Angra Mainyu—the Beast of Humanity who embodied the incomplete Principle of Retribution—had finally been expelled from the world.
Saber Alter's Excalibur Morgan had been unleashed with enough force to evaporate everything in the vicinity, turning the remains of the Chibaku Tensei and the site where the Matou estate once stood into nothing but ash.
"...I assume no trace of the mud remains?"
"Naturally. While the Malice of a Beast has the trait of clouding the vision of Clairvoyance, that very nature makes them far easier to 'pinpoint' once they manifest. The incomplete Evil of Humanity has been entirely purged from this world."
If that was the case... it was time for the most important part.
"King of Knights."
"...Hmph. Is it my turn?"
I wasn't entirely sure how—though I had a few guesses—but the King of Knights had somehow maintained her reason despite being completely submerged and blackened by the mud's filth.
However, no matter how much logic she retained, the mud was still the mud. It was a corruption, a sludge that had to be cleansed at all costs.
"Come forth, Naraka Path."
The Naraka Path, which was already storing Zouken Matou and Diarmuid's crimson spear, swallowed Artoria Pendragon in an instant and began to purify the mud clinging to her.
After being thoroughly violated(?) inside the Naraka Path's visage for quite some time, the Inverted King of Knights popped back out—complete with her signature cowlick—reverting once more into the King of Knights in blue.
"Now then, it's the next person's turn."
"W-wait? Master, hold on...!"
"Now, now. Come here!"
Regrettably, the other Servants—Rider and Archer—had also been splattered with mud during the fierce battle. Especially Rider, who had blocked my path and swung a sword of mud while I was sealing the Chibaku Tensei. It was urgent to reverse their corruption.
"...That was a rough experience."
"Fuhahaha! Was it not a rather amusing experience? O Wise King of Ancient Times, you should hurry in as well!"
"What nonsense! This king would never be affected by such trivial Beastly influence... E-ei! Let go of me this instant!"
Gilgamesh violently rejected the King of Conquerors' reaching hand, but he couldn't escape the clutches of the other Heroic Spirits—particularly Saber and Rider, who seemed to be acting on the thought of 'I won't be the only one to suffer through this.'
Just then, a long chain surged out from a golden ripple, blocking the way in front of Gilgamesh.
"Hahaha! With my dear friend by my side, you lot with your Divine Spirit attributes stand no—"
However, in that exact moment, the chain bound Gilgamesh tightly and tossed him straight into my Naraka Path.
"ONORE!!!!"
...Well. It looked a lot like tossing a friend who had been playing in the dirt straight into a bathtub.
* * * * *
After some time had passed and the mental interference treatment for all Servants, Masters, and the temporarily evacuated citizens was complete, Gilgamesh pulled out several golden chalices and a massive wine barrel from his treasury.
"Ooh, what a fragrant scent!"
"This is ancient divine sake collected by this King himself. It is a gift bestowed by royalty, so do not spill even a single drop!"
After distributing cups to the Masters, the Servants, and all eighty-plus incarnations of Assassin, Gilgamesh tossed a cup toward Tokiomi, who was looking on awkwardly from the side.
"Mongrel, you come as well!"
"...Pardon?"
"Hmph. While your single betrayal was unpleasant, what kind of King would I be if I could not show mercy? Your lost wrist is the price for your sin; I am a King who is clear with both reward and punishment."
Even Tokiomi, who wore a complicated expression, was forced to take a cup. Gilgamesh spoke as if he were the rightful host of this banquet.
"It was truly magnificent. It could not have been easy for Heroic Spirits from different worldlines and Masters with differing hearts to unite in one place. Yet, you all succeeded in preventing the emergence of that dangerous Malice and excised it from this world."
"...Since a Beast of Humanity manifested to this degree, will it manifest in other worldlines as well?"
Waver finally spoke up.
It was a question based on the fragments of knowledge he'd gathered, and it was a quite valid one at that...
"Kishua is watching over this worldline, isn't he?"
"Ah...!"
"That old man has likely designated this worldline, where the Beast was defeated, as 'Proper History' by now. It will have been formally incorporated into the Human Order, making it unlikely for the Beast to awaken here again. Even if it did, it would be treated as a Pruned Phenomenon."
The real problem was... the cleanup and one nagging doubt.
"Regardless... it is also a mystery how we are still maintaining our manifestation."
The King of Conquerors raised the point.
"That is true. By now, it should be impossible to remain in this world through the magical energy of our Masters alone..."
"It is likely due to the intervention of the Counter Force."
"King of Knights?"
"If a Beast of Humanity emerged, even in such an incomplete form, it would not be strange for Alaya's Counter Force to grant us support."
As Saber answered, the King of Conquerors nodded in understanding and resumed drinking.
"In any case... the aftermath seems like it will be a headache. Since the spiritual leylines of Fuyuki City, which were rumored to be capable of reaching the Root, have been completely blown away... the Clock Tower's Department of Policies is bound to get involved."
