The instinct of life has only one purpose, and that is continuation. To achieve this, it must plunder the world beyond itself, ensuring the acquisition of sufficient resources. This is a truth that holds firm in both the past and the future—even in a future unimaginably distant, where the end of the stars is near.
Even if the stars wither and perish, humanity will still find a way to survive.
And the radiance of that aurora—this is the perfect embodiment of humanity's way of existence: "destroying the world for the sake of self-preservation."
Amidst the glow of that aurora, someone kneels on the ground, hands pressed to the earth. His figure, which others might perceive as immovable and towering as a mountain, trembles uncontrollably at this moment. Cracks begin to surface, spreading from within to the outside.
From these cracks, a pitch-black radiance bursts forth, as if something is about to be born from within.
"I knew it, I should have known this all along."
His consciousness begins to blur, and gaps appear in his memories of existence. Where is this place now?
The man, having long forgotten his name, bites his numb lips hard. His eyes, nearly collapsing under the pressure, stare intently at the place where a once-pure white saint had stood.
At some point, the figure of the pure white saint had vanished.
Was it before the wish began?
Or after it had started?
He could no longer remember, nor did he care to.
It didn't matter.
What mattered was the "now."
The mutation in his body was the most important thing. Something surging up from the depths of his soul began to fill his physical form. Even though he had obtained the blood of the Red Dragon, which elevated his body beyond the realm of humanity, it could not remain intact in the face of this force.
Struggling to maintain his consciousness, the man gathered his fragmented memories, organizing them into broken thoughts.
He had not fully succeeded in materializing his soul—he had merely opened a hole. Yet even this hole was enough to bring his body to the brink of collapse.
And at last, he recalled the implication of soul materialization—
The infinite energy of perpetual motion, based on the soul's eternal nature.
Using the immortal soul as a template to create a perfect body corresponding to it.
To create a perfect body modeled on the soul—
If the body were reconstructed to match the soul, then the original body would inevitably be destroyed. His connection to this world would also vanish.
That outcome would be no different from the self-destruction he had sought to avoid—
"Destroying the world for the sake of self-preservation."
Without a doubt, he was not an enemy of humanity, nor an enemy of human history, but an enemy of the world itself—a being that existed as an adversary to this star.
This was not a conscious choice or decision, but a fundamental rebellion from the very core of his being.
As long as the act of existing continued, the plundering of the star would unfold endlessly—it was merely a matter of scale.
In this sense, he was no different from the strongest of humanity, Alaya.
As humanity's collective unconscious wishes to avoid extinction, Alaya would erode the planet itself if it meant ensuring the survival of human civilization.
And merely existing as an enemy of the world? Examples of such phenomena were not unheard of.
For instance, the operation of the Fifth Magic was tantamount to burning the lifespan of the universe. Even if the effects were minuscule, by perpetually borrowing heat from the future and manipulating events, such as postponing someone's death to an unimaginably distant future, the resulting consumption and increase in entropy undeniably accelerated the universe's heat death.
This was an act of destroying the world—or rather, such is the nature of all magic.
It is not something humanity can fully comprehend.
Fragmented thoughts swept through his mind, and the man finally recalled the contingency plans he had made for unexpected situations.
For five years, he had pursued the materialization of his soul. Though the ultimate success was uncertain, he had prepared for many worst-case scenarios.
His current situation had only one answer—
"Failed, failed, failed?!!!"
His body began to collapse uncontrollably. The complete manifestation of his soul was something he could not afford to let happen.
He could not abandon his body. He absolutely could not abandon this body!
The image of the departed king had already grown hazy in his memory, but even as a blurry silhouette, it was something he could never forget in this lifetime—
"Survive."
The dragon's blood flowing through his body was not only the key to his survival but also the testament to his oath to the king.
"I can't do it."
Even as his thoughts shattered into fragments and became nonlinear, the man still arrived at the conclusion that he could not achieve it.
In his current state, he could not compensate for the weakness of his body.
The force surging from his soul overwhelmed a body that had not yet reached its full potential.
Although he had once supplemented it, his body's growth still lacked the necessary nourishment. What exactly was missing?
He didn't know. What level of growth would it take to bear the weight of his soul?
Would it be a body equal to the divine, like that of Gilgamesh? Or one that surpassed the natural gifts of a great hero?
He could not find the answer—
The light, rhythmic sound of a girl's footsteps came from behind. Crossing the boundary between the inner and outer realms, the goddess who had also reached this space walked forward, braving the aurora that ceaselessly eroded her.
"I've found you."
In the starlit eyes of the goddess, crescent-shaped with her smile, was the gentle will of the star itself.
As a primordial ocean, her gaze carried the will of the Earth, or perhaps it could be said to hold the light of the very intelligence that was the power of the star.
If the planet as a whole was considered a living being, supporting theories like the Gaia Hypothesis, then as a primordial ocean, she could also be considered part of that system.
Gurgle, gurgle.
The Sea of Life, which the man once viewed with such dread, rose beneath the girl. This time, it did not avoid the man's presence but instead engulfed him directly.
The cold water of the sea symbolized the origin—a representation of all life's beginnings, the cradle of primordial power.
Drawing upon the remaining magical energy of the Greater Grail, combined with her reserves and the mana she reverse-drained from the man through their Servant connection, the Sea of Life now revealed a glimpse of its true form.
The girl, also within the sea, gently knelt before the man. Her pure, white hands cradled the face she had gazed upon day and night.
"I won't give up on you."
The goddess, named Tiamat, smiled brilliantly as she spoke:
"This time, I will protect humanity."
Or perhaps, it was at this very moment that the true reason for her summoning and manifestation became evident.
Her spiritual foundation expanded, evolving.
The white ceremonial dress she wore silently dissolved into black streams of water. Her figure began to grow fuller, transforming from the form of the Maiden of Destiny into that of the Mother.
The surging sea swallowed their figures completely until they vanished, transforming the boundless field of flowers into an ocean of life.
The events that unfolded within the Grail's interior were known to no one, though Semiramis, still outside the boundary, sensed the retreat of divinity's aura and the ebbing of the chaotic tide.
To obtain enough magical power, Tiamat even reduced most of the Sea of Life that covered the Hanging Gardens, leaving only the core areas under her control.
It looks like Semiramis's opportunity has arrived.
Both Alaric and Tiamat have entered the inner depths of the Holy Grail. Now, the Hanging Gardens are once again her domain. As long as she regains control of the Gardens before Tiamat emerges, Semiramis can reclaim the initiative.
But—
Semiramis gazed at the pitch-black aurora stretching from the Holy Grail into the boundless sky, her expression unusually grave.
The aurora's expansion not only split the sky but also disrupted the integrity of the Gardens.
Semiramis could confirm that within the aurora's coverage, the illusory Hanging Gardens ceased to exist. All boundaries had been severed—or rather, compressed.
What on earth was this phenomenon?
Semiramis didn't know, but she was certain it was something caused by Alaric after entering the Holy Grail—and that it had gone wrong.
Otherwise, Tiamat would have no reason to recklessly enter the Holy Grail, let alone reduce the Sea of Life covering the Gardens for the sake of efficiently utilizing her magical power.
Moreover, the energy consumption of the Holy Grail was simply too rapid.
As a top-tier magus, Semiramis could naturally detect that the Holy Grail's magical reserves were almost completely depleted. Decades of accumulated energy, combined with the magical power derived from the souls of Heroic Spirits, were being consumed at an astonishing rate.