Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight

As Alaric returned to the vast underground cavern, his eyes were immediately drawn to the changes in the Greater Grail. Within that entity, resembling a placenta, the form of the Demon was being nurtured.

In Zoroastrian dualism, Angra Mainyu is regarded as the head of the evil gods. They believe that all the evil deeds in the human world are the works of Angra Mainyu.

The essence of Angra Mainyu is expressed in his primary moniker, "The Lie", a name that embodies greed, anger, and jealousy.

To assist in attacking the forces of light, Angra Mainyu created a legion of demons that personified jealousy and similar qualities.

Although his attacks brought chaos and suffering to the world, it is prophesied by the faithful that Angra Mainyu will ultimately be defeated by Ahura Mazda.

Confined to his domain, his demons will devour one another, and his existence will eventually be extinguished.

In later dualistic beliefs, Ahura Mazda remained the creator, the force of good, while Angra Mainyu, his evil and destructive adversary, existed eternally as his counterpart.

This is the origin of all the evils of this world.

Yet this is merely the story of Angra Mainyu; the youth who bore the name Angra Mainyu was someone who never even had a name of his own.

This youth came from an ordinary family, with unremarkable parents and siblings, growing up in a happy environment.

However, one day, to prove the inherent goodness of humanity, ignorant villagers accused him of being the embodiment of the evil god Angra Mainyu, burdening him with the sins of the entire world.

Customs, after all, are rules that define what is evil.

In that village, customs were necessary to endure the harsh and impoverished daily life.

"Our lives never improve—there must be a scapegoat for this."

This was an unsolvable problem. The hearts of those who could not find salvation needed an outlet to vent their resentment—a sacrificial lamb dubbed evil.

The youth was imprisoned atop a mountain. His right eye was gouged out, his arms and legs severed, and he was subjected to relentless torment as the absolute embodiment of evil.

Finally, after experiencing all the pain a human could endure, the youth naturally died.

However, the hatred born from this absurd situation was deeply etched into the rocky prison, resulting in the transformation of the nameless spirit into a demon bearing the title All the Evils of the World. He became an anti-hero burdened with sin.

Even after the youth disappeared, even after the hateful villagers left, even after the village itself ceased to exist—

He remained bound to the mountaintop, gazing at human lives: their ugliness, their joy, the warm radiance of their happiness.

He longed for the ordinary daily life he could never have.

This is the origin of the one who bore the name Angra Mainyu. Beyond this, there is nothing but emptiness.

During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzberns succeeded in summoning the uniquely specialized class, Avenger: Angra Mainyu.

But the true identity of Angra Mainyu was merely a young man from a Zoroastrian village, an ordinary youth burdened with the title All the Evils of the World.

Due to his true name being erased by the Throne of Heroes, he could evade the effects of curses. However, as a Heroic Spirit, his power was only what the youth himself possessed.

In other words, he was not much different from an ordinary person.

The weakest Heroic Spirit—because he was originally just an ordinary man—could still easily defeat regular humans who lacked methods to counter Heroic Spirits.

Staring at the Greater Grail in the distance, Alaric narrowed his eyes slightly.

If there was anything that would make him wary, it would only be this specialized against humanity's power.

Angra Mainyu is an extraordinarily fragile Heroic Spirit, whose only capability lies in killing humans.

According to his description, he seems to possess abilities such as "absolute victory against humans" and "never losing to humans in combat." As long as his opponent is human, even the strongest in history or monsters mightier than Heroic Spirits could be killed by him without fail.

In the act of killing humans, he holds an absolute advantage.

Though his speed cannot match that of Primate Murder or ORT—

Even Alaric cannot fully imagine what Angra Mainyu's abilities, "absolute victory against humans" and "never losing to humans in combat," truly entail.

Would Alaric, who has always stood in defense of humanity, be included in this specialized opposition?

Having never seen Angra Mainyu act, Alaric could not determine this. Yet, he remained confident in his victory and would not retreat due to this one concern.

With absolute firepower, anything could be overcome.

No matter what tricks Angra Mainyu might have, Alaric would annihilate him with overwhelming firepower, even if it meant sacrificing half of Fuyuki City in the process.

Ending his brief contemplation, Alaric and the girl beside him approached Merlin.

The silent girl merely distracted Merlin for a moment. Merlin quickly turned his attention to Alaric and said, "It's not too late to stop now. If you continue, things will truly become irreversible."

"Will I fail?"

Gazing at the Greater Grail, Alaric spoke slowly, "Fuyuki is already covered by an isolation barrier I learned from the Clock Tower, encompassing most of the city.

If things spiral beyond my control, I will destroy Ryuudou Temple and half of Fuyuki City along with it. Would that still not be enough to stop it?"

"Well, well—"

Hearing Alaric's words, Merlin shrugged helplessly.

He was fully aware of the preparations Alaric had made to deal with Angra Mainyu.

But to Merlin, it was all trivial. He had little concern for Angra Mainyu.

Merlin's attitude toward the world was much closer to that of Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg—merely an observer.

Moreover, the Counter Force would not allow Angra Mainyu to be born and proceed to kill humanity.

