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Grail Apocrypha

Greater Grail prior to its corruption

The Greater Holy Grail of Fuyuki (冬木の大聖杯, Fuyuki no Dai Seihai?) is the Greater Holy Grail of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War. Designed to reach the Root, it is a system that has been designated as a Holy Grail for the purpose of serving as the foundation of the Holy Grail War system.

History[]

World of Fate/stay night[]

GreatGrail

Greater Grail after its corruption

In the World of Fate/stay night, during the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern messed with the system of the Grail and summoned the Avenger-class Servant Angra Mainyu, and after his defeat in the 4th day of the war, the Holy Grail was corrupted with "All the World's Evils".[1]

In the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works routes of Fate/stay night, ten years after the Fifth Holy Grail War, the Mages Association planned on bring back the Greater Grail with great opposition from the Church. After the end of a great turmoil with the same magnitude as the Grail War, the Holy Grail in Fuyuki City was dismantled under the direction of Lord El-Melloi II and Rin Tohsaka and the Grail Wars of Fuyuki came to a complete conclusion. In the Heaven's Feel scenario, the Greater Grail is either finally destroyed by Shirou Emiya (normal end) or shut down for good by Illyasviel von Einzbern (true end). In the case of Heaven's Feel, a dismantling would still take place, but it would be more akin to a removal so it can never operate again. A device that can change the world isn't just gone after breaking apart, a cleaning up that is just as much work as the creation process is still needed.[2]

World of Fate/Apocrypha[]

In the World of Fate/Apocrypha, the Third Holy Grail War failed due to the destruction of the Lesser Grail. Furthermore, the Greater Grail was stolen from Fuyuki by Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia with support from Nazi forces, who intended to use the Grail as a weapon to win World War II. The Three Families tried to stop the theft, but they were hampered by exhaustion brought about by the War's fighting.[3]

However, Darnic betrayed the Nazis and disappeared with the Grail to Romania, where he spent the next sixty years preparing a Holy Land suitable for a Holy Grail War. Ultimately, he was successful in establishing himself as the leader of the Yggdmillennia clan and starting a War.[3]

World of Fate/Grand Order[]

Characteristics[]

The Greater Grail is the gateway linked to the Root and the ultimate prize for the Fuyuki Holy Grail War, and is in essence, a wishing machine. Known as the core world, the Grail of Heaven (天の杯, Ten no Sakazuki?), the core of the Grail was formed by Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, who continues to remain at its centre. The creation of the Great Grail was done so under the supervision of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the teacher of the three founders of the war, Justeaze, Makiri Zouken, and Nagato Tohsaka.

The magic circle of the Greater Grail is inscribed upon the land managed by the Tohsaka family in Fuyuki City. Located in the great cave underneath the Ryuudou Temple on Mount Enzou, it consists of a series of seals carved around above 50 meters of bare rock. It is the most ideal location for the Holy Grail to be summoned, though three other locations also exist should the location at Mount Enzou be unavailable: the Tohsaka residence, Fuyuki Church, and Fuyuki Central Park. The Greater Grail itself is a system, and the Holy Grail is the key to start it up. The Greater Grail does not have a will and Justeaze’s soul was completely sublimated when she sacrificed herself for the ritual.[4] While the Holy Grail collects the souls of the Servants, the Greater Grail uses the energy to open a gateway. Though the Lesser Grail is forcibly destroyed by Saber under the command of her Master, Kiritsugu Emiya, its corrupted contents spill from the Greater Grail in the form of black mud.

For the Holy Grail Wars, the Greater Grail is what selects the Masters and invites Heroic Spirits, setting them in the Servant class system. After picking a Master from each of the three founding families (the Einzbern, Matou, and Tohsaka), it preferably picks Masters who earnestly want it, although it is possible to have irregulars, like Kirei Kotomine in the fourth Holy Grail War, who has no sense of purpose except seeking destruction and evil acts.

Depending on the situation, the Greater Grail could support the Holy Grail War by once again distributing Command Spells. A reserve system of the Grail can be activated to allow for the summoning of seven other Servants, this was an auxiliary prepared as a countermeasure for the highly unlikely situation of all seven Servants joining forces. Basically, summoning another seven Servants to oppose the original seven Servants.[3]

In Fuyuki, such a system would certainly have been an emergency measure, if worst came to worst, such an act might even have exhausted the leyline itself. However, the land of Trifas is positioned on the best leylines of Romania to begin with, quite likely having been stockpiling prana at a higher speed than Fuyuki, to the point that it now possessed an inexhaustible amount of prana with which it can summon even fourteen Servants.[3]

Wish granting[]

It is, however only a clump of magical energy and thus is not as omnipotent as people believe it to be, so wishing for something like "Saving the World" without specifying a working method will not suffice. Even if someone lacks power or wealth, the Grail can possibly carry out such a wish if they knew "the method of Saving the World." Kiritsugu Emiya, knowing only the practice of "sacrificing few for the benefit of many", was shown such a vision of "what would happen if the World was saved", though the corruption caused him to be shown the most malicious imagery of his "saved world." Had he followed through with it, the Grail would have certainty done as it showed him.[5] Ultimately, it can only amplify the scale of realization of wishes within working methodologies and is incapable of granting true miracles.

