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« Welcome to the Moon Holy Grail War! |
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The SE.RA.PH Subcategory Singularity (SE.RA.PH亜種特異点, Serafu ashu tokuiten?), identified as Subcategory Singularity EX (亜種特異点EX, Ashu tokuiten EX?, localized as "Pseudo-Singularity EX"), is one of five singularities manifested by the remaining Demon Gods after the defeat of Beast I Goetia. Located in 2030 AD in Seraphix transported to the Mariana Trench,[1] its Humanity Foundation Value is CCC and the Demon God Zepar is its creator. It was the second of the five subcategory singularities visited by Chaldea Security Organization in the undertaking of the Remnant Order to deal with the collateral damage caused by the Human Order Incineration Incident, but the events of the singularity were turned into an Imaginary Numbers Phenomenon and forgotten by all but a few involved parties.
The events of Ritsuka Fujimaru's visit to this Singularity are covered in a Fate/EXTRA CCC crossover event of Epic of Remnant, Abyssal Cyber Paradise: SE.RA.PH (深海電脳楽土 SE.RA.PH, Shinkai dennō rakudo Serafu?). It has the subtitle Epic of Remnant/EXTRA. It received a manga adaptation illustrated by Kengorou Nishide.
Setting[]
After escaping the Time Temple along with three other Demon Gods, Zepar, impressed by humanity's victory as well as human mental activities and intelligent actions having the possibility of generating enormous amounts of energy, wanted to explore that possibility for humans to realize their mental potential for his own use. However because he lost his body, he needed to seek refuge somewhere to regain his strength.[2]
He eventually found Seraphix, an oil rig built at the command of Marisbury Animusphere which secretly contained a planetarium called Celestial Body Simulator, System Animusphere, which was used to investigate leylines. According to Flauros, it had also been pivotal in the formation of the Fuyuki Singularity. There he found the therapist Kiara Sessyoin, and possessed her to avoid Chaldea's detection. He then used her to eventually effectively gain control of Seraphix, which he planned to turn into his own separate world before sending it to the bottom of the Mariana Trench be reborn,[2] and despite her efforts to stay in control she realized that her personality was slowly being eroded.[3]
Using his knowledge of parallel worlds, Zepar discovered another version of Kiara, one that had seized control of the lunar supercomputer called the Moon Cell. Impressed by her power, he linked the two Kiaras together, and used her body as the catalyst to convert Seraphix into SE.RA.PH and give it form. Afterwards though, Kiara (now completely controlled by her CCC self) plunged the Seraphix staff into mass hysteria to Zepar's disgust, goading the director's secretary Arnold Beckman into setting himself up as a despot who executed staff who would not obey him.[3]
Next, Kiara seduced the personnel to open the planetarium, where she placed 128 Master candidates in the Coffins found there to summon 128 Servants, which killed them; however, their magic circuits remained active so they could be used to summon new Servants indefinitely. BB, Meltryllis, and Passionlip were salvaged from Kiara, as she had absorbed them in the Far Side of the Moon, to serve her and manage SE.RA.PH.[3] Jealous of the delight she felt from Zepar's memories of the Temple of Time, being tormented and killed by countless Servants, Kiara sought to use SE.RA.PH to become a Beast herself.[4]
Zepar realized at this point that he lost control of Kiara's body, and he was forced to reside only in her pinky finger. Eventually though, he was forcibly expelled, and quickly disappeared. Kiara then enacted her plan to descend SE.RA.PH down into Earth's core so she may fuse with the planet, turning it into her body.[3] Meltryllis and Passionlip were infected with parts of her, Karmaphage, to turn them into Sentinels who had no choice but to serve as SE.RA.PH's self-defense mechanisms.[4] However, they still refused to obey Kiara. As punishment, Passionlip was bound into a restraining hood that suppressed her personality and Meltryllis was reset to level 1 before being left in Kiara's old church to die of magical energy depletion. Kiara also ordered BB to begin a copy of the Moon Holy Grail War as entertainment while continuing to manage SE.RA.PH.[3]
Feigning loyalty to Kiara, BB recreated the Moon Holy Grail War in order to entertain Kiara, but compared to its original's tournament format, this one turned into a massacre.[5]
The Servants succumbed to their desires, and began to commit several atrocities.[6] One particular Servant by the name of Suzuka Gozen was turned into a Sentinel by BB, hoping to win the Grail War for her Master, not knowing they were already dead.[7] Meanwhile, the fallen Servants were consumed by Kiara and the corpses of the Masters inside the still active Coffins were used as biological circuits to continuously summon new Servants.[3]
About a month after the digitization of Seraphix began, the Moon Cell detected Kiara's presence in the Fate/Grand Order timeline. Requiring an agent able to operate in Imaginary Number Space, it sent a backup copy of the original BB to Seraphix on a one-way mission to stop Kiara before she completed her metamorphosis into a Beast. She then switched places with the BB that had been salvaged from Kiara (which later dubbed itself BB/GO) as manager of SE.RA.PH. while BB/GO hid at its bottom, ostensibly to gather the strength needed to fight Kiara. However, she secretly planned to seize control of SE.RA.PH. for herself after BB had defeated Kiara for her.[8]
With BB's help, a survivor, Trapayne, was able to send a distress call to Chaldea before succumbing to digitization. To honor her sacrifice, BB resolved to ensure that the incident would be treated as a Imaginary Numbers phenomenon upon its resolution so none of the innocent staff would die. Unaware of BB's involvement in sending the distress call and her own contact with Chaldea to alert them about the situation on Seraphix, Kiara orders BB to deal with Ritsuka.
In a prior attempt to investigate the Singularity, Ritsuka had been separated from their Servants and narrowly managed to escape alive. They discovered Meltryllis in the church, where she was about to die from lack of magical energy. Ritsuka contracted with Meltryllis to save her, and she became their Servant out of gratitude.
As they traveled and fought together, Meltryllis fell in love with Ritsuka and swore to protect them at all costs. They eventually managed to free Passionlip (though they could not remove her restraints), won the Holy Grail War, and fought Kiara at the planetarium.[4]
They lost however, as their Karmaphages prevented the Alter Egos from being able to harm Kiara. As punishment for their defiance, Kiara broke Meltryllis's hands and dissolved Ritsuka in front of her despite her pleas to let them live.[4]
With the last of her willpower, Passionlip then used Virgin Laser Palladion to launch Meltryllis upwards at the speed needed for Meltryllis to travel back in time to the moment Ritsuka arrived in SE.RA.PH. Meltryllis vowed to redo everything so she could help Ritsuka free the Sentinels from Kiara's influence and fulfill the promise she had made to protect them, knowing that using Virgin Laser Palladion in this way would cause irreversible damage to her Spirit Origin.[4]
She met the past self at the chapel where Ritsuka originally found her, and shared her memories with her. Determining that there was no way she could gather the strength to fight Kiara directly in the limited time available, the past Meltryllis committed suicide without hesitation to prevent Kiara from realizing there were two Meltryllis. All that was left of the past Meltryllis was a broken ceramic doll.[4] Later, Meltryllis shared her memories with BB, allowing BB to formulate a plan that would let secretly support Ritsuka without Kiara knowing.
