Type-Moon, What Do You Mean You summoned Tiamat?!

Upon hearing this, both Merlin and Gilgamesh showed faint expressions of doubt on their faces.

Even though both of them possessed the highest level of clairvoyance, neither could understand what the young man was about to do at this very moment.

Matou Yuu offered no explanation. Instead, after sending the entertainer Merlin to an inn at the edge of the desert, he turned toward Gilgamesh.

"King of Heroes, something urgent has come up, so I must step away for a bit... As for Sajyou Manaka and Matou Sakura, I'll leave them alone for now."

Gilgamesh glanced at the commotion outside and twitched his eyelids almost imperceptibly.

Then, a dangerous sneer appeared on the lips of the oldest king. "Matou Yuu... Are you trying to give me orders?"

It was worth noting that even the noble and mighty gods of Uruk had been unable to make this arrogant Hero King submit.

He was the one who had drawn the curtain between gods and humans. Who in heaven and earth would have the courage to issue commands to him in the tone of ordering a subordinate?

However, just as Gilgamesh was about to voice his displeasure, he suddenly noticed a strange gaze directed at him from the side. He followed the direction of that gaze.

Beside Matou Yuu stood a loli in a kimono with her blue hair simply tied up, looking up at him with pure, shining ruby-like eyes.

"Aaaaah..."

"Help... my child."

Faced with that questioning tone and those clear, innocent red eyes staring straight at him, Gilgamesh fell silent for a moment.

"..."

After a long silence, the arrogant Golden King let out a long sigh.

"Hmph. For the sake of Mother, I shall grant this wish. However, at this critical juncture, is there anything more important than preventing the planet from being possessed?"

After Gilgamesh finished speaking, he stared at the young man before him with an arrogant expression.

"Matou Yuu... What exactly are you trying to do?"

Matou Yuu smiled meaningfully and said, "You'll understand soon enough."

Gilgamesh slightly raised his eyebrows.

Although he felt curiosity toward the young man's motives, his pride as a king and his innate arrogance ultimately suppressed the urge to ask further questions.

"Hmph... Don't end up disappointing me at the crucial moment like that incompetent and useless goddess Ishtar, Matou Yuu."

The Golden King snorted coldly, turned around, and transformed into countless dazzling golden particles of light before disappearing into the ruined hall.

Only Matou Yuu and Tiamat remained in the charred, vast hall.

Tiamat gently tugged on the young man's sleeve and whispered, "Yuu... What are you going to do next?"

Not only Gilgamesh and Merlin, but even Matou Yuu, who spent every day with the young man, was completely puzzled by his scheme.

She blinked her round, bright red eyes and looked up at him with a curious expression.

"Tiamat... Do you know what the Beast I's goal is?" Matou Yuu asked while stroking her small head, posing a seemingly insignificant question.

Tiamat obediently shook her head. "I don't know."

Tiamat had slept for a long time deep within the cold and desolate Imaginary Sea and knew nothing about the conflicts in human history. She had only recently learned of the existence of this Beast I.

"Goetia's goal is to burn away 3,000 years of human history and transform it into an endless flow of light energy. Using this immense energy, Goetia will return to the origin of this planet and create a perfect new world without the concept of death."

Matou Yuu paused for a moment before continuing, "Its ultimate goal is to cause a new 'celestial body' to appear on this planet, thereby allowing humanity to achieve true 'eternity and immortality.'"

Upon hearing this, Tiamat looked somewhat surprised.

That ferocious and ugly golden giant beast...

Was it truly a Beast that loved humanity?

Before Tiamat could continue thinking, Matou Yuu went on. "However, in reality... The reason Goetia came up with such an extreme 'humanity extinction' plan was because, by borrowing King Solomon's 'Clairvoyance,' it had foreseen humanity's fate heading toward a future of death and despair."

"And the despairing future that Goetia saw was based on the premise that Marisbury's Alien Replacement Plan would achieve great success."

In short, Goetia had seen through Marisbury's plan and intended to counter it with a method of flipping the table.

That idea of burning away Human Order could actually be described as an extreme and mutually incompatible form of "savior-ism" when compared to Marisbury's "plan to protect Human Order."

