Fate Q&A: Chapter 288/289

Chapter 288: They Are Just Children

[It wasn't just Atalanta who was affected.]

[Not far away, Jeanne d'Arc and Sieg, who had been following her, were also caught off guard and struck by the evil spirit's black fog.]

[They, too, saw that hell.]

["Stop... please, I beg you, stop!"]

[Sieg, who had only been part of the world for a few days, couldn't bear the overwhelming darkness. He curled into a ball and let out a heart-wrenching cry.]

[The ideal world he had imagined was now polluted, the once beautiful scenery fading into gray.]

[When he came to his senses, he found himself standing alone in the middle of a desolate street.]

["Yes... that's it."]

[A ragged girl emerged from a nearby alley, her voice strange and disjointed. "The world is ugly... so we want to go back."]

[Sieg: "...Go back where?"]

["Back to our mother's womb."]

[More girls appeared, stepping out of the shadows one after another, their hollow eyes fixed on Sieg.]

["I want to go back." "I want to go back." "I just want to go back to my mother's belly." "Why? Why does everyone hurt me?" "I just wanted to be saved. Why wouldn't anyone save me?" "Are we so awful?" "Do you hate us?"]

[The ghostly figures reached for Sieg, their small, cold hands clamping down on his arms. Their faces twisted in expressions that were both weeping and laughing as their forms melted into his body.]

["The world is ugly. We know that. Even so... do you still want to live?"]

[That voice, soaked in endless resentment, carved itself deep into the boy's heart.]

Sieg: "No... stop it... what is this...?"

Jeanne: "Sieg!"

Astolfo: "Sieg, calm down!"

Waver: "For someone who's only just stepped into this world, that level of darkness is far too much to bear."

Tohsaka Rin: "It's not just him. Sakura and I are traumatized too."

[Unlike Atalanta and Sieg, Jeanne quickly regained her composure.]

["Even so, if we don't stop this, there's nothing more to say."]

[With her unwavering faith, she repelled the evil spirits that tried to cling to her.]

["Why aren't you afraid?"]

["Why should I be afraid?" Jeanne's gaze remained resolute. "You're just pitiful victims."]

[Upon hearing those words, the children suddenly rushed toward her, collapsing at her feet.]

[They came in countless forms, but each shared the same hollow despair.]

[They were the embodiment of what "hell on earth" truly meant.]

["Saint." "Angel." "Please... save us. We're so pitiful. Save us... save us... please hold our hands. Please... please... please..."]

[They clung to Jeanne's hands, convinced that the saint before them would surely grant them salvation.]

[But Jeanne's expression remained stern, devoid of pity or sympathy.]

["I can't." Her voice was resolute. "I can guide lost children and purify souls that seek repentance through prayer but I cannot save Jack the Ripper."]

["Because you... have already been etched into the legend of that name."]

["The killer known as Jack the Ripper is 'anyone and no one.' You never even knew the names of those you killed, or what they looked like. You killed them simply to chase the shadow of your mother."]

Atalanta: "Why?! You're a saint! Why can't you save them?!"

Jeanne remained silent.

Achilles: "Calm down, big sis."

Amakusa Shirou: "Because, despite being evil spirits, they are also the heroic spirit known as Jack the Ripper. They cannot be saved."

Kotomine Kirei: "The only place left for them is the Throne of Heroes."

[Jeanne's words froze the children in place.]

[Who was Jack the Ripper? A doctor? A member of the royal family? A painter? An ordinary person...?]

[All the rumors were lies. And all of them were true.]

[Who was Jack the Ripper? He was everyone. And no one.]

[Because of the endless speculation surrounding his identity, Jack the Ripper contained infinite possibilities. If the right conditions were met, it wouldn't be impossible to summon seven Jacks of different professions to fight in a Holy Grail War consisting solely of Jack the Ripper.]

Kayneth: "Unbelievable. I never would have imagined."

Tohsaka Rin: "I thought Artoria and Gilgamesh already had enough different classes... but this? Jack probably has the most."

