So it really is you watching us, isn't it, Alaya?
Kirina's heart was fluttering with a mix of excitement and unease.
It was just too much of a coincidence.
Last time, when she and Sanjiro were talking about which Heroic Spirit would make the best mom, that useless shut-in listed a whole bunch—Artoria, Jeanne d'Arc, and even sketchy lolis like Miyu and Illya.
But Kirina had said that Human Evil Tiamat would make the best mom. And right after that, Alaya released the side story "Mother Goddess of Creation."
Now, she'd just guessed that Nameless might be the first Holy-Sword User—and right away, Alaya dropped a new side story titled "The First-Holy Sword Wielder."
It was as if the universe itself was confirming it.
The timing was too perfect.
For a moment, Kirina almost thought she had become the absolute protagonist around whom everything revolved—whatever she imagined simply happened.
Unfortunately, she was still just an ordinary, talentless little gluttonous loli—adorable but powerless.
Sanjiro calmly patted her head.
"Silly kid. Go wash up and sleep. You can find everything you want in your dreams."
With every new video Alaya released, Sanjiro's power was rising at an incredible rate—but at the same time, the destructive little brat's strength was rising too, making it harder and harder to keep her sealed.
At this rate, she'd break free sooner or later.
Hopefully the next video wouldn't be about her.
Kirina quickly turned on the living room's big TV and opened the newly uploaded side story.
Lines of text appeared—
[Special Side Story: First Holy-Sword Wielder!]
[This side story tells of events 14,000 years ago: the Star Vanguard that descended to destroy Earth, and the first Holy-Sword Wielder who stood against it.]
[The flame of human civilization will never die!]
Kirina blinked.
"Huh? Why does it feel like Alaya's… cheering for humanity?"
Previously, Alaya's videos rarely included any commentary—but now, there was even a motivational line attached!
No doubt, the threat of the Vanguard was so terrifying that even Alaya had grown cautious.
"Because this is something that really could wipe out humanity,"
Gilgamesh said flatly.
A weapon of destruction beyond imagination, born for a single purpose—to consume civilizations and erase everything.
Even the gods had been helpless against it, forced to abandon their machine bodies and take on the forms of the local Greek gods.
Kirina's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"So, how did Nameless defeat the Vanguard? I wanna know!"
The thing had devoured even the gods. Human and divine civilizations alike were nothing but fuel for its evolution.
How could something like that possibly be defeated?
"Just keep watching," said Shikotei, his eyes filled with the same expectation.
When he was young, Sanjiro had told him about the horror of the Vanguard—and it was precisely because of that warning that he'd built the Great Wall to defend Earth.
For a foe of that magnitude, how exactly had his teacher managed to win?
The video began, and the scrolling comments exploded—
NTRGoblin-[Here we go! The "first Holy Sword User" that the Olympian gods mentioned—it really was Nameless!]
HairyBalls-[Alaya nailed the timing! Dropping this side story right as the Vanguard awakens IRL!]
HungryGames-[So… once the video ends, will Nameless gain the power to defeat it again?]
YoMamaBeenSlobbin-[Last time, the side story summoned Human Evil Tiamat—does this mean Alaya's trying to make the Vanguard an ally too?!]
—
At that very moment—
The Vanguard had appeared before everyone's eyes.
Just by looking up, one could feel the suffocating aura of annihilation.
Before such a being, even Heroic Spirits trembled.
The oppressive sense of doom loomed over all like the Sword of Damocles.
Human civilization seemed as fragile as paper.
Not only Shikotei—the world's greatest Heroic Spirits were already preparing seed projects for their own nations.
Some were even cursing Noah for destroying the Ark.
The Council of Gods had built Noah's Ark precisely to allow humanity to flee Earth—but now that very hope of escape had been shattered by Noah's own hand.
Humanity had no choice but to live—or die—with Earth.
As everyone watched with bated breath, the video began in earnest.
====
Time rewound—back 14,000 years.
A massive starship, as large as a planet, streaked through the cosmos at light speed—like a comet tearing the space apart, radiating pure destruction.
Its name was Velber, the true "Wandering Star of Predation."
After entering the solar system, a single weapon descended from the starship and landed on the moon—this was the Vanguard itself.
It left behind a fragment—a dormant clone—on Earth, while its main body slept within the moon, waiting to harvest.