History[]
Prologue[]
Ritsuka is in their room talking with Nero Claudius, Tamamo-no-Mae, and EMIYA when they all hear Mash over the intercom announcing that Chaldea has received its regular report from the Seraphix Offshore Oil Rig. Intrigued, Nero asks what Seraphix is. Tamamo recalls it is a Chaldean outpost that provides Chaldea HQ with resources owned by the previous director. Ritsuka is curious and wishes to see Seraphix. Tamamo is wary of the name Seraphix, but nevertheless agrees to accompany Ritsuka.[1]
Joined by Nero, Tamamo, and EMIYA, Ritsuka enters the command room where Mash, Leonardo da Vinci, and the staff are waiting for the report from Seraphix. Da Vinci has no personal interest in Seraphix, but she has to see how it’s doing since Chaldea’s budget depends on the oil rig’s status.[1]
Ritsuka asks for more information on Seraphix. Mash explains Seraphix is a North Sea offshore oil rig owned by the Animuspheres. It is far from Chaldea HQ, but it is one of Chaldea’s most lucrative revenue streams. Neither Mash nor Da Vinci have ever been there. The only people who would know what Seraphix is actually like would be Chaldea’s original staff, but they were all killed by Lev Lainur’s attack on the command room. The staff who stay in contact with Seraphix now are those who became friends after repeated transmissions over the years.[1]
A Chaldea comms officer opens external communication to Seraphix, but nothing comes up. Even though both audio and video feeds are open, nothing is being seen nor heard. Chaldea then receives an SOS message, saying everyone is being digitized. Afterward, connection with Seraphix abruptly cut.[1]
Da Vinci immediately authorizes the use of SHEBA to observe Seraphix. However, Seraphix seemingly no longer exists, with no signs of a Singularity. She reveals Seraphix no longer exists in the current time period, and tells Chaldea to check the Mariana Trench in 2030 A.D. The staff confirm Seraphix's location, revealing its currently 200 meters below the surface along with the existence of a Singularity.[1]
BB tells Chaldea to save Seraphix's staff before the oil rig sinks down to 10,000 meters while also dealing with the Singularity manifesting there. Nero tells Da Vinci to prepare a rayshift, but Da Vinci reminds her rayshifting to the future is impossible. She realizes, however, that BB can verify the existence of Ritsuka’s party since 2030 is her present. BB agrees to help, warning Seraphix will reach the bottom of the trench in a few hours, at which point it'll be destroyed by the water pressure.[1]
Ritsuka, Nero, Tamamo, and EMIYA then rayshift to Seraphix. However BB supposedly hacks the rayshift to separate the group to random locations in the facility (in truth, it was Kiara who was responsible for the separation).[1]
Swan Lake Returns[]
(1/6)[]
SE.RA.PH
Ritsuka arrives in a strange locale when they’re contacted by BB. She tells they’re in a Holy Grail War, a battle to the death between 128 Servants. She claims she tricked them into thinking there was a world-ending threat to contend with when it was actually for her entertainment. Admittedly, her Grail War is a copy of the Moon Holy Grail War, though hers is a battle royale instead of a tournament.[5]
She explains to Ritsuka they’re in Seraphix, but it’s been digitized into Pseudo-Spiritrons. Here, as long as intellectual activity occurs, information-based life-forms and organic life-forms can interact with one another. In addition, Ritsuka will retain everything they attain once they return to the physical world.[5]
BB refuses to tell Ritsuka how Seraphix became SE.RA.PH, leaving it to them to figure it out. She then explains they are at what was once Seraphix’s front gate. She tells them they need to discover the mystery of the digitization before SE.RA.PH sinks to the bottom of the trench while surviving through the Grail War.[5]
After BB ends communications, Ritsuka tries to find Nero, Tamamo, and EMIYA when they’re ambushed by a female swordsman. By sheer dumb luck, they dodge her attack. The female swordsman attacks again, but fortunately for Ritsuka, they’re saved by another girl. She identifies Ritsuka’s assailant as Suzuka Gozen and introduces herself as Meltryllis. She has Ritsuka contract with her then fights Suzuka.[5]
Meltryllis’ attacks on Suzuka are reduced by 90%, though, thanks to the latter’s karmaphage. Suzuka calls having karmaphage the mark of a true Sentinel, telling Meltryllis she wouldn’t be one if she didn’t abandon her role. Meltryllis, however, reveals her attacks are poisonous, something she knew Suzuka’s karmaphage doesn’t repel against. Suzuka retreats, having not prepared for viral attacks beforehand. She admits she only came because of the lightning, likely referring to the light of the rayshift.[5]
Meltryllis checks how Ritsuka is doing, calling them by name. Ritsuka doesn’t recall giving her their name, though. Meltryllis claims she overheard it when they were talking with BB.[5]
She reveals some of Seraphix’s facilities have yet to be digitized. One such area is the main oil deck cable area, which Meltryllis says they can enter the main facility from.[5]
She warns Ritsuka that they’ll eventually be disintegrated if they stay too long in digitized areas. In such areas, humans are converted into data after a few hours and imported to SE.RA.PH. Even Servants will only last a few days.[5]
Meltryllis warns everyone will be digitized well before SE.RA.PH reaches the bottom of the trench. She reveals time in SE.RA.PH passes a hundred times quicker than in reality. So Ritsuka only has two and a half hours to explore SE.RA.PH. But that task is made more difficult because despite being based on Seraphix, SE.RA.PH is significantly larger. Ritsuka and Meltryllis then go search for a safe haven before Ritsuka is digitized.[5]
Later, Meltryllis explains that SE.RA.PH is a digital labyrinth loosely based on Seraphix. However, the current SE.RA.PH is only an imitation of the true SE.RA.PH. The original is an engine designed to operate the Moon Cell, a construct of photonic crystals inside the moon. It was the site of the Moon Holy Grail War, the Moon Cell itself being the prized Holy Grail. It created the Grail War to determine through “fair and impartial” means who will wield it, only caring that the surviving human proved their superiority. While both wars are brutal, the original was more rational than BB’s, thanks to its tournament structure.[5]
Meltryllis senses Servants up ahead and reminds Ritsuka every Servant in SE.RA.PH is their enemy. Seeing one close by has yet to notice them, Meltryllis considers ambushing him, hoping to kill him quickly. Ultimately, though, she chooses to fight him with Ritsuka’s support.[5]
The Servant turns out to be Gawain, who wasn’t among the 128 Servants. He claims he was one of the three Servants who rayshifted with Ritsuka, though their memories say otherwise; unknown to Gawain and Ritsuka, BB had secretly brought him and two other Servants from Chaldea into SE.RA.PH, implanting them with false memories of being brought with the rayshift so Kiara would not suspect anything. Meltryllis gets upsets Ritsuka didn’t mention they originally came with three Servants and demands an explanation.[5]
Ritsuka explains their circumstances and those between them and Meltryllis. Gawain thanks Meltryllis for saving Ritsuka. But thinking to himself, he finds her timing to be too convenient. An Alter Ego has no reason to cooperate with Chaldea. Gawain feels Meltyrills isn’t lying, even if she can’t be completely trusted.[5]
Ritsuka then gives Meltryllis descriptors for EMIYA and Tamamo. Meltryllis finds it’s good to know Ritsuka has other assets at their disposal, though she says so with a sad look. She knows she can’t afford to be picky now, as she will not get another chance.[5]
Meltryllis agrees to help search for Ritsuka’s other Servants in addition to finding a safe area. Gawain welcomes her as an ally, given she is the only one who is familiar with SE.RA.PH.[5]
BB suddenly appears to punish Ritsuka for breaking the rule of having more than one Servant. She summons Robin Hood and orders him to kill the group.[5]
After Robin is killed, BB claims she’ll let Ritsuka go free if they either win her Grail War, or discover the secret behind SE.RA.PH. She reveals she locked several of SE.RA.PH’s passageways that she’ll discreetly open for a fee. However, she advises Ritsuka’s party against exploring too far because they will run into stronger Attack Programs and Sentinels—special Servants tasked with guarding SE.RA.PH.[5]
BB explains that SE.RA.PH is like the digital embodiment of humanity’s inner world, once called the Sakura Labyrinth. It and the Sentinels convert human emotion into defensive mechanisms. Each Sentinel is granted a powerful passive skill called Karmaphage, which makes them nigh unbeatable to a normal Servant. There are five in total, each guarding 1/5 of SE.RA.PH.[5]
BB then resurrects Robin and sends him away. Before leaving, she reveals rayshifting to the future isn’t inherently impossible, like Da Vinci said it was. But Chaldea cannot rayshift past the year 2017 for a reason not related to the current incident.[5]
(2/6)[]
Ritsuka’s party kills a Caster, with both Ritsuka and Gawain surprised by his derangement. Meltryllis isn’t surprised, though, as most Servants in SE.RA.PH have succumbed to their desires and fight accordingly. She argues with Gawain that despite being rational creatures, humans will succumb to their desires and baser instincts if they fail to keep themselves in check.[5]
Gawain is curious there was any Master with the Caster, believing they could have prevented his descent into madness, and asks why they’re nowhere to be seen.[5]
Meltryllis reveals the Masters all died the moment they summoned their Servants. None of the Servants in SE.RA.PH. have ever seen their Master. Gawain is appalled to hear Servants are killing each other despite having no reason to. Meltryllis reminds him that every Servant in SE.RA.PH is acting purely on their desires, though she suspects SE.RA.PH is a factor. She starts to explain how ego takes precedence over consciousness in SE.RA.PH when she notices something.[5]
Ritsuka mistakes it for a Grail and upon touching they see the final memories of a Seraphix crew member. On January 2017, Seraphix lost all means of transport and communication, and the digitization began. By February, the crew was down to about a hundred survivors and started holing themselves up in the central command room. They decided to wait until May in the vain hope that Chaldea would notice what was happening and rescue them.[5]
