Absolute demonic front of blades

by davido747

After foreseeing the terrible calamity humanity was facing, King Gilgamesh summoned several servants to assist his people in the demonic front. But this time, he ended up summoning a certain nameless hero. Now, the King of Heroes and the King of Fakers will have to put aside their differences to defeat the Gods and save humanity.

10. Solomon: This is our Human Order

Hello there! I'm here, back from the grave! Well, not really. If you look at the word count, you can infer I haven't been slacking since my last update. However, I will admit I did have a bit of a drop in motivation, but it had to do more with my mind going to my other stories rather than just losing all motivation to write.

Now then, putting aside things about me you certainly didn't come here to read, let's get down to business. This massive chapter is basically the epilogue of the Human Order Incineration arc, comprising all of the Final Singularity. As you can imagine, so many characters and dialogues were also another cause for my tardiness. I don't have much more to address, aside from a certain topic.

Everyone knows that the issue of the servants that accompany the master to the Singularities/Lostbelt wasn't properly addressed until the 1.5 arc. Up until then, it wasn't clear if the servants you used as a player had any impact on the story, and it caused some dissonances. You could beat the crap out of an enemy using busted servants, but then the game cut to a scene where the protagonists were getting clapped. It was only in the Shimousa chapter that it was directly acknowledged that Ritsuka can summon shadow servants. This issue will be addressed in this chapter to set it up for when I eventually start writing stuff about the Cosmos in the Lostbelt arc.

Without further ado, let the chapter begin! And don't forget to bring the good OSTs to enhance the experience!

Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon or the Fate Franchise.

---

"Huh..." A surprised gasp came out from the lips of a certain lilac-haired girl as her eyes widened while gauging the scenery around her.

A city teeming with life, as prosperous as it could get. Every single person seemed to be happy, carrying out their lives with no pressure at all. Kids were playing at a nearby park without a care in the world, and the adults went through their working day with smiles on their faces as if they weren't "working", but doing what they enjoyed.

It wasn't the first time she witnessed this impossible sight, and it was still impressive and breathtaking despite being fully aware that it was just a dream.

No, what took her aback wasn't that it was a dream way more vivid than it should, or how impossible the sight resulted, even with her limited knowledge of humankind.

It was, in every possible aspect, a utopia. A world where there was nothing to fear, no hardships to endure, and no tears would ever be shed again. An ideal outcome for humanity. One might say it was the happy ending some dream of. However, the only emotion this sight produced in her heart was...

Dread? Creepiness? She couldn't choose a concrete word, but it screamed to her that this sight was wrong. Something akin to the recent theory called "Uncanny Valley". Even if she knew this was a marvelous sight on an intellectual level, her gut told her it wasn't right.

Up until now, she couldn't point her finger at what caused this filling. But after completing her last journey through the Age of Gods, she could finally tell, and she couldn't help but look at this dream with bitterness.

"Why are you making that face, Mash Kirielight." The no longer unexpected visitor of her dreams decided to make their presence known then.

A man of tan skin, long, pure white hair, ochre eyes, and clad in luxurious and ostentatious robes. A man said to have been a wise king up until his final day, the King of Magecraft said to be blessed by the Lord to command angels and demons with his ten rings, and offered magecraft to the common folk that wasn't related to the divine.

And, of course, the final enemy they must defeat to take back their future.

"These people have been released from their finite lives, from the terror of death, from all their worries. What you see now is a realistically blessed world for humans. Why would that frighten you?" The King of Magecraft insisted, confusion showing on his face.

Put it that way, Mash's feelings would certainly be illogical. But, the girl standing in front of the wise king was no longer just an artificial being that couldn't make sense of human emotions. Something "Solomon" apparently couldn't.

"I don't know why you show yourself to me... but I can clearly see you are concerned about me. Which is why, as much as it pains me, I have to correct you..."

The girl swallowed her reservations, and all hesitation disappeared from her eyes as she proceeded to give him the answer she reached after her journey across human history.

"You mourn death, the end of life, and speak of the beauty of eternity... but sorry, I can't understand it. Death is a natural thing for all living beings. You say there's no sadness in this idyllic place because there's no death, but I don't think eternity can bring happiness either."

"Why? If all the smiles and joy around you can't be called happiness, then what can?"

"No. That is a lie. Those smiles are wrong. Smiling is what gets you through sadness. Humans continue on smiling because they know their time is limited. And happiness is the reward of waiting for humans after enduring hardships and living in the moment. On the other hand, those smiles you speak of are just muscle memory. The happiness you say is found in eternity is completely devoid of meaning, just a default state rather than a bright emotion. That is my answer, King Solomon."

A deafening silence followed her resolute declaration, and the nigh indifference in the King of Magecraft's face started to crumble into anger, and a little tinge of sorrow.

"...A shame. Truly, a shame. The Demon God Flauros spoke of your case. Of how a short-lived creature created by man lived her life. I paid particular attention to you as a sample case. I thought that you, of all people, would understand. But you have rejected the path of eternity, and so you shall die. Die like the trash you are, and take all of Chaldea with you. Die as one who clung to life. As a brave warrior who overcame many trials and perils. Because that was what everyone was foolish enough to see you as. In the end, you turned out to be just another powerless human."

Leaving those words cursing her, the King of Magecraft's figure faded away, taking the utopic illusion with him and forcing the girl to return to the waking world.

---

Meanwhile, in a certain black-haired master's room, he and his sister were lost in their thoughts, unable to catch a sleep like their kohai.

Even if they had yet to hear the notification to start their final operation, they knew it was near. This was the last day before the Incineration of the Human Order would turn into an inevitable fact and Chaldea would disappear.

It was just a matter of time. All preparations had been done beforehand while Romani and the staff ironed out the details of the rayshift to the final Singularity, Solomon's secret base. Still, it was only natural to feel nervous and hesitate when the end of their journey was already in sight.

However, while they were definitely nervous, the thoughts clouding their minds were of another nature.

"You're thinking about him, too, right?"

"Yes..."

Although the end of their journey was near, there were still so many questions without answers, and most of them stemmed from their encounter with Sherlock Holmes back in the Sixth Singularity. The fact that the most famous detective in the world hypothesized that Solomon's plan had a hidden purpose rather than just enacting vengeance upon humanity or something along those lines was overly concerning, but most importantly...

"Do you... think Doctor Roman is actually involved with the Human Order Incineration?" Ritsuka asked hesitatingly, the lump in his throat almost taking physical form.

"I... don't know... I don't think Holmes had any reason to mislead us by giving us fake information from that Atlas supercomputer... but it's hard to imagine our dorky Romani being involved in something so... hideous..." Ai answered with an unusually quiet tone while fidgeting with her fingers.

"Me too..."

They didn't have a way to contrast the information they obtained from Tri-Hermes about the Fuyuki Holy Grail War of 2004 and Romani's background, or lack of it before that event and working as the assistant of Chaldea's original director and founder.

The whole situation was shady. The original director won the Holy Grail War with a servant that was registered as Chaldea's first servant, followed by Gallahad and Da Vinci after he founded Chaldea with the funds obtained with his wish to the Grail. That mysterious servant's true name was never listed, but the moment that servant faded from the records, Romani's name started to pop up.

All the servants they had contracted that somehow kept vague records from being summoned in a Fuyuki Holy Grail War were positive that they'd never heard of the name "Marisbury Animusphere". Most likely, it was a case of parallel worlds, and everyone agreed that it was in their best interest to not think too much about it.

"Say... should we confront him before the operation? You know, to clear at least that doubt..."

"I... I think that's one that might be better left for later... Even I can't see a way to bring it up without completely nuking the mood from orbit..."

"Yeah, you're probably right... There's also... Archer..."

The next concern had Ai grabbing her head in exasperation. "It's unbelievable! The final battle for humanity is right around the corner but he still refused to answer our summon! And why in the world did Nero-chan stop trying and just say "Umu! No need to worry! The hero always arrives late!" Did she lose all hope!?"

She tried every catalyst under the sun to bring him, in the Saber class while she was at it since that seemed to be the class container that allowed him to exert more of his original power. But nothing worked, not even putting both Neros in the summoning circle despite the whole situation between the two aspects of the Empress of Roses being awkward as hell.

"Honestly, I don't know what's more surprising, that or the fact that no one made a fuss after we selected our final frontline."

"No, we even summoned that Jason guy as a Saber, damn it! There must be something preventing it, as absurd as it sounds!"

After getting that out of her system, the orange-haired master sighed before her expression gradually turned into one of concern.

"But more importantly... what are you gonna do about Mash?"

The dead silence she received as an answer was already telling. Lately, the idea of not bringing Mash to the final fight so she could enjoy the few days she had left in peace started to cross Ritsuka's mind. If you asked Ai, she could already tell what Mash would reply to such a proposal, but it seemed that her dense Onii-chan couldn't.

Love truly does make people make stupid decisions.

"You do know that she's more than aware of her condition, don't you?"

"Yeah, but still..."

Before he could go any further, the room's comms went live with the voice of none other than Da Vinci.

"Ritsuka-kun, Ai-chan, it's time. We need you in the command room in five minutes. See you there~ Oh, and don't forget to bring the new assault mystic code we put together for you."

"This is it then..." Ai murmured as she noticed how her heart rate spiked despite keeping her breath as calm as she could. Her golden eyes looked down, looking for a way to distract herself from the adrenaline rushing through her body.

There was no need to worry about the mystic code Da Vinci mentioned because they were already wearing it. The usual Chaldea uniform, while it was by no means cumbersome on the field, it was still an office uniform.

The attire they were now wearing was completely conceived for field duty. Its colors were the inverse of the original, mainly black with gray accents, a mini-skirt in Ai's case, military boots, gloves that left their command seals uncovered, and a waist pack.

In terms of magecraft, the genius inventor said that all the spells had been over-tunned and refined, and the efficiency of magical energy production had been increased. She mentioned that they were supposed to have a surprise, the icing on the cake so-to-speak, but she couldn't finish it in time, so it would have to wait.

"Let's get going, shall we?"

"Yes."

Making up their minds, the last masters of humanity walked out of the room and headed to the command room. However, even that turned out to not be that simple as they bumped into a familiar mop of lilac hair that greeted them with her usual sweet smile.

"Oh, good morning, Ritsuka-senpai, Ai-senpai. Did you sleep well? Since you two are wearing that mystic code, you must be heading to the command room. I just finished one last physical check-up, so let me accompany you."

"Morning there, Mash-chan! Yep, it's time for the final battle!" Ai greeted her back as usual, or as close to that as she could, but her brother on the other hand wasn't putting that much effort into hiding his concerned expression.

"What's the matter, senpai? It's natural to feel pressured right now. Even my heart rate is increasing by the second. But I'm not worried. From Fuyuki to ancient Mesopotamia, no matter how baffling the situation was, you managed to lead the situation. As long as you are my master, I don't have anything to worry. You two, without doubt, are the best masters Chaldea has ever had."

She tried to encourage the boy, and under normal circumstances, her sincere words would have gotten them all pumped up. But, courage wasn't the problem here, or at least, the kind of courage she was speaking of.

The sight of Ai's expression turning just as concerned as she looked at the black-haired boy only furthered Mash's own worries.

"Mash..." The boy finally broke his silence, although he was clearly dragging his words. But before he could continue...

"Fou!" A certain white fur ball cut into the conversation.

"Good morning to you too, Fou."

"Are you coming with us as well, Fou-kun?"

The two girls greeted him, but were completely ignored. Fou's purple eyes were focused on Ritsuka to an unnerving extent.

"Fou, Fou!"

He didn't know why, but Ritsuka had a feeling that Fou was somehow asking for his answer regarding Mash's condition. As if to deny him the possibility of ignoring it for the sake of the operation.

After biting his lips for a moment, the boy found his footing to finally speak firmly. "Mash, I think you should stay in Chaldea."

While Ai gave out a sigh, there was little to no reaction from his first servant. The Shielder stared back at him with a determination that completely overshadowed his.

"Sorry, but that's impossible. Ever since you took my hand as the Command Room was collapsing around us, I have exclusively been your servant. If you are going to fight, I want to fight by your side. Even if it shortens the small amount of time I have left."

"So you do know..."

"Yes, and it's not cause for concern. Even if I wasn't born naturally, I don't feel sad about my life so far. I know the doctor was worried about me, but... I don't regret my life. Nothing sad has happened in it. If anything, the only thing to be sad about is that I won't be able to see what's next after you two take back your future. Aside from that, my life has been very happy. Everyone was very good to me. Even if I only have a few more months to live, I want to be proud of what I do with them."

"Mash, that's just... awful..."

"Not at all. My life has been more than worth it. You know, I never thought I would get to go out of Chaldea. But thanks to you saving me, I was able to go to so many places, to see the color of the sky. My journey this last year has been a treasure to me. One I wouldn't give up on anything. So..."

Her gaze hardened even further, demolishing any kind of defense he had left. "I'm going on this final mission. Solomon said that life has no value. That human history is meaningless. But that's wrong. And I want to deny him with all my being. I might not know that much of life's sorrows, but I definitely know of its joys. You all showed them to me. So, please, allow me to accompany you till the end, master."

The master swallowed the lump in his throat. He truly must have looked pathetic doubting his kohai's resolve. He didn't need his sister and Fou's judging glares to realize that. So, after clapping his cheeks, he answered her plea.

"Sorry for making you wait, Mash. Let's go then!"

The smile returned to the Shielder's lips, and Ai breathed with relief. "That's way better, Onii-chan! We can't go to the last battle all serious and somber. That's not our style."

"That's right. That's one of the many things we learned on our journey."

"Fouuuu!"

With that, the four walked toward the command room, with their steps unwavering and in complete harmony.

"...I know. Magi Mari got mad at me over the internet, too, telling me to stop holding secrets. But, you know, I can't reveal secrets not even I'm aware of."

"But you could at least reveal how you ended up running the medical division. I would clear the awkward atmosphere if just a bit."

When they arrived at the command room, they were met with Romani and Da Vinci having a somewhat serious conversation.

A part of them wanted to cringe at Romani's delusional relationship with that Vtuber that somehow kept streaming even though... you know, the world's surface was incinerated. But, since it seemed to be one of the few reasons the man's sanity wasn't crumbling, there was a tacit agreement among all of Chaldea's remaining personnel not to comment on that.

The rest of the conversation, though, they decided to pretend they didn't hear it as they agreed, and let the man be the one to approach the subject if he wanted.

"Right on time." The doctor noticed them and immediately dropped the conversation in order to greet them with his usual easy-going smile. "Good morning, Ritsuka, Ai, Mash. I see you are in top condition, both physically and mentally. No, scratch that. Your mental state is a bit elevated. Did something good happen?"

"U-um, something like that?" Mash answered a little bit flustered while the other three shot blank stares at him.

"You're as tactless as always, Doc?"

"Tactless!? I was just reading your vitals, you know? As your doctor, I can't help but worry about your condition- Wait, did something "magic" happen?" Before anyone could answer that, the doctor himself cut his banter. "No, you don't have to answer that. Here we are at the final stretch, and I'm already rambling. Let's get down to the serious stuff, shall we?"

"About time. Glad I didn't have to stop you." Da Vinci took over after throwing a last side glance at him. "We've finally identified the location of the King of Mages' base, which we knew to exist outside the normal temporal axis. Chaldea will now proceed to make contact with this Singularity. The entire facility will enter enemy territory."

The Caster servant paused to let that fact sink into the three teenagers' minds, which obviously got her three questioning stares.

"The entire facility? As in, all the personnel, or the building itself?"

"The latter," Romani answered Mash's question. "Due to the nature of this Singularity, the Rayshift theory isn't as restrictive in terms of compatibility. However, we are doing this because it's actually the only way rather than a commodity. And you'll still need to use the Rayshift coffins so we can send you outside. The only real difference between this case and all the previous Singularities is that, once everything is done, you'll have to come on foot to a designated point before we can start Rayshifting back. To put it simply..."

"This is a surprise landing operation! Crazy, like Normandy!" Da Vinci suddenly barged in to deliver the conclusion with a tone that lacked all the previous seriousness.

"Really? And here I was trying to act more serious than usual..."

Roman's complaint was ignored by everyone, as they were used to her style. In fact, seeing her serious when they arrived was kinda odd.

"Well, aside from the different methods of landing, I say this will be a besiege operation because it will be completely straightforward. There's no Holy Grail to locate and retrieve, so you three just have to worry about storming the temple, killing the King of Mages, and returning alive."

"Since you mentioned attacking the temple... we should expect enemy defenses other than just Solomon himself, I guess?"

"Correct, Ai. This Singularity is its own little universe, you see. If Chaldeas is a miniature model of planet Earth, then enemy territory is a miniature model of the universe. We detected an incalculable amount of magical energy swirling around the center of the Singularity. That's more likely where the King of Mages' throne lies, and your target. But, the route leading to it is blocked. That is to say, the temple gate is shut. So, you'll have to destroy all the surrounding areas. The enemy territory itself is actually a single massive life form. It's sending energy from the outer edges. So, once they are destroyed, the gate should open and you'll finally be able to fight Solomon. Once you defeat him, the Singularity will start collapsing, so you'll basically have to run for your lives. I think that sums it up."

By the time she finished the explanation, the three teenagers could feel their heads spinning.

"If that "sums it up", I don't want to know how long is the in-depth version. You should have just said that we'll have to blow up things and this is going to be like in those movies where the ancient temple is rigged to collapse once the treasure has been stolen."

"Ai-senpai..."

"Actually, I'm curious about that "The enemy territory itself is a single life form" you mentioned."

"That's something probably not worth taking the time to explain, but..." Seeing that Ritsuka wasn't backing down, Romani explained it anyway. "Do you remember Fuyuki's Greater Grail? The Magical Reactor Core that originated that Holy Grail War was originally made from the dissected body of a certain magus. The greatest of geniuses. The greatest of miracles. This magus had her magical circuits removed and used as the basis for the system. This was a special case of turning the small system that is the human body into a real universe. This Singularity is quite similar. A small universe made from the magic circuits of a certain mage. A reality marble that can exist outside the temporal axis for as long as it has magical energy. That's why we called it: The Grand Temple of Time, Reality Marble Solomon..."

Even if the teenagers were processing the information dump, they noticed the way Romani grimaced upon voicing that name. It looked like his heart skipped a beat. Provided that was the enemy that orchestrated the biggest assassination plot in human history, it wasn't weird per se, but it was surprising coming from someone who could keep his cool unless the situation reached Tiamat levels.

"With all the explanations done, I think that is our clue to step in, am I right?"

A heavy voice filled with authority pierced through the room as seven figures approached the masters from behind. The seven servants they chose from Sheba's recommendations as the elite team to tackle the Final Singularity.

That made a total of eight servants taking Mash into account, the biggest number they would be able to sustain given their limitations, and that most of them were A-rank servants.

The one leading the group was an imposing knight clad in black armor with vibrant red lines. Her pale, yellow eyes were as cold as always, but her tone and expression as she addressed the master were definitely softer compared to when they faced her back in Singularity F.

"Servant Saber, Arturia Pendragon Alter. It will be an honor to lead this last operation with my Sacred Sword." Her eyes then focused on Mash, who tensed a bit. "I may be a "what-if" that can only exist due to the Holy Grail's corruption, and would have never been followed by Galahad, but I'm looking forward to working alongside you, Mash."

"O-of course, Miss Arturia! I'll do my best to represent the Round Table as well!"

The next figure to address was a beauty with long purple hair, red eyes, and wearing a tight spandex with metallic shoulder plates. Her also formerly stoic expression was now a soft grin as she looked at the masters.

"Servant Lancer, Scathach. As your teacher, it is only natural for me to accompany you in this final test."

"Oh my, can't you express your motherly love in a more straightforward way?" The third figure cut into the conversation before pulling both masters into a tender hug.

She was a voluptuous woman with really long black hair tied at the end, blue eyes, and wearing samurai armor over a pink latex bodysuit.

"Servant Berserker, Minamoto-no-Raikou. Don't worry, mommy will do her best to keep you safe."

"Do we really have to make the overly serious introduction?" The fourth figure walked into the conversation with a casual tone and his arms crossed behind his head. An effeminate knight with long, pink hair tied in a braid, purple eyes, and wearing fancy armor.

"Well, what gives? Servant Rider, Astolfo, here representing Charlemagne's Twelve Paladins! My Hippogriff and I will definitely lead you to your destination, master!" He completed his introduction with a coquettish wink that threw some of them back.

"I-is it my turn!? Okay then!" The fifth figure stepped up with clear hesitation while clutching tightly her Kaleido Stick. A young girl with snow-white hair, red eyes, and wearing a pink-themed magical girl outfit, who was doing her best to muster up her courage. "Servant Caster, Illyasviel von Einzbern! I don't know why you chose me for this super-important mission, b-but I'll do my best to not fall behind!"

"What kind of lackluster introduction is that, Illya!?" Kaleido Stick Ruby immediately lashed at her after finishing. "You are the strongest magical girl around who upholds justice and cuteness! Not even the servants summoned by Chaldea can match you!"

"Don't go exaggerating things, Ruby! I'm only good at blowing up things! Compared to all those other cool Casters like Medea or Sanzang, I'm third-rate at best!"

"Well, actually, we chose you precisely because, in this kind of operation, your crude power is the way to go. Besides, you shouldn't undersell the versatility of those Class Cards you carry."

"Huh!? For real!?" Da Vinci's comment left her discombobulated, allowing the sixth figure to step in.

It was a man who concealed his face with a red cloak and bandages, clad in a modern, gray combat suit, who spoke in a low, but calm, almost mechanical tone. "Servant Assassin, EMIYA. I don't know if my anti-magus strategies will work in someone like Solomon, but since you went out of your way to pick a nobody like me, I'll give it a try."

The man ignored the way Illya was throwing not-so-subtle side glances at him and focused on his masters.

"Don't be like that. Of all the Assassins we have summoned, you're the only one that has some experience in killing non-human things."

"The difference between some minor dead apostles and Demon Gods is considerable, master Ritsuka."

That left the seventh figure, who kept his distance from the group while crossing his arms with a bored expression. The real surprise among the selected servant. A man clad in fancy golden armor, with matching golden hair, combed backward, and piercing red eyes.

"Hmph, I don't need to introduce myself, mongrels. You should be rejoicing that I decided to witness your last struggle with my own eyes. While I shall allow you to command my treasury, do keep in mind that I will be just an observer."

Pretty much everyone in the room threw blank stares at the King of Heroes, and Ai opened his mouth without reservation.

"Pretty sure you're trying to get back at your Caster self, but okay. It's good to have you with us, King Gilgamesh."

Her words got a visible reaction on Gilgamesh, whose eyebrows twitched while his expression turned sour.

"This has nothing to do with that old fool or the way he lowered himself to work alongside the Faker! Seeing that with my Clairvoyance was plain humiliation!"

His sudden outburst accompanied by a suffocating killing intent caused Illya to hiccup and hurriedly hide behind the hooded Assassin, and the Black Saber stepped up to confront him.

"Stop mopping around miserably, King of Heroes. You're acting like that kid version of yourself."

"I don't want to hear that from the woman who kept sulking for a week after being beaten by Heracles in the third Singularity."

Saber Alter's expression was quickly filled with contempt, and Excalibur Morgan manifested in her hand with a burst of dark magical energy. "So you want a quick beating before the mission, Goldie."

"Heh, you shouldn't get carried away now that you don't have the support of a Greater Grail, fake-"

"That is enough." The Queen of the Land of the Shadows intervened before the confrontation escalated further with her crimson spear in hand. "Now is not the time to bother our masters with the usual banter between servants."

Behind them, the sight of their two masters plus Romani and Da Vinci rubbing their foreheads was what finally made the two huff and let the matter slide.

"I knew those two are like water and oil, but this is worse than I expected..."

"There's little time to make something about that, and we've always trusted SHEBA's predictions." Doctor Roman looked back at the three teenagers with all the seriousness he could muster for his final speech. "Ritsuka, Ai, as the acting director of Chaldea, I order you to enter the Coffins. This battle began with defeat. Solomon wiped out the entirety of mankind before anyone knew what happened. The greatest murder plot in human history. Solomon has been carefully planning it since his death in 931 B.C. Please, put an end to this absurd scheme. Prove that an endeavor as hollow as Solomon's simply needs to go up in flames without anyone ever knowing about it."

The two masters nodded while steeling themselves. ""Of course, leave it to us, Doctor!""

"Yes, leave it to us, Dr. Roman! Both Senpais and I will return to Chaldea. I promise!"

"And Mommy and all the other servants will make sure of it, right?" The Genji general looked at her comrades, especially the King of Knights and King of Heroes, with a smiling expression that promised tons of pain.

"Hahaha! There's nothing to worry about. This atmosphere is pretty much the same we had among us Charlemagne and the Twelve Paladins. My gut is telling me this is gonna go smoothly."

Romani and Da Vinci's expression softened a little. "Good to hear. Knowing you, I'm sure you won't lose to Solomon. Now, let's begin the final Order!"

With that said, the Rayshift process was started, and a blinding light covered the command room as the entire facility turned into spiritron particles.

This was it. The moment of truth had arrived. Even if a sense of foreboding invaded the two masters just as their bodies started to dissolve into particles, they could only face it head-on as always.

---

"ka... Ai! Are you okay!?"

When their senses started coming back, Roman's worried voice through their intercoms wasn't a good omen.

Rayshifts always left you a little dizzy no matter how many times you experienced it, but the two siblings now felt way worse than their first time. It was as if they had been inside a washing machine at full throttle.

Moreover, a particular set of images and memories lingered in their minds. Familiar ones of someone cursing at Solomon's inaction, repudiating the ugliness of life, and inviting them to the throne.

"What was that..."

"Senpai!" Mash caught Ritsuka before he ended up falling on his butt, and EMIYA did the same with Ai. "They seem to be more nauseous than usual, Dr. Roman. Did you see those weird images as well, master?"

"Yeah... I saw them in Mesopotamia after touching the tablet of destinies..."

"I would seem this "Solomon" is quite eager to receive us. Let us see were that leads." Gilgamesh commented with his usual confidence back while everyone regained their bearings and observed their surroundings.

When Da Vinci said this Singularity was a miniature universe, some of them didn't expect it to be quite literal. Above them was a beautiful starry sky impossible to see from Earth, only blemished by that ominous band of light present in all Singularities.

As for the terrain they were on, well, calling it a temple. The best way to describe it would be a bunch of rock formations floating in the middle of space. No signs of life could be found. It was as arid as it could get and definitely eerie. The Chaldean facilities were right behind them, and they could see a massive, ominous stone gate in the distance.

"Hey, master, are you alright? I thought spacing out in the middle of important situations was my thing." Meanwhile, the pink-haired Rider shook Ai back to reality, as she seemed to have completely zoned out while staring at the sky.

