Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

Hummmmm—

Ea spun violently, its blood-red radiance voraciously consuming everything in sight.

The vast castle estate melted away like snow under the sun, instantly vaporized without a trace.

Yes—vaporized!

Under its boundless might, nothing could endure.

Merely witnessing it was enough to choke countless onlookers with suffocating terror.

No defense!

No escape!

No resistance!

The crimson light obliterated everything in its wake.

Wielding Ea, the King of Heroes transformed into a world-ending demon king in that moment, recklessly sounding the apocalyptic horn of destruction.

Countless spectators held their breaths, staring dumbfounded at the scene—

-[This is Ea—so damn cool!]

-[The most terrifying weapon born from the dawn of creation, capable of tearing the world apart!]

-[In The Oldest King, Nameless used it to sever the connection between gods and men, granting humanity eternal freedom!]

-[We're screwed! How are they supposed to fight this?!]

-[This is pure despair—even with two Nameless working together, there's not a shred of hope!]

...

"Ea!"

Mordred stared intently at the screen.

Its overwhelming power sent chills down her spine, yet also ignited a deadly excitement within her.

A single strike capable of annihilating all creation!

What was even more terrifying was that this was merely the residual energy from Ea, far from its true unleashed state.

If fully released, it could even slay gods!

Compared to this weapon, her own Clarent—

No, her [Clarent Blood Arthur] was utterly insignificant.

Too powerful!

It even felt mightier than her father's holy sword!

If King Arthur's holy sword had been this terrifying, she would have been effortlessly erased long ago.

Would there even have been the later familial strife at Camlann?

Gawain took a deep breath, his expression grave: "The King of Heroes wielding Ea surpasses me in strength!"

In a battle between them, he would undoubtedly perish!

Ea could be considered a cheat weapon bestowed upon the King of Heroes by the Root, ranking supreme among all Noble Phantasms.

Its power reached utterly outrageous levels.

It was precisely because of this that Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, single-handedly elevated Uruk to a world-class superpower.

A man who could oppose nations alone!

"I can replace him!"

Mordred clenched her fists, her face—identical to her father's—filled with boundless excitement and desire.

"It's almost nightfall, time to sleep," Gawain calmly replied.

You think you can surpass the King of Heroes and take his place?

Dream on—you'll find everything you want there. Go wash up and sleep!

Mordred snorted coldly: "Hmph, I want to prove myself. Not to show how amazing I am, but to tell my father that I will reclaim what I've lost!"

"Oh? And what would that be?"

A voice spoke up behind her.

The cloaked king stood there, watching her with an impassive expression.

"You should know."

Mordred slightly raised her chin to meet the gaze, refusing to back down.

"All I know is that what I give you is yours. What I don't give, you cannot take." King Arthur's voice was soft.

Yet her words carried undeniable authority.

Beside them.

Gawain took half a step back, growing increasingly convinced that during this journey to Fuyuki City, these two might actually come to blows.

Damn it, I have to stay behind to manage Britain. I really want to go with them.

Look into my bright, innocent eyes.

I'm definitely not going to watch the spectacle—just to mediate!

As the illustrious Knight of the Sun, would I ever be the type to enjoy watching drama unfold?

...

On the screen.

The crimson light gradually dissipated.

The massive, ancient castle manor had completely vanished.

All that remained was an enormous crater.

The entire ground had been vitrified by the extreme heat, leaving behind a pitch-black, glassy surface.

At the bottom of the crater.

Layers of purple petals bloomed—the projected form of Nameless's:

[Rho Aias!]

Nameless shielded the young Shirou and Illya behind him, desperately resisting the terrifying attack.

Yet.

Against Ea's might, all seven layers of defense shattered completely.

Utterly defenseless!

Fortunately, beyond this barrier, Nameless had projected multiple layers of powerful defensive Noble Phantasms, all torn apart by Ea's residual energy!

And this was merely Ea's casual, uncharged strike!

At full release, no one could withstand it!

At the crater's edge stood a completely unscathed streetlamp.

The golden and radiant Gilgamesh stood atop a streetlight, looking down upon the crowd with disdain. "Heh, just another mongrel added to the mix. Do you truly believe you can oppose this king?"

"Cough—"

Nameless spat out a mouthful of blood, yet his tone was filled with biting mockery. "Haha, Gilgamesh, you're nothing more than a dog raised by the gods! Two-thirds divine, one-third human—you're the real mongrel here!"

Twice in a row!

The scene replayed itself.

The same moment from "The Oldest King" was unfolding once again.

Countless anxious and tense spectators suddenly felt a wave of relief—

-[As expected of Nameless, effortlessly doing what we could never dream of!]

