Type-Moon: Root Seiko

The sounds of the symphony, layer upon layer, transformed the personalities of men, women, young and old into a single voice.

Bai Mao takes a step forward.

"【Ugly humans.】"

"[The human principle that leads to the destruction of sects.]"

"【Me, so weak.】"

"Everything should be destroyed."

“I won’t take those words seriously,” Luo Zhen said. “Having my Spirit Origin forcibly distorted and corrupted by ‘all the evil of this world,’ it’s only natural that I’ve become like this.”

Luo Zhen turned his head and reminded Xiao Kuang:

"So don't take it seriously. That wasn't her true feeling; it was just absurdity magnified a thousand times."

“I know.” Kyoko was surprisingly calm.

If it were her usual stubborn self, she would most likely be heartbroken by Bai Mao's cynical words.

But having gone through so much, she has finally gained a little enlightenment.

The mind of Bai Mao had long since dissolved, and his spirit base had become a vessel for the black mud.

Kyoko knew that if she were to get even a little bit of that dripping black mud on herself, she would probably be swallowed up by the sediment of human hearts as well.

The surrounding mental landscape is dissolving, dragged into an even more chaotic abyss by the shattered appearances.

"Let it all end, sister."

Amidst the overflowing, dripping black mud, Kyoshiko closed her eyes.

This was the plan she and Luo Zhen had discussed along the way.

The black mud from the Greater Grail has been poured into the spiritual veins.

These corrupted and darkened heroic spirits will ultimately end up like this, losing their last shred of dignity.

Faced with this endless black mud, if there is a sufficient supply of magic power, a powerful heroic spirit like the Knight King might be able to suppress it by firepower.

But right now, only Kyoko has a way to deal with it.

Even if it means sacrificing herself.

Kyoko's Noble Phantasm, "Zabaniya," allows her to recreate the miracles of the eighteen Hassans by altering her own physical body.

Aside from the miracles of Hassan the Hundred-Faced Hassan, who was her contemporary, she really had no chance to learn from others.

Kyoko did indeed learn these miracles on her own through her innate talent and her understanding of the sect's records.

This also includes the miracles of the First Hassan, the Primordial Old Man.

Hassan, who slew Hassan, the angel of death from the beginning of time.

The being that appears before the old man in the mountains when he becomes corrupt, degenerates, and strays from the right path, and beheads him.

The moment when Bai Mao was in utter despair, it was this old man who personally appeared and killed her.

In Kyoko's naive understanding during her lifetime, the first Hassan was seen as a great founder.

He was also a great judge who left behind strict doctrines to keep each generation of Hassan from going astray.

Therefore, the first Hassan must possess abilities greater than any of the previous Hassans.

The ability to kill Hassan at any time.

A devout fanatic would never admit it.

In fact, her qualifications may have surpassed those of any of the ancient sages.

Offering up pain, the past, and the future, sacrificing all human pleasures.

Only by giving up everything—including one's name, one's original intention, and one's prayers—can one stand here.

Just like the first old man in the mountains, who walked through hell and witnessed the truth of the world.

Ultimately, he chose to cut out his own flesh, bones, and internal organs, offering everything he had, and transforming into an angel to punish sinners.

...Then I'll do the same.

In the final moments of his life, the fanatical believer, who had grasped all of this through asceticism, performed the same ritual as the Primordial Elder.

She peeled away her flesh, bones, and internal organs.

The difference is that the Primordial Old Man performed this ritual in Hell, and thus ascended to become an angel.

But the fanatic was just a mortal, a foolish woman.

She faced her own death as a human being, having given everything for her faith.

...The Primordial Elder, witnessing all this, must have been furious.

Why should a devout walker follow the foolish ways of the old man of the mountain?

A person as virtuous as you is the very essence of the Old Man of the Mountain's faith, the object of his devotion.

Is there any joke in this world that makes the believer perform the same rituals as the believer?

Perhaps that's why.

What makes a woman who left no great achievements in history and whose death was nothing more than a foolish self-sacrifice deserve to become a heroic spirit?

Answer: Although the angel of death hated her stubbornness and foolishness, he still acknowledged her.

She also has the appearance of an angel.

That's enough, that's enough.

If you really want to try, then I'll give you one chance.

Thus, the nameless fanatic was recorded on the throne and possessed this true Noble Phantasm.

Use me... 'Azrael'.

The fanatics abandoned everything.

One's own body, mind, emotions, and spiritual foundation.

Everything that constitutes the self is given away.

All for the purpose of forging it into a sword.

It is extremely presumptuous, like the Primordial Ancestor, a sword of death that can slay all evil.

Her body and soul dissolved from that moment.

All that remains is the spiritual foundation, stripped of all unnecessary things, a soul that was untouched by dust from the very beginning.

“Spirit Origin Loading.” Luo Zhen didn’t stand on ceremony.

He took the light that the Mad Nobleman had given everything for and combined it with his own spiritual foundation.

The radiance extended from his hand, shaping it into a straight longsword.

It was much more delicate than Joan of Arc's enormous dragon-slaying sword, and its width was just right to pierce through the throat painlessly.

Yet it has no emblems or patterns, as plain as iron.

Like the contrast between Joan of Arc and Mad Nobunaga. Both in body and mind.

"Let us fulfill our duty, 'Sword of Death'."

Luo Zhen made the announcement on his behalf.

Then.

He swung his sword and swept it away!

The moment the pure, unblemished longsword was revealed in his hand, the black mud covering the world of his mind melted away like butter.

Human malice cannot corrupt those in the secluded valley; the purest of devotees have long since ceased to be corrupted.

A person who no longer has the capacity to tolerate evil is naturally unable to be affected by evil.

"[...?]"

For a moment, Bai Mao, who had lost his head, felt lost.

She saw the light.

The next moment, Luo Zhen's sword was already upon them.

He once again beheaded the spirit core tainted by the black mud, cutting it cleanly in two.

That wasn't even harm; it was pure salvation.

The moment his spirit origin was purified, Hassan the Hundred Faces miraculously regained himself.

She immediately understood everything about herself, and then felt sad and ashamed.

She reached out her hand towards Luo Zhen, trying to express her last wish.

Luo Zhen understood: "Don't worry."

"I will protect you, my wild boar sister, and I won't let her foolishly sacrifice herself."

……Very good.