[Fortress Ruins – Chaotic Dusk]
The sky turned purple. The air, heavy as lead, vibrated with overwhelming pressure. From the summoning circle, a figure emerged, slender and solemn. Her silhouette was etched against the Grail's distorted energy. Her white hair flowed like a war banner, and her empty gaze was as cold as the void of space.
Altera.
The Sword of Destruction. The Scourge of Civilizations. The Warrior of the End.
Lev, with an arrogant smile, raised his arms like one presenting a work of art.
"Behold! The true goddess of war! Annihilation made flesh! Onward, Altera!"
The response was immediate. A white flash.
A clean cut. Silence.
Half of Lev's body fell to the ground, bloodlessly. His expression still smiled as he faded away, reduced to black motes.
Altera had drawn her sword and bisected him... without even looking at him.
"I have no interest in serving anyone," she whispered in an ethereal voice. "I... only destroy."
But the Holy Grail blazed with fury. A black aura enveloped her like invisible chains. Altera tensed, her muscles rigid as if forced to move against her will.
"Tsk... you're still bound..." murmured Archer, aiming his bow.
Leonel, from the rear, hand to his temple, concentrated. Tezcatlipoca beside him, half-manifested like a specter in the mana mist.
"The Grail's magic is forcing her! She's in conflict! There are weaknesses in her movements, but they're brief... Kiyohime, Archer, cover the flanks!" shouted Leonel, a gleam in his eyes. "I'll study her attack pattern!"
Kiyohime lunged without hesitation, with fierce fury, her claws extended like spears. Her bestial force clashed with Altera's blade, causing a shockwave. But she was repelled. Altera had barely moved.
Archer, from a ledge, fired enchanted arrows, aiming at her joints. She dodged them, but each impact slowed her just slightly, enough for Kiyohime to press.
"Damn...!" growled Kiyohime, after receiving a shallow slash that made her bones creak. "I won't let you touch Leonel!"
Meanwhile, Mash and Nero watched from an elevated position, panting. Nero clenched her fist, frustrated.
"Damn it all! If I just had a bit more mana...! I can't stand by while that woman threatens my empire!"
Mash looked at Leonel, knowing this time he had to take the initiative.
Leonel closed his eyes for a moment, remembering Igor's words.
"Your role is not just to fight... but to guide. To find the right moment to change fate."
"Pixie, Tezcatlipoca, let's read her," he whispered, summoning both simultaneously. Tezcatlipoca projected an aura of analysis and calculation while Pixie supported the group with precise discharges that momentarily interrupted Altera.
"Now, Kiyohime! Aim for her lower back, it's her blind spot after a side slash!" Leonel shouted.
Kiyohime roared, and obeyed, managing for the first time to make Altera bleed, even if it was a minor wound.
Altera turned slowly... her eyes brighter, more focused. Now she recognized them as threats.
And she had not yet shown her full strength.
[Fortress Ruins – Combat Zone]
The mana pressure was unbearable. Altera, now fully serious, raised her sword to the sky. The blade, once pale and elegant, began to shine with a multicolored intensity. Beams of energy shot out like sparks from a cosmic storm.
"Photonic Ray..." she murmured, her voice resonating like a divine echo. "...the end of civilizations."
Kiyohime and Archer instinctively retreated. Even the air seemed to want to flee.
The blade segmented into floating rings that spun like gears. Each rotation accumulated more and more pure energy, until the light in the field turned white. Destruction was imminent.
"There's no time!" Leonel shouted, eyes fixed on the scene as Tezcatlipoca roared in his mind. "Mash!!"
And she responded.
Mash Kyrielight, staggering, her shield trembling in her hands... stepped forward.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else!"
The shield rose, bright as a solitary star in the darkness.
"Lord Camelot... the ramparts of the pure-hearted king!!"
An illusory fortress rose, translucent and vast, encompassing all allies. A citadel of light, erected with the unbreakable will to protect.
Photonic Ray was unleashed.
A cataclysmic beam of energy impacted directly against the shield, causing a deafening roar. The ground shook, the skies seemed to split. For an instant, the world was only light.
And then... silence.
The fortress cracked... but held. Mash fell to her knees, unconscious, but alive.
"Now!!" roared Leonel, seizing the pause in Altera's energy. "She's in her cooldown phase!! Archer, fire every arrow you have, aim for the Photonic Ray's core!! Kiyohime, fire from the flanks!!"
Archer nodded seriously, summoning a series of golden arrows, each loaded with explosive prana.
"Understood... this is for Mash," he said coldly.
The arrows shot forth, converging with millimeter precision. Altera raised her sword, but her arm trembled. The use of her Noble Phantasm had momentarily weakened her.
