Chapter 24: My past

Itadori comforted Arturia who was visibly shaken. The boy didn't know what else to do.

'Arturia is in no condition to continue the battle... I need to focus on Iri.' - thought Itadori.

"Arturia, I need to find Iri. I can still feel her presence." - Itadori said, moving away from Saber who just didn't say anything.

Itadori left the parking lot and went after Irisviel. - "I may no longer be your Servant, but I can still feel your presence, Iri... It's going to be okay." - Itadori said, comforting himself.

....

Itadori's presence took him to the not very atypical location.

Itadori ran through the moonlit ruins, the air heavy with the tension of the impending battle. Each step resonated like a drum in the desolate expanse, his breathing heavy and rhythmic with the effort of reaching the Holy Grail. He knew he didn't have much time. Irisviel, the recipient of the Cup, was in danger, and he could not fail.

In the distance, he spotted Irisviel's delicate figure, surrounded by an ethereal aura emanating from the Chalice. She looked fragile, almost fainting from the effort of containing the immense power that was boiling within her. Itadori quickened his pace, determined to save her, when suddenly, a dark presence emerged from the shadows, blocking his path.

He was a distinguished-looking man with a cold and calculating expression. Itadori stopped abruptly, trying to understand who that opponent was. The figure smiled, a smile that didn't reach his eyes, and he began to speak.

"Long time no see, Itadori Yuji." he said, voice dripping with contempt and superiority. "I didn't expect to find you here... You've grown so much."

The man wore an elegant old suit, a small mustache just below his nose and a huge scar across his forehead.

Itadori frowned, trying to identify that face. Something felt vaguely familiar. - "Who are you?" he asked, distrust evident in his tone.

The man gave a short, bitter laugh. "Of course, you don't recognize me. After all, this is my old body. But let me enlighten you, Yuji. Many know me as Noritoshi Kamo... Others know me as-"

Itadori called. - "Kenjaku?!"

'But how did he recognize me? I wasn't even born at this time.... Could it be that he...'-his thought was interrupted.

"It seems that I have recovered my memories from the previous world. Just like you, Itadori..."

The revelation fell like a hammer on Itadori. Kenjaku, the manipulator of souls, the one who had orchestrated so much suffering. Itadori felt a wave of anger and despair sweep through his body, but he knew he needed to remain calm. Irisviel was still in danger.

"Kenjaku..." Itadori whispered, clenching his fists. "What do you want here? What did you do with Irisviel?"

Kenjaku smiled again, eyes shining with dark mischief. "Oh, I haven't done anything to it... yet. But you know the power of the Holy Grail is irresistible. Imagine what I could do with it, with my ability to manipulate things... This world will fall into chaos ."

Itadori felt a chill down his spine, but he didn't back down. "I won't let you touch it, much less the Cup. You'll have to go through me first."

Kenjaku laughed, a sound that echoed through the ruins. "You are brave, Yuji, but you are also foolish. Do you really think you can stop me? I have seen your struggle, your pain. You may have strength, but you do not have the knowledge that I possess."

With a swift movement, Kenjaku released a wave of energy that caused the ground to shake. Itadori jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding it. He knew this fight would be difficult, but he couldn't back down. With a cry of determination, he rushed towards Kenjaku, channeling all of his strength into a devastating punch.

The two collided in a clash of power and will, the impact reverberating through the air. Kenjaku smiled, blocking the attack with disconcerting ease. "You're strong, Itadori, but you're on a level far below mine."

Itadori shouted, his emotions boiling. He couldn't let Kenjaku win. Not now, not when he was so close to saving Irisviel. With renewed effort, he began to launch a series of rapid attacks, each movement driven by the need to protect those he loved.

Kenjaku stepped back slightly, surprised by the intensity and strength of Itadori's blows. "Interesting..." he muttered. "You really are determined. But determination won't be enough here."

With a nimble movement, Kenjaku counterattacked, sending Itadori flying backwards with a powerful energy strike. Itadori landed heavily, but immediately began to rise, his eyes burning with unwavering fury.

"I will not give up!" Itadori shouted, his voice echoing through the space. "I will protect Irisviel, and I will stop you, Kenjaku!"

