Fate: Question And Answer System of Traversing Heroic Spirits

"I found you!"

Relying on his ability to perceive flames, Karna successfully pinpointed Chihiro despite his invisibility. At the same time, Amakusa Shirou lunged forward, closing in on him.

"Damn it..."

Chihiro clenched his teeth, growing increasingly frustrated with the relentless interference from Amakusa Shirou and Karna.

He wanted to summon his Light Messenger, but in the confined space of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, there was no room to set up a proper summoning circle.

Not only that, but those two had been guarding Shakespeare the entire time, clearly waiting for his Noble Phantasm to be completed.

It was infuriating, but with the odds stacked at three against one, escaping was no longer an option.

---

"It's done."

Under Semiramis' protection, Shakespeare finally put down his pen, sighing with exaggerated exasperation. "Honestly, I've never written something this simple and uninspired before. It's an absolute stain on my literary career."

"This is hardly the time for you to indulge in your artistic sensibilities," Semiramis said coldly. "If you continue whining, I'll have your work discarded entirely."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Shakespeare waved his hand dismissively, and the pen in his grasp lifted into the air, beginning to write on its own.

"Very well then, the grand unveiling of my Noble Phantasm! Please take your seats! No smoking, no photography or video recording, and absolutely no booing!"

"The performance is about to begin! This is where you all should be giving a round of thunderous applause!"

It was already too late for Chihiro to stop it.

"Before we begin, allow me to remind you, this is nothing like the King's Men productions I once staged. This is not a mere illusion, but a story—a living narrative.

You are the protagonist, and no matter what happens, whether you harm me or attack the characters within the play...

The story will not stop."

---

A sudden flash of light.

In an instant, the world around Chihiro shifted.

It was as if he had stepped into a furnace.

The scene before him was painfully familiar, but this time, it wasn't the world from before his reincarnation. It was Mount Koya.

Or at least, it had been.

Now, it was engulfed in flames, reduced to little more than a sea of fire and charred ruins.

The heat licked at his skin, a sensation far too real to dismiss. It was then that he noticed—his Qilin Armor was gone.

That damn Shakespeare. His combat ability was utterly unremarkable, yet his Noble Phantasm was absurdly troublesome.

So this was the "story" Shakespeare had crafted for him?

Chihiro knew this was just an illusion given form by a narrative, yet there was no obvious way to escape.

As Shakespeare had said, this wasn't a mere illusion, meaning it couldn't be dispelled through sheer willpower.

The fire raged all around, leaving only one path forward—up the mountain.

"...Tch."

Gritting his teeth, Chihiro forced himself to move. He had no choice but to press on.

Yet even as he ascended, another thought gnawed at him, how had Shakespeare known about this?

---

Once Chihiro was gone, Shakespeare reappeared amidst the burning ruins.

Surveying the sea of flames, he scratched his head, looking almost apologetic.

This story was crafted based on the one thing Chihiro least wanted to see. Given the limited preparation time, it was by far the shortest piece Shakespeare had ever written.

As for how he had uncovered Chihiro's greatest fear? That was thanks to Amakusa Shirou.

Before the battle, Amakusa had rummaged through the group shop, searching for anything that could help Shakespeare handle Chihiro more effectively.

And he had found something useful.

The Mystic Eyes of Fear Perception—a rare yet somewhat impractical magical ability. It had only one function: the power to perceive the deepest fear within a person's heart.

A perfect match for Shakespeare's Noble Phantasm.

Unfortunately, Amakusa didn't have enough Saint Quartz to purchase the Mystic Eyes outright.

But, as always, he was quick to improvise.

Instead of the full Mystic Eye ability, he bought a single-use Mystic Eye Card, a much cheaper alternative.

Right before the battle began, Shakespeare activated the card, glimpsing into Chihiro's subconscious to extract his greatest fear.

With that, he swiftly used his Noble Phantasm to weave this story.

To be perfectly honest, when Shakespeare first saw what lay in Chihiro's heart, he had been... baffled.

Chihiro's greatest fear was the end of the world.

A world consumed by fire. Humanity burned away, history erased.

And the one responsible for it all was...

Well.

If that were actually the case, it would indeed be a vision of absolute despair. But it was simply impossible.

That person doing such a thing? The destruction of all mankind?

No, it was utterly absurd.

Shakespeare couldn't help but think that Chihiro was worrying over pointless nonsense.

Which was why, in his eyes, this story was the most straightforward and the most uninspired he had ever written.

---

On the other side, Chihiro had already arrived at the Shinto Shrine atop the mountain.

The warm and peaceful Mountain he remembered was nothing more than dust in this fabricated world.

All temples were consumed by flames.

Standing amidst the devastation, Chihiro clenched his fists tightly.