"No, it's nothing... I guess the Rayshift affected me more than I thought..."

She herself didn't quite believe that. But she couldn't put a finger on the feeling that assailed her either. The moment she looked up, her golden eyes had been immediately drawn to a particular star. The one that seemed to be the farthest away, yet its glow seemed brighter.

It felt as if... there was some kind of faint connection. One ever so subtle, incomplete even. If she were to get all chunnibyo, she would describe it as "the thread of fate".

But most likely, that was her mind playing tricks on her, so it was better to focus on the matter at hand.

"So, where should we head to?" The black Saber asked after failing to find something noteworthy around them.

"I'm already calculating the best route towards your objectives, but first, I already have some bad news for you guys." Da Vinci's tone turned dead serious, almost worried if you asked the two masters. "We're detecting a particular Spirit Origin signal... One whose pattern we were only able to register once recently. A Beast of Calamity, also known as one of the Seven Evils of Humanity. Its presence seems to be radiating the entire Singularity."

The first bombshell of the night was dropped, leaving no one indifferent. Well, that wouldn't be entirely correct, as the King of Heroes' expression remained unchanged, but the sight of Scathach's eyebrows shooting up for a moment was already concerning.

"You have to be kidding me... How did Solomon put his hands on another of those things!?"

"U-umm, just to be sure, are you speaking of something similar to that nightmarish monster you fought in the Seventh Singularity?" Illya asked hesitatingly, and the moment she received several nods, all color drained from her already pale skin. "N-no way! How are we gonna defeat that without Yes-but-No Onii-chan!?"

"Calm down, Illyasviel. The authority that made Tiamat unkillable was exclusive to her. This one shouldn't be as tough." The hooded Assassin tried to calm her down, and everyone else by extension, but it had little effect.

"Even if that's true, they will most likely have an equally troublesome authority," Scathach commented, overshadowing Gilgamesh's grunt at the mention of his natural enemy.

"There's no sense staying here speculating. We should-"

"No, you're doing well trembling in fear. It seems you wisened up a bit, Chaldea." Before Raikou could finish her sentence, a voice came out of nowhere, one familiar to the masters, Mash, Da Vinci, and Romani.

Everyone immediately tensed up and looked in its direction, spotting a figure that hadn't been there a second ago. An adult man with fluffy, long, black hair, wearing a fancy green suit with a matching high-top hat, looking at them with a twisted smile.

"But I must give credit where it's due. Getting past the Seventh Singularity is an accomplishment worthy of praise from me."

"No way..."

"Lev Lainur!? B-but you're dead!"

The reaction from the two masters caused Lev to chuckle. It was as if they were seeing a ghost, quite literally.

"Should I say, "Hi, it's been a while"?" The man then put on the most fake sweet smile they'd ever seen as he went on. "But there's no need for greetings, or for us to catch up. I know how your battles with the other Demon God Pillars went. I'm honestly impressed to see how a pair of inexperienced and lackluster masters made it this far. It may surprise you that I'm well-acquainted with the subtleties of human nature. That's why I admire your efforts, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Fujimaru Ai. Honestly..."

And then, all pretense was dropped as the enemy stared at them as if they were a pile of trash. "Your persistent survival is... hideous. It makes me sick! Why can't you two just lie down and die!? It's so simple, anyone should be able to manage it!"

"Professor Lev." While the two masters were still wrapping their heads around the fact that the man they saw dead after Finn purified the Demon God plaguing his body was back just like that, the kohai stepped up to confront him.

"I won't ask how are you still alive. But there is one thing I wish to know: When you approached Director Olga Marie, was your intent to destroy Chaldea and humanity even then, from the very beginning?"

"Heh, that's such a "Mash" question. But there's something else you'd like to ask, no? "He must have been on humanity's side, at least in the beginning. Surely Lev Lainur was originally an honest man. He must have been seduced by the King of Mages at some point." Isn't that it?"

"I'd like to know as well." Romani cut into the conversation through the intercom with a serious tone. "You were working at Chaldea before I joined. The foundation of humanity could never be restored just with Chaldeas. It was Sheba, which you developed, that allowed us to get this far. I truly find it hard to believe that you worked for Solomon."

And Da Vinci threw her two cents right after. "Yeah, it's hard to believe you deceived me for four years. When did you become a Demon God Pillar? We analyzed your corpse after the Demon God Flauros was vaporized, but we didn't find any clue."

"Oh my, what a pleasant surprise, Romani Archaman. You too, Madame Da Vinci. What familiar faces. I never expected to chat with you guys again. You are all concerned for my reputation... rather, my human rights. You seem to be preoccupied with things like that. But that is utterly unnecessary. So, you want to know when I started serving the King of Mages? Kehehehe... ahahahahahaha!"

The man suddenly burst into maniacal laughter before giving them a look befitting of a crazy, cartoonish villain.

"It all began 3000 years ago, of course! From the moment the plan was set in motion, we were already in place throughout the world! Lineages destined to birth a Demon God Pillar in a hundred years, five hundred years, or even one thousand years later! I just happened to be the one designated for 2016 A.D.! We were like seeds planted in the ground. An original Order, handed down through generations of magi. A certain "way of being" that must be protected. Our Grand Order is the rule of the King of Mages created for this moment. We passed our genes and curse as the mages passed their theories and mysteries down their generations, surviving until the designated time. And in 2015, I awakened as the last Demon God to end your history. But... you Chaldeans somehow survived! Did I miscalculate? No, it was because an impostor managed to slip my gaze. Am I right, Romani Archaman?"

After the intense monologue, all attention was drawn to the doctor, even if the hologram function wasn't active at the moment.

"I severely underestimated you. Were you playing the fool in front of me, so things would turn out the way they have? If so, that's really a shame. I really thought we were friends."

"Of course not." It was Da Vinci who retort with a surprisingly smug tone. " There's no way you could have detected Romani's nature. After all, he didn't trust anyone in Chaldea until I was summoned."

"What?" The confusion on the thing's face seemed genuine, as the one on the three teenagers and some of the servants.

"Romani may be an ordinary person, but on one certain matter, he demonstrated more patience than any genius could. "I don't know the reason." "I don't know how many enemies there are." "There's no guarantee it's even going to happen." He threw his entire life away, believing in the "crisis of mankind" he saw in a dream. He kept on waiting, believing that something that couldn't happen, would, in fact, happen. He couldn't let his enemies know that he'd noticed. He didn't even know how to prepare, so he started to study everything he possibly could. That's how Romani Archaman spent this last decade: a hell of his own creation, where he couldn't rest for a single moment. He even kept calling himself trash, scum, and stuff like that."

"Do you really see me as someone that self-degrading..."

That last part destroyed the impact of Da Vinci's revelation for the masters, and Lev didn't even seem that surprised.

"Of course, I kept an eye on him due to his suspicious behavior, and planned to get rid of him with the bomb in the Command Room. But due to the interference of those two masters, the plan failed miserably."

"Wait, is that true? You two saved doctor, senpai?"

The two masters looked away while scratching their heads. How could they explain that they had been lazing around with Romani because he happened to have been using Ritsuka's room as a secret base to escape from work when they were expelled by Director Olga?

"Sort of?"

"I don't really remember."

"Whatever." Lev Lainur got the conversation back on track with a loud clap of his hands. "Our King is tied up right now. The final calculations will be done in a few hours. Normally, I would-"

His voiced was cut abruptly when numerous weapons pierced his body and blew it to pieces in a rather gore manner, causing a few grimaces.

The masters then looked at the Golden King, whose treasury was closing behind him. "Honestly, I expected you to do that sooner."

"There was some worth in that conversation with the lowlife, even if everyone kept rambling. You two mongrels should now have all the information you need, so there's no need for more chatter."

"Really? We still don't know how that guy popped back."

"I think we're about to find out, master."

As Saber Alter pointed out, Lev's mangled body started to spasm as huge tentacles filled with eyes grew from it.

"You fool! Do you think you accomplished something, King of Heroes!? Hear me: my name is Demon God Flauros, one of the 72 Demon Gods, the one that governs information!" As his true form unraveled, his voice became guttural and ominous. "Last time was just a fluke! Here, in this place, you will never be able to defeat me!"

"Incoming!"

The knight of the shield and the black knight jumped to the front to block the incoming barrage of laser beams from the myriad of bulging eyes.

"Why's that guy so confident? He hasn't change in the least, and he doesn't even have Holy Grail this time."

"Regardless, we'll pierce through him! Shishou, Raikou!"

With just a nod, the two ladies burst through the smoke towards the enemy. Half of the attacks were immediately redirected at them, and they even added their tentacles to try and stop them.

"Illya, EMIYA, cover them!"

"Yes/Understood!"

The sounds of magical beams from a kaleidostick and bullets from a submachine gun impacting the tentacles were added to the cacophony. Confusion started to show on the Demon God's "expression" seeing how those servants waved through his attacks effortlessly.

"In that case!"

Flauros started to accumulate magical energy for the huge explosion that their kind often used when they were cornered, but unfortunately for them, their intentions were given away by their glowing eyes.

"I won't let you!" The Which Queen immediately hurled one of her crimson spears at the Demon God, impacting it like intercontinental ballistic missile.

"GAAAAAARRGHH!"

Flauros let out a pained scream, even if his body was already trying to regenerate the missing chunk of its body. But it was not allowed a single second of respite as the Genji general was already falling on it with her tachi wrapped in electricity.

"Perish, bug!"

She struck the Demon God like a divine thunder, shaking the arid battlefield and blowing away chunks of corrupted flesh and blood.

From that point on, the battle turned into a one-sided slaughter as the four servants dismantled the Demon God without giving it any chance to fight back. In fact, the thing stopped struggling at some point, as if to allow them to kill him.

"Well, so much for that guy's bravado," Astolfo commented with the same degree of skepticism as everyone else.

It had been too easy, even if they were already experts on taking down these things after so many battles. So, when the pillar grew back as if nothing happened, the surprise was quite muffled.

"It's pointless! Everything you do is pointless! Hahaahahahahahahah-"

"You talk too much!"

Before the thing could even react, Artoria was already swinging her blackened sword at it with a massive mana burst. The Demon God Pillar disappeared among the dark light, being completely vaporized just like in the Second Singularity.

But then, from the cinders, another pillar of flesh emerged, completely identical to the one exterminated.

"What did I just say, moron!"

"Wait, that wasn't regeneration... It was more like another Demon God Flauros just grew from the ground!" Mash shouted almost doubting her words, and everyone looked at their feet with growing distress.

"Don't tell me..."

As if on cue, the entire place started to tremble as more and more Demon God Pillars started to emerge around them, cutting off any escape route not unlike a carnivorous plant.

"Six, seven, eight, nine... Damn it, there are too many to count!"

"Don't tell me they have all the 72 here!"

"About time you noticed! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! We are immortal! We are inexhaustible! The entire space IS us! You killed me, but what of it!? There will always be 72 Demon God Pillars as long as the throne exists, no matter what you do!"

"Master!"

All the Demon Gods attacked in unison, as if they were a single living being, with the sole purpose of erasing the existence of the last masters of humanity. All their servants immediately fell into a formation around Ritsuka and Ai, but it quickly became obvious that Mash was the only one specialized in defense.

It was mind-blowing how fast things went south. The constant tremors and thunders from the explosions made difficult even thinking of a proper counter-measure, if such a thing existed.

"Kuh... We'll just have to blitz through them with everything we have, just like we did with the Lahmu!"

"Astolfo! It's your turn!"

"On it! Hippo-"

Before the servant of the mount could summon his faithful "steed", the sounds of explosions coming through their intercoms sent chills down their spine.

"Something hit us from the outside! The second reactive theory unit has sustained over sixty percent damage!"

"We've lost the northern observation room!"

"T-minus five minutes until collapse! If the dome collapses, we'll be swallowed by the Temple of Time!"

The staff in the command room started to shout things that went over their heads but sounded like really bad news.

"Cut off all the power to external facilities! Reroute everything to Chaldeas and the active theory units!" Romani started giving orders while trying to keep his calm, even if he was obviously failing if the trembling of his voice was anything to go by. "Leonardo, what about the reserves you had in your workshop!?"

"I'm already using them, but it's no use! There's more than ten Demon Gods attacking us! Not even a genius like me can take out that many!"

"Should we split and go help them!?"

"Don't even think about that!" Ritsuka's proposal was shot down immediately by Da Vinci. "If you split up your current forces, you won't be able to push through and these things will just keep popping up here!"

And she was right, unfortunately.

"Vengeful Lightning of the Ox-King!"

"Gae Bolg Alternative!"

"Feuer!"

"Excalibur Morgan!"

Their servants were already firing their noble phantasms to reduce the enemy pressure, but just as quickly as the Demon Gods fell, new copies of them kept growing from the floor. It was more probable that they would end up blowing up the place rather than exterminating all the Demon Gods, if the two masters weren't completely drained in the process.

"Give up already, Chaldea. Your struggle through all the Seven Singularities has been amusing and pointless. You will meet your end here and now!"

All the Demon Gods started to charge their explosions to wipe them out, and Ritsuka couldn't help but stare at the King of Heroes.

Yeah, wiping the entire 72 Demon Gods in a single strike might be a tall order for him and his Sword of Rupture, but it would definitely help if he pulled it out. It was true that Gilgamesh was defending the flank that Mash couldn't, with his Gate of Babylon opened to the point of covering a big part of the sky above them, raining countless weapons over the demons, but his face still conveyed the same message as always.

It's not yet time.

That thing called hope started to vanish from his blue eyes. Even when his sister and kohai were still fighting with tooth and nail to make an impossible breakthrough.

"Just a bit more, Mash!"

"Yes, Ai-senpai- kuh!"

Even when their servants kept on swinging and firing their weapons and taking devastating attacks on their behalf, with their armors and outfits getting ruined and bloodstained.

"You don't look so good, King of Knights. Can you hold on!?"

"Heh, you're one to talk, Witch Queen!"

Even if he could only see eyes burning with determination around him amongst the pandemonium of explosions.

"Ruby, can I install a class card!?"

"I'm actually putting everything into defense! Unless you want to risk installing Berserker!"

"Don't worry! Mommy will protect you, too!"

He was starting to think that such miracle wouldn't come this time.

Unlike his sister, who seemed to have renewed hope looking at that particular star, he couldn't help but think...

"Maybe... it was all pointless after all..."

"No, calling it pointless is ludicrous. Isn't it a bit too early for you to give up?"

A completely unexpected, yet familiar voice reached them through all the cacophony, and for a moment, the battle seemed to momentarily pause as a sense of calmness invaded their bodies.

"Wha..." Both masters looked above, and were met by a miraculous sight.

The stars above were now falling towards the temple like meteors that illuminated the night, and the first of them was heading directly towards the Chaldeans.

"This battle was a long journey that took you through human history. However, you never once fell to despair. You had so many encounters on this journey. Even if this entire planet became the battleground for the Holy Grail War. Even if everything in this land had turned into eternal ruinous ground. Even if countless powerful enemies stood in your way. You looked forward, knowing that fate has not yet been decided. And this is no different. Now..."

The falling star hit the ground among them, releasing a pulse of holy light that repelled the incoming attacks and visibly hurt the nearest Demon Gods. Once the light faded enough for them to get a good look, their eyes met those of a familiar Holy Maiden with long, blonde hair tied in a braid who greeted them with a reassuring smile.

"Let's begin this battle for real, masters. Let us take our future back together."

At that moment, before the Demon God Pillars could retaliate, dozens of falling stars crashed into them with tremendous might. A knight hailed after slaying a dragon, a girl that turned into a dragon out of rage, a count that many called a vampire due to his ruthlessness, a noble knight that fell into madness, and so on and so forth.

It was an impossible sight. All of them were familiar faces they had met at least once. Some of them were summoned to Chaldea, while others had yet to answer their call.

But the undeniable fact was that... somehow, countless servants were manifesting around them to fight back against the 72 Demon Gods, who were now in complete disarray.

"Why!? Why are our bodies crumbling!? Why are the Chaldeans still alive!?"

"The Demon God Pillars wrapped around Chaldea have been annihilated... I don't know what you did, Da Vinci, but it was awesome!"

"I didn't do anything, you dummy! Look at the readings! It's hard to believe. It feels like a dream, but... countless summoning circles are activating all over the Singularity."

"No way... There's no catalyst, no summoners. They are materializing autonomously, following thin threads of fate! This is..."

"You guys all came! How did you do it, Jeanne?" Ritsuka managed to ask despite his awestruck state, and the Holy Maiden answered with a gentle tone.

"What kind of heroes would we be if we couldn't answer your plea? Regardless of our origins, alignments or affiliations, we all rushed to the two only humans left who believe us heroes despite meeting so many people and witnessing so many battles."

As she spoke, the Demon Gods started to retreat under the pressure, and several figures landed around them.

"ANCHIN-SAMA!" Before anyone could say anything, a blue-haired girl jumped over Ritsuka for a tight hug. "Are you okay, master!? I was so worried! But no more! Your faithful Kiyohime is here to burn all these ugly things!"

Surprisingly, it was a pink-haired girl who also sported a pair of horns who pulled the Berserker out of the bear hug. "Hey! Don't hug hims so tight, Kiyohime! Puppy needs to be in top condition to hear my special concert!"

Those words coming from Elizabeth Bathory sent chills down everyone's spines, regardless of how stoic they were.

"That is the spirit, albeit a little misguided, my niece." A pale man of long albino hair, wearing a dark nobleman attire and wielding a spear followed close, his calm demeanor barely hiding the huge blood lust coming from him. "Me, on the other hand, I wasn't able to get rid of this annoying Berkerker vessel, but so be it. Just this once, standing at the end of humanity, I shall fight as a monster rather than a king."

"To think I would ever hear Count Vlad III say something like that. Will you let us see a true monster then, Dracula?"

"Yes, yes, yes! We are in the pits of hell. There is no reason to hide one's sins. Atonement is for those in the surface. For us who dwell in the bowels of earth, there need be nothing but singing the praises of pure violence!"

A vampiress carrying an iron maiden and an aloof man covering half of his face with a mask appeared at his sides with an equal amount of thirst for blood.

A tall knight clad from head to toe in black armor landed beside the blackened King of Knights. However, there were no roars of madness as the two stared at each other without any kind of hostility, until Arturia broke the silence with a snort and an ironic smile.

"Even with that massive Madness Enhancement, you managed to get your priorities right, Lancelot. Unlike my other self, I wouldn't hesitate to punish you, but that will have to wait until we save humanity."

"UUUUUUOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Hehe, it's quite unusual to see this Sir Lancelot so pumped up." An albino girl dressed like royalty, including an almost comically big hat, strode behind the two black knights. "We cannot fall behind as the French team, right, Sanson, Mozard, d'Eon?"

The executioner, the genius musician, and the petite knight nodded in unison, even if two of them were throwing glares at each other.

"To think we would end up fighting alongside this many dragons. Ironic, isn't it, Lord Siegfried, Lady Martha?"

I knight with long, curly, brown hair commented to the dragon-slayer and the Saint beside him with some mirth on his tone.

"Dragons are complicated creatures, Georgios. Isn't it about time you get the idea of all dragons being evil out of your head? Evil or not, a wholehearted duel- ahem. I mean, a wholehearted conversation will lead to a mutual understanding."

"I see. So it was persistence that I lacked. Even that wicked dragon Fafnir couldn't give up his lust for his treasure. We might have been able to come to an understanding."

"I don't think that would have worked in your case, Lord Siegfried. In any case, will you lead the charge?"

"No, I think there is someone better than a simple knight like me."

His blue eyes drifted at the Holy Maiden standing at the front and the black-haired knight clad in silver armor by her side.

"Even if this is a siege battle, with how many of them are, we'll need a really good defense. Will you help me with that, my Jeanne?"

"Of course, Gilles. With our powers combined, no enemy will break our advance. Now..." The maiden's gentle expression turned fierce as she looked at the road ahead. "Hear me, mighty warriors who have gathered here! Despite all of our differences, we must stand together now! Not to prevent the Incineration of the Human Order, but to open a path for our contractors! My true name is Jeanne d'Arc! In the name of the Lord, I shall be your shield! Follow my charge!"

As the tag time of servants who, coincidentally, were all present during the First Singularity, started their charge, the Chaldeans took a moment to regroup.

"Does anyone need a healing spell?"

"No, save your magical energy, master. These are just manageable bruises."

They looked anything but that, but none of the servants seemed too worried, so the two masters went on to the next issue. Which was staring at the King of Heroes with inquisitive eyes.

"You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"I've already told you, I'm here to observe, not to guide you. Besides, had I told you about it, your plea wouldn't have been as strong for them to answer it."

Ai pouted at him, even if she already expected an answer like that, but before she could retort, a certain magical girl beat her to it.

"That's such a "Gil" thing to say, betting all in others and then acting all proph-" Just as those words left her mouth on their own, Illya covered it with her hand, but it was already too late.

Some chuckles were heard, and a vein popped on the King of Heroes' temple, but he only let out a grunt.

"Well, I'm afraid that will have to be enough rest, guys." Romani brought back the serious atmosphere. "Remember the zones Da Vinci told you destroy in order to unlock the throne's gate? It turns out they are groups of nine Demon Gods acting like a single cell. The first such is the one being targeted by that group of servants. Help them destroy the Demon Gods so they cease supplying magical to the barrier!"

"Don't worry about energy conservation. I still don't know how those servants manifested on their own, but I can assure you they aren't connected to you, so don't mind them going nuts with the Noble Phantasms!"

"Charging time then! Hippogriff!" Their Rider summoned his majestic mount with a whistle, and both masters jumped on it with practiced ease. Carrying three passengers was pushing it, even if none of them were particularly heavy, but the phantasmal beast's speed was still way faster than most servants.

Looking forward, even with so many servants on their side, the image of the nine Demon Gods forming a literal wall of flesh was still ominous. There tentacles started to intertwine and all their eyes glowed in unison, giving the impression that they were a single entity.

"Activate. The nine pillars that shall govern the melting furnace: Zepar. Botis. Bathim. Sallos. Purson. Marax. Ipos. Aim. And I, Naberius! We nine pillars know sound. We nine pillars weave song. In the name of the 72 Demon Gods, our luminous torch shall never be extinguished!"

At Naberius command, all the Demon Gods attacked in unison. All their individual beams combined to form a massive anti-army attack in hopes to wipe them all out, but the Holy Maiden leading the charge made sure that didn't come to pass.

"The Lord is with us! Luminosité Eternelle!"

Jeanne d'Arc's flag manifested its barrier of holy light just in time to block and deflect the massive beam. As the purple energy dissipated among the stars behind them, two figures jumped behind them, unleashing their noble phantasms as a quick counter-attack.

"The evil dragon shall fall, and the world will reach is sunset! Balmung!"

"Covered in blood, I hereby offer up my life! Kazikili Bey!"

The wave of destruction unleashed by the sacred-demonic sword blew away every kind of defense between them and the Demon Gods, while the bloody stakes fired from Vlad's body impacted their eyes, interrupting their coordination.

"Zepar. Botis. Sallos. Marax. Reboot. Intercept the-"

"No, I won't let you! O' dragon who never knew love's touch, come to me! Tarasque!"

Before the Demon Gods could rebuild their defense, the massive dragon said to be Leviathn's son crashed into the one coordinating them, causing it to disappear in a see of flames.

"Now, separate them!"

"Look at me, Master! I will burn all liars! Tenshin Kashou Zanmai!"

Following Gilles' command, the fiery Berserker unleashed her noble phantasm, turning into a serpent-like dragon made out of flames, and rushed at the Demon Gods. Even if they weren't in synchrony, they still retaliated at the incoming threat, bombarding her with beams and explosions. However, Kiyohime endured them with fierce devotion, an crashed into their formation.

The incinerated Demon Gods spawned in other locations to continue attacking, but that was their intention as the servants split into smaller groups to pick them apart.

The bloody war between servants and demons began with both sides frantically throwing everything they had at each other. Calling it a war would be appropriate in terms of scale, with attacks flying left and right, but in terms of strategy, aside from the masters shouting orders from the sky in an attempt to have a bare minimum of coordination, the battle looked more like a Kaiju movie.

And to top it off Mozart's superb music filling the atmosphere, causing a sharp contrast. While the musician often used his music as a means to attack rather than support, in this case, it was also a desperate way to protect their ears from Elizabeth singing.

Even if her... potent voice probed effective even against Demon Gods, liquefying their insides, it had almost the same effect in her allies, more so now that she was "trying to lure in her rival singer". The only thing louder would be the mad howls of Lancelot and Gilles de Rais as they kept swinging their swords like rabid beasts.

Despite that, amid the no-mans-land, there could still be heard the usual servant banter, like Sanson and Mozart's bickering, Gilgamesh complaining about Lancelot taking his fired weapons, and Illya and Martha having a "magical girl" competition.

As the minutes passed, though, it became obvious that Flauros' words weren't simple boasting. There didn't seem to be a limit in how many times the Demons could respawn. But, they did seem to start getting antsy as well.

"Reboot! Resurrect! Reboot!"

"How can this be!?"

"How can this apes cause so much damage!? They don't fight as one like us!"

"That's it! Even if they can seemingly resurrect infinite times, they can't do it and supply magical energy to the barrier at the same time!"

No more had to be said after Da Vinci broadcasted her message throughout the battlefield. All the servants understood their duty, and Jeanne made sure to voice it with utmost confidence.

"Masters of Chaldea, leave this group to us! We will keep suppressing the Demon Gods until the path is cleared! May the Lord and the stars bless and protect you on that path!"

"Thanks!"

The ten Chaldeans disengaged and regrouped to plan their next move. Looking at the map of the Singularity, they had two options now. Remain as a single group and suppress all the sites one by one, circling all the way to the gate, or split in two group to cover both sides of the circle simultaneously.

"I think in this case splitting is the best option."

"Yeah, with all the other servants helping us, we don't have to worry about thinning our forces."

The decision didn't take more than fifteen seconds, and the masters organized the groups in less time.

"Mash, King Gilgamesh, Illya, Scathach-shishou, with me. Will take the right side."

"Arturia, Astolfo, Raikou, Emiya, we'll take the right side."

The two masters shared one last look before wishing each other luck, and Ritsuka jumped off the Hippogriff.

"Good luck and stay safe, sis!"

"See you in a moment, Onii-chan!"

"Don't do anything too crazy, Ai-senpai!"

With that said, the left side departed immediately, while Ritsuka stopped to look at the Golden King.

"King Gilgamesh, I may be overstepping my bounds, but I think using your flying throne will speed up things considerably."

The King looked at him for a moment before humming. "I shall allow it. Let us march into battle from a fitting standpoint."

The mythical Vimana emerged from the Gate of Babylon, and the two climbed on it before rushing to the next group of Demon Gods.

---

With Ai's team, as they drew closer to the next spot, she couldn't help but feel the trepidation.

