Fate/False Order

Pretending to work, I shuffle through some documents, while patiently waiting for the next signal to our plan. "Any luck on your end, Mom?" I ask halfheartedly, as if not expecting her to have found something.

"Not yet," came the annoyed reply of Mom, who was somewhat aggressively opening and closing drawers, cabinets and other small compartments strewn across the room. "I've only found ink, parchment and a few bags of blank runestones so far," she explained tiredly.

Giving a low hum, I prepare to spout some bullshit. "It's mostly calculations regarding stabilizing the Bounded Field, and precautions regarding Ave—" I was cut off by the sound of liquid splattering on the floor, followed by the light sizzling of material.

Slowly turning around, I now saw that the floating orb of blackened flesh had vanished, only to be replaced with a golden cup that was now overflowing with black mud, to the point that it was leaking onto the floor.

"What the hell is that…" Mom murmured with some degree of horror, causing me to subtly glance at her. She stood a bit further away than myself, but her face showed a deep scowl when looking at the Grail, which was understandable.

Focusing on it myself, I too, started to mirror her expression.

The Grail, despite its golden glow, and somewhat holy aura, just felt wrong. Something that could be squarely blamed on the liquid it was creating.

Just looking at it made my skin crawl, and the feeling it gave off… it was evil, vile, yet it showed me things.

The act of murdering a stranger, drowning someone, torture, burning an innocent, killing a family member, childr—

Wrenching my eyes away from the Grail, I felt the feeling of goosebumps traveling down my spine, along with the feeling of intense nausea.

Fuck, that was bad… really bad. The sights themselves would have been bad enough alone, but the images were really graphic… especially the last one…

Quickly glancing back at the Grail, I no longer felt the tug on my consciousness, but the feeling of wrongness and evil remained.

Softening my frown, I looked towards Mom to check on her. I saw her pointedly not looking at the Grail, instead looking straight at her own feet, while panting slightly. 

"Mom?" I asked gently, quickly making my way over to her.

Seeing me, she straightened her posture, though subtly shooting the Grail another look before focusing on me. "I'm fine," she said just as I got close, though I still used an arm to wrap around her, and keep her steady.

"Well I'm not," I retorted, earning a slight smile from her. "Thank you," she said appreciatively, before losing her smile, her gaze moving back to the Grail.

"I think we can confirm Caster's theory," she expressed flatly, causing me to nod and look at the same thing. "And I feel that she understated the problems it would cause," I added, earning a hum of agreement from Mom.

"We'll just have to mon—" Mother's comment was cut short by the sound of a pebble hitting the floor, causing the two of us to look in its direction. There we saw a small stone, only the size of a pebble, with small markings on it, which ominously oozed black ink from its inscriptions.

Raising a finger, I was about to point out the obvious, before another clattering was heard, followed by multiple others. Quickly, a dozen small runestones littered the floor, causing me to internally panic a bit.

"Shit," I muttered, quickly letting go of Mom, I rushed over and with a quick application of air magecraft and floated the stone.

Mom hurriedly made her way next to me and looked at the stone. "Any ideas?" She asked with a hint of nervousness, causing me to flick my finger, lightly spinning the stone.

"It seems to be an absorption rune of some sort," I explain, lightly furrowing my brow. "I think they are meant to protect that Bounded Field from deteriorating…" My words trailed off as I turned to look at Mom. "You said you found runestones, right?"

Meeting my gaze, she lightly shook her head. "They were blank," she said before looking around, before pointing at the walls. Following her finger, I slightly squinted my eyes. "Look, they are everywhere," she said, causing me to nod and give a contemplative nod.

"Yeah, and I can even see some of them visibly deteriorating," I added, before releasing my magecraft on the runestone, causing it to fall and clatter to the floor.

"Do you think Caster had any more of these?" I asked while gesticulating towards the stones, causing Mom to sigh. "Maybe, but if so, I haven't found any," she added, causing me to mirror her sigh.

"Then I'll help you look, I'd rather not have the Bounded Field collapse on us," I stated, causing Mom to quickly walk past me. "I'll continue where I lef—" Mom cut herself off, as the two of us felt the building visibly shake, along with the sound of a large explosion.

The two of us locked eyes, and I nodded. "Let's focus on the runestones for now, as we need to replace those which have deteriorated, then I'll check in on Vivian afterwards, she should have some information on that," I said while jerking my head in the direction of the boom.

Nodding, she rushed over to the cabinets, causing me to move to the other side of the workstation, and start rummaging through a few drawers.

I knew where they were, but I at the very least needed to look ignorant, something I apparently have a knack for.

It only took a minute before Mom spoke up. "Found something!" She yelled, causing me to rush over to her. Reaching her spot, she was kneeling and had opened a bottom drawer on a cabinet, revealing a rectangular box decorated with runes.

Mom did the smart thing and didn't even bother touching it, assuming that it was rigged to harm anyone other than the creator of the box. "I'll have a look," I said while flooding my eyes with Od.

Instantly, information on the box flooded my mind.

Weight: 520 grams; Dimensions: 10 cm (H) x 8 cm (W) x 6 cm (D); Constructed from polished ironwood plated with thin silver; Created by Morgan le Fay three days ago as a container for runestones; Fey runes hidden behind a Greek script illusion; Basic locking wards and a minor repulsion spell woven into its surface.