But In March, the crew grew violent and executed director Hideyasu Ajima for failing to foresee the incident. Next was the assistant director for failing to resolve the situation, then a woman who lost the key to the cleaning area, followed by the doctors who were once no longer useful once medicine ran out. People who opposed Beckman were sacrificed to the monsters outside. Others were killed for wasting provisions or for being foreign. Despite their behavior, though, the crew remained hopeful they would be rescued.[5]
Come April, however, the crew learned of the time discrepancy between SE.RA.PH. and reality. It meant any help from Chaldea would take over fifty years to arrive. Most of Seraphix also became digitized by this point. The memories then end when the crew member is killed by Beckman loyalists for breaking the no smoking rule.[5]
(3/6)[]
The group eventually comes to a fork; one path leads to the Chest, where the central command room was, while the other leads to the Thighs, which once held the dock and heliport. Meltryllis reveals the current hair, the Hair, is relatively safe as Sentinels don't come this far. However, she thinks there may be survivors hiding in the central command room at the Chest.[5]
Suddenly, Tristan appears, disgusted that Gawain is speaking with Meltryllis. Looking at Ritsuka, he is amazed to see a respectable Master exists in SE.RA.PH. But he laments he had to kill all seven of the Servants he met so far and now the first Master he has met is with Meltryllis. He demands Ritsuka and Gawain step away from Meltryllis, so he may focus his fury purely on her. But to his regret, Ritsuka and Gawain remain by her side. He then attacks, refusing to allow an Alter Ego to live.[5]
Meltryllis negates Tristan’s attacks with her liquid body and pins him down. Tristan waits for her to finish him off when he notices something, astonished she has been fighting in such a condition. Meltryllis gets up, deciding to let Gawain finish Tristan off. He refuses and instead convinces Tristan to join them. Tristan agrees with the reminder he will not abide Alter Egos. Meltryllis is sad another Servant joined the team, remarking to herself that "this wasn't how it was supposed to go."[5]
Tristan reveals he was summoned in SE.RA.PH. ten days ago. He sought to capture BB, killing any insane Servant he encountered in an act of mercy. However, they were nothing compared to the Alter Ego he was forced many times to retreat from to avoid being crushed. He calls the path leading to the Chest, Breast Valley, the Alter Ego’s domain. Meltryllis realizes Tristan is talking about Passionlip.[5]
Breast Valley after being compressed by Passionlip
Ritsuka starts to feel the effects of the digitization when the group comes to Breast Valley. A woman comes running, screaming for help. Upon seeing Ritsuka’s Servants, she thinks they’re insane until she sees Ritsuka’s Chaldean uniform. Relieved someone finally came to help, she introduces herself as Mable Macintosh, a robotics operator on Seraphix.[5]
She notices Meltryllis and begs Gawain to kill her, asserting that humans and Alter Egos are mortal enemies. However, her pursuer, Passionlip, soon catches up to her. Passionlip also crushed the new 128 Servants earlier when they arrived. Meltryllis reveals Passionlip is a Sentinel, and the group fights her.[5]
They’re forced to retreat, however, when she uses Trash & Crush to condense the passageway into a cube. Meltryllis says Trash & Crush is why Passionlip is the strongest Alter Ego in terms of sheer destructive power. Her only weakness is her mental immaturity, but with her sense of self being currently suppressed, she is nothing but a defense mechanism that crushes everything that comes near her.[5]
With their path to the Chest gone, the group return to the fork with Mable.[5]
(4/6)[]
At the Thighs. Mable reveals the one only survivors beside her are Arnold, Trapayne, and Holly since they stayed in the Central Command Room. However, Trapayne left to try and contact Chaldea hasn’t been back yet, and Holly has locked himself for a week after giving himsef too much morphine. Mable herself left the command room when food became scarce to avoid infighting with Arnold. Despite the risks, Ritsuka allows Mable to accompany them.[5]
Gawain asks Meltryllis if there is a safe area nearby. Meltryllis reveals there is a chapel that can be used as a safe haven since it has magical protection and too many indecipherable elements to be digitized. Tristan recalls Vlad III guards that area, however, so he must be defeated if the group wishes to get to the chapel.[5]
(5/6)[]
Nearing the Chapel, the group sees Vlad has impaled both humans and Servants alike. Vlad confronts the group and decides to kill Ritsuka upon seeing them, declaring no human should live in such a depraved land and that they shall pay for their sins. The group prepares for combat, with Gawain deciding to take the lead. Vlad warns not to underestimate him for a Demon God already inhabits his body.[5]
Vlad is defeated and Ritsuka tries to ask him about what he said earlier. But Vlad regrets ever saying it and tells Ritsuka to hurry to the chapel if they wish to know. He reveals EMIYA is in the chapel, but he warns he cannot be trusted before disappearing.[5]
Chapel
The group enters the chapel, only to find EMIYA Alter. He explains BB switched him with his regular self. Ritsuka tells him about everything that happened so far, which EMIYA Alter already knew since he has been watching from the chapel rooftop.[5]
Meltryllis tells Ritsuka to rest for six hours to replenish their magical energy. She reassures them they won’t be digitized as long as they have vitality. She also says the chapel will be their base while they explore SE.RA.PH.[5]
Before Ritsuka goes to rest, EMIYA Alter reveals there is a terminal hidden behind the altar that contains a report. However, it is locked to even Servants and Alter Egos, so its key needs to be found. The group believes the report may contain a clue and decides to search for the key after they all get some rest.[3]
Mable makes it clear she doesn’t feel safe with Meltryllis around, saying the Alter Egos have been slaughtering humans in Seraphix. Meltryllis also doesn’t feel safe sleeping with humans around and decides to go sleep outside. She tells everyone they’ll resume exploring SE.RA.PH after they rest for six hours.[5]
Ritsuka prepares to head upstairs like the others did when they notice something near the wall. Meltryllis dismisses it as a ceramic figure that EMIYA Alter knocked over and broke. Ritsuka agrees with her it isn’t their concern and heads upstairs. Meltryllis thanks them for noticing “her”, even though they know nothing.[5]
(6/6)[]
After purchasing the terminal key from BB with an exorbitant amount of Sakurament, Ritsuka uses it on the terminal. An audio guide states the records are secrets and can only be viewed one person at a time. In addition, the records will be deleted once playback is done and their contents cannot be saved. Mable explains it means only Seraphix admins are authorized to use the terminal and that it sends data directly into the viewer’s brain. Ritsuka then accesses the records from February 7, 2017.[5]
It is from a therapist who joined Seraphix in 2016. The chapel was her place of work. When Seraphix became isolated from the world in January, she joined the medical team to help victims on-site. That was when she saw countless eyes glowing in the dark, a monster preying on the human mind.[5]
By February, she lost her morality, but still kept to her obligations and tried to soothe the collective hysteria. On March, however, she was severely injured and locked herself inside the chapel. But it is not the hysterical crew members she fears, rather that something far more terrible is eating away at her mind. Feeling she is no longer herself, she urges not to continue the experiments of the planetarium. The record ends with her begging someone to kill her before she loses herself.[5]
Gawain believes the crew summoned BB of their own accord. Meltryllis reveals the planetarium is in the middle of SE.RA.PH, and it’s the source of the digitization, something she knew all along. With a set in goal, Ritsuka, Meltryllis and Gawain decide to explore further. Tristan stays behind to keep the chapel and Mable safe. EMIYA Alter leaves to kill Servants so they don’t impede the others’ exploration.[5]
The False-Stepped Coppelia[]
(1/5)[]
Ritsuka’s party locates the upper part of the Arm. BB contacts them and introduces them to the next Sentinel: Tamamo Cat. Gawain is shocked to see Cat, whom he calls Caster and says accompanied him, on BB’s side. Cat, however, only recalls waking up in SE.RA.PH alone until BB found her and put a subjugation collar on her, so she now works to repay her. BB orders her to fight Ritsuka’s party.[6]
Cat is easily defeated, though, since she forgot to use her Karmaphage. Irritated, BB sends Cat down a trapdoor with orders to remain at her designated position. She then tries to leave, embarrassed by the whole ordeal, when Meltryllis stops her to inquire about the new 128 Servants.[6]
BB admits she summoned the Servants that were unfortunately immediately crushed by Passionlip. But she will continue to summon Servants until a proper recreation of the Battle of the Time Temple is made. Gawain is shocked that she knows of that battle. BB, however, says she has no record of what occurred outside the universe. She then warns there’s only one real world hour left before SE.RA.PH hits the seabed and ends contact.[6]
(2/5)[]
Eventually, the group makes it to the Flank Separator. A memory appears that Ritsuka promptly touches it. It is the memory of a man who was brought to Seraphix to serve as a “cleaner“; someone who kills those who disrupt operations or leak secrets. He recalls the survivors dividing into factions, and himself becoming Beckman’s enforcer when he took control. A cruel man, he eventually learned about love from a certain woman, becoming completely devoted to her. But fearing she would abandon him, he was driven to madness.[6]
(3/5)[]
Joined by EMIYA Alter, the group near the area’s final zone—the one assigned to Cat. Meltryllis and EMIYA Alter are both incredulous that Ritsuka intends to recruit Cat. Gawain, however, enjoys having more opitions at their disposal. He then asks Meltryllis what Sentinels are exactly.[6]
Meltryllis explains Alter Egos were originally salvaged to be Sentinels. However, a Sentinel doesn’t need to be Alter Ego. They only need a Spirit Origin that can handle a Karmaphage.