She could see the next nine Demon Gods already going nuts with the beams and explosions, but she couldn't see the army of servants they were fighting. Were they so desperate to attack preemptively even if the Chaldeans weren't in rage?

"Oh! Look, master! I see fire streaks circling around the Demon Gods! It's so pretty!"

Upon hearing Astolfo's excited words, the master forced her golden eyes all she could, to the point she resembled an old man trying to read what was on their grandchild's phone. And the Rider was right, she could discern a couple of fire trails dancing around the Demon Gods and weaving around their attacks and cutting off chunks of them.

It resembled an old Eastern fire dance, and it was miraculous that the damage the Demon Gods were sustaining was minimal compared to the damage caused by their kin. Even if they were some kind of hive mind and acted as one, it is quite common to hurt yourself when you are trying to slap away a fly that is too close.

But then, something changed. Almost as if the presence of the Chaldeans enticed a reaction on the two fire streaks, they focused on one of the pillars viciously. In the seconds that took Chaldea to cross the distance, the pillar was reduced to a burning pile of flesh, while the two flame trails landed in front of them, revealing a pair of identical blonde empresses.

One was wearing her usual red emperor dress and wielding a crimson Aestus Estus, while the other was clad in a bride dress and wielding a white Aestus Estus, but both of them were striking heroic poses with wide smiles on their faces.

""About time you make it here, Chaldea!""

Both empresses greeted them in complete synchronization, causing their voices to overlap and amplify each other, assaulting the group's ears and even creeping themselves out. Hence why they often tried not to be in the same room.

"I'm glad you two are here, Neros! But how come it's only-"

Ai didn't have time to finish as Saber Alter and Raikou had to step up and block the attacks from the Demon Gods.

"I don't think they are going to wait, master."

"The Chaldean rubbish is finally here!"

"No more games with those flies!"

"Activate! The nine pillars that govern the Information Center: Orias. Vapula. Zagan. Andras. Andrealphus. Cimeies. Amdusias. And I, Flauros! We nine pillars obtain letters. We nine pillars compose phenomena. In the name of the 72 pillars, our research shall never be extinguished!"

Annoyance crossed the empresses' faces, but it was short-lived as they pointed their blades at the Demon Gods.

"So rude. But worry not, master. All roads lead to Rome!"

"Umu! With you here, the wheels of fate are finally spinning! It's just a matter of time for our fellow Romans to come!"

As if to answer their words, several shooting stars started to arrive at the battlefield near them, the first of them being a shining chariot pulled by two white horses and driven by a redhead, warrior queen that stood protectively between the group and the attacks.

"Geez... To think the first thing I'd see upon arriving at the final battle would be your face, thrice at that. And hello there, master."

That got the two Nero's pouting. "Even after all the time we spent, you're still giving me the cold shoulder, Boudica!"

"My lack of hostility towards both of you doesn't mean I let go of my feelings, and I doubt I'll ever be able to. But I can put them aside for the moment, especially in a situation like this."

"That's fair, I guess." The original Nero spoke a little down, although understanding, but then her eyes went to the "third Nero". "But what's with you counting that black knight as a third me!? Putting aside her questionable fashion sense, wearing all black with that dead expression, can't you see the difference in our "assets" even with that bulky armor!?"

The blue-eyed queen decided to pretend she didn't hear that while Arturia leveled a murderous glare at Nero. "For all your talk, you still kicked the bucket without a husband either."

Those words hurt almost in a physical way, more so having the representation of that impossible happy ending right beside her. Her pink lips pursed, but she did her best effort to repress the really dark feelings rising from her hand.

"There's nothing wrong with platonic love-"

"DIE OPPRESSORS!"

""RROOOOOAAAAARRRR!""

Before she could reason her situation in a completely delusional way to not lose what little sanity she had left, several roars of pure madness filled the battlefield.

A giant of a man with completely black skin, white tattoos, and golden ornaments all over it. Wielding two massive axes, he rode towards the Demon Gods on his War Elephant of Death and his indestructible army that rivaled Alexander the Great's.

A fierce flying general with short, red hair, clad in heavy, Chinese armor, and wielding his infamous pointed halberd comparable to heaven. He blazed through the enemy attacks like a whirlwind of destruction, evoking the image of a God of War.

A mountain of muscles that evoked a sense of hopelessness, with blonde hair, wielding a simple gladius, and clad in an armor that seemed to have come out of a really disturbing fetish. He charged head-first into the enemies' attacks while laughing maniacally as if he were accepting them.

There was no coordination whatsoever between the three Berserker servants, yet the Demon Gods weren't able to deter their advance despite their flawless work as a single entity.

"Well, I guess that's our call to quit babbling. I'll go ahead to cover those big boys before they get overwhelmed!"

The Queen of Victory departed with her chariot to offer her protection to Darius III and Lu Bu. Offering it to Spartacus would actually backfire, so she let him do his thing while he continued rambling about how this was a rebellion against fate.

Before the rest could follow though, more figures started to land around them. One of them was a man clad in an ordinary, modern suit that made him stand out like a sore thumb among the legendary figures.

"Lord El-Melloi II!" Funnily enough, the master's voice was filled with relief upon seeing him, which caused the man to chuckle.

"Hehe. To think I'd live to see someone so happy to have me around despite all these Heroic Spirits present. Don't worry, master. We'll help you make good use of all those Berserkers. Right, my King?"

The young, red-haired boy beside him showed an ear-to-ear smile as his red eyes were fixed on the battlefield. "Even if I feel weird getting called "King", you bet! Over a hundred strategies are coming to my mind. So many things to try!"

"Too many is just as bad as too few. But I guess you'll only learn that in the future. Nonetheless, we should proceed with caution. We are facing the Demon Gods presiding over knowledge and science. Not that it's doing them well against sheer brute force, though."

The gloomy magus looked back at Ai and pushed up his glasses to make them glint. "Master, I'll cast a spell to amplify your voice. As for the energy consumption, don't worry, I think I might be able to exploit the enemy's structure to our advantage."

"Awesome! Let's do this! Team Chaldea, move out- Wait- AAAAAHHH! Astolfo, we doooon't!"

The King of Knights, the Oni Slayer, and the Counter Guardian rushed towards the enemy, using the Berserkers as literal covers to save energy. Meanwhile, the two empresses seemed to come to a non-verbal agreement, with the red rose tacitly turning around to rush at the battle.

"Fine... I'll let you be the main actor just as you were during the Singularity. Do not bring shame to Rome!"

"Fumu! Who do you think I am!? I am Rome!" After yelling at her mirror, she struck a pose with her silver sword. "And after spending a substantial part of my life preparing, its finally time beat this "King of Mages'" ass for messing with me and my beloved citizens! Let us, the crimson and gold Legion, strike back with all our might and passion! Just as our Holy Progenitor wanted, we shall show this unsightly Beast the love and romance of our nation!"

"Very well said, our Rose of Olympia!" Just as she finished her speech, a pair of imperial figures appeared beside her, followed by thousands of valiant soldiers unified by Rome's banner, not unlike the King of Conquerors' noble phantasms.

The one who spoke was a rather wide man of short, brown hair, and green eyes, wearing a red cloak over a golden armor, laurel crown, and wielding a matching golden sword.

"The entire weight of Rome is on your shoulders this time, Nero Claudius. But as a fellow Emperor, even if I technically didn't live to be crowned and I'm still stuck in this Saber class, allow this Julius Caesar to assist in commanding our Legions. This won't be that different from when I had to retake Rome!"

"Indeed, you're no longer alone. Our Rome is immortal. Even if the empire perishes, the torch of civilization passed from Rome will never be extinguished. Nor our feelings. Your love for Rome was unmatched, and you and your husband made it just as beautiful as you, so it is only befitting for all of us to answer your call."

The second figure was an imposing man of black hair, clad in a golden and black armor, whose expression was usually that of a madman, but now it was wise and prideful. It was such a rare sight that both Nero and Caesar were taken aback.

"Uncle Caligula!? You're talking!?"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH! Rome immortal... Destroy Demon God Pillars!"

And just like that, the fourth emperor lost all his sanity and rushed into the battlefield like a raging bull, leaving her niece a little dejected.

"Do not mourn, fifth emperor. Even if it was but a flitting moment, Caligula regained clarity and said what needed to be said. Now, let us march to battle! I see. I came. I conquered!"

"Umu!"

""FOR EMPEROR NERO! FOR ROME! FOR THE WORLD!""

Maybe the original Nero would have been flabbergasted upon hearing all her predecessors praising her, and all her Legions unwaveringly marching into hell, but the Bride Saber took it with pride and walked into battle with utmost confidence.

She left the living world with no regrets, having reached a level of self-realization she never dreamed of... even if history did correct itself and the subsequent generations didn't have the best endings.

She didn't declare it out loud to avoid bad omens, but she was completely sure that humanity would win this battle.

"Damn it, I didn't find a moment to make my entrance..." A beautiful warrior maiden with long white hair tied in a ponytail, red eyes, and wearing Eastern clothes and armor mourned just some meters behind the emperors. But she quickly put that aside and summoned her red long bow to start providing cover fire. "I guess I really don't fit as someone who isn't even from the same continent..."

"At least you have the power to help them directly, Tomoe-dono. Unlike that hooded man with modern weaponry, I can't do much as a simple Assassin. I guess I'll stick to help driving those Berserkers to the right target." The white-clad, Chinese Assassin commented with amusement before disappearing from plain sight with her Presence Concealment.

"Not at all, my children. Our spirit reaches even the farthest confines of the world. So long as you fight for love, you can proudly say that you're Rome as well!"

A sudden deep, imposing voice by her side almost startled her. It was miraculous the warrior maiden didn't let out a yelp, in part because the speech in itself inspired and weirded her out in equal parts. It was actually her second time fighting under this awe-inspiring man, but this time, it was a completely different setting.

"May my arrows carve a bright path for you this time, Chaldea."

And so, the army of the Septem Singularity advanced inexorably inexorably against the Demon Gods. Their chaotic nature with just pointers to avoid friendly fire and increase efficiency was enough to throw off the hive mind. And then came the noble phantasms.

"GO MY LOVE, EXPLODE!"

"Flucticulus Diana!"

Spartacus unleashed all the damage he accumulated, obliterating several pillars in one go, while Caligula unleashed the curse of the Moon Goddess to disorient the remaining pillars before they could regroup.

The battle then turned into a one-sided slaughter for the Demon Gods as they were struggling to rebuild their defense line.

"Incomprehensible! We cannot understand your reasoning why you chose to go against us! A ragtag group that doesn't know the value of the Age of Gods! Ignorant militants! How can such a puny and poor group push us nine Demon Gods!? This cannot stand! Activate the furnace!"

In a desperate move, a wave of lava sprouted from the post defended by the Demon Gods, finally forcing the army of servants to retreat.

"To think they had something like that up their sleeve..." Ai bit her thumb, trying to think of a way of blocking that without wasting too much energy, and without Mash around.

"Don't worry, master! He is here."

Ai barely had time to process whose voice was that when her eyes spotted the breathtaking figure of the Nation-Building King, wielding his spear against the hellish lava.

"Magna Voluisse Magnum!"

The massive tree representing the greatest empire emerged from the barren land, not only blocking the attack but also pushing it back toward the Demon Gods.

"Foolish demons. Our desires, wishes, and respect are what give Rome its light. We cannot lose to a lump of fear and despair. The Age of Gods shall end once and for all, and our Rome stood as proof. The Age of Man! An age filled with romance and adventure!"

As if to answer his speech, a massive beam of red light came crashing down on the Demon Gods from the firmament like a literal meteor, razing the furnace to the ground. The explosion shook the entire battlefield and threatened to destroy their eardrums, forcing a momentary pause.

Even if the attack came from the heavens, most of them managed to track its source to a tanned woman with short, white hair covered by a veil, red eyes, and clad in clothes that didn't cover that much of her body, allowing them to see white crests all over it. Her rainbow sword seemingly made out of light was pointing at the exact epicenter of the strike, and despite her stoic demeanor, her breath was getting heavy.

"Teardrop Foton Ray... I guess that was still too much for my current vessel..."

"Holy Progenitor, that looks just like Mars' sword," Caesar commented a little bit surprised, and received a nod.

"Indeed. The power of a divine spirit manifested as an orbital satellite to rain down pillars of light on the enemy. Although it seems that woman wields it even more expertly than my father."

While the allied troops organized their counter-attack, a young-looking girl with long, lilac hair tied in twin tails and wearing a white dress approached Altera with a devious smile.

"You certainly have changed so much since the time you descended from the sky and slaughtered the Gods."

"I don't know what you're talking about... It's just... this time, I will destroy those bringing ruin upon us."

"That's really good to hear, Altera!" The Bride Saber suddenly landed beside her and clutched her silver sword, which was now beginning to emit a bright light rather than fire, firmly. "Let us carve a path towards the future together! Per Spem Ad Astra!"

Swinging her Aestus Estus in a wide arc, unleashing a blade of golden light that cut a path through the lava and vaporized the Demon Gods that just respawned.

"Oh my, you certainly came a long way, little empress." The Goddess commented with her right hand before her mouth, sounding genuinely surprised, and Altera stopped to look at the sword like a kid watching a Super Sentai anime for the first time. That light was really similar to the one that finally managed to take down the White Titan.

But before anyone could speak further, her red counterpart's voice came like a shrill alarm.

"What in the world was that!? Why is your Aestus Estus so much cooler!?"

The answer she received was the white Nero puffing her chest and proudly proclaiming: "The power of love, of course!" Which by that point was like kicking a hurt puppy.

"On that note..." Her emerald eyes turned to the orange head clinging to Astolfo's back as they avoided some desperate attacks trying to take her down. "Master! I think we have everything under control now! You can proceed to the next spots!"

Ai hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "Everyone, regroup! We're moving on!" She conveyed the command both verbally and mentally, but before leaving, she asked the Rider servant to bring her near Nero Bride for one last thing. "Even with all the people from the second Singularity summoned here, he still hasn't come... Will things really be okay, Empress Nero?"

The Bride Saber stopped for a moment, surprised by the genuine concern in the master's voice. And then, her trademark dazzling smile turned into a sweat one befitting of a mother consoling their child.

"Don't worry, Ai. I already told you that the hero always arrives at the last moment. Remember, as long as you don't lose sight of the reason why you're fighting, Darling will find a way to your side, even if he has to go beyond the boundaries of physics and reason. Like a shooting star that guides all who has lost their way, and warms up every heart."

The master's eyes widened for a moment, her mind connecting the dots between the lines, and then, a flame ignited inside them.

"So that's what it is. Thank you, Nero. Now I think I can truly give my all."

"Umu! Go there and conquer your way to the future!"

"I didn't understand a thing of this entire conversation, but seeing master all pumped up is awesome in my book!"

Nero rushed back into the battlefield just as Saber Alter, Raikou, and EMIYA returned, ignoring the glare she received from the Genji general while mumbling something about failing to notice such a formidable rival.

As the Hippogriff accelerated, Ai decided to check on her brother. "We've cleared out the first spot! How're you doing, Onii-chan!?"

---

"We're mostly done here! Just a little push!" Ritsuka answered as best as he could above the cacophony of cannons and massive arrows flying across the battlefield.

If the battle back at Ai's side was an all-out assault, the one on Ritsuka's side was more like a confrontation between naval armies, more so on their side. The only ones engaging in close combat were Mash, Scathach, an old man wielding a peerless spear, a bloodthirsty Viking wielding a massive axe, a gentle giant carrying on his shoulder a purple-haired Goddess wielding a small bow, and an indomitable giant of steel-like skin.

Aside from them, the majority of the servants were boarding three massive pirate ships, two of them firing all their cannons as fast as they could, while the third one had two witches from the Age of Gods, much to the captain's dismay, a legendary huntress, and the very Goddess of the Moon firing all their arsenal.

"All hands, keep loading those cannons! We can't lose to that man!" The captain of the Golden Hind shouted at the top of her lungs while she kept shooting down the incoming attacks with her pistols.

""AYE SIR!"" And her crew answered with the same enthusiasm and resolve.

But they fell short compared to the Queen Anne's Revenge's captain.

"OH YEAAAHHHH! Now that I have two hot women on my ship, I feel like I can defeat however comes across! Keep up the good work, guys! We're paying that old hag back!"

While the rest of the crew emitted feral war cries, a pair of female pirates glared holes in Black Beard's back.

"Should we just kill him, Anne?"

"No... Unfortunately, he's actually being of help to master this time. Just keep protecting the ship, Mary."

Even with all their firepower, they fell short by a little to truly wipe the Demon Gods and force them to focus all their energy on regenerating. And that was already saying since Gilgamesh was also assisting with a moderately open Gate of Babylon.

Ritsuka combed the battlefield one more time in search of something to give them that needed push, and then his blue eyes landed on a certain Berserker wielding a stone axe-sword. Heracles seemed to be focused more on protecting a certain magical girl who got close since precision wasn't her forte, rather than... well, going berserk.

An idea popped into his mind, remembering the recounting of that particular Fuyuki Holy Grail War, and he didn't waste a second to relay it to Illya via their mental link.

"Huh!? Really!?" It took her aback, causing her to almost get hit by a beam if it wasn't for Heracles blocking it. "O-okay! I'll give it a try!"

She swallowed her hesitation, fixed her red eyes on the steel giant that she once battled alongside her best friend, and took a good chunk of air.

"GO GET THEM, BERSERKER! You're the strongest in the world!"

"RRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

Much to her surprise, a massive pulse of magical energy was released from the hero who completed the twelve tasks, his Saint Graph seemingly ascending, before he charged towards the Demon Gods and started shredding them apart. The chunks of flesh started to fly away as he swung his axe-sword like a hurricane, with just the wind pressure generated from them being enough to cleave rock and demons alike, all the while his invincible body shrugged off all the attacks.

"How is this possible!? Regenerate, Glasya-Labolas, Buné, Ronové, Berith! Reactivate, Astaroth, Foras, Asmoday, Gaäp! We nine Demon Gods of the Observatory can't-"

"Fly, Durindana!"

Forneus' speech was cut short when the ultimate spear struck it dead on its mass center, blowing it away.

"That's it, their command line is finally falling apart! Way to go, master!" The old hero of Troy shouted, taking what just happened as if it were just natural. Mostly because he was used to receiving emotional support from his little brother.

"Hey! How come you were never this motivated working under me, Heracles!?" Jason screamed from up the Argo, and both Medeas sighed.

"I wonder why that is..."

"Asterios, we can't lose to those two!" Meanwhile, Euryale was already motivating her partner... in her own way.

"But that's Heracles..."

"So what!? Didn't you fight him valiantly last time? Now you just have all your might upon those less scary pillar things. Now go! Show them who is truly the strongest in the world!"

"O-okay! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHH!"

Another roar shook the entire battlefield as the pair formed by Asterios and Stheno started ravaging the enemy lines with an intensity close to Greece's greatest hero.

"Hnn... To think the honest support of a young maiden would make the greatest heroes go beyond their limits... Maybe I should try to implement it with my disciples."

"Lady Scathach... Even I can tell that sounds horrible..."

"Well, I do agree having the support of a beloved one can do wonders for most warriors."

Both the Witch Queen and the Shielder turned around to look at the axe-wielding Viking with surprised faces.

"You can talk despite your madness enhancement, Eric-san?"

"Yes, but I avoid it because Gunnhild tends to get angry if I talk with other women... To the point of cursing them. Now, if you excuse me, I think I'll go berserk as well. Dadadadadadadadada! KILL KILL KILL KILL!"

It was certainly impressive seeing those three going on a rampage for a reason other than just their Servant Class. Even the King of Heroes let out an amused huff looking at it.

"Well, our work here is done. But before we move on, there is one last stop we have to make, mongrel."

Ritsuka just nodded and started conveying it to the other three servants while Gilgamesh piloted the Vimana towards the Argo ship. His red eyes were fixed in a servant who didn't stand out due to his humble shepherd clothes and his weapon of choice being a staff and a sling.

"King David. How much time are you going to pretend to be a mere foot soldier instead of dealing with your problems?"

The King of Israel wasn't that bothered by Gilgamesh's blunt tone, but he stopped swinging his sling to answer the question with some mirth in his tone.

"You and I know that's not the real King Solomon."

"It is still related to him, and to you by proxy."

The green-haired King let out a sight at the Golden King's relentless questioning. "I might not be the best father, but I think this is a matter that guy has to tackle himself. It will be his first opportunity to finally get it all out of his chest, so to speak."

His answer caused a wave of disappointment to show on the King of Heroes' face, but he spoke no further, leaving the man to stick to his choice.

"Oh? So you can get serious when you want. What were those attempts to hit on me and Lady Artemis then!?" But the Chaste Huntress firing her legendary bow near them didn't stay quiet, but the answer she received was a charming smirk.

"One thing doesn't take away the other. Just like those Berserkers, what hero isn't weak to fair maidens?"

"Ugh..."

"Let's go, Darling! Let us show them what true love is!"

"Y-yeah, let's do it..."

While the Moon Goddess enthusiastically charged her bow with ludicrous amounts of magical energy, the little bear on her head spoke in the same tone someone would while being held at gun point. Yet, that arrow literally drew power from their deep bond rooted in legend, becoming massive.

"Tri-Star Amore Mio!"

In a flash, the arrow impacted the core of the enemy formation, engulfing all their massive bodies in the light. The Berserkers barely had any time to avoid getting caught in the friendly fire, with some of them being blown away by the shock wave.

"Y-yeah, I also think things are under control here..." Mash conceded after seeing the destruction, quickly waving at the servants before marching alongside Scathach.

---

Barely a minute later, they got to the next location just in time to see a renowned, red-haired hero from India and a red-eyed nurse of steel rallying all the servants around to form a united assault.

"Activate! The nine pillars that govern the armory: Furfur. Stolas. Phenex. Malphas. Räum. Focalor. Vapar. And I, Halphas. We nine pillars mourn the flames of war. We nine pillars honor the dignity of the fallen. In the name of the 72 Demon Gods, we shall not allow eyes to shut from this truth!"

"If those are your thoughts, then I shall answer." The Angel of Crimea stood unwavering against the Demon Gods as she raised her voice. "It is natural for humans to grieve war and honor the fallen. But we must also move beyond that. That's right. Instead of remaining steadfast and stagnant, believing all is well, we must extinguish war's smoldering flames. So that those who lost family, friends, and loved ones will never have to lose anyone again! We shall stand our ground here before you all!"

"Exactly!" Vishnu's reincarnation followed up without missing a beat, the same determination flashing from his eyes. "You all do your grieving and your honoring, but never attempted to move on! Now you are ready to throw the entire world into the wastebasket as if cleaning up a child's scattered toys! This is the inane logic of a coward. One who can accept neither their own faults nor anyone else's!"

The Indian hero pointed his Brahmastra remodeled into a sword at humanity's final enemy and made his declaration. "I am Rama, King of Kosala! Honoring the bonds we formed with Fujimaru Ritsuka and Fujimaru Ai, we shall fight! No matter how many injuries you suffer, don't be afraid! The Angel is with us! Even if you're at death's door or about to fall into the abyss of hell, she'll pull you back up by the collar!"

""UUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!""

Amidst the warcries from the numerous Celtic warriors marching towards the Demon Gods, Nightingale's eyebrows furrowed.

"I shall permit that nickname for the time being. As long as it serves to keep everyone's morale up like this. But I must confess, I am extremely embarrassed now!"

"Heh..." The King of Heroes snorted while looking at the group of servants. "Even with fewer Berserkers, this ragtag group seems even rowdier than the last one."

"Master, if you excuse me, I think I'll go join that group of warriors over there."

The black-haired master looked at the immortal beauty with some hesitation after recognizing those warriors. Two in particular, a shirt-less, muscular man wielding a Rainbow Spiral Sword, and a beastly-looking man with red tattoos all over his body and wielding a crimson spear identical to Scathach.

"Don't worry, the only pupil I plan to oversee during this battle is you, Ritsuka. I just want to feel at home for a moment, brawling without any deep reason behind. Feel free to call me back whenever you see fit."

"Okay..." Before the word was even fully out of Ritsuka's mouth, the Lancer was already rushing at the Demon Gods at blurring speed, joining a the group formed by the aforementioned warriors, a Chinese martial artist and a dragon-slayer who fought with their bare fists, a pair of knight and king wielding spears, whose relationship seemed to be quite strained, and a pink-haired queen riding a chariot pulled by bulls.

"Oh? I didn't expect to see you of all people here, Medb. How come you aren't still sullen by your defeat?"

"Why did you have to remind me of that!? Helping those masters is my way of forgetting that even happened! Besides, I got to be alongside Cú anyway!"

"You didn't learn a single thing..."

Shortly after, Gilgamesh leisurely snapped his finger, opening the Gate of Babylon on the Demon Gods once again without a particular strategy, while Mash and Illya decided to go support the other groups of servants.

Or so she thought, but unlike Mash, who was well acquainted with the group formed by an outlaw from the wild West, a Native American warrior, and a nameless crossbowman, she was outright weirder out by the servants that greeted her.

"YES! DC electricity is still the most powerful!" A thunderous voice coming from a... humanoid with a bulky build covered by a tight, blue and red suit straight of a superhero comic, with giant light bulbs on his shoulders... and an albino lion head.

"Roar, filaments! Howl, bulbs! Illuminate the darkness and change the course of human story!"

Upon finishing that chant, the weird servant emitted a blinding light that didn't affect the fellow servants' performance that much, but for the Demon Gods, they became disoriented and their magical energy plummeted considerable. And then, the famous inventor rushed at the enemies and started fighting with his bare fists, releasing bursts of lights with its swing.

"Wow... he's kinda cool..."

"Isn't he? Edison is actually a man of incredible focus and iron will when he puts his mind into it. At least when he isn't badmouthing AC electricity."

A feminine voice startled the magical girl, and when she turned around, she noticed a... girl of her age, with violet eyes and short hair and wearing primarily black clothes. But after a few seconds, she managed to recognize her as one of the "magical girls" she met during the singularity in which she joined Chaldea for the first time.

"But to think I would finally get to see one of the rumored true magical girls of Chaldea... That's so Mahatma!"

"Eh?" She honestly didn't understand what she was saying, but a part of her was a bit sad this Helene Blavatsky didn't had memories of her.

"Don't you see the beauty in the masters who form these bonds with us! If you don't understand that, you'll lose for eternity! Just like AC electricity!"

Edison's shouts interrupted the small conversation, making the young woman sigh and caress her forehead.

"And there he goes again. I guess I'll have to watch over him even without Tesla around."

"Is it really that bad if we just let him do his thing? It's working with the Berserkers and those Celtic guys."

"I will be bad if her summons Tesla and then they start fighting. But don't worry, I can handle it. More so now that those two arrived at the battlefield."