Yeah, hella disappointing defenses when you think about it, but no one other than me and Morgan would ever know, so it served its purpose.

Stopping the flow of Od, I blinked before raising a hand over it.

Quickly, I dispelled the simple locking wards, along with the repulsion spell, though I allowed a lot of Od to leak out of me, to give the illusion of putting in effort to break the spells.

With the sound of something snapping, I removed my hand, and quickly opened the box, revealing a silk bag.

Picking it up, I opened the pouch and looked inside. Closing it with a hum, I tossed it over to Mom, who deftly caught it. "I'll pick up the tainted ones, you can place these on the spots missing runestones," I said, causing Mom to nod. "Sure," she said, quickly standing up, while tossing the bag up and down in her palm.

Doing the same, I stood up, and started moving towards the tainted runestones, using wind magecraft to not pick them up.

It only took a quick minute for me to pick up all the broken runestones, allowing them to float behind me, as I'd rather not touch them if given the chance.

The only issue with my methods was the fact that I could feel my spells deteriorate thanks to the corruption from the taint leaking from the stones. Though it made me understand why Morgan insisted on creating so many, as I'm fairly sure that the Bounded Fields wouldn't last a few minutes without them.

Moving over to a wall, I leaned on it, while watching Mom work.

This continued for a moment or two, until I heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, something Mom seemed to notice as well, as she turned and looked in the same direction as me.

Quickly, Morgan strutted out of the giant hole in the wall Rider had made, her body language looked frantic, as she hurriedly made her way towards me, before 'stiffening' at the sight of the Grail.

"What?" She said absentmindedly, before shaking her head slightly, adding a slight tremble to sell the act better.

Walking over to her, I placed a hand on her back, and started moving it in circles. "What happened?" I asked in a soothing tone, causing Morgan to shake her head. "Archer and Rider were fighting," she explained, causing me to sigh.

The news made Mom walk over to us, and place a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She asked, while looking her up and down.

I wasn't sure what Mom was seeing, but I'll assume Morgan had 'Vivian' look a bit shaken in her illusion.

"I'm fine," she said while brushing both our arms off, instead focusing on the Grail. "I think we have bigger things to talk about," she deflected, causing Mom to nod, though she looked a bit worried for her.

Glancing behind her, Mom sighed, before looking at Morgan. "Alistair will get you up to speed, I need to return to adding some protective runes, as I can see that a few are about to fall off," she said, before flashing a slight smile, and turning around returning to her work.

The second Mom returned to her work, Morgan created a small illusion and privacy Bounded Field around us, quickly fixed her posture, straightening up.

"Come," she said while gliding towards the Grail, causing me to follow her.

Morgan quickly floated over to the Grail, and hundreds of Fey runes sprang into existence, almost obscuring.

As I got close to the mud, I used a spell, causing the concrete floor around me to warp, and create stone stairs, allowing me to walk up and not touch the mud.

The spell itself wasn't perfect, as I heard the stone used to steady the staircase sizzle as it made contact with the mud covered floor.

Reaching Morgan, I watched as she moved her arms around furiously, while muttering incomprehensible words under her breath.

Waiting patiently, I watched her work, not even thinking of using my eyes on whatever she was doing, as I'd rather not get a migraine.

After a minute, Morgan released a sigh, lowering her arms, causing all the runes to vanish. "It's as I thought, we'll need to wait for it to be full," she expressed bitterly.

Raising a brow, I looked at the Grail, before giving her a confused look. "If he's not in it, then how can it be spewing so many curses?" I asked, not quite understanding.

Morgan waved her hand at the Grail with obvious distaste. "Think of it like him putting his foot in the door, using the gap, he can flex some of his influence, before entering it once it is full," she explained, causing me to nod.

Odd flex on Avenger's part, but ok.

"Is the plan still doable?" I asked, causing her to nod. "Yes…" she said, before floating over to me, expanding the staircase I was on, and creating a small platform with a wave.

"I just need to check a few things first…" she said while glancing at the Grail.

"And wha—" I stopped halfway through my question, and in a blink, I lunged for Morgan's wrist. Before I had the chance to react, she had plunged a few fingers into the mud waterfall.

Grabbing it, I yanked it out, revealing light burns on her now light pinkish fingers, along with a few black lines on her skin.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" I spat, placing my other hand on my chest, allowing me to feel my connection to Avalon. Pulling it out, I didn't allow the golden particles to even properly form, all but slamming my palm on her upper sternum, shoving Avalon into her.

The reaction was instant, her fingers returned to a healthy color, and the black lines squirmed on her hand, before an ink-like substance seemed to expel itself out of her body.

Morgan didn't comment, only moving her hand, breaking my grip in the process, making it do a few moves while examining it. "As I thought," she said, causing me to feel my brow twitch.

"Morgan," I said with clear disapproval, causing Morgan to look at me. "Sorry, but I needed to know its effects without Angra Mainyu's consciousness being present. I was sure that I would be fine, but confirmation is always good," she explained calmly.

Frowning, I fixed her with a hard look. "You should have asked for Avalon first," I rebuked, causing Morgan to give a slight nod. "You're right," she said lightly, before giving a casual shrug. "But I was certain you'd give it to me instantly, so there was no true danger," she added smugly.

