In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

They are the seventy-two demons summoned by the Magic King who once wanted to guide humanity forward. Long ago, they may have had various different forms, just like the ones recorded in the epic.

But once they make a certain decision, the appearance (shell) they were once given completely disappears, leaving only that ugly appearance that seems to mock or commemorate civilization.

Although these enormous pillars of flesh still exist in this temple that carries countless memories, and remain here forever in different forms, the solitary, indifferent figure of the Judge who had always looked down and watched over everything is no longer on the empty throne in the very center.

It was also because of the disappearance of that figure that the atmosphere and discussion here became lively again. After all, they had never been so lively in front of the king.

"Intelligence Room Andusias, Perceptive Star Bali requests to initiate a discussion."

"explain."

The other Demon Pillars collectively gave this answer.

"What should we do now? Although Goetia was the mastermind behind the burning of humanity, we were also accomplices. Can these things really be so easily forgotten? And are our actions right? I believe in the king's choice, but I do not believe in humanity."

"..."

The other demon gods didn't say anything about their opinions, but they each had their own thoughts on them.

"If we look at it from Goetia's perspective as a whole, the human race is indeed full of selfishness, betrayal, and all sorts of other factors. The reason why we were persuaded by Goetia to participate in his plan was not just because the king suddenly disappeared and we had nothing to do, so we participated. I think some of us at the time agreed with this view, right?"

"—"

This time, some of the Demon Pillars remained silent because some of them did indeed help Goetia with this intention, though not as persistent as Goetia. Later, due to the constant commotion caused by Goetia, Floros, Barbatos, and others, they hadn't been able to clarify their thoughts and were following the main force in a daze. Now that this matter had been brought up again, they naturally felt somewhat confused.

"Hmph, you mean you're going to continue with that incredibly stupid plan even after the king has returned?"

In the end, it was Rafe's words that ruthlessly shattered this pointless meeting once again.

He is now a loyal subject, unlike these traitors. He has been praised by the king and is a sure-fire right-hand man in the future. So he elevates his status and speaks without any politeness.

"Instead of wasting time thinking about these trivial matters, you should think about how to better serve the king. One after another, you are all incompetent and now you are even plotting something sinister. If any of you still want to continue that plan, then go ahead and do it yourselves. I will always stand firmly on the king's side."

"Floros is right. We once thought that humanity was worthless and focused on the vast number of people, but ignored the shining individuals within them. Perhaps the king's return is also to tell us this."

Then another Demon Pillar's voice echoed, another traitor, Barbatos. He had gone to atone for his sins and become a familiar face, so he was naturally on the same side as Rafe. At this moment, another Demon Pillar's words caused wave after wave of criticism and irritation.

"The value of the individual is meaningless. The future we observe is a blank slate, even if it's Wang Guilai. That kind of ending must be stopped! Stopped!"

“Since we are called ‘Human Principle Cultivation Officials’, why should we doubt ourselves? That future does not exist, and what does not exist does not exist no matter how you look at it.”

"So you mean the king was wrong?"

"Don't dare..."

Upon being asked this question, one of the Demon Pillars was immediately speechless.

"So what do you mean?"

“We would never betray the King, but some things cannot be resolved by emotions alone, so I would like to initiate a vote—”

"what?"

"Although it is extremely rude and disloyal to say this, it is not about abandoning humanity or betraying the King. Rather, I want to try to make the King prove to us that his choice was right and let me see a future that is no longer a blank slate."

"Traitor! You actually dared to make Wang prove something to you! I'll kick you to death!"

"Don't hit anyone, don't lay a hand on me, Floros, calm down. These things need to be discussed calmly. There must be some misunderstanding here. I believe we can all figure it out, so of course the King can't possibly miss it, right?"

Ultimately, the two sides seemed unable to reach an agreement, so they began to request outside help. Only one person suddenly realized that something seemed to be missing from their group of demon pillars.

Suddenly someone brought it up.

"What about... Jie Pai? How long has he been gone?"