Illya's red eyes followed Helena's just in time to see two breathtaking figures descending on the enemy like literal Gods. A pale spear man clad in golden armor and wrapped in hellish flames, and a tanned archer clad in white robes wrapped in blue flames.

Without even releasing their noble phantasms, the nine pillars were quickly decimated in a sea of flames.

"If only Tesla and Edison could put aside their differences just for a moment like Karna and Arjuna..."

---

"RRRRAAAAAAAARRRGGHHH! How do ya like that, dark pops!?"

"Hmph. You waste to much breath shouting nonsense, Sir Mordred. That's why you're barely keeping up."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?"

Meanwhile, on Ai's side, a pair of dark knight and red thunderous knight were definitely not letting go their past grudges as they swung their corrupted Holy Swords covered in thick mana bursts. Torrents of black and red light filled the battlefield and annihilated the the Demon Gods forming their control tower.

"Damn it, any cohesion we had as a team went down the drain the moment that King Arthur showed up and started provoking Mordred!" A blonde man dressed in a business suit from the modern era and glasses shouted in frustration while looking at the chaotic battlefield.

"But mister Jekyll, it's only because of that we are making progress subduing those Demon God pillars." A petite girl of long, braided, lilac hair wearing a black and pink dress countered with innocence, which only worsened the doctor's mood.

And unfortunately, even if he looked around, there wasn't a better option in sight.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wonderful lightning! This pure lightning and thunder that stirs up the atmosphere is definitely Alternating Current! And what indomitable will! Let's conquer them together, Milady!"

"Uuuu... RAAAAARRRGGGHHH!"

On one side, there was an unusual tag team. A legendary inventor with long, dark hair, and blue eyes, clad in mostly black and purple clothes, and having a right arm made out of steel, and a young girl of pink hair wearing a bridal dress and wielding a massive mace. Both of them were firing massive bolts of lightning at the Demon Gods, with enough intensity and power to burn their grotesque bodies to a crisp.

"My visions and delusions might have banished, but the vestiges of their future remain. We won't let them disappear."

Just right in front of them, there was a massive, robotic-looking armor wielding a massive mace while releasing a hefty amount of steam to protect them from the incommoding attacks.

"Come on, my child! Let us show them who's thunder is the most powerful and who's familiar bonds are stronger!"

"B-boss!? When did you get on the bike!? W-wait, don't tilt your body to one side when we're going on a straight line!"

And on the other hand, the Genji general was on the back seat of a golden bike clad in fierce lightning driven by a blonde, muscular man rocking a black and golden biker gang uniform and sunglasses. The combination of the golden bike and the Doujigiri Yasutsuna was enough to melt everything on their path.

"Hehe, even Jack is having a good time with Mr Hooded Emiya." Just as Nursery Rhyme said, they could see the a pair of subtle figures weaving through the storm of beams and lightning, and cutting the tentacles with their unassuming knives. Tracking behind the Counter Guardian was a petite, ashen-haired wearing a black cloak, and a smiling expression that was the exact opposite as Emiya's.

"You should just pop off, Henry Jekyll. We already have too many anti-heroes turning over a new leaf. Like that alchemist supporting the Assassins."

The doctor ignored the literal demon of temptation and continued the conversation with Nursery Rhime. "I'm glad to see we're doing on great on the offensive department, but I'm worried about being able to keep this up for long."

"Mikon? What do you mean, Jekyll? With me here, they can waste as much energy as they want! I'll keep pumping them up as many times as necessary!" A pink-haired kitsune clad in a long, blue kimono and sporting three golden tails proclaimed with utmost confidence, almost startling the Assassin.

Her noble phantasm, often used only at the right moment, was now being constantly active to draw magical energy from the Temple of Time and funnel it into her allies. But conversely, she was burning through her own reserves at an alarming rate, even with three tails.

It was hidden behind her gorgeous, confident smile, but most of them could see through it, specially Ai after being around her so much time.

"Honestly, you should just put to good use that unusual enthusiasm and Goddess power and leave us working in our stories and supporting those muscle-for-brains. At least you'd go out with a banger again rather than just dying from exhaustion." A small, blue-haired man wielding a book and a pen spoke in a deep voice that didn't fit his appearance in the least, and Tamamo's expression flipped into scowl.

"No thanks. I've already seen someone dying like that, so if worse comes to worse, I'll just run away and seek shelter in Amano-Iwato. And I don't want to hear that from a fellow Caster that can't even make a proper sprint without collapsing."

"You only say that because of those long, meaty legs, woman!"

"Ouch. I never thought I'd see someone trade jabs with Andersen. As they say: "kill me with thy weapons, not with words"!" This time, a red haired man dressed in medieval-esque clothing and wielding another book was the one to spoke with a casual smirk. "But if you ask me though, this is not the time for a grand finale like you two propose. We still have yet to take Ritsuka and Ai to the stage."

"Hmph. You're too kind, master. You should already be going forth rather than babysitting this group."

"Even if you say that, the Demon Gods are still providing magical energy to the barrier-"

Just as the master was finishing that sentence, a massive explosion shook space itself. The figures of Paimon, Buer, Gusion, Sitri, Beleth, Leraje, Eligos, Caim, and Barbatos disappeared in the midst of a raging storm of biblical proportions that threatened to blow away even Astolfo's majestic Hippogriff.

"WOOOAAHHH! Hang in there master!"

"That's what I'm trying!"

Those were some agonizing seconds as Ai clung to the Rider's torso, and when they finally managed to regain some stability, the storm was still there, ravaging the Demon Gods.

"What in the world is that?"

"That would be that taller version of me with the corrupted Rhongomyniad. I think people called her the Wild Hunt." The answer to Ai's question came from a Saber Alter that just landed near her.

"I think we're done with the clean up here." EMIYA regrouped as well at the same time as a golden bike skidded to a halt to let Raikou land next to Arturia.

"You can go now, master. With that gal with the Holy Lance and the golden arm man here, we have everything under wraps." Kintoki gave the Chaldean's a thumbs up before riding to battle again.

"Wait, Tesla is in there?" Ai's question didn't reach the golden rider, but the Genji General answered instead.

"He insisted in leading the way for the queen, even if it was plain visible his Spirit Origin was collapsing by just being near that Holy Lance."

Ai's face paled for a moment before she shook her head to get back on track. "Okay, we're moving for the final spot then! Thanks for everything, everyone!"

"Wait! Just a moment!" But a voice interrupted them, and when Ai's golden eyes tracked in which direction it came, she was met with the pink-haired kitsune, who had dropped her elegant charade.

And the master immediately knew what she wanted to ask even before the words came out of her lips.

"Is Goshujin-sama still nowhere to be seen?"

With the cheekiest of smiles, the master answered. "Don't worry, Tamamo. The hero always arrives at the right time."

"Huh!? What does that even mean!?"

"Well, whether that guy comes or not, you better kick that shitface's ass, master!" Tamamo's confused question was overshadowed by Mordred's send off with a toothy smile.

And to her increasing horror, the master replied with a "You bet!" and a thumbs up before parting without looking back.

"Wait! Not again!"

---

By the time the group reached the next spot, they encountered a trio of knights, a group of assassins wearing skull-shaped masks, and a busty monk and her archer "apprentice" already fighting the Demon Gods. However, they weren't putting enough pressure on the pillars, so they immediately targeted the Chaldeans.

"Activate! The nine pillars of the Gazing Star: Bael, Agares, Vassago, Samigina, Marbas, Valefor, Alloces, Orobas, and I, Amon. We nine pillars shall build rationale. We nine pillars that shall consume humanity! In the name of the 72 Demon God Pillars, we will not allow ourselves to forfeit this rage!"

The attacks came with more intensity than ever. It was obvious they were getting desperate after four of their terminals were suppressed. But as they got closer weaving through the attacks, Ai noticed something was really wrong there.

"Wait... Am I seeing things or there are more than nine pillars there?"

"I'm detecting only nine different signatures, so the only thing I can think of is that they somehow created copies of themselves." Romani's theory wasn't reassuring in the least.

"Not that it affects our approach. It's just that there are more targets." Saber Alter spoke confidently as she pierced through the barrage, making a beeline for her knights, and the rest of the team followed closely making use of the "slipstream effect".

Their entry to the battlefield wasn't subtle in the least, as Artoria fired a blast of dark energy over the servants heads, putting a momentary stop to the enemies' attacks. Suffice to say, the faces of Sir Tristan, Sir Gawain, and Sir Lancelot lost all color the moment they recognized the blackened Saber.

"I hope you three are ready to start truly giving it your all and atone for your sins."

"O-of course, my King! Even if I cannot compensate for what "I" did, my solar light is more than enough to make way. I shall burn away all this filth and wickedness."

"I'm so saddened. I'm actually envious of your honesty, Sir Gawain. I have no face to show here. The only thing I can do is hold this bewitched bow and cut up those foes like myself."

"Heh. Despite what you say, your "arrows" are as sharp and accurate as ever. I've never seen you this fired up down to your fingertips, Sir Tristan."

"I'll take your banter as a yes. Follow me then!"

""Yes, my King!""

And so, the King and her knights rushed into the center of the enemy formation and started wreaking havoc. It was quite similar to when they storm the castle in which Vortigern was hiding, just that now their King was his spitting image.

Yet, after the atrocities they did under the Lion King's commands, following Saber Alter was a gentle breeze.

Meanwhile, the gifted monk waved at the rest of the Chaldeans with an enthusiastic smile. "Hey there, long time no see! To think I'm actually early this time. I heard you and your brother were in trouble, so I hurried over here with my nimbus! Now that we're together, we can defeat even a hundred Demon Gods!"

"Hehe, nice to meet you again, Sanzang-chan! I knew you'd come despite being always wandering rather than staying at Chaldea. Oh, and you even brought Touta!"

"Fufu. I didn't think I'd be able to meet the renowned Tawara Touta in this hellish battlefield."

The green-haired Archer shook his head a little embarrassed. "No need for the flattery, Lady Raikou. I might have lived some decades earlier, but as fellow mystic slayers, you have nothing to envy."

Having said that, Raikou sheathed her tachi and pulled her long bow to provide cover fire to the Knights of the Round Table alongside Tawara Touta.

"Well, it's good to see people actually coming to help. Not unlike those Pharaohs over there that have been just watching idly. Even with all my numbers, I can barely put a dent in those things." One of the Hassan-i-Sabbah, the adult woman with a long pony tail, spoke with obvious disdain in her words while looking at the brown-haired man clad in pure gold and the purple-haired woman with a quite revealing attire beside him.

"I understand your grudge, Hundred Personas, but if anything, that man's radiant presence is what is allowing us anti-person Assassins be able to pierce that gruesome skin." Cursed Arm tried to sooth her rage with little success.

"Even so, my poison doesn't work on those things. I'm disappointed. I would have preferred to be by Ritsuka's side as a bodyguard..." Serenity spoke with genuine sadness staring at her knives, that were turned into regular weapons without her poison.

But the sound of a gun being loaded got their attention, their eyes landing on Chaldea's hooded Counter Guardian.

"I don't know if a modern Assassin like me can blend in with legends that gave meaning to that very word, but allow me to assist you."

The leader of the Hassans huffed at that. "Don't sell yourself sort, Lord EMIYA. I'm more than aware that you're more suited to dealing with those things than us. Lead the way, and we'll cover you as best as we can."

With the group of Assassins on the movement, there was only one think to take care. Astolfo and Ai approached the two Pharaohs just in time to hear Nitocris begging Ozymandias to enter the battlefield.

"Please, won't you reconsider it, Pharaoh Ozymandias!? If we all fight together now... um, it shall become very excitement."

"Silence! I might have considered it if it was just the Assassins and the monk, but I refuse to fight alongside the Knights of the Round Table More so with that blackened King Arthur on the front! There is no hero worth of fighting alongside me-"

"Whoops, am I late here? Looks like a strong bunch's all gathered here already. Well, the more the merrier. Just a minor Heroic Spirit here, but I'll help as much as I can."

The golden Pharaoh's banter was cut short by the arrival of an unassuming, black-haired Archer wearing a massive, red bow. The way Ozymandias's expression made a 180 as he stood there agape, looking at the new arrival was mind-boggling. Even Nitocris was shocked.

"Hey there, Arash! I don't know about that nonsense of you being a minor Heroic Spirit, but I'm glad to have you here. I think Touta and Raikou will appreciate your help-" Ai's calculated words sealed the deal as the Pharaoh jumped beside the Archer with almost childish excitement.

"What are you saying master!? This bowman and I are going straight to the front line, of course! I don't know who you are or where you are from, but I shall give you the honor of fighting alongside I, Ozymandias! Now, let me witness the might of that earth-shattering bow."

Surprisingly, Arash didn't seem that taken aback and accepted the proposal happily. "Whoah! I don't know what's the deal with this Pharaoh guy, but he sounds mighty helpful. Okay, if that's what you want, I'll get to it right away."

A cheeky smile crept to the master's face as she watched the two servant march into the battlefield. "Gotta love it when things align just like that."

"I must say, your luck is even higher than mine, master."

"What are you talking you two!? We almost lost Pharaoh Ozymandias' help! Why did you bring the corrupted King Arthur instead of the male one, master!?"

Ai tilted her head at Nitocris in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean male King Arthur? Is there a gender-bent of Arturia?"

"Master, I think your perception of reality got warped just like that Rider..."

Leaving jokes aside, Ai could see the sheer scale of this battlefield was already several magnitudes bigger than all the others. With so many Demon Gods and A-rank noble phantasms flying left and right that it seemed like a fireworks show, it was hard to make out what was even happening.

But the fact that Romani wasn't telling her to wrap things up and regroup with Ritsuka was telling. The pillars multiplying wasn't just a way to increase their fire power to fight back, it was also a way to avoid being forced to stop supplying the barrier. The more pillars, the more the chances one or two survived the noble phantasms to resurrect the others.

"Arturia, I think it's time to stop conserving energy and pop out another Ex-"

Her words stopped when another two shooting stars arriving at the battlefield. The first of them was a knight clad in silver armor, swinging his metallic arm wrapped in a majestic golden light all too familiar for everyone.

"Switch on, Airgetlám!"

The Excalibur blast Ai was about to request came down on the Demon Gods in a completely unexpected way, and she could feel some tears starting to form.

""Bediviere!"" The joy in her voice at seeing the figure that disappeared after returning the Holy Sword to his King was shared by all his fellow knights and even Saber Alter.

"Sorry for being late, my comrades. I had to make way for our liege."

"You've fought well, O distant Knights of the Round Table. However, even if our bounds were shattered in streaks of light, this Lance shall fight alongside you one last time."

Everyone, even the Demon Gods, looked up in the direction that voice filled with authority came, and they were met with a divine figure. I knight wearing white armor over blue clothes, with a helmet resembling a lion head, wielding the Holy Lance that Shines at the End of the World and riding a breathtaking, armored stallion.

"We shall take the last push, Fujimaru Ai. I, the King of the Storm who holds Rhongomyniad. I've come from afar to drop the Anchor of the Planet beyond the skies."

Just as she finished her speech, her Lance started to irradiate light as its seals started to come off, and then, with a seemingly delicate movement, it was fired in a massive torrent as bright as the sun. The divine punishment that once terrified them during the Sixth Singularity was now dropping on the Demon Gods, turning all the many pillars into a massive, fuming crater.

The orange-haired master had to make a double take. The same Lion King that refused to accept defeat even after her plan crumbled was now helping them and somehow brought the same Bediviere whose soul should have vanished due to living for 1500 years?

"Cool... That ought to be on the same level of awesomeness as my King's Joyeuse."

Astolfo's causal comment brought her out of the stupor, and she didn't need Romani to tell her that this site was suppressed.

"Okay, I think we should starT going, Arturia, Raikou, Emiya. I'll leave the rest to you guys!" It pained her to not be able to speak for a little with the silver knight, but time was of the essence.

Her goodbye was met with mixed feelings, mainly the Assassins being exhausted while everyone else was still in high spirits.

"We're done over here, Onii-chan! How's your side!"

---

"I think we'll be done at any moment, too!" Despite Ritsuka's answer, he had to brace himself for the impact as Mash blocked another stray beam way too close for their comfort.

The battle in the Chamber of Life controlled by Sabnok, Shax, Viné Bifrons, Vual, Häagenti, Crocell, Furcas, and Balam was just as fierce as on the other side, but there was a problem.

They didn't have as much numbers on their side.

Aside from the servants accompanying Ritsuka, their only reinforcements were an androgynous, clay doll with long green hair and clad in white robes, and a black-haired Goddess clad in golden ornaments and riding a Heavenly Bow.

Maybe "only" wasn't the right word. The ultimate weapons created by the Gods and the Mistress of Heaven were definitely A-rank servants, and thanks to the former's presence, the King of Heroes decided to ditch his Vimana and enter the battlefield personally with his Sword of Rupture in hand.

Just the combination of those two ancient heroes was already backing the Demon Gods into a corner, but that wasn't the problem itself. The issue was that, once they forced the pillars to allocate all their magical energy into resurrecting and the Chaldeans moved on, there would be only two servants holding this front. And those two servants weren't exactly on the best terms.

"Hey you, Goldie, Puppet! Stop sending stray weapons in my direction! It's messing up my aim!"

The two friends chuckled at the Goddess outburst. "Heh, I expected a more brutal reaction. So it is true that she mellowed down after possessing a human girl."

"Hmph. If you ask me, she went from utterly annoying to mildly annoying and more useless."

"I HEARD THAT! Grrr!" The Goddess of Venus gritted her teeth, putting a Herculean effort to quell her anger. "Calm down, Ishtar. Even if he isn't here yet, you need to look good. Besides, those guys should be arriving at any time."

Those words, despite being whispered to herself, reached the ears of the master and his kohai, who widened their eyes.

"Wait, do you mean-"

As if on cue, several purple snakes erupted from the ground around the Demon Gods and started to fire countless energy beams at them. Just a moment later, the monstrous Goddess whose hair was forming the snake emerged and started to wreak havoc with her vicious claws and cursed eyes.

The vengeful Goddess laid destruction on her path like a natural disaster, without caring about the other servants around her, not even the dumbstruck pair of master and Shielder.

"Gorgon!? I know she's hardly the first former enemy helping us, but..."

"Don't tell me... That's A-"

"No, I'm here. Bigger isn't always better." A high-pitched, calm voice interrupted Ritsuka, almost startling them before they notice the little girl clad in black robes and wielding a scythe almost as big her standing beside them.

"Well, technically speaking, we aren't the same servants you've met, but we at least remember the gratitude we feel towards you Chaldeans and a certain red knight. I'm not sure if you want monsters like us by your side, but please, let us help. Not out of a debt, but because of this feeling."

"Talk about you! I only came here because you and that foreign goddess wouldn't shut up!"

Ana's expression turned into a frown directed at her "future self", and her tinny hands became even paler as they clutched the shaft of her scythe.

"Don't listen to her. She's just shy." Her voice came grumpy as she kicked the ground to join the battle in a beat. However, her place beside them was immediately filled by another two Goddesses definitely more enthusiastic about the situation.

"Of course, si! As a fellow snake Goddess, I couldn't let them be when they said theY had no one to contract with, no!"

"The same goes for you Kuku, meow. You'd go on about how a lucha Goddess is too niche, and you can't find someone to marry, and how much you wanted to see Ritsu-" Whatever the minor Goddess clad in a tiger pajama was interrupted when Quetzalcoatl's fist plunged into her face.

"A-ahem... Anyway..." The Goddess fumbled with her words a little when she addressed the Chaldeans, but seeing that they were glad to have her, she regained her bearings. "It is true that I used Gorgon as an excuse to come here. Since you are putting it all on the line for this fight, I can't be adhering to the goddess pact rule "not to help people for free.""

"I know, but I don't feel the same way. I only came here to bring some of the heroes that fell into my underworld. I'm definitely not interested in those humans, nor any red knight for that matter. Is he here, though?"

The last Goddess who appeared in the Seventh Singularity made her presence known behind them, which left them in disbelief.

"Lady Ereshkigal?"

"But didn't you disappear?"

The Shielder's question almost demolished the Mistress of Kur's calm mask, and even then, she couldn't do anything about her blushing and stuttering.

"D-don't pay too much attention to that. Let's just say a lot of stuff happened, with Saber and that weird Santa girl saving me from the Abyss, b-but that doesn't concern you at this point in time! A-at any rate, come out already, Heroic Spirits of Uruk!"

Refusing to elaborate further, she hit her spear against the soil, and three familiar figures emerged around her.

"RAAAARGHH! I'm back with a roar and ferocious flesh!" A fiery King announced his entrance at the top of his lungs, with his golden, Spartan armor being literally on fire. "Sorry for the wait, Ritsuka, Mash! Lancer Leonidas is totally back!"

An ear-to-ear smile was drawn on Mash's face upon seeing again her fellow "Shielder", and the same could be said for Ritsuka when his blue eyes landed on the other two figures. A blue-eyed girl with long, black hair and clad in really revealing armor, accompanied by a stoic monk carrying a variety of weapons on his back.

"Ushiwaka, Benkei! You made it, too!"

"But of course, Ritsuka-dono! I wasn't able to be present in your final battle against Tiamat, so I'm definitely helping you kick these bugs' asses! And my pitiful subordinate is here to make amends as well! C'mon, don't you have something to say?"

The monk made a reverence that might as well have been a 90-degree angle before speaking in a genuinely regretful tone.

"I profoundly apologize, Ritsuka-dono, Mash-dono. I don't have that many recollections of what happened after Gorgon captured me, but I shall do everything I can to atone for my sin."

"No, it wasn't your fault you were... corrupted."

"See? I told you Ritsuka-dono would be merciful. But don't forget that after this, you'll go back to the underworld to keep doing community work for Ereshkigal."

Surprisingly, it was the Goddess of the Underworld who palled upon hearing that. "No, no chance. I don't want a stuffy-looking guy in my underworld. He'd ruin it's majestic vibe."

"Hey, are you lot done catching up already!? The fight isn't gonna wait!"

Ishtar's yell put everyone on the move. The three members of the Chaldean marched to battle alongside the master Shielder pair, completely fearless despite entering a battlefield plagued with Divine Spirits and myriads of beams and "arrows" that could pulverize everything in their way.

For they were the humans who held their ground and brought an end to the Age of Gods.

"HAAH! We do not fear the tyranny of Divine Spirits! Those who have bowed to the old humanity are no enemy for us!"

Despite how obviously desperate was their situation, the nine Demon God Pillars still kept their bravado in their suicide struggle.

"We didn't submit to humans! We just realized the future lies in them, you nitwits!" Ishtar retorted while firing a massive arrow at the pillar that spoke, atomizing its upper part.

"For once, I agree with you, Ishtar. I might have sympathized with how those things were created, but that's about it. We reached completely different conclusions, and theirs is a complete insult to my friends." Despite their usual calm tone, arcs of unrestrained magical energy started to emerge from Enkidu's body. "Gil, you can go ahead. I'll stay to exterminate them."

"Make it quick then, my friend. I'll be waiting you at the main stage."

The King of Heroes disengaged seamlessly, and the Mesoamerican Goddess took his place in the frontline almost immediately.

"It's time to get this team serious, si! Or so I would say, but we're still missing people. Where's Merlin and the Sword of Salvation? I don't put it past that half-incubus to be lazing around, but Archer..."

"I don't know about the latter, but Merlin actually told me to pass on a message." Ana coughed before making her best impression of the Mage of Flowers. ""Sorry, I can't have fun with you all! I'm a little busy updating the Magi Mari website! But you know, if I keep showing up, the other supporters won't be appreciated. So I'll be waiting to form a bond when you take back the future. More specifically, through a picku-" And that's it. The cut the end of that sentence because it was horrible."

Despite her consideration, Mash and Ritsuka palled upon receiving that unexpected bomb. The master's eyes went to his wristband, but the dead silence indicated that Romani either didn't hear that horrible truth or just went into a deep shock.

"Should we..."

"No, it's better leaving it that way... W-we should get moving, Illya, Scathach!"

The magical girl arrived with ragged breath, having overdone it to keep up with the Divine Spirits, while the Witch Queen was still unabated.

"I must say, I am also curious about that man's whereabouts. You think of him as your ace in the hole, don't you master?"

"Yeah... If he didn't appear in this spot either..."

"Once again, you're worrying unnecessarily, mongrel. Everything is already in it's place." The King of Heroes left another vague answer as he called upon his Vimana again.

For a last time, Ritsuka looked in the direction of the members of the Chaldea embassy and shouted with confidence.

"We'll be leaving this to you guys! Once we're done, let's celebrate that victory banquet we couldn't!"

"You heard it! Our lord has given us his blessing! No matter how many of these things come, we'll keep slicing them 'til the end!" The voice of the leader of the Chaldea embassy was quickly overshadowed by the world-rending explosions that annihilated the Demon Gods.

---

The two groups reunited at the northernmost point of the Temple of Time and assessed their current situation. The masters were just a little winded up, while the exhaustion of the servants varied from case to case, but overall, morale was high and they were still in good condition for the final battle.

"Take a moment to catch your breath and proceed to the front gate. The barrier protecting it should collapse at any moment. The final confrontation with whoever is posing as the King of Mages is at hand."

"Hey Doc, while we are at it, there's something that's been bothering me... We suppressed seven posts defended by nine pillars, but there are 72, right?"

"Yeah, I noticed it. The numbers don't add up."

"Who knows? Maybe the remaining seven pillars are the last line of defense inside the barrier." Romani tried to brush off the masters' concern, but with each passing second, the feeling of something being really wrong grew and spread out.

And it ended up materializing in a horrifying fact.

"Wait, what!? The barrier's collapse stopped seconds short! But I've been checking for any other energy sources while you bat- WATCH OUT!"

Da Vinci's voice didn't make it in time by a heart beat. By the time her warning made it through the intercoms, a yellow Demon God was already bursting from the ground right beneath the Chaldeans.

"Master!" The Shielder servant immediately grabbed Ritsuka mid air and raised her Shield to block a giant tentacle aiming to crush them.

While their figures disappearing in the smoke, another tentacle managed to catch the other master of Chaldea.

"Guh!" In the fraction of a second the Demon God started applying force to her tiny body to pop it like a balloon, Ai managed to pull off a split second reaction, activating one of the Mystic Code's trump cards.

In a flash of light, the master disappeared, replaced by an armored, black knight who stared back at the Demon God with fury while shrugging of the crushing pressure.

"Hnn!" With a big mana burst, the tentacles were blown away, and the Demon God was turned into Cheese shortly after by several beams, and weapons.

"Are you okay, Master?" Scathach asked in a worried tone the coughing master as she quickly checked her with her runes.

Coff Coff* "I'm fine... Keep pushing forward."

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on it. The yellow pillar reemerged quickly, followed by the other eight remaining Demon Gods.