EMIYA realizes the “phage” in Karmaphage refers to "bacteriophage”, comparing it to an infectious disease. He finds fitting it for Alter Egos as they are avatars made from BB’s emotions with patchwork Spirit Origins made from multiple Servants and goddess essences.[6]
Meltryllis confirms Alter Egos were monsters tied to the emotions BB deemed unnecessary for a perfect A.I. and cut off from herself. Those emotions were love and hate, pleasure, innocence, yearning, and benevolence. Meltryllis says Alter Egos used to hate being beholden to their emotions, but they have long since learned to face them and are now trying to understand human feelings. They are content with themselves so long as there is one human who accepts them.[6]
Ritsuka’s party eventually finds Cat and fight her. They defeat her and EMIYA Alter shoots her to death. But then she gets up, confessing she was waiting for a chance to rejoin Chaldea after she powered up with the Karmaphage BB gave her. EMIYA Alter confesses he used his knowledge of Magic Circuits to target and destroy the parts of her Spirit Origin infected by the Karmaphage. Now free of BB’s control, Cat joins the group[6]
(4/5)[]
Returning to the chapel, the group note the only areas left to explore are the soil survey room, the resource compression and drying area, and the dump. Meltryllis reveals SE.RA.PH. has a two layer structure, with a front side and back side. She was a back side Sentinel before BB scrapped her for disobedience. Humans and Servants cannot cross the border between the sides though, only Sentinels can. Thus, the only way to get to the back side would be to flip SE.RA.PH over. Ritsuka realizes from Cat's ramblings that there is a way.[6]
Meltryllis confirms they can reach the Command Room through the back side. Once they’re at the same coordinates as the Command Room, they can flip SE.RA.PH flip over to arrive at the Chest. While this method will help them bypass Breast Valley, they’ll still need to fight Passionlip. However, she will help them if her restraints are destroyed.[6]
(5/5)[]
Joined by Cat and EMIYA Alter, the group arrive at the Flank Separator. Ritsuka hits the Separator using a tickling hand they bought from BB, and SE.RA.PH starts shaking. BB sends a Sentinel, Elizabeth Bathory, to punish them for their transgression.[6]
Elizabeth is defeated, so BB allows Ritsuka’s party to enter the back side. She tries to hint what they’ll find there when, to her bewilderment, Passionlip arrives even though she wasn’t ordered. Passionlip starts using Trash & Crush, so Ritsuka desperately tries to hasten the flipping of SE.RA.PH before she looks their way. Gawain holds her off and gets left behind when Ritsuka successfully flips SE.RA.PH over.[6]
The Nutcracker, Once More[]
(1/3)[]
Suzuka Gozen's territory
Arriving on the back side, the group is greeted by Suzuka. She learns Ritsuka’s name and sees their party has grown. Oddly, Cat easily perturbs her, which Cat suspects is because of some history with her original self. Cat then points out Suzuku’s highschool girl act, angering Suzuka so much she forgoes BB’s orders to escort the group to kill Cat.[2]
During the fight, Cat asks Suzuka why she became a Sentinel. Suzuka replies BB recruited her after seeing her winning streak. Despite never seeing them, she believes her Master wanted to win the Grail War, and so she continues to fight to make that come true. She doesn’t care about BB’s plans, only being the last of 128 Servants.[2]
BB calls her, ordering her to return to the temple and telling her that killing Chaldean Servants doesn’t count. Suzuka compiles and gets ready to leave. But before she does, she tells the group to check out the Nape if they’re headed to the Command Room. She then leaves saying Seraphix’s crew brought the crisis on themselves, and Seraphix was never just an oil rig.[2]
(2/3)[]
The group soon comes to a gate which corresponds with the one on the front side. Meltryllis explains it is reserved for employees who report directly to the Animuspheres. It also keeps regular employees out of secret areas. The group is then forced to destroy the gate’s defenses when it threatens to literally terminate for failing to present identification.[2]
Robin appears with a message from BB for the group: Passionlip is waiting for them on the front side and since they can’t possibly beat her, BB demands they submit to her.[2]
He reveals BB developed a weapon that can break “the shackles” on Passionlip’s heart, along with her restraints. BB also gave him the tickling hand to bring the to the front side once they’re ready to face Passionlip.[2]
(3/3)[]
Once everyone is ready, Robin takes them to the front side. EMYA Alter is excepted, however, likely because of BB’s machinations. BB appears and offers him a chance to survive: kill every human on SE.RA.PH and capture RItsuka. If he does that, he’ll learn the truth about SE.RA.PH, as part of his job as Counter Guardian. EMIYA Alter promptly agrees to join BB, admitting he was getting tired of helping Ritsuka’s group.[2]
Meanwhile, the others arrive back on the front side, where they’re immediately ambushed by a plethora of enemies. Meltryllis knows BB didn’t send them and realizes they’re why Passionlip came to the Separator. To make matters worse, Passionlip starts acting up. BB contacts the group and tells them to destroy the Attack Programs first.[2]
The group destroys the programs, but they can’t even approach Passionlip without being attacked. But BB says they only need to go inside Passionlip, meaning conquering her mind via the Maiden Coaster.[2]
Meltryllis realizes that is why BB had Ritsuka buy that Code Caster earlier. But she questions BB if it’s possible, as she thought only humans could analyze other humans’ minds.[2]
BB admits it’s true for normal humans, but she’s confident she can manage a Karmaphage-infected Servant. In order to do that, though, Ritsuka first needs to put their hand directly on Passionlip’s chest. But there is no one in Ritsuka’s party strong enough to keep Passionlip pinned long enough for Ritsuka to safely touch her.[2]
That is when Gawain reveals his survival, offering to put Passionlip in full nelson even though his condition is worse than the others. He is certain Passionlip is truly a maiden at heart and he has no qualms risking everything if it means saving her. He then holds Passionlip long enough for Ritsuka to touch her chest. Upon doing so, they’re converted into Psuedo-Spiritrons by BB in order to enter Passionlip’s mindscape and do battle.[2]
The battle begins and ends in an instant, and Passionlip freed of her bonds. Cat catches her as she collapses. Gawain is relieved to know Passionlip is free and collapses, though he quickly recovers. He requests they bring Passionlip to the chapel to rest.