Chihiro: "It's precisely because the mystery surrounding Jack is so strong that different versions of him manifested."

Chihiro: "But unlike Gilgamesh, who changes depending on his class, these Jacks are separate entities, completely distinct from one another."

Waver: "So humanity's fear and gossip gave rise to all these different versions of Jack the Ripper..."

Ishtar: "In the end, all tragedies are born from human hands."

[Jeanne d'Arc: "Yes... you were consumed by Jack the Ripper. Perhaps you even willingly became part of her. Even if I defeat you, I cannot save you."]

["How... how could that be?" "No!" "We... we just..."]

["You should understand... from this moment on, I will end you."]

[Without hesitation, Jeanne began her baptismal chant.]

[It was not a prayer for salvation but for annihilation.]

Atalanta: "Jeanne! What are you planning?!"

Jeanne: "...This is the only way."

Amakusa Shirou: "Yes. For these children, this is the most merciful end."

Atalanta: "Merciful? How can you be so cruel?! Haven't they already suffered enough?"

Achilles: "Big sis..."

["Stop! Ruler, stop it!"]

[Atalanta suddenly lunged forward, shielding the children behind her.]

[Her right arm was stained with a creeping blackness, clearly the mark of possession.]

["What are you trying to do? They're just children! Harmless spirits! They're victims, innocent souls crushed by the world's cruelty! How can you bring yourself to kill them?"]

[Jeanne d'Arc: "...Archer, you know as well as I do that these children cannot be saved. Releasing their souls through annihilation is the only mercy left to them."]

[Atalanta: "Mercy? This is mercy?!"]

["You're a saint, it's your duty to save them!"]

["You didn't carry a sword into battle; you raised a flag instead. Isn't that because you couldn't bear to stain your hands with blood?"]

["Is that what you think?"]

[Jeanne's voice turned cold, and her gaze sharpened.]

["Do you really believe my hands are clean just because I didn't wield a sword?"]

["Don't insult me. The moment I stepped into battle, my hands were stained with blood. I never hesitated not then, and not now."]

[Atalanta: "Then... you're no saint at all..."]

[Jeanne: "You're right. People call me a saint, but I've never believed it myself."]

Bluebeard: "Lies! You're the purest saint of all! The guiding flame who led a kingdom to salvation!"

Bluebeard: "How dare you, how dare you slander her!"

Atalanta: "Look at yourself. And then look at her."

Atalanta: "You're nothing like the woman in that vision."

Achilles: "Big sis, please... calm down."

Atalanta: "Calm down? How could I possibly stay calm?! These children... these children. If I abandon them, who will love them?"

Achilles had no answer.

[Atalanta: "You say you want to set their souls free but all you're doing is killing them! I won't allow it!"]

[Just then, a single child stepped forward.]

[The boy looked at Jeanne with blank, uncomprehending eyes.]

[Jeanne knelt, lowering herself to meet his gaze.]

["What's wrong?"]

["You... you really don't mind killing us?"]

[The child's question pierced Jeanne's heart like a dagger.]

[She didn't want this. She truly didn't. But she couldn't save them.]

[As long as the legend of Jack the Ripper persisted, these children could never be freed.]

[The boy seemed to grasp her sorrow.]

["Even so... even so, we have to move forward."]

[At that moment, the fear in the children's eyes faded. One by one, they stood and faced Jeanne.]

["No... don't go. Don't go!"]

[Atalanta tried to stop them, but they gently slipped past her.]

Atalanta: "No... no... you can't..."

Achilles: "Big sis... they've made their choice."

Atalanta: "No!"

Demon King: "Tch. Forcing children to bear the sins of adults... how repulsive."

Kotomine Risei: "Lord, grant their souls peace..."

Sieg: "...Children..."

Reika: "Jack... my Jack..."

Jack: "Mom... don't cry. I'm okay now."

Reika: "...Yeah."

["There's nothing more to be done."]

["This... this is the only path left."]

[Jeanne's chanting resumed, clear and unwavering.]

[The children instinctively reached for each other's hands, forming a fragile chain of solidarity as they advanced toward oblivion.]

