You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

As long as one person remembers their true name, even if their soul perishes, a trace of it can be preserved, and if given the opportunity, they may be able to return from the realm of ignorance.

……

While Iori and Altair entered another world, the others left outside were thrown into chaos.

However, soon, under the operation of an unknown principle, the scene of the inner world was projected into the [Heavenly Reversal Moon], allowing Meteora and the others to see what was happening inside.

"So that's the creator of the Princess in Military Uniform? And she's such a young girl..."

Gazing at the girl who appeared after the Holy Grail disappeared, Ceresia murmured to herself.

"What? That's the princess in military uniform... What's going on? Why is she there?"

The female knight's anxious voice came from her mouth: "Selecia, what happened? The Star Grail... is it still usable?"

"Your Highness Alice...you haven't given up yet?"

Ceresia's voice turned sorrowful, "You can't have your wish granted, because the Star Grail has given the right to make a wish to Altair, and this girl is the 'wish' that has been materialized."

"You mean... the Star Cup has already been used?"

Alice's voice became hollow, "Nothing I've done matters anymore... Even if I win, it won't change anything."

"Unfortunately, it is."

Meteora glanced calmly at the military princess and Iori projected in the sky, then looked at the characters who were at a loss for what to do.

"You... no, our struggle has become unnecessary. The [Golden Star Cup] has been consumed rather than destroyed."

Now, only the princess in military uniform truly has a chance to fulfill her wish, and I have to tell you something cruel—

We are all just supporting characters in this 'story'!

Its weaver—Aizen Iori—was preparing for Altair from the very beginning; everything was designed to serve her.

Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought and silence.

Because what's shown on screen right now is how Iori is "patiently persuading" Altair, things seem to be heading towards a touching but relatively happy ending.

Therefore, people speculate that Iori did all this in order to revive Shimazaki Setsuna and appease Altair's hatred for humanity.

This speculation is reasonable, because as long as Altair gives up revenge, the characters who were summoned along with him will naturally lose their reason for existence and will most likely be repatriated, and then everything will return to normal.

...It felt like everyone had been tricked by Iori, but it had to be admitted that it was a very prudent way to handle it.

"That man truly wanted to protect this world."

Everyone was somewhat relieved, especially Mami, but Alice and Blitz still found it hard to accept that their wishes were destined to remain unfulfilled.

Resentful yet helpless, this perfectly describes their inner state.

However, Iori's betrayal soon shattered the beautiful scene of "mother and daughter reunion," leaving everyone dumbfounded as the unexpected developments unfolded like a sudden storm!

"Huh? Goddess? God?"

"Good intentions, malice... huh?"

"It seems there really is such a setting..."

"So that wasn't just a joke!"

Everyone, including Meteora, was in a state of confusion.

"No! Am I a character from Scarlet Alice?"

Or am I a character in the story of *Singularity F*, merely believing myself to have been summoned from the book... and in reality, this 'reality' is actually the world of the story?

"What are you talking about...? Of course, I'm a little confused too!"

Ceresia was on the verge of a breakdown, and Bashu, whose mind wasn't working properly, completely shut down. Even Meteora seemed lost in thought, her expression frozen and motionless.

However, they soon had no time to think about these things—

At that moment, the space began to tremble violently, the ground covered with a sea of ​​flowers began to crumble, and even the sky cracked like a mirror, with dark crevices gradually spreading throughout the world.

"This is……"

The female knight and the others looked around in a panic, "Is this spacetime starting to collapse?"

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault for accidentally going too far!"

"No, the aftershocks from our battle just now shouldn't have been that destructive."

Meteora calmly stated, "If I'm not mistaken, this should simply be the world collapsing on its own, and has nothing to do with our interference."

"How is this going?"

"The power of recognition is converging..."

Holding the Book of Ten Thousand Miles, Meteora calmly analyzed, "Now that all the power of recognition has been concentrated in another spacetime, the foundation for building this small world has naturally collapsed."

"what should we do?"

"Everyone, come over here!"

Meteora suddenly shouted, "I'll use teleportation magic to take everyone out!"

"I'm afraid it's too late!"

Om-!

Blinding white light filled the air, and turbulent currents of magic surged forth from the dark crack, shocking everyone present.

Surprisingly, this enormous vortex of magic had no destructive power; it merely caused everyone to lose control of their bodies and float uncontrollably.

"This is……"

"The world is being repaired... Is the irrational about to be driven out?"

The next moment, an incredibly intense white light swept everything away, and the entire space lost its shape.

Buzz buzz buzz—!

As if submerged by ocean waves, everyone's figures disappeared in the white light and returned to the real world.

Under the world's watchful eyes, the transformed abandoned city began to crumble like sand dunes, a scene both spectacular and inexplicably sorrowful, almost as if it were a sacrifice for the birth of some being...

Chapter 475: I'll give you two paths to take.

"...Hmm, where is this place?"

When he regained consciousness, Altair looked at his hands in disbelief, astonished that he could still "exist," while also feeling wary of the completely unfamiliar environment.

This place was completely different from the previous environment; it was a dreamlike realm that could only appear in fictional works, but at this moment it was reflected in her eyes with unparalleled reality.

There was no sunlight to illuminate everything, only a silent starry night, reflecting the calm surface of the lake with countless stars.

It was like a fairy land isolated from the human world, where all the noise and complexity had been removed, leaving only the most ordinary and gentle starlight and moonlight.

"Why...me?"

Altair squeezed his hand, feeling the tangible touch, and an incredible emotion welled up inside him.

She clearly remembered the battle between "herself" and Iori, but it felt like she was watching from a third-person perspective... What an intense battle it was, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was earth-shattering!

