Little Garden 81-85

Title: Today, Fuyuki City Remains as Peaceful as Usual

“Waver!”

Finally, seeing his Master in crisis—suffering and nearly turning into a non-human—Even the brave and mighty Iskandar could endure no longer. He almost roared like a wild beast, as if trying to awaken Waver through sheer force of will.

Though they had only been together for a few days, he had come to recognize his Master—cowardly in speech, yet truly courageous and talented at heart.

The Master with sweet words, the Master who constantly scolded him.

“Waver, are you willing to share with me the joy of conquering the world?”

Iskandar’s eyes glared coldly at Angra Mainyu, standing motionless like a statue.

Even as pain wracked his body—as if his flesh were being stripped away—In these final moments, Waver summoned his last strength and shouted:

“I am willing! It’s just... such a pity, Rider. I won’t be able to conquer the world alongside you.”

“Good. It seems this Holy Grail War wasn’t meaningless after all.”

Iskandar nodded in satisfaction. Then he tugged the reins, causing the resting sacred bull to rise. He drew the short sword at his waist and pointed it toward All the World’s Evils, Angra Mainyu.

“Then let us defeat the Demon God who destroys the world!”

With a roar, Iskandar launched his Charge.

“A la la~”

In an instant, the scenery before his eyes transformed.

Golden sand swirled across the sky.

A giant crimson warrior wielding a short sword rode a sacred bull that trod upon lightning, leading thousands of Heroic Spirits in a Death Charge against Angra Mainyu.

Among them were kings, powerful ministers, nobles, common soldiers, and even slaves. But here, they shared one identity:

Ionioi Hetairoi—the companions who once conquered the world with Alexander the Great, striving to reach the ends of the earth.

Yet Angra Mainyu, All the World’s Evils, still did not move. She merely crossed her ten fingers in a praying gesture, like a devout nun.

Tens of thousands of troops surged toward the statue-like Angra Mainyu.

An army composed of Heroic Spirits and Servants surrounded All the World’s Evils.

But would everything go as smoothly as Iskandar hoped?

Quite the opposite—rather than surrounding Angra Mainyu, it was Iskandar and his army that found themselves encircled.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Outside Ionioi Hetairoi, one and a half million zombies infected by the Blacklight Virus arrived like a tidal wave.

They moved with the agility of Lickers, monstrous forms akin to Blacklight creatures.

Every part of their bodies was corrupted by All the World’s Evils and the Blacklight Virus. The moment anyone was touched, even slightly,

They would instantly become one of the horde.

Like undead, they couldn’t die, never tired, and felt no pain.

Their only desire was for blood and flesh!

“Rider? I’m okay.”

Perhaps this was the only good news—Waver had temporarily escaped danger and become one of Iskandar’s followers.

A red cloak, identical to Iskandar’s, had somehow appeared on his body, symbolizing that he would now share in the joy of conquest alongside his king.

At this moment, Waver Velvet was no longer the naive boy he once was.

He had become Lord El-Melloi II—the future figure destined to merge with the Spirit Origin of Zhuge Liang.

Perhaps deep down, Waver truly saw himself as Iskandar’s follower. By the grace of countless miracles, this boy had brought his future Spirit Origin into Ionioi Hetairoi.

“This is the ultimate formation of the Grand Strategist, Hachi-jin!”

By the power of Ionioi Hetairoi, countless massive stones lifted into the air, forming a grand illusionary array.

Under Waver—or rather, Zhuge Liang’s—command, fifty thousand Servant soldiers launched a counter-massacre against the one-and-a-half-million-strong zombie horde.

Iskandar even granted full command to Waver. Himself, riding his chariot, charged headfirst into the ocean of zombies surging like waves.

Yet, this advantage was temporary.

Even if a zombie lost its head, limbs severed, or was burned to ashes—As long as even a single hand remained, it would madly leap toward the nearest flesh and blood.

Soon, as Servant soldiers became infected and assimilated into zombies,

The morale of Ionioi Hetairoi began to crumble.

Faced with such monsters, even the bravest warriors started to fear.

“Monster!”

“King, I want to go home!”

“I don’t want to become a monster...”

“...”

Even when the Servants unleashed their Noble Phantasms, they proved utterly ineffective against the zombies.