Kiyohime, roaring with fury, circled the field, throwing torrents of fire that curved like fiery serpents. It enveloped her, pressed her, forcing her back.
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH MY BELOVED, TWISTED MENTALIST!!!" Kiyohime bellowed, engulfed in flames, striking mercilessly.
From behind, Leonel, sweat on his brow and a floating grimoire beside him, analyzed the situation instantly. Tezcatlipoca whispered in his ear:
"Her center of gravity has shifted. She's fatigued. Now... she's vulnerable."
"Understood!" Leonel yelled. "Kiyo, attack low! Archer, aim for her right shoulder, it's her balance point!"
Meanwhile, Pixie, waving her tiny glowing hands, channeled white magic over Nero.
"D-Dia! D-Dia!!" she repeated, tears in her eyes as she glowed. "Don't fall asleep now, Empress!!"
A faint healing light flowed into Nero's wounded body, steadying her breathing.
Nero opened her eyes, panting... and smiled.
"...Heh... Rome... has not yet fallen."
And as the battle reached its second climax, everyone gave their all. Because even though the Sword of Destruction stood tall... the human heart, and those of their Servants, did not intend to yield.
[Battlefield, in ruins]
The combat had stretched beyond all logic. Kiyohime and Archer fought as if time didn't exist, as if pain were a coin they paid for every second of advantage. The earth was ash, the sky torn, and every breath hurt like fire in their lungs.
Altera, the Destroyer of Civilizations, still stood.
But barely.
Her armor gleamed with cracks, her multicolored sword sparked erratically, and her breathing... was barely a whisper.
"...Persistent... like termites," she whispered hoarsely.
Archer, with one arm hanging uselessly, still drew his bow with the other hand, panting.
"And you... are tougher than an iron wall, damn it..."
Kiyohime, her kimono in tatters, burns and blood all over her body, took slow but determined steps. Her eyes, however, burned like embers.
"My beloved asked me to protect... and so I shall," she said through gritted teeth, as flames emerged from every pore of her body.
The air trembled.
The ground cracked.
And then, her voice resonated like a roar of nature:
"Sange: Kokuen no Hebi"
("Tragedy: The Serpent of Black Flame")
The flames enveloping her rose in a wild spiral, spinning, twisting, shaping... until forming the titanic figure of a fiery serpent, colossal, ethereal, with blazing eyes and open maw.
"Take her with you, great serpent of passion...!"
The serpent let out a deafening roar and lunged at Altera.
The Destroyer tried to raise her sword.
Too late.
The serpent of fire enveloped her, striking her body once, twice, a hundred times. Fire, passion, and the resentment of a thousand souls concentrated in each blow. Altera screamed, not in pain, but in understanding... as if, in that final instant, she finally understood something.
"Thus... ends... my crusade?"
Her body began to glow, slowly dissolving into golden motes.
"Then... let this battle... not be lost in time..."
Altera closed her eyes, and with one last nostalgic smile, disappeared.
Only ash remained... and a warm breeze.
Kiyohime fell to her knees. Archer let his bow drop. And Leonel, panting, watched in silence.
Mash was still unconscious. Nero, partially healed by Pixie, smiled weakly.
"A victory worthy of Rome..." she whispered.
Tezcatlipoca, in Leonel's mind, laughed deeply.
"Well done, little flame... there is still more to burn."
And as the smoke cleared, the group knew this wasn't over... but they had won a battle that would resonate forever in the sands of time.
[Colosseum Ruins, now calm]
The flames had ceased. The air no longer vibrated with hostility. Only the murmur of the wind, warm and calm, accompanied the crackling of still-warm rubble. In the center of it all, where Altera had been, a golden sphere slowly fell to the ground: the Holy Grail.
Clink.
The sound was small, but resonated powerfully in everyone's hearts.
Mash, with the last vestiges of energy, approached unsteadily. Her legs barely supported her, but her expression was firm. With reverence, she took the Grail in both hands.
"...This object is too dangerous to leave here."
The center of her shield shone with a magical symbol. An ethereal compartment opened and the Grail was absorbed, protected inside the defensive device.
And then...
The ground stopped trembling.
The clouds began to clear.
Sunlight peeked through the remains of the Colosseum.
The Singularity began to restore itself little by little, history and time readjusting as if destiny could finally breathe easy.
Nero looked around, visibly moved.
"My Rome... lives again... what a glorious sight."
But then, she noticed something. Leonel, Mash, Kiyohime, and Archer began to glow with a faint blue light. Their edges blurred, as if they were beginning to dissolve into energy.
