Chapter 284: Saving the Mermaid Girl
BB/GO disliked humans. Even when facing the Master of Chaldea before her, if she had to put it into words, she disliked Gudako far more than she liked her. It was true that this girl was the final Master of Chaldea in this world; though ordinary, she had overcome countless hardships and achieved the merit of saving Human History. As a Master, she was beyond reproach.
But the more this was true, the more BB/GO refused to allow herself to like Gudako. The brighter Gudako shone, the more of an eyesore she became. BB/GO's own Senpai possessed a radiance that did not lose to this child—a Senpai who was gentler and cooler—but that person could never be seen again.
She still remembered the scene back then: how she had been careless, never imagining that Kiara Sessyoin would plot against her to such an extent, resulting in her being absorbed. She failed to protect her precious Senpai to the end and lost consciousness amidst endless regret. When she woke up, she was in another world. Because the Demonic Bodhisattva Kiara Sessyoin had absorbed them, she had been summoned along with her. Afterward, she, Lilith, and Lip were separated from Kiara's body to manage the cyber world for her.
Lilith and Lip refused outright, but BB/GO chose a roundabout tactic and agreed. However, her hatred for Kiara was identical to that of the two Alter Egos. Then, the BB dispatched from the Moon Cell secretly approached her. BB/GO didn't know if the other was there to clean up the aftermath or to collect data on this special situation, but to defeat Kiara, the more power the better. With the mindset of mutual exploitation, they reached a contract.
She learned from the other BB that her precious Senpai, Master Hakuno, had ultimately won against Kiara Sessyoin. Unfortunately, she could no longer see that Senpai who had already obtained the Regalia in the Moon Cell, and now even her reason for revenge against Kiara was gone.
But... she wasn't the type to let bygones be bygones. Kiara had made her suffer, so she would find a way to eliminate her no matter what. Yet, she wasn't a "good girl" who helped irrelevant humans unconditionally. Since she had no goal, she would do something for herself—such as seizing control of this world. If she did that, perhaps... just maybe... she might find the Hakuno Kishinami of this world.
With this feeling, she endured, hiding in the shadows where no one could reach, gathering energy and assisting the girls in defeating Kiara Sessyoin. Then, before everything collapsed, she intended to claim this cyber space for her own.
Gudako led her Servants through various checkpoints, defeating the sentries BB/GO had set and collecting the elements to strengthen the "good" BB, finally arriving before BB/GO.
"Even though the red Archer didn't show up for some reason, the stockpile of Servants here is more than enough! From now on, I shall rule all of humanity," BB/GO said with a sneer.
"Gudako-senpai, this BB must be defeated. She is an existence that cannot be allowed to remain," the "good" BB said.
Gudako nodded in agreement. "Mhm, I know. BB is a BIG-BUG. She's just a bug from head to toe."
"That's not it, Senpai! This isn't just a matter of a malfunction. This child relies on humans far too much. No matter how much she likes humans or fears loneliness, she shouldn't act like she has a 'human dependency' disorder! It's as embarrassing as a parasite!" the purple-haired BB corrected her seriously.
"Hah? How could I possibly rely on humans lower than myself?" The girl opposite them felt insulted and spoke in anger.
Gudako's BB looked at the red-eyed girl with a complex expression and said: "The trait of being obsessed with establishing a superior-inferior relationship is a uniquely human way of thinking. Before you even came to this world, you were already infected. Pity, comparison, and lust—these are all 'Evil' natures born only of humans. They drive you to act not as an AI, but as a human. As AIs, no matter our performance, we would never place humans in a position of comparison to ourselves. Though you constantly claim to hate humans, look down on them, and want to enslave them, the irony is that you are the one closest to the dream of the Sakura-series AI—the existence most similar to a 'human'."
"Impossible! I am a high-level intelligent AI surpassing humans. How could I degenerate into a human? Humans just need to be like Mr. Pig, obediently accepting my breeding and management. However..." BB/GO glared with her crimson pupils and said coldly, "I will not forgive those who obstruct me! Even if you are a Master who achieved great deeds, if you resist me, you will be treated as a target for elimination."