Pathway to the Root[]

Servants that get killed return to being a "piece of energy" and disappear from the time axis, but the Grail (container) created by the Einzberns is here to temporarily stop that and store them. When the Holy Grail goes into hibernation, it puts its accumulated mana into storage. When 7 Servants are present, their spiritual cores will be released and the Heroic Spirits’ bodies will disappear from this world. The cores alone will then return to the Throne of Heroes.[6] Once the vessel is filled with energy, the Great Grail can start the ritual that will open a "hole" to the Akasha.

To open a way to the swirl of the Akasha, the Grail needs to sacrifice all seven Servants to start up the Great Grail, but six Servants are enough if the wish is within the limits of the world.

Corrupted Holy Grail[]

The essence of its content is a "colorless force", but after the third Grail War, it has been polluted by Angra Mainyu and became a malignant "swirling power", a curse, the third element. Hence, it is absolutely impossible to correct inconsistencies by precise calculations or interactions, and it will interpret any wish of the owner with nothing else than destruction, and grant it. Moreover, once it has been opened, it will keep flowing out infinitely and bring disaster.

The servant who is known as Angra Mainyu was summoned in the Third Grail War, he is a Heroic Spirit born into existence according to people’s wishes. As a result, Avenger was born into this world in order to grant everybody’s desire for an existence like “All the World’s Evil (Angra Mainyu)”[7]

Even though the Holy Grail would happen every 60 years, the 10-year gap between the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars was shorter because the Lesser Grail was destroyed before the Greater Grail could direct the accumulated mana to establish its pathway, with the unused mana becoming trapped in the Grail. The function of the Greater Grail was also already disrupted when it was impregnated with Avenger in the Third War.[8]

Additionally, since the corruption, the Grail has been able to summon evil-aligned Heroic Spirits; something that was not allowed before. Heroic Spirits are humans whose legends are passed down in the memory of humanity, regardless of their alignment; the Grail originally was allowed to summon only "good" Heroic Spirits, but ever since the corruption, spirits like Gilles de Rais, Medusa and Medea can be summoned despite being anti-heroes rather than heroes in the common understanding of the term.[9][10]

The classes are, however, unaffected. The summoning of Avenger was a mistake done prior to the corruption, and the corruption itself had no known influence on the classes. It seems that it is only a coincidence that the two known Casters have an evil alignment.

This power also gives birth to Inverted Moon of the Heavens (天の逆月, Ten no Gyakutsuki?), Angra Mainyu. While it is weak compared to the maelstrom of Magical energy that is the Einzbern Grail, what it can do is grant wishes. In a way, it is a small but "true" Holy Grail. It is the foundation of the looping world in hollow ataraxia, where it appears as a black moon, hence the name.

References[]

  1. ["Angra_Mainyu:_All_the_World's_Evil" v] Fate/complete material III: World material - Record of Heavens Feel - Holy Grail War: Distortion of the Holy Grail by "Angra Mainyu: All the World's Evil", p.010

    Wishes of the Holy Grail granted by "Angra Mainyu: All the World's Evil"
    Angra Mainyu was one young man who has forced to bear all the sins of the world to prove the goodness of the people of the world in the small but complete world of a village. He, who had been wished to be the "Symbol of Evil" by people, was summoned as a Servant and defeated, but when he was taken into the Grail, a black miracle had happened. The power of the Grail as a wish granterer received the wishes that humanity had placed on Angra Mainyu and was trying to give him, an existence that was only a soul, a physical form with power befitting that of the "Symbol of Evil".
    Angra Mainyu was being born, with the Greater Grail as a uterus, as an embodiment of the Third Magic. Successful cases of True Magic. Birth of Angra Mainyu. The evil desires people wished upon Angra Mainyu connected to the Greater Grail and the cursed concept of "All the Evils in the World" had begun to become incarnated. This could be said to be a successful case of the Third Magic.

  2. [v] Fate/stay night [Heaven’s Feel] III. spring song Animation Material - Kinoko and Takashi Q & A[T]
    Q: Would Lord El-Melloi II still need to dismantle the Grail after Heaven's Feel?

    Q: Would Lord El-Melloi II still need to dismantle the Grail after Heaven's Feel?

    Nasu: With the thing that broken, it'd be more of a removal than a dismantling, but still yeah, someone has to put on the work make sure it can never operate again.
    Takeuchi: I mean, logically, if you have a device that can change the world, you can't just break it and call it a day.
    Nasu: Opening an event is a lot of work, and cleaning up after it's done is just as much work... This words have been hitting me very close to home for the past 20 years.