Cat heads back to the chapel carrying Passionlip. Robin, meanwhile, has snuck off. Ritsuka, Meltryllis, and Gawain then continue onto the Command Room.[2]
Command Room
Inside, to the astonishment of Ritsuka and Gawain, is a Demon God, yet it proves to be strangely weak.[2]
A man thanks the group for slaying the Demon God. He is especially relieved to see Ritsuka’s uniform, thinking Chaldea got the distress signal. He introduces himself as Arnold, secretary to Seraphix’s director, and asks how the rescue is proceeding and if the digitization is over.[2]
His relief turns to anger, however, once he learns Ritsuka was the only one who came and how it long took them to reach the Command Room. Gawain condemns Arnold’s appraisal of Ritsuka, remarking how they have been working tirelessly to rescue survivors and resolve matters. He suggests Arnold immediately take back his words. Arnold apologizes to Ritsuka, blaming it on the stress.[2]
Meltryllis asks him what happened to the rest of the staff. Arnold is startled at first to see an Alter Ego working alongside humans until Ritsuka assures him she can be trusted. Then, to answer Meltryllis’ question, he claims to be the only survivor. He doubts the woman who fled is still alive and states Holly is now dead inside the locker. Ritsuka tells him, however, that Mable is alive. Arnold realizes they’re talking about the woman who fled, surprising him she is alive.[2]
Gawain recommends to RItsuka they search the records in the room, then afterward continue searching for the planetarium as it wasn’t near the Command Room like he thought it would be. Arnold tries to stop them, denying the planetarium exists and saying only those with authorization from the head of Animuspheres can see the records.[2]
Meltryllis, however, reveals the data was deleted long before they arrived, so they’ll have to find the planetarium themselves. She then finds a passcode for the chapel terminal, which she notes wasn’t there “last time”. Ritsuka asks what she means by that, but she insists it was nothing and changes the subject. Gawain questions why a passcode to the chapel terminal is in the Command Room.[2]
Arnold recalls how the survivors formed a colony in the command room and a therapist commuting from the chapel to provide them with mental care. Unfortunately, she was killed by the more religious survivors who felt God abandoned them. Gawain surmises her death was slow and painful, so much she had time to leave behind a passcode.[2]
Ritsuka asks about the Demon God. Arnold reveals it suddenly emerged from the floor one day. It killed and consumed the people who murdered the doctors. Besides that, it left the others alone if they kept their distance. Ritsuka and Gawain noticed it felt unusually weak compared to the other ones they had faced. The group then returns to the chapel with Arnold, who properly introduces himself as Arnold Beckman.[2]
Upon returning, Meltryllis notices EMIYA Alter came back. EMIYA Alter says he has something he wishes to confirm, which will be made easier with the Seraphix staff nearby.[2]
Passionlip is also awake. She apologizes for what she did as a Sentinel and requests to join the group. After Ritsuka accepts her, she thanks Gawain for seeing her and Meltryllis as girls. Gawain admits he had very opportunities in life to stop a maiden’s tears like any true knight would wish for, so seeing Passionlip’s smile is more reward than he could ever hope for.[2]
Cat asks Tristan if he’s alright with Passionlip’s recruitment, given that he doesn’t trust Alter Egos. Tristan confirms he still doesn’t trust Alter Egos, though he concedes Meltryllis has proven their combat prowess. Furthermore, neither she nor Passionlip aren’t under BB’s control. Tristan, therefore, sees no harm in seeing how things develop.[2]
He is concerned, though, that there will be a falling out with EMIYA Alter, whom he notes has been ready to kill for some time. EMIYA Alter says he is only here to exchange information.[2]
Mable, seeing how sweet Passionlip is, wonders they could have negotiated with the Alter Egos. If that is true, then Beckman was wrong to tell the survivors that the Alter Egos were their enemies and ordering to attack them.[2]
Ritsuka accesses the record on the terminal. It is from the therapist who recorded it in her sleep through an unknown method. She declares herself the Demon God Zepar, only to correct herself that Zepar has possessed her. She has lost her name and identity, but she still recorded what she learned.[2]
Seraphix was created to conduct a certain experiment. While it does function as an oil rig, there is a top-secret mage’s workshop deep within. This was done to avoid the watchful eyes of the Lords, and because the experiment could only be conducted on the seabed. Among the resources brought into Seraphix were humans of varying Magic Circuits and Rayshift compatibility.[2]
Several days after locking herself in the chapel, the therapist was contacted by Zepar. Impressed by humanity's victory against him at the Time Temple as well as human mental activities and intelligent actions having the possibility of generating enormous amounts of energy, he wanted to explore that possibility for humans to realize their mental potential for his own use, though his body was destroyed. He then possessed the therapist to regain his strength and used her to take over Seraphix to turn it into his own separate world, all for the sake of his resurrection.[2]
The therapist suspected that once Seraphix was fully digitized, it would be rayshifted to 2030 to prevent Chaldea from discovering Zepar’s plan. From there, it will sink down into the Mariana Trench, and once it reaches the bottom, Zepar will be reborn.[2]
Once BB was summoned as his new partner, the therapist feared Zepar would dispose of her. Feeling her consciousness will soon be obliterated, she ends the record by imploring someone to stop SE.RA.PH from reaching the seabed and prevent Zepar’s rebirth.[2]
Meltryllis confesses she knew Zepar summoned BB to serve as his navigator for SE.RA.PH. BB however, placed restrictions on her and Passionlip to prohibit them from revealing SE.RA.PH’s true origin and purpose. Meltryllis is surprised, though, BB allowed a record revealing Zepar’s plan to exist.[2]
Gawain is surprised that one of the four Demon Gods who escaped the Time Temple hid itself in Seraphix. EMIYA Alter surmises after taking over Seraphix, Zepar somehow learned of the Moon Holy Grail War from a different timeline, and summoned BB to transform Seraphix into SE.RA.PH so he can be reborn.[2]
Meltryllis reveals BB summoned Servants to procure the Pseudo-Spiritrons needed to keep SE.RA.PH running. she and Passionlip tried and failed to stop BB. As punishment, BB scrapped Meltryllis and put restraints on Passionlip.[2]
With it clear that a Demon God is behind everything, Ritsuka’s party resolves to stop Zepar’s plan and defeat him. But they must first explore all of SE.RA.PH to find him, along with defeating the Sentinels and BB. EMIYA Alter offers to help explore the back side. Everyone agrees to reconvene after six hours of rest.[2]
Out of consideration for the others, Meltryllis and Passionlip stand guard outside the church. Meltryllis shares her memories with Passionlip so she can know the truth behind her hands and motivations. Invigorated by the memories, Passionlip offers her support. Meltryllis is glad to have it and asks Passionlip to lend her the use of Virgin Laser Palladion, promising that this time the three of them will defeat “that monster”.[2][2]
Meanwhile, Gawain is called out by someone to talk, only to be consumed.[2]
Later, everyone discovers that Gawain was killed while they were sleeping. Meltryllis and Passionlip are accused by everyone except Ritsuka and Cat because they’re Alter Egos. Meltryllis asserts they were outside at the time. Gawain also was too wary of her for her to ambush him.[2]
Seeing the lack of evidence, Tristan asks Ritsuka to continue exploring SE.RA.PH while he continues to stay behind to protect Mable and Arnold. He also asks EMIYA Alter to accompany Ritsuka so they can keep an eye on him. He is suspicious of both the Alter Egos and EMIYA Alter, but he understands the Alter Egos wish to protect Ritsuka while EMIYA Alter isn’t especially concerned. Thus, he’ll have the Alter Egos protect Ritsuka while EMIYA Alter keeps an eye on the Alter Egos.[2]
The Sinking Beauty[]
(1/4)[]
On the back side, Ritsuka’s party kills Julius Caesar, who had failed to swindle Cat. Afterward, Meltryllis speculates that Suzuka’s temple is in the center of SE.RA.PH: the Spine. She suspects Suzuka was given the strongest Karmaphage, so Suzuka is assuredly in charge of the backside.[7]
EMIYA Alter tells Ritsuka that if they intend to recruit Suzuka, they should use the Maiden Coaster to negate the effects of her Karmaphage because she will not be beaten in a normal Servant battle.[7]
Although she doesn’t know Suzuka, Cat thinks she understands what Suzuka cares about. She tells Ritsuka to first break Suzuka’s spirit, and she’ll take it from there.[7]
(2/4)[]
The group finds the Spine has been gated off, meaning they’ll have to buy another gate key. On that note, Ritsuka asks what Sakurament is. Passionlip explains it is SE.RA.PH’s version of QP with a name change courtesy of BB. It is essentially an excess magical resource floating around SE.RA.PH. Usually there would be no need to collect so much, but for whatever reason, BB is hoarding it. Passionlip speculates SE.RA.PH would use it if resources got low, otherwise it disappears on its own.[7]
Beckman contacts the group via equipment he had Tristan bring back from the Command Room. He orders them to flip SE.RA.PH once they’re at the Spine, saying they should arrive at the planetarium according to his measurements. Also, according to his calculations, SE.RA.PH will the reach the bottom of the trench in 15 real world minutes, or 24 hours in SE.RA.PH time. He asserts he will accompany them to the planetarium and leaves the conversation, expecting a full report. Mable ends the transmission admitting that Beckman stole the credit for her work.[7]
