Fate: How About a New Savior?

"Lev Lainur!"

Shiomi shouted, furious. A blazing fireball burst from his wand and shot toward Lev like a meteor—but a massive shadow blocked it.

Those towering black masses, like pillars reaching the sky, shielded Lev from the attack.

"You're just a non-human thing. Stop barking like some rabid mutt." Artoria swung her sword at the falling shadow, unleashing a surge of mana that split the massive form in half.

Even so, Shiomi still couldn't make out the shadow's true form. He could only vaguely see that it resembled a colossal tentacle.

And just as Artoria had said, Shiomi also knew—this Lev radiated something wholly inhuman.

This wasn't a human Magus. It was something else entirely.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Lev Lainur Flauros, the one assigned to handle you humans in the year 2016." Lev placed a hand to his chest and gave an exaggerated bow.

"2016?" Shiomi began to object that it was still 2015—but then he remembered something from before the Spiritron Transfer.

—Chaldeas had been unable to observe anything past the year 2016.

"The future hasn't disappeared. It's simply been reduced to ash," Lev declared flatly. "Thanks to Chaldeas' magnetic field, Chaldea itself was preserved. But the outside world? I imagine it all ended up like this place—like Fuyuki."

Shiomi's heart pounded.

Like Fuyuki? That meant humanity had vanished. All that remained were burning cities and barren wastelands.

Touko...

Reines, El-Melloi II...

Everyone at the Clock Tower...

One by one, the names of those dear to him flashed through his mind.

They'd all... been "reduced to ash"?

Shiomi was stunned—nearly paralyzed. He had to bite his tongue hard, using the pain to snap himself out of the shock.

"The communication blackout with the outside... it wasn't from the explosion. It's because there is no 'outside' anymore." Shiomi raised his wand. "Even so! I'll make sure you're stopped right here, Lev!"

One by one, circular magic arrays formed in the air, inscribed with glowing runes.

This was a Singularity, right in front of the Greater Grail.

The single richest source of mana in all of Fuyuki City.

Shiomi had run the calculations—if he forcefully drew upon the Grail's immense mana, he could unleash several Age of Gods-class spells at once.

"Nice resolve. But meaningless," Lev sneered. "I'm retrieving the Holy Grail now. Once it's gone, this Singularity will collapse. You and everyone else can be buried along with Singularity F, Shiomi."

Seeing Shiomi's spell formation, Lev remained utterly calm. He simply raised his hand and made a casual gesture.

A golden object flew from Saber's chest into his palm. Lev absorbed it into his body.

"…The Holy Grail…" Artoria's form immediately began to destabilize.

There was no time to hesitate. Shiomi unleashed several Grand Magecraft spells simultaneously at Lev.

But those black shadows possessed a defense far beyond any Servant. Twisting and intertwining, they formed a barrier even stronger than the chalk wall Mash could create with her shield.

"Damn..." Shiomi glanced at Ritsuka and the others and activated comms. "Romani, start prepping Spiritron Transfer now! While our proof of existence still remains!"

"But what about the Director—" Romani hesitated, then caught himself. "Understood! Beginning Spiritron Transfer. Preparing full retreat from Singularity F!"

Lev grinned, baring teeth sharp as a beast's. "Come to think of it, just letting Olga Marie return like this... feels a little too kind."

With a snap of his fingers, a circular portal opened before the Greater Grail, revealing the wreckage of Chaldea's control room—and the Chaldeas planetary model, engulfed in flames.

"What... no... Chaldeas is..."

Olga Marie stood frozen, horrified, as her body began to lift off the ground. She was pulled helplessly toward the burning model of Earth.

Chaldeas, after all, was a miniature black hole. The moment a human made contact, their body would be broken down to the molecular level.

"No... no... I don't want to die..."

Realizing what was about to happen, Olga Marie thrashed in panic, but she couldn't break free from Lev's control.

"You're not going to die. At least... not at the hands of someone like him."

Chains shot out from the Rune magic circle, wrapping around Olga Marie and slowly pulling her back.

"A pointless gesture. Matching magic against someone holding the Holy Grail—nothing more than a desperate struggle." Lev's voice rang out as Olga Marie was dragged forward once again.

"How about this, Magus!"

Artoria's fierce shout came from the side. The pitch-black Holy Sword was ready.

"Vortigern, Hammer of the Vile King, reverse the rising sun. Swallow the light, Excalibur Morgan!!"

A Noble Phantasm powerful enough to destroy her own Spirit Origin—Artoria released the true name of the Holy Sword of the Stars. Even Lev, at last, sensed true danger and dared not rely on the pillar of black shadow already weakened by Shiomi's earlier assault.

The dark surge of mana from the Holy Sword tore through the platform before the Greater Grail and shot toward the cavern's inner wall.

With the caster of the spell defeated, the spellwork controlling Olga Marie failed, and she was yanked from the air by Shiomi's chains, falling into his arms.

Watching this unfold, Artoria slowly descended in midair, her form beginning to dissolve into golden particles. On her usually expressionless face, a faint smile finally appeared. She said softly,

"Looks like my role ends here... but yours is just beginning. Grand Order—the war over the Holy Grail has begun."

...

As her voice faded, the entire cavern began to collapse. The ground split apart completely.

Ritsuka, shouting Shiomi's name, and Mash, were the first to fall as the floor vanished beneath them.

Luckily, the light of Spiritron Transfer had already begun to glow.

"Are we... are we going to die, Mr. Shiomi...?"

Olga Marie, her voice trembling, asked in a sob.

Shiomi didn't know the answer.

Even though he'd saved Olga Marie, even though only her soul remained, there was still one thing he lacked to complete the transfer.

"No... I'll protect you. You won't die. I won't die. None of us... will die."

That was all he could say to comfort her.

Olga Marie gave a faint smile through her tears, curled up in Shiomi's arms, and lost consciousness.

Then the ground gave way beneath Shiomi as well. Together, he and Olga Marie plunged into the abyss beneath the Great Hollow...

Until even his vision was swallowed by endless darkness.