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

—Something invisible to the naked eye is gradually forming in the Starry Sea, and at its core is Fujimaru Ritsuka!

Its size cannot be measured by data. Just like Tiamat, what we see is only the external appearance. Its essence is a being that is difficult for humans to understand.

What you can feel is magic...infinite power!

The entire inner sea of ​​the star was suppressed by a powerful pressure, and the nameless flowers that seemed to be blown by the wind were actually frozen in this moment.

The world is holding its breath for the birth of something!

"But before that... we need to take care of this [Doomsday Beast] first~"

Chapter 565: Manifestation, the Beast of the End.

The sea of ​​flowers in the Starry Sea suddenly froze, every petal suspended in mid-air, even the slightest tremor disappeared.

Sensing the arrival of her destiny, Iori swung her platinum divine sword, drawing a graceful arc in the void. The tip of the sword lightly touched the ground, producing a crisp sound—ripples swept across, and the sea of ​​flowers resumed its rhythm.

"finally coming?"

Iori looked up at the sky, where the eternal night sky of the Starry Sea should have been torn apart by a pure white light. Countless golden points of light fell like snowflakes, each one like a shattered mirror reflecting scenes from different eras—scenes that had appeared in history. Being in them gave one a dazed feeling of instantly browsing through the entire history of humankind.

What appears to be beautiful and magical is actually incredibly dangerous. A massive amount of information is forcibly poured into the brain, and even Iori, who has the protection of powers, couldn't help but rub her throbbing temples, feeling confused and unable to concentrate.

If it were anyone else, even the most intelligent magician, their brain would be burned out in less than a tenth of a second!

In a sense, this is even somewhat restrained by [Sky's Wisdom] – putting such pressure on Iori before even appearing is far beyond what Goetia can achieve.

Where the points of light converged, a young woman in a pure white wedding dress slowly descended.

Her skirt was woven from pure white aurora silk, and her veil swayed behind her like the Milky Way. She was not decorated much, except for a beautiful gemstone set in the corner of her crown.

Iori took a closer look, and was slightly speechless:

Saint Quartz!

It seems that even after being reduced to a beast, some of their obsessions remain unchanged!

When the girl touched the sea of ​​flowers with her bare feet, countless petals drifted out, only to wither and turn into an ominous gray mist in an instant—as if enacting the birth and end of countless worlds.

[Fujimaru Ritsuka, the Beast of the End], appears here!

"She looks just like a bride."

Iori squinted.

The girl's appearance was exactly the same as Ritsuka's, but her eyes—her pupils—shimmered with an inexplicable rainbow light like the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and there was no warmth to be felt in them.

Although she was a bride, she wasn't holding a bouquet, but a short staff that looked like a miniature holy sword, and there were Command Seals branded on the back of her hand on her white silk gloves.

The most breathtaking sight was the scene behind her: a spiraling tower of light staircases that stretched to the edge of the horizon, reaching a cold, clear moon—not the moon of the physical universe, but some kind of temple connecting different parallel worlds, like the throne of Goetia.

“Iori…”

The moment the girl spoke, the entire inner sea of ​​the star trembled. It wasn't just a sound, but a fluctuation that directly affected the soul.

Her expression and tone were completely different from those in the spiritual realm, causing Iori to narrow her eyes warily.

"Look, this is our end."

She gently waved her short staff, summoning beams of light that depicted various "futures," but in the end, without exception, they all turned into empty darkness.

The wedding dress suddenly turned pitch black, and the veil transformed into flowing shadows. The sea of ​​flowers beneath her feet began to twist and turn, transforming into countless struggling human silhouettes.

No matter how many times we start over, the ending will never change.

Everything we've done is meaningless. Rather than being abandoned by everything we firmly believe in, it's better to have no hope from the beginning..."

"Do you remember who you are?"

Ritsuka remained expressionless, ignoring Iori's words: "Let me grant you eternal slumber."

"I guess I can't hear it anymore!"

Suddenly, Iori moved. His platinum divine sword sliced ​​through the frozen space-time, shattering the light barrier like glass wherever it passed. He ascended the stairway of light against the current, leaving behind footprints filled with fine cracks with each step.

