Da Vinci opened her mouth but hesitated. Her gaze dropped slightly, her expression complex as she looked at Romani.
"...Honestly. You say that kind of thing with that expression and tone, and it makes it hard for me to argue with you."
She asked again, "But... are you really okay with this? If it goes on, you'll have to give up your freedom again."
"It doesn't matter anymore, because Fujimaru Ritsuka is still fighting...." Romani looked at the sub-screen displaying Fujimaru's current vitals. He knew—they couldn't afford to wait any longer.
The specialized shoulder armor and arm-guard Mystic Code Fujimaru wore had used up most of the emergency injectors. The drugs, combining adrenaline, morphine, and mana restoration, came with heavy side effects.
He had already surpassed his limits. No—he had gone far beyond them. It was a miracle he was still standing.
Ritsuka... this pain, this enemy—perhaps even A-Team's so-called elites would have already failed. Your burning heart—I've received it, long ago.
Romani glanced sideways and smiled. "As long as he becomes a great Master, then my existence has meaning. That's the greatest purpose I could hope for as a human."
Rustle~
He moved to the drawer on the right side of the command chair. Like an old friend catching up, he didn't look up. He rummaged through the stack of files, pulled out a cherished tin of tea leaves and an incomplete tea set. As he unscrewed the lid, he chuckled warmly.
"As a reward for the freedom I've enjoyed until now, this is more than enough."
Whiff—whiff~
He set out the teacups, utensils, warmed the pot, added leaves, rinsed, steeped, and poured... everything felt like a distant memory.
He gently picked up the steaming cup—perhaps the last he'd ever brew—and held it out to the stunned Da Vinci.
"Here you go. Finest Darjeeling from the Apennines. Bit rushed, but..."
"Hey, don't look at me like that. It's normal to have hobbies...." Romani scratched the back of his head sheepishly at Da Vinci's unspoken 'you're slacking off' expression.
He handed her the cup, blew gently on his own, raised it in a silent toast, and drained it in one go. "Oof... hot."
Placing the empty cup on the table, he patted his chest and wiped the corner of his mouth. Then he stepped past Da Vinci.
"Well then... see you. If I'm not around anymore, I'll be leaving everything to you, Leonardo-chan~"
Finally, before the door closed, Romani tapped his forehead with a peace sign.
Click!
"That farewell... it's just like you, Romani...."
Da Vinci stared at the central control room door as it shut. Yes—even if she suspected Selene's true target was him, he had to go.
Unless he could coldly ignore Fujimaru Ritsuka, ignore Mash, remain indifferent to the incineration of humanity.
He couldn't.
After a moment, Da Vinci looked back at the screen. The steam from her teacup had begun to fade. She took a small sip.
Mm... warm, slightly sweet, faintly bitter....
....
RUMBLE—!
The "sun" darkened. Above the temple, the halo in the sky began to bleed red light from its edges.
Like a crashing wave, the mutated tide of Demon Pillars surged toward the struggling Fool. Dazzling lights filled the sky, turning into an overwhelming storm of projectiles.
Slowly opening his eyes, Fujimaru Ritsuka saw Mash's back as she struggled to hold her shield—and many Heroic Spirits still fighting with all their might.
Where they stood, aside from the throne atop the alabaster steps, everything had transformed into a vast ocean composed of Demon Pillars. This "ocean" seemed endless to the eye. The only visible thing was the dark crimson stretching to the horizon.
Cough cough...
Bulging veins stood out on Fujimaru Ritsuka's exposed skin. His face was flushed, his eyes bloodshot, and his normally bright blue pupils now glowed from the intense conversion of magical energy inside him. He clenched his teeth tightly.
"We can't win...!"
The thought surfaced in his mind unbidden.
"No—I have to win!"
In the next moment, Solomon's voice boomed from above. "Rejoice. No matter how foolish humanity is, I am merciful."
Thud! Thud!
The Demon Pillars spread apart, and a monstrous figure stepped forth.
Tall and muscular, a beast-like physique with gnarled limbs, wild yellow hair like dried branches, and a face twisted in rage. Eyes covered his arms and even his chest, and the aura surrounding him radiated sheer malice and savagery.
This was humanity's true enemy. The one behind the Incineration of Human Order. One of the Beasts, the Seven Evils of Humanity—Beast I. The embodiment of "Compassion."
"You're not Solomon! A being that noble would never seek the destruction of his own kind!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka stood again, shouting in defiance.
"Noble?"
Goetia paused, prideful and aloof, his eyes swirling with crimson madness.
"Hahaha—"
"That's the funniest thing I've heard. You ignorant, naive mortal. Solomon? Noble? He was nothing more than a coward. He saw everything, but weakly let it all unfold. It was he who allowed the tragedies and disasters to come, all under the pretense of obeying divine will."
"Hahaha... Enough. Wearing this foolish king's face has served its purpose. It ends here, fool."
"Hear this: when I reveal my true form, it will be your highest honor. You may call me by the name humanity fears most—Human Order Incineration System: Goetia!"
Like thunder breaking the sky, an overwhelming aura of demonic mana erupted.
BOOM—!
Goetia bared his fangs in a beastlike grin. Raising his monstrous claw, his tone was saturated with sorrow, disdain, and godlike pity.
"Now burn to ash. That is your destined future!"
As he spoke, terrifying magical power surged from his body, casting its glow across the sky.
"Behold—by erasing the foundation of Human Order, reducing human history's density to zero, and igniting it with Our gaze—"
Goetia's cold, absolute declaration.
In an instant, it felt as though unseen gravity had crushed the world, weighing down all the Servants.
"I won't let that happen...!"