Noble Phantasm? Super effective? Just wait until I die a few times—when I rise again, I’ll have developed resistance.

You? Just wait. Sooner or later, you’ll become one of us.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

While Ionioi Hetairoi fought desperately within the Reality Marble,

Outside, Kiritsugu carried a bag.

It was a portable tactical nuclear bomb, alchemically modified from an obsolete Florida nuke.

Though it looked like a small suitcase, its explosion could level all of Fuyuki City.

“Watch out!”

When a zombie leapt from a dark corner and lunged at Kiritsugu,

A flash of silver streaked through the air. A Black Key pierced the zombie’s head, pinning it to the wall.

It was Kirei. He was now cooperating with Kiritsugu to resolve the Ryuudou Temple crisis.

After all, he understood how serious the zombie outbreak truly was. And Gilgamesh hadn’t had time to guide him.

He was still confused, but the current situation left no room for hesitation.

“Thanks!”

Kiritsugu thanked him and continued toward Ryuudou Temple.

Soon, he arrived.

But Ryuudou Temple was empty. It seemed everyone had already entered another reality.

Aslan, apparently aware of someone approaching from outside the Reality Marble, snapped his fingers and pulled Kiritsugu and Kirei inside.

Kiritsugu gazed upon the endless tide of zombies and the abandoned temple beyond.

“Get every zombie and Angra Mainyu out of here. I’ve got a nuke.”

Kiritsugu had no time for sorrow. Right now, there was something far more important to do:

Destroy Fuyuki City with this nuclear bomb, eradicating the virus before it could spread further.

In the blink of an eye, Iskandar hurled Kiritsugu, along with all the zombies and Angra Mainyu, out of the Reality Marble.

Once the other side detonated the bomb, he’d bring them back.

*BOOOOOOM!*

Today, Fuyuki City remains as peaceful as usual~

-

Title: Without the Power to Destroy a Star, It’s Impossible to Harm a Demon Lord

Although it was merely a portable nuclear bomb modified alchemically from an outdated nuclear warhead, its destructive power was far from negligible.

Even though everyone was now hidden within Iskandar’s Reality Marble, they could still clearly feel the earth-shattering explosion outside.

“This should have wiped it out, right?”

Iskandar said, sounding slightly uncertain. Thanks to the modern knowledge granted by the Greater Grail, he was well aware of a nuclear bomb’s power.

It was a level of destruction no amount of his Noble Phantasms could ever achieve.

Even during the Age of Gods, few forces could rival that of a nuclear blast.

“I’m not sure. We might need to go out and check.”

Waver replied hesitantly. He also had no idea whether a nuke could truly kill such an entity. The key factor was the nuclear radiation released by the explosion.

But everyone here consisted of Magi and Servants—surely that wouldn’t be a problem, would it?

“Agreed.”

“I have no opinion.”

“Count me in.”

Seeing no objections, Iskandar dispelled his Reality Marble.

The next instant, they emerged directly at Ryuudou Temple—now reduced to a massive crater, filled with flowing hot magma and terrifying levels of nuclear radiation.

Fuyuki City, which had been thriving just an hour ago, had become a barren wasteland.

Was this the power of a nuclear weapon?

For a moment, every Heroic Spirit present stood speechless.

This was their first time directly experiencing a nuclear explosion.

Indeed, nuclear weapons deserved their title as humanity’s ultimate weapon.

Though this was no longer the Age of Gods, the prosperity of modern civilization still exceeded the imagination of these ancient heroes.

Yet what shocked them all beyond expectation was that, at the very epicenter of the nuclear blast, Angra Mainyu still stood firmly in place.

Not even the hem of her robe had stirred in the wind.

The nuclear explosion had caused her no damage whatsoever.

No—more accurately, an ordinary nuclear bomb stood absolutely no chance of harming her.

After all, she was the Demon Lord, the Last Trial of Mankind, the supreme Demon Lord among all demon lords.

How could something lacking the power to destroy a star possibly hurt her?

Yes, nuclear explosions were astonishing in power—but could a single nuclear bomb destroy an asteroid?

The answer was no.

Even though Angra Mainyu was currently only at Five-Digit level, she was still far beyond anything a conventional nuke could handle.

“No way?! Even a nuke is useless?!”

Waver couldn’t help but gape as he stared at the unharmed Angra Mainyu. He had no idea what to do anymore.

