The sky above the abandoned factory was now completely covered by rising smoke. Scorching heat waves mixed with the sll of gunpowder spread violently in all directions.
Matou Yuu stood on a broken wall outside the factory, covering his mouth and nose with one hand.
Surveying the gang's base he had destroyed, he let out a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze toward the center of the nearby battlefield.
Amid raging flas and ruins, the assassin clad in heavy black attire stood like an immovable ancient mountain, both hands resting on his broad beheading sword, quietly lingering there.
Two eerie blue soul flas flickered in the darkness, gazing silently at the young man through the empty eye sockets of the skull mask.
"I never thought I'd et you again here, Old Man of the Mountain," Matou Yuu said, breaking the silence first.
His original plan had been to use the Pale Rider's plague as cover, infiltrate the area with Tiamat, and seize the mafia's base.
When he stepped onto the factory grounds, he hadn't expected the elite mafia lookouts to already be staggering and losing consciousness.
Clearly, this was the work of a top-class assassin who had infiltrated beforehand.
That was why Matou Yuu had been able to easily enter the underground laboratory and calmly plant those terrifying magical bombs.
The Old Man of the Mountain remained silent for a ti. Eventually a deep voice echoed, as if announcing an irreversible fate.
"Young man from a foreign land… do you know? The phantom of the Mother Goddess standing in the sky has already begun to distort the very foundation of Human Order."
"The calamity that should have been exiled to the ends of the world was able to cross the dinsional wall and exert its world-destroying power here because your body and soul have beco the only anchor point allowing it to interfere with this world."
Anchor point…?
Matou Yuu's heart skipped a beat. He vaguely recalled sothing.
The Sea of Imaginary Numbers corresponded to the world's place of exile—a different world with no direction or concept of ti, theoretically existing yet unable to manifest in reality.
As long as human history continued, the Human Order would forever seal the Sea of Imaginary Numbers. Even Tiamat, possessing infinite magical energy and world-destroying power, could not unilaterally break through the dinsional wall while rejected by the world's laws.
In truth, the conditions for Tiamat to descend from the Sea of Imaginary Numbers were extrely strict.
In Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, the king who possessed the Holy Grail first caused great chaos in that era.
The War God Goddess Gorgon had served as the anchor point for summoning Tiamat.
The Holy Grail War that erupted in this snow-covered city was an extrely coincidental event in which every fatal condition had aligned perfectly.
Matou Yuu—who possessed fossil fragnts from the Sea of Imaginary Numbers and had summoned Tiamat with himself as the anchor point—along with the various Masters each harboring their own agendas, stirring chaos in this city.
And the Servants of extraordinary power who should never have appeared in this Holy Grail War.
"I've actually been wondering about sothing for a while."
Facing the intimidating gaze of the King of Assassins, Matou Yuu raised his head. "If my existence is Tiamat's anchor point… then there should be a way for you to completely resolve this, right?"
"For example… killing right here."
A night wind unique to the desert—cutting like a knife—howled through. The two eerie blue flas in the old man's eyes flickered.
The Old Man of the Mountain stood motionless, gazing silently at the young man with vacant eyes.
After a while, a voice like one rising from a remote valley bottom slowly echoed. "Indeed, your head has committed the sin of bringing calamity. However… the evening bell announcing your death has not yet rung."
This old man is truly a man of conviction…?
Matou Yuu's heart skipped a beat. Looking at this intimidating figure reminiscent of the Grim Reaper, information about the assassination order he had once seen in the Clock Tower library flashed through his mind.
Historically, the Assassins' Order had always been feared as a ruthless and brutal religious group.
Yet few mages knew they possessed extrely strict internal rules.
They never engaged in aningless mass slaughter. Their assassinations were essentially a form of rcy carrying heavy sin—the act of saving millions of lives by beheading one.
The founder of the Hassan Order, the First Old Man of the Mountain, had been the very embodint of these teachings.
He possessed no ordinary concept of good and evil, nor human selfishness.
The sole criterion by which he wielded his sword was the sound of the evening bell announcing the end of his own fate.
If the evening bell did not ring, he would kill no one. But if it rang, even gods could be slain.
