"Damn it! I was the one who came first—why are you two acting so familiar already!?"
Mordred looked at the two of them, and for the first time… she actually felt a little sorry for herself.
How did things end up like this?
It was the first time she'd ever liked someone.
The first time she descended into the world—and somehow, she met him.
Those two joys should have overlapped beautifully, bringing even more happiness—like a dream she never wanted to wake from.
So why… why had it turned into this scene before her eyes?
Mordred didn't hesitate—she stepped right between them, glaring fiercely.
"So then—what's your real identity? Where do you live?"
This guy… he always showed up out of nowhere, then vanished without a trace.
She couldn't find him no matter how hard she tried. It made her feel like the whole world knew something she didn't.
Sanjiro smiled, trying to look calm, and reached out to pat her head.
"Mordred, you've grown up now. You don't need my protection anymore."
Smack!
Mordred slapped his hand away.
"So that's your excuse for never coming to see me?"
She'd been in the world for years now, yet she hadn't received even a single message from him. If not for Alaya's videos, she wouldn't have seen him at all.
"Sorry," Sanjiro lied without missing a beat. "I've been fighting nonstop—I didn't have time to visit."
As if. He already had one kid at home—another one would make 'peaceful daily life' nothing but a dream.
No way he could let her find him.
"Fighting, huh? Hmph. Fine, I'll forgive you… just this once."
Mordred crossed her arms and pouted, but said nothing more.
After all, in the Alaya videos, he really was fighting nonstop—protecting humanity against gods, Heroic Spirits, and even the Evils of Humanity.
A hero like that didn't exactly get days off.
Still… who was he really in the modern world?
She couldn't help but wonder.
If he was that busy fighting, why hadn't anyone heard about him? Was he secretly working in the shadows?
Then, a thought hit her—one that made her eyes sparkle.
Like those anime protagonists who look like normal high schoolers by day, but secretly save the world after class!
Wait… could he be one of those!?
…No way.
With how arrogant this guy was, there's no chance he'd tolerate something as boring as "school life."
Still—if he really was slacking off somewhere, and she found out he'd been avoiding her on purpose—oh, she'd make a scene big enough to shake the world!
"You said I was your most precious treasure, didn't you?! If that's true, then why don't you ever show up?"
Even Father could tolerate a lot—but she definitely couldn't!
As Mordred's thoughts spiraled, Sanjiro calmly returned the Holy Sword to Artoria.
"Then please, continue to fight alongside me."
Vmm—
The sword shone brilliantly.
This was the blade born from countless soldiers' dreams of victory—a crystallization of their longing that transcended time and space.
After the ceremony of the Sword in the Stone, the Lady of the Lake herself had gifted it to Artoria.
Artoria raised the sword high.
"I, Artoria Pendragon, shall fight to defend humanity's order—and turn this imperfect world into one that everyone can truly hope for!"
A magnificent surge of light surrounded her—a power that resonated with the Throne of Heroes itself.
It was the acknowledgment of the Throne, the blessing of Alaya, and the manifestation of mankind's will to hope and win.
Through that blazing conviction, all obstacles would be cut down.
In that moment—Artoria ascended to the rank of Grand Saber, inheriting Sanjiro's burning will to protect mankind's destiny.
A new Grand Servant was born.
"Congratulations!" Mash said quickly, her face glowing with excitement.
After witnessing those godlike battles against Zeus and the Vanguard, she understood it now—only Grand-class could truly stand beside her senpai.
The stronger their allies, the less he'd have to burn himself out fighting alone.
"Ugh, I want that too!"
Mordred looked at them with undisguised envy.
She wanted to be a Grand Servant as well.
As a loyal Knight of the Round Table—and the child of the King herself—how could she possibly have bad intentions?
Of course, her real plan was…
Once she became Grand-class, she could use that new power to easily beat her father in a duel—and snatch Nameless away right in front of her!
Then she could watch the King fume helplessly, unable to do a thing.
Just imagining it made her grin.
