How come the Ace of Cups isn't considered the Holy Grail?

She waved behind her, and the girls who had escaped earlier but whom she had bumped into in the passage, looking desperate, walked over in unison and jumped into the pit.

The mass of flesh trembled, revealing its joy, and devoured them one by one. The souls, filled with despair, completed the last missing piece of the puzzle.

It began its transformation.

"Come on! That's it, good boy! Feed on despair, draw upon the souls of heroes and maidens, become the purest beast of desire, devour the city, devour the world!"

As always, Sajou Aika watched gently as it transformed into a seven-headed dragon with ten large horns, then turned her back to it and began to dance.

"As soon as one roars, everyone will shout in unison, the earth will crack, and the rivers will be stained blood red!"

"Destroy everything that humanity has accumulated, shatter history, and recreate the kingdoms of the past!"

"Ah~ Saber, your wish is about to come true~"

Chapter 223 The Seven-Headed Beast with Ten Crowns on Its Head

The noises that occurred inside the underground cavity were naturally transmitted to the surface.

The earth trembled, and the tremor even reached the artificial island 'Sea Firefly' across the water.

Sensing the tremor, everyone stopped fighting, even the Sphinx, under Ragnaros II's orders, temporarily halted its attack on Arthur and Arash.

The two breathed a sigh of relief and turned their gazes toward the source of the tremor.

Within Tokyo, whether in the center or not, a jet of black water rose up like a surging ocean current, appearing before everyone's eyes.

No, it wasn't a water column, but black silt, faintly revealing a hint of blood red, which transformed into a giant wave and tsunami that swept down on the city below.

Those seven-headed, ten-horned dragons, though born from the black mud, were a vibrant red, a different color from the mud itself. They appeared in this world riding on the crest of giant waves, just as described in the Bible.

The holy city reappears, and the kingdom is restored.

A seven-headed beast with ten crowns on its head came riding the waves from afar.

Beast of grave sin, your name is that of an enemy.

In short, it's greed.

Its blessings will turn into blasphemy and roar in.

The name of that dragon beast needs no further explanation; the moment they saw it, they, as Servants and Heroic Spirits, already knew its identity.

That was the end of despair.

Destroyed road signs.

The Beast VI, the apocalyptic beast bearing the number 666!

Just one glance at that dragon beast was enough to unleash a torrent of desires buried deep within his heart, like a spring that had been dug open.

Greed, lust, appetite...

Power, wealth, fame...

Even the few Servants couldn't help but be moved by it, and could clearly feel their own resilient spirits being shaken. It's not hard to imagine what would happen to the ordinary people who were swallowed by the black mud.

Using the telescopic magic within the temple, Osmandis magnified the projected image, revealing to everyone, including Arthur and Arash, the figure holding a golden cup atop the seven-headed, ten-horned beast.

Love songs?!

Arthur, confused as to why he suddenly saw his Master on that beast, was somewhat flustered.

Perhaps he understood everything when he saw the symbol of wealth in the other person's hands, representing the seven deadly sins, a golden cup tainted with filth, but he just couldn't accept reality for a while?

Inside the main temple, Osmandis frowned as he looked at the great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, knowing that if it continued to run rampant, it would probably gradually transform Tokyo below into the holy city mentioned in the Bible.

By then, it will be too late to turn back time.

"Hmph! So that's what's inside the so-called Holy Grail?"

With just one glance, Osmandis had already discerned the origin of the beast and activated the [Dandra Giant Electric Orb] deep within the main temple.

A continuous stream of magical power was poured into it, and after a brief period of charging, it unleashed a Noble Phantasm that surpassed the power of a city-level weapon, capable of razing a nation, a city, and the entire Tokyo metropolis to the ground. Its power was comparable to an attack composed of light and lightning, a Noble Phantasm against a nation!

A dazzling light illuminated the entire night in an instant. This earth-shattering blow landed on the head of Sajyou Ayaka, who stood in the center of the 666 Beast, yet it seemed to have caused her no damage whatsoever...

No, it wasn't that no damage was done; Osmandis clearly saw the moment the head was broken down into tiny particles by this attack.