Sighing slightly, I pinched the bridge of my nose. She wasn't wrong, but she could have shown more tact.

Morgan gave a light chuckle at my action, causing me to stop brooding, and removing the hand pinching my nose.

Sighing slightly, she patted my armor. "Alright, I'll give you some warning on this part," she said before snapping her fingers. Dozens of Fey Runes appeared around the Grail, they slowly spun around them, before gradually speeding up, eventually turning into a blur.

Watching the sight, Morgan gave a light cough, causing me to look at her. "While the Grail is doing its thing, I need to set up a few safeties," she said while extending a hand for me to hold.

Shrugging, I grabbed her hand. Morgan placed her other hand atop my gauntlet, and gave it a light caress. "I need a drop of blood, could you give me one?"

Sighing, I placed my free hand under my armpit, and used it to pull out my hand from the gauntlet. Raising my hand to my face, I placed the tip of my finger in my mouth, allowing my teeth to nibble the skin, breaking it and causing some blood to flow.

Moving my injured finger to Morgan, I watched as a small bubble of my blood floated off my finger, and it floated over our hands, which was followed by another drop of blood, flying from behind Morgan's veil. The two drops circled each other, before fusing above our hands.

Healing the small injury, I put my gauntlet back on, and focused on what Morgan was doing.

The drop quickly crystallised, followed by the feeling of me being connected to something.

Removing her hands, Morgan plucked the crystal-like blood from the air, and started looking it over, before placing it in my hand. "Eat this," she said in a serious tone, causing my lip to twitch. "Whatever you say, All Might," I mumbled, before throwing it into my mouth, swallowing it like a pill.

"Now, what was that about?" I probed, causing Morgan to lower both her hands. "It's to ensure that you'll be able to use my Noble Phantasm that I've set up here, in the event I die," she explained, causing me to sigh.

I mean, it made sense to have contingencies, but it wasn't a nice thought. "Thank you," I said gratefully, choosing not to re-enter our spat regarding her survival during this war.

"Do not worry, it's the least I can do," she said, before choosing to look at the Grail, causing me to mirror her action.

The Grail's glow started to dim, the mud inside it stopped being produced, now no longer spilling over. The surface bubbled, as a golden light floated out from the surface, before flying over to Morgan's open palm.

"This," Morgan said while lightly gesticulating with the glowing light. "Is the key to our success," she stated, causing me to frown. "What is that?" I asked, as I was fairly sure that the Grail was incapable of performing anything without the energy of at least five dead Servants.

"Assassin's Saint Graph," she asserted, causing me to look at it with surprise. "You pulled out a Saint Graph?" I asked with disbelief, before shaking my head. "No, wrong question," I said, before asking a proper one. "Why?"

Holding the glowing orb, Morgan looked directly at me. "I plan on modifying my own, and using this, I should be able to grant myself my skills and Noble Phantasm as an Assassin class Servant," she explained.

…

"I'm no Heroic Spirit expert, but I know that containers will break if there is too much power, which is why the class system exists," I said neutrally, while slightly balling my fists. "You'll burst like a bubble if you incorporate an entire second Saint Graph into your own," I explained harshly.

At my statement, Morgan nodded her head. "If done as so, yes, I'd explode," she said, causing me to raise a brow. "But, I have a far simpler workaround."

In a blink, Morgan had shoved her hand, along with the Saint Graph into her chest. Blood spewed forth out of the wound, and Morgan's legs gave out, and I quickly used an arm to keep her steady. "THE FUCK!" I exclaimed, not quite sure what the hell I was meant to do in this situation.

Morgan's hand was wrist deep into her own chest, and blood was leaking from the wound like a waterfall. Her skin rapidly paled, as her body lost blood, causing me to panic.

I wanted to use a spell or two to heal her, but whatever she was doing could suffer negative effects by conflicting mysteries, or by just healing something she was in the process of changing.

Morgan released a shaky breath, slowly removing her hand from her chest, wincing in pain while doing so.

As she removed her hand, her chest's wound had closed up, looking as good as new.

"It worked," Morgan said, slightly weakly.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. "Are you fucking stupid?" I asked harshly, causing Morgan to give a slight wince. "It worked out better than I thought," she said, causing me to frown and open my eyes, looking straight at her.

"How long?" I asked, causing Morgan to pause. "How long?" I repeated. She seemed to fidget momentarily, before answering in a low tone of voice. "Ten hours."

The news caused me to close my eyes once more.

I could only imagine this was somewhat equivalent to learning of someone's predicted death date, after gaining a terminal illness.

In all actuality, ten hours was more than enough, but just knowing that if something went wrong, then I'd not see her tomorrow morning made it a lot harder.

Opening my eyes again, I looked at her Parameters with my Master Sight, and I could only feel bitter. Only her Agility, Luck and Noble Phantasm had remained unaffected, while the rest had taken a massive hit.

"I hope this was worth it," I said with a hint of disapproval. Morgan herself only sighed. "It was, trust me on this," she stated matter-of-factly, before steadying herself and moving away from me.

With a wave, the runes disappeared. "I'll convince your mother to let us leave for a while. We need to prepare for our guests."