"I see…"
Matou Yuu stared at the two eerie blue soul flas and said while gazing at the great assassin, "In other words, even though I am Tiamat's anchor point, my evening bell has never rung—is that it?"
"Exactly."
The old man's voice remained unchanged. "Your soul is not fated to remain in this world. Your fate has not yet been decided. Since the final bell has not rung, I shall simply wait at the edge of the remote valley for your decision."
"Ahhh…"
Just then, from directly behind, a beautiful and mysterious singing voice suddenly rang out… It was Tiamat, who had just returned after transporting the hostages from the battery.
The Old Man of the Mountain quietly gazed at the young man, then stared intently at the blue-haired girl.
A gust of wind blew through the dark valley.
The imposing jet-black heavy armor—as if it had never existed there—silently vanished into the night darkness of the abandoned factory amidst scattered black feathers and black mist.
Matou Yuu sorted his thoughts and looked up at the distant sky.
The massive phantom of the Creation Goddess Tiamat was like the deathly silence before a storm, filling the entire city with a suffocating sense of despair.
Although she was currently in a hypnotic state, the suppressive presence transcending dinsions could be clearly felt even from afar.
Rather, the stronger a mage's power, the deeper they understood the terror of this Creation Goddess.
Ignorance is bliss.
Just as Matou Yuu was considering his next move, a familiar light-blue system screen quietly appeared on his retina.
[Chomp!]
[You have discovered an extrely rare urban spectacle—"ga-Scale Holographic Virtual Idol (Limited Edition) Outdoor Concert"!]
[Note: This holographic projection uses cutting-edge virtual modeling technology. Not only its overwhelming size, but the fantastical expression of the song "Aaaaa" is deeply moving, combining high artistry and hypnotic effects!]
[Ti-limited Daily Task Triggered: Crazy Fan]
[Task Requirents: Imdiately move to the best viewpoint in Snowfield City (recomnded: overpass in the city center or rooftop of a high-rise building) and take a perfect photo with the holographic projection as background.]
[Task Reward: Attribute Points 1 (Free)]
"…"
Staring at the massive object in the sky that could overturn human order at any mont, then at the task description before him, Matou Yuu fell into a long silence.
Even he couldn't help muttering inwardly.
"This is supposed to be a holographic virtual idol concert?! Taking photos and checking in too? Believe , if this virtual idol wakes up, the first thing she'll do is destroy your server!"
A mont later, however, after seeing the Tiamat Lily obediently walking toward him, he looked up at the true body in the sky that was still unconsciously emitting beautiful "Aaaaa" murmurs.
"…But if you're really saying she's holding an outdoor concert, that wouldn't be wrong."
…
The sky over Snowfield City was torn by dark cracks crossing the heavens, but at midnight most citizens were still sound asleep, completely unaware of the apocalyptic phenonon occurring above their heads.
At that mont, Matou Yuu rode a second-hand motorcycle with Tiamat on the back, speeding through deserted quiet streets toward the phantom of Tiamat's true form.
In the howling night wind, a lodic, mysterious, and sowhat lancholic singing voice occasionally drifted down from high above… If one didn't know the phantom's true identity, one could easily believe the illusion that a giant holographic virtual idol is holding a concert.
On the back seat, Tiamat gently wrapped her slender arms around the young man's waist.
She pressed her head firmly against his back, her deep-blue, slightly wavy hair swaying softly in the wind.
She raised her face and gazed at the massive phantom in the distant night sky that resembled her original form. Her pupils were slightly unfocused, her expression terribly dazed, as if lost in thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Matou Yuu noticed her unusual deanor and shouted against the wind.
"She… looks very sad." Tiamat's voice was particularly clear even in the wind, yet tinged with anxiety.
Matou Yuu's heart skipped a beat. He unconsciously slowed the motorcycle. "You don't rember what you experienced in the past?"
Tiamat gently shook her head, rubbing her cheek against his back, and let out a soft, bewildered voice.
"I vaguely rember so things… but they're fragnted, just blurry mory fragnts. Just touching those fragnts makes feel very sad."
Hearing those words, Matou Yuu was surprised, yet vaguely understood.