[They faced their end with quiet acceptance.]

[This was not death as mortals knew it but true annihilation.]

[They would never return. Never again would they linger in the shadow of Jack the Ripper.]

[And so, the Saint of Orleans granted them their final release.]

_________

Chapter 289: The Final Battle is About to Begin

[With the children's annihilation, they were erased from the cycle of reincarnation. No matter the era or the Holy Grail War, they would never again manifest as "Jack the Ripper."]

[It looked like salvation, but it was not.]

Atalanta: "Jeanne, you...!"

Amakusa Shirou: "Atalanta, this was the only path."

Reika: "So... Jack..."

Chihiro: "No. Jack will still exist as a Heroic Spirit but the collective of vengeful children has been purged."

Chihiro: "From now on, Jack will no longer be defined by resentment. She will exist as an independent spirit—Jack the Ripper."

Jack: "I'm... myself now?"

Chihiro: "To you, it may feel no different."

Reika: "I see... that's good."

[In the lingering darkness, one last girl remained. She stood there, gazing at Jeanne with innocent eyes.]

["Are we... going to disappear?"]

["Yes," Jeanne replied softly. "That is how it should be."]

["I see... so that's it."]

["We had nowhere to go. We kept wandering in circles, always lost..."]

[The girl smiled faintly. "Doesn't that make you sad?"]

[Jeanne d'Arc closed her eyes. "...No. You're simply returning to where you belong. There's no sadness in that."]

["That's why you're not crying."]

[Jeanne's expression didn't waver as she completed her final chant.]

["——May the departed souls rest in peace ."]

["You're so pitiful."]

[With those last words, the girl dissolved into nothingness. The nightmare ended, and the group returned to reality.]

Waver: "It's over... I know there's no afterlife, but... I still wish those children could be reborn into happier lives."

Irisviel: "Yes..."

Atalanta: "Damn it..."

[Atalanta: "Ruler. You killed them, didn't you?"]

[Jeanne d'Arc: "...Yes. I killed them."]

["I see."]

["You killed them. Those children wanted nothing more than to live... and you crushed that hope beneath your feet."]

[Atalanta's voice trembled with rage as she staggered to her feet. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the murderous intent that radiated from her.]

[In that moment, she no longer saw Jeanne as a Servant on the opposing side. She saw an enemy.]

["They could have been saved."]

[With a feral roar, Atalanta slammed her fist into a nearby wall, shattering the stone into dust.]

["They could have been saved!"]

["Even if my power isn't enough... the Holy Grail could save them!"]

Atalanta: "The Grail... yes... the Grail can save them!"

Achilles: "Big sis..."

Chihiro: "Stop it!"

Chihiro: "Even if you got your hands on the Grail, what then?"

"Do you think Amakusa Shirou will just hand it over to you?"

"Have you forgotten? The Grail grants only one wish."

Atalanta's breath caught in her throat. Her mind raced, yet deep down, she already knew the truth.

Achilles: "Sigh..."

[Atalanta, consumed by rage, drew her bow and aimed directly at Jeanne d'Arc. But with the fog now dispersed, she was exposed to Chiron's line of sight.]

[Three arrows shot through the air, their magical energy surging with lethal intent. If even one struck her, death would be inevitable.]

[But Atalanta, a master huntress, evaded the attacks with instinctive grace and unparalleled skill.]

[Her focus never wavered from Jeanne.]

["I will never forgive you, hypocritical saint!"]

["If you want the Grail... come and take it!"]

["I'll shoot every last one of you through the heart!"]

[With that venomous declaration, Atalanta turned and fled.]

[It seemed she hadn't completely lost herself to madness, she was still choosing her battles.]

[At last, Jeanne was free to tend to Sieg.]

[But the trauma Sieg endured was no less severe than Atalanta's.]

["That... that was done by ordinary humans? Not magi, but ordinary people... created that kind of hell?"]

[Sieg hadn't expected humanity to be purely good but the sins of London's abandoned children shattered the fragile worldview he'd built over the past few days.]

