Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

Avalon, the Tower of the End.

A land where endless flowers bloomed, the entire world resembling a fantastical paradise.

Dressed in resplendent robes, Merlin sat before a computer conjured by magecraft, watching a video with great amusement.

"Nameless, oh Nameless, let's see how you survive this!"

Merlin laughed heartily.

Because,

In the newly updated "Unlimited Blade Works" by [Alaya], Nameless and Gilgamesh had fought to the bitter end.

The two were practically sworn enemies, locked in mortal combat!

"Tsk, I never expected the King of Heroes to have this side to him. It's like the black mud rotted his brain."

Merlin clicked his tongue as he watched the tyrant—who once judged humanity as a god—in the video.

He hated gods the most, yet he'd unknowingly become one himself.

Did the black mud have some kind of corruption effect?

Scary!

Too scary!

But thinking about it, it made sense.

The black mud that leaked from the Holy Grail was [All the World's Evils].

It represented the "evil" of every single person in this world!

To put it simply:

Imagine a classroom full of students who naturally produce trash during lessons.

In such cases, you'd naturally provide a trash can.

You wouldn't arrest everyone for littering, right?

The trash is [All the World's Evils].

And this trash can is the Holy Grail, representing [All the World's Virtues].

It essentially gathers the wishes of all humanity.

However.

Evil ultimately outweighs good.

The endless trash completely filled the trash can, yet no one came to take it out—

Wait, the King of Heroes was the one who "took out the trash"!

But he chose to dump it all over the classroom instead.

In other words, releasing all evil to judge humanity!

As a nightmare that devours human dreams, Merlin naturally understood the King of Heroes' thoughts in the video.

In his eyes, these were the filth created by humans, and humans must be held accountable for resolving it.

Still want to say sorry?

Dream on!

If you can't solve the problem, then die!

Having completely elevated himself to the status of a god, the King of Heroes began recklessly seeking to judge humanity's sins—

"Annihilate all of humanity!"

In this situation, Nameless, the guardian of mankind, joined forces with his past self—the young Shirou—to slay him at all costs.

Thus, the two became sworn enemies!

"Once the King of Heroes sees the video, he'll definitely team up with me to deal with Nameless. A world-shaking spectacle is about to unfold!"

Merlin tapped lightly on the keyboard, her smile brighter than the flowers of Avalon.

Now, with Alaya's exposure of Unlimited Blade Works, everyone was certain that [Nameless] was definitely in Fuyuki City.

Once [Nameless] was found, Mordred would surely try to compete with her father for that man!

A man burdened with sin!

A heartwarming family drama of fatherly love and filial piety would soon play out in peaceful Fuyuki City.

And he—Merlin—was the mastermind behind it all, as well as the audience seated in the best viewing spot.

Just thinking about it made him so giddy he could hardly breathe!

"So, should I go meet the King of Heroes now?"

Merlin fell into deep thought.

As for sealing himself away forever in the Tower of the End—

Well, that was just talk.

Could he really strangle himself with his own hands?

Or hold his breath until he suffocated?

"Oh, right. That Illya who appeared in the video seems to have undergone some strange changes." Merlin activated his Clairvoyance once more.

His Clairvoyance allowed him to see every corner of the world without leaving his seat.

A mere Academy City like Fuyuki was naturally no exception.

Through his Clairvoyance—

The entire Academy City was making the most grand and tense preparations to welcome the arrival of the three Heroic Spirits: the King of Heroes, King Arthur, and Mordred.

Three Heroic Spirits—each a nation-destroying force in their own right—demanded the utmost caution.

And Illya was one of the student representatives in charge.

At that moment, the adorable little loli was speaking with the Academy Director.

Tamamo-no-Mae studied the girl before her with great interest. "You truly are full of surprises."

This little loli possessed miraculous magical talent, surpassing every mage in the entire Academy City.

Back then, Tamamo had suspected it might be related to a forgotten chapter of history.

Now, with Alaya's release of Unlimited Blade Works, everything had been exposed.

Her intuition had been right!

"I'm sorry, I don't really know why I lost those memories either..."

Illya's ruby-like eyes were filled with confusion.

It was something so important she shouldn't have forgotten, yet she had forgotten it completely.

Was Alaya behind all of this?

"Since you can summon the mythical hero Heracles, you must be wary of America."

Tamamo-no-Mae's expression turned serious as she warned her.

Back when America had excavated ancient ruins, they had accidentally obtained relics left behind by the Greek gods, allowing them to borrow divine power and forge mechanical god-bodies.

Those guys had always yearned to become true gods and dominate all life.

Now that Unlimited Blade Works had been exposed, they would surely try to take Illya away and seize her ability to summon the mighty Heracles!

"I understand." Illya nodded obediently.

"But don't worry too much. If those bastards dare to come, we'll just chop them up!"

Tamamo-no-Mae declared with bloodthirsty glee.

This wasn't an empty threat—she absolutely meant it.

After all, the Dragon Nation and America had always been enemies. If the sky fell, Qin Shi Huang would hold it up. What did she have to fear?

"Thank you, Director!" Illya beamed sweetly.

With Qin Shi Huang guarding the Dragon Nation, along with a host of formidable Heroic Spirits, they truly had nothing to fear from those guys.