What was called a Servant was essentially just a clone record stripped from the Heroic Spirit on the Throne of Heroes—forcefully downgraded to adapt to the modern Holy Grail system, a shadow-like existence.
Although Tiamat was not on the Throne of Heroes, from the mont her spiritual origin manifested, it was utterly impossible for this small body to contain the vast mories and despair of her original form spanning billions of years.
She knew her true na and vaguely understood her fate as the Mother Goddess.
However, the painful details of being betrayed by humans in the Age of Gods and rcilessly exiled to the ends of the world… Now Tiamat was like watching a silent film—she could feel the pain, but the full picture remained invisible.
Nevertheless, through soul resonance, she empathized with the endless sadness that could engulf the world, emitted from the song resounding in the sky from her own body.
As a result, this usually cheerful and curious deep-sea fairy was abnormally depressed at this mont.
But soon she hugged the young man tighter and gently said, as if comforting him, "Don't worry. 'I' won't go out of control."
"In a few days, when this Holy Grail War ends… I will return."
Her voice was very soft, swaying in the wind with an incredibly mysterious quality. "I have a way to return myself to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers. After I leave, all you need to do is sever the magecraft and close that door again."
Should we return to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers and continue sleeping?
Matou Yuu was montarily at a loss for how to persuade her and could only ask, "You've only been in this city for two days and haven't experienced much delicious food or fun things yet… Are you satisfied with this?"
"My body is maintained by the Holy Grail system and should disappear once the Holy Grail War ends. Moreover, staying in the present world would only burden you."
Tiamat said, "The reason they're troubling you is because of ."
These words surprised Matou Yuu. He couldn't help saying, "There should be a way to maintain your spirit even after the Holy Grail War ends… For example, if I keep supplying you with magical energy."
"Besides, you haven't done anything wrong, so why do you think it's your problem? Those people see as an enemy that must be eliminated just because you're a Servant in this war."
Tiamat shook her head. "No. What they're really afraid of is the in the sky."
"Moreover, if I remain in this world after the Holy Grail War ends, I'll cause trouble for the children… Everyone is afraid of ."
Those words left Matou Yuu montarily speechless.
Indeed, the Tiamat sitting behind him was nothing more than a delicate girl with ruby-like eyes and a cute, soft appearance—seemingly harmless at first glance.
But her true form floating high in the sky right now… A soul-shaking, apocalyptic oppressiveness. Not to ntion ordinary mages—even if all the most outstanding heroic souls in human history were lined up, they would probably break into a cold sweat.
The reason Matou Yuu could maintain composure before that giant beast was simply because he had spent so much ti with Tiamat… Of course, the most important reason was that he thought Tiamat was very beautiful.
In the end, for Matou Yuu there was no essential difference between the obedient Tiamat behind him and the massive existence in the sky that could easily reset Earth's ecosystem.
But logic was logic.
He couldn't leave her depressed like this…
Seeing Tiamat's dejected expression, Matou Yuu suddenly twisted the throttle. The engine roared.
The howling night wind carried the cutting chill unique to the desert.
He turned the handlebars at the fork ahead and headed straight for the overpass crossing the city center.
Reaching the highest point with the best view, he braked and pulled the bike to the roadside.
The young man got off and turned to extend his hand to Tiamat in the back seat.
"Aaaaa?" she asked, puzzled.
"Get off first. Then we'll talk," Matou Yuu said with a smile.
Though confused, Tiamat obediently extended her small hand and, led by the young man, jumped off the bike.
Standing on the overpass crossing the city's skyline and gazing into the distance, her ruby-like eyes—swaying in the night wind—slowly widened.
Reflected in her eyes was a breathtakingly beautiful tropolis shining with brilliance and grandeur in the night darkness.
At her feet flowed a golden river of cars and people; in the distance stood clusters of high-rise buildings adorned with dazzling neon lights. This fantastical city called Snowfield City, despite the undercurrents swirling beneath the surface, appeared in the eyes of ordinary unaware people as the dazzling, captivating light of modern civilization.
Matou Yuu gently held Tiamat's soft small hand, feeling the cool, gentle touch at his fingertips. He could also sense her body, which seed a bit stiff.
