z

Sharingan0619: /* -36:48:13 */

=== -36:48:13 ===

Emiya Kiritsugu was very sensitive to the scent of Death.

Perhaps it was because he had witnessed the deaths of others countless times. Death could not be seen, nor could it be heard. Nonetheless, he could still sense the silent descent of something unknown at the moment when life was waiting to disappear from the corporal body.

The times when he felt the ‘joy’ of that thing were definitely times when he must watch, helplessly, someone else’s final moments, with their lives already beyond saving.

Therefore, Kiritsugu felt despair and gave up the moment he stood in the silent underground storage.

He would definitely be witnessing someone else’s death again at this place.

Holding on to the gun tucked in at his waist, he carefully crept into the underground storage, its iron doors already smashed. There was no killing intent or any other scent of danger. There was only the air with the stench of blood permeating through it; the heat of battle had already cooled down.

There was a little figure curled up on the floor; the sound of her breathing was almost too faint to be heard. Unmoving, its gradually cooling body temperature was surprisingly nostalgic.

Because he had always known this scene would appear sooner or later.

He had saved this girl’s life, but her heart had already been dead the moment she met Kiritsugu. This girl, who had fortunately remained alive after her baptism of bullets and gunpowder, felt not happy, but confused at her good luck.

She could no longer feel any meaning or joy in the fact that she was living as a human again.

So she would return the life that had been saved to the master who gave this gift of life to her – with her eyes closed, it almost seemed the girl was telling Kiritsugu that. It was a meeting eleven years ago.

Kiritsugu also accepted her conclusion as such.

He had known with a certain premonition that this girl would die in the near future. Kiritsugu had killed his own father and foster mother with his own hands. Therefore, he knew clearly that this girl standing beside him would soon also step onto the road of no return.

But even so, the more tools he could use the better. One day she would lose her value and be discarded; it would be a rather happy ending if she could actually manage to save the lives of two or more people… Kiritsugu gifted this girl with a name, a nationality, and taught her the skills and knowledge he possessed. That was the first beginning of Hisau Maiya, this person whose final destiny had already been decided.

Therefore, there was no need to sigh or feel loss here – this was the logical, unquestionable end.

He took Maiya’s body into his arms. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Her empty gaze wandered around until she recognized Kiritsugu’s face.

“…”

Not knowing what to say to her, Kiritsugu bit his lip in confusion.

Words of gratitude or comfort have no real effect. If he were to say anything with meaning to her at this moment, it would be to tell her the conclusion, ‘you will die here’.

Tell her that she has no tasks left, no need to be troubled any more.

If he simply regarded her as a tool to be used, Kiritsugu would definitely be able to say those things.

“…”

However, no sound could come out of his dry throat. He just stood there dazedly, his lips spasming.

“… No. You can’t cry…”

[[Image:FZ_v04_117.png|thumb|Maiya's last moments]]

“…”

Kiritsugu didn’t notice the tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to fall out of the corners until Maiya pointed them out.

“You… need to save your tears for madam… if you cry here. No… you, are really weak. If you… start to cry now. No way…”

“I –”

He must have made some fatal error; Kiritsugu only felt that acutely now.

Functioning as a tool, thinking that even such a fate was acceptable at the end – just as Emiya Kiritsugu had always done, he had always thought the same of Hisau Maiya.

However, towards such a Kiritsugu, she spoke these words.

Shouldn’t there have been other ways for her to live or die?

“This morning. You finally… returned to the Kiritsugu of the past… if you waver over such a small matter. No…”

“–”

True. At this same place, he had embraced a different woman and understood the path he should walk in his life.

Just a moment’s wavering could overturn his belief.

The correct method could achieve an impossible miracle.

He reminded himself thus. It had been only half a day.

“ – Maiya, rest assured.”

Kiritsugu said in a suppressed voice as he stared into Maiya’s eyes, which were gradually losing their light.

“Trust Saber with everything. Maiya, your task… is complete.”

Although she had lost her value, the machine that was Emiya Kiritsugu still needed to keep functioning without error. Kiritsugu promised her that.

So there was no need for her to keep holding on.