Heroic Spirits weren’t weak by any means, but compared to nuclear weapons, they were still far behind.

Perhaps only Anti-Fortress-class Noble Phantasms could match a nuke in raw destructive output.

“Just as expected… it won’t be that easy, huh?”

Iskandar muttered quietly. He had no way to deal with an opponent like this.

He excelled at leading armies, conquering lands, crushing enemies underfoot…

But before a monster untouched by a nuclear blast, his Noble Phantasms and his army were powerless.

Even Ionioi Hetairoi was now only useful as a battlefield?

Apparently not. The entire city of Fuyuki had turned to ruins, and aside from them, no one else remained.

Perhaps only the Mackenzie couple, hypnotized earlier by Waver and sent overseas, could be considered survivors of Fuyuki City?

“Heroes! Now, let me see your true strength!”

Iskandar shouted loudly. Though he had no plan at the moment, he refused to back down in spirit.

He picked up Waver with one hand, a bottle of Divine Wine in the other, and sat down beside him, taking a drink.

“By the way, King Arthur—did you know about her existence from the beginning?”

Suddenly, Iskandar turned toward Aslan. One reason they had gathered here was because Aslan had warned Kiritsugu that the Holy Grail had been corrupted by All the World’s Evils.

“Mmh…”

Aslan touched his chin, thinking for a moment. He met the curious gazes of the Heroic Spirits and Servants around him.

He gave a slight nod.

“Yes. I came to this world specifically to pursue this Demon Lord.”

“Oh, and one more thing—if you don’t possess the power to destroy a star, it’s impossible to harm a Demon Lord.”

“So, good luck, everyone.”

“And if things reach a point of no return, I’ll step in—and cut her down along with this entire timeline.”

Aslan’s words were gentle, yet beneath them lay an ice-cold intent.

Either defeat her, or prevent her spread by severing the entire timeline.

There was no other way.

No one questioned why he wasn’t acting. He had made it clear—he would be the one to handle it in the end.

None understood the consequences of cutting a timeline better than the Heroic Spirits present.

“Either break the game… or the entire world ends with it.”

After that, Aslan said nothing more, continuing to watch the spectacle in silence.

He awaited the moment when these Heroic Spirits would unravel the “Truth” he had written—thus validating the Spirit Status of Angra Mainyu.

When observed by Little Garden, the Spirit Status he created would become genuine experience.

After all, when Little Garden’s Central Core lacks specific world data, it evaluates Spirit Status based on the characteristics of the opponent and personal achievements.

Personal achievements are deeply tied to the world itself, and it isn’t easy to deceive Little Garden’s Central Core this way.

Achievements are traces acknowledged by the world. At deeper, higher levels, the Central Core can fully determine whether something truly existed in the world—or was merely fabricated.

But coincidentally, there were two Counter Forces in this world:

Alaya, the Counter Force of Humanity, and Gaia, the Counter Force of the Planet. Both could substitute for the world’s and humanity’s recognition.

As long as they believed, the credibility of All the World’s Evils, Angra Mainyu, would rise.

With the aid of the Counter Forces, Aslan’s poetry—the verses of a temporary amateur poet—wouldn’t need to spread across the world to gain significant influence.

It must be said that, in a certain sense, the Type-Moon world was truly a valuable place.

Especially when it came to exploiting bugs to obtain Authority.

Suddenly, Angra Mainyu—who had remained motionless and silent for so long, simply praying—moved.

In the blink of an eye, countless black scales sprouted across her body. A strange yet powerful divine aura radiated from her.

The next second, a colossal black dragon exuding divinity crawled forth.

This was a new lifeform—an evolution achieved by Angra Mainyu after analyzing the life factors of Scáthach, Gilgamesh, and Artoria present here.

She hadn’t been praying and meditating idly all this time. She had never stopped yearning for evolution.

-

Title: Buying Time, Seeking an Opportunity to Break Through

The black dragon shot into the sky, radiating a vile and oppressive aura across its entire body.

Artoria raised her longsword, while Gilgamesh no longer cared about maintaining his regal dignity or appearance.

Scáthach lifted her spear, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips.

“Killing a dragon, huh? It’s been a long time since I last dealt with one.”

King Hassan’s figure had vanished at some point—only to reappear behind the black venomous dragon, slashing at its neck.

