The Reality Marble that had been empowered after Goetia's enlightenment about life and death, existence and void,
Now faced collapse once more under this sacred, transcendent light.
The time stop ended.
Everyone returned to normal.
But.
Nameless and Goetia were nowhere to be found!
The comment barrage exploded instantly—
[Holy shit! Did Nameless take Goetia down with him?]
[So the world got rebooted? Did Nameless drag Goetia to the Root?]
[Dammit! Nameless saved everyone again, but sacrificed himself in the end!]
[What on earth is happening? The little loli appearing now—could she be Alaya?]
[Ah, how can Alaya be this adorable? I so want to be Alaya's puppy!]
...
Tohsaka Residence.
During a mental conference.
Rin Tohsaka was utterly shocked by this sight: "Alaya can actually manifest in human form?"
This was nothing short of a miracle among miracles.
Alaya was merely the collective self-preservation instinct of humanity.
The sole purpose of its existence was to ensure the continuation of the human race.
Countless heroes from history and myth had forged contracts with it, returning after death as Heroic Spirits to protect humanity.
But now, [Alaya] had descended in human form!
"They always said Nameless was the one most favored by Alaya... Could that guy have actually charmed Alaya?" Ishtar was equally dumbfounded.
As the mighty Queen of Heaven, was there anything she hadn't seen before?
Sorry, but I've truly never seen anything like this before!
In the previous Singularity of Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia, Nameless successfully won over the Three Goddess Alliance.
Even the ultimate boss, Tiamat, was conquered by him.
And now?
Even the collective self-preservation instinct of humanity—Alaya—has descended in human form under his influence!
If Alaya were to compete for Nameless, who could possibly stand a chance?
"I have a feeling that Alaya's emergence as an independent consciousness might very well stem from Nameless," Ereshkigal timidly voiced her bold speculation. "Or rather, it's more like she was personally nurtured by Nameless—"
"His... child?"
???
Rin Tohsaka was instantly stunned, staring blankly at her.
She wouldn't be surprised if Nameless had actually raised a god—after all, he was someone who repeatedly defied all odds.
But this?
This was the collective consciousness of humanity!
If Alaya, now an independent being, truly was his child, wouldn't that mean—
The entire human race would have to call him Father?
That's beyond absurd!
Utterly unbelievable!
"Don't be ridiculous, that's absolutely impossible! How could the mighty Counter Force possibly be a child raised by Nameless?" Ishtar retorted decisively. "If Nameless could raise Alaya like a child, why didn't he just raise Goetia while he was at it?"
This was pure nonsense.
A complete fairy tale.
"By the way... how would you describe Alaya's charm?" Ereshkigal suddenly asked.
Ishtar tapped her fingers on the table, frowning irritably. "She seems to wield the Authority of Beauty—her allure is overwhelming."
The moment Alaya appeared, her beauty reached an otherworldly level, captivating countless people.
Even Ishtar, the goddess who presided over Beauty, felt an inexplicable sense of inferiority.
Of course, she refused to accept it.
It was too strange.
It had to be the influence of her nature as a Counter Force—definitely not some innate charm.
Rin blinked. "Nameless is hailed as the Crown of Beauty. Are you suggesting Alaya inherited that from him?"
"I'm certain Alaya only gained independent consciousness after Nameless sacrificed himself!" Ereshkigal grew more confident as she spoke, looking at the two of them. "In a way, she really is his child!"
"..."
"..."
Rin and Ishtar were momentarily at a loss for words.
After the broadcast of the footage, they naturally regained their memories.
But even as a Servant, Ishtar had never sensed Alaya's independent will.
Clearly, it had only emerged after the wish upon the Holy Grail of the Stars!
Which raised the question—
Now that Alaya had gained independent consciousness, if she were to wield the Holy Grail of the Stars, could she ascend as the one true god, surpassing even the Creator?
Within the collapsing Reality Marble—
Even someone as formidable as Nameless was unworthy of touching the Holy Grail of the Stars, the link to the Root.
And yet—
A platinum-haired girl quietly appeared, cradling the Holy Grail in her hands, channeling its immense power.
Goetia, who had evolved into a planetary consciousness, was forcibly suppressed under this overwhelming force.
Clang—
Countless chains surged forth, binding him tightly.
Fragments of the scabbard Avalon poured into his body like a flood.
The strongest defensive Noble Phantasm had transformed into the most terrifying prison, leaving him utterly powerless to resist.
After his evolution, Goetia had become one with the planet itself.
Once it was eradicated, the Earth would completely turn into a dead star, so the only option was to imprison it.
It vanished without a trace along with Nameless.
[Alaya] gazed at all the silently watching Heroic Spirits and spoke with a smile: "Created by no one, expected by none, surviving solely by their own will."
"Evolving from beasts to standing upright on two feet, growing from ignorance, parting from the protection of gods..."
"With their indomitable will, humanity has composed a magnificent and grand epic."
"Now, the Final Singularity has been restored—you have won!"
The birth of humanity was not the creation of gods but a miracle of evolution.
In their infancy and ignorance, they struggled against the attacks of beasts.
When civilization was born, they grew under the gaze of gods.
Now, humanity has completely parted ways with the gods, becoming the most powerful race on this planet.
[Alaya], the collective self-preservation instinct of humanity, finally awakened as an independent consciousness.
Assisting in the control of the Holy Grail of the Stars, it utterly defeated Goetia.
It could be said that all of this was the achievement of that nameless Heroic Spirit.
A miracle had descended!
[Alaya] looked at the silly little white beast: "You saved Mash Kyrielight at the cost of your own rationality. Now, I shall restore you!"
Hum~
An unimaginable, majestic power descended, wildly washing over the little white beast's body.
Under this surge of magical energy, Fou, who had turned into an ordinary beast, regained his intelligence.
Fou looked at the being before him and spoke in human words: "Did he ask you to do this?"
"He said that you loved humanity deeply, so he bore this cost in your stead."
That was the reply.
After speaking these words, the figure slowly faded away.
Fou stared blankly as the figure disappeared, murmuring softly: "How wonderful... I truly did see the most beautiful thing."
Only by loving humanity deeply could one become a Beast of Humanity.
After being thrown from the Tower of the End by that "Merlin the Dick Wizard" and enduring a 1,500-year-long free fall,
it had once scorned humanity, never considering them equals.
Yet, through daily interactions, it was moved by Nameless, Mash, Dr. Roman, and others.
That was why it chose to save Mash, who was destined to die.
But now,
the one who saved Mash was in turn saved by that person.
Everyone was saved—
except for that one person.
The Final Singularity had been restored.
Yet,
not a single person present cheered or celebrated.
Even the usually unruly rebellious knight Mordred wept uncontrollably: "Damn it... why did you have to play the hero?!"