"Ugh..."
Kayneth and Waver both lowered their heads at the same time.
No matter how prestigious the House of El-Melloi was, they fell short in many ways compared to the Department of Policies and the House of Barthomeloi.
"If it's that, we shall step in directly."
"...Ah, the Fifth Magician!"
"And I'll ask Kishua to provide a guarantee as well. That should be enough to deflect any pressure from the Department of Policies."
Tokiomi's expression brightened noticeably at those words.
With the direct protection of the Jewel Old Man himself, there was a glimmer of hope for survival even against the Department of Policies.
"The Greater Grail has been emptied successfully, but it will no longer function. Iri and I must eventually return to the Einzberns to report. I ask that we fulfill our promise then, Proxy of the Second."
"Of course, Kiritsugu Emiya. We have to save your daughter, and having the Einzberns' cooperation wouldn't hurt when it comes to dodging the Department of Policies."
And so, everyone's paths began to diverge.
Waver, after being shuffled around, was eventually half-dragged by Solau into an uncomfortable drinking session with Lord El-Melloi. The King of Conquerors let out a boisterous laugh at the sight and then tried to initiate a 'Holy Grail Dialogue' of sorts with the Wise King and the King of Knights.
Kiritsugu Emiya was drinking with the one-handed Tokiomi and Kotomine Kirei, who held a half-burnt rosary in his hand. Knowing what these three were meant to become in the original Grail War, the sight was surreal for me.
Finally, as the drinks finished their third round, the Wise King stood up.
"The mood seems ripe, so I shall take my leave for a moment."
"Ooh, what is it, Goldie? Planning to leave just when things are getting fun!"
"Silence, King of Conquerors! And do not call me 'Goldie'! I am the Wise King of Uruk, Gilgamesh!"
"Understood, Goldie!"
Leaving behind the King of Conquerors, who refused to listen, the Wise King stood and quietly walked outside.
"...I believe I shall step out for a moment as well. The wine has gone to my head."
"My King, then I shall...!"
"Sir Tristan, please stay and enjoy the banquet."
With half a request and half a command, Tristan sat back down like a well-behaved large dog. She, too, walked past me and headed outside.
...So, this is a 100% clear signal to follow them, right?
* * * * *
Upon stepping outside, a beautiful airship made of gold awaited me.
"Board. This King permits it."
"King Gilgamesh, this is..."
Before I could even reply, the King of Knights lept up lightly onto the vessel.
King Gilgamesh let out a sharp laugh at the sight and then kicked off the ground to join her on the ship.
"Board. Are you intending to make a King wait?"
"..."
I floated up using Shinra Tensei. Once I was aboard, he produced three golden thrones and offered them to me and the King of Knights.
Once we were all seated, Vimana ascended into the sky. When it came to a halt overlooking the entirety of Fuyuki City, King Gilgamesh spoke.
"How is it?"
"What are you asking?"
"I am asking for your thoughts as you look down upon this place. I am asking your impression of this location—the one you saved by any means necessary from that Irregular. Tell me your thoughts."
My thoughts...
"Well, it's not bad."
"How dry. Well, in that regard, you resemble my friend. Even when seeing beautiful landscapes or eating delicious food, he always had simple reactions like 'it is good' or 'it is beautiful'..."
King Gilgamesh paused in brief reflection before locking eyes with both me and Artoria.
"Sit properly. I have much to say."
* * * * *
About five minutes into our flight, he spoke again.
"Master of Archer, human who has touched the Root. You have led this Holy Grail War quite admirably. Even if I merely stood by as an observer, and even if that King of Knights was the one to persuade the King of Conquerors, the center of everything was you alone. It would bring shame to my name as the Wise King of antiquity if I did not commend you."
"..."
"However, how far do your eyes truly see?"
"...Pardon?"
"It is useless to feign ignorance. I shall not forgive such impudence before a King a second time. Have you not already met the Wizard of Parallelism? Then you must know. The Princess who reaches toward the Omnipotent just as you do, and the Beasts that emerge from the Boundaries."
"One must also add the flower mage imprisoned for his own folly, and the wise King of Israel you know so well."
"...You knew everything already?"
'As I thought.' Not only Gilgamesh, but this King of Knights knew as well.
"Thus, I ask. How far into the future are you looking?"
"...To say I see 'everything' would be arrogant. But I suppose I could say most things. The incineration of this world, and its subsequent bleaching into white."
"Ho? Then, do you intend to stop it?"
"Whether I stop it or not, it's something that won't happen. Marisbury did not participate in the Holy Grail War, and Lev Lainur will 'commit suicide' before much longer."
If that happened, 'Chaldeas' of the Security Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order—Finis Chaldea—would never be fully completed. The Demon God Lev Lainur Flauros would not manifest, and Mash Kyrielight, the core of the Human Order's restoration, would not be born. Naturally, the future known as the 'Incineration of the Human Order' would be prevented.
