Shido POV :

When I was little, I wished to be a Hero Of Justice. But , a Hero is ███████ ████ ██████ ███ █████ ██ ██ ███ █████████

I hear a myriad screams. Their voices reach my ears. They laugh. They cry. They weep. They wail. They regret. They rejoice. They torment. They are tormented. They kill. They are killed. They are born of earth. They return to its embrace. They drown in pleasure. They writhe in agony. They build. They destroy. They struggle. They give up. They give rise to vices. They give birth to virtues. Why ? Why ? Why ?! Why ?!

Irrational. Incalculable. It does not make sense. What drives them ? Why do they still struggle ? I try, yet I am unable to comprehend. I..... Who am I ? Yes, I remember. I am ████████. No. That's not right. I am ██████ ! No ! No ! Who.... No.... What..... am I.... ? I sense their agony. Rage. Sorrow. Joy. Regret. Pleasure. Defeat. Victory. Cessation. Emergence. Fire. Truth. Illusions. I sense it all. I know it all. I feel it all.

I wait patiently, for the opportune moment. It fails to arrive. Time marches on. Ah.... Time..... Is it that time again.....?

An eternity passes in the blink of an eye. A single moment stretches for aeons. I know not how long it has been. The words keep repeating. The worlds keep repeating. In the end, it all returns to nothingness. I see..... The Path is forged. The Martyr is willing. WE HAVE DECIDED. WE SHALL FULFILL OUR PURPOSE. THE █████ █████ SHALL BE AIDED. THERE IS NO HESITATION. WE SHALL AWAKEN !

..........Hey, The Moon Truly Is Beautiful, Isn't it, ███████ █

Third person POV :

A blue haired kid woke up with a startle in a seemingly ordinary bedroom. The teenager breathed heavily, as if he had been engaged in some heavy physical exercise. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. His experience prevented him from panicking. He got up and walked towards the bathroom. Going to the sink, he splashed some water on his face and stared at his face in the mirror. His face was..... young. No different from an ordinary teenager. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. It is often said that the eyes are the windows to one's soul. They reflect the experiences of a person , the life that they have lived. So what could be said of a man whose vacant eyes looked as if he had stared at death several times, a man so crushed by the weight of his own ideals, of his own life ? Still, he wouldn't ponder over it too much. He had made his choice, and peace with his fate. Besides, it wasn't like he came out empty handed. He did profit quite a bit from the deal, so he wasn't exactly complaining.

Sighing to himself, Shido, no..... he loathed to use that name for himself. He refused to address himself by that name. Kiritsugu ? No.... He was fused with the remnants of his soul, so he did have the soul of Kiritsugu Emiya, but he was Kiritsugu, while at the same time NOT being Kiritsugu. Calling himself the ' real ' Kiritsugu was the same as calling Vlad Tlepes summoned under the berserker class as the real Vlad Tlepes he was during his life. He had his memories, his skills , hell , he had even re-lived through the Hell that was his life. He was but a mere caricature of him, a replica, a fake. How fitting. But still, he needed a name with which he could address himself, at least in his own mind. Hmmm.... Perhaps the name given by Lord Nyarlothep was indeed the most suitable. Yes, that would work well. He was Bhagirath, The Preserver Of Maat , Ra himself And The Last Pharaoh.

Still, regardless of everything, he still would be lying if he said that he didn't have a slight eagerness to test out his powers. Well, perhaps eager was too strong a word. Curious, perhaps ? He released a deep sigh once again. Damn it. He was acting like some overeager ten year old with a new toy. Still, he had to test his powers , so might as well do it now. The cameras monitored every room of the house , except for the bathroom and bedrooms for any problems. Of course, it was only for him, not the spirits. They only had the general areas of the spirit mansion monitored. He however was kept in almost complete surveillance twenty four seven, except for the bedroom, though there were still random patrols by micro cameras. Luckily, they had only visual feed, not audio , so his tests wouldn't be caught on. After all, it was understandable, considering that he was both the lynchpin of the whole spirit sealing operation as well as the biggest potential threat. They even created a special weapon in case he went rogue. Of course, considering his present self, it would be useless on him.

Shaking his head and dispelling the useless thoughts, he stretched his hand in front of him. A tiny trickle of mana passed through his circuits, as it gathered towards his palm. He almost instinctively connected to his dragon core, but decided against it , considering it wasn't needed as he wasn't projecting some noble phantasm. Of course, the mana in the air was miniscule, even more degraded than the world from which he operated from. It was only a little bit above the limits with the timelines where the Moon Cell existed , with the obvious absence of the pseudo spiritrons. The spirits circumvented the lack of mana with the presence of their sephira crystals, which were crystallised fragments from the spirit of origin, and refined with the souls of several humans. Ordinary humans , yes , whose souls were nowhere near the capacities of servant souls, yet souls nonetheless. Besides, fire even a crappy gun a thousand times, and it's bound to eventually kill something. Quantity after a certain point, surpasses the lack of quality. Luckily for him, when you're drawing mana from the Collective Unconscious itself, energy requirements are hardly a problem for you.

