As everyone expected.
The Almighty Great God Zeus was utterly enraged to the point of vomiting blood: "How dare you reject my divine grace!"
The final trump card had completely failed!
"No, not just rejection—I'm going to make you even angrier."
Noah suddenly smiled, gazing at the shield maiden and the small white beast below. "You... seem to have the potential to become a Grand Servant as well."
When he first descended into this world,
he had received a revelation from the [Lord].
His omnipotent [Lord] seemed to be watching this spectacle.
As one blessed by Him, it was only natural to participate with all his might, to make this spectacle even more perfect and entertaining.
"Eh, me???"
Mash stared at him in shock.
She was just an ordinary shield maiden, a homunculus who had luckily become a demi-Servant. How could she possibly become a Grand Servant?
Nameless froze for a moment before suddenly realizing.
The requirement for the Grand Rider class was—
[To tame the Beast of Calamity and steer the Ark of Salvation]
"Steer the Ark of Salvation" clearly referred to Noah.
The "Beast" representing the origin of calamity—that is, the Evils of Humanity.
And wasn't the Fou cradled in her arms the literal embodiment of the Evils of Humanity?
Hum~
The entire world abruptly came to a standstill.
Everything, without exception, froze in that instant.
Ding dong~
On his phone screen, a little lolita swung her white-stockinged legs, smiling playfully at him—
"Nameless, what do you think?"
This mischievous little lolita was none other than the collective consciousness of humanity—
[Alaya]!
"What do you mean?" Nameless frowned at her.
Could it be that Noah's descent was also orchestrated by her?
No matter how powerful the gods of the Council of Gods were, they could only create Grand Saint Graphs outside the original seven Grand classes. There was no way they could summon a true Grand Rider!
Eliminating all impossibilities, the truth was clear—
This was all part of Alaya's calculations!
"Oh, aren't you just feigning ignorance?"
Alaya stretched out her pale little hand from the screen, pointing at the frozen Mash beside them. "Have her and Fou join forces, ascend to the Grand Rider class, and become your comrade."
"Comrade..."
Nameless's brows furrowed tightly.
Long ago, she had repeatedly emphasized that a world-ending catastrophe was inevitable in the future.
Only the Evils of Humanity and Grand Servants could stand as his comrades, fighting alongside him.
Thus, [Alaya] had permitted the Evil of Humanity Tiamat to descend, becoming his ultimate support—the strongest healer.
Even with just a drop of blood left, she could bring him back from death's door!
Now, she wanted to give him another Grand Servant as a comrade—one who happened to be his most familiar kouhai.
Nameless sighed softly. "I fought so desperately before precisely so that my kouhai, the doctor, Illya, and the others could all live ordinary, peaceful lives!"
His journey through human history, the endless battles—they had all been to atone for regrets and create a world where everyone could find happiness.
Even if he alone was forgotten by all, he would never regret it.
"I am the collective will of humanity. My sole purpose for existing is to protect humankind. Now that a new storm has emerged, how could I possibly stand idly by?"
Alaya blinked, speaking in a tone brimming with childlike innocence. "The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage. The only way to conquer fear is to face it head-on and defeat it!"
"...Stop pretending. No matter how cute you act, you're still a scheming capitalist in my eyes!"
Nameless rolled his eyes.
This bastard [Alaya] seemed to be getting more mischievous lately.
Once he completed the ultimate transcendence and attained power comparable to God and the Awakened One, he'd definitely beat her up a hundred times over!
Just then.
Tiamat, who should have been frozen in stasis, walked over and wrapped her arms around him: "Aaaaa (Don't worry, I'm here~)"
"Mmm, thanks Mom."
Nameless felt increasingly guilty toward this Primordial Mother Goddess.
Despite her unconditional love for humanity and selfless assistance to him, he couldn't repay her properly.
Now he even had to ask her to fight alongside him until they secured humanity's infinite future.
Tiamat clearly understood his thoughts and continued: "Aaaaa (I've always loved you and all my children. I chose to fight with you willingly)"
"...Mmm~"
Nameless knew she was comforting him.
What a gentle and kind mother.
Even after being betrayed by her children repeatedly, she still cared for and protected them all!
As a Beast of Humanity, she should have been destroying mankind, not helping them wholeheartedly like this.