*CLANG!*

Azrael, the massive blade King Hassan had wielded for years—responsible for countless deaths—struck Angra Mainyu, yet not even a single white scratch was left behind.

It was evident just how tough her scales truly were.

“Enkidu!”

Countless golden chains shot forth from shimmering ripples, wrapping tightly around Angra Mainyu and pinning her to the ground.

The divinity that granted her strength now became the chains that bound her.

Enkidu—the greater the divinity, the stronger the restriction.

But Angra Mainyu’s power had also grown. With evolution, her resistance against Enkidu had steadily increased.

Since divinity was what restrained her, she discarded it entirely—leaving only malice, absolute malice toward humanity.

“Gae Bolg Alternative!”

One spear pierced space itself; the second delivered a fatal blow!

At this moment, Scáthach, Queen of the Land of Shadows, held nothing back—unleashing her full power.

The crimson spear focused its energy, breaking the sound barrier and shattering space. Even Angra Mainyu couldn’t withstand it.

Her heart, head, and even the simulated Spirit Core—all were pierced.

But that was all. She had no true physical form. Even this dragon body was merely a simulation.

Of course, Gae Bolg Alternative could not truly harm her. At best, it only created holes in her form.

Seeing that the four Heroic Spirits made little progress, Iskandar joined the fray as well.

Even Merlin couldn’t resist lending distant magical support, despite having bitten his tongue several times within minutes.

“Arthur.” Said Kiritsugu, the man who saw himself as a Savior—he wanted to save the world.

His instincts told him that if he were to save the world, the King Arthur before him was the only link worth relying on.

“What exactly is the truth behind Angra Mainyu?”

“You should ask the Einzbern family.”

Aslan smiled and shook his head, swirling the Divine Wine in the glass he held.

“Why was the Holy Grail corrupted by All the World’s Evils?”

“During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family illegally summoned a Nameless Heroic Spirit—Avenger.”

“A nameless Anti-Hero, given the title of the head of an Evil God: Angra Mainyu.”

“He is one and the same. That’s why he resurfaced from the Holy Grail.”

“In a sense, he could even be considered a Beast.”

However, Aslan’s words irritated Draco.

“I’m not that extreme—going so far as wanting to destroy the world.”

Draco, one of the Beasts and part of Beast VI, spoke with clear displeasure.

No one understood the Beasts better than the Beasts themselves.

What was called “malice” was merely a fleeting emotion. The core of a Beast was actually rooted in human compassion.

It was a conflict born from the spirit of “desiring a better future”, which inevitably harms the peace of the present.

Not the absolute malice like hers—one that nearly sought to destroy everything.

“I don’t know anything about that. Maybe he suffered great grievances, and that’s why he wants to destroy the world?”

Aslan spread his arms casually. He had already given all the clues he intended to provide.

From here on, it was up to these Heroic Spirits to solve the game.

Beast, Angra Mainyu, absolute malice…

Countless hints swirled in Kiritsugu’s mind, and in the minds of the Heroic Spirits battling Angra Mainyu.

They seemed to grasp something, but remained silent.

Artoria gave a slight nod toward Gilgamesh.

They all understood each other’s intentions.

“Rhongomyniad!”

“Enuma Elish!”

Ea and the Holy Lance, released at full power, unleashed energy nearly sufficient to destroy an asteroid.

Under the combined force of the Anti-World Noble Phantasms Ea and Holy Lance, Angra Mainyu was momentarily pressured.

Even her scales, flesh, and black mud began to melt away.

Yet, the damage inflicted upon her remained minimal.

She regenerated within moments.

Though she could regenerate endlessly without rest, Angra Mainyu had now begun adapting to this immense flow of mana.

In fact, she started absorbing the mana in reverse.

Merlin, however, seemed to realize something. He glanced sideways at Aslan and gave a strange smile.

He plunged his staff into the barren, nuke-scorched earth.

“Alright, everyone, I’m ready! I can pull her into a dream.”

Countless flowers bloomed from the desolate soil—ground recently reduced to ashes by nuclear fire.

Now, this place no longer resembled Fuyuki City—it looked more like Avalon, a utopia.

When Angra Mainyu inhaled the scent of the blossoms, the dragon’s face showed a hint of calm.

