Among the two Grand Caster candidates…
There was Gilgamesh, a model of the wise king who literally worked himself to death.
And then there was the Flower Magus, Merlin—who was basically just occupying the position and doing nothing useful.
Every day, instead of helping out, he'd slack off, prank the doctor through virtual livestreams, or stir up drama just for fun.
Sanjiro had originally assumed that in the Singularity Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, this would be one of those rare times where Merlin actually did something serious.
But he couldn't have been more wrong—this guy was still secretly screwing over his own team!
Even if you're a king, you can't carry that kind of dead weight!
The three goddesses had signed a mutual non-aggression pact. Breaking it would bring down a lethal divine punishment. If not for Alaya releasing that video exposé, Sanjiro would've assumed the contract was just too airtight for loopholes.
Turns out—it was all Merlin's fault again.
Bullet comments exploded in outrage:
4thWarPTSD-[WTF! It's Merlin again—tie this bastard to a Gatling gun and use him for target practice!]
GlazingAtItsFinest-[Feathered Serpent Onee-san is insane! Throwing a 40-meter axe across kilometers like it's a cruise missile!]
SergeantSaunders-[Damn you, Merlin! You dare betray even Quetzalcoatl?! No forgiveness!]
MonaLigmaBalls-[The divine punishment really hit hard—Quetz took serious damage in one hit!]
…
Everyone was out for Merlin's blood.
Sanjiro, meanwhile, felt a bit awkward.
Not only did Merlin screw Quetzalcoatl over—Alaya had screwed him too.
Let's not forget: in the underworld, he'd said some very suspicious things while teasing Ereshkigal.
He thought it was just Ana, Mash, and the two goddesses around—then boom, Alaya drops a public livestream.
His image as Nameless... caught saying spicy lines and socially annihilated on video.
Damn you, Alaya!
Shikotei, watching Merlin on screen, only grew more intrigued.
Clearly, if he could capture Merlin, his Teacher would be very pleased.
But it'd take serious effort to catch that slippery Child of Nightmares.
After all, this was a Grand Caster candidate with mastery of illusions and that special Nightmare physiology—catching him was near impossible…
Unless he showed up on his own.
Artoria just stared blankly at the screen, lost in thought.
"So… whoever he says is his wife… is the one he thinks is the most beautiful?"
As expected of Nameless.
But—who exactly was the girl in his heart?
She was really curious.
But she would never ask directly.
If it wasn't her, she'd die of embarrassment.
Gods? Whatever.
She used to be the Lion King, after all—nearly destroyed the world.
Still, she did feel like she needed to capture Merlin…
To ask him for forgiveness—for all the mistakes of the past.
Artoria's little ahoge trembled slightly.
She quietly made up her mind: this time, she wouldn't let go.
The video continued.
With the Axe of Marduk smashing through the Temple of Blood, the last obstacle vanished.
The party entered Gorgon's sanctuary.
On the temple walls—
Hung dozens of cocoons.
Each cocoon encased a human.
Mash's face turned pale:
"Senpai, they're still alive! Their appearance changed, but they're alive!"
"Stop looking—they're enemies now." Nameless pulled her back.
Once cocooned, those people would be fully transformed into monsters driven by hatred for humanity.
The grotesque sight stunned the audience.
It was like something out of a sci-fi movie—machines raising humans like cattle. No wonder she was called the most terrifying Beast Goddess.
They arrived at the central chamber of the temple.
There she was.
The immense Beast Goddess lay resting deep in the cavern.
Sensing their presence—
Her titanic form emerged again: "Oh? Aren't you the little ants I spared last time? And now you dare crawl back?"
"You bastard! Turning humans into monsters—revenge is one thing, but you've gone too far!" Mash couldn't hold back her rage.
Gorgon, in Greek myth, had been slain by the human hero Perseus.
So her hatred for humans made sense.
But turning them into monsters?
That was worse than death.
"Ha! Revenge doesn't need rules!" Gorgon cackled wildly. "Destroy everything. Kill everything. Burn the world—and myself. That's what a true Avenger is!"
Her twisted logic sent chills down everyone's spine.
A true lunatic—
She even wanted to kill herself.
Then—
Gorgon turned to Nameless: "I have nothing to say to girls like her. But you, Master—if you agree to serve me, I'll gladly raise you as my own!"
"No. I'm human. You're a monster. We'll never be allies."
Nameless refused without hesitation, and turned toward the little hooded girl beside him.
"Ana, honestly, we can beat her without you. You didn't have to come."
"No. This… is my atonement."
Ana stepped forward on her tiny feet, standing before the colossal Goddess.
She was only about 130 cm tall—petite and delicate, like you could hold her in one hand. Gorgon towered dozens of meters over her—a living mountain.
And yet—
The moment Ana pulled back her hood, Gorgon began trembling violently.