The BB of this time period did not have the memories of being saved from Kiara's body later, nor did she know that her beloved Senpai, Hakuno, had already been rescued. Thus, she focused solely on digitizing the whole world and making humans her slaves, all just to see Hakuno one more time.
When an AI girl leaves the Moon Cell, she is like a computer without antivirus or firewalls, yet she invades and collects data everywhere. A girl who has existed for such a short time is like an infant—a blank slate easily influenced by the outside world, whether by a gentle Senpai, a cunning Third Beast, or even Outer Gods.
But at this stage, there was no turning back. With BB's assistance, the girls easily crushed the Shadow Servants that were unleashed.
"Haaa!!! Virgin Laser - Palladion!!!"
Using Lip as the bow and Lilith as the spear's body, the Goddess's Spear of Victory was hurled, transforming into a brilliant blue and white light that broke through BB/GO's defenses and pierced her Spirit Core.
The battle was over. Lilith and Lip retreated with Gudako. The purple-haired BB clearly had something to say to BB/GO; she walked to her side with clenched fists and a heavy heart.
"It's my loss... but... why? Why was I defeated? I cannot understand. As perfect AIs, both this time and that time, we are defeated by humans," the red-eyed BB/GO asked. Her Saint Graph had sustained fatal damage, and as a cyber-body, she could no longer maintain herself.
"If I had to say, it's because you misunderstood the power of love! An omnipotent AI can only ever be 'omnipotent.' Because everything is preset, you cannot break through. Because you are perfect, you cannot give birth to new things; you have no hesitation and feel no worry. But humans are different. Precisely because their lives are full of things that don't go their way, because they encounter misfortune, feel pain, and feel sorrow, they yearn for the omnipotent and perfect. They hope for a better future, for eternal happiness, for better creations... Only because flaws and unfulfillment exist do humans have the infinite drive to change themselves and grow. They will constantly break through their own limits."
"As existences yearned for by humans, it's natural for us to have higher performance. Humans don't create products worse than what they already have. But no matter how high the completion of us AIs is, the yearning of humans—our baseline—will not change. And we will not forget the respect we owe to the 'Origin' that is the foundation of our birth."
"Being a partner to humans requires no reason!" At this point, BB smiled and looked directly at her past self. "Therefore... for humans, I choose to respect and protect them!"
"Ah... is that so... is that the correct way for an AI to think?" the red-eyed girl said. "I cannot understand. I only understand a more selfish love... but Hakuno-senpai is no longer here, because the 'me' of the past chose to let go to protect that love."
"..." BB looked at her other self with pity. This was something unavoidable; one cannot understand without experiencing it. If she hadn't met Hakuno-senpai in her memories, she wouldn't understand humans. If Gudako-senpai in this world wasn't so outstanding, she wouldn't be able to help humanity sincerely.
"Since these are thoughts you've reached from your heart after serious consideration, I cannot deny them. I'll give my Saint Graph to you; I'm going to disappear anyway. But... you will fall to the same fate as me before long. When that happens, feel free to worry and struggle to your heart's content—at the moment you gain your beloved." BB/GO smiled, her body becoming transparent. Her Saint Graph had dissipated to the point where she could no longer maintain her form.
BB watched the vanishing red-eyed girl, her brow furrowing slightly in sadness, before finally flashing her usual heartless small-devil smile: "Well! At least the current me kept that promise I made to Hakuno-senpai back then!"
With the disappearance of BB/GO's power, the cyber space lost its supporting energy. The world shook and swayed, on the verge of total collapse.
"BB! Let's get out of here!" Gudako shouted from behind.
"Yes! Senpai!" the girl replied with a smile, leading the girls away from the area and back to Chaldea.