"Activate! The nine pillars that defend the Trash Heap: Murmur, Gremory, Ose, Amy, Belial, Decarabia, Seere, Dantalion, and I Andromalius! We nine pillars bury failure. We nine pillars cause discord! How resentful. How uncertain. In the name of the 72 Demon Gods, this structure shall not be closed!"

Unlike the other posts, the Demon Gods were already throwing everything at the Chaldeans while the pillar coordinating them shouted their declaration. And the Chaldeans didn't fall behind either.

Leaving both masters under Mash's protection, the other seven servants went on the offensive to push back the Demon God Pillars. Unlike the initial ambush, they were prepared, not hesitating to pull out all the stops.

"Haaaah!" Conversely, Mash was constantly running around the two masters blocking all the numerous attacks directed at them. By that point, the pillars weren't even bothering to attack the servants and were pretty on a suicide offensive to take down the masters.

But that didn't stop the situation from being desperate.

"Damn it! All the other spots were tied to one of the Seven Singularities, allowing the servants tied to them to manifest in turn! But this eighth side has no ties whatsoever!"

"What should we do then!? Split again!?"

"No, we need everything at our disposal to assault the throne! Splitting would put too much strain on the masters-" Mash blocked one more beam that was followed by a sinister laugh.

"That's right! Perish here, final masters! You will never reach the throne. This is a land devoid of meaning! There is nothing for you here to draw on!"

"No, you're wrong!" Ritsuka declared without an ounce of hesitation, bringing his closed fist to his chest. "Our bonds don't stop at the Seven Singularities. We've fixed countless minor singularities, and met with countless other Heroic Spirits! This is just a matter of waiting and hopping!"

"Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Well said, Fujimaru Ritsuka! Let us show these demons the despair they've seemingly forgotten!"

An unfamiliar voice to most of the Chaldeans cut into the conversation, coming from the farthest reaches of the miniature universe. And the Demon God's attitude flipped completely the next moment when they noticed a shooting star falling in their direction covered in black flames.

"Huh!? What's this!? How can a Spirit Origin manifest in the Trash Heap!? There's no such thing as past, present, or future here!?"

"Certainly, this is a place of exile, where countless people have lost hope. It is oblivion outside of the realm of humanity. But-" The lone shooting star seamlessly soared through a barrage of attacks directed at it and finally landed beside the master, revealing an ashen-haired man with a toothy smile and clad in a formal suit coupled with a fedora. "You called me, didn't you, Fujimaru Ritsuka!?"

"Yeah! I knew you wouldn't sit this one out, Edmond Dantès!"

"Hearing your call, I couldn't help but come racing through space and time, like a tiger burning bright! I, the Avenger from Monte Cristo, came here from beyond love and hatred to laugh at my co-conspirator! Hahahahahahahaha!"

With another exaggerated laugh, the Avenger wrapped his body in black flames and flew into the battlefield at blurring speeds. In a way similar to Illya's, Dantès bombarded the enemies with his cursed flames from the skies like a fighter jet.

Ai and Mash looked between the two with puzzled expressions. Despite the apparent harsh words, the blue-eyed master was genuinely glad to see the servant.

"Wait... You mean all that Chateau d'If thing wasn't just a fever dream?"

"Hey! Do you really think I can come up with such a story!?"

"Hahahahahaha!" But things didn't stop there, as another exaggerated laugh, this one more feminine, announced the arrival of more and more shooting stars.

The owner of the laughter was a figure startlingly similar to that of the Holy Maiden that led the first charge, just with completely black armor, white hair, and green eyes instead. She landed right beside Saber Alter, much to her annoyance, and started to wield her hellish flames against the same targets.

"You don't seem to be doing well, ice queen! You're lucky I, the Dragon Witch, was bored and decided to cause some destruction."

"Tch. No one asked for your help, roasted bitch."

"Hey, hey. We're all allies here. You should throw the jabs at the enemies, not at each other." A tanned man with spiky, white hair clad in Church clothes tried to mediate between the two alters, but they ignored him and started to throw beams at each other, that "coincidentally" landed on the Demon Gods once dodged.

And the bad blood didn't stop there.

"Tsk. Who thought it was a good idea to fight bugs with bugs." Raiko's calm demeanor faded away the moment she saw a pair of Oni landing near them.

The one clad in primarily yellow responded to the killing intent with more killing intent of her own, but the one with short, black hair and blue eyes held her by the shoulder.

"My my, whatever happened to the honorable Genji general's calm and collected demeanor? Isn't this the occasion to be all civilized and cordial?"

"Hmph, don't give me that nonsense, vermin. Why would you two even care about saving the Human World?"

"Hey, even us Oni can't stand idly while the Human World gets burned. We do need humans to keep our usual lifestyle. Who am I going to enjoy wine with if mankind disappears? Right, Ibaraki?"

"Well... I realized that having some minions is way more useful than just killing humans... and the sweets they cook are truly delicious..."

"See?"

Minamoto-no-Raikou's glare then got mixed with disbelief for a moment, but just as she was about to swing her sword at them and the nearest pillar just like the Alters, a thundering chariot made its entrance piercing through it.

"Don't let yourself be dragged by past grudges, beautiful general! Such magnificent lightning, dreadful and pure, shouldn't be wasted!" The red-haired, towering man at the reins spoke with a potent voice in an attempt to deactivate the situation and not have more servants attacking each other.

After some seconds of inner struggle, Raikou ended up redirecting her sword at other pillars. "Hmph... You're right, King of Conquerors. I'll pretend those bugs aren't here as long as they don't get in the way."

"Let's be on our way the, Ibaraki. I wonder if those tentacles will pair well with my wine!"

"W-wait, Shuten!"

Ibaraki Douji was about to follow her boss into the carnage when she caught something out of the corner of her eye that left her perplexed.

"A Tengu? No... isn't that a kid? Why's a kid flying in such a cool outfit!? I want that, too!"

Her amazed voice didn't reach the magical girl, as she was too focused on weaving through the beams and firing her own. As more and more servants started to arrive at the battlefield, the Demon Gods started to multiply and attack even more desperately, some of them outright blowing themselves up.

Being one of the few airborne fighters, she was a more eye-catching target. There was so much her passive magical barrier could blunt, and her outfit was already a bloody mess.

"Oh!? This signal!?" In the thick of it, Ruby suddenly spoke up with her usual enthusiasm, something that had been absent since the brutal battles started.

"What do you mean-"

"Shoot!" Her question was answered by a really familiar voice and the sound of another Kaleidostick firing a beam.

Illya turned around so fast she felt her neck on the verge of a whiplash, and her red eyes met with golden ones. Her sister magical girl gave her a reassuring smile as she fired another beam.

"Miyu!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Illya! I somehow managed to come here thanks to "not-your-mother"."

"Don't forget about me either!" A third voice joined the conversation, announcing the arrival of a barrage of "arrows" that intercepted some of the incoming beams. Its owner was a girl almost identical to Illya, with rose-like hair, matching eyes, tanned skin, and clad in a revealing version of a certain red Archer's outfit.

"You too, Kuro! With you too here having my back, I can finally fight comfortably!"

"You speak as if you couldn't cooperate with the other servants that came with master."

"Adult Gilgamesh, Dark Saber, and Lady Scathach are too scary!"

While Miyu couldn't, Chloe paused her cover fire to caress her forehead. "You were doing well fighting alongside those monsters, you nitwit! Why do you have so little confidence? More so when you take into account that magical girls don't fare well against tentacles..."

"Hmph. She might be brave, but you shouldn't put those expectations on a kid." A deep voice beside her caused her to almost jump away startled. And when she turned around, her breath got stuck in her throat for a moment.

It was the very heroic spirit linked to the Class Card she was using as an anchor. The white-haired, steel-eyed, and tanned Archer clad in a black and red combat suit and wielding his black bow in its original size.

It took her some seconds to pull herself together and hit him back with their trademark smirk.

"You know, sneaking on a little girl like that might land you a harassment sue."

"That's just a sign that your senses aren't sharp enough if you ask me."

"Hey, cut them some slack, Archer. Not even I was fighting something as gruesome as these things at their age." Another man cut into the conversation. A blue-haired Lance with red eyes, wearing a blue spandex, and wielding the same blood-red spear in the Lancer Class Card.

"Heh, that kind of stuff might have been regular for rabid dogs like you, but for modern kids?"

"Oi, what did you just call me?" Cu Chulainn started to emit a thick blood lust, but before he could do something, a familiar figure stepped between the two. The original, untainted King Arthur.

"Honestly, how can you two act like children at a moment like this? If you have bad blood with other servants, just mind your own business like Rider and Assassin." As she said that, she pointed with her emerald eyes at a woman with long, lilac hair riding a majestic Pegasus to ram the Demon Gods like a meteor, and a blue-haired samurai wielding his nodachi alongside the Genji General.

"You say that because you've yet to run into your Alter self or the golden bastard."

Arturia's cheeks reddened a bit at Lancer's retort. "Just like the Red Empress, I'll just pretend she isn't here. And the King of Heroes is being useful for once."

"Oh? Look at who is here. I thought for a moment only that warped version of you would muster the courage to fight this decisive battle."

Unfortunately for Cu Chulainn, the delight of seeing Saber embarrassed went out the window the moment he heard the voice of his former master walking up to him. And Emiya's cheeky grin was making it worse.

"Oh, Master Scathach! It's good to see you, too! If you excuse me, I got some tentacle things to pummel!"

"Hey, don't run, Sétanta! Stop or I'll make you start again your training from the beginning when this is over!"

The two Celtic lancers rushed at the Demon Gods for very different reasons, much to everyone else's amusement.

"Hehe, isn't it good to see everyone getting along?" Some meters away, an albino beauty wearing a red and white ceremonial dress giggled as she watched the scene unfold, in a way not unlike a mother watching her children playing in the park. She then threw a look at the hooded Assassin near her. "Hey, why don't you join them? You're always stalking them back at Chaldea."

"This isn't the time for social bonding, woman. And even if it was, how many times do I have to tell you, "what-ifs" like us have nothing to do with those kids or that fellow guardian? I threw away even my name long ago. Someone like me should stick to the shadows doing the dirty work."

"And I'll say it again. That's not true, Mister Cloak-and-Dagger." The woman elevated her tone at the hooded Assassin's dismissive answer. "Even you have the right to fight this battle alongside them. Even as a hypothetical fragment from a distant world who abandoned his entire being to pursue the path you believed in. I acknowledge your battle is just as just, even if I disavow the result."

"Tch... I don't know what you're talking about, but if you insist. I do feel... I was the kind of man who would have gladly fought in this battle."

With so many servants appearing to help and going nuts with their noble phantasms, it once again became quite hard to tell what was happening. However, the felled-off pillars kept respawning near the masters to launch kamikaze attacks rather than defending the position.

But in the middle of the chaos, a blue and golden blur skewered a pillar that just emerged, leaving it looking like minced meat, and landed in front of the teenage trio. The blinding light of the all too familiar Sacred Sword receded, allowing them to see a blonde, blue-eyed girl rocking a sports uniform that didn't fit the scenery at all.

"X-chan? What are you doing here?" Ai spoke to her, while Mash and Ritsuka decided to sit on the sidelines after remembering the train wreck that was their first meeting with that servant.

"Finally, someone I know!" The mysterious heroine's face turned into an expression of pure joy, as if she just found an oasis in the middle of the desert, and walked up to them.

"That's what I'd like to know, Ai! I was doing the usual cleaning with Alice, and then I was abducted again! It hasn't even been a month from the last one! And this time, I was suddenly in the middle of some kind of epic battle against those things, but worst of all, none of those servants recognized me as the strongest Saber! That's when I realized I was in your universe. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda sad I didn't get to see the Goddess of Food, the hacker girl, and the lady with the cool mecha again. And where's Lily? I've seen like other four people with my face but not the only one I can tolerate!"

"Hey hey hey, hold your horses, X-chan! I didn't even get half of what you said! You just need to know that those things are the last obstacle between us and the final boss."

"Oh! You should've said that earlier! Let's go then! I'll show this universe who's the strongest Saber while I'm at- Kya!" A lady-like yelp escaped her lips as she ducked to evade a sharp blade by the skin of her teeth.

Just a beat later, X jumped back on her feet and threw a glare at the newcomer, an elegant lady of short, black, matching eyes, clad in a pure white kimono tied with a blue obi, and carrying a simple-looking katana.

"What was that for!? Why are all Earthlings so barbaric!? Always ignoring the proper rules of fighting!"

"Sorry, I heard all that talk about the "Strongest Saber", and I couldn't help but test it, Miss Alien." After saying that as if it where the most natural thing, she looked at the masters and Shielded them with a charming smile. "Hello there, my cute masters. Since we're pulling out all the stops, I decided to come out myself to lend a hand."

"Oh, so you're the landlady Ryougi-san rather than knife first questions later. It's been ages."

"It's good to see you, Ryougi-san, but please, don't fall for X-san's provocation."

"Hey, why I'm the one at fault here!? She's not even a real Saber! I'd say she's a Berserker, but she also feels like a Foreigner."

That actually caused Shiki's calm expression to turn into surprise for a moment. "Well, I guess that makes some sense. But as Ritsuka here said, let's leave our duel for latter."

"I didn't sign for any duel, but okay. It'll be a good warm-up before I challenge Shirou again."

"Wait, what-"

Before she could ask, the two ladies shot forward on to the fray, slicing the pillars as if they were made of thin paper. Furthermore, her voice was overshadowed by several heavy gunshots right beside them.

"Hahahahahaha! What was all that Saber talk!? I, Oda Nobunaga, Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, will show you the power of Archers!"

A red-eyed woman of long, black hair clad in a black and red general outfit started laughing as she fired the numerous matchlocks floating above her. However, it started to subdue after some seconds as her face started to pale.

"Huh!? What the hell!? Why aren't my anti-mystic skills working on those things!? They should be already pulverized! Are these so-called Demon Gods knockoffs or somethin'!?"

"Heh, that's what happens when you rely too much on modern weaponry to fight the supernatural. Stop complaining and put that fancy katana of yours to use." A certain Sakura Saber took the opportunity to throw a jab at her but ignored her indignant cry to greet the masters. "Hello there, Ritsuka-dono, Ai-dono, Mash-dono. I see there's already a bunch of people here, but the incredible, two-woman, GudaGuda squad is finally here!"

"Okita- wait, is this the GudaGuda you or the Chaldean Embassy you?"

"The fast answer would be both, more or less... regrettably. If you ask me, I would have preferred coming with Ushiwakamaru-dono and Archer-dono."

"Hey! You've been all rude ever since you got that boyfriend! Snap out of it! He didn't even show up at our event!"

"Wh-what are you saying!? W-we're not like that! At least not yet..." The Sakura Saber got so flustered she looked as if she'd collapse into a coughing fit at any moment, and the Demon Archer started laughing again.

"I don't know about that. You two seemed pretty close even before I kicked the bucket." A passing ninja with his eyes covered by his red bands dropped that comment and disappeared out of sight before anyone could react.

But that caused Okita to truly snap out of it. "AAARGH! I'll just cut those things into ribbons real quick and then look for Archer-dono!"

With that said, it didn't take that much to receive the notification of the Demon Gods starting to enter recovery mode. As the dust started to settle for a brief rest and the Chaldeans regrouped, the Count of Monte Cristo dropped by them for some final words while lighting himself a cigarette.

"You've grown up a bit, Ritsuka. You can go now, and declare checkmate on the enemy. Since these things are endless, we'll stay here to fight them until we die out."

For the last time, the masters felt a bit of regret leaving the servants to fight 'till exhaustion, but their expressions remained hardened.

"Yes. We will defeat the King of Mages."

The utmost confidence in the master's words caught the Avenger off guard, but his expression, usually stoic, turned into a devious grin. "Kahahaha! That's the spirit! Now go on to the battle of heart-blazing revenge! You'll either accomplish your mission in time or we'll disappear before. I can't wait to find out. Of course, I'll be betting on you, master. Hahahahahahahahaha!"

Upon bidding everyone farewell, all the Chaldeans exchanged looks just to confirm that everyone was ready. Aside from Gilgamesh's blank expression, all eyes were burning with determination, or battle lust depending on the case.

"Let's go then. It's time to settle this-"

"Wait, Onii-chan. Shouldn't we do a group hug just like soccer teams before the match?"

"Aw, that would be lovely." Before Ritsuka could answer, Raikou was already pulling the three teenagers together.

"I second the idea! Charlie actually made us do that kind of thing on the rare occasions we were all together."

"I don't think I can take this battle as if it were just another sports festival, but I'll try..."

"Hugging is the last thing I would think to help raise a warrior's morale, but I'm in for trying it, master."

Astolfo, Illya, and Scathach agreed to it, with different degrees of embarrassment, while the other two Kings's expressions were immediately filled with repulsion and the Assassin tried to disappear from sight.

"I'll pass, master."

"There's no way in Kur I'm doing that, mongrels!"

"Hey, were are you going, Mr. Assassin? Are you really going to leave poor Illya alone?" Those words from Raikou were enough to convince Emiya to join reluctantly, not without an annoyed grunt. He was starting to regret getting close to that group during the fight.

However, the other servants would require more negotiation and insistence, though.

"What about just the hand? It isn't that embarrassing. C'mon, we need to be a single unit if we what to have an opportunity!"

Arturia opened her mouth to refute all of Ai's arguments, but she stopped before any sound could escape her lips. And then, those lips formed a wicked grin as her yellow eyes drifted to the irate King of Heroes.

"Actually, let's do it master. Quick!"

Much to everyone's confusion, she snatched Gilgamesh's hand and forced it to be over the others', causing a vein to pop out on the Golden King's temple.

"Keep your filthy hands off me, corrupted lowlife! I won't hesitate to turn you into an unrecognizable lump of flesh like those pillars!"

"Is that so? Would you do that if it was the other me?" That question caused Gilgamesh to pause for a single beat, but unfortunately for him, that was more than enough.

""TEAM CHALDEA, FIGHT!""

"ONOREEEE!"

---

Meanwhile, at the very heart of the Singularity beyond time and space, the silent figure of its creator sat on a majestic throne of pure white. It was located at the end of seemingly endless stairs, surrounded by Greek columns, and under a blue sky with the ever ominous band of light present.

The King of Mages sat with his eyes closed and a calm expression as if he didn't care about the struggle of epic proportions taking place outside his "fortress".

But that wasn't the case for a figure that appeared in front of him, kneeling like a loyal vassal despite its gruesome looks. The best way to put it would be if someone compressed a Demon God Pillar into a humanoid form.

"My King, as you might already know, our temple is being invaded. Were the masters of Chaldea not the only targets? What is this situation? What is this chaos? This savagery is not within our plan. We need to find countermeasures immediately. At this rate, the throne's protections will be lost. It will interfere with the King's work. Our purpose does not allow any mistake. The design of the new life does not allow the slightest distortion. However, we cannot hold back so many heroic spirits. My King, allow us the use of the Third Noble Phantasm."

With its plea stated, the King slowly opened his eyes, yet his eyes landed on the distance rather than his servant.

"What an ugly sight. Truly ugly to see, don't you agree, Bael?" The King stated as a matter of fact, and continued without waiting for an answer from the confused Demon God. "From the moment they set foot into this temple, any Heroic Spirit should have known of our purpose. The bands of light are the way of balancing old Humanity. To reach a better truth. Yet, they still attack us. Unbelievable."

The calm expression started to slowly morph into a depraved smile as he spoke, and his face gradually lost its human shape, turning into a demon.

"Truly, they are but scum with rotten brains! Fools who are Heroic Spirits in name only! No matter how much humans claim to have advanced, they themselves are the proof of humanity's limits!"

"Then, let us, the gazing stars, use the bands of light. We shall purge the Heroic Spirits!"

The King finally looked at his vassal, his grin turning into one of amusement. "What are you worried about? That is not like you, Bael. And you call yourself one of the 72 Demon Gods? Even if you incinerate those Heroic Spirits, as long as "that" exists, they'll keep endlessly reappearing. You only need to kill those two. Servants are but familiars summoned by humans. That flaw can't be redeemed by sheer numbers. Let them fight all they want until they are satisfied. This is their final battle after all."

The concern and hopelessness was only accentuated on the Demon God's "face". "But, my King, we too feel the unbearable pain of death. Will not the death of our terminals impact the throne?"

"That is your problem. As long as I, Solomon, exist, the 72 Demon Gods are indestructible. Even if a few pillars perish from the pain of death, they will be immediately replaced. Defeat is not possible for us, Bael. Slaughter Heroic Spirits by the dozens. Taste defeat by the dozens."

There was a moment of silent, but the Bael answered affirmatively. "On behalf of the Five Envoys, understood. We shall concentrate. On eliminating those Heroic Spirits."

"Hmph, I do understand your frustration." The smirk and playful tone disappeared, and the King's hands were now clutching to his throne's arms. "I too feel ready to lose control from anger. Why fight? Why lend a hand to Chaldea? Have you Heroic Spirits seen nothing throughout Human History?"

The Demon God had already returned to its endless battle before the King ended his rhetoric speech, but that was fine. All the anger he had been repressing to carry out his Grand deed, he will be able to let it out once the Chaldeans reach the throne.

The King lost track of time as he awaited, but finally, ten figures emerged from the inter-dimensional gate connecting the throne with the outside.

Some of them were amazed by the contrast between this heavenly landscape and the barren wasteland on the outside, others were already focused on him, raring to attack, that little Beast perched to the Shielder's shoulder seemed to remain neutral, and the two masters...

Well, he would be lying if those faces as if they were about to puke didn't satisfy him. It seemed that all those memories from his point of view he was sharing with them were already taking their toll. It was short-lived, much to his dismay, and they looked at him with resolute eyes.

They were completely lacking if he compared them to all the renowned figures that tried to make a change and failed miserably throughout Human History. It was hard to even take them seriously. Callous as they were now, the fact that they were just a pair of common children couldn't be washed away with blood and tears.

All that said, as a King, he supposed he should at least greet them properly.

"Welcome, masters of Chaldea and your peculiar entourage. I would have prepared a more outstanding meeting befitting of my status as a King, but unfortunately, I hate humans. I will give no reward for your long journey, nor goodwill."

"Solomon" spoke with a voice dripping so much sarcasm that it was almost unbearable. The two masters swallowed loudly, putting all their effort into sort out the last pieces of information Romani gave them on their way, and fortifying their resolves.

To make long story short, Romani discarded the option of this "Solomon" being an alter, stating that the original Solomon was the very definition of neutral, or perhaps, "nothing", which coincided with what King David said. Their only plausible theory was that this "Solomon" despite being the real one, was nothing more than a corpse controlled by someone else, just like Kingu's case back in the Seventh Singularity.

Something that strongly supported that theory was what they were able to see on "Solomon's" hands. Instead of the famous Ten Rings granted to him by the Lord, there were only nine.

There were only two questions remaining. Where was the Beast Da Vinci detected? And, of course, why?

"The only thing I have for you is sheer hatred, and a "Why?" Why did you come here? Why couldn't you restrain yourselves for a few more minutes? We were just putting the finishing touches on the Virtual First Noble Phantasm: "Ars Nova". Why must you appear before the start-up calculation is completed?"

"Virtual noble phantasm..." Mash parroted for a moment, her head quickly connecting the dots. "Just like me, he didn't know the true name of his Noble Phantasm. That only confirms our theory. That's just Solomon's body."

"Indeed, Mash Kirielight. I have three noble phantasms. The First Virtual Noble Phantasm I've just mentioned. The Second Noble Phantasm, The Time of Coronation Hath Come, I Am the Beginning of Eternity: Ars Paulina. Or in other words, this very Reality Marble. And the Third Noble Phantasm, well, you are already deeply acquainted with them."

"The bands of light... said to have an amount of energy that surpasses everything in the planet... and what burned all Human History." Ritsuka surmised, the frown in his face deepening, and his sister took a step forward with her fist raised and her teeth gritted.

"Then it's our turn to ask! Why did you even do that in the first place!? Someone who put together such a complex plan wouldn't just blow up Earth out of spite!"

Ai's question caused the King to raise an eyebrow. "Of course not. Do not tell me Chaldea's commander is so blind. It is true that this bands of light could burn the entire surface of the planet, but how would I benefit from that? You lot have it backwards. An source of energy exceeding those bands of light doesn't exist on Earth?"

The King's Face split into a demonic grin before starting to laugh mockingly. "Hahahahahahaha! That's absolutely right! Because it is made of you people! The bands of light are made of all the energy gathered from Earth! By destroying the foundation of Humanity and reducing the strength of Human History to zero, our gaze can the set fire to all! Flames will engulf the surface, burn all life, and civilization, and finally be extracted as residual spiritrons. After all, there's only one Earth. The amount of energy extracted by burning it isn't that much. But it's different for its inhabitants. No matter how many of you I burned, you continued to prosper. Reaching from the present to the past, I obtained limitless energy! The bands of light unify all that! That heat you looked upon was this planet's passion!"

"So it's true, just as Holmes speculated, the Human Order Incineration is just a means to an end..." Unlike the masters and some of the servants, Mash remained oddly calm upon hearing that revelation. "But then again, why would you need all that fuel for!?"

"Of course, so I can attain the ultimate position. We have no faith in you. If no one is going to achieve it, I will. I shall conquer death. And you will die miserably. Cling to your miserably insignificant lives for the brief moments remaining before my great task is complete!"

"Are you done with your speech, mongrel?" The King of Heroes retorted, but for the first time ever since coming into this Singularity, he seemed genuinely pissed off.

Rather than just standing with his arms crossed as usual, his right hand was already pulling the Sword of Rupture's hilt from his vault, and his red eyes were fixed on "Solomon's" demonic ones.

"You do not see value in them? Well, I, the true King through heaven and earth, do see their worth!"

Answering its master's will, Ea's cylinders started to spin, creating huge gusts of hellish winds and alarming the rest of the Chaldea.

"Hey, what are you doing!? We didn't exactly have an attack plan, but don't just start on your own-"

Gilgamesh completely ignored Scathach and continued to speak to "Solomon", who was, in turn, giving him an amused look.

"If you want to dispute that on equal ground, then at the very least, throw that stupid charade away already and show yourself, lowly Beast who knows no love! Roar, Ea!"

The "sword" was pointed at Solomon, and his figure disappeared among the storm of reality-warping winds alongside the entire throne. The servants had to catch the two masters and Illya to prevent them from being blown away or hit by the flying debris.

As the smoke started to disperse, none of them dropped their guards. The thought of that attack taking down "Solomon" didn't even cross their minds, more so because Gilgamesh didn't even release the True Name of that noble phantasm. And the tension started to reach a critical point as their eyes discerned a massive figure within the dust cloud, right were "Solomon's" had been.

"Hmph. Very well, meager king. Let us not waste any second." The voice that came from the mysterious figure was completely different from "Solomon's". It was deep and guttural, one could hardly call that human. "Bands of light, illuminate the throne! Let my great deed begin!"