~~Fate/False Order~~

Walking into a building, Gilgamesh slowly made his way through the halls, his eyes scanning the surroundings with clear contempt. The room was sparsely decorated, but there was one oddity.

A severed head, with long green hair was nailed through its forehead above a set of double doors.

The sight of it made him frown, along with him slightly tightening his grip on Ea.

In an instant, a blade had obliterated the head, along with the wall it was mounted on, revealing the next room. 

Moving into the room, he was met with a clearly artificial hallway. Instead of a normal plaster wall, the walls were lined with cobblestone along with torches leaning on the walls.

The sight made him frown, but he could discern from a glance that the only magical thing about the hallway was its creation, nothing more.

Slowly moving forwards, he entered what he knew to be the start of a trap.

Gilgamesh calmly walked down the hallway with an impassive look on his face, though on the inside he was seething.

Morgan Le Fey was a fool.

Merely a witch that thought herself smart, believing herself capable of killing the King of Heroes with petty tricks.

Gilgamesh knew what she was doing, using Enkidu to rile him up, and force him to face her, and in all his rage, he'd let his guard down and die.

But she had made a mistake.

She had revealed herself to him, and even without trying, he had seen her true self.

She was not a Caster, but a Ruler, meaning that despite her actions, which eluded to her being a Berserker, he knew that it was an act. A vile and unforgivable act, but an act nonetheless. After all, what sane individual would use Enkidu to anger Gilgamesh?

And with learning of her Class, he knew what she'd try thanks to her Ruler Class Noble Phantasm.

Prison of Avalon, the perfect Bounded Field to use against someone like himself. With all that he had done, he was sure that the penalty it would impose would be severe. But therein lay the problem, it was a Bounded Field that needed to be constructed beforehand, meaning that he'd need to step into it, for him to fall under its effects.

And even if he entered it, merely activating Ea for a moment would shred its anchors, causing it to tear at the seams and fail. Not that it was worth using Ea, as he could just use his gate and use a suitable anti-barrier or anti-thaumaturgy weapon.

As he got further down the hallway, he saw another door.

Not caring for it, he opened a few gates, and destroyed the door, revealing a large room.

With a glance, he saw the invisible Fey Runes decorating the walls. Had he not had his eyes, it would have fooled him, but with them, it became a moot point.

Another round of weapons flew out of the Gate of Babylon, but these were aimed at the runes. Instantly, dust kicked up on impact, as the weapons punched through the walls with ease, but simultaneously, Gilgamesh felt the Noble Phantasm shatter.

Smiling to himself, he entered the room.

Glancing around, he saw nothing noteworthy, as with the barrier broken, the room was now obsolete.

Turning to look at the spot his weapons had destroyed the wall, he noticed that there was a room behind it, causing him to hum to himself.

Inside he saw a large crudely made poster of an old monkey scratching his beard with a speech bubble saying: Git gud.

The sight made him frown. "It's good advice, you know?" A melodic voice came next to him.

Instantly, Gilgamesh's head snapped in its direction, where he saw Morgan trailing a finger down Ea's cylindrical 'blade', as if admiring its construction.

Gilgamesh opened dozens of portals around Morgan, most of them aimed for the arm touching Ea. In an instant, blood splattered as Morgan's arm was skewered and severed, but the rest of her body was unscathed, as she teleported a few feet away.

Her one good arm grasped at the stump, but her face was fixed onto Gilgamesh's own. Despite the veil being in place, Gilgamesh could see her face, and she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Filthy mongrel," Gilgamesh spat, before conjuring dozens of portals, nearly filling the room. "You dare to lay a finger on Ea?" He gritted out through unbridled rage.

"Die!"

Instantly, swords, spears, hammers, spikes and more flew out of the portals, aiming straight for Morgan's spot.

With her stump still dripping blood, she vanished at the moment of impact, her body dissolving into shadows that seemed to swirl up from beneath her feet, leaving the bulk of Gilgamesh's arsenal to bury themselves into the stone floor and the walls of the chamber.

The weapons tore through the spot, creating a small crater where Morgan had once stood, before vanishing in motes of golden particles.

An instant later, Gilgamesh sensed her presence behind him. But instead of turning, he simply narrowed his crimson eyes and opened another Gate of Babylon. A volley of curved blades sliced through the air at the hazy shape behind him.

Yet again, Morgan melted into the shadows. The severed arm that had once lain lifeless on the ground vanished in the same instant, swallowed by the same blackness.

Gilgamesh curled his lip in disdain. Even with one arm gone, she had the audacity to continue mocking him.

His regal stance never wavered, but inside, he felt a surge of anger. She was toying with him in small increments, making him expend resources. At least, that was her aim.

Morgan's laughter echoed through the chamber, though it was impossible to pinpoint its source. The flickering torchlight betrayed no distinct form, only vague silhouettes cast on the dusty walls.

She lingered just long enough for Gilgamesh's eyes to glimpse her figure. The missing limb from before was no longer absent—her left arm was present once more, but now it had traces of mercury running through the holes and tears on it, allowing it to function properly.

As she manifested, shadows in all corners of the room folded inward, pooling around Gilgamesh's ankles.