The cyber world remaining in the ocean split apart amidst the tremors. Stone pillars and the ground turned into fine particles and continuously dissipated.
"So... what exactly is that kind of love?" Carrying this doubt, the fully transparent BB/GO, having lost her legs and arms, sank bit by bit into the seabed with the remnants of her consciousness. Particles drifted from her body, and her vision grew hazy, as if some round objects were reflecting dazzling iridescent light. The circles of light rose, moving away from the girl, and then suddenly burst. Ahh... so they were just bubbles...
If Lilith was like an ugly duckling who changed herself through adventure for the one she loved, finally becoming a white swan flying from the lake... then what would she, dissolving into bubbles, be...
Shirou, hiding in the background, watched the girl who was about to vanish with pity and let out a soft sigh. After defeating the Kiara Sessyoin here, he had crossed space and moved to this timeline along with the BB-chan hidden inside him. He hadn't waited long; shortly after he hid, Gudako and the others arrived.
"Senpai? Are you going to save her? She said she wanted to rule the world earlier! If she's a bad girl, will you still save her?" The BB-chan inside him rolled her eyes and asked in a strange tone.
"No. She only had those thoughts because of bad luck. Besides, she's just a girl who's afraid of being lonely. How could I leave her alone?" Shirou said matter-of-factly.
Although BB/GO was completely transparent, the boy's eyes could still trace her presence. Recalling the form of that white-haired man, the brilliant white light, and the correct way to use those eyes—as his duplicate, Shirou could likewise use a portion of the divine Authority.
He detained the vanishing BB/GO. Although she had given up her Saint Graph, as long as a remnant of her soul remained, she could be restored through divine power. Shirou created a new body for her and carefully placed it in a white space where she could be treated. When the child woke up, she could start anew as a fresh life. The space would automatically send her out to the world when the time came; while it was all random, with her abilities, he believed she could handle whatever came her way.
Shirou closed his eyes, sealing the white space, and prepared to leave this cyber world that was about to fully disintegrate. At that moment, the purple-haired girl hiding in his mental world jumped out with a grin so bright it looked almost silly. She lunged at Shirou, rubbing her face vigorously against his.
"Shirou-senpai~! Shirou-senpai~! Thank you~!"
"Wait! Alright, alright, why are you so excited?" Shirou pressed his hand against BB's head and pinched her chin, finally stopping her rampage and speaking helplessly.
"Because! Because! This is the first fated encounter between Senpai and BB-chan! BB-chan is so moved~!" The purple-haired girl's large eyes sparkled with light.
"Mhm, I see... so that child was you." Shirou sighed softly, feeling as though he understood everything at once. "If you had told me sooner, I could have let that child stay."
"Heehee, this is fine! It's okay~! This is all a trial of a young girl's love! BB-chan is so happy~! Senpai has finally accepted BB-chan~!" BB laughed brilliantly, showing her upper teeth in a somewhat charming and naive way.
"Is that so? Then let's head back now." Shirou patted the purple-haired girl's head.
"Senpai, what are you saying? It's not over yet," BB reminded him out of the blue.
"What do you mean?" Shirou asked, puzzled.
"Senpai, did you forget? In your world, there is still a Kiara Sessyoin hidden away!" BB-chan said, holding up a finger.
"Ah!" Shirou cried out in surprise. Because of his chaotic experiences and the overwhelming amount of information, he had forgotten a very important matter.
.
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Among the people who had been summoned into the virtual network via Possession Summoning, Yuigahama—who was hiding in the bushes as the possessed Ibaraki Douji—suddenly sneezed from the hunger and cold.
"Ah! Found her! Over there!" a thug shouted, raising his fist.
"Chace her! Catch her!" A group of thugs looking like Spartacus charged forward with clubs.
"Don't come over here~!! Seriously, enough! Shirou! When are you coming back?! Hyaaa~! Rashomon Great Grudge!!!" The girl with the "dango" hair cried, activating her Noble Phantasm and fleeing rapidly in the opposite direction!
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