At this moment, she seemed to give up resistance, curling her body and falling asleep.

“As expected, we shouldn’t underestimate the people of every world.”

“Especially someone named Merlin.”

Aslan shook his head helplessly and smiled. He had made it so convincing—so why did Merlin still see through it?

His experience was still lacking.

Yet, Merlin didn’t expose it. That was for the best.

The boundary between reality and illusion, the realm of dreams, combined with Displacement Magecraft enveloping the entire planet—

This made everything simultaneously real and false—or rather, the entire planet existed in the gap between reality and illusion.

Only in this way could a fabricated Spirit Status manifest its true abilities, deceive the entire world, and trick the Counter Forces.

It also gave the world one final chance to reverse the crisis.

“Well then, it’s about time.”

“The impact on the world is now sufficient to leave a mark on personal achievements.”

“All that’s needed is for Little Garden’s Central Core to observe it—and allow the Core to transform this final illusion into reality.”

Aslan snapped his fingers, and the scenery around him shifted.

Now, all Heroic Spirits and everyone else had fallen into a dream.

Quantum Records, along with the two Counter Forces, faithfully recorded everything.

They would touch the truth and solve this game within their dreams.

That was it. Nothing more remained. He had been squeezed dry.

-

Title: Human Evil? The World’s Evil? Absolute Evil!

When the Heroic Spirits regained consciousness, they found themselves inside an unknown research facility.

A clean, orderly laboratory with gleaming windows and various unidentifiable pieces of equipment.

A faint antiseptic scent hung in the air. Ultraviolet disinfectant lights flickered intermittently, and biohazard symbols were visible everywhere—clearly indicating this was an advanced biological laboratory.

“Where is this?” Waver asked curiously.

The equipment looked extremely advanced—definitely not from their era.

“This is a dream—a dream belonging to that Angra Mainyu.” Merlin replied.

His voice came from afar. Waver looked around but couldn’t see Merlin’s figure.

“I used Magecraft to draw all of you—and Angra Mainyu—into this dream.” he explained. “Right now, I’m outside, helping sustain this dream state. Hopefully, you can find a way to create an antidote within it.”

Then Merlin’s voice vanished, as if he had lost the ability to intervene further.

Waver and Iskandar split up, each searching for clues. The research base was vast; useful hints wouldn’t be found quickly.

“What’s this? Top-secret surveillance documents?”

Waver quickly discovered a clue among the archives. It appeared to be about an experimental subject named Elizabeth.

He didn’t know how he was connected to the Angra Mainyu outside, but he carefully kept the document anyway.

He continued searching through the archives, but the contents were chaotic. Some files made logical sense, others were blank, and some contained utterly nonsensical reasoning.

This was likely due to being inside a dream—not because Aslan was too lazy to properly fabricate them.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Meanwhile, Kiritsugu stood in an observation room, surrounded by double-layered bulletproof glass and negative-pressure isolation.

Through a small window, he saw a young blonde girl with blue eyes and freckles sitting quietly on a bed, reading a picture book.

(What is she wearing? Looks like a patient’s uniform—striped blue and white.)

(Wait… no, that’s not right!)

Kiritsugu suddenly realized something. He focused on where the little girl’s hand touched the illustrated book.

For a brief moment, thick black liquid appeared—but disappeared just as quickly.

It reminded him of Angra Mainyu outside. This little girl seemed to share similarities with her—in other words, she was Angra Mainyu.

Realizing this, Kiritsugu instinctively reached into his jacket, preparing to draw his pistol.

Yet, seeing the calm child who resembled Illya so closely, he ultimately lowered his hand.

“The specific situation hasn’t been confirmed yet. It’s not the time to cause a disturbance.”

Besides, his pistol probably couldn’t penetrate the highest-spec bulletproof glass. And how could the security measures for the observation chamber of such a critical experimental subject be so weak?

Even the internal environment alone was clearly unsuitable for human habitation.

Kiritsugu continued searching and quickly found the experiment logs on a computer. He froze as he read them. The brutality described was so extreme that he couldn’t help clenching his pistol tightly.

He was ready to shoot those creatures—who no longer deserved to be called human—at any moment.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

“Do all of these things really happen?” Merlin asked curiously, turning to Aslan beside him.

Merlin was genuinely curious about Aslan’s purpose. He didn’t understand why Aslan would go to such lengths. Was he creating a Lostbelt?