Yet he only clicked his tongue, and the Gate of Babylon expanded. Spears and swords shot forward with deadly accuracy, each one targeted to skewer Morgan through her center of mass. Instead of simply shifting out of the way, Morgan lifted her arms, fingers splayed.

The shadows of the chamber writhed as if alive, quickly rising up in a protective wall.

Instead of bouncing off or plunging through, the luminous weapons sank into the black barrier and vanished, as if swallowed whole. 

Instantly, Gilgamesh stopped his assault, and stared at the barrier.

For a moment, quiet reigned, broken only by the hiss of black vapor where the last of the projectiles had disappeared.

Then, with no warning, a streak of metal burst out from the shadow behind Gilgamesh's head.

Gilgamesh turned, eyes wide, and twisted his body.

The spear screeched along his golden armor, leaving not the slightest scratch, but the blow had come close.

Another blade followed, singing through the air toward his flank. This time, Gilgamesh parted his lips in a snarl, and a fleeting shimmer of his golden breastplate halted the incoming sword as if it had struck solid rock, creating sparks on impact.

For the first time in what felt like centuries, Gilgamesh felt a faint spark of surprise. One of his own weapons had been turned upon him.

Worse yet, the first strike had nearly caught him off-guard. Though it had done no damage, it was an affront to his dignity. Morgan had effectively used his own arsenal against him.

"Impudence," he roared, voice echoing through the chamber. "You dare to fight me using my treasury? You are a fool to think such petty tricks will save you."

Morgan's smile grew behind the veil. "It seems to have saved me so far, has it not?" she answered sweetly, vanishing once again into the shadows as more weapons rained upon her location.

The entire building rattled under the sheer force unleashed by Gilgamesh's Gate, causing the room to become dusty thanks to all the debris.

Gilgamesh recognized that she would appear somewhere else, no doubt daring to mimic his fighting style by shooting his own weapons at himself.

So before she could reemerge and direct another stolen blade at him, he willed the weapons that had been swallowed by her shadow to return to his treasury. It was an effortless gesture for him, as he was their rightful owner.

Morgan reappeared, standing upside-down on the ceiling as though gravity meant nothing to her. The fringe of her dress trailed around her head, her hair swaying in defiance of gravity.

She gave Gilgamesh that same viscous grin. "Tell me Gilgamesh," she said in a lilting voice, "Are you entertained? "

Her mocking question only stoked the flames of Gilgamesh's temper.

He did not deign to respond verbally. Instead, he opened the Gates once more. This time, he summoned a cluster of specialized weapons: short, curved swords etched with runes. Each one was forged to slay phantasmal beasts or to sever intangible phenomena.

Several had specific enchantments that allowed them to bypass imaginary space and protective wards. He had seen through Morgan's use of shadows and decided to use the "correct" items from his vault.

Morgan noticed the shift immediately, and cocked her head with mild curiosity from her perch on the ceiling upon seeing the weapons poking out of the gates.

Though her expression was partially veiled by the shifting darkness, a slight narrowing of her eyes betrayed her recognition of the threat.

Instantly, the newly summoned swords shot forth from the portals, aiming straight at Morgan's spot.

This time, Morgan didn't bother to create a shield. Instead, Morgan teleported away to a different corner of the room.

Despite Morgan's sudden teleportation, Gilgamesh was relentless, conjuring dozens of portals around Morgan, forming a lethal net around her.

Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed, and the barrage resumed. Morgan vanished in a swirl of black, emerging in a corner of the room, only for the next wave of swords to force her into rapid movement once again.

She flitted from one shadow to the next, only to be met by a shower of swords, forcing her to repeat the action.

The building groaned under the increasing violence. Already, Gilgamesh's previous volleys had created fractures in the ceiling and walls; each collision now sent chunks of debris raining to the floor.

Entire support pillars trembled, stones shifting precariously. Yet neither combatant seemed to care.

Gilgamesh launched a fresh salvo of spears toward the largest crack near a support column, deliberately aiming wide of Morgan.

The stone screeched in protest, fractures branching out in a widening spiral. Morgan leaped clear, shadows swirling around her ankles.

Realization dawned on her that Gilgamesh was no longer simply aiming to strike her down with pinpoint precision.

"Are you mad?" she hissed, but her voice carried a note of genuine alarm beneath the scorn.

Gilgamesh, proud to the core, stood unperturbed amidst the trembling buildings. He flicked his hand again, sending a fresh series of blades at the second support column.

Bits of ceiling caved in, large chunks plummeting to the chamber floor. Morgan vanished before the falling rubble crushed her, reappearing near a shattered archway.

The glow from Gilgamesh's portals flickered through the falling debris, being the only thing clearly visible through the dust.

The debris caused the floor to crack, and both Morgan and Gilgamesh felt the floor beneath them crumble.

The vibrations from the collision only worsened the building's structure, causing it to finally wane.

The entire overhead structure, pillars, roof, and all, tumbled down in a deafening avalanche of stone and timber.

Gilgamesh stood resolute as the world toppled around him, as the collapse of the building only irritated him.

A final deafening crash consumed the rest of the chamber. Darkness enveloped both Servants, along with an immense cloud of dust.

For a long beat, there was only the cacophonous sound of masonry sliding and shattering. Then came a sudden drop. Beneath them, the floor collapsed entirely. Both adversaries plunged into the basement below.