He turned and smiled at the girl beside him.
"Don't you think this world is beautiful?"
Tiamat seed a bit dazed, but after a while she ca to her senses and nodded lightly while gazing at the blinking neon lights.
"Is McDonald's delicious?" he continued.
She nodded again with a very serious expression.
"What about amusent parks? Amusent parks are fun too, aren't they?"
Before Tiamat could reply, Matou Yuu returned his gaze to the distant lights and quietly said, "This planet actually has many more interesting things and beautiful scenery… The prosperity of Snowfield City is just the tip of the iceberg."
"But before, I thought everything here was fake. Because I didn't belong to this world."
He wished to return ho through the Holy Grail War because he didn't belong here and knew the despair of the future.
Raised in a twisted magus family with no familial affection, he faced nothing but nauseating swarms of worms and conspiracies every day.
If nothing unexpected happened, after graduating from the Clock Tower he might not escape the control of the old insect Matou Zouken and might even be forced to participate in the next Holy Grail War.
So he had tried every ans to find a way to return ho before graduation.
But perhaps things were unpredictable… Even Matou Yuu himself couldn't have imagined he would summon such an unexpected Servant in this Holy Grail War.
Deep in his heart he also yearned to return ho, but the world had given him a reason to return and ultimately transford him into the enemy of Human Order and the Beast feared and hated by all humanity.
She was indeed the Creation Goddess who gave birth to all things, but when gods and people spoke of her, the first thing that ca to mind was the Beast of Return, symbolizing calamity.
Tiamat looked at Matou Yuu and heard him continue. "But recently, the desire to return ho hasn't been as strong as before."
"Why?" She tilted her head, a strand of sea-like blue hair slipping from her shoulder.
Matou Yuu remained silent for a while.
"It's thanks to you." He suddenly smiled. "Because the Servant I summoned was you, life in this world suddenly beca much more interesting."
"If I have to give a deeper reason… perhaps it's because I like it."
"…Like what?"
"Yes."
Matou Yuu turned, slowly bent his knees, and t the blue-haired girl's gaze at eye level.
He stared intently into her clear crimson eyes, his expression more serious than ever.
"Because I like you, I want to take you to various places."
"Actually, I'm a huge slacker. I don't like going out. Even though I think 'soday I'd like to go out and see' while looking at the beautiful scenery of the world from ho, I've never actually gone. I always say see the world for , be free for , but in reality I'm just a slacker. For , seeing the world was one option, not a true wish."
"But if this is your wish… if you want to experience this world, I want to help fulfill your wish."
Tiamat blinked her red eyes and quietly stared at the young man.
She tilted her head slightly and asked again, "Why?"
"If I have to give a reason… perhaps because you're so cute, I wanted to fulfill your wish," Matou Yuu said with a smile.
"Cute…?"
Tiamat stopped again, gazing at the young man's incredibly serious expression with a sowhat bewildered look.
Then, as if finally realizing sothing, her bright red eyes gradually widened.
Steam seed to rise from her head as if water had suddenly boiled. Her delicate face instantly turned bright red, and even her glowing earlobes took on a charming redness.
She panicked and took half a step back. As if directing traffic, she waved both hands aninglessly up and down in front of her chest.
"Wait, wait! Does that an 'like'?! But I'm the Mother Goddess of Creation—in a sense, the mother of all primates… How can that be…"
Before she could finish her flustered explanation, Matou Yuu reached out and grabbed her trembling small hand.
"Because you're really cute." The young man stared at her. "Because… there's no one in this world who would dislike you, right?"
The sudden warmth from her hand made Tiamat's body stiffen slightly.
For the first ti in her life, her heart was completely overwheld by a mysterious emotion called shyness and heart-pounding.
Enveloped in that unsparing warmth, her fingertips' struggling gradually stopped and her tense body relaxed.
"So—"
At that mont the young man's voice pulled her back from her thoughts to reality.
Matou Yuu stared intently at Tiamat's beautiful face and quietly asked, "Do you want to experience this world with ? Or… do you want to return to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers?"
Hearing the young man's incredibly gentle voice, Tiamat's previous agitation gradually subsided.
Return…?