At the same time, without Chaldeas, the Alien God and the Bleaching of the Human Order would also vanish. The only problem was...
"Foolish thing."
"...What did you say?"
"Mongrel, arrogance is a privilege permitted only to Kings. Do not become conceited just because you touched the Root, mongrel."
"...Explain your reasoning, King Gilgamesh. What exactly am I missing?"
"Ha! Can you not perceive the strangeness even when it is right before your eyes? Why do you think that Beast of Humanity woke, even in such an incomplete state?"
The reason the Beast awakened...
"Was it not... because of me? I am the only variable in this Holy Grail War."
"Sir, you did nothing to provoke that Beast. Therefore, its agitation can only be seen as external interference."
"...But that's impossible. With the Wise King and yourself watching, not to mention the Fifth Magician and Zouken Matou's defenses... they wouldn't have been lax."
"Do you not also know of that method? The heinous act of killing 'all humanity of the past' just to ensure current humanity dies as if falling asleep?"
...Wait a minute.
"What does it matter if the current Beast of Humanity cannot be awakened? The Beasts are an interlocking chain. Since the Beast of Pity awakened, the Beast of Regression followed, and have the Beasts of Lust and Depravity not also stirred?"
"...You mean..."
"His vision is a transcendent sight that encompasses the past, present, and future. If he is one capable of scattering Grails even into my era, why would you think he cannot stimulate the Malice of the past?"
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
"Did you truly not know that the King of Mages is watching you?"
"H-hold on. There are only seven worldlines that the Demon God King is interfering with. France during the Hundred Years' War, Emperor Nero's Rome, the seas Drake sailed, London during the Industrial Revolution, America's frontier era, Jerusalem during the Crusades, and your Uruk..."
"That was only because those eras were 'Foundations of the Human Order' as determined by the Human Order itself. However, for a being of the Demon God King's stature, why would he be unable to twist that? He has resources enough, and if he awakens the Malice of a Beast... the Human Order will designate that point in time as yet another divergence."
"...Incredible. A Beast as a Foundation of the Human Order?"
"Today was merely the beginning, mongrel. Do not let your gaze on the distant future cause you to miss the blade at your throat."
Let's summarize what the Wise King said.
Every Demon God Pillar has a suitable time period and region to oversee. The King of Mages used those scattered Demon Gods to place Holy Grails in Human Order Foundations or use methods like terrorist bombings to prepare the great undertaking of the Human Order's Incineration.
Therefore, I intended to ruin the foundation of that plan—the completion of Chaldeas and the creation of the Security Organization—to erase the act of the Human Order's restoration itself.
But the Wise King said:
"The Incineration of the Human Order will occur, even if you stop those specific events."
"...But the Near-Future Observation Lens: SHEBA was clearly the work of Lev Lainur...!"
"Do you think the King of Mages is unable to create such a low-tier artifact himself? Furthermore, that object is something someone would have created eventually, even if not the King of Mages."
The Wise King stood abruptly from his seat, turning to look at the King of Knights.
"If you truly cannot believe my words, then see for yourself."
"..."
At that, a change began to occur in the King of Knights' form.
A transparent, veil-like cloak appeared over her blue dress and armored skirt, quickly transforming into a suit of plate armor that covered her entire body.
The Excalibur she had been holding with both hands was plunged into the ground, and in its place, a lance of shimmering light manifested in her grip. A massive knightly helm appeared, alongside the sturdy shield Prydwen and the white stallion Dun Stallion at her side.
"...The Lion King, Rhongomyniad."
"O young Connected One. As I thought, you know of me."
"That Excalibur... don't tell me..."
"If it is Sir Bedivere, I remember who he is. I know clearly what the 'Sixth Singularity' entails, and who the mastermind behind this incident is..."
Good grief.
"I, who have attained the vision of a god even in this slight measure, and the Wise King here, guarantee this with our names. The Incineration of the Human Order is an inevitable fact."
"Even if that mongrel Lev Lainur—and the garbage residing within him that doesn't even qualify as a mongrel—were removed, it matters not to the King of Mages. He would seek to achieve the greatness of the Human Order's Incineration even if he had to clone and scatter other Demon Gods. Stopping it will be impossible."
Because it was something that had already happened.
"Dammit, this is a real mess...!"
To stop the Incineration, Chaldea is needed.
But to stop the Incineration from within Chaldea, the damn Chaldeas must be completed... and if Chaldeas is completed, that shitty Alien God and the bleaching invasion will begin.
"That damn Solo—no, that son of a bitch King of Mages. Everything would be solved if he just stayed still!"
"Did you not see? A Beast of Humanity is a malignancy that seeks to consume humanity solely by forcing its own twisted affection upon them. Did you truly think such a being would take human circumstances into account?"
Even if I knew that, this was far too unreasonable.
To prevent the bleaching of the world, I have to allow its incineration.
Seriously, the world of magecraft is garbage.