Tamamo-no-Mae blinked her fox-like eyes and grinned. "For now, just focus on preparing to welcome King Arthur and the others."

According to Unlimited Blade Works, it seemed this little loli also had feelings for Nameless.

Tsk, Nameless, which one of us is the real fox spirit?

She was also looking forward to seeing how King Arthur and the others would treat Nameless when they arrived.

Fight! Fight!

Nothing beats watching women fight!

"Alright, I'll make sure to prepare properly with Souma and the others," Illya replied earnestly.

This was a matter concerning the dignity of Dragon Country, so it naturally had to be handled with care.

As for whether Souma was actually Emiya... she was gradually forming an answer in her heart...

"Huh?"

Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly turned her head to stare at one side, her slender hand swatting through the air.

"What's wrong?" Illya asked in confusion.

"Nothing, just saw a mosquito," Tamamo-no-Mae replied with a smile.

The two then continued discussing arrangements for receiving the Heroic Spirits.

Meanwhile.

At the Tower of the End, Merlin clutched his face.

That slap had somehow traveled through his Clairvoyance and nearly struck him!

If he hadn't retreated quickly, he would have been hit for sure!

"Truly befitting of a nine-tailed fox whose full power rivals that of a Beast of Humanity!" Merlin sighed.

He really had been too reckless—he shouldn't have tried peeking at her.

Only someone like Qin Shi Huang could suppress such a terrifying fox spirit with a wave of his hand.

"Wait, did Illya just say 'Souma' earlier???"

Merlin felt something was off, wondering if he'd misheard.

But judging from her expression, it didn't seem like the same reaction from the videos. Maybe it was just a homophone?

He quickly looked up some records—

[Souma: Age 17, third-year student at Fuyuki Academy City High School.]

[Average academic performance, average athletic ability, no Magic Circuits...]

The records even included teaching videos of him repeatedly failing at the Fosbury Flop during PE class.

"Tch, just some ordinary high schooler."

Merlin couldn't hide his disdain.

He was now completely convinced this was just a talentless kid dreaming of becoming a magic technician.

If this nobody could be Nameless, then his top-donating NEET doctor would be a Grand Servant!

He casually deleted the records and tossed them into the recycle bin.

Ding~

A new message popped up on his computer—

[Mari-chan, after watching Unlimited Blade Works, I suddenly remembered fragments of something... Could it be my past life wasn't human?]

No need to guess—it was that NEET doctor from Chaldea again!

"This guy... seems unusual. Almost feels like he's on my level," Merlin mused, stroking his chin.

Even his Clairvoyance couldn't pierce through the man's origins—how mysterious.

If not for that, he wouldn't bother entertaining some random simp.

In his current foul mood, he replied flippantly: "Why not just die and return everything to God for a fresh reincarnation?"

What could have possibly reduced someone to such a NEET state?

Beyond saving—might as well start over!

As for what he'd said while watching Unlimited Blade Works—

"If Emiya can defeat the King of Heroes—no, if he can just survive the King of Heroes' attacks, I'll willingly become [Magi☆Mari] to meet the top-donating NEET doctor!"

Sorry, that was Past Me talking. What does that have to do with Present Me?

You say I'm not human?

Well you're right—because I'm an incubus! Literally not human!

Merlin watched the performance of the doctor from Chaldea through his Clairvoyance, his face filled with a mocking smile. "I just love that look on your face—wanting to hit me but utterly unable to reach me!"

To the great Magus of Flowers, a mere shut-in doctor was hardly worth mentioning.

Come and catch me if you can!

Merlin casually turned off his computer. "Alright, time to prepare and meet with the King of Heroes to discuss the next act of our delightful play!"

Hum~

The Tower at the End trembled slightly.

The trap that should have eternally sealed him was effortlessly bypassed.

The Magus of Flowers descended upon Fuyuki City with an exceedingly graceful demeanor, traversing through the dreams of countless people!

The moment he arrived, Merlin spotted the King.

There he stood atop a streetlight, his crimson eyes gazing down at him with indifference.

As proud as ever.

Merlin smiled. "King of Heroes, I have come as invited."

"Oh? You, a nightmare sealed within the Tower at the End—how did you break free?" Gilgamesh looked down at him.

[Sha Nagba Imuru] activated.

It allowed him to see through all disguises, revealing that the one before him was indeed his true self!

"That was merely self-imposed restraint."

Merlin strode toward him.

Beneath his feet, countless flowers bloomed, creating a dreamlike illusion.

It made his entire being appear even more transcendent.

The exceedingly proud King suddenly smiled. "Since you're here, I shall grant you a small gift."

"Oh? What gift?"

Merlin was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected the King of Heroes to take their collaboration so seriously.

This only deepened his amusement.

Haha, this is in the bag—Nameless, you're doomed!

Under his gaze, the King of Heroes casually summoned a golden vortex and retrieved a small vial of potion.

Gilgamesh smiled. "Of course, it's to turn you into the real [Magi☆Mari], to be dealt with by Nameless as he pleases."

???

Merlin was instantly covered in question marks, utterly unable to believe what he was seeing and hearing.

What the hell?

This isn't the script we agreed on! Why is the King of Heroes still willing to help Nameless after watching the video?

***

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