No need to keep suffering pain, no need to keep thinking; she could let everything go.

Hearing this incompatibly cold declaration, Hisau Maiya softly nodded her head.

“Maiya…”

No reply.

No words of correction or refusal would ever be voiced again. What lay in Kiritsugu’s arms was already an ice-cold corpse.

Rider’s escape was evidently in Shinto’s direction.

Saber kept seeing Rider’s back appearing on top of apartment buildings and billboards; perhaps it was because the latter was jumping from one vantage point to another. Maybe he did not deliberately hide his movements due to his total disregard for Saber’s pursuing speed on foot.

If so, then he had excessively underestimated his enemy.

With completely opened throttle valves and Saber’s rising fighting spirit, the ferocious two-wheeled beast let out a courageous roar. The rumbling of the V-style four-cylinder 1400cc engine was like that of an iron-cast lion – the crazed bellowing of the giant carnivore violently shook the silence of the night.

The mechanical tool Emiya Kiritsugu had prepared wasn’t four-wheeled, but two-wheeled, perhaps to maximize Saber’s Riding skill. Compared to ‘controllable’ automobiles, which had the driver in a seat while constrained by safety belts, it was easier to control balance if the driver became a part of the vehicle itself. A Servant’s reinforced skills could only be maximized by ‘Riding’ a motorcycle, with the driver’s body exposed to the elements outside.

Of course, provided that it would be used by a Servant, an existence beyond ordinary humans, it wouldn’t matter if the motorcycle’s functions ignored the limits of normal drivers. It was originally a ridiculously impractical and hypothetical motorcycle design, but Kiritsugu actually managed to make this design a reality.

[[Image:FZ_v04_00n.jpg|thumb|The basic body of the motorcycle was the Yamaha V-Max, the most powerful in the modern world. The characteristics of the original 1200cc 140 Horsepower engine, which could already work near its limits, were strengthened again. Moreover, the acceleration system had been completely reinforced, making it a monstrous abnormality with an output equal to 250 Horsepower. That was the silver stallion Saber was now riding.]]

The basic body of the motorcycle was the Yamaha V-Max, the most powerful in the modern world. The characteristics of the original 1200cc 140 Horsepower engine, which could already work near its limits, were strengthened again. Moreover, the acceleration system had been completely reinforced, making it a monstrous abnormality with an output equal to 250 Horsepower. That was the silver stallion Saber was now riding.

Of course, the two-wheeled design could no longer be expected to function properly after various extreme reinforcements. The wheels had too much torque and could not generate enough friction with the road; they could only keep turning. The front wheel would jump up whenever the brakes were applied and could throw off the driver immediately.

Saber was steering this monstrous, physically uncontrollable steed perfectly and galloping at full speed. The secret to controlling this motorcycle so willfully lay in her battle skills, which she always took pride in, and the enormous power of her prana bursts. The prana burst throbbing out of Saber’s back urged the crazed vehicle to race along the road, using its entire horsepower on acceleration.

Rather than using skill, it was more like using even more power to overwhelm the vicious beast. For Saber, who was short in stature, she could only control this 300-odd-kilogram, super heavily reinforced motorcycle in a precarious driving position. Saber was practically lying flat on top of the engine, which was covered by a plastic turbopump, and was forced to bear the powerful vibrations of the large engine while she held onto the steering. The pose was like a child desperately clinging onto the back of a beast.

However, this trial wasn’t particularly painful for Saber. The more untameable this iron beast, the more excited and vigorous she felt.

The feeling she had when driving the Mercedes-Benz was nothing compared to this current feeling of breakneck gallop. Yes. This really felt like riding a horse.

Although she was driving a creation of modern technology, her spirit had already returned to the memorable battlefields of the past – she had regained the spirit of chivalry from a time when she had held her lance and charged towards the enemy formation.

“If I keep up this speed, then maybe –”

The distance between her and Rider became larger. That was the difference between the paths of jumping on top of buildings and merely driving on roads.