Alaya is the collective consciousness of humanity (Homo sapiens), a unified will that desires the continuation of its world.

It is formed from the directional instincts inherent in humanity—a mechanism of prayer and protection against destruction.

The planet itself does not care about the extinction of civilizations or the death of Homo sapiens, but humanity, as Earth's dominant species, persistently rejects the end of civilization and life.

This is the defensive mechanism of the "human world" born from the unconscious collective of humanity.

To ensure the continuation of human history, it absorbs countless records and powers, existing eternally until the end of the Age of Man as a repository of souls.

In simple terms, it is an infinite loan shark.

If someone is deemed useful to the survival of humanity, they will be endlessly supplied with magical power—endlessly given chances, all for the sake of prolonging human history.

The Counter Force and the Throne of Heroes are distinct entities; the Counter Force is born from the unconscious collective of humanity and functions as a defensive mechanism to ensure humanity's survival.

Some interpret this as the voice of God, while others regard it as the voice of the world.

In any case, the outcome is the same: those who align with the Counter Force are enslaved after death, bound to serve as guardians eternally.

"The difference between Heroic Spirits and Counter Guardians is that while both reside in the Throne of Heroes, Heroic Spirits are summoned by the hopes of people, whereas Counter Guardians are summoned by their despair."

Thus, the Counter Force adjusts its scale to eliminate its targets accordingly.

It manifests with an overwhelming advantage, surpassing its target in power.

If human strength is insufficient to stop a threat, the Counter Force will materialize as a natural disaster to annihilate it and everything around it.

In the past, the sinking of a certain continent, among other events, was also the work of the Counter Force.

In the distant past, Merlin, imprisoned in his high tower, personally witnessed a king who, consumed by hatred for Britain's downfall, rejected salvation and instead forged a pact with the Counter Force summoned to intervene.

It was a journey in search of the Holy Grail, a path that could also be considered an eternal hell of irredeemability.

In the grand scheme, the Counter Force always prevails.

Unless faced with entities capable of negating humanity's foundation, the Counter Force is guaranteed to triumph.

Fully aware of this, Merlin initially had no intention of getting involved.

To the Merlin who had isolated himself in Avalon, whatever happened in the world would only be observed with detachment, until the end of the planet itself.

The only reason he replaced a summoned entity this time was because of Alaric.

From Merlin's perspective, Alaric posed a greater threat than even Angra Mainyu.

Even though Angra Mainyu could not truly become the Evil of Humanity, Merlin could not predict what would happen when Alaric, who was already a nascent Beast, came into contact with All the World's Evils.

On top of that, Merlin couldn't help but feel concerned when he thought of the magic Alaric had prepared to deal with Angra Mainyu. Wasn't the prototype of that thing somewhat... off?

Using Rhongomyniad as its core, with Little Red Riding Hood as the power source and a large-scale magic array spanning the entire Ryuudou Temple area, the result was... whatever that thing forming now was.

Though it felt strange, Merlin couldn't help but look forward to the scenery that would unfold when that magic was launched into the skies.

"By the way, how will the Counter Force deal with me?"

Staring at the Greater Holy Grail, which was nurturing demons, Alaric, who also knew the Counter Force would not sit idly by, asked, "Will it send Guardians or other Heroic Spirits?"

Despite being the unconscious collective of humanity, Alaya, in addition to commanding the Guardians elevated to heroic status, also had the authority to summon true Heroic Spirits from the Throne of Heroes.

If too many Heroic Spirits were summoned to deal with Alaric, he wasn't sure if she could still protect the Greater Holy Grail.

"They've already arrived. The moment you began setting up that spell, the foundation of humanity in this area, known as the Human Order Foundation, began to waver. The 'world' within the bounds of Fuyuki has already started to distort."

Ever-vigilant of Fuyuki, Merlin explained, "This change reached its peak when you began killing Servants. This should never have happened, but because the implementer is you, the resulting changes are enough to shake the very foundations of the Human Order.

And then, there's the actions of the Counter Force. With all these factors combined, the little world you've called a Singularity has now appeared."

"You've said a lot, but it sounds like you still haven't gotten to the point."

Alaric, pouring himself a glass of juice, replied without even looking up, "Singularities were originally the detonation points Goetia set up for the Human Order Incineration. Fuyuki itself has nothing to do with the Human Order Incineration. This should count as a Sub-Singularity, right? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

So, Merlin, who exactly did you see?"

The Servants dispatched by the Counter Force must meet the criteria for absolute domination.

Alaric wanted to know who would prevail between him and the Counter Force.

"Let's watch the VCR," Merlin said with a sly smile, snapping his fingers to construct a shared illusionary vision.

A scene like a water mirror rose before Alaric—

...

On the distant Fuyuki Bridge.

A cluster of particles belonging to spiritual matter quietly blossomed, revealing a fragment of the era-transcending phenomenon known as Spiritron Transfer.

Emerging from the light of Spiritrons was a young girl with orange hair, who was immediately captivated by the sight of Fuyuki at night.