"I don't want to repeat myself!"

Ritsuka's short staff emitted a dazzling white light and clashed with the savior's sword—

The platinum blade pierced the girl's chest smoothly, but strangely, no blood flowed out.

"it's useless."

Ritsuka—or rather, the [Beast of the End]—sighed softly.

With just a gentle push, Iori was pulled away by an invisible force and slid hundreds of meters down the stairs... That might not be the most accurate description.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't that Iori was pushed away; he didn't feel much force on his body. Rather, the distance between him and Ritsuka was "magnified" at that moment.

"Conceptual manipulation? Reality modification?"

"You can't kill me, Aizen Iori."

My existence has been etched into the boundary record tape, or rather, I am the Throne of Heroes itself, spanning all timelines. Even if you kill me here, I will still exist in other eras.

This is a paradox that transcends causality, just like…

She suddenly raised her hand, and more than a dozen black shadows in different poses appeared in the void: there was the Mother Goddess of Creation, the ferocious Demon King, and the fallen Goddess of Love... Iori didn't even recognize many of them.

“Just like them.”

"Are all of these [beasts]? The actual number is far greater than the few we initially guessed..."

"The beasts do not appear in the order of time, but their birth was predetermined long ago."

There are both innate gods and demonic beings who have fallen from mortals. There are patterns in this, but the "beasts" that transcend the flow of time can cast themselves into the pan-human history and awaken when they encounter the right opportunity.

Like Gomorrah in the Bible, Tiamat in Mesopotamia, and the demonic bodhisattvas in Japan... they are conceptual beings, neither parasitic nor reincarnated, but rather 'destiny'.

Although they are almost always prevented from actually being born.

"...Like the Demon Pillar?"

"【The Compassionate Beast Goetia】, he claims to know all the wisdom in the world, but in reality he is just a hermit crab with no original abilities whatsoever."

The methods used, including spreading demonic factors to various eras and creating demonic pillars to blast through pan-human history, are themselves imitations of the awakening mechanism of the [Beast].

Humanity needs to prove its worth to the world. Every "beast" is a trial, a test of the malice born from their inherent flaws. Only by overcoming their own shortcomings can the history of humankind continue.

"So you are the final trial? What does the malice you represent mean...?"

"none."

Ritsuka's eyes, sparkling with iridescent light, gazed at Iori: "I am the only one among the [Beasts] who was not born from human malice."

I have awakened because humanity has overcome all trials—therefore humanity must face its end!

"..."

Iori frowned: "What do you mean?"

The Beast of the End doesn't seem to mind communicating with Iori, nor does it seem to have any intention of hiding anything: "The universe doesn't need such strong primates."

Upon hearing about this family, Iori seemed to be deep in thought.

"For the universe, all existence is in a state of chaos and change. It distributes energy to them equally, and whether it is a star or a galaxy, or a primate or a microorganism, there will be a process of prosperity and decline, and death."

Energy is distributed to all things to make them flourish, then taken back after they wither and redistributed to newly born beings—countless possibilities evolve within this process.

Life is unique; even in the vast universe, life is an extremely rare phenomenon. If it possesses its own will, it may deviate from the norm and become an entity that hinders the normal operation of the universe.

Therefore, the universe bestows trials (on beasts). Whenever a civilization prospers to a certain level, a crisis that threatens its demise arises. Those who can overcome this crisis will receive even greater favor.

"But... the ultimate goal is still to eliminate it, right?"

"The universe has multiple error correction mechanisms, and all civilizations are no exception. After demonstrating all possibilities, they accept their fate in the face of irresistible trials and return all their energy."

—Only selfish humans refused.

From the primordial era to the 21st century where humanity has been burned away, and then to the land of steel, even in their dying moments, they refuse to perish… There is no race in the universe more hideous than this.

“I understand… No wonder Ritsuka couldn’t see the future no matter what. The truth is that the universe itself is full of malice towards humanity—I can’t tell her that.”

