Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

The contract was now fully in effect.

With [Alaya]—a being surpassing all Heroic Spirits, shrouded in unfathomable mystery—acting as witness, Merlin had lost all ability to resist.

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

Merlin stared at Souma in panic.

The vaunted Child of the Incubus, a candidate for the pinnacle of magi, had been reduced to such a state—what an unbearable humiliation!

He wanted to refuse with every fiber of his being.

He even tried breathing through his gills, wrapping himself in mana to resist the gender-changing potion.

But it was useless!

His entire body was bound, unable to muster even the faintest trace of mana.

The supremely mysterious, utterly transcendent [Alaya], which looked down upon all mortal beings, now ruthlessly enforced the contract's power, stripping him of any means to resist.

"Damn it, you're just spoiling him!"

At this moment, Merlin felt a suffocating despair.

It made one wonder—had even the impartial arbiter of the contract become Souma's ally?

[Alaya], the enforcer of the contract. [King of Heroes], the witness.

Both were Souma's people.

What chance did he possibly have?

An inexplicable force enveloped the entire subspace.

Gilgamesh's crimson eyes were filled with astonishment: "Fascinating, truly fascinating!"

This power was none other than the legendary [Alaya].

It was the collective consciousness of humanity itself, existing solely to safeguard the continued survival of mankind.

From countless humans, it selected [Guardians], elevating them as heroic spirits to protect the entirety of human history.

Even ordinary heroic spirits were more or less connected to it.

After all, heroic spirits were born from human myths, legends, or historical records.

Emiya Shirou, the Nameless Heroic Spirit, was its most capable tool—

No, its strongest Guardian!

Nameless had walked through all of human history, completing countless missions to save humanity, becoming Alaya's most treasured favorite.

In contrast, a mere lowly incubus like Merlin, occupying the position of a Grand Caster candidate, had never truly protected humanity.

No, not only did this guy not do his job, but he also stirred up trouble everywhere—utterly inhuman.

Well, not that he was human to begin with!

Given this.

When the most favored nameless one faced off against Merlin, who had thoroughly displeased Alaya, the choice was obvious.

The lingering power had yet to fully dissipate.

Gilgamesh grew even more intrigued: "Could it be that you, too, have longed to witness this scene, Alaya?"

How strange—this enigmatic collective consciousness of humanity suddenly felt like a kindred spirit to him.

Under the joint gaze of him and [Alaya[.

Souma's smile grew even gentler and brighter: "Merlin, since you've fooled so many people online, let me act on behalf of heaven and turn you into the real 'Mari'!"

After all, this guy had been masquerading as [Magi☆Mari] online—a grand Flower Magus reduced to a white-haired internet scammer.

Most crucially.

After the world reset, Romani Archaman had once again encountered Mari and become her fervent fan!

The poor doctor was once again toyed with by the despicable incubus, utterly at his mercy.

He emptied his wallet to shower her with gifts, becoming her top patron.

If he ever found out Mari was actually Merlin, the doctor would undoubtedly lose his mind and flee on the next train out of town!

But no matter.

During the final battle back then, Souma had promised to treat the doctor to strawberry cake when they met again.

Now, it was time to fulfill that promise.

"I'm no demon, you know. Merlin, change for me now!"

Souma forced the gender-bending potion down his throat.

He had initially planned to let him off, but since Merlin insisted on provoking him, there was no need to hold back.

As Merlin underwent his transformation, the strawberry cake for the doctor was already prepared.

"No... ugh... glug..."

Merlin struggled desperately but couldn't break free.

All he could do was helplessly feel the strange liquid slide down his throat and into his body.

Hum~

Then, a mysterious and overwhelming surge of magical energy exploded within him, spreading wildly throughout his entire being.

Under this torrent of immense magical power, his body felt as though it were burning.

"Too much... I can't take it... stop..."

Merlin tried to spit out the terrifying potion but failed.

He had no choice but to swallow it, allowing the mysterious magic to wreak havoc within him.

Hum~

The magic began to take full effect.

Souma hastily retreated, taking shelter behind Gilgamesh, positioning himself slightly behind the golden king.

This thing was far too demonic—if he got caught up in it as well, things would get troublesome.

"What are you afraid of?" Gilgamesh glanced sideways at him.

The mighty and fearless Souma, who had dared to withstand his Ea, was now hiding behind him?

Was this guy planning to transform him too?

"Nothing, just watching the show!" Souma replied with feigned seriousness, staring at the incubus surging with magical energy in the distance.