""...!""

The moment that command was given, the entire scenery started to change with a loud tremor. The clear, blue sky turned into the same starry sky outside the throne, with the band of light in it now giving an ominous red glint, and countless Demon God tentacles started to emerge from all places, tainting the former calm landscape.

"Let this room be filled without blessing! For one of the Beasts of Disaster, an Evil of Humanity, shall manifest right here! Masters of Chaldea, you asked who I am. I'll answer that question. I existed as Solomon, the King of Mages. I am the King of Mages' avatar, as well as the system he created. I am the first familiar he created that became the foundation for you, mages. I ruled a nation with Solomon, and was left behind when he died, as a primordial curse. I used Solomon's body as a nest and achieved incarnation through a summoning spell..."

The dust was blown away, finally revealing a figure that immediately induced a primal fear in everyone's heart. A familiar fear for Ritsuka, Ai, and Mash, as they had felt it plenty during their most recent adventure.

A mostly humanoid figure, with a towering and sculpted body that was taller than even Heracles. With white and orange "skin" that had the same texture as the Demon God pillars. A sickening, big, purple eye emerged from its chest, alongside more red eyes in his arms. And from the top of its mouthless head, a pair of massive tree branches with dry leaves protruded like a pair of horns.

"As for my name... I had no name, but if you want to call me something, call me this: I am the one who shall attain true wisdom, as was desired of me. I am the one who shall devour you to reach a new height, and create a new planet. I am the one who shall gather 72 curses and set flame to all history. I am the Human Order Incineration Ritual. I am Goetia, the King of Demon Gods."

"Goetia... the very name of all the 72 Demon Gods combined..." Mash commented as she clutched her shield's handle firmly in an attempt to stop the trembling in all her limbs. "And that Spirit Origin... That's, without doubt, one of the Seven Evils of Humanity, Beast I."

"But man, he truly loves his speeches..." Ai tried to joke, but her smile was already trembling.

"Everyone, get ready..." Ritsuka commanded while grabbing his right hand with his left and greeted teeth.

However, the Beast still didn't show signs of getting ready for combat despite its overwhelming hostility and kept talking.

"I am a high-dimension being that no longer requires flesh and blood. I was granted power greater than humans and once served them. But no more. I am done with humans. Once, there was an omnipotent and omniscient King. He was given these powers by God. His eyes could see the past and future, and know all there was to know about the world. We became that man's shadow, and saw what he saw."

The King of Demon Gods raised one of its massive reddish hands and clenched it with so much strength it started trembling with unrestrained anger.

"No, as we were his guardian spirit, we had no choice but to synchronize with him. We saw much sadness. We saw many betrayals. We saw much pillaging. We saw many ends. We have seen enough, and will see no more. Even Gods can meet no end on this planet except through annihilation. We no longer care about humans or the future. What I seek is a perfect environment to raise a sapient being. This planet was a mistake. It was madness predicated on life with a fixed duration."

Its tone calmed down, turning solemn as if he were a prophet announcing the future, and it extended its arms theatrically.

"I will reach reach the apex of it all. I shall go 4.6 billion years into the past, and bear witness to the moment when this celestial body was born. I shall absorb all its energy, and make myself into a new planet, to remake its world. I shall rewrite the Book of Genesis, and create a world without the concept of death. That shall be our grand deed. We did not destroy mankind out of hatred. We just did it to gain the necessary amount of magical energy. To us, you humans were just fuel. Behold this throne. That is the culmination of your lives. That's why you will never be able to defeat those bands of light."

By the end of Goetia's speech, the faces of the Chaldeans were mostly of anger. Despite how grandiose and good that plan sounded on paper, it just spat all over everything they represented.

"What was even the point of all that talk, fiend? Did you think we would back down or something?" Saber Alter asked while barely restraining herself from just rushing at the Beast.

"No. This was just a last courtesy. I don't expect you humans to change yout underdeveloped minds. But, the same can't be said of you, Mash Kyrielight."

"Huh?" The Shielder let out a confused voice when the Beast pointed at her and all eyes landed on her figure.

"I've come to understand you. Can't you understand me? We both know how utterly meaningless life is. We both mourn death's inevitable approach. Isn't that right? The future is hollow. Humanity is worthless. Because even alive, they must be in constant fear of death. No matter what, death always comes for them, and separates them from each other. I tire of it. A world without dead is what someone like you should wish for. Though we are all one now, a measure of uncertainty still exists..."

Goetia's pointed hand opened with its palm facing upward, as if they were offering it to Mash. "We want someone, just a single person, to understand us. If we have even that much, then we can be completely certain in our plan. Mash Kyrielight, a life made by men, and one that is about to disappear. Join with us in rejecting all of human history. Tell us that we are correct. Just say one word: "Yes." With your assent, we shall permit you to journey with us towards the apex."

"Goetia..." Hit with that sudden offer, Mash bit her lips and looked aside for a moment.

However, the Beast understood it immediately. That wasn't a sign of her considering his offer. No, on the contrary. Witnessing that display of doubt and weakness after all that cold resolve, what the girl felt was actually... pity.

Their glowing red eyes drifted to her masters, clinging to one last hope. "I'm sure you're well aware, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Fujimaru Ai, that her life has long since reached its limit. Honor thy neighbor. Believe in thy friend. Love thy comrade. If that is what human righteousness is, then you should know what is best for her. Something within us is telling us not to leave her to die. To not let the last memory of this planet be of tragedy. The Human Order Incineration cannot be stopped. If you feel the same, shouldn't you at least save Mash?"

Much to their dismay, while the black-haired master seemed to have doubts as well, the orange-haired one didn't falter in the least, and looked a the other teenagers in the eye.

"You've been asking me the same thing all along..." After some seconds, Mash finally addressed the King of Demon Gods with a solemn look. "Your logic is sound. If death is certain, life then is meaningless. But meaning isn't something humans find in the middle of the journey. It's true that, in a world without deaths and ends, there would be no sadness. But that would be wrong. Even if I could live for eternity, I wouldn't want to. Even if my life ends in the blink of an eye, I want to see every second of this future!"

Met with utter reject, Beast I stood there in silence as their fists curled into fists. And the straw that broke the camel's back...

"FUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! There you have it, Beast! If you think you can come and challenge humanity with such poor conviction, then you might as well just give up!"

Upon hitting the Beast with his usual provocation, the King of Heroes snapped his fingers and started raining weapons on it.

"Tsk. In that case, activating Third Noble Phantasm!"

The King of Demon Gods commanded the band of light behind them, which started to emit even more ominous light as if it were charging up, all the while shrugging the weapons colliding against his body off.

"Oh shut! We need to destroy him before that thing finishes charging!"

Saber Alter, Scathach, and Raikou didn't need further command, and immediately rushed at Goetia at blurring speeds. The Beast mirrored them, turning into an orange blur despite its bulky frame, and winded up his fist to meet the Holy Sword wrapped in a thick mana burst.

The clash pulverized the concrete around them and sent another powerful shock wave, but unlike all the other Demon Gods that had been on the receiving end of her vile hammer, Goetia resisted it with just some burns. Arturia wasn't fazed in the least, and immediately brought back her repelled sword to smash aside the other fist coming for her head like a demolition ball.

Matching their fists one by one with her Holy Sword, the two were equally balanced, but that balance was destroyed when another servant entered the fray.

"HAAAAAHHH!"

Raikou came down with her tachi wrapped in lightning, hittingg Goetia right in the head. The attack didn't seem to cause that much damage, no different from just hitting him with a regular hammer, but it caused them to stagger.

"Hnn!" With a powerful ascending swing, Saber launched Goetia in the air, where a series of red-blood spears hunted them.

"Stab and penetrate! Thrust and impale!"

No matter how much they twisted their body, the spears bent and changed their trajectory to impale their four limbs as a result of the activation of the Queen of the Land of Shadows' Noble Phantasm. Effectively pinned in the middle of the air, the Beast was completely defenseless when Scathach hurled her remaining spear at them with all her might.

"Gáe Bolg Alternative!"

The Soaring Spear of Piercing Death demolished the sound barrier, crossing the distance in a beat and punching a massive hole on Goetia's chest. And before even blood or something akin to it spilled, a certain magical girl was already swinging her Kaleidostick from above with a ridiculous amount of magical energy!

"Take this!"

The Beast's body disappeared in a massive pillar of pinkish light that crashed into the floor with a big explosion.

"Did we-" Before Ritsuka could finish his sentence, a massive beam of magical energy emerged from the dust cloud, coming right at them.

"Master!" Mash immediately intercepted the attack, but it had so much force behind that her metal boots caved into the concrete and even slid through it before she could redirect it upward. When she peered from behind the Round Table Shield, her purple eyes widened upon seeing the King of Demon Gods coming at them like a raging bull, completely unharmed.

"I won't let you-" The Genji General tried to intercept them, but much to her surprise, her tachi was caught by the Beast's hand. Goetia ignored how the blade sank into its body, and the divine lightning wrecked its body from the inside out, and threw the Berserker like a rag doll at the next incoming target without missing a beat.

Scathach evaded the human projectile, and thrust her spear at the Beast's neck while Excalibur Morgan aimed at the chest. And once again, the King of Demon Gods toughed them out with suicidal recklessness. Not just that, but the fact that their attacks didn't slow it down in the least caught them by surprise, causing them to not be able to dodge when Goetia's extended arms smashed them against the ground in a maneuver that would make Quetzalcoatl whistle.

"Run away, masters!"

Mash shouted before running to intercept the Beast herself. The first punch came with enough strength to take down an entire fortress, and collided dead on the Round Table Shield's center. However, thanks to the boosting spells both masters casted on Mash right before the impact, she tanked it without much of a problem.

The Shileder gritted her teeth, brazing herself for the next impact, but it never came. The second fist opened the grab the border of her shield, and threw her aside despite how much resistance Mash put up.

"No!" Unlike other times she was flung around, Mash spun around in mid air and threw her shield, piercing Goetia's side with its lower edge and halting its charge just enough.

"Chains of Heaven!" The most precious treasure emerged from the Gate of Babylon to wrap around the Beast's for limps and neck.

Space itself started to crack, as Goetia exerted unbelievable amounts of strength, with chunks of chains being blown away. But the support was on its way.

"Trap of Argalia!" Charlemagne's paladin slid under Goetia's legs, hitting them with his lance and forcing the Evil of Humanity to kneel.

At that moment, the models of the most renowned legends shot from the King's vault, mercilessly piercing Goetia's body to the point of turning it into a pincushion. While chunks of its body were blown away, no blood was spilled, only some kind of black smoke came out from the ruined body. And for the finished, a certain hooded Assassin appeared right beside the Beast, pointing his Thompson Contender at their temple.

With the click of its trigger being pulled, Goetia's head burst like a watermelon.

"..." However, EMIYA sensed a massive red flag when the headless body didn't fall limp. And just as he suspected, the blown up head grew back in a matter of seconds much to their horror.

"Keep hitting him!"

"On it! Shoot!" A barrage of pink beams descended on the Beast, pummeling his body even further, but it did little to stop them.

Goetia spread his arms, revealing the lines of gruesome eyes under them, which were now glowing ominously and pointing right at the masters and Gilgamesh.

The two masters eyed the Golden King, but he was completely unfazed as he put magical energy into Ea once again, with no visible intention of defending.

"King Gilgamesh, do some-"

"Don't worry! I'm here, master!" Much to their relief, Mash made it in time after retrieving her shield, just before a myriad of purple spikes were fired in their direction.

It was quite like being in the receiving end of the Gate of Babylon, just that there were way more spikes fired at the same time, and they still packed a considerable punch despite their small size. Their surroundings started to be vaporized while the projectiles hit the Round Table Shield like pouring water.

The shield barely had a scratch on its surface, but its wielder was being pushed back, carving a pair of trails in the ground with her feet. Even with the two masters supporting her, the attack was putting a massive strain on her without the use of her noble phantasm.

Even through the Chaos, they could hear the sounds of impacts and explosions, caused by their other servants attacking the King of Demon Gods. They were literally shredding the Beast apart, but it just kept committed to its attack on the masters. It was almost as if Goetia was mocking them.

"Master... guh... what should we do?" Mash asked, waiting for them to come up with a way to break the stalemate, most likely releasing her Noble Phantasm.

"No, wait. They are coming." Contrary to her expectations, Ai told her to await as she looked at the starry sky.

Once again, several shooting stars were coming in their direction, the first of them landing right beside Mash. In a repeat of what happened during their first assault, the Maiden of Orleans appeared from the light, and planted her banner firmly, not wasting a second to unleash her Noble Phantasm.

"Sorry for the waiting! Luminosité Eternelle!"

The holy light expanded, not only pushing back the ruthless spikes, but also Goetia themselves. In that split second that the King of Demon Gods was recovering, the figure of the King of Heroes rose from behind them, and for the second time, swung the Sword of Rupture, now with way more charged up power.

"Enuma Elish!"

Beast I was swallowed by the hurricane of pure destruction, and came in direct contact with the Truth. The very hellish landscape they were trying to reach. The first memories of the planet.

On the outside, it took some seconds for the reality-warping winds to settle, leaving a massive, fuming crater with no apparent signs of life on it.

"I would like to ask if that did the trick, but I'm afraid the result would be the same as last time..." Ritsuka said hesitatingly, and Jeanne nodded.

"I'm afraid it will take more than that to take out that Beast, yeah. It's case isn't that far from Tiamat's."

"Gil, can't you just prepare a big one?"

The answer Ai received was a devious grin. "Just wait some more."

"Well, at least some of you have some common sense." The voice of the King of Demon Gods sent chills down everyone's spine as they looked up to see them floating in the middle of the air, completely unharmed. "How many times do I have to say it? As long as this throne exists, we 72 Demon Gods are simple invincible. Cease these pointless struggle!"

Accompanying their voice, the eyes under their arms shone in tandem with the big eye on their chest. This time, though, it wasn't spikes that were fired from them. It was massive beams like the one they fired just a minute ago.

"Get cover!"

The battlefield became a true pandemonium with death raining on it. Mash and Jeanne were managing to hold on with their barriers combined, but the other servants were left to fend on their own.

Sensing their servants' situation through their bonds... it was tough, to say the least. Even Saber Alter was sustaining considerable damage despite her high endurance. But fortunately, it didn't last enough for the situation to truly turn bleak as a barrage of cannon balls hit the King of Demon Gods.

It didn't do that much damage, nor did it interrupt the attack, but Goetia did turn his attention to the flying ship that fired them, commanded by a daring, pink-haired captain.

"Tch. More pests. Don't you see we're in a hurry here!?"

Some of the beams were there directed at the ship, which tried to counter by firing its heaviest cannons in a vain effort to delay the inevitable. The Wild Hunt took a critical amount of damage, with good chunks of it having been blown away with part of the tribulation.

But as it dropped to the floor, the real attack began.

"Switch On: Airgetlám!"

"Hu-"

The Holy Sword reshaped into a metallic arm and chopped Goetia right on its head before it could react, sending it stumbling onto the floor.

"Take this, bastard! CLARENT BLOOD ARTHUR!"

Before they could even hit the floor, a massive wave of red lightning struck them in mid-air. The King of Demon Gods spun several times, their body fuming as it repaired the damage before they finally managed to land and regain their balance.

They immediately pointed their arms at the two Sabers still in the middle of the air to retaliate, but then a silver blade wrapped in golden light struck in an exhalation, cleanly slicing both arms. A certain Bride Saber landed in front of the Beast, giving them the most confident smile.

"Fool! We're the ones who cannot waste time with you!"

A deep frown appeared on Goetia's "face", and the big eye on their chest started to glow ominously to vaporize the servant in front of them-

"Disinfecting!" Out of nowhere, the fist of the Iron Nurse collided against their head, forcing them to stagger some meters to the side.

And it didn't stop there. Nightingale doubled down, not giving Goetia any margin to recover, throwing punches all over their body like a machine gun. The frustration on the King of Demon Gods' face was visible while they grew back their arms.

"Enough!" Once they had them back, Goetia decided to match the Berserker blow for blow with their own punch rush, quickly overwhelming her. Despite Nightingale's efforts, one of those massive fists ended up sliding through her guard, hitting her square in the chest with a gut-wrenching hook.

"Gah!" The Iron Nurse was blown away while spitting blood, but not even a beat later, a knight clad in red thunder was planting her boot firmly on Goetia's face with a mana burst.

In a surprising tack team maneuver, the corrupted knight was already waiting behind the Beast, swinging her Holy Sword and covering them in black light.

"EXCALIBUR MORGAN!"

The servants that were near could tell they saw the Beast being burned to ashes by the Last Phantasm, but much to their horror, Goetia just popped back unscratched, right behind Arturia.

"Wh-" Even with her instinct bordering precognition, she wasn't able to react in time due to her piling-up injuries, and the Beast's fist hit her right in the back of her head, sending her right at Mordred.

The Knight of Betrayal clumsily caught the King of Knights, falling on her back and sliding for some meters.

"Oi, pops! It's too early for you to faint on me!"

Even with her taunting voice, Arturia was still fighting off the dizziness. Now that Mordred looked closer, her armor was a mess, and she was bleeding all over.

Her right hand gripped Clarent's handle harder as she rose, leaving Arturia on the floor to face Goetia, just in time to see Nero ramming them with her Aestus Estus right on the chest. The light obliterated their upper part.

But the moment she brought back the sword, the Beast's body grew back almost instantly.

"Guh!" A hand was already choking the Empress of Roses before she could react, and she was brutally slammed against the floor, her body sinking into the rock some feet.

The cycle started to repeat. The servants were desperately throwing everything they had at the Beast, but they just kept popping back and surprise attack the servants. Some of them were already on their last legs, regardless of the masters and Nightingale's efforts.

Mordred had her helmet shattered after a pretty nasty punch, EMIYA's guns were destroyed when he desperately tried to block a kick that almost pierced his Spirit Core, Bediviere's organic arm ended up bent in the wrong way, Astolfo's Hippogriff was blasted off from the sky, and they even rammed an Illya that tried to run him over with a familiar Pegasus, forcibly uninstalling the Rider Class Card out of her body.

In Ai's slang, they were getting "reverse-jumped." There didn't seem to be an end to it either. They were sure Goetia was dying just as all the other Demon God pillars, but it wasn't working. If killing all the 72 pillars and the figurative head wasn't doing the trick then...

Where they truly invincible in this Reality Marble? No condition or gimmick they could use to turn around like they've always done?

Chaldea's command room has gone radio silent for quite some time, so maybe they were squishing their heads to come up with a way?

"Ruby... guh... I don't think I have much time left..."

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Upon receiving Illya's nod, the Kaleidostick would have shown a prideful, yet bitter smile.

Illya was bleeding from parts she didn't even know she had, and the magical energy sustaining her existence was dangerously low. With all that said, she made her decision. The girl that once was utterly afraid of facing conflict, was now about to go out with an absolute banger. It was the only thing she could think of to make use of what little time she had and give the other servants a brief respite to regroup.

A copy of Zaphire appeared on her right hand, and the horrendously painful process to unleash her noble phantasm began as the two Kaleidosticks merged to become the ultimate Mystic Code.

"Muscular system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, lymphatic system... Pseudo-Magical Circuit conversion complete!"

In a burst of raw magical energy, Illya's magical girl dress was now a mixture of hers and Miyu's, and butterfly-like wings made of pure energy sprouted from her legs. It was then that the two masters noticed what she was about to do, and their faces paled even more.

"Illya don't-"

"This is my all! QUINTETT FEUER!"

Using all her artificial magic circuits, Illya fired a massive beam as radiant as the light of a planet straight at the King of Demon Gods. The night turned day when it came crashing down on Goetia, and with an eardrum-shattering explosion, the beam punched through the ground all the way to the other side.

As the light faded, so did the figure of the valiant girl who stood side by side with figures of legend. With one last "good luck" to her masters, her Spirit Origin collapsed an returned to Chaldea's Saint Graph database.

Even if she wasn't meant to take the spotlight in this battle, even if she was but just one of the many servants helping their masters, she had no doubt that Chaldea would find a way to make it through.

"Hmph. What a pitiful sacrifice. Truly pitiful. I sensed that that little girl wasn't that different from Mash Kyrielight. But she too had to reject us..."

The King of Demon Gods commented as they reformed above the throne. He was just as impassive as when the fight started, and that reminded the same when those same reality-warping winds invaded the entire throne room.

"No, as much as it pains me to admit, that doll's display of courage was the perfect curtain raiser to set everything into motion." The King of Heroes announced from above the Beast, his Sword of Rupture already reaching its maximum output and the red lines on his bare torso pulsing with power. "Now, let us get the show going, my friend!"

"Of course, Gil! Let us show this thing the door!" The Ultimate Weapon created by the Gods replied enthusiastically from bellow, with all the ground around them glowing and turning into countless chains.

"I will tell you of the beginning. Heaven and Earth split."

"I will awaken the breath of the planet!"

"Nothingness congratulated Creation and my sword cleaved the world!"

"For I walk with with humanity..."

"Mortar of the stars... Heaven's hell in the eave of creation's celebration! ENUMA ELISH!"

"Therefore... ENUMA ELISH! O' humans, let us bind the Gods!"

Both noble phantasms sharing the same name were fired, hitting the Beast right at their intersection. The Sword of Rupture that was starting to tear apart the very space called "Solomon: The Temple of Time", and the Chains of Heaven that drew power from the very planet and melded it together, collided creating a sort of a paradox.

It was hard to put it into words. The servants and masters clinging to dear life behind Jeanne's noble phantasm could barely make what was even happening aside from the doomsday light show and the total loss of hearing aside from ringing. And that was worrying because the barrier looked to be about to fall apart at any moment alongside Jeanne's banner and they weren't even sure it was working.

Maybe just blowing up the entire thing was the only way after all. But there was the tiny problem of the masters and Chaldea getting caught in the collateral damage.

Given the circumstances, though, it was pretty much their only hope-

"Heh. I must admit, this last desperate attempt caught me off guard a little. But playtime is over."

The voice of the King of Demon Gods somehow made it past the world-ending cacophony and sent chills down both masters' spines. They didn't need any kind of clairvoyance to tell that the oppressive feeling gripping their hearts was a really bad omen.

"Begone."

BA-BUMP

A strange pulse covered the entire throne. No signs of an attack. The masters checked themselves from head to toe, failing to notice any anomaly, but that did little to alleviate their increasing anxiety.

And all that culminated in a massive knot in the stomach the moment they looked around and the image of all the servants aside from Mash disappearing in golden dust with confused expressions.

"Wait... Waitwaitwait! What's happening!?"

It was Scathach, who remained somewhat calm despite her obvious grievance, who answered Ritsuka's question.

"The very spell that allowed us to manifest has been undone. I guess that Beast truly is the origin of all summoning spells..."

"You have to be kidding... You mean, he has been playing with us the entire time!?"

"Please, don't let yourself fall into despair, master." Jeanne tried to sooth Ai, with little success, but then, the Bride Saber gently grabbed her shoulders.

"Remember what we talked about, Ai. Just a little push more. You will reach your happy ending."

The confident smile didn't leave Nero's face even when her form finally faded away, leaving the orange-haired master desperately trying to cling to specks of light. Tears threatened to slide through her cheeks, but she managed to push them back, gritting her teeth before turning around.

Mash was doing her best to keep Ritsuka on track, and the apocalyptic storms faded away as well, with Gilgamesh and Enkidu nowhere to be seen. The zone bellow the throne had been turned into tiny floating rocks that were now melding together... and of course...

The King of Demon Gods was standing there, in the same spot and state as when the fight started. As if nothing had happened. As if their desperate struggle had been completely pointless, just as Goetia predicted.

There was a difference, though... The band of light hanging in the starry sky was now brimming with magical energy, ready to be fired at any moment. Just looking at it made her want to just shut down and wait for the end. But she immediately pushed that aside, clenching her fists as she threw one last defiant look at Goetia.

"Empty words from a desperate fool. I was a little wary of that light of hers, but it turned out to be just as powerless as all the others. Well then..."

Beast I raised their arms, causing the band of light to glow even more.

"Third Noble Phantasm deployment complete. I shall herald the end of humanity with the fire that scorches the world. Farewell, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Fujimaru Ai. Farewell, Mash Kyrielight. Your journey ends here."

The black-haired master looked at his first servant, not knowing what to do, but the look he received caused his breath to get stuck. A look of gratitude reserved only for someone who was about to bid you farewell.

"Master, will you hold my hand one last time?"

He took her hand hesitatingly, and that seemed to clear any doubt she might have had as she walked forward with her shield at the ready.

"Mash... What are you..."

"I don't know what director Marisbury had in mind when he created me, but I think, it was for this very moment. So, leave it to me. Your battle won't end here. I'll make sure of it."

And so, the King of Demon Gods and the Knight of the Snowflake Shield started to chant to release their noble phantasms.

"I shall stand before on the seat of catastrophe..."

"The Time of Birth Hath Come, I am the Remedy of Eternity."

"That which heals all wounds and grudges, our glorious homeland. Manifest yourself, LORD CAMELOT!"

"Burn like the garbage you are! Ars Almadel Solomonis!"

The majestic, white walls of Camelot manifested just in time, even that utopic sight was completely dwarfed by the massive light produced by burning 3000 years of Human History.

It was as if time stopped the moment that light collided against the Shield. Nothing on the planet could stop those bands of light, but that was only if one thought in terms of physical laws. Her defense was a Shield of the psyche. If there was no impurity, and no hesitation within it, its invincible walls would never melt or break.

Both masters were aware of that. It was the only reason they made it out alive in the face of the Holy Lance that shines at the end of the world. If there was something that could stop this light, it was Mash's shield.

But...

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

""MASH!""

Both masters creamed her name upon hearing her herculean struggle. It was hard to see or hear her in the small vacuum behind her as she blocked the heat that would pierce the planet. A hellish moment that seemed to last an eternity.

At that moment, the girl gripping the Shield with all her might started to think of all their journey so far, and the journey to come. She thought of the past, and the future she would not be there for.

"I'm glad... This should open an opportunity for you, masters. Thank you for everything. I want to pay you back for everything you gave me... That's why I was able to put my own weakness aside and push ahead, senpai. And now, I really feel like my life had value. Like Captain Drake said, at the end I finally realized my dream... That's right. That's why I wanted your approval. But I regret one thing..."

Mash was literally pouring her heart out with a solemn voice, trying to give her masters the courage to push on. But contrary to her intentions, each word felt like a knife stabbing Ritsuka's heart. And when she turned her head around to show him one last smile, it was the final nail in the coffin.

"I was always the one that was protected. So at least once... I wanted to be useful to Senpai."

"MAAAAAAASHHHHHH!"

He was only able to shout her name desperately before the light finally swallowed everything.