However, there was no need to feel anxious. It was true that a Servant’s dexterity was far above that of the V-Max in terms of maximum acceleration and maximum speed. However, this iron beast could maintain its speed as long as there was fuel left. If she was expecting a drawn-out pursuit, then the motorcycle would be very advantageous.

The streets of Miyama-chou were huge obstacles for the party pursuing on land. Moreover, this V-max, which had been completely revamped to achieve the ultimate acceleration, was not any different from those cars modified to compete in high-speed short and straight courses; it had almost no dexterity. However, a Servant’s superior skills overturned even the physical rule of ‘vehicles can’t turn corners at high speed’. This rule had no meaning before her.

Saber had completely mastered the machine’s characteristics. She didn’t slow down when she turned, but instead opened the throttle valves and poured all the excess torque into the back wheel. The moment the front wheel drifted up due to the intense acceleration and threatened to topple the turning vehicle sideways, Saber used the explosive force of prana bursts to forcibly tilt the vehicle to the side and complete the turn. It was like she was using a mighty and overwhelming blow to twist the direction of the vehicle.

Rider seemed to have passed Mion River and entered Shinto, and she couldn’t see his figure anymore. However, Saber did not panic, looking out over the night sky to search for the other’s whereabouts.

Rider should have known that Saber, who was already chasing him, wouldn’t give up easily. He currently could not turn into spiritual form to hide – not with Irisviel in his arms. There were only two choices for Rider once he entered Shinto. One was to hide somewhere to avoid Saber’s pursuit, and the other was to drag out the distance between himself and Saber using Gordius Wheel. Based on Rider’s personality, Saber believed he would choose the latter option. Therefore, she didn’t need to be anxious about losing him for the moment. The flying Noble Phantasm, Gordius Wheel, would emit large amounts of prana, and therefore wouldn't pass undetected by Saber.

"The problem is that it’s disadvantageous to follow on ground –”

It would be better if she could predict his destination as soon as she spotted Gordius Wheel and get there before him. Rather than a competition of driving skills, this was in fact a test of the pursuer’s sensitivity and hunting skills.

Everyone on the road was staring at this roaming V-Max that kept overtaking vehicles before it with a stunning speed. Saber completely ignored their looks and focused all of her concentration on the nemesis above her. She could detect obstacles blocking her path through changes in air flow. She wouldn’t hit anything even if she closed her eyes.

“– Found him!”

Saber’s senses, like the keen sight of a wild beast, detected the prana disturbances in the sky. As if to avoid being noticed by ordinary humans, Gordius Wheel did not emit its thunderous noise, and its speed also appeared to have slowed. However, this feeling was undoubtedly caused by the prana disturbances created by Rider’s Noble Phantasm.

The location was towards the east. He may have been planning to escape from Fuyuki through Shinto.

Saber thought he was probably pushing his luck. If so, she could fully exploit the machine’s acceleration using the broad national highway.

After passing through the bridge in one go and arriving on the six-lane road, Saber bravely opened the throttle valves even wider and urged the V-max forwards.

Thanks to this reckless driver, the tachometer was already indicating over 6000 revolutions per minute – at that moment, the engine gave out a surprising sound.

The low rumbling sound of the engine, like that of angry waves, suddenly changed into a deafening and violent high-pitched noise. The sound was even madder, ferociously ripping apart the quietness of the night sky. The acceleration from just a moment ago was incomparable to what it was now.

The near-flight speed turned Saber and her motorcycle into a soaring bullet, and the surrounding night scene whooshed past like comets.

That was the moment when the true prana hiding within that iron beast woke. Being a design that utilized the most advanced modern technology, the structure of the V-style propelling mechanism, the four-cylinder design could immediately start to work as a two-cylinder design when the limit of engine rotation was reached and increase the amount of air sucked in to achieve an ultimate acceleration. This was the unique design of the V-max. Originally, a machine using two cylinders would never have such a structure, but this design had already completely surpassed the limits of a motorcycle.

As she endured the air friction that was starting to approach the force of water pressure, Saber hung on to the body of the motorcycle with all her strength - and yet couldn’t help but give a peerless smile.

This motorcycle had already surpassed the basic rule of a machine; that is, the limit of ‘machines are tools of men’. This was an alien creation born through advanced modern technology. That loneliness and sadness made her feel a similarity that surpassed sympathy.

