Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

A familiar dream, everything familiar, familiar decorations.

Like the images on an old-fashioned projector constantly spinning back and forth in front of Nianzhuo, it almost seemed to bury him in these yellowed photographs.

Suddenly, the photo at the very edge began to tremble, and then inexplicably shattered into countless fragments.

"--Huh?!" A sharp pain also came from a certain place in Nian Zhuo's mind, as if some memory was missing.

The photograph in front of me continued to spin, getting closer, and even gradually began to shatter.

Nianzhuo's eyes gradually lost their luster, their sparkle, and their vitality.

"It's fake." The voice in my head was my own.

“Fake…?” Nian Zhu blinked his lifeless eyes and looked at the photos around him.

"It's all fake." The voice echoed in Nianzhuo's mind like a hypnotic spell.

"Are they all... fake?" The photos in front of me were spinning faster and faster, and the cracks on some of them were already clearly visible.

"That's right, it's all fake." The voice in his mind still refused to give up, constantly telling Nianzhuo, "These memories are just your dreams. The real you live here, in this incredibly beautiful world."

“An incredibly… beautiful world.” A large photograph suddenly shattered into countless pieces of paper.

"Everything... is fake." Even the other photos seemed to be on the verge of collapse, their cracks making them appear as if they were about to shatter at any moment.

"—All you need to do is continue living in this world where there is only happiness, and that will be enough." The devil's voice gradually lured Nianzhuo into the dark mire.

"Sleep, sleep, wake up, the world is yours." From the darkness, several pitch-black arms reached out and pressed Nianzhuo's head down into the mud.

"--That won't do." Suddenly, three voices came from the depths of the darkness.

For some reason, Nian Zhuo opened his eyes very quickly upon hearing those three voices.

Even though his eyes were still lifeless, Nianzhuo mechanically turned his neck to look at the source of the sound.

He held a jet-black military flag in his hand, his body was covered in scorch marks as if burned by flames, his long, light-gold hair was tied up in a braid and hung down his back, and his face had an indifferent and extremely resentful expression.

A fiery red greatsword stood on the ground. The girl, dressed in a bright red evening gown, had her golden hair coiled behind her head, and held a blooming rose in her hand. Her face wore an expression of utter pride.

With bright silver hair and orange eyes, the girl wore clothes that were completely incomparable to the other two, yet she still walked at the very front without hesitation.

“Jeanne d'Arc Alter… Nero… and Marie Antoinette.” Nian Zhuo blurted out the names of the three women.

However, he had no memory of ever seeing them. How did the three of them get here? Who are they?

In the darkness, a ray of golden light appeared in the utterly dark swamp.

This time, it's our turn to save you.

“…Who exactly are you?” Nian Zhuo, whose body was covered in black mud, trembled violently as he stared intently at the three girls in front of him.

It was a feeling from the bottom of my heart; it wasn't fear, but something sweeter and happier.

—Love, and being moved.

"Why... I don't know you, I have absolutely no memory of you." Nian Zhuo covered his face, and the layers of mud binding him showed signs of loosening.

However, the most important and striking thing should be the tears that kept sliding down his fingers.

Large tears fell onto the black mud on Nianzhuo's body.

The next moment, the black mud receded rapidly as if it had been corroded.

"—I clearly, I clearly don't know you." His voice was trembling with sobs as Nianzhuo kept rubbing his still lifeless eyes. "But why do I feel happy when I see you...?"

Gently, three pairs of girls stood in the mud in front of them.

Like a lotus rising from the mud, pure and untainted.

Kneeling on the ground, the three girls embraced Nianzhuo's head.

“…Really, you’ve really worked hard. Nianzhuo.” Nero spoke first, patting Nianzhuo’s head with her eyes closed. “It’s alright now, it’s alright…?”

"...Tsk." Black Jeanne merely curled her lip, pulled out something that looked like a handkerchief from her person, and handed it to Nian Zhuo. "You call this how you defeat me and save France? Don't embarrass me, okay? You're the target of the Dragon Witch's revenge—"

"...Eh, eh? Is it my turn?" Olga Marie looked at the two Servants beside her, and for a moment she almost didn't know what to do. "Cough...cough cough!" Clearing her throat, Marie looked directly at Nian Zhuo's face, which was still dripping with tears.