Kenjaku watched him with a calculating look. "Then come, Itadori. Show me the extent of your power. Show me if you are worthy of facing the true terror that I am.

'I could use Sukuna's techniques... But Iri is here, I could end up killing her.' - Itadori thought.

The battle was just beginning, and Itadori knew that every second counted. He couldn't fail. With renewed determination, he threw himself back into combat, ready to fight until his last breath to save Irisviel and stop Kenjaku from achieving his nefarious plans.

As the battle intensified, Itadori noticed that Kenjaku was gaining ground. Each blow exchanged revealed more about his opponent's dark abilities. But Itadori knew he couldn't give up. Irisviel's life and the fate of the Holy Grail were in his hands.

In a moment of carelessness, Kenjaku managed to push Itadori away with a powerful energetic push, creating a critical distance between them. With a sinister smile, Kenjaku took out a small object from his cloak: Sukuna's finger. The surrounding air seemed to become even heavier and more oppressive, the evil energy emanating from the finger permeating the surroundings.

"Did you really think you could stop me, Itadori?" Kenjaku teased. "This finger contains power beyond your understanding. And now, I will use it to create a new world."

Before Itadori could react, Kenjaku charged towards the Holy Grail. With a quick movement, Kenjaku placed Sukuna's finger inside the Chalice. A wave of dark energy exploded, and the Cup began to pulse with an ominous, corrupted light.

Itadori felt despair rising within him. He knew he needed to act quickly. With a last burst of determination, he launched himself towards the Goblet, grabbing it before the evil energy could fully spread. - "NO!"

Pain shot through his body as he held the Cup, Sukuna's curse trying to overpower him. Itadori screamed, feeling the dark energy trying to corrupt his own soul. He looked at Irisviel, whose expression was one of constant emptiness. He couldn't fail now.

Concentrating, Itadori tried to channel all his energy into purifying the Chalice. He knew he needed to remove the curse before it was too late. Sukuna's energy seemed to fight against him, every second a titanic effort to maintain control.

Kenjaku watched, his smile gradually fading. "You are a fool, Itadori. You cannot win this fight. Sukuna's energy is too powerful to be purified by someone like you."

Itadori ignored Kenjaku's words, focusing only on his goal. He could feel Sukuna's presence within the Cup, the malice and hatred trying to devour him. But he could also feel something else: a small spark of hope, a strength he knew he could amplify.

"I won't let you win." Itadori muttered, his voice full of determination. "I will purify the Cup and stop you, Kenjaku!"

Kenjaku smiled. - "No, Itadori... There is no point in purifying the Cup...-" - said Kenjaku

While Itadori used all his strength but suddenly.... Several hands came out from inside the Cup and pulled Itadori inside.

"Because he was already corrupted long before this war started." - Kenjaku said, laughing at the situation.

While Itadori was still holding the Holy Grail, he felt a strange and disconcerting sensation. The radiant light he had created by purifying the Cup began to envelop him, penetrating deep into his mind and soul. Suddenly, he was transported to a dreamlike space, a hazy landscape where the echoes of his past began to emerge.

Familiar scenes began to unfold before his eyes, each representing a moment in his life filled with pain, regret, and struggle. He saw the faces of his friends he had lost, the battles he failed in, and the difficult choices he had to make. The memories surrounded him, like specters of his own failures.

First, he saw Junpei, the friend he couldn't save. Junpei was there, his gaze sad and accusing. - "Why didn't you save me, Itadori?" -his voice echoed in Itadori's mind. The guilt and pain of losing Junpei consumed him, a weight he had never been able to lift from his shoulders.

Then he saw Nobara, one of his closest allies. She was injured, her face contorted in pain. "You left me behind." she whispered. Itadori felt a sharp pang of remorse, remembering every moment when he felt like he could have done more, fought harder.

Then he saw Nanami, his second mentor. Half of his body, including his face, had been charred. "Now it's your turn, Itadori.... This is not the time to look back." Nanami said, comforting her student.

"What a habit you have of listening to the words of dead people, Itadori Yuji." - said a figure that he didn't even want to look at again.

