Chapter 12: A Second Chance
"The Greater Grail…" Mars said with the words rolling off the tongue. It was right before his eyes, and his soul wavered momentarily. Did Gilgamesh know about this? From the way his soul shook, it seemed to be about anguish.
If only Gilgamesh were more open.
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"Grand Order…how did she know about it?"
Mars heard Olga mutter. Her tone was rigid, trying to hold her emotions together. Mars finally knew why Olga seemed different before everything happened. His soul knew, no, more like now that more of Gilgamesh's powers surfaced. He could see that Olga was nothing more than a spirit, a living construct of her mind.
<i>She was dead.</i>
Mars swallowed the invisible rocks in his throat. He felt sadness enter his mind at the thought of Olga being deceased. Perhaps Mars knew all along. She had no talent for Ray Shift. It was only achieved with her death.
"Olga…"
"Whoa!" Everyone turned to see Caster beginning to dissolve into luminous gold particles. "Seems like it's the end of the journey for me. You guys were an interesting bunch. If possible, summon me next time a Lancer, would you? Being a Caster feels weird."
With those words, Caster disappeared with a smile on his face. Seeing such a charismatic individual disappear in front of your face felt saddening. Sure, they may be dead already…but it still left a doleful feeling.
"From these readings, I can confirm the total defeat of Saber. Caster seemed to return to the Throne Of Heroes as well. Nice work, everyone," Roman said through the transmission.
Meanwhile, Olga seemed distant, her mind raced to the past, and the thoughts about how everyone felt about her began to set in.
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<i>"The Director's quite pretentious,"</i>
<i>"It's most likely a complex…she doesn't want us to underestimate her because of her age. She's way too arrogant. In the end, she's only using her parent's name because she lacks the necessary skills of her own."</i>
<i>"Hey! Get to work!"</i>
<i>"Mars? What the hell are you doing here?" </i>
<i>"Obviously, to get your asses to work. Only I'm allowed to slack off…oh! And next time I hear you talking about my friend. I'll see to it that you end up in the butcher's freezer."</i>
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Olga shook her head. "Idiot."
"Olga! You did well."
"Huh?" Olga blinked at Mars, who walked up to her, but the look on his face remained blank. She didn't understand why he sported such a look. "If it wasn't for your guidance, I doubt Mash and Master would've been able to handle things. You were able to guide them. That's what it means to be a Director….a leader."
"You as well, Mash and Master. We went through hell to get here. I think I'll cook us something good when we get back to Chaldea," Mars continued, ignoring the questioning gaze Olga sent his way.
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"I think I feel disgusted," A voice traveled through the air like music out of a jukebox. The group went on guard again.
"Lev…" Mars muttered as his hair bristled.
"Eh?" Everyone followed where Mars was looking, and a few meters away, Lev Lainur made his appearance. His distinct characteristic was his ominous closed eyes and curved lip smile.
"Mars…why are you looking at Lev like that? Like he's the enemy?"
"That's because he is!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Lev wouldn't-"
"Senpai is right, Director. Do not go near him. For some reason, I can feel the Servant I fused with reeling with unease. I'm guessing Mars is the same," Mash answered, her tone stoic, while Mars's crimson eyes stared at Lev with revulsion.
"Wait! Lev is there?" Roman spoke again, his tone filled to the brim with surprise.
Lev's trademark smile dipped, being replaced with a deep frown hearing Roman's voice.
"A transmission from Chaldea? I see…so Romani still refuses to listen to order…how pathetic, utterly pathetic. It's sickening!"
Lev's eyes opened, showing the insanity bubbling behind them, his lips parted, revealing sharp teeth.
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"EVERYONE REFUSES TO LISTEN TO THE ORDERS THEY WERE GIVEN!"
Everyone but Mars flinched. Gilgamesh seemed furious by Lev's twisted rant, as shown by the scowl on Mars's face. His crimson eyes took a different light. Lev seemed to calm down after his shout and took his time to fix his large hat.
"It was my complacency to overlook the 48th candidate. Mash Kyrielight became a Demi-Servant…and, above all else, Mars Goldwyn. A bane to my existence. You've become a Demi-Servant thanks to a pesky Servant that wasn't even summoned among the three. I should have killed you beforehand!" Lev continued his tone on the edge of erupting once again.
"All these unexpected events are invoking nothing but anger within me! Above all else…the one girl who hasn't realized she's dead, the pitiful Olga Marie Animusphere!"
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"What? I'm not-"
"Tch. Why're you being so dimwitted? That unpleasantness won't change, even in death, it seems. I'll explain it to you. The explosion happened underneath your feet. Why? Because I placed it there! Your body has already turned to dust. You're nothing more than leftover garbage."
"He's…right," Mars added, much to the surprise of everyone.
"W-What? You knew!" Olga grabbed Mars's shoulders to turn him towards her. Her eyes welled with tears as she saw the look in Mars's eyes. There was no deceit that could point to a fraction of a lie. "I…I see. You're a terrible liar, that much I know. But now…you're telling the truth. Why can't you lie at a time like this?"