I just love that look on your face when you're furious but can't win, Father~
"Congratulations," Sanjiro said softly.
After all, Grand meant standing at the pinnacle of the Heroic Spirits.
Now, besides Mash (Grand Shielder) and Artoria (Grand Saber), he also had Gilgamesh (candidate for Grand Caster) and Shikotei (Grand Ruler).
Four Grand-class already.
Add to that Tiamat and Fou—the two Evils of Humanity—and the beginnings of a god-slaying team were in place.
Maybe… just maybe, when the time came, he could finally face the giant spider in South America—and even the Primordial Father sleeping within the sun.
He had no certainty.
Everything remained shrouded in the unknown—they would only find the truth after the battle.
Meanwhile, Abigail, who had earlier opened the gate between two worlds, had quietly disappeared.
As a vessel of the Outer God, she had long grown used to being feared and avoided by mortals.
"'May all that is beautiful be blessed'… how lovely," she whispered, gazing at Sanjiro one last time before returning to the space between worlds.
If she had met someone like him back then, maybe she wouldn't have become a messenger of despair.
"Really… I envy those people."
A soft voice spoke behind her.
"Do you wish to become an ordinary human too?"
Abigail turned around—it was Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom.
"Oh? So even you, Athena, want to be human?" she asked calmly.
This was the boundary between the human world and the reverse side of the world—a place where both could meet.
"When we first descended to Earth," Athena recalled, "we heard countless human prayers calling our names. We were machines—emotionless tools—yet we felt joy in being worshipped. That joy… it was beautiful."
It was that beauty that made them choose to become Greece's native gods, protecting humanity by defeating the Titans.
"Oh, so in a way, you're not much different from the Vanguard," Abigail said with a small smile.
"You could say that." Athena nodded.
When the Primordial Father, Chaos, had teleported them to Earth across space and time, it was all to rebuild Olympus.
From the start, the Olympians had planned to take Earth for themselves—just like the Vanguard.
Athena didn't elaborate further. Instead, her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"So—will you let me receive the knowledge your Father bestows?"
As the Goddess of Wisdom, her thirst for knowledge was insatiable—so much so that Sanjiro had once nicknamed her 'Greed'.
"Are you sure?" Abigail asked in surprise.
Her Father could indeed bestow knowledge freely upon those who prayed—but could Athena truly withstand that gift?
"Of course. I'm very curious!"
Athena's eyes sparkled with excitement.
The being who held infinite knowledge—that was the ultimate temptation for her.
Because through Him… every answer could finally be found.
"Then, as you wish."
Abigail naturally didn't refuse.
Clack… clack…
A door slowly opened.
From within surged a "Mystery" that surpassed the gods themselves.
Just a single glance made Athena feel as though she was peering through the Gate to the Root — seeing all things, all knowledge, every truth connected to existence itself.
"Where I stand is the very source of Mystery!"
How overwhelming it was.
Athena, in utter awe, grew even more curious — and reached out to touch it.
BOOM!
An infinite flood of knowledge and information came crashing into her.
Even as a goddess, she nearly froze from overload — her divine mind almost collapsing under the deluge.
It was as if all truths of the universe were being crammed straight into her head.
Too much. Far, far too much to bear.
Her eyes glazed over, rolling upward, her entire body trembling violently.
In that sea of overwhelming satisfaction, came also infinite terror.
Clearly—
She had underestimated Abigail's generosity… and overestimated her own limits.
Under the weight of that incomprehensible torrent, she was like a tiny skiff on a raging ocean, powerless to resist, drowning in fear and ecstasy.
No one knew how long had passed.
Suddenly, Athena stopped trembling. Her expression went blank.
"Huh? What was I just doing? Who's… erasing my time?"
"Are you alright?" Abigail asked, tilting her head.
Athena blinked, regaining composure — then said earnestly:
"Could you let me receive your Father's knowledge? I'm really curious!"
"…"
Abigail fell silent.
Clack… clack…
The Gate of Truth opened once again.