For a moment, the demon pillars present stopped tearing each other apart and looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

next moment--

The space seemed to vibrate, like a door, or more like a crack caused by compression.

Click!

Accompanied by a sound like shattering glass, a colossal dragon with a massive body and a ferocious face, yet possessing a chaotic beauty, appeared at the end of this peculiar space—its appearance was like someone throwing a stone into a tranquil pond, breaking the stillness and creating ripples that shook the heavens and the earth.

"You're here!"

None of the Demon God Pillars present were surprised to see the dragon's appearance, because not long ago, their rescue team of seventy-one Demon God Pillars was wiped out one by one by Tiamat in this state, which is why they gathered together as soon as they returned to the Temple of Time.

"Let's put the Jie faction's matter aside for now. Although we don't know what exactly happened to him, as one of our seventy-two demon gods, there are very few people in this world who can threaten him. Not to mention that he can be reborn even if he dies because his life is bound to the Temple of Time."

Upon seeing the enormous dragon plummeting towards the exhaust vent, the seventy-one demons of the Demon God faction, who had been intensely discussing the future of humanity and the missing Demon God Pillar Geyser, immediately shut their mouths and shifted their attention to the falling Tiamat, completely ignoring their previous eloquent discussions.

It's like having roommates who, after lights out at night, transform into great military strategists and politicians, pontificating about everything. When no one's around, they can boast with their buddies, but when you actually ask them to speak in front of the parties involved or the public, they all fall silent.

However, this happened shortly after Tiamat's enormous dragon body fell into the vent.

Baal, belonging to the Star of Insight, suddenly frowned and looked up in another direction. This surprised the Demon Pillars who were setting off ahead, and they turned back to Baal and spoke to him.

"What happened, Baal? Let's get going! The king is still waiting for us over there."

"No, something just broke in."

Bali said with a serious expression.

These words earned Rafe a look as if he were looking at a fool. The commotion when Tiamat fell here had shaken the entire Temple of Time. How could they not have noticed that something had entered? Did they really need to remind him again?

However, in response to Leif's words, the other Demon Pillars of the Planet of Insight also spoke up at this moment.

“Indeed, something else came in besides Tiamat.”

"How is this possible?"

Rafe found it somewhat unbelievable.

Although the Temple of Time was their home, a place they could come and go as they pleased before it was locked, that didn't mean anyone could just enter. No one could infiltrate it without a king's Noble Phantasm.

But now...

"What should we do? Should we go and see who these intruders are?"

Morax raised a question, but it was quickly dismissed by his lackey number one, Rafe, who lowered his voice and said, "The Temple of Time is only so big, and everything inside is only related to the Burning of Humanity. Now that the King doesn't care, why should we? We should help the King instead of some insignificant people."

"Makes sense."

"I second that."

"Then let's do as you say."

At times, the Demon Pillars can make decisions quickly; in just a few seconds, they've already devised a strategy. First, deal with Tiamat, then determine who the infiltrator is.

at the same time--

In the exhaust vent.

A human figure and a giant dragon stood in a pit that was even deeper than the underworld.

Although the quagmire of the Land of Shadows was gone and the suppression of the Netherworld lightning was no longer present, Tiamat, whose wings had been torn by several top-tier Noble Phantasms, began to repair her wings at an extremely fast speed. Just as she was about to take off, she was struck down by a blinding golden beam of light, and her body fell into the huge exhaust vent.

He could only glare resentfully at the instigator in front of him, the one who had brought him here.

"Aaaaaa——!!"

A deafening roar erupted from Tiamat's mouth, followed by a terrifying power—a force known as Antigenesis—that spread outwards from her, attempting to erase the vent.

However, having anticipated Tiamat's most troublesome power, Lovi was already prepared. The golden Holy Grail in his hand shimmered slightly, unleashing another force of the same origin as Tiamat's anti-genesis power, which collided with it and instantly neutralized it.

"I won't let you succeed."