Mars remained quiet and composed as he closed his eyes before he turned to Lev. "When we return to Chaldea. You will seize, Olga. You're nothing more than a soul without a physical body."
"Mars…isn't there something we can do?" Gudako asked. Her tone was fragile and lost. Of course, anyone would be.
"As a parting gift. I will show you Chaldea, Olga!" Behind Lev, the rummages of Chaldea could be seen for all to witness.
"It's…purely red! Why!?"
"Stop lying!"
"This is all due to your revolting heritage. Olga. No worries. You love Chaldea so much, how about you join it…permanently!" Lev snapped his fingers, and Olga's body began to move.
"W-What's happening!"
"You will die. You were a noisy brat to the very end. How disappointing. I'm merciful, so you'll join the very thing you cherish. Chaldeas is a high-density information field…in human terms, it's similar to the sun. You'll dismantle at a molecular level."
"This can't be it! Why…after all this time, I've finally felt I've accomplished something!" Olga closed her eyes. Her fate was sealed. She would die…again.
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"Olga! You wish to live, right?"
Olga's eyes snapped as she saw that Gudako and Mash were holding her arms. Her body was still being dragged by the vacuum, and Lev's anger rose to palpable levels.
"I…"
"If you desire something…you take it! You don't just let someone else take what you desire! Whether it's a selfish wish or a wish to aid others. Desire is a part of Human nature. It does lead to our downfall…and sometimes it leads to a second chance."
Mars sighed.
"I ask again, Olga Marie Animusphere. Do you wish to let your story end here? Unfinished? Or will you selfishly cling to life!"
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"I WANT TO LIVE!"
"It doesn't matter! You're already dead!" Lev's irritated shout coursed through the gusty wind.
Mars nodded. A golden ripple appeared to his left. Mars moved his arm inside of it, searching for something before pulling out a gold wine cup that caused everyone's eyes to shoot further up. The radiance of the grail was blinding. Everyone could feel its sheer power in waves, and even Roman could feel it from where he's at. It was an unmatched item in terms of everything.
"It seems…your wish has been granted! Allow me to pay the Animusphere back for giving me a second chance too!"
"A HOLY GRAIL!"
The cup of wishes flew towards Olga, and a blinding light flashed in everyone's face. It took minutes for it to die down, and everyone looked to see Olga lying on the floor unconscious. Lev looked absolutely appalled by the event that anger wouldn't even be the correct term to state how he felt.
<i>Years of preparation.</i>
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Years of deceit </i>
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Years of blending in with humans.</i>
All to go to waste with a single item…a single person…a single anomaly. To say Lev hates Mars Goldwyn would be correct, but that's putting it lightly.
"Mars…GOLDWYN….NO! GILGAMESH! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! YOU DARE MEDDLE IN OUR AFFAIR!"
Mars's eyes began to glisten. A smirk that exuded confidence and mirth showed itself alongside a pair of fresh white teeth. Crimson eyes danced with ego that the perfect visage of Gilgamesh appeared beside Mars, with his arms folded and a smirk of humor.
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"MUAHAHAA!" Mars and Gilgamesh laughed, creating a weird atmosphere. "For a pathetic Mongrel, I believe you entertained us long enough with your wretched presence. Leave."
Lev's teeth bristled against one another at the humiliation before he calmed down by inhaling a large amount of air. "I am Lev Lainur Flauros. I oversaw the year 2015 to ensure the extinction of Humanity."
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"I bid you all farewell. Especially you, 48th Master, and Mars Goldwyn."
As Lev departed, everything around them began to shake, the air became distorted, and a flash of white approached rapidly.
"ROMAN! GET US OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Mars commanded with fear. The Singularity was collapsing, and if they stayed, they would die along with it.
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"Is he still sleeping? Mash woke up two days ago!"
"Well…he is fused with Gilgamesh. I doubt pulling out a minor Holy Grail would be a cakewalk."
"Ugh…I can hear the voice of a beautiful maiden," A voice groaned.
"Oho! The deuteragonist has awoken from his slumber! If I knew my voice was enough to wake you up, I would've done so sooner!"
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"Oh, crap! Da Vinci? I won't let you paint a picture of me naked!"
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<i>AN: Whew, finally done. Singularity F is complete after 11 Chapters. I can't lie; I struggled with this chapter. I don't think I hit the right feels with the Olga segment. Here's a simple review I give myself for this arc.</i>
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I believe I did a solid 7/10. I don't think I gave enough spotlight to Gudako and Olga. I did give Mash a good amount of moments, but with the others, I feel I went short. However, I do feel I did a decent job with Emiya, Saber Alter, and Medusa Alter. I have to give myself some credit. </i>
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<i>I'd like to thank everyone for their support for the story once again. I hope you're all enjoying Mars so far. I wanted to keep Gilgamesh a bit active so he's relevant instead of just giving his powers away. So I hope you all don't mind his pop-ups.</i>
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Since it's Friday, I will take the weekend off, so Monday will be a new chapter. I've reached 9 Power Stones this week, which is good enough for me, thanks to everyone who's giving those out. </i>
<i>Feel free to add me on FGO NA. Here's my ID - 213,326,555</i>
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