Tiamat seemed to understand, but she merely nodded vaguely with an "Aaaah" and showed an expression that said "I see"... However, it looked like a student who had spaced out for three minutes during an advanced mathematics class.

When they came back to their senses, they had no idea what the teacher was talking about.

After a moment of mental overload, Tiamat raised her expressionless face and asked, "So, what are you going to do next, Yuu?"

She didn't seem to understand at all, but... well, it was fine. Tiamat was just cute...

Matou Yuu grinned and said, "Sometimes... the enemy of my enemy can temporarily become a reliable ally."

"After all... Before burning humanity to ashes, Goetia probably wouldn't want to see this planet destroyed at the hands of a magus, would it?"

…

A colossal golden beast stood quietly in the middle of the desert at the edge of Snowfield City.

It slowly raised its head and directed its eerie scarlet eyes toward the distant sky with an indifferent gaze.

This location was on the outskirts of Snowfield City. From here, one could clearly see the vivid colors of the sky overlooking the urban area. Outside the city, a deep and quiet night had fallen, while inside the city, a pale dawn like a blank sheet of paper was arriving.

——The Beast I, Goetia.

Not long ago, its spiritual origin had been destroyed by the rampaging Tiamat, but it had only just finished "regenerating" in the Temple of Time.

Originally, Goetia had intended to remain dormant for a little longer.

However, because it was inside the Temple of Time, it had keenly sensed the anomaly in Snowfield City.

By discarding her Beast form, Tiamat had not only failed to repair the "Singularity" in Snowfield City, but had distorted it even further than before.

After arriving, Goetia had discovered the root problem that was distorting this historical perspective.

Returning the paper to a blank state... That was also the true reason it sought to burn away Human Order.

Even when Goetia had borrowed Solomon's body, it had already foreseen humanity's extinction through its "Omniscient Eyes."

The true culprit behind that tragedy was none other than Chaldea's founder, Marisbury.

Therefore, before Marisbury's "Alien Replacement Plan" could be completed, it had decided to use 3,000 years of human history as fuel to burn away humanity's sorrow.

However... The person who was supposed to begin the plan in the future had launched the attack ahead of schedule.

Why...?

While Goetia was lost in thought, a night wind carrying the unique chill of the desert blew through.

Behind it, Matou Yuu — guided by Tiamat — was speeding up on a motorcycle.

With a sharp screech of brakes, Matou Yuu brought the motorcycle to a firm stop.

The moment he raised his head, a pale blue fluorescence appeared across his entire retina. This was a very inconvenient occurrence.

[System Notification: High-risk and extremely emotional target detected ahead!]

[Species Identification: Stray Multi-Core Golden Mastiff]

[Situation Assessment: This dog has just experienced a severe "house demolition failure" and "nest loss." It is currently baring its fangs at the illegal construction workers demolishing next door and showing extreme "territorial possessiveness" and anxiety.]

[Currently Available Daily Task: A pitiful stray dog is desperately in need of mental comfort. Use gentle and soothing words to calm the dog's heart and make it accept you.]

[Task Reward: Attribute Points +1 (Free)]

"..."

Looking at the words "Stray Golden Retriever" written largely on the panel, Matou Yuu's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

This flawed system's judgment was as ridiculous as ever, but in terms of emotional analysis, it could be said to have captured Goetia's current psychological state.

At that moment, Goetia slowly rotated its massive, mountain-like body.

Those scarlet beast eyes, which conveyed no human emotion whatsoever, looked down at the young man before it.

"Matou Yuu... and Tiamat?"

While muttering in a low voice, its gaze lingered on the blue-haired loli beside him for a moment, and a faint unease flashed through the depths of its eyes.

What are they doing here?

Sensing the hostility in Goetia's tone, Matou Yuu smiled as if he hadn't noticed and said, "Goetia... I came here to discuss cooperation."

"..."

Almost the instant the young man finished speaking, the desert air suddenly froze.

Goetia stared at the young man in surprise, as if it had heard an outrageous joke, and repeated in a low voice, "Cooperation...?"

Cooperating with a complete Beast, an enemy of humanity...?

Hahahaha!!!

After a moment of surprise, the golden giant beast suddenly let out a hearty laugh mixed with pity and mockery.