After the Holy Grail War ends, would they return to the Sea of Imaginary Numbers—a place with no concept of ti, everything pitch black, drifting aimlessly…?
Her gaze gradually beca unfocused. As she stared at the lively night scene before her, images seed engraved deep in her soul surged uncontrollably into her heart.
It was a very dark and cold place, like the bottom of the deep sea where one would drown forever.
She was immortal, so she would never truly die.
However, in that silent place of exile, what repeatedly surfaced in her heart were the gazes of the children, filled with fear, disgust, and hatred.
And finally, betrayal from the gods and rejection from the world's will.
"You're no longer useful, Mother."
"The ancient creation soil only hinders the evolution and regeneration of new life. Your love is too heavy. It only suffocates us."
"For the foundation of the new world… please die."
"Look at that monster… What an ugly sight! This new world has no need for such an ugly monster."
What does it an to live?
Does it an the body never ages? Does it an never dying even if killed?
But if you remain in that cold, dark world, continuing to have the sa nightmares every day… can such a way of living truly be said to have aning?
The gods' ruthless declaration, rejection from the inhibitory force, and fear toward humanity flashed violently like a runaway projector in Tiamat's heart.
She was like a person drowning in the deep sea, her pupils gradually losing focus.
Those vivid red eyes slowly turned dark.
But at that mont, a warm hand gently touched her head.
The warmth suddenly transmitted from that palm was like a ray of light powerfully cutting through the darkness of the deep sea, instantly pulling Tiamat's consciousness back from the long nightmare and mories to reality.
She shuddered as if waking from a dream and unconsciously raised her head.
What entered her vision was not the cold darkness filled with curses and betrayal, but the young man's incredibly gentle smile, blown by the night wind on the overpass.
In a dazed state, those painful mories—like a forcibly interrupted projector—rapidly disappeared under the young man's gaze.
He gently stroked her hair and quietly said, "Don't care too much about others' eyes. Stop sacrificing yourself for the children. Whether human or god, one must learn to live for oneself at least once, right?"
Tiamat stopped for a mont and muttered to herself, "Should I… learn to follow my own thoughts first?"
The gloom of the Sea of Imaginary Numbers gradually disappeared from her eyes.
She silently stared at the young man before her. In the depths of his bright red eyes, only his face was burned in.
And under the night wind.
She stood on tiptoes and drew closer and closer to the young man before her.
All this ti she had been carefully observing the young man with fawn-like, moist eyes—as if fearing that at any mont an expression of disgust or retreat would appear in his eyes.
However, Matou Yuu did not falter in the slightest and gently held her cold small hand.
Until the very end, they seed able to feel each other's surprisingly clear breathing.
Tiamat, the Creation Goddess abandoned by both humans and gods, her love had always been grand, selfless, and unselfish, yet suffocatingly so.
A kiss was a human-specific, extrely exclusive and self-centered form of expression.
However, the young man before her was the first person who neither rejected nor feared her.
She could clearly feel the seriousness in the young man's eyes… The world feared her power, but he was different.
For the first ti in billions of years since won were born, they had co to harbor a selfish desire to possess sothing exclusively.
She was not the Creation Goddess, but rely a young girl who wished to be loved and acted to seek it.
She gradually drew closer, and finally suddenly brought her face close to Matou Yuu's face.
And the incredibly soft and warm sensation of lips spread across Matou Yuu's lips.
It was the slightest physical contact, but it magically shook the soul and made one feel an indescribable heart-pounding sensation.
It was the mont when, after tens of billions of years of loneliness, Tiamat offered a prayer to the living beings of the present world for the first ti.
After being montarily distracted, Matou Yuu stared at the red eyes filled with tears and waited for the final answer.
In the silence that was both short and long.
She finally slightly parted her lips and quietly voiced the answer that had welled up from the depths of her heart.
"If it's to be with Yuu… I think I'll stay here."
BOOM—!!!
The mont Tiamat uttered the words "I'll stay."
Under the night that had been deathly silent until now, high in the distant sky, a silver vertical pupil large enough to overlook the entire city silently opened!
…The collective unconscious of primates, the inhibitory force Alaya.
…
…
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