Chapter 70: It had ended
The silence after the battle with Buddha felt heavier than the blood soaking Riya's clothes.
The air on the top floor was still, save for the faint hum of the Moon Cell's core in the distance.
His limbs trembled—not from fear, but from the aftershock of channeling so many Servants at once.
Each breath felt like a weight on his chest, his vision swimming at the edges.
From the far side of the chamber, footsteps echoed.
Slow.
Measured.
Twice H. Pieceman emerged from the shadows—just a man in a tattered lab coat, hands buried in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
His glasses caught the light, making his eyes impossible to see.
"So… you've climbed every floor."
"Cut down every Master."
"Defeated even Buddha," Twice began, his voice calm, almost detached.
"And yet… you stand before me looking more like a corpse than a victor."
Riya straightened, but only barely. "You're the last one."
"Perhaps," Twice said, pacing in a slow arc around him.
"But I was never a warrior, Riya."
"I am a doctor… a thinker."
"My weapon has always been my truth."
His gaze hardened. "The Moon Cell is the perfect observer."
"It shows us reality without mercy—and reality is cruel."
"Humanity clings to lies just to keep breathing."
Riya stayed silent, his chest heaving.
His legs threatened to give out, but he refused to let them.
Twice continued, his tone growing sharper.
"Your fight… all these victories… do you truly believe they mean anything?"
"This war is a fabrication."
"You are killing for a prize that cannot save anyone."
"Humanity cannot be fixed by wishes—it must be broken and rebuilt from the ground up."
"That is my purpose."
He stopped pacing, his voice lowering.
"You think restoring this timeline will help your objectives."
"But I assure you—your hands will remain as bloody as they are now until the end of your life"
Riya stepped forward, closing the gap between them.
"...Then might as well add some more blood to them."
A faint smile crossed Twice's lips.
The two collided—not with spells or Noble Phantasms, but with raw, unsteady force.
Twice swung first, a clumsy strike born of desperation.
Riya blocked, his own movements sluggish, pain lancing through every muscle.
They grappled, stumbling across the cold floor, trading blows that were more about willpower than skill.
Twice's hand shot for Riya's throat.
"If I die, I'll take you with me," he hissed.
Riya twisted, forcing them both to crash against the floor.
His vision flickered, the room spinning, but instinct drove him forward.
He wrestled Twice's arm away and grabbed a familiar knife from somewhere—a familiar weight, Jack's blade—and without hesitation, plunged it into Twice's gut.
The older man gasped, his body jerking.
Riya drove the blade deeper, close enough to whisper in his ear.
"You lost the moment you tried to make me believe you."
Twice staggered, his strength leaving him.
A wet cough escaped him as he looked down at the spreading blood.
His smile returned, faint but genuine.
"Then… prove me wrong… boy…"
He collapsed, the last of his words swallowed by the Moon Cell's endless silence.
Riya stood over the body, his breath ragged, his hand still gripping the knife.
The fight was over—no magic, no grandeur.
Just the quiet end of a man's ideology.
The chamber was silent, save for the faint crackle of the air.
Then, with a low metallic rumble, the capsule descended from above, its glassy shell reflecting the dim light.
Riya stared at it for a moment, his expression unreadable.
The battles, the voices, the blood, them and her...—they all felt like they had happened hours and years ago, all at once.
Slowly, he stepped toward the capsule, boots echoing against the floor.
The door slid open with a hiss, warm recycled air brushing against his face.
He stepped inside, the couch molding perfectly around his frame as the hatch sealed shut.
The hum of the capsule's systems filled the space—a deep, constant vibration that resonated through his bones.
For the first time since setting foot in this cursed tower, there was no one beside him.
No servants.
No lovers.
Just the machine and the silence.
His gaze lifted to the faint glow of the ceiling.
A weary, bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"One step closer… to the Holy Grail," he muttered, voice low, almost swallowed by the hum.
The ascent began, the capsule shuddering as it carried him upward.
The rhythm of the vibrations was hypnotic, lulling him deeper into stillness.
His muscles slackened, the tension in his chest loosening for the first time in days.
His eyes grew heavy.
The light blurred.
His thoughts scattered into nothingness.
The world faded away—
And sleep claimed him.
Riya's eyes fluttered open, and he found himself standing in a familiar yet eerie classroom.
The desks were neatly arranged, and the blackboard held remnants of chalk writing.
The air was thick with anticipation, and he knew exactly who he would encounter.
Hakuno Kishinami stood by the teacher's desk, her long wavy brown hair cascading down her back.
She wore the standard female school uniform of Tsukumihara Academy, but beneath it, Riya could make out the black turtleneck and black pantyhose that hugged her curves.
Her eyes, a deep brown, held a mix of curiosity and challenge.
"Riya," she began, her voice steady and calm.
"I've been expecting you."
Riya nodded, understanding the unspoken rules of their encounters.
Hakuno smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes.
Riya braced himself as Hakuno assumed a fighting stance.
Their movements were fluid and precise, a dance of power and grace.
Riya landed a few hits, but Hakuno's counterattacks were equally fierce.
Sweat beaded on their brows, and the classroom filled with the sound of their breaths and the occasional grunt of effort.
Finally, Riya managed to pin Hakuno to the ground, his body pressing against hers.
Her chest heaved with exertion, and her eyes flashed with a mix of defeat and desire. "You've won," she panted.
Riya leaned in, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.
Hakuno responded eagerly, her arms wrapping around his neck.
Their tongues danced, exploring and teasing, as the tension between them built to a fever pitch.
Riya's hands roamed over her body, feeling the curves beneath her uniform.
Hakuno moaned softly, her hips arching against him.