It was Mahito. - "How long.... God, you look horrible." - Mahito said sarcastically. Itadori's anger increased.

Gojo appeared in his mind, his mentor and friend, trapped in a dark dimension. "You need to be stronger, Itadori." Gojo's voice sounded, stern and impassive. "You have the potential, but you are trapped in your own doubts and regrets."

The images continued, each one bringing to light the depth of his mistakes and failures. The deaths of his colleagues, the countless moments when he felt he should have been faster, stronger, more decisive. He was being crushed by the weight of his own failures, guilt eating away at his soul.

Itadori felt himself sinking, the light of the Holy Grail seeming to devour his hope and strength. He began to doubt himself, questioning whether he really had the right to continue fighting.

"I can't change the past," Itadori muttered to himself, feeling a new determination grow within him. "But I can learn from him. I can be better, stronger. I won't let my mistakes paralyze me."

With a supreme effort, Itadori began to emerge from the darkness. The images of the past began to fade, replaced by the bright light of the Holy Grail. He felt his strength returning, his mind clear and resolute. The guilt and regret were still there.

Itadori finally managed to catch Sukuna's second finger. The pink-haired boy woke up on a beach, but something was wrong. It didn't seem like a real place. - "Am I still... In the Grail?"

The boy realized that it was night and it was raining blood. - "This place..." - Itadori was interrupted by a familiar female voice.

"I knew you would come." Itadori looked to his side, It was Irisviel.

This scared Itadori. The boy jumped back a little, he didn't expect her presence there.

"I-Iri?!" - Itadori said.

"I believed that you would reach this place. This is where your wish will be fulfilled. Your wish to save humanity to exterminate the curses..." - said Irisviel with a disconcerting smile.

"Iri... This is no longer my wish..." - Itadori said.

Irisviel ignored him. - "You are inside the Cup you have been seeking." - Irisviel points upwards.

Itadori looked up at the heavens and saw something terrifying, it was something similar to an eclipse, a bloody eclipse. It was as if the moon had been consumed by darkness and only reflected red blood.

"W-What is this?!" - Itadori said completely scared.

"That's the Cup. It has yet to take shape, but the vessel is more than full enough. You just need to say your prayer now. Only then can it come out." - said Irisviel.

"This... Isn't real.... This thing is.... SCARY! Is this what Kenjaku wanted?!" - Itadori said to himself.

"Now, please... Hurry and shape it. Itadori, you and Kiritsugu are worthy of shaping it." - said Irisviel.

Itadori looked into his eyes and said. - "Who are you?!" -he said with an aggressive tone of voice.

"I'm Irisviel." - said the girl with snow-white hair.

"It's not! If the preparations for the Cup are complete, then it's already..." - Itadori prepared to fight. - "Who are you?!"

Irisviel closed her eyes. - "Really... I won't deny that this is a mask. Unless I use a pre-existing personality as a shell, I cannot communicate with others..." - Irisviel said passing by Itadori.

The girl continued. - "But Irisviel's personality that I recorded is certainly true, and so. I inherited her last wish."

"So, you are the will of the Holy Grail?" - asked Itadori.

"Yes. That is the correct interpretation. I have a will, therefore, I have a desire. The will to be born into the world." - said the Holy Grail.

This left the boy in doubt. - "In that case... How did you intend to fulfill my wish?"

"Well, Itadori..." - said the Chalice, turning to the boy. - "Isn't that something you should know more than anyone?"

"What?"

"You discovered how to save the world a long time ago. So I will do as you did, take your place and answer your prayer." The Chalice said, approaching Itadori.

"What are you talking about? A long time ago? Are you talking about my previous world?!" - Itadori said very uncomfortable.

The chalice just let out a sigh. - "I don't think there's any other way... The only way is to ask yourself." - said the Cup, running his soft fingers over Itadori's face.

Suddenly, Itadori woke up in another place. "This place..." - it was a simple room with two beds and a tube television.

The television turns on and an identical voice from Itadori starts talking. - ""Three hundred people being possessed by curses in one part of the city and two hundred people possessed by curses on the other side of the city. A population of around five hundred people in total, plus Itadori Yuji. Let's assume that these five hundred are the last survivors of humanity ..."