Holding the golden cup, having completed all preparations so far, Lovi spoke coldly, his gaze falling to meet Tiamat's dragon eyes. Though those were enormous dragon eyes filled with despair and rage, when Lovi met her gaze intently, he saw within them an emotion only a rational being could possess: fear.

But before he could see clearly, Tiamat, whose Anti-Genesis had completely failed, resorted to her old trick again, letting out a loud roar. Instantly, a black wave rose out of thin air from the exhaust vent, and the power known as the Sea of ​​Life surged forth. However, this time, Luo Wei did not rush to dodge, nor did he use magic to evaporate it. He simply stepped onto this black tide and began to walk slowly within it. His body seemed to be rejecting the black mud's engulfment, repelling the Sea of ​​Life's infection, just as it had when they first met.

"It seems you really have forgotten..."

Luo Wei said softly, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Aaaaaaaa!!"

Although they were right in front of each other, it was Tiamat who kept roaring. She was the returning beast that could infect and destroy this world, and she had the absolute advantage from the very beginning, but now she had fallen to this state, and she felt uneasy because of the humans she regarded as her prey.

Tiamat's voice could no longer be called speech; she could only vent her panic and anger through screams.

To a normal person, even Tiamat's roar in her terror would be the howl of the Creator Dragon. Just getting close would crush their body under the sonic waves, for this was, after all, a creator god. However—

Such common sense is somewhat inappropriate for Luo Wei, who doesn't play by the rules and is even unsure whether he is still human.

“It’s been a while, Tiamat.”

He stepped closer, and Tiamat's pupils contracted. She tried to fly away with her newly repaired wings, but was commanded by Rowe to slightly raise his hand, opening the exhaust vent beneath her feet. This caused her body to be controlled by a powerful force and gradually sink down, preventing her from escaping.

"I told you I would come to pick you up, and now I'm here, so aren't you going to come out and see me? How long are you going to sleep?"

"To get to this point, I've endured far more hardship than expected, and everyone has given it their all. In that case, shouldn't you also curb your morning grumpiness and put in some effort?"

"Aaaaaaa——!!!"

—Whoosh! !

A crimson beam of light instantly engulfed Luo Wei's body, attempting to vaporize him. However, the main body of the light wheel above the Temple of Time also rotated at that moment, unleashing an even more powerful golden beam of light that neutralized the attack.

This is the Temple of Time, Solomon's home ground. The source of power that exists here is not the insignificant magical source of the Holy Grail, but the entire heat of the burning of human reason. Even Tiamat can no longer exert the same dominance she had in Mesopotamia here.

"Aaaaa! Aaaaaaaa!!"

Seeing that her attack was ineffective, Tiamat unleashed rays from her pupils and roared with a sound that shook the ground, intending to destroy the damned vent and the figure in front of her together. In the end, she even used her mouth to try to devour him.

But no matter what she did, it was all in vain. At this point, nothing could stop the person in front of her from moving forward.

He continued walking towards Tiamat as if nothing had happened.

"Let's end this childish play here. What do you think I've been through to get here? You think you can just crush me like this? Don't be ridiculous..."

Luo Wei raised his right hand, and with his other hand, he channeled his magic to crush the golden Holy Grail, turning it into a shower of starlight that condensed towards his right hand. A colorful cone of light, which looked more like a pure white cone, condensed and took shape in his right hand.

"Aaaaa!!"

Seeing the tiny, palm-sized cone of colorful light materialize, Tiamat writhed wildly, and in the final moment, she used her massive, steel-like teeth—powerful enough to easily crush mountains—to bite down hard on Rowe.

clang!!

It was the sound of metal clashing, a piercing sound that echoed throughout half of the Temple of Time, as a pair of enormous fists clamped down on Tiamat's teeth.

"Hey! Are you crazy? You didn't even dodge that kind of attack!"

Geitia, lurking in mid-air, blocked Tiamat's attack with his massive hands, while Tiamat, who was about to bite, had its jaws held down by his hands.

"Because you're here."