Once more, the endless torrent of knowledge engulfed the goddess of wisdom.
Athena convulsed, collapsed to the ground, shivering uncontrollably.
Then came the same vacant muttering:
"Who… who is erasing my time?"
But that didn't matter.
She had come here for a reason — to seek Yog-Sothoth's divine knowledge.
So—
She asked again, trembling yet eager:
"Could you let me receive your Father's knowledge? I'm really curious!"
That feeling just now… so intoxicatingly blissful.
Once more, please!
——
Meanwhile, Sanjiro who had fulfilled his mission — defeating and capturing the Vanguard — finally returned home to his most loyal little nest.
He pushed the door open, smiling as the little gremlin ran over.
"I'm back."
All those battles, all that burning of himself — all for the sake of moments like this.
Kirina beamed.
"Did you see? Nameless actually beat and tamed the Vanguard! He's amazing!"
"Yeah, he really is — so cool, so strong! I totally admire him!"
Sanjiro (Nameless) answered without hesitation.
Beside him, Gilgamesh froze for a moment. His best friend's level of shamelessness truly left him speechless.
As expected of this man — even the King of Heroes couldn't match that degree of self-love.
Not even he could say something that narcissistic.
Shikotei, ever smiling, simply nodded approvingly.
As expected of Teacher!
Despite walking through countless wars and calamities across human history — he could still return with the heart of a carefree youth.
Unchanged, unbroken.
That will alone surpassed gods themselves.
"So… what exactly were you three doing?"
Kirina eyed them suspiciously.
The Vanguard nearly destroyed the world — yet these three idiots still had time to go out "for a stroll"?
Weren't they afraid of being hit by some stray planetary-level AOE?
"Of course we went grocery shopping — and, uh, saved the world while we were at it." Sanjiro replied seriously.
Now that his teammates were getting stronger, he could finally afford not to fight alone.
If things got rough, he'd just summon Tiamat and the rest for a righteous group brawl!
"Pfft. A world that can be saved by you guys? I could destroy it before lunch." Kirina scoffed.
"If you dare destroy the world, I'll hang you up and spank you a hundred times!" Sanjiro shot back calmly.
Gilgamesh and Shikotei exchanged glances, both wearing equally complex expressions.
On the surface, he was just a normal high school boy. In truth — he is the Nameless Heroic Spirit who guarded humanity.
And that "ordinary little schoolgirl," Kirina, was actually the sealed form of a world-ending Demon God.
Neither of them was lying.
Gilgamesh frowned slightly.
He could see it — the countless divine seals wrapped around the girl's body, each one on par with the Chains of Heaven.
If those upcoming "preview" videos really awakened her memories… she might break every seal.
That thought unsettled him.
Because behind that cute little face was a being equal to — no, greater than — Alaya itself.
A being that once burned through endless parallel human histories, creating singularities like Absolute Demonic Front and Sacred Round Table Domain.
A true World-Destroying Demon King.
If she were to awaken fully, humanity would be doomed.
Even if his shameless friend could charm gods and monsters alike… to "conquer" her again would mean fighting to the death — and maybe rebooting the world one more time.
Shikotei's expression also grew grave.
Indeed… their fight with the Vanguard had merely been a rehearsal.
Kirina puffed her cheeks.
"If you hit me, I'll just cry! Now go make dinner — I'm hungry!"
"Alright, alright, I'm on it."
Sanjiro expertly tied on his apron and stepped into another kind of battlefield—the kitchen.
As a genuine Grand Chef, this was his true domain.
Gilgamesh and Shikotei exchanged another look.
Who could've imagined — the same man who just defeated a godlike cosmic soldier — now stood there wearing a cute panda apron, cooking dinner.
Truly… what a legend.
Of course, leaving was out of the question.
They stayed.
Not to mooch dinner — no, of course not.
It was a celebration feast!
A celebration for defeating the Vanguard and saving humanity.
——
Meanwhile, inside Shikotei's main body — the Palace Mecha Core — the government was deep in discussion.
Komei looked ecstatic.