'What is he trying to say?..' - thought Itadori.

He continued. - "Only Itadori has the ability to exorcise these curses. Now, which one will you help?"

Itadori hesitated for a moment. - "I.... I would try to save the five hundred at once."

"It wouldn't work, you can only choose one." - said the TV.

"Hm.... I.... Would save the three hundred people." - Itadori said.

"After making this decision, you saved the three hundred people. But you were captured by the two hundred people on the other side of the city. It turns out that there is no way to reverse the situation and these two hundred people will inevitably turn into curses... What will you do ?" - said the TV.

"Huh?!" - Itadori didn't understand.

"Would you kill them all before they become curses or wait for them to slowly suffer until they become curses before you can exorcise them?"

Itadori didn't want to answer that question. - "And I dont...."

"What would you do?" - said the TV.

Itadori heard the sounds of screaming pain and suffering near his window. The boy pulled the curtain and saw the bloodshed.

There were several dead people everywhere, Itadori looked at his hands and saw that they were full of blood. - "W-w-what?!"

"You'd kill two hundred people before they even turned into curses, wouldn't you? Correct, that's what Itadori Yuji would do." - the television turned off.

"N-no... No, no."

A cell phone appeared from his pocket and he started ringing. Itadori answered. - "there was a little problem, the curses came back and the three hundred were contaminated by the curses. Two hundred stayed on the same side of the city and one hundred went to the other side of the city."

"Please don't.... Don't-"

The cell phone continues. - "You are captured by the hundred from the city on the other side. They demand that you exorcise the curses from their bodies first. Now, what will you do?"

"B-Why.... Are you making me.... DO THIS?! YOU ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER!"

"Yes, you made the right decision." - said the cell phone.

"That's.... RIDICULOUS! How was that the right decision?!" - Itadori said, trying to understand himself.

"You choose to save the majority at the expense of the minority. Isn't that right, Itadori Yuji?" - said Cell Phone.

"What are you talking about?... Damn it! I choose to save them all! I didn't think about the majority or minority!"

"I'm showing you the truth, you're not that different from Kiritsugu." - said the...

"So... That's my truth... No! That's not what I wanted! I wanted another way. That's why a miracle was my only hope!" - Itadori said to the Goblet.

"Your wish could never include a method you don't know. If you want to save everyone, it must be done in a way you can understand." - said the Chalice.

This angered Itadori. - "Fuck this shit! How can you consider this a miracle?!"

"If it's not a miracle, then what is?!" - said the Chalice.

Itadori feels something strange and turns away. It was his grandfather, Itadori Wasuke.

"Grandpa?! What are you-" - he was dead in front of him, not just him. But all the people you've ever met.

A pile of corpses piled up like rubbish. Nothing more than several rotting pieces of meat.

"Itadori Yuji. You are truly Angra Mainyu. The one worthy of bearing all the evil in this world. Now, the last question... In front of you, there are three women that you once knew. The first girl was Ozawa Yuko, a girl you knew in high school, she was a sweet and kind girl who was in love with you, as Yuji was the only one who saw her true beauty, she was killed by Mahito inside the train during an attack in Shibuya."

"What?!" - Itadori said scared.

"The second is your best friend, Kugisaki Nobara, a girl with a strong and gentle temperament. She was killed by Mahito in Shibuya"

"Don't tell me that..." - Itadori was suspicious of the answer.

"And the third is Arturia Pendragon. She is a serious and quite uninhibited woman. She was killed shortly after her reign collapsed. Which one would you revive?!"

"I-I..." - Itadori didn't know what to answer.

"They all liked you in some way, let's rephrase the question. Will you save two? Or will you choose one?" - said the Chalice.

"Please.... Stop... Make it stop..."

In the blink of an eye, Yuko was being strangled by Itadori. - "I-I thought... T-that you liked me." - said the girl before dying.

Her body fell to the ground, already lifeless, Itadori's expression was blank, it wasn't like he wanted to do that. But he had no choice. He has no choice.

"Do you understand now, Itadori? You are a cog." - said the Cup using Nobara's body. - "This is your prayer materialized for the Cup. Now all you have to do is wish for it. Bring the people you love back to life."