But for an existence on Aslan’s level—even a Lostbelt was trivial. Creating new world lines or influencing human history was effortless.

Why make such a grand move, yet harm no one? And even after everything concluded, would anyone even know? That remained uncertain.

“Of course.”

All of this was taken by Aslan from real experiment logs at the Umbrella Corporation’s research facility. Elizabeth, as the Primogenitor virus, truly endured every moment of this suffering.

She wasn’t the only one subjected to such torture—many other test subjects suffered the same fate.

The cruelty inflicted upon living beings far exceeded ordinary imagination.

“Merlin, do you know the difference between Human Evil and Absolute Evil?”

“The essence of Human Evil is Human Love—compassion, longing to return, comparison, games. After all, Human Evil is ultimately humanity’s own wrongdoing, evil that humans themselves will eventually destroy.”

“But what about Absolute Evil? That is unavoidable, absolute evil. Everything in the world—air, water, humanity itself, or even the technology created by humans—will inevitably give rise to certain evils.”

“Like anesthetics reducing pain—when misused, they become poison. Or industrial advancement, which always causes many people to lose their jobs.”

“And the evolution of life, technological progress—they demand great sacrifices.”

“These are evils that cannot be avoided at all. They are trials brought forth by technological advancement. And they form the sum total of all the world’s evils.”

“So one day, humanity will inevitably face such a trial.”

This was the essence of the Spirit Status Aslan sought to engineer for Angra Mainyu. It was the accumulation of suffering from victims forced to sacrifice themselves for biotechnological progress, viral and genetic research, and the desire for extended longevity.

Just as technology might spiral out of control, countless evils compounded with an uncontrollable viral outbreak—

Thus emerged the Last Trial of Mankind known as Angra Mainyu [All the World’s Evils].

Humanity could never abandon genetic research during technological development. And once genetic research went awry, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Angra Mainyu [All the World’s Evil] was the embodiment of this possibility.

It was a trial humanity would surely face as technology advanced.

An evil more extreme, more absolute, than Azhi Dahaka [The Absolute Evil].

“So you did all this… just for one possibility?”

Merlin sneered in boredom, as if all motivation had drained from him in an instant.

He thought he’d witness something interesting. But this? At that moment, Merlin even found Aslan more dull than graduates from the Humanity Foundation.

“Consider it preparation for that slim possibility.”

Aslan felt most of his strength fading. He smiled faintly and casually waved his hand.

Perhaps his goal had already been achieved.

-

Title: Beast? The Beast of Progress

As we all know, in the Type-Moon universe, “newcomers”—entities from beyond—are incredibly powerful beings.

In FGO, even an Alien God was able to create Beast VII, the Beast of Forgetfulness (The Forgetful One), U-Olga Marie.

So for a valuable “newcomer” like himself, creating a Beast wouldn’t be difficult at all, right?

Though it sounds strange, that’s exactly how things stand.

All Beasts existing within the Type-Moon universe, if placed into Little Garden, would each be worthy of their title—even qualifying as the Last Trial of Mankind.

Conversely, entities such as Alien Gods, Celestial Body-Weapons, and similar outsiders, upon arriving in Little Garden, would instantly be purified by the heavenly armies. Their existence, past, future, and every causal link tied to them would be completely erased.

Little Garden only acknowledges humanity and Earth.

“Hey, you outsiders—don’t come knocking on Little Garden’s door asking for favors.”

Yet in the Type-Moon universe, external newcomers hold supreme power.

However, as a newcomer who had arrived less than two months ago, Aslan certainly didn’t possess the direct ability to create a Beast outright.

But in the Type-Moon universe, obtaining concepts and statuses is remarkably easy.

With the help of his Illusionary Poet status, he expended a fraction of his power to alter the future timeline, filling the void left by a Beast born from the evils brought forth by technological advancement.

The Type-Moon universe immediately recognized the status: Beast, Angra Mainyu, The Evil of the World.

At that moment, illusion became reality.

Beast? The Beast of Progress—destined to be born in the future—had finally manifested.

“What do you mean?”

Merlin seemed to realize something. He quickly activated his Clairvoyance EX.

From Merlin’s perspective, standing in Avalon—

Avalon existed outside the world, just as the Throne of Heroes stood beyond the time axis, free from the concept of time.