(3/4)[]
Entering the Spine, the group soon arrives at Suzuka’s temple, where she has been waiting for them. She reveals she and Tristan are the only Servants left in the Grail War. She then fights the group to remove them as an obstacle to her killing Tristan and winning the Grail.[7]
She proves too fast and strong for the group to pin her long enough for Ritsuka to open her Maiden Coaster. Arnold suddenly contacts them to warn SE.RA.PH has started to sink faster, so he orders them to defeat Suzuka quicker. Suzuka’s only concern, though, is winning the Grail War before SE.RA.PH is destroyed.[7]
Ritsuka asks her if she is fine with being BB’s flunky. Suzuka takes offense and asserts she doesn’t belong to neither BB nor Zepar, only her Master. When she was summoned, she heard a faint voice saying it wanted to win, and that it didn’t want to die for nothing. To honor that very human wish, Suzuka has to win the Grail War for them. She would be too ashamed of herself if she were to ignore it.[7]
In response to Suzuka’s conviction, Cat uses her ultimate technique to trap Suzuka in response to her conviction to win for her Master. Ritsuka uses this opportunity to open Suzuka’s Maiden Coaster with the key they bought from BB earlier.[7]
Following the mental battle, Suzuka tries to jump off a cliff out of shame from having the depths of her heart were exposed. She is also seems to be disappearing because her heart was broken. Cat, however, convinces her to join them and she stops disappearing.[7]
With Suzuka on their side now, Ritsuka’s party gets ready to return to the front when a Demon God suddenly emerges from the ground. Meltryllis saves Ritsuka from it, but it knocks her into the Dump.[7]
After the Demon God is slain, Beckman warns there are only eight hours left before SE.RA.PH reaches the seabed and demands the group return to him at once. He says he’ll accompany them to the planetarium. Ritsuka refuses to compile, wanting to rescue Meltryllis. Beckman tries to convince them not to, only for Ritsuka to cut communications.[7]
EMIYA Alter provides a tow cable, which can be extended to at least 5km with magical energy, as a way to get down into the Dump. Suzuka has him stay to pull her and RItsuka back up. Passionlip can’t come because of her weight, and Cat is too exhausted from her earlier spellwork.[7]
Trash Dump
Meltryllis awakens to find her legs broken from the fall. She recounts her time with Ritsuka from the first time around, becoming their Servant and bonding with them. But with her body broken as it is, she resigns herself to be crushed by the garbage, declaring that the cycle will end. She was meant to die at the chapel, a place no one supposed to visit, following her disposal. Ritsuka saved her back then, but she doesn’t expect it to happen twice.[7]
To relief, though, Ritsuka and Suzuka arrive to rescue her. Suzuka fights off the enemies in the Dump, but they keep coming. To make matters worse, the cable has been cut; EMIYA Alter has abandoned them.[7]
Fortunately, Tristan arrives and kills all the enemies, having come on Beckman’s orders to bring back RItsuka. But now he’s stranded as well.[7]
Meltryllis warns they cannot allow Beckman into the planetarium, as he will self-destruct from the desires unleashed from him. She then realizes they’re in the Calf when BB arrives to confirm the Cruel Thenar, Meltryllis’s former workplace, is ahead.[7]
BB denounces Tristan’s suspicions she came to kill them. If she were to, she wouldn’t break the rules because, as the Grail War’s supervisor, she plays fair and square, even if this version of SE.RA.PH is mistaken. She realizes she just gave Ritsuka a big hint, so she sends their party down into SE.RA.PH’s furthest depths. She warns SE.RA.PH will reach the seabed in five and a half hours.[7]
Meanwhile, in the chapel, Beckman is having a fit of rage about Ritsuka dismissing him. He rants about how he assured the director, deputy director, department manager, and medical staff were executed, all the while asserting his own self-importance. Someone then enters the chapel. Seeing there’s only four minutes left, he contemplates how to force Ritsuka to fall into line,[7]
Someone then enters the chapel. Startled, Beckman at first thinks it’s Tristan. Mable reminds him, though, that he sent Tristan to get Ritsuka. It is EMIYA Alter, so Beckman tries to order him to retrieve a case of Type-8 B-Toxin from the sick bay. EMIYA Alter kills him before he can finish his order, followed by Mable.[7]
With the last of Seraphix’s personnel dead, EMIYA Alter states the Animusphere experiment will never be repeated. He prepares to go to the planetarium next, when someone calls out his extremely goal-oriented mindset. EMIYA Alter fires a shot to no effect. He recognizes their Spirit Origin pattern, much to his horror.[7]
The person recounts how there was once cult with the talent and genius to save the world, yet many viewed them with suspicion. No one in it was evil, save for the woman who founded it. EMIYA Alter realizes the person he’s facing now is that woman and starts shooting at her.[7]
Restricting EMIYA Alter, the woman reminds him of how he massacred her followers when they tried to protect her from him. Afterward, he killed her. But he only ended her mortal life. He couldn’t kill her essence.[7]
The woman admits she killed Gawain and prepares to do the same to EMIYA Alter, finding it the only sensible thing to do for someone who perverted his beliefs as a Hero of Justice just to kill her.[7]
(4/4)[]
Ritsuka’s party (including Cat and Passionlip) falls into the Cruel Thenar. Meltryllis explains Seraphix was officially used for oil excavation, while its true purpose was to investigate Leylines, the brainwaves of the Earth itself. She then asks Ritsuka to open her Maiden Coaster, knowing they bought the key to it from BB earlier. If defeated in her mindscape, her Karmaphage will disappear, and the area will be unlocked. Ritsuka opens Meltryllis’s Maiden Coaster.[7]
After the battle, Meltryllis uses her dominion over the Cruel Thenar, the underside of Thigh, to bring everyone back to the front side before the chapel so they can rest before going to the planetarium. She insists they leave her behind since she’s too weak to help any further. But Ritsuka ignores her and brings her with them so she can recover as well.[7]
Inside the chapel, though, the group finds no sign of Arnold, Mable, or EMIYA Alter. Cat is perplexed EMIYA Alter isn’t here since he said he was heading to the chapel when he left her and Passionlip.[7]
BB announces SE.RA.PH will soon reach the seabed, which means the Grail War. But since no emerged victorious and only three survivors make the game null and avoid, she automatically wins. She does, however, offer a chance to fight her at the planetarium before ending her transmission. Ritsuka, Tristan, Cat, Passionlip and Suzuka leave for the planetarium while Meltryllis stays to rest.[7]
Finale[]
Ritsuka’s party arrives at BB’s studio and defeats her in battle. She disappears, but Ritsuka questions if she really was defeated.[3]
Suddenly, everything goes pitch black. Even the sound is muffled, the group can only hear each other.[3]
Someone (presumably Cat) lights a fire on Suzuka’s fire, but there is no light. Someone then tries to ambush the group, but Passionlip blocks it. She thinks it’s Zepar and demands he shows himself.[3]
The muffled darkness disappears, revealing the true planetarium. The group sees they are walls are lined with 128 Coffins, all occupied by young children. Suzuka realizes the children are the Masters and demands an explanation from EMIYA Alter.[3]
EMIYA Alter reveals Seraphix’s core is called the Celestial Body Simulator "System Animusphere" (天球シミュレーター室システム・アニムスフィア, Tenkyū Shimyurētā-Shitsu Shisutemu Animusufia?). It is here Zepar used the children to summon the 128 Servants, having discovered the planetarium after he took control of Seraphix. They died long ago, but the Coffins kept their circuits active. The corpses continued to summon 128 Servants until Ritsuka arrived. But It will never happen again as EMIYA Alter confesses he just destroyed the coffin’s power source.[3]
He then prepares to kill Ritsuka to remove all knowledge of the planetarium’s existence, goaded by the unseen voice. Robin arrives, surprised to see Ritsuka’s party ready to fight EMIYA Alter. Passionlip requests his help, informing him that BB is gone. Though irritated at BB, Robin helps fight EMIYA Alter.[3]
After EMIYA Alter is defeated, Mable suddenly appears. Cat pretends to be surprised by her before quickly demanding she reveal her true form. “Mable” complies and removes her disguise. She is the therapist, introducing herself as Kiara Sessyoin. Though she was chosen to be Zepar’s host, she is not the Demon God. She even claims she and Zepar eventually reconciled to try and save the people. She then reveals herself to be Beast III, the Beast of Pleasure.[3]
Kiara explains SE.RA.PH is shaped like a human body because Zepar transformed Seraphix into her body. She confirms she summoned BB under Zepar’s influence. Through Zepar’s teaching of parallel worlds, she eventually learned about another version of herself, who usurped the Moon Cell in the Far Side of the Moon. Impressed by this version of Kiara, Zepar linked the two Kiaras together.[3]
Passionlip realizes Zepar used Kiara to give SE.RA.PH. Kiara confirms it and claims he tried to stop Zepar, to no avail.[3]
Passionlip reveals Kiara swallowed BB, Meltryllis, and her back in the Moon world. Since Kiara served as the basis of SE.RA.PH, Meltryllis and Passionlip were salvaged from her to become Sentinels. Kiara explains Zepar lacked the means to run SE.RA.PH, so he had to rely on the Alter Egos and BB.