Only an inhuman Servant could let this machine show its true worth. This motorcycle must have obtained life just for Saber to ride it that night.

“– Alright, then you can gallop until you burn yourself out!”

Saber roared loudly in the bellowing wind, and opened the throttle valves even wider.

The speedometer was already over 300 kilometers per hour, and it was still increasing slowly.

The brilliance of the flood lights no longer seemed like a light that belonged to the ground; it could almost illuminate the sky.

“Rider. Hey, she… couldn’t have caught up with us, right?”

Waver was the first to notice the situation and pointed under the driver’s seat with his hand. Rider gave a downward glance towards the direction his Master was pointing at and lifted his eyebrows, rather surprised.

“Huh? I was just wondering who it might be, and it turned out to be Saber. Then I can be saved of the trouble of finding her… Say, kid, are those motorcycles things that fast?”

“That’s… a motorcycle??”

Waver’s sight only registered it as a bright dot. That didn’t seem like the kind of motorcycle speed he could comprehend with his normal logic, even if he exhausted his entire brain.

“No, that’s impossible… however, it is definitely possible through Saber’s skills. If we think this way, then perhaps…”

“Hmph, she dares to challenge me, who possesses the mighty title of Rider.”

Rider gave off a ferocious smile as if satisfied.

“Haha, this is so interesting. Since she’s caught up with us, we don’t need to go into that weird forest anymore… If this is the case, then I’ll have one heck of a good fight with her.”

Rider grasped the divine bulls’ reins and suddenly slowed the war chariot’s speed.

“Hey, are we landing?!”

“I changed my mind. I have decided to battle that little girl with ordinary ‘wheels’. There’s still a long way to go to get through the forest in front of us, right? This will be the most ideal battleground!”

Waver originally wanted to complain about why he would want to give away his positional advantage in the sky and fall into Saber's trap. However, Waver remembered the power of Excalibur he had seen the day before yesterday. Based on the characteristics of Saber’s Noble Phantasm, the further away they were from her, the more dangerous it would get. It would probably be safer to have a close-range melee battle that could limit the destructive power of the enemy’s Noble Phantasm.

“Alright, then that’s decided. You should be careful!”

“Hahaha! Kid, you’ve finally understood the intricacies of battle. Don’t worry! I am the mightiest in all of history, in heaven and on earth. No one can hinder me!”

Fortunately, there were no ordinary vehicles on the national highway at the moment. Although the meandering tarmac mountain road wasn’t very suitable for battle, they didn’t need to worry about hurting innocent bystanders.

Gordius Wheel finally landed 200 meters in front of Saber, who was coming nearer and nearer, and proudly proceeded on the road to prepare for the ensuing attack from its challenger.

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Fate/Zero:Act 14 Part 1

2010-12-14T02:43:39Z

Sharingan0619: /* -37:02:20 */

[[Image:FZ_v04_097.png|thumb|Act 14]]

=== -37:02:20 ===

When it was almost dusk, it vaguely occurred to Saber that today’s ambush might once again be a waste of effort. She was frustrated and unsettled by the thought.

Saber arrived at Miyama following the intelligence gained from Tōsaka Tokiomi, Master of Archer. She found the residence of Glen Mackenzie and his wife there. On hearing the doorbell, the old woman appeared in front of Saber; according to the words of this old woman, her grandson and his friend had indeed stayed here these few days. The old woman seemed to have mistaken Saber for her grandson’s friend as well, and so had told the whole truth without hesitation.

Saber persuaded the old woman to tell her of the appearance and clothing of the two people; undoubtedly, those two people were Rider and his Master. It was regrettable, however, that she could not feel the presence of any Servant. A house of such proportions—if there was a Servant hiding within, it should be possible to sense his presence even standing at the entrance.

According to the old woman, those two had left in the morning and not returned since. The exact methods they had learned of Saber’s arrival and fled were worthy of suspicion, but it was truly difficult to imagine that the haughty King of Conquerors would actually resort to cowardly tricks such as flight. If he intended to seize victory he would definitely attack head-on.

