A man who had offered himself up after death to become a Guardian of Primacy knew all too well that, to the Counter Force, he was nothing more than a convenient cleaning tool.
Whenever a threat to human persistence emerged, he was dispatched to that era to carry out his mission. Again and again, he killed the few to save the many. It was a cycle of slaughter without end, yet it never quite succeeded in numbing his heart and soul. Such was the existence of a Guardian who had transcended the concept of time.
However, for the first time, he felt utterly powerless in the face of his current objective.
"Urgh—!"
Taking a direct kick to the midsection, the Guardian was sent flying, tumbling into the muddy riverbed. He had lost count of how many times he had been struck down. The water level of the Mion River had never been this low, which struck him as bizarre—but that was a trivial detail compared to the headache-inducing white-haired youth before him.
"What's wrong? Is this all a Guardian of Primacy is capable of?" Ludwig hovered in mid-air, looking down at the man. "You're fighting for humanity, the primates of all things. If even you lose, the humans of this era will lose their Seat of Primacy."
"You've hit the nail right on the head," the Guardian let out a dry laugh. "If that truly happens, maybe I'll finally be set free."
Ludwig looked surprised. "What?"
"If the survival of humanity becomes a moot point, the Counter Force will cease to function, won't it?" the Guardian asked, pushing himself up.
"Perhaps. At least within the scope of what I know, the Planet made a final, desperate struggle, while the Counter Force of Alaya had already fallen into silence," Ludwig said indifferently. "To put it simply, humanity had become a rare existence known as the 'Last Seed.' Even if the Counter Force existed, it would have been incredibly weak."
In the youth's eyes, it was unlikely that such a world could even manifest the miracle required to sustain a Guardian like the one before him.
"The death of the Planet, huh..." the Guardian sighed, his voice sounding distant and full of poignancy.
"You seem to harbor a great deal of resentment toward your role as a Guardian," Ludwig noted. "Why not just stop here and withdraw? It would save us from an ugly scene—"
He paused, reaching up to rub his stiff neck before continuing:
"—After all, I don't actually know what the consequences would be if I were to kill a Guardian of Primacy here."
The sudden appearance of this Guardian targeting him was an unpredictable variable, and Ludwig wasn't particularly keen on triggering unknown side effects. Of course, he wasn't afraid to finish the fight if provoked.
"What would happen? I don't know either," the Guardian said, clutching his injured arm with a helpless sigh. "I expected this to be another 'dirty job,' but I didn't think it would be this level of a mess."
To ensure that humanity's Seat of Primacy remained unchallenged, the Counter Force had dispatched a Guardian to erase a "Next-Generation Primate" who had abruptly appeared in this world. It was a reality so ugly it left one speechless. Ludwig's piercing mockery sounded to the Guardian like a series of damning, justified questions.
Just as humanity had once seized the Seat of Primacy from the hands of the gods to rule the world, there would inevitably come a day when humanity would face that same transition.
"Truthfully, I don't even see where the 'threat' to humanity lies within you," the man said. "Unless the threat is simply that your strength, combined with this Holy Grail War, makes it highly likely you'll win the Grail..."
"Oh... I see." Ludwig realized the truth. "The Counter Force considers the mere possibility of me obtaining the Grail to be a threat."
The Counter Force did not dispatch Guardians to prevent things before they happened; it dispatched them before things became irreversible. Currently, to the Counter Force, Ludwig was the cause that would make the situation "irreversible." And that irreversible situation was humanity falling from the Seat of Primacy.
"Are you that kind of threat?" the man asked.
"Hard to say. Theoretically speaking, my mere existence here is already a threat," Ludwig said, clearly aware of the fact.
He belonged to neither Humanity nor the Planet; he was an A-Ray born in an era where Humanity had declined and the Planet had died. If he hadn't been dragged into the Holy Grail War by Gilgamesh, perhaps the Guardian would never have appeared. His actions over the past few days had been too prominent, turning a blurred trajectory into a clear target, which led to the current situation.
"Enough small talk," Ludwig said. "Give me a straight answer. Are you willing to withdraw, or do I need to send you on your way?"
"Unfortunately, becoming a Guardian is like taking out a high-interest loan with no cap. Unless the creditor disappears, I don't have much freedom," the Guardian said. "Therefore, I can only complete my mission."
"Then I'll use your failure to send a ruthless message. I'm quite looking forward to seeing if this can make that 'device' known as the Counter Force re-examine the situation." Ludwig raised his right hand, pointing it at the Guardian.
The invisible slashes of the Magic Sword surged forward, but the man had already finished the majority of his incantation during their previous exchange. Now, he raised his right hand and spoke the final line.
"...So as I pray, Unlimited Blade Works!"
In an instant, the surrounding scenery was consumed by fire. When the light faded, a desolate wilderness appeared, where countless blades stood thrust into the earth like tombstones. High in the clouded sky, massive, rusted gears turned with a slow, grinding rhythm.
This barren landscape actually bore a slight resemblance to the Land of Steel.
"A Reality Marble? You seem a bit too capable for a mere Guardian of Primacy," Ludwig remarked. "If you were of the Human-species, you'd likely be a colleague of mine."
"To be praised by the next generation's Primate is truly an honor," the Guardian replied with a dry, flat smile. "As you can see, this is my inner landscape. It is the world that manifests when I overwrite reality with my heart. If you don't want to lose to the entire 'world,' then come and get me."
Ludwig remained hovering in the air. "I was about to say the same thing. I'm not unfamiliar with Reality Marbles, though I've never seen the real thing. This is an Extreme Taboo Curse that erodes the physical world. If you can't defeat me before the World's correction kicks in, this is where you end."
"Heh... Let me ask one last question. What is your name?" the Guardian asked with a self-deprecating smile.
"Ludwig van Brunestud. And yours?"
"Just a nameless Guardian. Don't worry about it." The Guardian drew a sword from the ground.
Ludwig leaned forward, charging toward the Guardian on the ground.
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Type-Moon: The A-Ray Knight's Holy Grail Journey(80 Chapter - Ongoing)
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