Suzuka, not trusting a word of Kiara, asks her where Zepar is. She also asks her, since her body and SE.RA.PH are one and the same, how many times she forced the Masters to summon Servants for her to consume. Kiara confesses she lost count after the seventieth time.[3]
Suzuka and Cat attack Kiara with their Noble Phantasms when SE.RA.PH. reaches the seabed but cracks it. Passionlip explains that, as a digital body, SE.RA.PH won't stop sinking even after hitting the bottom of the ocean, and it will sink through the crust, the mantles, and even the "D-Layer" until it reaches the Earth’s core, and once it arrives, Kiara will become the Earth’s brain and erogenous zone.[3]
Kiara Sessyoin's paradise
Kiara proclaims becoming one with the planet, or rather turning the planet into her body, will let her bring salvation to humanity. But before that, she needs to remove Ritsuka’s party as an obstacle to her plan and brings them to her paradise.[3]
Ritsuka’s party tries fighting Kiara, only for her to kill everyone expect Ritsuka and Passionlip. Kiara then tries to consume Ritsuka, but BB transports them to safety.[3]
It is revealed that after Zepar turned Seraphix into SE.RA.PH, Kiara turned those of the crew she healed as a therapist into her fervent followers. But at random, she chose someone to banish. Her followers, fearing that Kiara would abandon them, became hysterical and plunged Seraphix into chaos. All this disgusted Zepar, who only wanted a place to hide.[3]
Next, Kiara seduced the personnel to open the planetarium, and BB and the 128 Servants were summoned. She took control and ruled SE.RA.PH from the behind the scenes, all the while claiming she was doing it for Zepar. It was at this point that Zepar realized Kiara has overtaken him. Kiara also refused to create a Singularity according to Zepar’s plan, opting to become one herself instead.[3]
Zepar was eventually regulated to only Kiara’s pinky trigger. He no longer had access to the journal he kept hidden in the chapel.[3]
Kiara soon released him and Zepar quickly faded away as little more than a mindless thrall, begging for Kiara’s forgiveness. Kiara then ordered BB to start the Grail War to keep her entertained and feed her with Servants while SE.RA.PH falls.[3]
The old school building's classroom
Ritsuka finds themselves in a classroom along with all their allies. BB reveals she reversed time to undo their deaths. She explains a time leap of approximately three hours is possible in the digital world if it’s within a Quantum Time-Lock. The right coordinates are also needed, which is the purpose of the classroom, located approximately hundred meters above SE.RA.PH. SE.RA.PH digitized the Mariana Trench as it passed through it. Thus, under these circumstances, the higher they go, the further they go back in time. Meltryllis estimates given their current position that they traveled back to about 90 seconds before their deaths.[3]
Tristan asks if it’s possible to travel back to before Ritsuka’s arrival if they return to the surface. BB answers it is theoretically possible with the correct coordinates. The problem, though, is escaping Kiara’s sexual allure, which is akin to a gravitational field. Escape would require exceeding the speed of light, and while possible in the digital world, the process would destroy you.[3]
BB reveals she was summoned to SE.RA.PH to stop Kiara’s plan. Kiara had forced her to manage SE.RA.PH, but with the Grail War over with, she is now free.[3]
She suspects Kiara is attempting to become the “R” of Beast III, having discovered that some Beasts come in pairs. Kiara used SE.RA.PH to become a Beast, but she is also still bound to it.[3]
While defeating Kiara will be difficult, BB is selling special items to counteract Beast III/R’s Skills. Creating these items to help defeat Kiara is why BB collected Sakurament for so long.[3]
With an hour left before the battle with Kiara, Meltryllis informs Ritsuka that she is nearly recovered and demands they take her with them to face Kiara.[3]
Ritsuka thanks her for everything, though Meltryllis has nothing to say in thanks. She informs them that their bond with her and Passionlip with them will be severed once SE.RA.PH disappears and they return to their world. But she will stay with them until that happens, calling Ritsuka her one and only Master.[3]
Ritsuka asks her if she is hiding anything. Meltryllis denies it, remarking that the past is the past.[3]
Epilogue: Palladion That Tears Through Time[]
(1/2)[]
Ritsuka’s party returns to the planetarium. Kiara confesses she became a Beast out of jealousy of the delight she felt from Zepar’s memories of the Battle at the Time Temple, wishing to be tormented and killed by countless Heroic Spirits which she can't do as a human or Demon God. Ritsuka is shocked and disgusted by her reasoning.[4]
Meltryllis remarks how Kiara forsook all her qualities as a savior for her own self-indulgence. She also refutes Kiara’s claims of loving and wanting to save humanity, knowing Kiara only sees herself as “human” while the rest are merely toys for her amusement. Passionlip calls her the embodiment of narcissism, a monster who loves humanity more selfishly than anyone.[4]
Kiara affirms she is the only real person in the world, while the rest are nothing more than wild beasts. In the environment she was raised in, it was rare for anyone to think of her as evil. Those who thought otherwise and tried to bring her to justice were shunned and reviled. Kiara doesn’t consider such “beasts” human, saying the efforts of many nameless heroes would go unrewarded otherwise.
EMIYA Alter moves his hand, showing he still lives.
As if reacting to her words, EMIYA Alter’s hand moves.[4]
Kiara reasserts herself as the only true human, declaring the world beyond saving if she is not. Then, wishing to be done with them, she reveals she wants to be worshipped as a god of pleasure and tries to convert Ritsuka’s party into her followers.[4]
It is negated, however, by BB’s secret weapon she made with the KP (Kiara Punishers) she collected following Meltryllis’ report. She calls it the Anti-R-18 Field: Wisdom Hold Intelligence Powered (WHIP). Thanks to it, all of SE.RA.PH’s erotic magical energy is reduced for the next five minutes. Kiara, a bit perturbed by this setback, faces off against the heroes, calling herself Beast III Rapture.[4]
(2/2)[]
The heroes are victorious, but refusing to concede, Kiara dispels the environment and disables SE.RA.PH’s gravitational field, causing the heroes to float away. Passionlip has her comrades grab onto her claws to keep everyone together.[4]
SE.RA.PH’s descent speeds up and an innumerable number of Demon Gods manifest.[4]
Kiara laughs, utterly confident that her plan will succeed. But Meltryllis predicted Kiara would disable SE.RA.PH’s gravitational field to avoid defeat, and points out to Kiara that doing so has left SE.RA.PH defenseless.[4]
At Meltryllis’ request, Ritsuka uses their remaining Command Spells to empower her and Passionlip. Meltryllis then has BB transport everyone except her and Passionlip to safety.[4]
BB tells Ritsuka, Robin, and Tristan that one of them can’t be transferred correctly. So she does a forced transfer on Ritsuka and collection of the remaining two.[4]
She notices the Demon Gods inside SE.RA.PH are trying to overflow from Imaginary Number Space and warns that as SE.RA.PH expands, it will unleash a rain of Demon Gods upon the sea. She lacks the processing power to halt SE.RA.PH’s expansion alone. She’ll need someone with Moon Cell processing power, so Suzuka offers to help.[4]
As Meltryllis and Passionlip get ready to use Virgin Laser Palladion, a flashback shows they and Ritsuka previously failed to defeat Kiara. After destroying Meltryllis’s arms, Kiara punished her for her defiance by dissolving RItsuka with a single touch to Meltryllis’ horror.[4]
Kiara had also stopped BB’s time because Meltryllis and Passionlip were still Sentinels, defense mechanisms of SE.RA.PH implanted with a part of Kiara: their Karmaphages. They could have stood a chance against Kiara if their Karmaphages were removed. But Ritsuka didn’t do that and simply confronted Kiara as the winner of the Grail War. Meltryllis thus vowed to redo everything and help Ritsuka free the Sentinels of Kiara’s influence.[4]
Passionlip, who still had her restraints, then used Virgin Laser Palladion to launch Meltryllis upwards at faster than light speed so she can travel back two and a half hours ago. But as a result, Meltyllis’ Spirit Origin was damaged.[4]
Meltryllis visited her past self in the chapel, who was left there after being reset, and shared her memories with her. As it would take too long for her to regain her former abilities, the past Meltryllis understood her future self would be more useful even though she was broken. Then, to keep Kiara from realizing the truth, the past Meltryllis committed suicide without hesitation, leaving only a broken ceramic figure.[4]