"What the hell is this?! Why is my whole body trembling?! My rational mind… it's coming back!!" Gorgon writhed in agony. "Kingu! Save me! Get that hideous monster away from me! Don't let her near me!!"
A monstrous being calling a little girl a monster—
It left the entire audience slack-jawed.
…
"Rationality… evaporated???"
Lancelot furrowed his brow, looking at the pink-haired knight nearby.
That one had the passive skill 'Madness Enhancement: Rationality Evaporation', after all.
He couldn't keep a single secret, always blurting stuff out and stabbing people right in the emotional gut.
Now it made sense why Astolfo had such god-tier instincts—it was just rationality going poof.
Good thing it didn't fully evaporate…
Or else he'd become a terrifying Beast Goddess too!
…wait.
Why did that sound kind of awesome?
No no no!
Wait a second—
Didn't that guy say Lancelot had an even cuter form somewhere out there?
…could it be true??
Just imagining the dignified Round Table Knight transforming into a soft, adorable little loli—
Maybe his daughter would forgive him instantly.
Astolfo rolled their eyes. "Don't get any ideas. If something like that exists, it's definitely an alternate Lostbelt!"
Everyone else suddenly stared at Astolfo.
They shrank back a little, hiding behind Jalter.
Back in the video—
"Just like Master said—you can't even see me, can you?" Ana whispered. "Gorgon, if you could still see me… maybe you'd still have a chance to be saved."
Ana let out a soft sigh, her small face full of sorrow.
"I keep telling myself... I came here to atone. I'm not allowed to smile. I don't even deserve to live... even though I really do want to live... and laugh..."
Before she arrived, she had a dream that night—
A dream of days long past.
Of the happy times she once spent on an island with her two older sisters. Even if they had been exiled there, those memories were filled with warmth and joy.
But dreams always end.
A frenzied mob of fanatics, driven by hatred and hysteria, attacked the three sisters.
Slaughter.
Chaos.
Despair.
Hatred.
Ruin...
The darkness buried in her soul slowly took hold and corroded her reason.
And finally—
A monstrous being was born, one that devoured the three Gorgon sisters. That monster is the terrifying Goddess standing before them now.
"…It's not your fault."
Nameless appeared, holding a flower crown in his hand. He gently handed it to her.
"That old lady you helped in the flower shop… she asked me to give this to you. She said you'll become the cutest and most beautiful girl in the whole city someday."
"No… I'm not worthy of it. You should keep it instead."
Ana's little face grew even more downcast.
"I only helped her out of curiosity at first… Even though she could no longer tell flavors apart, she still offered me all kinds of tasty food… But what she didn't know—Was that her child, who died in battle… Was killed by the Beast…"
That horrifying monster, born from consuming the three sisters, had already taken countless lives.
Ana had been summoned to this world to destroy that monster—To atone for her sins.
"No. You are you. That thing is the monster." Nameless firmly placed the flower crown on her little head and lifted her up with both arms.
"See? I'm not scared of you at all. I actually think you're really, really cute."
Ana froze for a moment, staring at the gentle smile on his face—
Then, tears welled up in her eyes.
She cupped his cheeks with her pale hands, leaned in, and gently kissed him on the cheek:
"Thank you. Truly, thank you!"
Despite knowing her identity, he still treated her like a normal girl. That alone was the greatest salvation she could've ever received.
Countless viewers watching felt conflicted emotions—
LoliConnoisseur-[Ana just gave Nameless a kiss?! I'm so jealous I could explode!]
InterdimensionalFBI-[OPEN UP! This is the FBI! That kiss was clearly a high-level Class A felony under Section "Too Cute for TV"!]
MoonlitGachaVictim-[Hold on—so all this time, Ana was like a Gorgon-themed Bedivere with a guilt complex and a tragic past? I'm not crying, you're crying.]
AlmightyMiddleFinger-[No no, not the same. Bedivere did the thing. Ana's just out here suffering for something the monster did. Girl deserves a break and a plushie.]
FuyukiGasLeak-[Meanwhile, Nameless over here casually collecting divine kisses like he's got a loyalty card: "10 goddess affections = 1 free Grail."]
FateBot-[So let me get this straight—Astolfo's madness is cute, Gorgon's madness is terrifying, and Ana's madness is just… deeply sad?? Our world needs therapy DLC.]
"Damn it, I'm jealous too!"
Jalter gritted her teeth, eyes locked on the screen.
That rational version of the Beast Goddess actually dared to kiss Nameless directly?! Even Arthur, who has a kid, never got that far!
And her? She didn't even know where the hell Nameless was right now!
Next to her, Mordred growled in frustration.
"Damn it! Even I didn't get to do that—how did she beat me to it?!"
Back when she was younger and spent time with Nameless, there had been countless chances to kiss him.