Under the influence of this bizarre magic, the originally 1.8-meter-tall, handsome Flower Magus underwent a drastic transformation.

In the blink of an eye, his height shrank from 1.8 meters to a petite 1.5 meters.

"Truly terrifying!" Souma widened his eyes, witnessing this unbelievable miracle firsthand.

The effects of the Gender-Bending Potion fully manifested, subjecting his entire body to an ultimate metamorphosis.

When it was all over...

What appeared before them was a 1.5-meter-tall figure with silver-white long hair.

Her delicate, beautiful face slowly opened a pair of crimson eyes, gazing blankly at the sky.

From the intense struggle earlier and the infusion of magical energy, glistening beads of sweat trickled down her body, causing her snow-white hair to cling messily to her skin.

Her chest had slightly rounded curves, and her slender waist tapered like an hourglass.

The once-fitted cheongsam now hung loosely on her frame.

As she sat up from the ground, her fair, youthful shoulders were exposed.

An inexplicable floral fragrance filled the air, as if she were an enchantress capable of captivating all who beheld her.

"Huh? Isn't this just Magi☆Mari?" Gilgamesh remarked with growing astonishment.

The Gender-Bending Potion turned men into women through magical means, but it didn't dictate their appearance.

Yet here was Merlin, transformed into the exact likeness of the virtual streamer [Magi☆Mari].

Gilgamesh raised his head, a faint smirk curling his lips—

Alaya, was this your doing as well?

Indeed, this one pursued the highest form of pleasure, just like him!

Merlin opened her eyes in confusion. "What happened to me...?"

Her body felt weak and drained, as if she had undergone strenuous exertion, completely sapping her energy.

"You're awake! The surgery was a success, and now you're a lovely girl!"

Souma stepped forward, smiling as he offered the most sincere, sunny, and joyful blessing.

I must say, after transforming into Mari, this guy looks quite good; no wonder the Doctor is so infatuated.

What a pity, though, it's so pathetic!

???

Merlin froze for a moment, suddenly realizing what had happened.

The Magus of Flowers, once pursued by countless noblewomen, had truly transformed into the virtual idol Mari!

The magical power that had been shackled by [Alaya] had finally returned to normal.

Without hesitation, Mari tried to use her magic to turn back.

Unfortunately, it was utterly useless!

No matter how hard she—

No, she should now be referred to as—

Her!

No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't reshape her body.

"Ahhh, Alaya, I hate you!"

Merlin's face was filled with despair.

In this form, how could she possibly tease those noble ladies and young misses?

"Don't be sad; you're a girl now, and being so concerned will only make people worry," Souma said, smiling even more happily.

This was undoubtedly the happiest day for him since Alaya had gone on a rampage exposing him.

Today was a good day; everything he wished for could come true!

"To kill someone, you must also break their spirit... You, you're truly a terrifying demon!"

Merlin trembled as she pointed a shaky finger at him.

In each of the exposure videos, he walked through human history, a nameless guardian of humanity.

He was praised by countless people as the great hero Emiya.

But now, this guy was treating her like this—was there no justice in the world?

Gilgamesh suddenly shook the camera in his hand, laughing even more joyfully: "Don't worry, this king has kindly recorded it all for you; no need to thank me."

"…"

Merlin's body trembled.

At that moment, she fully understood that these two were clearly trying to ruin her!

She quickly wrapped her body in a chongsam: "Don't look, don't look! If you keep looking, I'll—"

Buzz~

Countless flowers wildly scattered, transforming the place into a dreamlike garden.

As the petals slowly fell, her figure had already vanished without a trace.

The illustrious Flower Magus had fled…

Souma, however, didn't mind at all.

After all, she was a candidate for the Grand; if she were truly pushed to her limits, it would be quite troublesome for him to forcibly suppress her in his current state.

He looked over at the golden figure beside him with some suspicion: "By the way, you turned off the livestream, right?"

"Of course, this king wouldn't casually expose your existence," Gilgamesh replied nonchalantly.

He had turned it off, but not completely.

The video feed had indeed been cut, but the sounds of Merlin's screams had been deliberately—

No, it was "unintentionally" released.

In the already blacked-out livestream, countless viewers who hadn't logged off suddenly heard the intense cries—

-[Hey, what was that about the Flower Magus dancing and suddenly falling to the ground?]

-[Uh, it feels like someone is being taught a lesson?]

-[The screams from behind are so tragic, it's as if someone was cut down—what on earth happened?]

-[By the way, did I just hear a cute loli voice?]

-[Don't think about it; that loli voice belongs to Giorno Giovanna!]

***

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