    ? <>

    奈:
    武:
    奈:

  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Fate/Apocrypha Volume 1: Apocrypha: Great Holy Grail War - Chapter 1
  4. [v] Fate/complete material III: World material - FAQ with Nasu: Holy Grail War, p.131
    Q: Is the will of the Greater Grail, which selects Masters, the same will of Justicia who was offered as a sacrifice for the ritual that created it? Or does the Greater Grail lack any kind of volition?

    Q: Is the will of the Greater Grail, which selects Masters, the same will of Justicia who was offered as a sacrifice for the ritual that created it? Or does the Greater Grail lack any kind of volition?

    A: The Greater Grail does not have a will. Justicia’s soul was completely sublimated.

    Q:マスターを選定する大聖杯の意思とは、聖杯建造に生け贄として奉げられたユスティーツァの意志なのでし ょうか? それとも大聖杯に意志などないのでしょうか?

    A:大聖杯に意志はありません。ユスティーツァの魂は完全に昇華しています。

  5. [v] Fate/Zero Anime Visual Guide II - Commentary: Episode 24 "The Last Command Seal", p.166

    Narita: Since the Holy Grail itself was only a clump of magical energy, wishing for "Saving the World" without specifying the method would not work. If Kiritsugu had no power or wealth, but knew "the method of Saving the World", it may be possible for the Grail to carry it out.... Kiritsugu was presented with such a vision of "what would happened if the World was saved" because Kiritsugu only knew of "sacrificing few for the benefit of many". However, since the Grail at this time was tainted by Angra Mainyu, Kiritsugu was presented with the most malicious imagery of his "saved World".

    Narita: If "Saving the World" was wished upon the Grail as the Grail had presented, what would happen?

    Mashin: It would certainly realize it à la The Monkey's Paw.

  6. [v] Fate/complete material III: World material - FAQ with Nasu: Holy Grail War, p.131
    Q: When there are enough Servants in the Holy Grail, do they just remain there in the Grail (Greater or Lesser) without returning to the Throne of Heroes, as long as the pathway has not yet been opened (assuming the Grail isn’t damaged)?

    Q: When there are enough Servants in the Holy Grail, do they just remain there in the Grail (Greater or Lesser) without returning to the Throne of Heroes, as long as the pathway has not yet been opened (assuming the Grail isn’t damaged)?

    A: When the Holy Grail goes into hibernation, it puts its accumulated mana into storage. When 7 Servants are present, their spiritual cores will be released and the Heroic Spirits’ bodies will disappear from this world. The cores alone will then return to the Throne of Heroes.

  7. [v] Fate/complete material III: World material - FAQ with Nasu: Holy Grail War, p.131
    Q: I thought that the Lesser Grail collected “All the World’s Evil (Angra Mainyu)” when it was defeated during the Third Holy Grail War, but then how was the Greater Grail corrupted by “All the World’s Evil (Angra Mainyu)”? Is it because energy flows from the Lesser Grail to the Greater Grail when the two are linked?

    Q: I thought that the Lesser Grail collected “All the World’s Evil (Angra Mainyu)” when it was defeated during the Third Holy Grail War, but then how was the Greater Grail corrupted by “All the World’s Evil (Angra Mainyu)”? Is it because energy flows from the Lesser Grail to the Greater Grail when the two are linked?

    A: It’s because Avenger himself is “a Heroic Spirit born into existence according to people’s wishes”. Other Heroic Spirits are recognized as true heroes, but Avenger represents the belief that “heroes” are lies and fabrications. The enshrinement of humanity’s selfish desires turned Avenger into a Heroic Spirit, creating a direct connection to the wish-granting function of the Holy Grail. The Greater Grail, “activated 3 times without granting anyone’s wishes”, turned into its present state as there was still a chance to grant somebody’s wish.
    As a result, Avenger was born into this world in order to grant everybody’s desire for an existence like “All the World’s Evil (Angra Mainyu)”.

  8. [v] Fate/complete material III: World material - FAQ with Nasu: Holy Grail War, p.131
    Q: Even though it should only happen every 60 years, was the 10 year gap between the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars as short as it was because the Lesser Grail was destroyed before the Greater Grail could direct the accumulated mana to establish its pathway trapped some unused mana in the Grail?

    Q: Even though it should only happen every 60 years, was the 10 year gap between the Fourth and Fifth Holy Grail Wars as short as it was because the Lesser Grail was destroyed before the Greater Grail could direct the accumulated mana to establish its pathway trapped some unused mana in the Grail?

    A: That’s true. In fact, you could say that the function of the Greater Grail was already muddled when when it was impregnated with Avenger in the Third War.

  9. Fate/stay night - Unlimited Blade Works route - Day 13: VS berserker - Interlude 13-1: Princess
  10. Fate/Zero Volume 4: Flames of Purgatory - Act 14 Part 4 -36:38:09
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