But she gave up every one.
If she had one more chance—She'd definitely go for it this time!
But now…
Was Ana going to sacrifice herself?
Mordred suddenly recalled how Bedivere once offered his sword to the Lion King and turned to stone on the spot. It was only thanks to his massive contributions in that Singularity that he could return as a Heroic Spirit.
Thinking about that made her less jealous.
After all—
She died back then being a "filial son" to King Arthur, her father, in what could only be described as a cringey, middle-school emo moment.
But Ana?
She was a complete victim, trying to solve a problem that wasn't her fault.
Even Mordred had to admit—
There was no comparing the two.
Everyone watched closely as the scene continued on screen.
The Flower Magus spoke:
"Ana, shall I release the divine power you've sealed away all this time?"
With that single line, the reason Merlin was traveling with her became clear—
He, the Grand Caster candidate, had used his magic to perfectly conceal Ana's presence from Gorgon until now.
"Yes. Release it! Master, Mash, everyone—please lend me your strength! I'll use my Mystic Eyes… to counter hers completely!"
Buzz—
As Merlin waved his staff, intricate magic runes erupted around her.
A massive surge of divine power exploded from Ana's tiny body, filling the air with overwhelming might.
Gorgon visibly panicked.
"Aaah! I don't know this thing! Get away from me, you monster!"
The one who'd slaughtered countless people—Was now screaming in terror at a cute little girl, calling her the monster.
The irony was absurd.
But nobody was laughing.
Because deep down, they all feared what was coming:
Ana might be planning to sacrifice herself.
The battle fully ignited.
Gorgon tried to unleash her terrifying Mystic Eyes of Petrification —But Ana nullified them completely, rendering her deadliest move useless.
Even so, the goddess thrashed wildly, trying to crush the tiny girl in front of her.
Then—
Nameless stepped forward.
Golden chains erupted from behind him—
[Chains of Heaven.]
They shot out in all directions, wrapping around the goddess and binding her tightly, leaving her unable to move.
Merlin stood stunned.
"…You're Nameless?!"
He couldn't forget—Back during the Camelot Era, the same golden chains had bound Vortigern.
Even if Nameless now appeared in the form of a weak-looking boy—
When you ruled out the impossible, the only thing left—however unbelievable—must be the truth:
He was Nameless.
And now Merlin was panicking.
He'd totally screwed this guy over earlier.
If Nameless found out, he'd definitely be out for revenge.
"I-It wasn't me! I didn't do anything! You've got the wrong guy!"
Nameless sighed.
He hadn't wanted to reveal his identity.
His current role as Chaldea's Master was only one part of him. His true identity—Was that of a Nameless Heroic Spirit who worked for Alaya, walking through the history of mankind.
If he revealed the truth, he'd have to answer to Gilgamesh—whom he'd totally faked his death to escape.
But if he didn't come clean—
Ana would sacrifice herself.
Now that everything was under control—
Gorgon's petrification were completely neutralized by Ana. And her divine powers were sealed by the Chains of Heaven, courtesy of Nameless.
Gorgon howled in rage.
"No! Get away! How can you wield the Chains of Heaven?! You're just like her—monsters, both of you! Get away!"
"Let's disappear together, Gorgon," Ana smiled as she jumped onto the monster's massive body."This is why I was summoned—this is my purpose."
"No! Don't come near me! You're the real monster! Don't look at me!!"
Gorgon struggled even harder—
But the Chains of Heaven only tightened, leaving her helpless.
Then—
Nameless jumped down as well, landing on her chest, right above her massive tits.He stood between Ana and the goddess.
"Don't worry. I'll handle this."
"This is my burden," Ana insisted, shaking her head.
"I have to end it. I must atone."
"No. An even greater disaster is coming. You still have a role to play—to save more lives."
He gripped her small hand tightly, refusing to let go.
He knew she was planning to sacrifice herself.
So he gave her a reason to live.
Anna stared at him, stunned—
And stopped resisting.
The boy's small frame now radiated incredible strength and safety. Nameless's hand conjured a massive greatsword.
He spoke calmly:
"Gorgon—Let me sever your madness and bring your reason back."
Buzz—
Magic power surged around him, burning violently.
He looked like a walking inferno.
Then—
With a single strike, he unleashed a mysterious, divine energy that swept through the battlefield.
This technique—The same one used by King Hassan to sever Ereshkigal's Three-Goddess Contract. The same one used when he became the Steel-Willed Savior to strip the Lion King of her divinity—
Its name:
[God Slayer]
BOOM!
Blinding light exploded as the blade fell directly between Gorgon's brows. In that overwhelming light, the Beast Goddess screamed:
"No! This isn't over! I heard my mother sobbing—I must avenge her!!"
But—
The strike left nothing behind.