“Listen up, Nianzhuo.” At this moment, Mary reverted to the proud demeanor she had when Nianzhuo first met her. “You are my servant.”

"You are my Servant. And you will always be my Servant." Contrary to her usual demeanor, Mary stared forcefully into Nianzhuo's eyes, revealing the three Command Seals on her hand. "This is the best proof of our bond. You are the hero who saved my life, so—"

The three people simultaneously reached out and pressed their hands on Nianzhuo's back.

"You can't stop here!" He pushed upwards forcefully.

"...!!" Immersed in endless mud, Nianzhuo suddenly opened his eyes.

He was breathing heavily, but the surrounding area was filled with black silt, making it very difficult.

"...How could I?" Nian Zhuo touched his nose, only then realizing that he had just fainted. "But I didn't expect to dream about you guys."

Patting his neck, Nian Zhuo's heart was pounding wildly because of the words of those three people.

I remember everything! I remember everything! Nianzhuo really wanted to shout this out loud at this moment.

After seeing the images of the three people that remained in his mind, countless films that Nian Zhuo had seen before, like those played on an old-fashioned projector, also appeared in Nian Zhuo's mind.

Broken pieces, intact pieces, and even the two photos that had previously turned into countless pieces of paper all returned to Nianzhuo's mind.

Chaldea—Ritsuka, Mash, Marie… the fierce battle in the Singularity… Nero and Jeanne Alter. And so on, all of these rushed into Nian Zhuo's mind.

The karmic ties forged in the first two singularities finally erupted at this moment.

It saved Nianzhuo's soul, which should have been dormant.

However, the situation is still not optimistic.

Although he could not feel his surroundings, the sensation of falling was clearly transmitted to Nian Zhuo's mind through his limbs.

All that could be seen was pitch-black silt, which solidified into black arms that pressed down on Nianzhuo's struggling body.

It was as if they were about to drag him into an abyss of no return.

“…!” He kept calling out to the system in his mind, but the cold and indifferent voice that used to respond to Nian Zhuo had disappeared, leaving only Nian Zhuo shouting in his mind.

Is this how it ends...? I rarely showed my true feelings like this, and I should have tried harder, or even realized it sooner.

As Nian Zhuo continued his descent, he recalled Zhuang Wu's constant suggestions to him during that short period of time. However, it was as if his thoughts were blocked, and they had no effect whatsoever.

"...I'm a little... not quite resigned to it." In the end, even Nian Zhuo, who was powerless to change anything, slowly loosened his clenched fist.

In the end, all that's left for me is this filthy and heavy silt... is that it?

"Indeed, a fitting end for a beast like myself." As the mud gradually swallowed the sensation in his limbs, Nian Zhuo's body temperature dropped rapidly.

But if we stop here, wouldn't that be too boring?

"Crack—crack—crack—" A sound like shattering glass came from above Nianzhuo's head.

The mud that had just occupied Nian Zhuo's entire field of vision had now completely disappeared without a trace.

The girl's silver hair shimmered, and the clock decoration on her head had been changed to gold.

"So what are you still doing in here?!" Without another word, Miss Zhuang Wu grabbed Nian Zhuo's hand. "You remember everything now, right?" (How could you not? She clearly found this opportunity specifically outside.)

"Um... I'm very sorry, Your Majesty the Demon King. It was my dereliction of duty." Nian Zhuo readily admitted his mistake, but the thought of his previous cold treatment of Zhuang Wu still gave him a headache.

"Okay, that's good." Zhuang Wu looked at the black mud around her, all of which were terrified of her, and smiled disdainfully. "But you almost fell for this trick, Nian Zhuo, you're really hopeless." A scarlet light flashed in her eyes.

The golden color, accompanied by pitch-black energy, instantly swept away all the black mud in the area.

The girl's long hair was blown about by the impact, attracting Nian Zhuo's gaze.

With a wave of the hand, a single thought can completely destroy everything around it.