Gilgamesh felt the rush of stale air at that moment. Amidst the swirl of dust, he instinctively opened a few Gates of Babylon again, preparing to blast aside any obstacle during his descent.

But before he could do anything, a strange feeling engulfed him on his way down.

"Prison of Avalon." Echoed Morgan's voice, and Gilgamesh saw numerous Fey runes glow into existence on the walls around him.

Gilgamesh snarled, unable to pinpoint her exact location as they fell.

In the center of the floor, which they had yet to reach, a large stone tablet shimmered into existence. With the words, 'Only those free of sin may pass' written on it.

Gilgamesh felt a heavy wave of enervation wash over him. In an instant, his once boundless strength ebbed, receding like water draining from a shattered vessel. The abrupt weakness stole the breath from his lungs. It forced a deep frown across his features.

Regardless of his outward disdain, the effect was undeniable. His limbs felt weighted down; even focusing on the Gate of Babylon demanded far too much mental effort for comfort.

Fury coiled tight in his chest. He opened a few more gates as he continued to fall, refusing to be contained, intending to obliterate the anchors to this Noble Phantasm.

Yet before he could execute his plan, Gilgamesh's danger sense flared. 

Before his very eyes, a man wearing polished armor wielding a lance shimmered into existence, lunging straight for him.

A thunderous crack of air accompanied the knight's lunge, and Gilgamesh could see him speeding up.

Not having the chance to rotate freely, not while he was still caught in mid-fall. Swiftly, he opened a cluster of gates, pulling out weapons partially, rather than firing them, so that they hovered like obstacles. Each blade or spear jutted from the golden portals, interlocking in a makeshift barrier.

The lion-helmed knight's lance's tip pierced through Gilgamesh's treasures with contemptible ease, but the action was enough to divert the lance's trajectory.

Then, as if layering curses atop curses, a second Bounded Field flared.

He immediately recognized the strain on his connection to Kirei Kotomine. The bond no longer allowed him to gain Od through their contract, but since it wasn't severed, he couldn't get any Mana through his Independent Action skill.

In that very moment, Gilgamesh was cut off from all sources of energy to sustain his Gate of Babylon, or even to sustain his very existence. That source had now vanished. Meaning that he could only sustain his attacks and existence with the little he has left.

"Curse you," he snarled, voice dropping to a low rumble.

The golden swirl of his portals flickered uncertainly, the drain preventing him from sustaining so many weapons at once. With a series of dull pops, the majority of the gates vanished.

And as they vanished, the makeshift barrier he created to defend himself from the lance wielder vanished along with them.

With the barrier gone, the knight cocked back his lance once more, ready to thrust it once more.

As Gilgamesh fell, he ran through numerous simulations. His reserves were low, too low. The Gate of Babylon was an expensive Noble Phantasm, and with his connection along with the barrier all but crippling his Mana supply, he knew that he couldn't use it rashly.

Any poorly calculated move would end with his death.

That fact alone forced Gilgamesh to consider the best, but most humiliating option.

He still held Ea.

Using it would solve all his problems. Even with the little Mana he had left, he could fire it off, killing the knight, who clearly was Morgan's Master, and break the Bounded Fields weakening him.

Watching the lance slowly close in on him, Gilgamesh knew his decision was already made.

Raising his arm, he pointed Ea straight at the witch's Master.

In an instant mana flooded the Sword of Rupture, and the crimson runes on Ea's three cylinders glowed to life. As the sword's cylinders churned, a wicked smile graced Gilgamesh's face.

Even in the face of these wards, even cut off from his Master, Ea would cleave all opposition!

Ea's cylinders churned, and red energy crackled at the sword's tip.

Then it happened.

Ea's surface cracked.

Gilgamesh's eyes widened with shock at the sight, genuine horror flashing across his face, as he saw a web of fractures spread across the sword's cylindrical length. In a flash, it fractured completely, turning into motes of Mana.

What Gilgamesh saw... it was impossible. Ea was a Divine Construct, something so close to indestructible that it would likely outlast even Gaia itself.

Putting the pieces together, Gilgamesh came to one aggravating, but horrid truth. The Ea he had been holding was fake.

Even his eyes, inactive as they were, should have noticed, it was impossible... unless...

In that one moment, as Alistair's lance grew ever closer to piercing Gilgamesh's chest plate, time seemed to dilate.

Gilgamesh, for perhaps the first time since the death of Enkidu, felt truly hopeless. He barely had any mana to fight, as his reserves were close to dry. Gone was the unstoppable force of Ea, and the vile witch's barrier had weakened him to this extent, all of it culminating in this singular moment of vulnerability.

So in retaliation, he would do as he did when he had lost his friend.

The world stood still.

Within that breathless instant, Gilgamesh truly opened his eyes...

And Gilgamesh saw everything.

Gilgamesh had been a hotheaded fool, he could see all his mistakes laid bare before him, and he could only internally grimace.

Though to be fair to his past self, who would have thought that someone would be suicidal enough to fracture their Saint Graph to such an extent to gain power, in exchange for dying in a handful of hours.