"What is this!?" asked Nero, alarmed.
Leonel, still dazed by all he'd experienced, replied with a calm smile.
"We're returning... our mission here is over. The Singularity is corrected."
Mash nodded, with a slight, nostalgic smile.
"Thank you, Empress Nero. Your hospitality and help were invaluable."
Nero turned, placing a hand on her heart with imperial theatricality.
"Bah! Don't speak nonsense! The Empress of Rome would never fail to help her allies... especially her beloved! Ufufu~!"
Before anyone could process that, Nero stepped forward, took Leonel's face in both hands...
...and kissed him passionately.
Leonel's eyes widened like plates. His brain... simply crashed.
Archer let out a laugh from the back.
"Ha! Even though it's not the same version of Nero from Chaldea... Leonel, somehow you still managed to make her fall for you. You're a hopeless case."
Kiyohime just sighed, saying nothing. Her eyes held that resigned gleam only an obsessive spirit could know.
"Another one... I shouldn't be surprised... but it still stings a little..."
Mash clenched her fists, her face red as a tomato, looking at the ground.
"...Senpai... Ugh...!" But she said no more. She just puffed her cheeks, frustrated.
The kiss ended.
Nero pulled back with a victorious smile.
"Consider it an imperial memento. Until our souls cross paths again, my love!"
The blue light enveloped Leonel and the others. His body trembled. Not from magical power... but because his brain was still in a state of fatal error.
"What just happened...!?" he thought, eyes vacant, still processing the kiss.
And then...
With an explosion of light...
They vanished.
[End of the Singularity – Rome, Restored]
History had returned to its course.
The Grail was safe.
But in everyone's heart... a new memory had been engraved.
A burning one.
An unforgettable one.
And for Leonel... one that would be far too difficult to explain later.
[Command Center – Chaldea]
A blue flash, bright as a clear sky, erupted in the center of the room.
The light dissipated... and there they were again: Leonel, Mash, Archer, and Kiyohime, back home, unharmed... well, mostly.
"Welcome back!" shouted a familiar, energetic voice.
Da Vinci approached with a radiant smile, applauding as Romani welcomed them, visibly relieved, rubbing his eyes (or was he crying?).
"You did it! The Singularity is stabilized... and you're all alive! That's already a miracle!"
"Ugh, I thought I was going to have a heart attack," Romani added, collapsing into his chair.
And then...
"Ufufu! My beloved is back~!"
A melodious, proud voice echoed through the hallway.
Nero Claudius, the one from Chaldea, appeared with her typical elegance, dressed in her red imperial outfit, a bright smile adorning her face.
Before Leonel could even raise a hand to greet her, Nero ran towards him and, without any warning, kissed him intensely, melting him in a passionate kiss that rivaled—no, equaled—the one from her Singularity counterpart.
Mash froze, eyes like plates, mouth agape, her mind in shambles.
"NOT AGAAAAAIN!!" she screamed mentally, clenching her fists until her knuckles cracked.
Archer put a hand to his forehead, holding back another laugh but unable to stop himself from saying:
"This guy... has more luck than Iskandar himself on Valentine's Day. It's shameless now."
Kiyohime, who had held back as much as she could, finally exploded. She walked slowly toward Leonel, shooting him a glare and crossing her arms forcefully.
"Leonel-sama..."
Her tone was soft... but threatening.
"Two kisses... two... and I still haven't received even one. This... is unacceptable. I demand... no, I command... a kiss from you, here and now!"
The entire command center fell silent.
Leonel, his face still red from Nero's kiss, blinked. He looked at Mash, who averted her gaze, at Archer, who was making "go on, go on!" gestures, and at Da Vinci who was enjoying it as if it were a soap opera.
He sighed. He approached Kiyohime, took her face gently...
...and planted an equally passionate, intense, deep kiss on her lips.
The temperature sensors in the command center spiked.
Mash no longer knew where to look.
"Why does everyone get kisses except me?!" she screamed in her head, gripping her shield tightly.
Archer couldn't take it anymore. He doubled over laughing, roaring with laughter while muttering:
"This kid doesn't have a romantic route... he has a harem route full EX Rank."
Nero just smiled complacently, as if she found the competition amusing.
Kiyohime sighed with happiness, her expression lit up like a torch.
"Now... I can die happy... though I'd rather stay alive, to repeat it."
Romani was left speechless, and Da Vinci took notes.
"I need to record this... for scientific reasons, of course!"
Mash just murmured under her breath:
"Senpai... is a public menace."
Leonel, mentally, was still in shock.
"What did I just do...? Why do I feel like this... is just the beginning?"