"Once a civilization overcomes all its trials, its prosperity will be unstoppable, seizing more and more energy, just as an overly tall tree steals the sunlight that should be given to shrubs and flowers."

Ultimately, the possibilities existing in the universe will rapidly diminish, converging into a future chosen by this civilization—something that cannot be allowed.

...Could it be the "Servant Universe"?

A thought flashed through Iori's mind. Although it seemed a bit far-fetched, the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Could it be that Chaldea connected to the Servant Universe, allowing the real universe to "see" its future of being corrupted by humanity and completely transformed into "human form," thus initiating a series of self-rescue efforts?

Shaking her head to banish these extraneous thoughts, Iori raised her head and gazed at the [Beast of the End].

Why Ritsuka?

"...because she is a human being who has overcome all trials."

The girl closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were devoid of any emotion: "If external forces cannot destroy humanity, then humanity's savior must do it himself."

"So, the darkness that Ritsuka saw..."

"It was caused by me (her) myself."

The Beast of the End said calmly, "She saw the future after she fell into the form of a Beast, when human civilization was erased from all timelines, but she mistakenly thought it was some kind of natural disaster that could be overcome by sacrificing herself."

"...surprisingly easy to talk to."

Iori was surprised, "You're just telling me your secret, straight to the point, to this enemy?"

"You are not my enemy; I am here to destroy humanity."

Looking down at Iori, the [Beast of the End] said, "But the last human in this timeline, 'Fujimaru Ritsuka,' has died."

Iori paused for a moment, but quickly understood, then flew into a rage: "Then I'm asking you, am I even human?!"

"you are not--"

"Divine Blade".

A cold voice rang out, and Iori, with an indifferent expression, raised her right hand. A dazzling aurora was released in a fraction of a second, piercing the girl's skull like a sharp arrow.

Ding!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the [Beast of the End], with its eyes wide open, suddenly twitched its fingertips.

The world seemed to have been rewound; the aurora borealis receded, and the girl returned to normal.

Just as Iori raised her platinum sword, a uniquely shaped short sword appeared in the golden ripples in front of Ritsuka—the Reverse Light Sword Fragrak.

This is not a family heirloom of any particular person, but an original artifact from mythology!

hum!

The sword shone with a light that seemed to reverse cause and effect, piercing Iori's heart before the divine blade could strike.

But the same thing happened again: all objects, including the Reverse Light Sword, were frozen in place, except for Iori, who could move freely.

"This is……"

Iori looked down at the sword blade against her chest, a slight smile playing on her lips. "The law of causality, huh?"

The man's pupils suddenly turned a brilliant gold, and the blessing of "Correction" appeared on his body. A ray of light symbolizing "Divergence" extended out from beneath his feet, and the next moment, the space rippled outwards like waves.

"Fly, Armandos!"

The sword retracted back into the ripples, Iori's wound disappeared, and the two returned to their initial standoff.

"..."

In a mere fraction of a second, nothing happened in terms of the outcome, but a hint of surprise appeared in the eyes of the [Beast of the End].

This is the Sea Within the Stars. Because it is detached from the surface of the world and is not bound by rules, the power of "miracles" can be fully unleashed. She is connected to the Throne of Heroes through the body of "Fujimaru Ritsuka" and can freely control the Noble Phantasms of all the Heroic Spirits within. With the amplification of the Beast's power, it can even surpass the original version.

Therefore, the effect of the Reverse Light Sword will not be reduced, but will only become more powerful. Even if they are both Noble Phantasms based on causality, it should not be canceled unilaterally... Could it be that her Beast Authority is of lower priority than the other party's?

"It seems we all have quite a few trump cards up our sleeves."

Iori paid no attention to the [Beast of the End]'s thoughts. He gently stroked the divine sword, the blade reflecting a sharp gaze and a scorching sun.

"So how about this move—"

Whoosh!

A pure white steed appeared out of thin air, its mane like burning flames, its hooves treading on the sunlight. This is the "White Horse" from the power of the [Boy of Destiny], a judgment of the sun cast down upon the most sinful by the Guardian of Light, Veleslana!