In the end, the conclusion Saber arrived at was that this ‘miss’ was only a chance coincidence; courteously taking her leave of the old woman, she decided to keep watch from an area slightly further away from the house, and wait for Rider to return.

Of course, she would hide all of the truth from the old woman. Though they had been deceived by Waver Velvet, this family were normal people after all, and have nothing to do with the whole event. Rider must have considered this as well.

Rider had been able to temporarily set aside the fight for the Holy Grail in order to stop Caster’s atrocities and prevent Fuyuki City from falling into a crisis. Thus Saber made the judgment: the King of Conquerors would never go against those deeds, worthy of pride, which a true Heroic Spirit would do. After Rider returned and discovered Saber, he would definitely choose a location worthy of a Servants’ battle and carry out a showdown that was open and aboveboard.

Aware that she was already very conspicuous even with just walking around, Saber decided to sit on a chair at the closest bus station and wait. Henceforth, she began keeping intent watch, but a few hours passed without any movement, until now.

Though she was not in a position in which she could directly see the Mackenzie house, Rider would definitely sense the presence of a Servant upon his return, and seek out Saber. He was not the sort of opponent who would use methods such as running away or ambush. He would definitely welcome Saber’s intent of challenge, and lead her to a suitable location for combat.

Though it seems a little strange to say it, Saber professes a hundred percent trust toward this Servant-Rider. Though their respective viewpoints could not be reconciled, it was incontestable that Heroic Spirit would take action on the basis of his pride as a king. He would only challenge openly, and would definitely not make secret plans or commit acts of betrayal. That was because Rider would never choose despicable tactics or strategy that would damage his reputation.

Saber’s unease, it could be said, originated from her allies rather than from her opponents.

Her Master, Emiya Kiritsugu, was eyeing the Rider's Master with intentions and combat goals completely opposite to her own. Even at this very instant, it could even be that he had used Saber as bait to lure Rider, and was now keeping watch from afar—there was nothing wrong with such thinking. Truly, she had to make such mental preparation. Kiritsugu probably believed the instant, at which Rider went all out to confront Saber, to be the optimal opportunity to assassinate his Master.

Thinking this, Saber’s heart could not help but feel weighed down.

Kiritsugu might as well carry out a showdown between magi, with the Masters of Berserker and Archer as targets.

That would have been fine. Kiritsugu would only be obtaining victory through strategy and power play rather than from relying on Servant Saber. It was for his own legitimate reasons that Kiritsugu wanted the Grail. It was not unreasonable to desire victory that could be obtained through more reliable means.

But in this showdown with Rider, Alexander, King of Conquerors, Saber also had a bottom line which she was absolutely unwilling to concede.

If there could not be a fair showdown between them—not as Servants, tools by which to fight for the Grail, but as Heroic Spirits who possess strong pride—Saber would be forever unable to undo the knot left in her heart by the ‘Grail question-and-answer session’ from several days ago.

Alexander revelled in his tyrannical kingship without restraint; he revelled in the violent way of the Ionian Hetairoi, and took pride in it. If she were not to defeat him with the similar symbol of the King of Knights' ideology, the ‘Sword of Promised Victory’ Excalibur, then Arturia’s way of kingship would be broken and thus end.

Rider’s Noble Phantasm was strong to the point that even just thinking about it would cause one to tremble all over. Even if Saber were to exert the strength of her own Noble Phantasm to the greatest extent, it could not assure victory.

The result of a showdown between an anti-army and anti-city Noble Phantasm was already beyond the capacity of human imagination. Emiya Kiritsugu would definitely think of paying such a large price for victory as a foolish cause of action, and pay it only a perfunctory smile. But to Saber, the Holy Grail should be a thing to be fought for on the premise of sticking to one’s ideals. Since there was someone who threatened the basis of her kingship, it was definitely intolerable for Saber to even consider using methods that sidestepped this problem.

Only by assuring the way of kingship, which is the pride of the King of Knights, will the Holy Grail choose the King of Knights.