Passionlip uses Virgin Laser Palladion to launch Meltryllis at Kiara. As she flies downwards, Meltryllis feels her body falling apart. She recalls her time with Ritsuka, who was ignorant that for Meltryllis it was a reunion, and bids farewell to her Albrecht. Though they will soon part ways, Meltryllis feels their hearts will remain connected always.[4]
She remarks to herself how she and Kiara were always destined to be nemeses and admits they are intimately connected as monsters born from pleasure. But the crucial difference between them was that Kiara could only love herself.[4]
Meltryllis crashes into Kiara, crushing her heart. As her body begins to crumble away, Kiara turns her hair into Demon Gods to grab Meltryllis in an effort to possess her. They share the same Spirit Origin since Meltryllis was salvaged from Kiara, so it should be simple for Kiara to possess Meltryllis. Once she possesses Meltryllis, Kiara intends to absorb BB and Passionlip’s resources. Then, after killing Ritsuka so Chaldea never discovers the truth, she will hide and bide her time.[4]
Her plans are made vain, however, when EMIYA Alter destroys the Demon Gods entangling Meltryllis. He has used the last vestiges of consciousness to come to Meltryllis’ rescue, knowing it would be a one-way trip.[4]
Kiara is unconcerned about her Demon Gods being destroyed, as she can still use her arms to capture Meltryllis before they fall apart from the movement. But EMIYA Alter knows she loves her body too much to do that. He then wraps a cable around Meltryllis’s waist, and she is pulled up to safety.[4]
Kiara’s body breaks apart and EMIYA Alter hits her with one last shot. In a final moment of doubt, Kiara questions if it’s possible for her to become an Alter Ego like Meltryllis.[4]
Ritsuka wakes up in BB’s studio and is congratulated by her for the annihilation of Beast III/R. Suzuka is mentally exhausted from all the work she did. BB tells Ritsuka what happened to Meltryllis and Tristan.v
Moments ago, Meltryllis found herself in BB’s studio. Passionlip told her Tristan had pulled up, confusing Meltryllis to why Tristand would do that. BB told Meltryllis that Tristan was always there to protect her. She guessed Tristan noticed her broken arms when they first fought and suspected she had a reason to hide it from Ritsuka and a reason to fight in despite of her condition. BB also assumed Tristan protected Meltryllis because she resembled Isolde, though she can’t say for certain since she never saw.[4]
Meltryllis began to disappear from her Spirit Origin reaching its limit. BB told her and Passionlip that they will cease to exist once they disappear because the Moon Cell will not retrieve those born of Kiara. But she had devised a way to change all of them into Servants so they may remain, revealing she was instructed to disappear once her mission was complete.[4]
She told Meltryllis she would save her core as a cube so she can be summoned as a Heroic Spirit that is basically a new her. Meltryllis as she is now will never exist again.[4]
Meltryllis accepted her fate, though, thankful to the two Archers who saved her. She also accepted Ritsuka wasn’t the same one who found her at the chapel. But she didn’t fight wanting to be loved, rather, she “flew from the lake for love”.[4]
BB passes Meltryllis’ last words to Ritsuka that they will meet again if fate permits it.[4]
With Kiara’s destruction, everyone begins to disappear. Suzuka returns to the Throne, upset she couldn’t exchange numbers with Ritsuka. Cat returns to Chaldea, promising RItsuka they’ll have a meal ready for them when they come back. Robin disappears, deciding he’ll be nicer to his next Master.[4]
Passionlip gives Ritsuka a kiss on the cheek like Meltryllis asked her to. But she also did it to thank them for their kindness and for helping her and Meltryllis. She disappears, hoping to see Ritsuka again.[4]
BB, impressed by Ritsuka, reevaluates humanity’s value as not being zero. She notices SE.RA.PH will soon vanish and gets ready to send Ritsuka back before that happens. She informs Ritsuka that Seraphix has already sunk and collapsed. Also, with Kiara’s destruction, the Servants captured by her will be released. BB then sends Ritsuka back to Chaldea.[4]
Ritsuka find themselves standing in Chaldea’s command room. To their confusion, Da Vinci informs that Seraphix was dismantled at the beginning year. Da Vinci, concerned for their well-being, advised Ritsuka to rest in their room, saying they’ll talk later.[4]
Ritsuka runs into BB on their way to their room. BB reveals what transpired within SE.RA.PH was processed as an Imaginary Numbers phenomenon. She then joins Chaldea to repay Ritsuka for their help.[4]
Bottom Black Encore![]
Later, Ritsuka is sent back to SE.RA.PH by BB to help her save the world without calling attention to her own mistakes. As Ritsuka notices that SE.RA.PH. now looks like BB, they're contacted by a different version of BB called BB/GO. She reveals she now controls SE.RA.PH. She plans to patch it into the internet, and use Earth's factories to mass-produce BBB robots to conquer and imprison humanity. After her robots capture humanity, she'll use their brains as bio-processors, then connect their minds to SE.RA.PH so they can all worship her.[8]
She reveals she was the BB salvaged from Kiara, and BB is a copy of the original sent from the Moon Cell. She also reveals she captured Nero, EMIYA, and Tamamo-no-Mae, and turned them into Sentinels. Ritsuka will to need defeat them to unlock the central area where BB/GO is.[8]
After BB/GO ends the transmission, BB reveals she was sent by the Moon Cell to prevent Kiara's transformation into Beast III/R. She explains Kiara absorbed her, Meltryllis, and Passionlip during the Moon Grail War. After becoming a god of pleasure, Kiara salvaged them from herself to serve her. Meltryllis and Passionlip rebelled, but the salvaged BB redefined herself as BB/GO, and pretended to be loyal. When BB arrived, BB/GO asked BB to manage SE.RA.PH while she hid at its bottom until she regains the strength needed to defeat Kiara. BB suspected that BB/GO would betray her, but their common enemy was more important at the time.[8]
Later, Ritsuka frees Nero, EMIYA, and Tamamo from BB/GO's influence.[8]
One Day, Let's Meet in the Digital Sea[]
Everyone then goes to the central area after a series of adventures which EMIYA claims couldn't be shown due to "time constraints", and they defeat BB/GO.[9]
After BB/GO yields her Spirit Origin to BB in order to let BB merge with her, they all return to Chaldea. Ritsuka asks BB about BB/GO's last words about BB becoming just like her when she finds love of her own, but BB reassures them that she trusts everyone at Chaldea to keep her on the right path and promises to continue helping however she can.[9]
Participants[]
Servants
| Designation | Identity | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Alter Ego | Meltryllis | Ritsuka Fujimaru |
| Saber | GawainWP | Ritsuka Fujimaru |
| Archer | TristanWP | Ritsuka Fujimaru |
| Archer | EMIYA (Alter) | N/A |
| Alter Ego | Passionlip | BB |
| Saber | Suzuka GozenWP | BB |
| Berserker | Tamamo-no-maeWP (Cat) | BB |
| Archer | Robin HoodWP | BB |
| Lancer | Elizabeth BáthoryWP | BB |
| Lancer | Vlad IIIWP | N/A |
| MoonCancer | BB | Moon Cell (true) |
| MoonCancer | BB/GO | N/A |
| Saber | Nero CladiusWP | Ritsuka Fujimaru |
| Archer | EMIYA | Ritsuka Fujimaru |
| Caster | Tamamo-no-maeWP | Ritsuka Fujimaru |
Non-Servants
| Designation | Identity | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| Beast III/R | Kiara Sessyoin | N/A |
| Demon God | ZeparWP | N/A |
| Human | Arnold Beckman | Seraphix |
| Human | Mable Macintosh | Seraphix |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Prologue
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Act III: The Nutcracker, Once More
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Finale
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 4.21 4.22 4.23 4.24 4.25 4.26 4.27 4.28 4.29 4.30 4.31 4.32 4.33 4.34 4.35 4.36 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Epilogue: Palladion That Tears Through Time
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 5.17 5.18 5.19 5.20 5.21 5.22 5.23 5.24 5.25 5.26 5.27 5.28 5.29 5.30 5.31 5.32 5.33 5.34 5.35 5.36 5.37 5.38 5.39 5.40 5.41 5.42 5.43 5.44 5.45 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Act I: Swan Lake Returns
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Act II: The False-Stepped Coppelia
- ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 7.28 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Act IV: The Sinking Beauty
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - Bottom Black Encore!
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - SE.RA.PH. - Deep-Sea Cyber-Nirvana - One Day, Let's Meet in the Digital Sea