At that time, the "self" could control far more than just the myriad phenomena of the universe; it displayed a power that could be described as omnipotent. From natural elements to the manifestation of imagination, from the freezing of time and space to the reversal of cause and effect, it could sometimes summon countless versions of itself, and in the blink of an eye, it could turn the surrounding environment into a volcano or a glacier.

Truly like a god!

Later on, he even brought characters out of his imagination at will, either driving them into battle or directly borrowing their abilities. At the most outrageous point, he even drew out characters from mythology.

In total... there must be over a thousand moves, right?

Even if you summoned the most seasoned otaku, it would be impossible to explain the origin of every single item. The overwhelming attacks shattered space time and time again, to the point that when the final outcome was decided, neither side knew where they were.

As for who won and who lost... unfortunately, she lost.

Altair's power is naturally all-powerful; anything "created by humans" is invincible against her. However, Iori seems to transcend this, completely outside the realm of her privileges. Their battle is a full-scale clash of strength, allowing no room for chance.

Once this compatibility advantage is lost, Altair's weakness becomes apparent: no matter how many abilities she controls, the power (or special attack effect) of any single ability cannot compare to Iori's power ceiling.

That's the difference between 99 and 100, but that small difference determined her defeat, because numerical advantage meant nothing to Iori.

Of course, despite this, she is not in any danger, because like Iori, she is also "immortal," with unlimited energy and a huge [Acknowledgment power] to support her. Even if the battle continues until the end of time and the world is destroyed, she can still fight to the very end!

—That's how it should be, logically speaking.

But after the battle had dragged on for an unknown amount of time, just as she was beginning to feel numb, Iori extended his dormant claws, fusing the powers of [Judgment of Karma Sword] and [Destined Boy] together.

In the end, he used the power of words to forge a golden sword that could sever illusions, visions, cause and effect, and destiny, temporarily cutting off the connection between [Altair] and the collective unconscious of humanity... Just a moment of carelessness led to her complete defeat!

Iori wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. She summoned a massive golden ship, drew a zodiac constellation in the sky, and with many enhancements, summoned a white horse that carried the sun. With one strike, she shattered all the measures set up by Altair!

Those divine weapons and magical abilities born from human imagination have all sorts of amazing uses, but they are defeated without a doubt by unreasonable violence!

Then came the all-encompassing Mandala, where the power of the Savior Blade was amplified to its limit, as if a platinum supernova had exploded... That strike pierced through layers of space and stirred up the void turbulence; if it were in the real world, it would definitely destroy the entire planet!

Now that he had regained consciousness, Altair recalled the scene before he was devoured and was somewhat surprised that he was still alive...

Startled for a moment, as if remembering something, she hurriedly turned her head to look beside her while lying on the ground. When she saw the girl's peaceful sleeping face, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

It was a split second! She wasn't affected by the battle!

The girl didn't disappear!

She truly exists here!

"It didn't disappear in an instant, that's wonderful."

"I am a soldier," Junji murmured, reaching out to gently stroke Setsuna's face.

Unlike the previous phantom image, she could now genuinely feel the body temperature emanating from the girl.

Is this a miracle?

Such an intense battle, as if it were about to recreate the world, actually... if I had to describe it, I could only call it a miracle.

"I went a little too far, don't blame me, Altair."

A calm voice came from the side; Iori had appeared under the starry night without anyone noticing.

Then, a phantom slowly emerged from the night scene; it was Meteora, who looked somewhat bewildered.

"I should have already been teleported out... Where am I?"

"It seems that the flow of time is different on both sides."

Iori smiled slightly, "Altair and I have been having a lively discussion for quite some time now."

Meteora, holding the Book of Ten Thousand Miles, frowned, then relaxed: "I see, so you want to end it this way."

"It's you..."

The princess in military uniform saw the two of them, and a look of realization flashed in her eyes.

"Is this the ending you prepared for me and Setsuna?"

Iori and Meteora exchanged a glance, the white-haired girl also waiting for Iori's explanation.

Finally, Iori spoke up: "Yes, this is the [ending] - although the process was a bit tortuous, it's a happy ending for everyone."

While you and I are fighting, the outside world should be switching to broadcasting anime that has been prepared long ago.

The plot involves 'I' revealing my true form as an evil god, using the guise of 'Aizen Iori' to secretly plot everything, with the aim of using you to destroy the goddess of goodness.

However, you did not die immediately. Instead, on the verge of death, you felt the 'love' that Setsuna Shimazaki had left in your heart, which awakened you through Mamika's magic and broke the seal, allowing you to use the true power from the goddess.

"In the end, will all the [characters] help me defeat you, the great demon king?"

Altair asked with a gloomy expression.

"That's it."

Iori smiled and said, "Then, after everything is over, all the characters, including you, will return to fantasy in order to maintain the stability of reality. The final power of the Golden Star Cup revived Shimazaki Setsuna's soul, and she will act as the author to record and spread your story."

"Ah……"

The princess in military uniform smiled slightly, as if mocking herself, and said, "With my self-destruction and sacrifice as the end, this story has come to a clichéd conclusion."

She had more or less figured out what had happened, and while she suddenly realized it, she also wanted to give a bitter smile—her feelings were just that complicated.

"From the perspective of the 'audience,' I should have sacrificed my life to save Setsuna—and that's exactly what I intended to do."

[The culprit, at a crucial moment, remembers his true self and turns against the mastermind to save those he cares about, ultimately sacrificing himself to save others]—what a classic plot twist!

Although it's a cliché, it's a story that most people can accept, so using it as the final ending doesn't seem so bad.