Precisely because of this--- If Kiritsugu keeps interfering such as he did in the duel with Lancer, this Heaven’s Feel could be considered completely void for Saber.

Even if the final victory was obtained through those despicable methods, Saber would definitely be unwilling to take the fruit of victory, the Grail.

If Rider were to set up a Reality Marble to protect his Master in, then carry out the battle, then it would not be interrupted. But Kiritsugu also understood Rider’s techniques. If he were to play any tricks before the activation of the Ionian Hetairoi…

Curling up, Saber sat on the chair and gritted her teeth. She felt very frustrated for not being able to read Emiya Kiritsugu’s intentions. She was facing a strong adversary, and yet could not concentrate her full strength; it made her all the more anxious.

The bone-chilling north wind became even colder while she waited uneasily, making Saber even more anxious and unsettled.

<center>※※※※※</center>

Just like Saber had feared, Emiya Kiritsugu was indeed there.

He was on the rooftop of a six-story apartment of a public housing estate across the street, approximately eight hundred meters from where she was.

Different from the haphazardly arranged edifices, the rooftop of the apartment was structured somewhat strangely as it was not necessary to consider that the residents would use it. Though it was somewhat difficult to enter, one could hardly be disturbed once inside. One could not be seen, even from downstairs, after hiding behind the water tower; it is an excellent position for sniping or setting up an ambush.

Even the smoke and smell of tobacco could not be noticed here. To be able to enjoy to his heart’s content the cigarettes that could bring vitality and energy—Kiritsugu’s mental burden here was much smaller than Saber’s.

The sniper rifle scope, propped on a tripod, was directed at the front door of the Mackenzie home.

And another specially prepared portable scope could clearly see every action of Saber, who was sitting in front of the bus stop.

It was fairly difficult to observe with two alternative scopes without a break in between, but this could not be helped because he was unable to rely on Maiya’s help. She did not manage to leave at end since she had been entrusted with the job of guarding Irisviel. From this day on, ‘hunting’ adversaries could only be to Kiritsugu's responsibility alone.

Kiritsugu had begun observing the Mackenzie house slightly later than Saber had; he saw that Saber, who could definitely feel the presence of Servants, was doing nothing, which indicated clearly that Rider was not at home right now. In which case, the Master was definitely not around either. The Master was not bold enough to stay home alone under these circumstances. Once he discovered that the enemy’s Servant was pacing at the door, he would definitely summon Rider at once.

Kiritsugu was different from Saber; he took the situation, in which the targeted prey did not remain at the stronghold, more seriously than her. They had left home and did not return on the day after Kiritsugu had learned about the existence of Glen Mackenzie's family; this timing was too precise to be a coincidence. Though there was no concrete evidence, there was still a relatively high chance that Waver Velvet had discovered the enemy’s attack and fled in a hurry.

Even so, Kiritsugu nevertheless continued waiting there with a thread of hope, thinking that this was also an issue worthy of thought.

If Waver returned again to the Mackenzie house, it was definitely necessary to blow up the house using a timed bomb. If he had already fled, then he must have already found another stronghold. The probability of his returning to this house was very low.

It looked like it would no longer be appropriate to use that old couple to lead Waver into a trap in the same way that he had used Sola as bait to lure Kayneth.

Kiritsugu regarded highly of Waver’s method of being indifferent to the fortress's security and choosing an ordinary household as his stronghold. In comparison to the Three Noble Families of the Beginning and Kayneth, who had built extravagant strongholds where they could easily be found, Waver’s strategy was much better. It was difficult to conclude that a magus, who could make this judgment, would show sympathy for the household he was temporarily living in. To Waver, the Mackenzie couple were only pawns to be abandoned.

The impatience of sensing wasted precious time and the taboo of acting with undue haste—these two thoughts crossed swords in Kiritsugu’s heart.

On one hand he had given up hope of Waver’s return; on the other hand, he was unable to completely abandon the possibility that Waver's departure was only coincidence. The important reason for this was—it was very difficult to imagine that the young magus would actually be one step ahead of Kiritsugu in a battle of information.