Yes, he could now see it, Morgan had used her new skill to mask her changes to him, subtly enough to the point where he wouldn't notice her changes… subtly enough to fool his eyes when they were inactive.

Her Noble Phantasm: False Hand of the Fair Folk; The Finest Forgery, a Noble Phantasm designed to rob and replace equipment type Noble Phantasms with a perfect copy, with the concept of fooling the owner to not feel a difference at the swap.

The witch touching Ea at the beginning of the battle now made far more sense, as much as it infuriated him, especially knowing that it was now in her hands.

Had he known that Morgan could fool his eyes, and even steal Ea, then things would have never gotten so far, but that was in the past, and now Gilgamesh was looking at the future.

Countless possibilities were shown to him, and the more he explored, the more grim he felt.

He was dead.

No matter his next move, he would die.

He didn't know whether to be angry, or applaud the foul witch for her cunning, but he decided on coming to a compromise.

If he was to lose, so would she.

His first thought to use all his remaining Mana to kill her Master, but unfortunately, he knew the idea was worthless.

He could see it. Alistair Pendragon, the source of the foul witches obsession, was protected beyond anything he could do within the time he had allotted to himself. If he used a sure-killing blow, the injury would merely be swapped with the witch, killing her, but saving him thanks to the ritual they had performed before facing him.

Gilgamesh would die, and the boy would win the war, kill Angra Mainyu, gain True Magic, and save the thief.

It was not a suitable outcome…

If the situation couldn't be fixed so easily… then he'd need to work from outside the box…

As the world resumed spinning, four golden portals shimmered into existence. One behind Gilgamesh, one hovering below each of Alistair's legs, and one pointing towards a random direction.

Before Alistair could react, two swords emerged from the portal, not shooting out, instead only skewering his thighs, keeping him in place while he continued his attack.

The sudden pain did not have time to register with Alistair, as he watched Rhongomyniad easily penetrate Gilgamesh's chestplate with ease, as if a needle piercing skin.

Gilgamesh didn't even react as the lance punched through his chest, shattering his Saint Graph.

Space warped around Alistair, as Morgan appeared right next to him grabbing his armor. "Move!" She yelled, quickly pulling him towards herself.

The second he moved, Gilgamesh's torso burst, as a twisting lance warped the air and space around it, shredding him apart.

Thanks to the abrupt action, Alistair had not gotten too damaged, as the spiral lance flew right past him. But the twisting space around it tore Alistair's armor on his left side, causing it to be torn off him, and creating a few small cuts.

Gilgamesh's body started to glow, as motes of golden particles indicated his return to the Throne of Heroes. But his face, his face held a cruel smile as he looked at the two.

The two felt uneasy as they saw his face, but before they could comment, another bang was heard.

The two snapped their heads in the direction of the sound, only to see a golden portal disappear, along with a hole in the wall.

"Mongrels," Gilgamesh said weakly, but both could feel the scorn held in that single word. "Enjoy this while it lasts, for I curse you all to fail," he said with a wicked grin, before bursting into motes of golden particles.

Alistair gave a sharp inhale of air, as the two swords lodged in his thighs vanished, causing him to give a wince at the pain.

Grabbing Alistair, Morgan cast a levitation spell on him, slowly stopping their freefall.

Morgan glanced down at the near bottomless pit she had created, before teleporting the two back to the reception room of the Civic Center.

Morgan placed Alistair on the ground, and quickly looked him over. "Are you alright?" She questioned, her voice sounding rather frantic.

"I'm fine," Alistair said, waving her off with his bleeding arm.

The disregard of his health caused Morgan to scoff. "Fine? Just look at you? You can't even walk," she said, causing Alistair to sigh. "Don't heal the wounds, I'll heal it a bit, as it would look too odd if I was in pristine condition after fighting Gilgamesh," he explained.

The answer caused Morgan to give him an annoyed look, not that Alistair could see it. "Half your armor has been torn off," she bit back.

Alistair only shook his head. "It's fine, I'll heal myself to the point where I can walk, that should be enough for now," he said, causing Morgan to clench her fists, before calming herself down, seeing the wisdom in his words.

"You're right," she said with resignation, causing Alistair to smile and nudge Morgan. "Even a broken clock is right twice a day," he said, causing Morgan's lip to twitch upwards.

Pushing herself up, Morgan dusted off all the debris on her dress. "I'll check what Gilgamesh's last attack was meant for. After that I'll check in on Berserker and Artoria's fight, though she should be dead," she added, causing Alistair to give her a thumbs up.

"I'll stay like this for a minute. As my legs are killing me," Alistair said, before lowering and resting his arm on the ground, sprawling himself like a murder victim on the floor.

Seeing that, Morgan smiled. "I'll see you soon," she said with a wave, before vanishing from her spot.

—

5 Hours, 2 Minutes And 41 Seconds Until Zero 

—

Morgan Stat Sheet:

True Name: Morgan Le Fay

Class: Ruler

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Parameters:

Strength: C (B, Fractured Saint Graph)

Endurance: E (B, Fractured Saint Graph)

Agility: B (A+ in Shadows)

Mana: B++ (EX, Fractured Saint Graph, constantly leaking Mana)

Luck: A

Noble Phantasm: EX

Class Skills:

Magic Resistance (A+): Provides exceptional defense against magical attacks, making it nearly impossible for most spells to affect her.