He trailed kisses down her neck, nipping and sucking at her sensitive skin.
Hakuno's hands fumbled with his clothes, eager to feel his skin against hers.
Riya obliged, shedding his shirt and pants until they were both nearly naked, their bodies pressed tightly together.
Riya's mouth found her breasts, sucking and biting at her nipples through the thin fabric of her turtleneck.
Hakuno gasped, her back arching off the floor.
Riya's hands slipped beneath her skirt, feeling the smooth skin of her thighs before finding the wetness between her legs.
Hakuno's moans filled the classroom as Riya's fingers teased and explored.
He slipped a finger inside her, then another, curling them to hit that sweet spot.
Hakuno's hips bucked wildly, her body trembling with need.
Riya positioned himself between her legs, his hard length pressing against her entrance.
Hakuno looked up at him, her eyes filled with lust and anticipation. "Take me," she whispered.
With a thrust, Riya entered her, filling her completely.
Hakuno cried out, her nails digging into his back.
Riya began to move, his hips pumping in a steady rhythm.
Hakuno met his thrusts, her body writhing beneath him.
The classroom echoed with the sounds of their passion, the slapping of skin and their ragged breaths.
Riya's pace quickened, his body tensing as he neared the edge.
Hakuno's inner muscles clenched around him, her own orgasm building.
"Riya!" Hakuno cried out, her body convulsing as waves of pleasure washed over her.
Riya followed soon after, his release explosive and intense.
They collapsed together, their bodies slick with sweat and their breaths coming in gasps.
Riya rolled off Hakuno, pulling her into his arms.
She nuzzled against his chest, a contented sigh escaping her lips.
"Well done, Riya," she murmured.
"You've earned your reward."
Riya smiled, knowing that he had not only satisfied Hakuno but also gained access to her Saint Graph.
The power coursed through his veins, ready to be unleashed in the real world.
The hiss of decompressing air filled the capsule as the glass canopy slowly slid open.
Riya's eyes snapped open, the lingering haze of sleep fading as the pale light of the chamber spilled in.
He pushed himself up, feeling the dull stiffness in his limbs from hours of stillness.
The capsule rested in the center of a vast, circular hall of white stone.
High above, the ceiling was lost in shadow, but in front of him, elevated on an ornate pedestal, sat the Holy Grail — not in its legendary, omnipotent glory, but in its Moon Cell manifestation: a shimmering chalice, glowing faintly with impossible light.
The air was thick with mana, each breath almost humming inside his lungs.
Riya stepped out, boots echoing sharply against the floor.
His gaze locked on the Grail, his pace slow but deliberate.
Every step seemed to magnify its pull — not seductive, but inevitable.
He stopped just a meter away, the glow reflecting in his eyes.
"…To the Holy Grail," he muttered, the words low but heavy with meaning.
"Second one down… one more, and we're done."
Without hesitation, he reached out.
His fingers brushed the smooth rim, and a rush of energy surged into him, cold and scorching all at once.
The world around him dissolved, the stone floor replaced by an endless void of light.
Here, the Grail's voice — ancient, formless — echoed faintly in his mind.
State your wish.
Riya didn't hesitate. "Change form."
"Compact."
"I need you as a core — small enough to carry, stable enough not to burn or be destroyed."
The Grail pulsed, its brilliance flaring.
The towering chalice began to shrink, folding in on itself with a cascade of golden motes.
In moments, it was no bigger than a teacup, still impossibly perfect, radiating a quiet power that made the hair on his arms stand up.
It floated into his hand, weightless yet solid.
He stared at it for a moment, expression unreadable.
Then—
"Well, well, look who's still alive."
The voice was smug, unmistakable.
Riya's shoulders tensed before he even turned.
From the edge of the hall, a ripple of distorted space parted like a curtain, and Zelretch stepped through, hands casually tucked behind his back, eyes glittering with amusement.
"And here I thought you'd trip over your own ego and die halfway."
Riya narrowed his eyes. "I was hoping you'd stay gone for another century."
"Ah, the warm welcome I deserve."
Zelretch strolled closer, gaze flicking to the cup in Riya's hand.
"I see you've gotten better at not dropping important toys."
"I'm proud."
"You're proud of nothing," Riya shot back, but still extended the Grail.
"Here."
"Second one."
"Now do your thing and send me to the last war so we can be done with this circus."
Zelretch took it with a lazy smile, turning it in his hand as if inspecting a trinket.
""Impatient as ever."
"You might want to savor your victories — they'll get rarer."
"Or you could stop talking."
That got a low chuckle from the old vampire.
"Oh, I do love that spark in your voice."
"Makes this all worthwhile." He pocketed the Grail in a flash, space rippling around his sleeve as if it had been swallowed by nothingness.
Then he raised a hand, and the air around them warped violently, the chamber twisting like a reflection on disturbed water.
Zelretch raised a hand, and the air around them warped violently, the chamber twisting like a reflection on disturbed water.
"Next stop — your final Holy Grail War."
He paused, a sly grin spreading wider.
"It's called Fate/Strange Fake."
"A friend of mine who owes me a favor will be waiting there to assist you."
"Don't think you'll be entirely alone this time."
Then, with a wink, he added, "Try not to die before I get bored."
The last thing Riya saw before the world inverted was Zelretch's infuriating grin — smug, knowing, and utterly impossible to wipe from memory.
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RIYA RIOT STATS:
Hakuno Kishinami:
Skills:
Independent Action:(EX)
Codecast:(A)
Moon Regalia:(EX)
Sparks Route∞:(EX)
Checkmate Interceptor:(EX)
C³ Punishment:(B+)
Noble Phantasms:
Void Record - Moon Anchor:(EX)
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