Nameless looked at the scheming little loli on screen: "Then let me ask my junior about this."
"Of course, everything as you wish."
Alaya replied with a smile.
"So can I choose to refuse overtime?" Nameless instinctively asked.
She seemed to be getting more agreeable lately.
Could it be he was finally going to rise from being a miserable wage slave to becoming the boss?
The thought made him a little excited.
"Certainly. Provided you can watch humanity go extinct."
Alaya smiled sweetly at him.
"..."
Nameless rolled his eyes, utterly speechless.
Humanity had perished. All his loved ones were dead. What meaning was there in living alone?
This wasn't some moral guilt-tripping—it was simply stating a fact.
After all, Alaya was ultimately just the collective consciousness of humanity, incapable of even crushing an ant.
The only thing it could do was issue missions, summoning Heroic Spirits to fight.
And the strongest guardian it could summon was none other than him.
The time stop ended.
Everything resumed its normal flow.
Nameless looked at his junior before him and asked, "Mash, you truly can become a Grand Rider, but I don't want you to—"
Before he could finish, she reached out and pressed a finger to his lips.
Her beautiful face was filled with determination. "Senpai, I'm willing!"
Compared to her own survival, Mash was far more afraid of failing to protect those she wanted to protect!
How could she possibly enjoy an ordinary life while watching her senpai fight desperately to protect her?
She refused to be a useless ornament.
She only wanted to become her senpai's strongest shield, guarding him at all costs!
Even in the face of the terrifying Evils of Humanity, she would never retreat!
"...Alright!"
Nameless nodded.
At this moment, seeing his junior's resolute expression, he was reminded once again of that time she had willingly sacrificed herself to protect him.
What a lovely junior she was.
But this time, with him here, not a single person would die!
He would personally put an end to all calamities and forge a future for humanity!
Nameless turned to the adorable white creature. "Then, Fou, are you willing?"
Even in its juvenile form, it was still one of the Evils of Humanity.
By joining forces with Mash and ascending as a Grand Rider, it would mean it had no choice but to fight for humanity.
When he asked, the little creature answered without hesitation—
"Fou... Fou! (I'm willing!)"
Since it had come to help, it had already resolved to fight alongside them.
There was no need for second thoughts.
"Thank you. Even an Evil of Humanity possesses a noble soul." Nameless gently patted its tiny head.
This, perhaps, was the charm of humanity.
Even Fou, the so-called Primate Murder, wished to protect them.
Bzzzt—
A mysterious and vast ripple gathered from the void, enveloping Mash and Fou.
This ripple surpassed even the gods, brimming with an aura originating from the Root.
In the unseen, countless ethereal figures could be seen watching this scene.
It was the presence of the Throne of Heroes.
At this moment—
A new Grand Servant was born!
As previously stated, aside from the Grand Assassin, the other six Grand Classes all had numerous candidates.
Every Heroic Spirit sensed this, their gazes turning toward them.
Noah smiled. "Congratulations."
As one of the greatest Heroic Spirits, he cared nothing for the so-called Grand Saint Graph. He had answered the call purely in response to Alaya's summons.
This play could finally come to an end.
Was the [Master] satisfied with what they saw?
However.
Just as he offered his congratulations—
The Almighty Great God Zeus descended into madness. "No! This can't be!"
This was supposed to be the gods' final trump card, their last hope against Nameless—crafted with everything they had! Yet now, it had all been for nothing, serving only to pave the way for another!
To think that Nameless ended up gaining a Grand-class Servant companion instead—this truly made him die with everlasting regret!
"You can rest in peace now. Humanity will have an infinite and bright future." Nameless gazed at him with increasing pity.
This so-called Almighty God looked just like a pathetic dog!
"No, I refuse to accept this! I won't yield!"
The divine core of the Almighty God Zeus completely collapsed as he roared in fury, "On the Moon, on Earth, on the Sun... terrifying beings will awaken one after another. You're all doomed!"
"Nameless, I curse you! I curse you to witness the extinction of humanity with your own eyes, powerless to stop it!"
His colossal cosmic battleship form crumbled into nothingness.
A venomous curse of the highest degree echoed across the heavens and earth.
Without hesitation, Mash raised her shield and stood before Nameless: "Your delusions end here! As the Grand-class Rider Mash, I will assist my senior at any cost to seize a future for humanity!"