Yet now, Merlin discovered that the future had changed—or rather, the previously fixed future had diverged.

Quantum Timelock, which ensured the Type-Moon universe wouldn’t collapse under infinite future possibilities, also locked the world’s future path.

Thus, the future could only advance along the strongest, most stable route.

Therefore, for those existing outside the world, the future was already predetermined.

CHALDEAS was one of their experiments attempting to breach this fixed future.

Chaldea was the largest Lostbelt.

Among parallel worlds destined for deletion, Chaldea was their final hope.

But now, within this fixed future, a new possibility had suddenly been inserted.

“My lord! You will forever reign as King in my heart!”

Merlin gave up entirely at that moment. This man truly was exceptional—a worthy newcomer indeed.

“No wonder so much of my power has been drained.”

“This world never gives anything freely.”

Of course, Aslan also felt slightly relieved. After all, this was more like a transaction between himself and the Type-Moon universe.

He offered energy—and in return, the world granted him possibility and status.

Merlin continued staring at Aslan as if gazing upon a monster.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Aslan had forcibly extended the arrival of Steel of the Land—which should have occurred a hundred years later—to several centuries ahead. Although the end of Steel of the Land remained unchanged, an era called “Resident Evil” had now been inserted in between.

Within that era, the Beast of Progress, Angra Mainyu, would be born.

Of course, Aslan still lacked the ability to interfere with the entire Type-Moon multiverse, with its countless parallel worlds.

All he could do was delay the end of Steel of the Land in this world by several centuries.

Meanwhile, inside the dream realm Aslan created for Angra Mainyu,

Perhaps because the status of Beast of Progress Angra Mainyu had now been established,

This dream realm now felt more natural, carrying a stronger Type-Moon atmosphere.

Servants and Masters searching for clues within the dream could now uncover hints more consistent with the Type-Moon universe.

“So, this is a Beast born prematurely due to the World’s Evil, escaping from another world?”

Scáthach smiled, amused by this possibility—“born from her own wisdom”.

Did she really think of this herself?

Clearly, it was divine revelation.

Suddenly, the wisdom of the Land of Shadows connected to the internet? She couldn’t believe it.

Yet whether Scáthach believed it or not no longer mattered—Aslan’s goal had already been achieved.

By “bribing” the world, he had earned its belief. It had granted the status early, and the future had been set.

Was this the secret behind the Poet status?

Scáthach then began considering ways to deal with this Beast of Progress.

As a Beast meant to appear in the future but arriving early, after some thought, Scáthach concluded the best approach was to cast it back into the future.

To send it forward in time, they would need to use something from the Greater Grail—the hole connected to the Root.

“So, we must fight again.”

Though Scáthach wasn’t particularly happy saying it, her eyes burned with fighting spirit.

Battling a Servant with Grand Spirit Origin was always thrilling.

Eliminating Angra Mainyu, however, would be extremely difficult.

After all, Angra Mainyu wasn’t like other Beasts who held deep affection for humanity. She was the embodiment of extreme evil—the lament of victims sacrificed for evolution.

She desired nothing but revenge against humanity, the destruction of this world, and the eradication of mankind.

“It’s challenging, but we won’t surrender easily.”

On the other hand, since Angra Mainyu’s Beast status had now been confirmed, the clues within the dream realm became clearer.

Angra Mainyu’s true identity was confirmed: the little girl reading a book in the laboratory.

“Everyone, you’ve found the clues, haven’t you?” Scáthach said, glancing around.

“Now we just need to kill her and wake from the dream.”

Scáthach looked directly at King Hassan, Gilgamesh, and Artoria.

She was certain they understood her meaning, while the others weren’t yet ready to know Beast-related information.

But the current difficulty lay in how to kill her.

Angra Mainyu possessed immense immortality.

Even within the dream realm, killing her was extremely difficult.

“Tch, of course I know. Leave it to me.”

Gilgamesh shoved aside anyone in his way and pulled his signature Noble Phantasm from the Gate of Babylon.

Sword of Rupture, Ea.

“Enuma Elish!!”

The overwhelming power of the Anti-World Noble Phantasm erupted, obliterating the newly formed dream world itself.

Gilgamesh didn’t attack Angra Mainyu—he attacked the entire dream realm.