Its purpose was simple: to wait until civilization reached maturity… and then reap it all in one sweep.
As ages passed, the civilizations of gods and humans flourished—until the day of harvest arrived.
The Vanguard awoke from slumber, baring its fangs.
Its first target—Uruk.
To be exact, Uruk during the reign of Gilgamesh's father, the earliest of human civilizations.
Even in its immature state, the Vanguard tore through the Mesopotamian gods, shattering the divine age itself.
The gods were cast out of the world, unable to freely descend ever again.
As the leader of humanity's first civilization, Gilgamesh's father was inevitably marked for death—but instead of dying, he struck a pact with the Vanguard.
A mysterious and vast power surged into his child's body.
"He shall become the wedge that links gods and men," the Vanguard's mechanical voice echoed, "and for that, the gods shall forever despise him."
The gods of Mesopotamia were defeated.
The age of divinity had reached its end.
The clash between gods and the Vanguard gave birth to a new force—and the child, Gilgamesh, became the "Wedge of Heaven."
The so-called "chosen by the gods"?
Nothing more than shameless propaganda to keep humans obedient.
His father looked proudly at his young son:
"My child, when you were born, your name—Gilgamesh—echoed through every forest of Mesopotamia. I have watched you grow with pride. The day will come when my life ends… But you will wear the crown, and become the oldest king to carry humanity's flame forward."
This child, two-thirds god and one-third man, was infused with the clash-born power of heaven itself—a being beyond both human and divine.
The comment section exploded again—
JewJitsu-[Holy crap, the King's origins are insane!]
YoMamaBeenSlobbin-[The defeated gods had the nerve to claim him as their "chosen"? What a joke!]
GoatedBalls-[No wonder he's so powerful—his very existence surpasses the gods themselves!]
LegallyRetarded-[Wait… so is Tiamat also watching all this from the Imaginary Number Space?]
—
Rin Tohsaka frowned.
"So even the Hero King's power traces back to the Vanguard? What's next—'Cosmo Gilgamesh'?"
The Vanguard was only one of the Wandering Star's many harvesters.
Its main body could easily annihilate entire planets.
And now, even Gilgamesh's origin was linked to it?!
Inside the "Headspace Conference Room," Ishtar finally realized:
"So that's why that narcissistic human king hates the gods so much."
The so-called "Wedge of Heaven" was nothing more than a remnant of the divine age's collapse.
Born from the end of the gods' era, he was destined to despise them—while the gods, in turn, sought to control him, hoping to preserve their dying dominion.
They were natural-born enemies of fate.
Ereshkigal added wryly,
"Then that means the Chains of Heaven are connected too, huh?"
Indeed—the Mesopotamian gods had created Enkidu's Chains of Heaven to restrain the King of Heroes, the very "dog leash" that Nameless once mocked, driving Gilgamesh mad with fury.
"Of course they're connected," said Rin confidently.
It made perfect sense—something capable of binding Tiamat, even briefly, had to originate from the same conceptual forces.
Ishtar glanced at the empty chairs around them.
"There are six chairs in this conference room, but only three of us. You think there's a space Rin out there somewhere?"
After all, the three Rins—Ishtar, Ereshkigal, and the original—shared one body and one soul.
In her mental world, their consciousnesses gathered in this "conference room."
Yet for some reason, there were six chairs.
After seeing the Vanguard descend from the stars, Ishtar couldn't help but wonder if there were fourth and fifth versions of Rin out there—in space.
The thought alone was… thrilling.
"N-no way…" Rin said weakly. "If one came from space, just how powerful would she be?"
After all, she was just a slightly talented magus—how could there be so many alternate Rins?
Ereshkigal sighed.
"If a cosmic Rin really shows up, I'll be useless…"
As an underworld goddess of Earth, she'd be powerless against a being from beyond the stars.
"Forget that—so is Tiamat watching all this from the Imaginary Number Space?" Rin asked curiously.
Chronologically speaking, the Mother Goddess of Creation had long since been banished there by the gods.
But as the creator of both gods and humans, surely she could feel the approach of destruction.
At that moment, the screen shifted.
After the battle between the gods and the Vanguard, the latter entered the Imaginary Number Space—
"Oh," said its cold, mechanical voice, "you love your children so much, yet they cast you out. Why not join me… and destroy this world together?"
The audience shivered.