It was not her first time visiting Fuyuki. The first time, she had seen a Fuyuki engulfed in deadly flames, but now—

Lightning roiled in the skies. The divine child's pilgrimage had not yet ended, and the overwhelming divine authority covering the heavens seemed to declare the supreme power of a great deity.

Thunderclouds rolled across the skies, submerging the night-shrouded Fuyuki in a suffocating pressure.

Tap, tap.

Crisp footsteps echoed beside the girl. A man with long black hair falling freely, around thirty years old, and possessing strikingly handsome features, appeared.

"Lord El-Melloi II, what's going on here?"

The orange-haired girl immediately noticed the lightning covering the heavens. Her communication ring quickly identified the phenomenon as the result of a Servant's activity.

The intense magical energy and divine aura had created what could only be described as a natural disaster.

"This is—"

The middle-aged man, known as Lord El-Melloi II, looked stunned as he gazed at the lightning in the sky and the divine figure hidden within it.

It was a figure he could never mistake. It was not the Heroic Spirit possessing his body, but his one and only King—Waver Velvet-El Melloi II's sole King.

The King of Conquerors, Iskandar!

But how was this possible?

El-Melloi II was acutely aware that he did not possess the magical energy required to allow Iskandar to manifest such power. Had something changed?

"That's the King of Conquerors, Iskandar, a Rider-class Servant summoned for the Holy Grail War."

El-Melloi II said gravely, "But his Master is just a low-level magus with no real threat."

"If the King of Conquerors is still active, that means the Holy Grail in Fuyuki's war hasn't appeared yet, right?"

Having done her homework, Ritsuka Fujimaru speculated, "What's going on with Fuyuki's Holy Grail?"

"The war in Fuyuki is merely a gradual countdown to catastrophe as losers are eliminated."

El-Melloi II seemed to recall some deeply disdainful matter. "Once the number of Servants summoned and killed here reaches a certain threshold, 'All the World's Evils—Angra Mainyu' will activate."

"All the World's Evils?"

Ritsuka Fujimaru blinked, seemingly surprised by the name, as it sounded incredibly ominous.

"There's no need to understand its true nature. Just think of it as something akin to a planet-destroying bomb."

El-Melloi II, well-versed in such matters, explained, "It's an existence with power sufficient to destroy human history as it stood at the time. From my perspective, the Fuyuki of your first Singularities' restoration—Singularity F—might just be what Fuyuki City looked like after the Fifth Holy Grail War was completed.

The starting point of the world's collapse, the result of a ritual that should never have succeeded."

"Then, the ritual—"

Ritsuka Fujimaru looked up at the lightning-filled sky, her eyes narrowing slightly. "How far along is it?"

The dangers of "All the World's Evils" were obvious. Thus, Ritsuka Fujimaru's goal was to stop this ritual and recover the Holy Grail detected by Chaldea.

"This development has gone beyond my memory. I can't make the best judgment."

Even El-Melloi II couldn't draw a definitive conclusion. He continued, "Considering that your demi-Servant has lost combat strength and cannot analyze the situation, our top priority should be to find allies to handle this war."

"It seems you already have the perfect candidate in mind."

Ritsuka Fujimaru smiled. "So, should we continue gathering intelligence or find allies first?"

"Naturally, we must do both."

El-Melloi II didn't stay in place for long and quickly left the area with Ritsuka Fujimaru.

Without Mash accompanying them, it was impossible to rely on the Round Table to link to the leyline and receive supplies from Chaldea.

However, as misfortune often comes with blessings, the leylines were now under the control of Tohsaka. This saved Lord El-Melloi II the trouble of trying to avoid alerting anyone.

The Hundred Faces Hassan, who should have been scattered across all of Fuyuki, also seemed to have vanished, and shortly after entering the city, Lord El-Melloi II noticed the crumbling wards designed to repel intruders.

These unusual events only made El-Melloi II's already irritated expression grow wilder, as cigarette after cigarette was consumed.

The sight of the Hyatt Hotel reduced to ruins further exacerbated his mood, to the point that even Fujimaru Ritsuka, standing beside him, couldn't find the right words to console him.

The two wandered through Fuyuki like this, until El-Melloi II confirmed the anomaly upon realizing that the Caster, who was supposed to have lost all reason, was nowhere to be found.

Not long after that, Lord El-Melloi II and humanity's final Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka, finally came across a grim-faced Kayneth, who had lost his Servant.

Beside Kayneth stood Waver Velvet, his expression one of shock as he looked at the pair, unsure of how to start a conversation.

This scene was also observed by Merlin and Alaric from afar.

Unlike Merlin, who was often entertained by livestreams and found the situation amusing, Alaric's expression was noticeably cold.

There was none of the joy one might expect from a reunion with certain individuals.

"Impressive as always, Chaldea—As…"

As Alaric caught sight of a very familiar figure of a girl, he slowly narrowed her eyes. Reflected in his icy gaze was the shadow of a planetary model.

Chaldea's Rayshift system required observing Singularities projected onto that planetary model to input them into the Rayshift calculator and enable the transfer.

From the very moment Alaric first entered Chaldea and saw that planetary model, she had realized—

The planetary model was, without a doubt, a foreign star.