Her words didn't make sense to him. He was always behind the protection of her shield, but at the end of the day, it was only his presence that allowed her to put her life on the line all those times. Even if it all started in a simple chance meeting one morning. That was how strong her gratitude was towards him.

And that decided the outcome of that clash.

After some seconds, the two masters recovered their senses, only to meet a lone shield standing strong in front of them.

The girl that had been holding it was nowhere to be found. Her body wasn't able to endure the heat of 3000 years of Human History and evaporated. But her heart remained untouched, and her snowflake shield remained unscathed as it protected her masters to the end.

She was neither a brave warrior, nor the protagonist of the story. In the end, she was simply an ordinary girl.

"It's over. It ended like I imagined." Goetia commented in an oddly solemn voice as they watched the two masters inevitably cry looking at shield. It was a miserable sight, one of the many that prompted them to start this grand plan.

But then, much to their surprise, Ritsuka's sorrowful expression flipped completely, shifting to one of utter fury with the veins in his eyes dilating even further.

"GOETIAAAAA!"

He ran up to his first servant's shield and tried to grab it to attack the Beast, but he could barely lift it, unfortunately. Mash always made it look really easy despite the shield being taller than them, but for the master, despite having a healthy and trained body, it was hard to even walk with it. It wasn't that different from trying to run while carrying a closet

"Onii-chan, stop!" But before he attempted it anyway, his sister stopped him. "Don't just throw your life as well!"

"But... but..." Seeing the pained expression on his sister, the rational part he still had told him that getting killed would shatter Ai's heart even worse than his. But asking him to just put aside the swelling rage and sadness in his was too much.

"Pitiful. Reloading Third Noble Phantasm. I'll give you the benefit of dying the same way. Oh, but I guess I should give you one last chance to strike at me. At the very least, I know how you feel. Do it in memory of Mash Kyrielight. Strike me with those frail human hands and then die."

Goetia's words, even if they weren't in a mocking tone, weren't helping in the least. Ritsuka was pretty much growling through his teeth. But then, a completely unexpected voice made him stop dead cold.

"Wait, calm down a little, Ritsuka. A suicide attack isn't your style. Try to save your strength for now."

It was Doctor Roman's voice, but it wasn't coming through the communication devices... Much to everyone's shock, he was casually walking up to them with his usual, friendly smile.

"Doc!? What are you doing here!?"

"Hey there. You two have done it really well until now. I hate to steal your thunder at the end, but it's my turn for a bit."

His words left everyone in shock. Except for Fou, who was still silent, but if someone had looked at him, they would have seen him give Romani a look of approval.

"Romani Archaman... How did a mere human gain entry to my throne room? No... wait. That Spirit Origin!?"

The King of Demon God's voice started to get a little tense when they saw Romani pull off the glove covering his left hand, revealing a familiar golden ring. Both masters forgot how to breathe the moment they recognized it, and their brains finally started to put together the remaining pieces of the puzzle.

"Wait, don't tell me..."

"Yeah. I've forsaken the wish I made upon the Holy Grail. From now one, my words and actions will be from my original self."

"The tenth ring that I- no, he lost... No, you can't be!" Beast I remained in denial, so Romani proceeded to clarify it further.

"It was over a decade ago. When the head of Chaldea, Marisbury Animusphere joined the Holy Grail War, he prepared the greatest catalyst possible: this ring. King Solomon sent it into the distant future at the time of his death. He didn't know why at that stage. He thought it was just another of God's whims. But Marisbury dug up the ring and summoned a Heroic Spirit to win the Holy Grail War. That was Solomon, the very first servant summoned by Chaldea."

That now made all the information they got from Tri-Hermer make sense, but Romani didn't stop there.

"Alongside Marisbury, he obtained the Holy Grail, and his wish was granted. His wish was a very ordinary one: "I want to be human.""

"Impossible! Absurd! You can't be that man! That man had no wishes! That man was inhuman! Cold! Cruel! Emotionless! The man after who I was partnered could not have possessed an ordinary wish!"

Goetia's words actually caused Romani to grimace. "Ouch... Hearing that from you stings. You hate me a little too much. But anyway. Solomon's wish was granted. But there was a little problem. You see, Solomon possessed the skill Clairvoyance, and it was so potent that he was pretty much omniscient. When he became human, he lost all those powers. That wasn't a problem on its own, but just before his power left him, he saw it. The end of mankind. He panicked, but by then, he was human. Who? How? For what purpose? And how could it be stopped? He couldn't know, but he couldn't ignore it either. Because he was involved in it. And that's how my journey began. A journey to relearn how to be human from scratch, and to be prepared. Of course, some instances of luck came into play, the greatest of them being you two."

His serious face turned into one of gratitude as he turned to look at both masters still in shock. "And I don't mean just the day we met. During this entire Grand Order, there wasn't a moment you two weren't there to help me. I thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to you, Mash, and all those servants, I was able to reach this moment."

Having said that, Romani faced Goetia one last time as a human. "You said you had no need of the name "King of Mages" anymore. I'll take it back then."

Romani's body was covered by a golden glow for a moment, and when it faded away, King Solomon's figure had replaced his. However, the difference in aura to when Goetia was using the body was like day and night. The Solomon standing by their side was solemn, but he still retained some of Romani's friendliness towards the masters.

"I am Solomon, King of Mages. Goetia, it is I, who shall read you your last rites. Life always comes to an end. Life is a pilgrimage of suffering. But it is not a story of death and separation. Goetia, embodiment of all my sins, Beast born from my corpse... I shall pass judgment on your evil on my own hands."

The King of Demon Gods stood there quiet for a moment, until they suddenly busted out laughing, even grabbing their belly.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You, of all people, came to stop us!? Now that it's already over, mankind's greatest fool, this worthless king, makes an appearance. How like Solomon, to come to try to erase his shame! You are no match for me as a mere Heroic Spirit! The only one who could stop me was the real, living you! What power do you have after death!? I'll blast that head of yours into oblivion with your own Noble Phantasm!"

The Beast rushed at Solomon, throwing a punch with all their might, but it was stopped by an invisible barrier just inches from the King of Mages' head. The shock wave blew away chunks of the ground, but Solomon remained unperturbed.

"Actually, that is the plan. I will be extinguished by my own Noble Phantasm. This is the end for King Solomon."

"What?" Solomon's nonchalant words left Goetia, and also Ritsuka and Ai behind him, utterly confused.

Paying it no mind, the King of Mages raised his arms and pulled off his ten rings. "I'll teach you one last magecraft. You knew Solomon's final Noble Phantasm, but you never knew its True Name. No, you could never know its True Name."

Solomon clasped his hands with the ten rings inside them and started chanting while looking at the sky. "The Time of Birth Hath Come. I Am the Remedy of Eternity. I am the Beginning of Eternity. And finally... the Time of Parting Hath Come."

Those words finally made Goetia react, and they started to truly panic, desperately punching the invisible barrier with all their might.

"Impossible! You can't do that! Stop! Stop! Stop! Those rings are no longer yours!"

But it was too late.

"I Am He Who Surrenders the World... Ars Nova. O' Heavenly Father, I return to you your blessings."

Solomon opened his hands, and the rings started floating on their own before shooting forth like arrows to pierce Goetia.

"Gah!" For the first time, the Beast let out a pained cry as the rings flung them at the throne and pinned them to it in a pose reminiscent of the crucifixion.

Even if it wasn't visually impressive like so many noble phantasms and didn't seem to cause that much damage, both masters could tell that something about the place they were in, the Temple of Time, had changed.

Even if the ten rings granted him true omnipotence, King Solomon used them only once during his life. And in the end, he chose to return them to Heaven of his own free will. He seemed to be saying that the era in which fate rested in the hands of the Almighty was no more, and the era in which humans would live freely had come.

That tale was the very essence of Solomon's Final Noble Phantasm.

"How could you make such a choice?" Goetia started to ask in a subdued voice that became more aggressive progressively while they got off the throne. "How could you DO such a thing? Why are you even capable of making that decision!? You, the very incarnation of laziness and compromise in this world!"

"Yeah, it is strange." The King of Magecraft answered with an ironic smile. "We saw the same things, sat on the same throne, and spent the same time together. But we reached completely opposite conclusions. If there was a difference between us, it would be... that I simply didn't have the freedom to get mad."

"What..."

The King of Demon Gods simply couldn't comprehend what just happened with their cold and rational mind. But then, Solomon's body started to fade away like all the other servants before, which in turn finally made the two masters snap out of it.

""What did you do, Doc/Doctor Roman!?""

"I just... let go of everything I had. If this domain is itself King Solomon's corpse, then it's going to collapse soon. During his life, King Solomon returned his rings to the heavens. This Noble Phantasm recreates that legend."

"Fou..."

"But... even if you gave up your powers... why are you disappearing?"

Solomon grimaced for a moment at Ritsuka's precise question. "Not just my power. It is my everything. Of course, I would start to disappear. You could say it is a bit of a suicide attack."

"It's not that simple! You just gave up on being a Heroic Spirit! It's not about giving up one's life... it's the complete abandonment of one's existence! Everything Solomon accomplished will be worthless! The Temple of Time will lose all its powers! The 72 Demon Gods will cease to be a colony and will go back to being individual demons! Neither Solomon, nor his works will ever appear on Earth again! You'll disappear even from the Throne of Heroes! An end no human has ever reached! True nothingness! And you did that to yourself!?"

""What?"" Goetia's speech unwittingly left both masters on the verge of a mental collapse.

Seeing servants die was always sad, but after their journey, they kind of grew to accept that. But that was even worse than what happened to Mash... and the second dear person they were about to lose in less than five minutes...

"That's right, I will disappear from the Throne of Heroes. The agent of God will disappear from Human History. The world shall be ruled by the laws of physics and human knowledge. With the complete annihilation of Solomon, King of Mages, the Age of Gods will truly come to an end."

"Stop with the nonsense!" Ai couldn't hold herself from snapping at him, tears filling her eyes once again. "Why did it come to this!? Why are you dying, too!? We could... we could..."

She couldn't continue further when Romani caressed her hair. "Yeah... It's scary and sad, even for me... but it was something only I could do. And since that's the case, I had to do it, no matter how painful it was. It is the right thing to do. That's what you all taught me."

"But that... *sob* isn't fair..."

"It isn't fair? …No, I suppose it isn't... Sorry. I was inconsiderate right to the very end. But now, the seal is broken. Goetia's immortality is over..."

Unable to see both masters in that state, Romani looked at the Beast. "You were a spell woven to watch over mankind, and in turn, you chose to destroy its future. You have turned away from your duty. And now, it's time to pay the price."

"My duty... My duty!? Are you saying that I, as an omnipotent collective, have a duty to watch over mankind!? Do you think being forced to watch over the lives of humans is an interesting task, one worthy of me!?" Goetia retorted with unrestrained rage. "I'm sick of it! They just disappear, and only fear remains! Every human's life is a story of hate and despair! It is a terrible thing to watch!"

"That's what you fail to understand, Goetia. Of course, nothing is eternal and pain awaits us all in the end. But that doesn't make a story of despair. Not at all. It's a fight against death and separation in what precious little time one is given. It's a repetition of meetings and partings, despite knowing there's an end." Romani's expression softened. "Humans' stories are dazzling, brief journeys, like twinkling stars. They are stories of love and hope."

That was the conclusion of just not what he experienced during his previous life, but also, during this Grand Order. But unfortunately, even after putting it into words as best he could, Beast I didn't seem to buy it in the least if their frown was anything to go by.

"Even if you don't believe me, you will certainly see it with your own eyes. The very proof you overlooked."

With those last words to the Beast, Romani looked at the two masters again. "It's time. The last thing I... No, the last thing WE will see is your victory. This is my own order as Chaldea's commander: Don't worry about me. Fight until you claim perfect victory. As a human, you defeated Solomon, King of Mages. Now, you must defeat the Beast that claims to be the King of Mages. Now go, Ritsuka, Ai. Everything you two and Mash did has led to this moment, to the end of your journey."

Both masters swallowed the lump in their throats as they could, and tried to swipe their tears while showing their best resolved faces.

"Thank you, doctor. For everything."

"You can leave it to us, doctor."

Seeing that, Romani Archaman finally disappeared, with one of the most beautiful smiles they'd ever seen.

"Utter nonsense!" Goetia finally reacted, ominous magical energy swirling around them as they began walking towards the masters. "Your deception will not sway us! You will die here, humans! Our grand deed remains incomplete, but unhindered! Everything will be fine as long as I can activate my Last Noble Phantasm before our union collapses! I will kill you, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Fujimari Ai! What can you even do, masters with no servants!?"

Their furious speech was accompanied by the activation of the band of light behind them, but the masters remained unfazed. In fact, the golden-eyed master started to walk towards them, with command seals in her hand shining brightly.

Her face was set in a mixture of fury, and also, complete confidence. Her eyes weren't even looking at the King of Demon Gods, but the starry sky behind them.

Curious, the Beast looked at the sky too, and... "Huh? What is that!?"

One of the stars was now considerably bigger than the others. Scratch that. It shined like a star, but that wasn't a star at all! It was a Spirit Origin on a different scale than all others that invaded the reality marble.

"You're right, we sadly can't do this with our own strength. But we're not alone! We've never been! There's a star that has been guiding us up until now! The simplest, yet brightest desire that guides us humans!"

The master brought up her hand with the Command Seals as if she were trying to reach the stars. She could feel how that small connection that she had with that star was finally completed, and she proudly made the call she had been patiently waiting for.

"COME, SABEEERRRRR!"

And so, the shooting star came crashing down on the throne in a torrent of golden light, right between the master and the Beast. The very impact sent shock waves throughout the entire reality marble, and the barren land became a grassland teeming with life.

After some seconds, the light finally faded away, revealing a familiar figure with auburn hair, and golden eyes, and wielding that beautiful golden sword emitting a warm feeling. However, the usual black and red combat suit was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he was wearing Roman-style golden armor with red accents and even a red cape.

The feeling his presence transmitted of "everything will be okay" was greater than ever, and that outfit only reinforced it.

His serious expression became soft as he looked at both masters, almost like a father coming to help their children, and opened his mouth to greet them.

"Sorry for being late. It wasn't until now that the conditions for my summoning were met. But worry not. Servant, Grand Saber. In answer to your honest wishes, this sword has come to cut a path towards a happy ending. Let us save humanity together."

He barely finished his speech when the orange-haired master suddenly tackled him into a hug.

"You sure took your sweet time! But I'm glad you're finally here..." Ai couldn't hold back the tears, but this time, there was a big smile on her face. After having hit rock bottom, she was finally experiencing hope again. "Besides, why the new drip? Did you have that superhero landing planed all along?"

"I too feel weird with so fancy. Truth be told, it was Nero who designed it using the depiction of the Founding Father after ascending to godhood as inspiration, and didn't stop insisting until we forged it. She said I should be dressed properly for a grand occasion, and I'm sure I wouldn't hear the end of it if I didn't use it for this one."

A giggle escaped Ai's lips as she broke the hug. Hearing it from Nero was one thing, but hearing it from Saber, those two really sounded like a wholesome couple.

"Grand Saber... you say?" The moment was shattered by Goetia's voice filled with disbelief. "Inconceivable! We used this reality marble for the very reason of preventing the Counter Force from summoning one here! A summoning spell woven by the planet cannot reach this universe outside of space and time, even if it's collapsing! And a mere nameless Heroic Spirit at that! HOW!?"

The King of Demon Gods was on the verge of crashing out. Both masters understood it then. Due to their nature, manifesting as their Nega-Summon skill, Goetia always held the advantage against regular servants summoned by humans. But, that skill became useless against a Heroic Spirit summoned by the planet's original ritual.

A smirk crept up the golden knight's face. "Unfortunately for you, thanks to these masters and you friend Flauros' arrangements, I did some improvements to me Noble Phantasm. Making a path to this place was trivial as long as they kept their eyes on their wish. The only thing that was preventing me from manifesting was that this place was in a perpetual Age of Gods, but Solomon took care of that just a moment ago."

"You're saying... that man had even this planned!? No, of course he had! Even if he made it seem like a decision in the spur of the moment! DAMN YOU, SOLOMON! And damn you, Flauros! First, that man went under your nose, and then this!"

"Well then. Step back for a moment, master." The Grand Saber stepped forward and raised his golden sword to hold it with both hands vertically. Answering its wielder's will, the blade emitted another blinding glow that forced the Beast to step back.

"Beast I, you better buckle up, 'cause I'm about to smack into that head of yours what Solomon was telling you! The Age of Gods is over, and fate now rests in our hands!"

"Grrr... Don't get ahead of yourself! Grand Servant or whatever, you're still no match to my bands of light! All of you will die here! Even if its the last thing I DO!"

Answering Goetia's furious proclamation, a massive tremor hit the entire throne room before many Demon God Pillars burst out the floor to attack the Grand Saber. No, scratch that. The whole 72 Demon Gods had come for a desperate final assault, if only to buy time as the band of light finished charging up.

"Trace on!"

The confidence in the golden knight's face didn't waver in the least as he calmly let got one hand from his nameless sword and projected the sword that gave him the tittle of "King" years after his death. Many other blades manifested over him and shoot forward, matching the incoming storm of purple beams as the Grand Saber rushed in like an "arrow" wrapped in golden light.

"RRAAAAAAAARRRRRGHHHH!"

"It hurts it hurts it hurts IT HURTS!"

"Inexplicable! What is that light- AAAARRGHHH!"

The cries of pain and agony didn't take long to fill the entire place as the Demon Gods started to get cleaved and burned away.

It was a one-sided slaughter. The very example of the comparison Andersen made: "If a servant is a weapon to fight a war, a Grand Servant is a weapon to fight the world." It took a literal army of servants to keep the entire 72 pillars subdued, but Saber was mowing all of them down at once.

Granted, there was a key difference in that, those pillars torn apart and vaporized were no longer coming back. But both masters could tell even as they hid behind the Snowflake Shield to avoid getting blasted by a stray beam. The Sword of Promised Salvation was finally unleashing its true power in the mightiest of vessels and in a fight to save everyone. And that fancy armor wasn't just for looks either. Forged within the Unlimited Blade Works and using mostly the same material as Aestus Estus, it was mitigating what little damage the Demon Gods could hope to achieve.

Therefore, the Demon Gods could only watch in horror as their attacks were easily fended off before it was their turn.

It was worse than just getting killed.

"We're crumbling! We're ceasing to be a collective!"

"Is this what is called fear!?"

"Why is this servant fighting us!? If means to save humanity, he should know this is the right choice!"

"Why!? Why!? Why!?"

The 72 Demon Gods weren't omnipotent because King Solomon made them that way. They were born from the distortions in people's hearts, a colony comprised of many Demon Gods, each granted titles and abilities.

They were already born omnipotent and with the benefit of its perspective.

So, it's hard to put into words the kind of fear they were feeling as they were helplessly slaughtered by that radiant light.

It was a crushing feeling that took away all the strength they had to fight back. As a matter of fact, they weren't getting killed instantly. Solomon's reality marble was collapsing, but they wouldn't lose their immortality until it completely disappeared. They weren't popping up like they had been doing because they simply chose to.

The light of salvation wasn't sending them into oblivion immediately, but it was speeding the process by severing their already weakened link to the terminal called Goetia. With no possibility to even coordinate anymore and assailed by fear and helplessness, the Demon Gods were starting to shut down, essentially giving up.

In Goetia's case, it could arguably be even worse.

As a being born when all 72 Demon Gods were fused together to serve Solomon, one with the same omnipotence and that never lacked for anything, to lose that and feel it fading away...

It was utterly disgusting. Simply put, they were scared even as they fired attack after attack at their nemesis.

It was horrible, for a being that operated purely on cold logic and rationality to get to know this kind of fear that robbed them of reason and drove them to scream for help. It was despicable to be compelled to cry out in protest of something being taken away.

Feelings like regret, frustration, and helplessness were completely unbearable.

All that must have been what that man felt before his grand sacrifice, and even then, he still chose to do it. After that, could they call that King incompetent and ruthless anymore?

Which brought them to the most mind-boggling thing. That light exterminating them.

It was utterly incomprehensible. They had been a little wary of it since the Chaldeans seemed to consider it the best way to deal with them, but at the end of the day, it didn't seem that different from any other sacred sword. That's what they thought until this very moment.

It wasn't just pure power with properties against evil beings. It was a concept esteeming from humanity made into a weapon, but its essence went over their head. They couldn't make heads or tails of it. And even if they wanted to think of it a repulsive as something coming from those masters over there and the root of their fear, the only word they could use to describe it was "beautiful".

Which led to the one question plaguing their mind.

"Why are you three still standing in front of me!?" The King of Demon Gods shouted as they kicked the floor to rush at the Grand Saber.

The golden knight immediately reacted, discarding Merodach to hold his noble phantasm with both hands once more just in time to block the fist aiming at his head. The shock wave blew away the remnants, and even the blood from all the Demon God corpses, clearing the battlefield before the Beast and the Grand Servant clashed.

"I'm not the one to answer that question. Even if saving humanity is my honest wish, I'm here just as an extension Ritsuka and Ai's wish. But I'll tell you the simple reason why your plan was doomed to fail. You focused so much on individual evils that you failed to see the entire picture! You tried to put value on life based on its length and the endpoint, rather than the journey itself! You're the one who didn't understand the value of life!"

By the end of his speech, Saber broke the stalemate with a mana burst that blew back Goetia's arm, but the Beast was already throwing a hook with their other arm.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The only thing Goetia could answer was a shout from the bottom of their heart. A shout that poured in all those newfound emotions.

They kept throwing punches desperately. There was no technique or strategy involved. It couldn't even be called a fight for survival, as Goetia seemed to have dropped almost all their conservative instincts. Or maybe they never had to begin with. They just kept throwing punches at Saber, not caring in the least that parts of their body were starting to burn away with just having their attacks blocked.

What drove Goetia was another very human emotion. Thirst for vengeance. The need to get back at someone who wronged you, even if it just means taking them down with you.

Watching the clash from afar, the two masters had mixed fillings about the situation.

Seeing Goetia who had been all confident and cold, even talking shit with a straight face, now in that sorry state as the Grand Saber smacked them around was satisfying. However, a part of them was burning to punch the Beast with their own hands for the dear people who had to sacrifice their lives to reach this moment.

But what could they do? Even if the King of Demon Gods had a foot in their grave, it would be suicidal for them to get near. Their mystic codes didn't have any offensive capabilities, as it was never expected of them to attack the enemy on their own.

"Ritsuka... Ai..." At that moment, a voice came from their intercoms like a beam of light piercing through the clouds.

It was Da Vinci's, but none of her enthusiasm was present. It was painfully blank. And the cause was pretty obvious, for Ai at least. She did notice that the third servant summoned by Chaldea and Romani had always been pretty close. It was hard to tell how deep that relationship went, since Da Vinci was a man who willingly manifested in a woman's body, but given she was the closest to the truth, then she would actually bet on the deepest level.

Regardless, what was important was Da Vinci's next words.

"Remember that surprise in your mystic codes I mentioned? The idea was for them to allow you to temporarily summon a copy of the servants registered in our database in the form of a shadow. It would come in handy in occasions where we don't have many options, if any, to rayshift with you or there isn't any strong enough leyline for a proper summon."

"Wait, for real? That would have been awesome!"

"But you said you couldn't finish it."

"That's the case, but given the circumstances, a left prepared a lesser version of the spell as a last-minute gambit. Even then, it is quite risky. You see, using the framework as Illya's class cards as inspiration, this spell will allow you to manifest the power of the chosen servant directly in your body using them as a temporary vessel. It will be weaker than the class cards, giving you only a fraction of the parameters and only their main weapon but not the spiritron dress. But I think it's more than enough for what you two want to do."

Her words shocked them for a moment before a smile graced their faces. Of course, she would know exactly what they were thinking.

"Just what I wanted to hear!"

"You're the best, Da Vinci!"

They heard her sob and clear her tears, before finally speaking with renewed energy. "Yeah, I genius like me keeps thriving even at the end of the world. Now go and smack that bastard for me!"

""On it!""

Both masters activated the spell according to Da Vinci's instructions, and despite the lack of an impressive visual effect, they immediately felt the power flowing through their bodies. In Ritsuka's case, he already had the heroic spirit's weapon in his hand, as it was the same who had been possessing Mash, but in Ai's case, a familiar white, flame-shaped sword manifested in her hand.

Their bodies almost ran on their own at a speed that would have overwhelmed their senses had they not been enhanced as well. The path towards the battle was clear, with no Demon Gods remaining after their failed attempt at stopping the Grand Saber.

Ai went ahead with her superior speed, leaving a trail of flames after Aestus Estus ignited. The experience from the servant of her choice took over, immediately syncing with the Grand Saber down to their breath.

"HAAAAAAAHHHH!" After Saber blocked one of Goetia's punches, and immediately sprung forward to slash the Beast's chest.

The sudden appearance of the master and the strength behind the attack caused the King of Demon Gods to be in shock for an instant, and that was more than enough for the golden sword to came down in a symmetrical cut, leaving an X cut on the Beast's chest. Goetia snapped out of it and immediately retaliated, only to widen their eyes when the Round Table Shield blocked their fist.

If the fight had been already one-sided, the addition of the two siblings just turned into the equivalent of kicking a downed man.

Beast I knew perfectly well this was the end. They fought as hard as they could, firing beams and punching like a madman, but it was no use. They could feel how their form was crumbling and their power diminishing while frustration and helplessness only grew.

It was a wonder why they weren't just giving up. Why were they putting so much effort into something so meaningless? Why was there a voice in their head telling them: "Just a little more. Everything will be fine if you keep pushing forward"?

As a being without a physical body, they should only receive real damage from that nameless sword as a conceptual weapon, but somehow, the attacks from the two masters were causing the same amount of damage. Every time that flaming sword or that peerless shield hit their form, they could feel those unhindered emotions driving them.

Those eyes... They were nothing like all those heroes greater than life used to the battlefield, yet their determination to take on the obstacle in front of them was equal if not greater. They were putting their entire being on the light just to hit him.

It had to be that wish the Grand Saber mentioned, but what could that possibly be? It could just be that they wanted to save the world. That was the Grand Saber's wish, as well as all the other servants, but not for those two masters. They wouldn't even be here if that was the case. Such shallow wish that didn't even come from the self wouldn't have pushed regular people this far.

So why?

The Beast rose as they could after having been knocked down, with trembling legs and using their remaining arm as leverage. Yet, his gaze was still piercing as he opened their mouth to shout it.

"Why are you fighting so hard!? Why couldn't we kill just two humans!? Why do you keep pushing forward despite all the hardships!?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Isn't it obvious!?"

Both masters jumped forth with their weapons, to deliver one final blow as they shouted their answer in synchronization.

""TO LIVE!""

"GAH!"