That was horrifying.
Human Evil Tiamat alone had nearly wiped out humanity— if she joined forces with the Vanguard,civilization would truly end.
Fortunately—
Tiamat calmly replied:
"Aaaaaa (But I refuse.)"
The uploader, Alaya, kindly provided subtitles so everyone could understand.
"Why?" asked the Vanguard. "Betrayed and exiled to a world without life—why refuse to destroy them?"
"Aaaaaa (Because they are my children.)"
In her crimson, star-shaped eyes shone endless love and tenderness.
Even after such betrayal, she still loved her children— so much that she used her strength to help the gods, fighting the Vanguard to a mutual standstill.
Even exiled to the Imaginary Number Space, the Mother Goddess still protected all life.
That simple answer made countless viewers tear up.
FuyukiGasLeak-[Ahhhh—my eyes are sweating! Why is Tiamama so kind?!]
Blackman&Robbing-[That's a real mom—unconditional, unreserved love. I wish I have a mom like that.]
FifthTimeGooning-[To love humanity that deeply… no wonder she became Human Evil.]
SirFucksAlot-[Tiamat, please descend as a Heroic Spirit and live among us!]
Mordred glanced at her father. "Now that's what I call a real mom."
Look at her — loving her children with all her heart, giving whatever they asked for. Even after being betrayed by her own children, she still loved them unconditionally.
By comparison…
Her own father wouldn't even acknowledge her, let alone grant her the right to inherit the throne.
It wasn't the throne of Britain that she truly wanted.
All Mordred ever wished for was recognition — for Artoria to acknowledge her, to say just once that she was her child, her pride.
If she'd had that—If he had just said those words—There never would have been a rebellion at Camlann.
"Oh? And what's the difference? In the end, she descended upon the world seeking revenge on humanity, didn't she?" Artoria replied calmly.
Trying to mock her? Nice try.
"Of course there's a difference! She sealed away ninety percent of her power, while you fought at full strength!" Mordred huffed.
In the Absolute Demonic Front singularity, Tiamat had entered the battlefield after self-sealing most of her divinity.
Aside from that poor bastard, the King of Heroes, she never once launched a true attack.
From start to finish, she simply endured the blows, holding back her might across the entire Pacific Ocean.
But in the Sacred Round Table Domain singularity, the Lion King — that version of Artoria — fought with every ounce of her power, truly intent on ending human history.
She even sought to preserve only a chosen few as her "collection," sealed within the Holy Lance.
How could those two possibly compare?
Artoria's tone remained level.
"Then tell me — would you rather face me at full strength, or face Tiamat with ninety percent of her power sealed?"
"…"
Mordred instantly fell silent.
The power gap was too great.
Even sealed to a mere fraction of her might, the Beast of Humanity could crush her like a fly.
Beside them, Gawain shook his head.
Ah, Mordred… you can't outwit your father. She'll always be the King for a reason.
Meanwhile, the video continued to play.
To a land all too familiar: Mount Olympus.
Colossal warships descended from the sky, piercing the skies of Greece.
From beyond the stars, the Olympian gods arrived.
These extraterrestrial beings gathered in council, plotting how to reshape the Earth—how to make this planet their new homeworld.
Illya frowned.
"Good thing the Vanguard wiped them out first. Otherwise, humanity would've been doomed long ago."
Miyu nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Machines like that would never care about us."
Had they succeeded, the Earth would have become a mechanical world.
Silicon-based life would rule supreme, while carbon-based humans would be enslaved or harvested like cattle.
"To the gods," Heracles murmured, "mankind was never more than insects."
Even after their defeat, when they shed their machine bodies and became Greek deities, their arrogance never faded.
Even he — a Demigod hero — had been little more than a puppet on their stage, dying burdened by regrets he could never escape.
And if their mechanical forms were already that cruel… what horrors would their true selves have wrought?
Before the eyes of the viewers—
Just as the Olympians prepared to rebuild their homeworld through Earth's ruin, the Vanguard appeared.
Before its overwhelming might, the gods were annihilated with ease.
They were forced to abandon their machine bodies, merging into the local pantheon in a desperate bid to survive.
But the Vanguard would not relent.
It existed to consume — both gods and civilizations alike.
And in that moment of despair—
A human appeared.
A lone figure, sword in hand, standing before a giant that blotted out the sky.