That old Itadori from the Shibuya incident seemed to have returned. - "It seems like I won't be able to have happy moments with you anymore, Kugisaki..."

"No problem. I'm glad my best friend is here with me." - Nobara said.

Itadori approached Nobara and hugged her. - "I really liked you... But it's time to say goodbye... A final goodbye this time."

Itadori's fist went through Nobara's stomach, causing the hammer girl to die instantly. - "Goodbye, my great friend."

Itadori went to Saber and began to choke her. - "W-Why?... Why do you refuse the Cup?" - said Arturia with a distressing look.

"Because this is not my wish, this is all a lie.... A big lie. Maybe I am a big lie. A big liar. I've been lying to myself this whole time..."

"And yes."

"....It is me...."

"I CURSE YOU....ITADORI YUJI"

"I'm a big liar."

"ANGRA MAINYU CURSES YOU..."

"I..."

"SUFFER"

"I...."

"WILL UNTIL THE DAY YOU DEATH!"

"I will kill you and.... " - Itadori started to cry. - "I will save everyone."

Saber died... Or the one using Saber's body had been killed.

Irisviel appears at Itadori's side. - "Then it's your decision..." - Itadori turns to Irisviel's figure.

The boy threw a punch that transfigured the girl's face. - "I refuse to participate in this!"

A figure in black appeared in front of him. Itadori sees the strange figure and prepares to fight.

"I put a curse on you...."

"Who are you? Angra Mainyu?" - asked Itadori.

"Maybe....Who knows? Now go away, we'll meet in the near future." - said the figure.

"There won't be a next time... Why am I going to end this now!"

Itadori wakes up in a strange place covered in blood. Apparently he had managed to get out of the Cup.

The boy still seemed a little paralyzed. His eyes were red like blood. Itadori was all dirty.

The room was flooded with blood when the boy turned to get a better look at the situation he found himself in. Itadori saw Kiritsugu and Kirei.

Kiritsugu was pointing the gun at Kirei's back who seemed to have surrendered. - "What a dull conclusion."

Itadori approached the two. The pink-haired boy stood in front of his executioner. - "Why did they refuse?" - Kirei asked both of them.

"So you saw it too..." - Itadori said with a serious expression on his face.

"I thought you sacrificed everything you had to get here. How could you just throw away what you worked so hard to obtain? It's too foolish for me to understand." - Kirei said.

"Its cost is greater than any benefit it offers. That's all. That thing isn't an omnipotent wish-granting mechanism." - said Kiritsugu.

"I was being foolish to think there really was a Cup that granted wishes... That's just a curse." - Itadori said.

"Then give it to me! You may not need it, but I do! If that... If that thing is born. It can answer all my questions. It desires a life of its own. For its own birth!" - Kirei begged. - "Please don't kill her!"

Itadori released a Black Flash in Kirei's face that threw him away. Kiritsugu approached Kirei, already passed out, and shot him in the back.

"You're too stupid for me to understand..." - said Kiritsugu, lighting a cigarette.

Itadori approached the older man. - "You know what we have to do... Don't you?" - Itadori said, speaking in a serious and even somewhat frightening way.

About that...

Saber opened a door that led to a kind of Theater. And there it was, the Holy Grail.

"Irisviel..." - That was the only thing Saber could say.

"You're late, Saber" - said the imposing figure, Gilgamesh. - "I know you were playing with your old mad dog, but making me wait like that wasn't very prudent of you."

Saber prepared to attack. - "Archer... Get out.... Out of the way... The Holy Grail.... It belongs to me!" - said Saber.

Itadori and Kiritsugu approached the stage. Saber got distracted.

"Kiritsugu, Yuji?!" - said Saber.

Kiritsugu raised his hand, as if he was going to use his Command Seal.

"In the name of Emiya Kiritsugu, I command you with my Command Magic.

Saber thought Kiritsugu was going to say. - "Give me the Holy Grail." - But in fact...

"I'm sorry, Arturia...."

"Saber, use your Noble Phantasm... To destroy the Holy Grail."

"Domain Expansion…"

"Malevolent Shrine!"

End of Chapter 24