True Name Discernment (A): Instantly reveals the true identity and abilities of any Servant she encounters, nullifying any attempts at deception.

God's Resolution (—): Grants the authority to issue absolute commands to other Servants, compelling them to obey her directives. This skill has been sealed.

Territory Creation (A): Allows her to create a specialized domain where her magical powers are greatly amplified.

Item Construction (A): Enables her to craft powerful magical artifacts and potions, demonstrating mastery over magical craftsmanship.

Presence Concealment: (EX) Grants the capacity to hide one's presence as a Servant.

Personal Skills:

Triple Summon (A): Grants her the abilities and attributes of both the Ruler, Caster and Assassin classes, allowing her to excel in multiple roles.

High-Speed Incantation (A): Allows her to cast complex spells at an accelerated rate, significantly faster than most magi.

Witchcraft (EX): Access to immensely powerful spells and curses that far surpass modern magecraft.

Charisma (B): Naturally inspires respect and loyalty in others, enhancing her leadership and influence over allies and subordinates.

Fairy Eyes (A): Possesses mystical eyes that can perceive the true nature of things, including hidden magical properties, weaknesses, and truths.

Homunculus Creation (EX): Expertly creates homunculi with advanced capabilities, identical to humans in function and appearance, for various purposes.

Fay Blood (A): Her fairy blood grants her increased magical affinity and physical abilities, especially in environments rich with natural energy. 

Primeval Black (EX): Inherited from her father, Uther Pendragon, Morgan carries a Black Primeval Cursed Energy native to Britain, causing the Isle, and its mysteries, to consider her as their King. With her Fey Blood, it allows her to wield shadows and curses like an extension of her own body, masking her and her allies' actions.

Noble Phantasms:

Avalon: The Ever-Distant Utopia

Rank: A++ (EX)

Type: Barrier

Description: Generates a nearly impenetrable barrier that provides immense protection and healing to those within it. Though the scabbard's defensive and healing capabilities are only meant for the wielder of Excalibur, but through Morgan's magcraft, she has twisted its functions to work for her, albeit at a rank lower than before.

Prison of Avalon: Keeper of the Vile

Rank: EX

Type: Anti-Evil

Description: Prison of Avalon is an intricate bounded field crafted as an insidious trap by Vivian, capable of being deployed in advance and activated at will. This Noble Phantasm manifests as an ethereal garden, ensnaring those who fall within its perimeter.

False Hand of the Fair Folk: The Finest Forgery

Rank: B

Type: Anti-Equipment

The False Hand of the Fair Folk allows Morgan to remove any Noble Phantasm that she has touched so long as it exists apart from a Heroic Spirit. She may then replace it with a replica so perfect that even the hero will not see the fake for what it is. Even the proud swordsman Artoria did not realize Excalibur had been stolen while she slept until the false golden blade shattered against Accolon's. Bear in mind Artoria woke to the substitute sword, secured it in its sheath, drew the sword in earnest and exchanged several blows without so much as inkling of its true nature.

However, the perfection of the fakery is only one half of this Phantasm's power. Its second and greatest ability is its theft of the original and Morgan's ability to reuse the Phantasm as her own or bequeath unto the person of her choice. The stolen weapon or armor will receive a penalty to its power of at least one full rank now that it is separated from its rightful owner and legend, but that is a small price to pay for crippling an enemy and empowering an ally in a contest of Noble Phantasms. Of course, if she's feeling particularly spiteful, she may simply dispose of the Noble Phantasm as she did with Artoria's sheath.

Stolen Equipment:

The Sword of Rupture: Ea

Rank: A+++ (EX)

Type: Anti-World

Assigned User: Alistair Pendragon.

----

A/N

Welcome back, my reader Overlords, please add this to your library and give me some comments, stones and reviews, as it would be much appreciated.

OOOOF 8K words.... damn, I must hate myself, though think of this as a reward after giving me 700 Power stones last week. Hell, we've never crossed 600, yet you all blew me out of the park suddenly, so thank you!

Anyways, how was the fight? Any guesses on what Gilgamesh is planning? What did you all think of Morgan's new Noble Phantasm? Same goes with Alistair, technically, though Morgan has yet to give it to him, as it is meant as an extra surprise, as he does not know that effects of her Noble Phantasm.

Thoughts?

Now.... bad news.... Next week is probably the last week of Fate/False Order for a while. Why? Reason: I am setting up a Patreon, more on that once this volume is over. Just know that after next week, there will likely be a one ish month long break.

I have been planning this since December, but I refused to stop this Volume when we were so close to the end of the volume, as I'd rather not blue-ball you all. So I am doing it after the volume is over.

Usually, I'd rather not do this, but rent is a bitch, and realistically, I need to either start a part-time to survive, and probably only post once a week, or beg you all for money, allowing me to post as much as I do now.

I'll add more information when the volume ends, as I'll post a small chapter talking about the hiatus, as I don't like leaving anyone hanging, and wondering why I haven't posted.

https://discord.gg/HAPhryp5M2

Now I'm still sick (surprise I know)! So have a nice day, or at least one less shitty than mine, and send me some stones or some shit (Not literal shit), as I need motivation to overcome this illness!