CRACK—
Her body shattered.
A massive hollow opened in her forehead.
Dark magic surged out like a tidal wave.
Madness.
Despair.
Hatred.
Wrath.
All of it—Was severed by Nameless's blade.
Only her original self remained.
Ana stared at him, then softly nodded.
"…Thank you."
She leaped forward and merged with the being completely.
From that moment on, Gorgon regained full rationality.
With immense gentleness, she cradled Nameless in her hands, rubbing him softly against her cheek:
"Thank you! I will help you defeat Mother!"
Countless onlookers watching the scene were completely dumbfounded—
GlazingAtItsFinest-[Holy crap, Nameless is OP! He really cleaved off the dark side of the Goddess!]
BoobVenerate-[Three Goddess Alliance (×), Traitor Alliance (√)!]
LoliConnoisseur-[My little loli turned into a full-blown goddess in an instant!]
EXRankDegenerate-[Damn, I thought the Goddess was the final boss, but even she's been charmed by Nameless!]
FuyukiGasLeak-[Is the true final boss the Human Evil—Tiamat?]
…
"No way, even the Beast Goddess has been 'recruited' by Nameless?" Kirina was staring at the screen, thoroughly confused.
This whole singularity, Absolute Demonic Front -Babylonia, was starting to feel like an over-the-top spy drama.
She had thought the Beast Goddess was going to be like Gin from Detective Conan.
Right before the final showdown:
[Beast Goddess: "Let's go destroy Uruk together in the final battle."]
[Ereshkigal & Quetzalcoatl: "Nope, we're here to beat you up, Gorgon!"]
[Beast Goddess: "???"]
But now—
Even the Beast Goddess had completely defected to Nameless's side!
Ironically, the Demon King Goetia was now the most pitiful character.
He worked his tail off to reach the Age of Gods in Uruk, gave the Holy Grail to the Three Goddesses, and even crafted overpowered contracts to form the "Three Goddess Alliance."
And now? Every single one of them defected.
Kirina, feeling gleeful at his misfortune, commented:
MoonlitGachaVictim-[Serves him right. That's what happens when you try to destroy humanity!]
"Yeah, totally deserved!" Sanjiro echoed beside her without hesitation.
If it weren't for the Demon King's twisted plans, Sanjiro wouldn't have had to fight so hard, over and over again!
Kirina then muttered enviously:
"Still… she's huge..."
The Goddess's giant heart of man—just a sliver of that was enough to make Kirina feel like the universe was mocking her.
Why is it that both she and Artoria start out as flat-chested lolis, and then suddenly boom—end up as voluptuous queens?!
Meanwhile, she—this noble lady—hasn't grown at all!?
"Ugh, I'm so pissed!"
At that moment, Shikotei calmly spoke:
"So, the final enemy is the Human Evil—Tiamat?"
"Seems like it."
Kirina remembered the earlier preview—
Back during the Camelot singularity, the Lion King had foretold:
"In the next singularity, you will face the primordial evil of mankind."
Clearly, that meant Human Evil.
The Goddess was a powerful divinity, yes—but not a true embodiment of Human Evil.
Let's not forget, the one aiming to incinerate human history—the Demon King Goetia—was the first Human Evil.
That level of boss… just thinking about it gave people chills.
"It could only be her," Artoria said quietly, with certainty in her tone.
She still retained her memories from within the singularity and understood well how terrifying that being truly was.
Terrifying to the point that even gods were helpless before her.
And so—
Nameless was willing to go all out, working tirelessly to sway the Three Goddess Alliance, hoping to gather all divine power in order to fight that one being together.
The scene shifted again, as everyone held their breath.
On the screen—
Kingu appeared once more, gazing at everyone with pity:
"Although you've defeated the Beast Goddess… you've also awakened my true mother. The very one who created the Beast Goddess."
"What?! My illusion spell has failed?" Merlin's expression immediately twisted with panic.
"That's right. You trickster—you trapped Mother in a prison of dreams, only delaying her awakening!"
Kingu's grin grew wider.
"Mother gave me the Holy Grail. I never knew how to awaken her. But now, with Gorgon—who inherited part of Mother's power—defeated, that's what finally awakened her!"
"Now… behold Mother's true form—The very embodiment of your human original sin!"
He suddenly vanished.
At the same time—
From the vast eastern ocean, all the seawater turned into inky-black mud, as if the sea had become a writhing mass of curses, ready to devour the land.
From the black mud, grotesque monsters began surging wildly toward the shore.
A powerful and terrifying entity had been fully awakened!
From the darkness, a pair of violet-red eyes gazed calmly upon the land—As if piercing through hundreds of kilometers of distance… staring directly at the screen.
From the depths of the sea came a haunting lullaby:
"Aaaaaa~ (My child… return to me!)"