But it only lasted for a moment. As it was being disintegrated, its head began to regenerate at an incredible speed, even surpassing the speed at which it had been resurrected in the temple.

Even the hem of the girl standing atop the dragon's head was not torn in the slightest.

Then, immense magical power gathered from the mouths of the seven dragon heads, each possessing at least the same power as the attack he had previously unleashed.

It's going to happen!

Osmandis's heart sank. Although he was very confident in the defenses of his temple, confidence was one thing, and he could block one attack, but he still couldn't block seven.

He could even foresee the state of his temple in ruins—

"Open the cover! [Black Magic Shield - Reflective Mirror Force]!"

Just as Osmandis activated all the protective magic within the temple, he heard a loud voice suddenly ring out from beside his throne.

Then a figure dressed in a black robe appeared in mid-air in front of the temple complex. A semi-circular light blue barrier made of magic covered the entire temple complex like a bowl, and the figure faced the seven beams of destruction composed of light and lightning alone.

Ziz——Boom——

The seven beams of light struck the barrier one after another without causing a ripple. The smooth barrier, like a mirror, reflected the city on the other side and the seven-headed, ten-horned red dragon. Then, the seven beams of destructive light were reflected back intact.

Arthur's pupils contracted slightly.

The seven heads of the Beast 666 were swallowed up in an instant, and once again, along with Ayaka Sajou on top of its head, they were all turned into tiny particles, and then regenerated in an instant.

The swordsman, unable to deceive himself any longer, gripped the holy sword tightly.

Osmandis's eyes lit up: "Oh! Well done! Future Pharaoh! I never knew you had such a trick up your sleeve!"

He realized he had probably underestimated his opponent. He could easily block such an attack and return it all to him.

You Du didn't reply, he just nodded.

Because he had just seen the 666 Beast along with the others, the mental attack, which felt like pollution, naturally landed on him as well, triggering a class skill that he had almost forgotten.

【Berserk Mode: EX】

A skill that instantly transforms him into a dueling mind once he is subjected to mental influence...

It is precisely because of this skill that Yuuto's mind is now filled with the urge to find someone to play cards with. Even when he opens his face-down card to block an attack, it is because he wants to play cards with Raiji. So he opened the face-down card to prevent the opponent from being defeated before he can play cards with him.

Under the effect of this skill, the mental influence from the Beast of 666 had no effect on him at all; any desires that were aroused turned into a desire to find someone to play cards with.

As a child, Misaya Reiryukan had already anticipated the appearance of the black mud and summoned [Black Magician - Black Magician] to knock her unconscious with magic, thus temporarily escaping the effects of the 666 Beast.

Fortunately, even though he has now become a Berserker, Yuuto still prioritizes his opponents, focusing on the 666 beast first.

"Alright, now it's my turn to deal with this guy!"

Unable to suppress his urge to play cards, Yudo immediately set off. Osmandis, who was beside him, noticed that something seemed wrong with him, but did not stop him. He simply asked a question.

"Do you need the support of Yu and those two brave warriors, future Pharaoh!"

"There's no need for that!" The stirring in his heart caused Yuto to smile as if he had spotted his prey.

"I'm a professional at dealing with it!"

After saying this, Yuuto disappeared from the main temple along with the Black Magician after the Black Magician waved his staff, leaving behind Misaya Reirōkan, who was sleeping on the ground.

Osmandis sat on his throne, his expression gradually shifting from thoughtful to enlightened.

Professional...

Ah, I see...

Was that your original goal?

Chapter 224 So-called Changing History

Quantum Timelock recording.

Also known as the fixed belt of spiritual records or the foundation of human reasoning, it refers to the time points at which the average value of events is fixed at certain intervals.

This universe allows for infinite possibilities, which has led to numerous parallel worlds and their different histories.

However, the limitless possibilities will eventually exhaust the lifespan of the universe. Therefore, at a certain point in time, the special world routes that deviate from the 'strongest and most stable route' must be harvested to prevent the improper waste of energy.

The universe itself is unstable, but the act of logging and the recording tapes can make it more stable in the present, past, and future.