At the start, Kiritsugu had never treated Waver, Master of Rider, as an opponent. Though he had later learnt of some of his background through additional investigation, he had only treated Waver Velvet as a novice magus who had become a Master by chance and made the conclusion that he was a layman no different from ordinary people who did not know magic.

Of course, Kiritsugu was not the sort of person who directly correlated ability with experience. Kiritsugu still remembered that he was already a ruthless assassin when he had made his debut, and he did not think himself a rare example.

But he had observed Waver Velvet’s performance on the battlefield several times. Based on that, it was still very difficult to say if he could become a strong opponent who could surpass Kiritsugu.

Having never gotten an answer, at the time when he was beginning to feel an inexplicable anxiety…

Suddenly, intense pain burnt at the base of Kiritsugu’s little finger; his back stiffened.

“…?!”

Ever since he had started truly treating Hisau Maiya as his assistant, Kiritsugu had put a spell on a strand of her hair and embedded it in the subcutaneous tissue of his little finger. At the same time Maiya had also embedded a strand of Kiritsugu’s hair in her finger. If the Magic Circuits of one of them enter a state of extreme stagnation - the stage in which one's life force was weak to the point of being on the verge of the impasse of death - the strand of hair given to the other person would burn, warning the other and notifying them of the existence of danger.

That was a measure implemented for a worst-case scenario, in which it was already impossible to use the wireless network or familiars to convey information. That is to say, this is only a signal to inform that “it is already too late’. Now, for it to activate at this occasion, what exactly would it mean…

Before wavering, one must be first caught in a quandary. Kiritsugu mobilized all his neurons and began to ponder the situation at hand as well as to formulate response plans.

Maiya was on the verge of death—in other words, this meant that Irisviel, hidden in the underground storage, was in danger. The sequence of events and its cause could not be determined now.

Now the absolute priority was to carry out help as soon as possible. The only method that could be chosen was the fastest—a miracle that would be made to happen by the Command Seals on his right hand.

“I order my puppet in the name of the Command Seals!”

Kiritsugu clenched his fist, at the same time reciting the spell as quickly as an automatic machine.

“Saber, return to the underground storage quickly! At once!”

The prana sleeping in one of the Command Seals carved on the back of Kiritsugu’s hand woke up, and shone with light.

It was definitely not an overstatement to say that Saber was very surprised by this.

What was immediately understood was that she had become the subject of some powerful magecraft. In the next instant, she had been stripped of all recognition of the surrounding space, and sent into the midst of ’transfer’ that did not have an existence or direction.

That was probably the legendary ultimate spell specific to ‘commanding Servants’. With an ultimate speed that almost caused the laws of cause and effect to break down, she had already overcome the distance of space in a ‘moment’ of a few milliseconds at a speed close to the speed of light, and completed the instantaneous movement between two different points in space.

Even so, she was indeed the sword-wielding Heroic Spirit that had undergone special treatment. Though she had just been ‘transported’ from a chair beside a bus stop to a completely different place, she immediately understood that the strange phenomenon just now was caused by the activation of Kiritsugu’s Command Seal after becoming aware that this was the underground storage so familiar to her. Also, some emergency situation must have occurred here, which had the necessity for the Servant to hurry immediately back to guard the headquarters. In the few milliseconds between completing the space break and arriving on the floor of the underground storage, Saber had already completed the transformation from her suit disguise to her silver white armor.

The situation, without the need to ask anyone, was clear at a glance.

The metal door had been broken down by a crude strength. Irisviel, who should have been lying in the middle of the Magic Circle, had vanished; in her place was the body of Maiya, covered in blood, writhing and discarded.

“Maiya!”

Saber quickly ran to her side. She could not help but furrow her brow on seeing the depth of her wounds. The injuries sustained in the Einsbern forest could not begin to compare with this. What she had sustained now were injuries that would cause death if not given emergency treatment as soon as possible.

As if feeling the Servant’s radiant presence, Maiya slowly opened her eyes.

“Sa…ber…?”

“Maiya, pull yourself together! I will bind these wound immediately. It’s all right—“

But Maiya pushed away the hand that Saber stretched out to her.