“…This is… Oma Zi-O.” Nian Zhuo murmured, also stunned by the girl’s cool actions.

"Hide behind me—" Suddenly, from the depths of utter darkness, a torrent of pitch-black sludge gushed forth once more.

Zhuang Wu immediately extended her index finger, and a golden barrier unfolded in front of her, instantly blocking the surrounding black mud outside the barrier.

However, Zhuang Wu did not relax her vigilance in the slightest, her eyes fixed on the depths where the black mud was gushing out.

Now, it seemed that even Nianzhuo could hear it.

From within the black mud, the sound of something stepping on it was gradually approaching.

"Good evening, you two." Then came the person I never dreamed of.

Pitch black

In the end, that man still appeared.

“…You!” Recalling everything, Nian Zhuo naturally understood who the person in front of him who looked exactly like him was. “So, it was you again?” His hands clenched involuntarily.

"No, no, no, I don't have that kind of time." Unexpectedly, the other party seemed afraid that Nian Zhuo would shift the blame onto 'herself', and hurriedly waved her hand to explain, "I just felt a strange power coming, but—I didn't expect it to be her." Her gaze shifted to Zhuang Wu's face.

"..." Gazing at Zhuang Wu's expression, the other party seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she turned into a wisp of breeze and dissipated into the air.

"...So, what exactly happened?" Although Nian Zhuo didn't think the other party had really done nothing, he could tell from his expression that he definitely knew something. "Logically speaking, I should have entered the Mirror World of the second stage of Time King."

"Yes, that's right, this is the Mirror World of Zi-O II, isn't it?" 'Beast' chuckled dismissively. "But as for how you obtain that half of the power, that's up to you to figure out."

"...Eh. I see." Zhuang Wu, standing to the side, glanced back and forth between the two Nian Zhuo's faces, and thoughtfully tapped her own cheek. "So? What is your purpose in coming to this world?" She looked at the 'Time Beast' with a half-smile.

"I just wanted to see you—" the other person said, while half-opening their eyes to observe the two people's reactions. "Beep, I don't think you'll believe me."

"Alright, actually I'm here to kill that guy." Pointing to himself, 'Beast' suddenly said with utter indifference, "If I can drag him into that quagmire of falsehood, I can take his place, gain control of this body, and then freely walk towards what I consider the best ending." He smiled, then looked at Nian Zhuo, whose face was grim. "So what? Gaining that unprecedented, unparalleled ultimate power, isn't that intoxicating? When you wake up, the world will be kneeling at your feet, wouldn't that feel amazing? If it's amazing, why did you defy my will? Why did you have to crawl out of that filthy quagmire?"

"There's no particular reason, it's just that there are some people I absolutely have to see." Nian Zhuo pulled out his time-space driver from his waist, his patience with this arrogant man reaching its limit. "Besides, if I don't come out, how can I kill you?"

"Hahahahahahaha—!" The other party burst into laughter, even clutching his stomach, completely disregarding Nian Zhuo and Zhuang Wu beside him. "Kill me...? With your abilities? Or is a man hiding behind a woman?" The laughter had barely subsided when an incomparably bloodthirsty killing intent enveloped the scene.

“…Tsk.” Even Zhuang Wu, whose pupils had turned completely red, waved her hand uncomfortably. “How many people have you killed to have this kind of killing intent that I’ve never seen before?”

"...How many people, Miss Zhuang Wu? Will you remember how many slices of bread you've eaten?" Utterly arrogant and rampant, the other person's expression gradually became crazed. "Seven singularities in total, Humanity? Chaldea? The Future? What do those things have to do with me?"

"All I pursue is ultimate power. Only unparalleled power can bring me even a little happiness." The other party said to himself, his huge black and red dragon wings spreading behind him. "In the end, in my timeline, all that exists is despair and destruction."

The next moment, a ball of golden-black energy suddenly flew out of Zhuang Wu's hand.

As if anticipating the opponent's move, the future 'beast' Nian Zhuo also unleashed black and red energy, which collided violently.

The aftershocks alone were enough to pin Nian Zhuo, who had just transformed, to the ground, rendering him unable to move.