Conversely, if left unattended, the tree called 'Time' will begin to branch and spread indefinitely. The act of felling it is to prune away the unnecessary branches and leaves, so that it remains in a state of having only the trunk.

Those histories that have become fixed will not be altered even if they are interfered with by the past or the future. Even if someone goes back in time to change history, as long as they reach the part recorded by the fixed tape, history will be restored to its original state in various ways.

The outcome will not change; what people can change as they journey along the river of time is the process of reaching that outcome.

For example, consider the event that Arthur wanted to change: the destruction of Britain.

Once this outcome is fixed, then by any means—whether time travel or foreseeing the future—even if a prosperous, war-free, and happy Britain is created, it will be impossible.

Once history reaches the moment recorded in the fixed timeline, it will still be brought back to the conclusion that 'even so, Britain was still destroyed'.

The only difference between the two is that the people who died in that period of history may be different.

The tide of human history can never be changed; this is the quantum recording fixed tape, known in the world of magic as the "foundation of human reason."

So, is it really impossible to change those fixed histories?

it's not true.

After all, it's quite simple if you just think about it from the other side.

The history recorded by the quantum recording fixed tape can never be changed. In other words, as long as we find a way to prevent history from being recorded, or directly destroy the fixed tape that has already recorded that history, we can completely deny human history!

So, changing history and all that—

Wouldn't that be a piece of cake?

"That's right!"

Completely unconcerned that she had died twice, Sajō Ai, holding the golden trophy, smiled and shouted loudly.

"To fulfill Saber's wish to save Britain and change the history known as 'the destruction of Britain,' which has already been recorded in the quantum record fixed tape, we must deny human history! Destroy it!"

In order to fight against the final obstacle, which was also Yutari, a Grand Servant who she suspected did not have a Grand Spirit Origin, Ayaka Sajou had already chosen to merge with the Beast of 666.

Even her voice was no longer as gentle as before, but rather had a heavy emphasis, like a dragon and a maiden speaking at the same time, a mixture of hoarseness and clarity, roar and gentleness, with a seductive effect that stirred desires.

"Behold, Saber, what you desire, the Britain of the past will be reborn here!"

The Holy City reappears.

As the beast of revelation recorded in the Bible, this great red dragon with seven heads and ten crowns merely stood on this land, and the surrounding environment began to constantly transform into what was once a holy city.

A city of white, a city of pure white...

The transformed holy city was originally Sodom and Gomorrah, which had been destroyed, but now, at the will of Ayaka Sajou, who has merged with the Beast 666, it has been transformed into the holy city that now only exists in Arthur's heart.

Sajo Aika laughed happily, like a child showing off something she made in her craft class to an adult, until she saw that particularly conspicuous patch of black standing on the pure white castle wall, at which point she stopped smiling.

The process of going from a smiling face to indifference was very smooth, without any obstacles.

"Once we get rid of this troublesome little bug, Saber's wish will be fully fulfilled."

The great red dragon beneath him didn't use any of its own powers at this moment. Instead, it simply and brutally gathered a massive amount of magic power in its mouth, just to deal with You Du in the fastest, quickest, and most direct way.

The Beast Queen coldly pronounced Yuwatari's death sentence.

"Disappear, you insects."

Yu Du's eyes were filled with fanaticism, and he paid no attention to what she was saying.

He didn't care at all about the seven-headed, ten-crowned red dragon, the Beast Queen, the impending attack, or even the city beneath his feet that was gradually transforming into Camelot.

At that moment, his dark eyes met Sajou Aika's azure eyes, and he had only one thought in his mind.

"The meeting of eyes between duelists is the signal that the duel is about to begin!"

With an excited expression, Yudo raised his hand and unfolded the Duel Disk on his arm. The invisible domain, like a repulsive force, directly pushed back the seven-in-one beam of light that was about to devour him.

"Alright! Let our duel begin!"

"You insect!"

Sajō Ayaka and 666 no Beast, who had once again been pulverized by their own attack, recovered through regeneration. The golden cup they were holding disappeared, replaced by a completely golden duel disk on their arm, inlaid with various rare gems, which looked extremely luxurious.