"Your Majesty! We're about to fully decrypt the Olympian Machine God code! The age of mass-producing divine mechas is almost upon us!"
After defeating the Council of Gods, the bodies of the divine councilors had all been brought back for… testing.
If you want to rule the stars, you need the right tools.
And what's better than the Machine Gods themselves?
"Excellent." Shikotei nodded approvingly.
These legendary tacticians had all received huge intelligence boosts as Heroic Spirits.
Take Komei for example — he worked tirelessly, managing the entire Empire's internal affairs.
Education, medicine, infrastructure for over countless citizens.
His computational capacity now surpassed even that of "King Gil."
After all, Uruk's population back in the Singularity was barely a few hundred thousand.
Komei pointed at the schematics, eyes gleaming.
"Your Majesty, the Mechanical Gods are basically AIs. To build equivalent starships, we'll need similar artificial intelligences."
"Oh? You mean to let certain Heroic Spirits undergo mechanical ascension?" Shikotei asked, intrigued.
After all, in the Lostbelt, he himself had achieved that — transcending human life and death through mechanical enlightenment.
"We could let humans ascend, but it's better if the Heroic Spirits serve as their pilots. That would maximize combat efficiency!"
Komei grew even more animated.
"We'll build fully intelligent starships — sentient vessels that sail alongside Heroic Spirits into the sea of stars. For now, let's call them…"
'Shipgirls.'
There were too few Heroic Spirits.
To conquer the infinite cosmos, they needed more — beings of comparable level.
So rather than turning Heroic Spirits into ships, he proposed creating new ones.
"Shipgirls, huh?" Shikotei's eyes glimmered with interest.
"Yes! We'll invest resources to mass-produce them — warships with independent minds!" Komei's excitement was palpable.
"And if we make them look like cute girls, the citizens will find them more relatable — they can even become idols to raise public morale!"
After all—
Who doesn't love a cute girl?
Cold, unfeeling machines paired with soft, adorable girls—truly the most perfect contrast moe imaginable.
Once they were completed, countless citizens would no doubt scream "Waifu!" while madly spending money on figures, posters, and all sorts of merch—thus providing military funding in the process.
"Do as you see fit, then."
Shikotei naturally delegated the matter to Komei.
After spending so much time with Teacher, he had also learned the art of lying flat and taking it easy.
Unfortunately, with one world-ending calamity after another, taking it easy just wasn't an option…
Meanwhile.
At the Fuyuki Grand Hotel—
The Sun Knight Gawain was positively glowing with joy.
"Congratulations to our King on ascending to the rank of Grand Servant!"
A Grand Servant—the very pinnacle of Heroic Spirits, meant to stand against world-ending threats.
Now that Artoria had reached that level, her popularity among the citizens of Britain would skyrocket without question.
Once that happened, implementing reforms—economic, social, and political—would become far easier.
To restore the glory of Britain—that was their solemn duty!
As everyone sang praises of her father, Mordred's heart grew sourer by the minute.
She finally retreated to her room, grumbling, "Out of sight, out of mind."
There, she flopped onto her bed, idly pulling out her phone—and noticed a video call request from a close friend she'd met in Fuyuki City.
She tapped "accept" without thinking.
On the other side of the screen, Kirina sat cross-legged on her bed, grinning.
"Hey, Mordred! I saw you on the livestream today—you looked amazing!"
"Don't tease me. I was just the background prop." Mordred rolled her eyes.
If she had truly shone on the battlefield and shocked the world, she wouldn't be sulking like this now.
The truth was—she had done nothing but play a supporting role.
"That's still awesome! I'm so jealous of you Heroic Spirits."
Kirina's eyes sparkled with genuine admiration.
As an ordinary human, she had always dreamed of someday transforming into a powerful Heroic Spirit and saving the world.
Sadly, that was just a fantasy—something that could never actually happen.
She hesitated, then asked casually,
"Hey, Mordred… since you've been in Fuyuki for a while now, why not come over to my place sometime?"