-[By the way, the King of Heroes and Nameless once stood side by side against the gods as close friends. How would he react seeing this?]

-[Sigh, it still feels impossible to win. What exactly is this "Unlimited Blade Works"?]

-[No helping it—old (Heracles), weak (Emiya), sick (Illya), and crippled (Nameless)... This team of four really doesn't stand a chance!]

...

Faced with Nameless's taunts,

Gilgamesh's expression grew even colder. "Heh, a mere insect crawling on the ground—who gave you permission to raise your head? Know your place as an insect, and obediently lower your head to die!"

Buzz—

Ea began to spin ominously once more.

Waves of crimson destruction spread unchecked, tearing dark fissures into the void.

This strike would surely annihilate heaven and earth!

Yet, Nameless showed no fear in the face of the King of Heroes' furious outburst.

His crimson cape billowed behind him as his white hair danced wildly in the wind.

He stood tall, shielding the others, and raised a bow toward the king standing high above, drawing the string and releasing an arrow.

[Caladbolg II]

This legendary sword, once wielded by a hero of Celtic myth, had been reforged into an arrow.

And as it was loosed, Nameless infused it with his [Broken Phantasm] enhancement.

Upon impact, it would detonate, unleashing its full destructive potential.

BOOM!

A blinding pillar of light erupted toward the King of Heroes, the searing flames shooting into the heavens.

A small mushroom cloud rose from the epicenter.

Did it work?

Countless eyes burned with anticipation, fixed on the explosion.

An attack rivaling a small nuclear bomb—surely it could at least scratch the King of Heroes?

But then,

From within the endless flames came a voice dripping with scorn. "Useless, useless, useless! You pose no threat to this king!"

Gilgamesh emerged unscathed, a shield hovering above his head, having effortlessly blocked Nameless's powerful strike.

Even the streetlight beneath his feet remained untouched!

Dominant, untouchable, godlike in his invincibility.

This overwhelming display plunged everyone into suffocating despair.

"Foolish, ignorant mortals. Revel in this king's wrath!"

Gilgamesh's furious roar shook the heavens. "EA!"

Ea in his hand unleashed its full might, its destructive power surging without restraint.

With his greatest Noble Phantasm, he would crush the arrogance of these insects beneath his heel!

Under the weight of such divine retribution,

Nameless suddenly smiled, turning to the boy beside him. "Watch closely, young me. I'll only show you once."

Before his feet, endless magical runes burst into light.

The ground beneath him instantly became his own domain—a divine territory upon the earth.

This was the strongest mental world he had forged, using all things as his crucible—

Unlimited Blade Works!

At this moment, Nameless transformed himself into a world, standing firm against the terrifying onslaught of Ea.

The apocalyptic crimson light descended, mercilessly engulfing him.

Crack!

A fissure appeared around him.

Crack!

More dark rifts emerged, spreading in all directions!

Ea, after all, possessed the power to "cleave the world." His mental world could not withstand its might.

Gilgamesh, wielding Ea, was like a demon god splitting apart the heavens and earth, effortlessly tearing through the entire world!

He let out a maddened laugh. "Hahaha! Your body and Spirit Origin have been utterly crushed by Ea. Kneel before me, mongrel!"

"No... I haven't lost yet!"

Not a trace of fear remained on Nameless' face.

His mental world shattered, his body torn apart by Ea's power—he was already walking toward death.

Deep, bone-revealing wounds covered his body, yet he still stubbornly stood before everyone.

"Enough. You can't even muster the faintest trace of magical energy. Your body is in ruins—simply put, you're beyond saving."

Gilgamesh gazed at him with pity.

The man before him had actually withstood Ea's strike—something unheard of until now.

For once, he felt a rare sense of recognition, a desire to personally send him off to his grave.

"I am a nameless heroic spirit who walks through human history, bringing the future to mankind. Someone like you, who has forsaken humanity, could never understand the mission I bear!" Nameless, as always, sneered in disdain.

Blood flowed freely from his body, his form on the verge of collapse.

He looked like a shattered doll, one touch away from crumbling completely—a sight too pitiful to bear.

Yet, he paid no mind to his grievous wounds.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward the boy in the distance and declared, "What I finally reveal is the soul of Emiya—the soul that traverses countless timelines, countless parallel worlds, to bring humanity its future! The soul of humanity itself!"

Countless points of light surged from his body, transforming him into a radiant blaze.

The boiling light wove into golden threads, connecting to Emiya.

The adult Emiya, the boy Nameless—before the eyes of all, the torch was passed.

"I leave it to you, the other me—defeat this bastard!"

Nameless let out one final roar. "Emiya, this is my last bit of magical energy—take it!"

***

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