"Matou Yuu... I know why you came here. However, saving humanity is your war, you boring humans. It has nothing to do with me."

Matou Yuu furrowed his brows. "Even if humanity goes extinct, can your plan still be completed?"

"If the mighty Beast I must first humble itself to save humanity in order to accomplish its merciful great undertaking..." Goetia answered calmly. "Then humanity can perish for all I care."

Tiamat slightly furrowed her brows at the golden giant beast's stubborn reply.

She opened her mouth slightly, but was immediately stopped by Matou Yuu. He simply stared quietly at Goetia.

"Is that so? If you don't mind all the Beasts in this city being used as energy sources from now on..."

He shrugged. "Do as you like."

Even though he said that, he had absolutely no intention of continuing the conversation with Goetia. Matou Yuu simply took Tiamat's small hand and turned to leave without looking back.

One step, two steps... Just as he was about to step onto the motorcycle——

"Wait!"

Goetia's low, suppressed voice echoed eerily through the air. "What did you mean by what you just said?"

"Literally."

Matou Yuu paused for a moment and pointed at the night sky above Snowfield City, where a faint "white light" was shining, and said in a calm tone, "Can't you see the strange barrier spread across the sky above that city?"

"Due to the influx of numerous Beasts, the history and laws of this city have been severely distorted. The total amount of energy accumulated within the city has reached an unimaginable critical point."

"If Marisbury absorbs all of this energy and forcibly uses it to fill Chaldea's energy shortage..."

Matou Yuu paused for a moment and looked up at the golden giant beast before him with a smile. "Well then, what do you think will happen?"

Goetia was enveloped in a long silence.

Silence filled the space between them.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but finally, Goetia's hoarse voice broke the silence.

"You mean... the Planet Replacement Project will begin ahead of schedule?"

It paused for a moment, stared at the young man, and slowly said, "It seems... you know far more secrets than I thought."

"Was it something inside your body that told you this?"

Turning the paper into a blank sheet and burning away Human Order... This was originally a game between Goetia and Marisbury, but in front of this young man, it seemed no secret could be hidden.

No, this is a spoiler from the original work... Matou Yuu quietly complained in his heart, but maintained a calm smile on his face as he said, "Goetia, I cannot agree with your extreme method of burning humanity to ashes. Therefore, our cooperation will only be for this one time."

"If you want to refuse... that's fine too. I won't try to persuade you a second time."

After finishing, he quietly stared at the golden giant beast before him.

A deathly silence hung between the man and the beast.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Goetia finally let out a low, cold laugh.

"To protect this planet? Are you really trying to team up with a complete Beast...? What an arrogant and ignorant human you are, Matou Yuu."

However, along with this sarcastic remark, Goetia coldly raised its right hand and lightly snapped its fingers.

An illusory ring radiating ancient magical energy traced an arc through the air and landed precisely in Matou Yuu's hand.

"This ring is engraved with a special 'summoning incantation' I prepared."

The golden giant beast slowly turned around, its figure gradually disappearing into the sandstorm. The only thing left behind was a voice filled with unparalleled dignity and depth.

"For this one time only... I shall accept your invitation."

Looking down at the ring in his palm, Matou Yuu slowly exhaled.

"Is this okay?" Tiamat slightly tilted her head and turned toward the young man.

Matou Yuu raised his face and directed his gaze toward the strange barrier spreading across the sky above the city in the distance, which had turned a pathological "paper-white" color, and quietly said, "That's enough."

If his memory was correct, Marisbury probably still didn't know the true source of the immense "energy" that Snowfield City possessed — enough to forcibly activate the Chaldea Replacement Plan.

In that Heavenly Sovereign's eyes, as long as the core area of the Crystal Mountain Hotel and all the Masters and Servants there were converted into energy, the dormant Alien Project could be fully activated.

However...

The things he had targeted as "firewood" were not ordinary magic at all, but the multiple extremely active Beasts lurking in the city — symbols of humanity's ultimate despair.

Just imagine. If the Beasts — regardless of friend or foe — suddenly realized that they had been used as cheap "batteries" by a magus to activate something, and further realized that the magus was trying to forcibly analyze and extract their spiritual origins...

What would they think?

…

On a deserted street outside the Crystal Hill Hotel, a pitch-black sedan was quietly parked like a ghost.