The Vanguard towered a thousand meters tall, yet this single human blocked its path.
That man was Nameless.
He had descended into the past — to face the Vanguard itself.
Drawing his radiant holy sword, he pointed it skyward and declared:
"I walk the road of mankind — carved in blood, burden, and fire! From the first spark to the final dawn, I am its witness and its wrath! Enemy of civilizations and worlds alike — your end has come! By my hand, the story of humanity will not fade!"
The uploader, [Alaya], helpfully added a note overlay—
[Blessing of Gaia: EX Rank
When facing the Vanguard that seeks to destroy the planet, you bear the burden of guarding the world itself. You may now draw upon the Earth's origin—unsealing the Holy Sword of the Star in full.]
[Blessing of Alaya: EX Rank
In the face of the Vanguard that seeks to consume human civilization, you bear the burden of protecting humanity itself. You have been granted the title of Humanity's Savior, and may now summon the strength of every version of yourself across all timelines.]
The double divine buffs left everyone frozen in disbelief.
Before the threat of planetary annihilation, the two great Counter Forces had, for the first time, joined hands!
And not only that—
From deep within the planet, the sword forged by the fairies themselves, Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, was drawn from its sheath, Avalon, in the hands of Nameless.
It blazed with a brilliance all its own.
At that moment, the Thirteen Restraints were completely released—
The holy sword was fully awakened as the Sword of the Planet!
Its new description read:
[Sword of Promised Victory (Fully Unsealed): EX Rank
Forged by the planet itself to defeat those who seek its destruction. Possesses absolute advantage against all extraterrestrial beings.]
In other words—
Whether it was the Vanguard, the Outer Gods, or the Mechanical Gods—every one of them was completely countered by the Planet's Sword.
After all, this was a weapon personally born from Earth to defend itself.
Before the everyone's eyes, Nameless raised the shining sword toward the sky and struck down.
"Farewell, enemy of civilization!"
The sword's radiance engulfed the thousand-meter-tall behemoth.
In that sacred, transcendent light, the creature that could devour humanity and annihilate the gods could do nothing but watch its massive body crumble away.
"No! My mission… is not yet complete!"
The Vanguard thrashed and roared, trying to resist the ultimate strike unleashed by Nameless.
As the enemy of all civilizations, the stronger the worlds it devoured, the more enormous and powerful its form became.
Its body could endure the heat of the sun—its defense was beyond comprehension.
It could even replicate itself, birthing hordes of primordial giants to aid in humanity's destruction.
But none of it mattered.
The unstoppable weapon that even the gods could not defeat—was destroyed by a single swing of the fully unsealed Sword of the Planet.
——
Kirina stood dumbfounded, mouth agape. "That's it? It's over?"
She had expected a desperate, drawn-out struggle.
After all, that Vanguard had nearly destroyed the Earth—even the gods together couldn't stop it, their mythic ages shattered one after another.
Yet it was felled by a single swing.
"Just like that… victory?" murmured Gilgamesh, equally stunned.
He knew better than anyone—his Wedge of Heaven was born from the same clash between the Vanguard and the gods, a fragment of their conceptual collision.
Even he could never match that monster.
And yet, Sanjiro had done it.
He had overestimated his rival countless times, and still, he had not seen the bottom of his power.
Just how many secrets did this man still hide?
"No doubt about it," said Shikotei calmly. "He truly is humanity's greatest protector."
Sanjiro just shrugged with mock confusion.
"Two ultimate buffs and a fully unsealed holy sword? Seems fair enough."
That battle… didn't really need further explanation.
With both Counter Forces' blessings, he was literally unstoppable—god or demon, it didn't matter.
Of course, the Vanguard they saw then was only a fragment of the true one—a mere projection sent to Earth.
No matter how many times its avatars were slain, the true body could always create more.
And if even a fragment could nearly destroy the planet… then its full power must be beyond imagination.
But sadly—a reunion of the two Counter Forces was impossible now.
The planetary will, Gaia, had already merged with the Demon King.
It could no longer favor humanity.
Defeating the Vanguard's true form… would be harder than impossible.
At that moment, the video neared its end.
A line of text appeared—
[Next Episode Preview!]
[After restoring the Singularities, the last Master of humanity—its final guardian—will journey to the last Singularity, to confront the Demon King Goetia himself!]