As Fujimaru Ritsuka raised his Command Spell, once again putting his life on the line like a mayfly charging a tree, a warm hand landed gently on his shoulder—and the crushing pressure suddenly lifted.
"You've done well, Ritsuka. Leave the rest to me."
....
"Oh? This presence... Seems the endgame has begun."
Selene, her form gradually fading, stood amidst a field of flesh and wreckage. Carrying a giant golden Sphinx she had just pried from a burial site, she sensed the strange new aura intruding on the temple barrier—and grinned.
"Bianka, the time is near."
"Understood."
...
Fujimaru Ritsuka turned, stunned. "Doctor Roman?! What are you doing here?!"
Clad in his familiar Chaldea physician attire, Romani stood calmly behind him, eyes fixed firmly on Goetia.
"Goetia, you say you've rejected the name of the King of Magecraft. Then allow me to name myself."
Hummmm—!
A brilliant golden aura enveloped Romani's body. The gravity of the world seemed to fade in that moment. When he reappeared—his silver-white braid and red-and-white robe revealed the truth, stunning Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"Doctor Roman... you... Solomon?"
"Sorry, Ritsuka. I've hidden it for so long. But now, leave the rest to me. I will atone for my sins."
Romani—no, the true Solomon—spoke with deep remorse.
"I know words cannot express my guilt. But please, allow me to make things right."
With resolute steps, Solomon walked past Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"My name is Solomon, King of Magecraft. Goetia—beast born of my corpse, born of my shame. Now is the moment I will judge your evil with my own hands."
"Hahahahahaha—!"
Goetia laughed.
Fierce, mad, even manic. "Look who it is. What a shameless wretch. The most foolish man, the most useless king, only now dares show his face! But yes... this is just like you!"
"Now that it's far too late! Die, die, die! Die with your naive dreams, foolish king! I'll use your own Noble Phantasm to send you to the underworld!"
On Goetia's raised hands, dozens of eyes flashed. The halo in the sky roared in response.
The entire temple, the very heavens, trembled.
But Solomon paid him no mind. Calmly, he raised his hand—bearing a single silver ring.
"Ah, I intended this from the beginning. I will be destroyed by my own Noble Phantasm. That is the end fitting for King Solomon."
"Goetia—let me teach you the final magecraft."
"—What?"
Goetia's wild expression twisted with fear. Was it that First Noble Phantasm?
"No! No, you're already dead! A Heroic Spirit can't defeat me! You don't have the will! You're too much of a coward to choose this! Stop it. Stop it, stop it, stop—!!! That ring, that Throne of Omniscience, it doesn't belong to you alone—!"
The so-called Demon God King lost all composure, screaming like a child being robbed of a favorite toy.
"The Time of Birth hath come, He is the One who Masters All."
"The Time of Crowning hath come, He is the One who Begins All."
Solomon spread his arms and embraced the sky. His face held neither joy nor sorrow—only a sense of relief.
With his chant, Goetia's presence collapsed like a dam bursting.
"And—The Time of Parting hath come, He is the One who Lets Go of The World."
"NO!!!"
"Ars Nova."
HUMMMMM—!
A blinding light burst from within the swirling mass of Demon Pillars, illuminating the entire world.
...
"He did it! Fujimaru Ritsuka has succeeded!"
Above, the ominous red light surrounding the suspended halo faded rapidly. Its structure began to collapse as the Noble Phantasm's magic dissipated. The halo shattered into a rain of radiant light falling upon the ravaged land.
The Demon Pillars, once unending no matter how many were slain, lost all vitality in an instant. They began to topple and crumble.
"We did it!!"
Even those few Servants who remained, many missing limbs or near collapse, couldn't help but cheer.
Suddenly—"Ahahahaha—!"
"You've made Us wait so long. The true Solomon! Yes, this is it! The Noble Phantasm that returns divine blessings to the heavens!"
A loud, mocking laugh interrupted the cheers, instantly silencing the gathered Heroic Spirits, leaving their hearts uneasy.
"Goetia, it seems you've failed. As such, the contract is void."
Selene's sudden laughter puzzled the bruised and battered Ishtar, but she nonetheless raised her guard.
"You've lost, Selene! Give up already! You don't have much time left anyway. Can we just stop fighting?"
"Lost?"
Lounging atop the back of a nearly unconscious, blue-lancer-turned-punching-bag, Selene—her form shimmering with particle light—casually tossed aside the severed head of a certain brown-skinned king of kings. She wiped the blood from her gauntlet and giggled.
"This is only just beginning."
Then she raised her index and middle fingers.
"Corruption—begin."
BOOM—!
In that instant, the crumbling Temple of Time, bathed in falling golden light, began to tremble violently. Endless violet-red runes flared back into view, as if etched into the very bones of the structure. The glyphs seemed to come alive, writhing wildly in the eerie purple light.
"Selene, you—!"
Before Ishtar could speak further, her vision blurred—Selene vanished before her eyes.
...
Elsewhere, as the sky was again consumed by a violet-red shroud—
Be it the half-dead Goetia or the fading Solomon, all the Heroic Spirits felt it. Something was wrong.
"Within the energy returned to the 'heavens'... was hidden an extremely contagious corruptive particle. A component of this world's divine era transformation... urgh—!"
Zzzzt—!
A tidal wave of black-violet energy erupted from the ground, twisting into countless spiraling Imaginary Number bands. These shot directly into Solomon's already-dissipating spiritual form.
Injected with Honkai energy, veins of violet light spread rapidly across his body. The faint network linking to the void beyond the sky became visibly clear.
"This presence... Selene."
"We waited so long for you, true King of Magecraft—Solomon."
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