The car door opened elegantly, and a white-haired man in a white suit quietly stepped onto the asphalt road.

"Are you sure this is okay, Caster?"

He heard the voice of his Master, Faldeus, transmitted through a special magical contract.

Turning the entire Crystal Mountain Hotel — and even several surrounding blocks — into pure "magical fuel" in an instant... This was undoubtedly an outrageously insane and hair-raising plan.

However... If it succeeded, as Marisbury had promised, this completely out-of-control Holy Grail War would be "cleaned up" in an instant.

Because no matter whether it was the extremely unpredictable Matou Yuu, the incomprehensible Goddess of Creation, or the arrogant Hero King — they would all indiscriminately "evaporate" into "energy" inside this "giant furnace" that possessed the power to overturn the laws of the planet.

However...

What if it failed?

"Don't worry. There is no such thing as an 'if' error."

As if he had seen through his Master's inner conflict, a faint smile appeared on the silver-haired man's face.

"Any concept born on the surface of this planet cannot escape Chaldea's analysis. Everything is within the scope of extremely precise calculations. This is not a gamble, but an inevitable future that will lead humanity to the only correct solution."

The moment he finished speaking, he walked briskly toward the Crystal Mountain Hotel, which was spewing intense magical energy.

"Now then... Let us begin the 'recycling' procedure, Master——"

Boom!

At almost the same moment, deep within the underground control room of Chaldea in Antarctica.

The model simulating the Earth's environment, "Chaldea" — originally created to observe humanity's future 100 years from now — suddenly emitted an extremely dazzling dark red light, and the entire massive sphere began to violently shake!

Beep beep beep...!!!

An unprecedentedly severe red alert echoed throughout all of Chaldea in an instant.

"What's going on?!"

Romani, who had been busily working in the central control room, suddenly felt a tightening in his chest and unconsciously gripped his coffee cup tightly.

Could it be that Goetia had finally run out of patience and begun "Humanity Order Incineration" ahead of schedule?!

"Da Vinci, retrieve the SHEBA and near-Earth observation lenses immediately!"

Romani snapped back to reality and suddenly raised his face as he said, "Switch to the coordinates of the location showing the strongest magical reaction and find out what directly stimulated Chaldea's core by breaking through its physical barrier!?"

"Reverse tracking in progress... Coordinates confirmed as North America, Snowfield City!"

Da Vinci's high-speed typing left afterimages. A few seconds later, through the system's forced countermeasures, a special detection perspective accurately illuminated the figure of a silver-haired man standing on the ruined streets of Snowfield City.

Romani looked over almost the instant the screen popped up.

And the moment he saw the face displayed on the large screen, his brain — which had been working at high speed until then — completely stopped for an instant.

Meanwhile, Leonardo da Vinci standing beside him also showed an unprecedentedly expressionless and terrified look on her face.

"Why... Why him?!"

After the 2012 Fuyuki Holy Grail War, Leonardo da Vinci had successfully been summoned as the "Third Servant of Chaldea."

During that short period, she had worked face-to-face with the resolute first director for several days. However, immediately afterward, the first director had committed suicide in his own office.

But now...

A deathly silence fell over the central control room as everyone stared at the white-haired man on the screen.

After a period of silence, Leonardo da Vinci muttered to herself in a voice that carried a hint of surprise and unease. "Why... is Director Marisbury still alive?!"

He had already committed suicide, and many Chaldea employees had witnessed it.

But now he was actually alive and well inside the Singularity?! And... why was Chaldea showing such a terrifying resonance reaction toward him?

She unconsciously glanced at Romani beside her, but the doctor hadn't said a single word from the beginning. His expression changed violently, and his eyes seemed to hold extremely complex emotions.

A sudden realization that a long-standing mystery had been shattered, an unacceptable level of confusion and shock, a hair-raising terror the more one investigated, and... an indescribable... anger.

Romani took a deep breath, fixed his gaze on the silver-haired man on the screen, and broke the silence.

"Da Vinci... Quickly find a way to contact Ritsuka and Mash."

He turned toward the almighty genius, but because of the intense emotional turmoil, his voice trembled slightly.

"The founding of Chaldea... probably had a fatal problem from the very beginning."

…

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