“Quickly… go after him, quickly, outside... Rider, he…”

“…”

Compared to having been sent to this place by the Command Seals, Saber was even more surprised at Maiya’s reaction.

Maiya must already have known the extent of her injuries. She must have fully understood that she was on the verge of death. But compared to her own life, this silent assistant to an assassin cared more for the safety of Irisviel, who had been kidnapped, and was urging Saber to consider making the matter of saving Irisviel as the priority.

“But, then—“

Just as she was about to ask a question in reply, Saber suddenly understood.

This woman was also a knight. Though different from her own proud expressions, this courage of willing to abandon life for the duty that she had taken up was precisely the chivalry that Saber so firmly believed in.

''I must protect Irisviel in the underground storage until the last moment''—Hisau Maiya had certainly already made an oath to Kiritsugu and Irisviel. In order to entrust to Saber that promise, which she could not carry out till the end, she was willing to lose her own life.

“I… it’s all right… very soon, Kiritsugu will come… so… you must, quickly…”

Saber gritted her teeth and shut her eyes.

Reasonably reckoning—with every minute and every second Saber was now wasting on worrying about Maiya, the taken-away Irisviel could be moving toward a hopeless situation.

The thread of hope that Maiya could be saved by Kiritsugu, who would quickly rush here, still remained. But the fate of Irisviel, who had been taken away, has no guarantee if Saber did not give chase immediately. According to the marks left behind in the underground storage, it was undoubtedly a Servant’s doing. The follow-up attack could only be carried out by Saber, who was likewise a Servant.

“—Maiya, you must hold on till Kiritsugu arrives. I will bring Irisviel back safely.”

Maiya nodded, and shut her eyes as if reassured.

Saber had used a new vow to continue Maiya’s vow—there was no way to hesitate further.

She ran out of the underground storage like a hurricane, leaping onto the roof in a single bound, and gazed into the darkened and faraway sky in search of the enemy’s figure.

Since it was a godspeed instantaneous transfer caused by a Command Seal, surely the attacker must not have left here very long ago. The enemy had not yet gone far. Even if she was unable to sense him through his presence, it was still possible to find him by sight alone.

Saber stood on the rooftop, and glanced through the surroundings with the paranormal vision of Servants. She effortlessly captured the sight of the enemy.

A distance of about half a kilometer… majestically standing on the roof of what looked like the apartments of the business district.

A robust physique, curly flame-colored hair and a crimson mantle; it was undoubtedly Rider, King of Conquerors, Alexander, whom she had met many times before on the battlefield.

“It wouldn’t be—unless it really was Rider?!”

Saber still held on to a strand of suspicion of Maiya’s eyewitness statement.

That the King of Conquerors, whose name had been unyielding all along, would employ such base methods—it was indeed difficult to believe. But his thickset hands were indeed holding up the unconscious form of Irisviel; there was no way to doubt further after seeing this sight. Though it was not known how they had guessed Saber’s new stronghold, undoubtedly this was Rider who had just now ambushed Maiya and seriously injured her.

Rider showed himself openly as if luring the enemy to venture in deep; he immediately turned and vanished to one side of the edifice immediately after meeting Saber’s gaze.

“Damn…!”

Saber took her stance and intended to continue pursuit, but the adversary was that Heroic Spirit of the Rider class—Saber could not help but purse her lips.

It would be easy to continue like this, leaping through the streets in pursuit. But that was assuming the other party was also travelling on foot like her. If Rider fled on his Gordius Wheel, then Saber would not be able to catch up no matter how fast Saber’s pace was.

But Saber also had the skill of Riding. Compared to utilizing a Noble Phantasm that could fly in the air to reach his destination, it was also necessary to utilize a long-distance cruiser that could surpass the mechanical energy of walking.

If this had been in the past, Saber would definitely have given up the pursuit because she had no way to catch up. But luckily or unluckily, the previous day Maiya had given her a new ‘steed’.

With a deep gratitude to Kiritsugu’s foresight and meticulousness in preparing for every eventuality, Saber leaped onto the ‘horse’, removing the prana armor that impeded riding the ‘horse’, and got onto the steed that was parked in the abandoned courtyard.

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