Both the Snowflake Shield and Aestus Estus pierced Goetia's chest, but the real damage that left him staggering backward in pain came from those two simple words. Their left hand grabbed their temple with barely repressed laughter.

"I see... It was so simple we couldn't see it... We completely overestimated you. You longed for life and feared death... and while fearing death, you defeated us in our quest for eternity... What hopeless foolishness... What worthless stubbornness... We need not save you. That is the very embodiment of absurdity... Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

At that moment, the being that once was called Humanity Correction Protocol Goetia understood why Solomon entrusted fate to humanity, leaving systems like them completely obsolete.

If there was someone who could save humanity, it was themselves.

"In that case, you should now understand all those new emotions you're feeling. Even your body is now reflecting them." Those words from the Grand Saber give them a pause.

"What..." The Beast, if he could even be called that anymore, took a moment to look at his body only to be left speechless.

There was no longer a monster straight out of a horror film, but a human body with tanned skin, long, golden hair that flowed like a mane, and corrupted parts, mostly on his crotch, hips, and right side were his arm was missing.

It was obvious his body was still crumbling, but he paid it no attention in the least. Everything now clicked in place. With all the 72 Demon Gods no longer responding and the main terminal Goetia having come to the realization that they didn't have a purpose, the colony that was Beast I had already been defeated for a long time.

But as an individual, Goetia decided to not give up no matter what, driven by those newfound human-like emotions. And by some sort of miracle, they were given a limited lifespan that matched their current state and allowed them to experience what those two masters had been through.

Before they even noticed, they had been fighting with tooth and nails in that fragile body, borrowing the power from Solomon's ten rings to fire the beams he once could. That's why the few punches he managed to score had barely just left bruises and minor bleeding on the masters despite all their efforts.

It all had been just a messy brawl between people who just wanted to punch each other.

"I finally understand you..." There was no longer anger in Goetia's voice, but rather fascination as he stared at the three humans.

"My plan is in ruins. Everything I worked for in this place, all the time spent planning... All of it for nothing. I lost. The band of light, although fully charged, is starting to collapse. The Human Order Incineration will be reversed. The moment Solomon ceased to exist, all my work was undone. And no matter what I do here, I cannot redeem this failure. Killing you will change nothing. This is a meaningless battle. An unthinkable choice for me before. But..."

"You now have a reason to fight." The Grand Saber finished the sentence for him, and Goetia clenched his now human hand.

"Yes, indeed. I also have my pride. Or rather, I do now. I now understand human mentality. Now that I have a limited, mortal life, I finally understand."

The new Human King, Goetia started to float toward the band of light as he made their final declaration.

"I'm going to stop you in order to protect the one thing I cannot relinquish. And you're going to stop me so you can return back home. I strove for an empty wish that none truly wanted. I am born now, and I shall perish now. This battle may be without resolution or reward, but I shall put my entire being on the line to crush you. My sworn enemy. My hatred. My destiny. I want you to witness this to the very end. This brief moment is now my story. This brief but precious time has given the creature called Goetia true life."

His intentions were clear. He was about to force the band of light to release all its energy on the Grand Saber and the two masters. The only one who could stop that was no longer around, so it should be a checkmate. However, none of them were worried in the least as the Grand Saber raised his nameless sword once more.

"In that case, let us show you the side of humanity you missed. The beauty in that brief time that is life!"

Light burst forth from the blade, its radiance, stronger than ever, illuminating the entire reality marble as specs of light coming from all the other stars that answered the call joined it.

"I hereby relinquish my Grand status, for this victory shall be achieved by human hands and all the bonds they formed in their long journey!"

That declaration got the two masters widening their eyes, but they quickly understood the reason behind it. Without the Grand status, Finn was finally able to form a proper bond with Chaldea, which they didn't waste a second to formalize by resting their hands with their Command Spells on his back.

"Behold, the beautiful dream everyone thinks of... The hope to reach a better tomorrow, were no one has to cry! Together, our light shall pave the path to the to the stars!"

Saber finished chanting and pouring magical energy into his golden sword while readying his stance to swing it while Goetia finished tinkering the collapsing band of light to fire its stored magical energy. Golden met brown for an instant, all sound dying in the throne room before they released their noble phantasm's true names at the top of their lungs.

"ARS ALMADEL SALOMONIS!"

"PER SPEM AD ASTRA!"

Once again, the light of 3000 years of Human History filled the throne room as an unstoppable force, swallowing even the golden light trying to oppose it. Even after relinquishing his Grand status, Saber's output couldn't hope to match such incommensurable power. It wasn't even a clash.

Or that's what should have happened if the Sword of Promised Salvation were a weapon that followed physical laws. But it was labeled as an EX-rank noble phantasm for a reason.

If one were to be observing the throne room from the sky, one would be able to spot a golden dot amidst the torrent of white light. A vacuum created inside the planet-burning beam where Saber, Ritsuka, and Ai were still holding on.

The golden knight was gritting his teeth, with every muscle in his body under massive strain. This was the best he could accomplish on his own, but luckily, the sword in his hands was no longer just the crystallization of the dream he pursued all alone and led to him dying in a hill of swords.

Just like Rome, it represented love, connection, and affection. If Mash's shield was a conceptual weapon that would never be destroyed as long as her heart held strong, Saber's blade was one that would never get dull or shatter as long as humanity never lost their hope reach a better tomorrow.

That is to say, as long as the determination to live in the two teenagers standing alongside him didn't waver, his sword would never be defeated. They just needed one more push, and the two masters were more than ready to give it as all their three Command Seals shone.

""By the power of my Command Speel, I order you, Saber! Carve our path back home!""

Not only did they use all their command spell at once to empower Saber. Those weren't regular command spells. They used everything they've got. Magical energy, stamina, and even their fate. And that also included all the bonds they formed in their journey across human history.

"HHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" As Finn poured all that into his noble phantasm, the vague figures of all those Heroic Spirits who lent their strength to reach their happy ending could be seen behind the two masters, helping to push against the overwhelming light.

It began slowly, as the light of salvation grew and started to sever the planet-burning beam. But the tide was quickly turned.

Goetia claimed that his bands of light were the planet and humanity's passion, but he couldn't have been more wrong. He just turned Human History into plain numbers.

This golden light was the true passion of humanity. That which pushed through even in the darkest times, even if the world wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

The bands of light didn't stand a chance. The golden light completely bisected it, but Goetia made no attempt to dodge it, getting engulfed by it with a smile.

"Hah... who would have known? Tragically short, yet fascinating... So this is what human life is..."

There seemed to be no regrets in his voice. His figure disappeared as the golden light reached the starry sky, blowing it away and turning it into a dazzling dawn with light specks slowly raining.

Both masters almost fell on their butts the moment the pressure disappeared, but managed to keep their balance as they could. The former Grand Saber turned around after letting out the air in his lungs and gave them a smile and a thumbs up.

"It's finally done, Ritsuka, Ai. You successfully took back your future. But as much as I'd want to celebrate, you should get out of here before everything collapses."

Almost instantly, the entire reality marble started to tremble and the soil began to break apart. The siblings dismissed their weapons, but before making a break for it, Ai threw one last look.

"Hey, you'll come with us right!? We aren't the only ones who got people waiting for us at Chaldea!"

Finn smiled reassuringly. "Of course. I just need to check up on something and I'll be there."

"Let's go, Ai. We can't waste any second."

The golden-eyed girl nodded and started running towards the gate leading outside the throne room. However, much to their surprise, it had already collapsed, and only a trail of floating rocks remained between them and the other side, were Chaldea awaited.

"I guess we have no choice..."

As the two prepared themselves for their last obstacle, their intercoms flared to life alongside Da Vinci's voice.

"Finally got through! We lost signal after Goetia and the Grand Saber fired their noble phantasms. Judging by how everything is about to collapse, I'll assume you've won. Hurry up, Ritsuka-kun, Ai-chan! Chaldea is starting to move away from Solomon's Temple of time. Get to the designated point for the Rayshift! I'll hold till the last possible second!"

""Right on it!""

Burning through whatever energy, the last masters of humanity started jumping through the rocks. The fact that they still had "installed" the strength of Gallahad and Nero was helping-

BA-BUMP!

"...!"

Just some meters from the finishing line, what they feared the most happened. The spell lending them servant parameters ran out, and the fatigue from forcing their human bodies to perform at that level caught up. Not just that. Those special Command Spells they used certainly had left them completely dry.

"Not yet!"

Stumbling as they could, they refused to yield. If they allowed their bodies to stop for a moment, they would no doubt collapse. But just breathing was already a daunting task, let alone moving their legs steadily.

"Come on!"

Every muscle in their bodies was burning, screaming at them to stop. Each breath became as if they were inhaling fire, and their limbs felt like they were cutting through mud.

"One more step!"

After some agonizing seconds, they managed to get just some meters away from the extraction point. Their eyes were bulging out, with all the blood vessels in them pulsating and blood flowing through their clenched teeth as they held out their hands.

A testament of their unyielding resolve. But unfortunately, their bodies seemed to endure the strain far better and the path of rocks, which finally collapsed just a step away from home.

"No..."

"So close..."

They didn't have the strength to scream their frustration as their point of view started to slowly descend. They didn't know if it was because they were about to die, but time seemed to slow down like that thing called "bullet time" in movies. Their brief lives wouldn't take long to flash in front of their eyes...

"Ritsuka-senpai! Ai-senpai!" They even heard the voice of their beloved kohai, who sacrificed herself to give them a chance that they completely wasted. They didn't even have the opportunity to bid her farewell properly.

But then, their eyes instinctively looked up, in the direction the sound came, and their hearts stopped for a moment.

There she was at the extraction point, their trustworthy kohai, desperately reaching for them.

"There's still a chance! Take my hand!"

With renovated vigor, they made one last push to take her hands, desperately seeking her warmth even if their brain couldn't make sense of what was happening. Their will to live surpassed their rationality and fully trusted in that miraculous image.

The moment their hands finally met, Mash immediately pulled them, and the usual feeling of no gravity from the Rayshift invaded their bodies.

It was the last thing they remembered before their eyes finally closed in desperate need of rest.

---

Earlier...

"..." Mash's consciousness vaguely returned only to be met by a complete void.

She still remembered more or less what happened after Goetia fired the band of light on them, which obviously led to the question of how was she still around. There wasn't much she could do to find the answer, until she started to distinguish as silhouette of deem, purple light in the void.

"Oh, good. You're still here Mash."

A gentle voice spoke in a jovial tone, which didn't match at all the silhouette as it looked like a... dog? Squirrel? Regardless, it seemed to know her, and most likely, have the answer to the question plaguing her mind.

"You've completely disappeared. This is your death, Mash."

That... she expected. She already bid them farewell. The only thing she could hope- no, she had compete faith in her masters' victory.

But the next words from the entity had her widening her eyes, or she would if she had a physical form.

"Even still, your will persists in this void. There are yet many things you have to do. That's why I'm not saying "Well done." Instead, I will say "Goodbye.""

"Huh?"

"We don't have much time, so I'll be brief. I am going to bring you back to life. I am the embodiment of comparison. I am the Beast that feeds on the energies that come from humans who grow and compete, who envy others' strength, and who regret their own weakness. I am the Beast who stands over any and all opponents. I am Cath Palug, Beast of Disaster. In a different world, I was called "Primate Murder"."

Mash thought that description felt familiar. She definitely heard it from somewhere, but with her current state, she was having trouble putting her finger on it, figuratively speaking.

"As long as I stay away from human society, I'm just a harmless animal. That's why I usually remain on a remote island. But the mage who was taking care of me after a peculiar incident was a real bastard. He kicked me out of his warm, snug tower, and forced me to live outside again... But that is how I ended up at Chaldea, which is where I met you and the siblings."

"You... are..." Mash felt as if she had the entity's name on the tip of her tongue. She was now sure it was a close friend who had been alongside her throughout her journey.

As the entity continued to speak, their tail caught up in blue and purple flames, symbolizing their immense power.

"I hope you don't mind me interfering like this. Then again, the mage, and even that kind man always say that an act of goodwill is something forced onto someone... Let's just go with that. Over the last few centuries, I've accumulated and incredible amount of magical energy. Using that, I'll perform a miracle even True Magic could never achieve. Although, I suppose death in the Temple of Time doesn't quite count in reality."

The flames grew in intensity. "What I am going to do is transfer my future to you. It will be powerful enough to extend your life past the three days you have left. However, I'm not fully grown, so it'll only amount to a regular human's lifespan. Once I've done this, I will just be and ordinary beast. I will lose my intellect, my personality. Up till now, I've been chiming into your conversations meaningfully, but from here on, all I'll be able to do is make animal noises. But I don't want you to worry about that. Nothing will change for you guys."

The entity made a pause, and some sorrow appeared in their tone. "Still... It is a bit of a lonely way to go out. That's why I wanted to at least say goodbye here. That man has everything covered outside, so... Goodbye, Mash Kyrielight. My time with all of you, this journey, has been truly wonderful. Normally, around people, I transform into a hideous Beast, but this time, I was able to stay in this form until the very end."

The flames reached their zenith, illuminating the entire void as the entity resolved themselves.

"Wait... Fou... Fou!" It was at that moment that Mash finally remembered their name, but it was too late. Fou had already made up his mind.

"When the mage sent me out, he told me: "Go, experience all the beauty the world has to offer." And, well... I've seen truly beautiful things. There are some evils that can be defeated without shedding blood or crossing blades. And... that is what made this possible. Congratulations to you, the wonderful people of Chaldea. You probed that what that man once did wasn't a fluke, and defeated Beast IV without as much as a single blow."

The flames gently enveloped Mash's consciousness, before returning it to were it belonged.

---

"Fou! Fou... fou!"

"Oh... That sound..." When Ritsuka finally came back to his senses due to a familiar barking, the image of a polished ceiling with artificial light greeted him.

It took him some seconds to make the connection of what that meant, and the memories of everything that happened started to flash before his eyes like a movie played in x4 speed.

""MASH!"" He was already getting up the next moment and desperately looking for his beloved kohai, praying that what he saw right before passing out wasn't some kind of hallucination.

It didn't take long to spot her among the people surrounding him. She was now dressed in her casual clothes, and wearing the same concerned expression as all the other servants around. However, his call made her react faster than anyone, quickly rushing to hug him.

"Senpai!"

The two hugged each other as tightly as they could, basking in each other's warmth.

"Welcome back, Ritsuka-senpai, Ai-senpai!"

"I'm so glad to see you, Mash!"

"Don't you ever scare us like that, Mash-chan!"

It took Ritsuka a while to even notice that his sister was also hugging them, and Fou was also rubbing against them. And then...

""MASTER!"" Some of the servants around them couldn't wait and joined the group hug. Most of them didn't even know what happened during the final battle, so they were naturally concerned.

It became increasingly hard to breathe, especially with Kiyohime not measuring the strength she was putting in her hug at all. But he was saved by the bell when a certain genius inventor decided to clear her voice loudly.

"C'mon guys, leave them some space. They've just woken up, and way faster than we expected."

That seemed to do the trick, despite some having to be literally pulled away since they refused to stop clinging to them.

"Wait... What do you mean we woke up faster than you thought, Da Vinci-chan?"

Ai's question caused the borders of Da Vinci's easy going smile to twitch for a moment. "Well, given the excessive burden you two put your bodies through, I'd say it's quite a miracle you even woke up at all, let alone waking up in just an hour. You should thank both Medeas and Nightingale for patching you up."

Both masters went to do just that, but those servants immediately dismissed their thanks saying it was the least they could do or their job. The black-haired master then turned to look at Mash in the eye, a little flustered due to their faces being so close, something she was mirroring.

"Mash... What... How did you..." He couldn't find the appropriate words. A part of him still felt that, if he were to say those words, he might even break the spell and she would fade away like a mirage.

Mash's expression turned a bit sorrowful. "I... I'm not even sure myself. When I came to, I was already in the Rayshift coordinates. I think I remember someone with a kind voice sending me there, but that's it... I woke up to Fou's voice and saw you two running towards me. Fou, do you know something?"

"Fou, fou?" Of course, the little fur ball just tilted his head.

"Well, what happened on your end? Da Vinci refused to elaborate, saying it would be best to hear it from you."

Mash was then met with Ai's trademark cheeky smile. "We witnessed the most epic superhero landing! You see-"

"Wait, you can leave the catching up for later." Da Vinci cut her, though, causing her to pout, but she ignored her and brought out what looked like a confetti cannon. Not just her, but also the members of the staff and even some servants.

"With you two finally awake and everyone here, I can proudly announce it. Master Ritsuka, Master Ai, you've accomplished your mission! Our Grand Order is complete!"

""CHEERS!""

Almost like a birthday party, confetti and ribbons filled the air as well as cheers and congratulations. It wasn't the most grandiose celebration, but it was surprising they put it together on such short notice and with so few resources. If the three teenagers were being honest, it felt surreal. Their minds had yet to wrap around the fact that they finally made it through.

"Thank you... we would never have made it this far without all of you."

"Yes, it's thanks to your work here in the Command Room that we could achieve it."

"Thanks, everyone... But... you guys were already prepared? Isn't that a very effective way of raising a red flag?"

"Don't sweat it. This is our way of saying we had total faith in your victory. As much as I'd like to say it, though, this wasn't a flawless victory." Some sadness tainted Da Vinci's expression as she spoke. "Even if Chaldea safely returned to normal space, about 60% of Chaldea's structure was destroyed. Lev Lainur's attack at the beginning of our Grand Order left more than 200 casualties. There are still 47 masters frozen in the preservation chambers, including the original Team A... and one of our people didn't return from the Temple of Time. Each of those lost is someone who can never be replaced... But I think we can leave the grim stuff for latter and celebrate for a little more."

That was easier said than done after she completely ruined the mood like that. Geniuses were never known for having great social skills.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Ai's ahoge straightened as if she just remembered something really important. "You said everyone's here, but where's- "

She spent a good minute looking around, looking for a specific face. She started to get frustrated, and everyone started to look at her as if had grown a second head. But then she felt it once again, the urge to look in a specific direction and her heart rate spiked up. She had to push aside some people, but there he was.

Back in his usual black combat suit and red cloak, auburn hair, and golden eyes. He casually was sitting in a chair he most likely projected, with one leg crossed over the other, and an arm resting on the chair's back. And the moment he saw she finally noticed him, he shot a disarming smile at her.

"Aah... You kept your promise, Saber."

"Of course, Ai. I don't make promises I can't keep. And I must say, this is a pretty neat place. Chaldea turned out to be way more futuristic than I've ever imagined."

His voice caused most of the servants to turn around and look at him in shock, much to Ai's surprise.

"Fou!"

"D-darling!? How long have you been there without saying anything!?" The voice of a certain empress made some of them cover their ears as she and Fou made their way to her husband.

"Pretty much since Ritsuka, Ai, and Mash arrived. I was actually on their tails after solving one last matter, so, if Mash didn't catch them, I would've done it myself. You guys must have been really focused on them to not even notice me in the slightest, so I decided to just wait."

His casual reply caused her to pout. "Geez, you should have just joined. And here I was thinking I would have to wait for Ritsuka and Ai to summon you." Her expression softened before turning into a warm smile that would melt anyone's heart as she took his hands and pushed him up to give him a light kiss. "Welcome back, Darling. It will be brief and will have to hide as if our love were a taboo while the people from those United Nations or whatever come to inspect, but let us enjoy this second chance."

"Hey, you two, go to somewhere private if you're gonna get all lovey-dovey!" The wholesome atmosphere was completely shattered by Jeanne Alter's voice filled with annoyance.

"Damn, and I'm the one with a stick up my ass. You jealous or something, fire bitch?"

Arturia Alter's jab got the Avenger all flustered. "Why would I be jealous of something grouse, ice queen!? You're the only one here who's desperate to be in that kind of relationship!"

And just like that, they started their usual banter that quickly turned physical. Even if they were just throwing punches without any magic or skill involved, it still got everyone facepalming. Except a certain red-clad empress who was trying to hide her massive flush with her hands to no avail.

"Hang on. Backtrack a little. What did she say about the United Nations?"

"Oh, that! Ahahaha, you three shouldn't worry about that! At least for now..." Ritsuka's question somehow got Da Vinci into full panic mode, and she was suddenly pushing the three teenagers toward the exit. "Why don't you go take a look at what you've reclaimed? Meanwhile, I and the other servants can start preparing a proper party, right?"

Fortunately for the genius, her words stirred up their brains, making them finally remember that important detail.

"The storm should be gone, right?"

"Let's go see the sky then, Mash!"

"Yes, senpai!"

A massive sigh escaped Da Vinci's lips as the three teenagers sprinted through the hallway, but she didn't let herself relax as she noticed a certain red Archer walk up to her.

"Are you sure you want to keep them in the dark? It's gonna hit them eventually."

"I'll tell them when they are fully rested. No one should have to deal with that mountain of bureaucracy after almost dying."

EMIYA nodded at her answer in agreement, and turned his gaze to a certain red haired queen. "We should start cooking immediately then if we want to have a proper party by night."

"No problem. It will help me relax."

After having Boudica's approval, his steel eyes drifted to the resident fox maiden, but seeing how her undivided attention was focusing on the red knight, he immediately discarded the notion in favor of looking for Cat. However, he did throw a glance at his other self, which Saber was able to translate.

"Don't go copying my entrances."

To which he replied with another wordless glance. "Heh, who's copying who?"

After most of the servants and personnel made their way to the cafeteria, a man clad in gold approached the former Grand Saber with a stern expression.

"Don't get all caught up in relaxing, Faker. You should be aware that, if Beast I has manifested, Beast VII shouldn't take long to rear its head."

A frown appeared on Saber's face, but they surprisingly kept the hostility low. "I'm aware. For someone who spent so much time planning, the execution ended up having some glaring holes. You can chalk it up to luck, but if you ask me, there was something more to it. Even though, there's nothing we can do to prepare in advance. Only if The World sees me as the best option I'll be summoned once again as the Grand Saber."

"Hmph. Of course, the current humanity is the only one that can save themselves. But who knows what might happen before we depart." The King of Heroes left those last words while throwing side glances at Empress Nero and Tamamo-no-Mae, before shifting to spirit form.

"Grand Saber..." Tamamo parroted as her brain processed that information, completely ignoring Gilgamesh, and then her eyes widened. "Don't tell me... that's why you couldn't be summoned by Chaldea, Goshujin-sama!?"

"Pretty much." The red knight answered shortly, not thinking a further explanation was needed, while his wife hit her with a raised eyebrow that could be translated as: "You're seriously realizing that now?"

His golden eyes then drifted to the Holy Maiden observing the exchange from a safe distance, and proceeded to cut that distance. Jeanne's cheeks got a healthy reddish tone seeing how serious he got suddenly, a part of her intuiting what was on his mind.

"Jeanne, I think it's already time for me to start running and give you a proper answer."

He swallowed loudly. If he was being honest, although he was technically a married man, it was Nero who asked him and not the other way around. His inexperience coupled with the fact that what he was about to ask was morally ambiguous, to say the least, well...

After some seconds that became an eternity for both of them, the red knight took her hands and said it.

"Jeanne d'Arc, I love you, too. I know this is quite complicated with all the time perspective mess, and don't know if you can accept something like polygamy, but I would love to share this brief second life with you as well."

He honestly didn't know what to expect and forgot even how to breath while waiting for her answer. But judging by how her expression brightened tenfold, his worries were quite misplaced.

"Of course, I told you I would wait as much as needed. My feelings haven't changed at all, Finn."

She went for a kiss when a shrill voice interrupted them. "Hey, hold your horses! What in the world is this!? I've also been waiting forever since you ignored me at the end of the Seventh Singularity! Why are you only corresponding to her!?"

The way Saber turned to look with a raised eyebrow mirroring Nero caused the Caster to grit her teeth.

"Seriously... you stole my pure-maiden heart without even noticing... despite loving other women as well... and now you still act dense not taking the hint of me changing the way I call you?"

"What? But aren't you hooked up with Ritsuka?"

"AAAAAAAAARRRGHHH!" That was it, she lost it. With a cry filled with sadness and righteous fury, and some tears falling through her cheeks, she rushed at him, and much to his horror- "POLYGAMY CASTRATION FIST!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His pained scream was the mark of the fallout. Jeanne rushed to tend to a Saber whose consciousness was coming an going, Fou immediately jumped at Tamamo's face to retaliate, and Nero tried to separate them while also throwing proverbial jabs at the Caster. And a pair of magical girls observing from a safe distant couldn't help but think: "Yep, that's definitely a future/past Onii-chan."

The ruckus could even be heard outside, where the two masters and their kohai were observing their restored world. While the two of them looked horrified, Ai couldn't help but giggle, already imagining what happened.

Aside from that, the clear sky that met them, a rarity in the middle of Antarctica, was the perfect representation of all the coincidences and struggles needed to reach this point. It was just beautiful.

Even through their journey through human history came to an end, that wasn't the end of their journey at all. Whatever the future has in store for them, be it another Beast who threatens the world, or what Da Vinci was trying to hide, they will face it head-on.

The three teenagers will hand-in-hand toward and beyond the horizon, without hesitation. Never looking back, nor letting go of their smile as their journey partners taught them.

That is their nature. That is the Human Order.

---

And with that title drop, we're wrapping up this chapter and arc. In this chapter, King of Fakers wasn't a protagonist, but pretty much the payoff for Ritsuka and Ai's decisions, going one step beyond the original "Servants, assemble!" Those who have read my other stories could have seen his appearance as the Grand Saber coming, so I tried to make it more rewarding regardless. It was a more powerful and complete version after all. If you are wondering how the armor looks, it is something similar to Romulus=Quirinus' third ascension, albeit without the wings and propellers.

On another note, while I was writing the Mash scene, I decided that it was a good idea to do it while hearing the OST "If I Can Stop One Heart From Breaking (encore)" and damn, it hit right in the feelings. And on the same topic, Mysterious Heroine X dropped a little clue about the next arc of my other story "Can a monster act like a hero?" Those are the guest characters that will appear, and I don't think it is that hard to guess them by those nicknames.

Everyone was calling me crazy when I started introducing "Honkai" elements in my stories, and then boom! Honkai Star Rail x Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works collab is announced. Not gonna lie, I busted the the moment I saw it live. The parallels between those two universes are quite obvious.

Now then, let's move on to talking about this branch of my stories. The next step would be that special chapter with the "Date a Density" story I promised a long time ago before going for the Cosmos in the Lostbelt arc. But if I'm being honest, I might focus a little more on my other stories, even if the end of arc 2 seems still quite far away the Ordeal Call stuff still ongoing. But who knows? The only thing I know for sure is that I'm gonna start right away planning the next chapter of "Reenacting a Legend." Although it might take some time as I'm dropping this chapter right before local festivities.

As always, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this chapter, and I hope I entertained you.

With this, I say goodbye for now. Hasta la vista!