What kind of messed-up world is this...

He scanned his surroundings, and then he saw it.

A figure standing in the inferno.

His pupils contracted violently, and his entire body froze, seized by an overwhelming terror.

The man before him had white hair and bronze skin. He wore a loose yet regal robe, adorned with metallic embellishments reminiscent of armor. His very presence exuded an air of authority, like that of a king.

Yet, beneath that majestic exterior, an oppressive, unholy aura emanated from him, so suffocating that it triggered an instinctive dread.

This was a figure Chihiro knew all too well. After all, he had just seen him in the group chat earlier today.

The King of Magic, Solomon.

---

From the shadows, Shakespeare observed the scene, his confusion only deepening.

Why does Chihiro believe that the legendary King Solomon seeks to annihilate humanity?

And another thing—why isn't Solomon moving?

This wasn't how the story was supposed to go.

But he had no way of knowing what Chihiro himself understood at this moment.

Because the being before him was not Solomon.

No—this was something far worse.

The entity that stood there was the culmination of the 72 Demon Pillars—one of the Seven Evils of Humanity—the Beast who embodied the principle of Compassion.

Beast I, Demon King—Goetia.

At that moment, Chihiro finally realized what this scene was.

Humanity's Incineration!

That idiot Shakespeare actually recreated the story of humanity burning?!

Was this truly the fear buried in his heart?

Had the sight of Solomon earlier today stirred something within him?

Or had this possibility been lingering in his mind all along...?

No—now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

The real question was—was the Goetia before him real?

That should be impossible.

If Shakespeare could actually summon Goetia, then she would've ascended to the Throne of Heroes by now.

Trying to convince himself of this, Chihiro finally managed to break free from his paralysis and regain control of his body.

But the very next second, his blood ran cold once more.

Because the Goetia before him, who had been standing motionless like a lifeless puppet—

Suddenly, he opened his eyes.

Scarlet irises, slitted pupils—reptilian and inhuman.

And within them—an absolute, emotionless indifference.

"Oh no... This can't be happening."

At that moment, Chihiro's survival instincts screamed at their peak.

BOOM!!!

An overwhelming force erupted outward.

The sheer pressure alone sent Chihiro flying, his body crashing through the ruins before slamming into the ground.

Hidden in the darkness, Shakespeare broke into a cold sweat.

This isn't right—this isn't how the story was supposed to go!

And what was that just now?

Could it be that Solomon himself had descended?

No, impossible!

His Noble Phantasm could manifest the souls of characters, allowing them to appear as Servants without a Class.

But in this scenario, those summoned should only have bodies as fragile as old men, weak and fleeting.

So how—how could this Goetia radiate such overwhelming pressure?!

"Khack—"

Chihiro struggled to his feet, coughing violently as he crawled out from the wreckage.

His entire body ached, and he felt as if all his internal organs had been displaced.

Meanwhile, Goetia casually flexed his wrist, testing his own movement.

Then, he looked around the scene before him and let out a low chuckle.

It was not a pleasant sound.

Sharp teeth, reminiscent of a shark's, gleamed between his lips.

"...I see."

He spoke at last, his voice carrying a strange amusement.

"This world is a fabrication. The power of a Noble Phantasm, no doubt..."

Goetia sneered.

"How amusing. I felt a faint summoning, so I decided to observe out of curiosity. But I didn't expect it to be this."

Slowly, he turned his gaze toward Chihiro.

And then—he spoke again.

"Human," he said, voice measured.

"You seem to know of my plan."

---

Meanwhile—

In the skies above, Gilgamesh piloted Vimana, swiftly approaching the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Tch. Those mongrels actually teleported me to some unknown mountain deep in the wilderness and even had the nerve to set up a magical trap?

How laughable.

However—now that he had finally arrived here, Gilgamesh felt an inexplicable unease creeping into his mind.

...What is this feeling?

What in the world could make me feel this way?

After a brief moment of contemplation, the King of Heroes made his decision.

Without hesitation, he activated his Noble Phantasm—

Sha Naqba Imuru—the "Omniscient and Almighty Star."

He would see for himself what was causing this disturbance.

And then—

"...!!!"

---

At the same time, beneath the Hanging Gardens.

"Hey, how are you planning to get up there?"

"There's no castle for you to use as a stepping stone this time."

A car pulled up near the scene, and three figures stepped out.

They were Sisigou, Mordred, and Jeanne d'Arc.

The latter had encountered them on the road, and the three had shared a ride.

Now, standing beneath the floating stronghold, Jeanne gazed up at the structure, a deep unease gnawing at her heart.

Because she had heard it.

The voice of the Lord.

And it told her this—

A great terror is about to unfold within the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

T/N: You guys definitely didn't see this coming hahaha

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