["Sieg, calm down!"]

[Jeanne knelt beside him, her voice soft yet firm.]

["I don't have an answer to your question..."]

["Humans are capable of immense cruelty, and they often mask it behind countless justifications. But even knowing that..."]

["Please, don't give up."]

[Sieg: "...You haven't given up?"]

[Jeanne: "Never."]

Sieg: "..."

Waver: "People say magi are inherently twisted... but ordinary humans aren't much better. We're all the same in the end. Darkness knows no distinction."

Chihiro: "You've gained some wisdom."

Bluebeard: "Yes, indeed! Such kindness! Such purity! This is the saint I revere!"

Bluebeard: "But you must be angry! Those who betrayed you, don't you hate them?!"

Jeanne: "Gilles... I hold no resentment toward anyone."

Bluebeard: "Ah... so kind. So very kind..."

[The next morning, Yggdmillennia's forces gathered for their final push.]

[Fiore had pinpointed the Red Faction's location. The plane was ready for takeoff.]

[The operation was set for the following day. The team would travel to Bucharest, then launch an aerial assault on the Hanging Garden of Babylon.]

[Fiore initially ordered Caules and Gordes to remain at the fortress, but Caules adamantly refused. The resulting argument ended in Fiore's reluctant agreement to let him accompany them.]

[Meanwhile, Sieg and Astolfo arrived in Bucharest ahead of the others, where they unexpectedly ran into Mordred.]

[It turned out that Mordred had stormed off after Sisigou mentioned that the Mage's Association planned to intervene in the Grail War. Displeased with the news, she wandered the city instead.]

Mordred: "What the hell?! If we win the Grail, it's ours. Why should those bastards get involved?"

Sisigou: "Hey, I'm just the hired muscle. It's out of my hands."

Chihiro: "Amakusa Shirou betrayed them and stole the Grail. Obviously, the Mage's Association won't sit idly by."

Waver: "I get that, but why do I have to be dragged into it in that world too?"

Chihiro: "Maybe you have debts you don't know about."

[The three of them decided to share a meal.]

[After some casual conversation, they parted ways. Mordred lingered in the park until dusk before returning to her hotel.]

[Later that evening, Sisigou sensed her agitation and comforted her with the patience of a weary father. Peace was restored temporarily.]

[Meanwhile, Jeanne regrouped with Sieg and Astolfo at their hideout.]

[Fiore and Caules arrived in Bucharest after nightfall to assist Gordes with the homunculus security contract.]

[For added safety, Fiore transferred 80% of the Command Seals to Caules. She even postponed the operation by a day to give him time to adjust.]

Caules: "Sis... I..."

Fiore: "Don't be silly. With your abilities, there's no way I'd leave you behind."

Fiore: "Besides, you're taking on most of the mana burden. I should be thanking you."

Caules: "Yeah..."

[Two days later, on a tense, windless evening, the strike team boarded their plane.]

[Meanwhile, Sisigou arrived at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Force Base using his connections with the Mage's Association.]

[As the plane neared the Hanging Garden, Astolfo summoned his Hippogriff, a creature with a griffin's front half and a mare's hindquarters.]

[Astolfo volunteered to lead the aerial assault, taking Sieg with him to disrupt the Hanging Garden's magical defenses.]

[The garden was heavily fortified with wards; an ordinary plane couldn't break through without someone opening a passage from within.]

[Astolfo willingly took on the mission.]

[Meanwhile, inside the Hanging Garden, Amakusa Shirou sensed the approaching enemy.]

[He stood before the Holy Grail, his upper body bare, his expression serene as he prepared to realize his long-cherished wish.]

[Why did he wait all these days? Because the Grail remained incomplete, lacking the mana of a single Servant.]

[He couldn't bring himself to sacrifice one of his own Servants for that purpose.]

[Instead, he was risking his life to enter the Grail's core and rewrite its functions from within, forcing it to manifest the miracle he sought.]

[The defense of the Hanging Garden now rested entirely in Semiramis's hands.]

[The final battle had begun.]