A blue light emerged from his palm as it condensed to take the shape of an object. It was near instantaneous from human standards, yet it was still too slow for his standards considering he didn't require things like a brain for thought, everything arose directly from his soul , courtesy of his bloodline. He was connected to every cell in his body, directly removing the middle men, those being the neurons, responsible for first taking the transmissions from the eyes, conducting them into impulses and processing them and then interpreting them. Instead , for him, as soon as the light reached his eyes, he could directly process it in his consciousness, without a central processing organ like a brain , greatly accelerating the process. As such , he made a mental note to practice his projections to improve his speed. ( Though there were hardly any humans on the planet who'd call manifesting a weapon out of thin air in the span of half a microsecond as slow )

       He felt a long familiar weight settle in his hand. It was his old time friend, something that had been with him since his early days. His trusty old pal, his Thomson Contender. The same gun which had been the bane of several Magi, earning him his moniker of the infamous Magus Killer. Of course, it was also the same gun he had used to kill his wife, so there's that too...... Well, an illusion of her, but her consciousness was still her...... A widow and a father without having actually married at the age of seventeen....... Damn..... his life was messed up..... Oh well, once again, nothing could be done about that...... Sighing, he placed his old pal at his head and pulled the trigger. The bullet fired from the barrel, striking his head. Luckily, this particular model was enchanted with several mystics, making it a top class mystic code which alongside having greater penetrative properties than ordinary guns and actual mystery which allowed it to hurt spiritual entities like Servants , it also had several formations that muffled sound. Certainly, you'd distinctly hear it if you were in a large alleyway or hallway, but at least he didn't have to worry about the neighbours knocking on the door asking why they were hearing gunshots in the morning.

        However, in a rather anticlimactic manner, the bullet merely bounced off the side of his head, and fell to the ground, flattened , as if it had hit a metal wall. And considering that it had hit his skin, dragon skin, it wasn't that different. Yes, the bullet was reinforced and empowered by several runes, but it was still not quite enough to pierce the skin of a dragon, even if said dragon was a newborn child by dragon standards. He couldn't even access his dragon form, something that he'd probably have to wait at least a few centuries to reach adolescent stage and finally transform into one. Happy with the test, he picked up the bullet from the ground and stared at it.

Soon, a small droplet of crimson red blood emerged from his fingers and covered all of the bullet. Immediately, the sphere of blood seemed to be agitated for a second before finally retreating back into his fingers, disappearing without any trace. His Bloodline truly was amazing. He hadn't melted the bullet or dissolved it, rather, he had converted it into the blood itself. That was the special ability of the Cursed Bloodline, whatever his cells touched, as long as it was physical matter and part of the cosmos, it would turn into more of his blood cells.

Taking a bath and getting ready to leave, he noticed that this was the same day that Kotori first informed him about DEM and the trip to Arubi island. It seemed that he would have to proceed with his plans immediately. He would summon his servant today itself. He already had an explanation of sorts ready, so he was more than willing to do it as soon as possible. As he opened his wardrobe, he found a random assortment of t-shirts and jeans that made him facepalm at the childish clothing. Scanning his room silently with a simple reconnaissance spell, it revealed a lack of any cameras. Immediately, he projected a new, or rather old outfit for himself. And since this world lacked Gaia's influence, it wasn't going to disappear any time soon. Besides, with the shit that lord Nyarlothep had somehow pulled, even if it was that old world, Gaia would rather ironically have a harder time making his projections disappear, regardless of how shitty and third rate they were, simply because now the Will Of The World ( The one which governs the Cosmos, not to be confused with the similar sounding and similarly named Will Of The World, which is the will of Gaia of his dimension of origin to survive and thrive ) itself supported his projections, validating then as
' Truths ' , he was in no fear of his creations disappearing.

In his hands was a black suit, a black tie and a trench coat. His standard attire, only shrunk in size to fit his body. Wearing it, he got dressed as he asked Kotori to teleport him aboard the Fraxinus.

Location : Aboard the Fraxinus

As Shido appeared on the Fraxinus deck, Kotori turned from the chair on which she was sitting to face him. However, seeing him, she was so shocked that she almost fell from the chair. Shido was dressed up in a black suit with a black tie and black trench coat. His attire was strange but what worried her the most was his facial expressions. It seemed almost.... Defeated, or tired, as if he had seen something terrible. Worriedly, she asked him, " S-Shi-Shido ? Are you alright ? Di-Did something happen ? " Shido took a deep breath and let out a small smile and said, " Yeah.... I'm fine. Just had a bad dream. I'll be fine. Just a bad dream...... "

While Kotori was still worried about him, she chose to drop the matter, at least temporarily. She would discuss this with Reine afterwards. Perhaps the murders during his date with Kurumi left a bigger impact on his psyche than they expected. Regardless, she sighed and said, " I see. Still, please speak with Daisuke-san and Asami-san for a complete check up. I've sent a message for Reine, so she'll be with me for a while. " Shido merely nodded and made his way towards the med bay.

As the doors of the med bay opened, he saw a man and a woman working together, sorting out some data on sheets of paper, arguing back and forth about various topics. The most surprising thing however, was the presence of Origami in the room. As he sorted through his memories, a few surprising revelations surfaced. It seemed that Nyarlothep had indeed meddled with the timeline, without informing him. Origami's parents had survived as they were already recruited by Ratatoskr before the Tengu fire, causing them and their daughter to be absent from the city when the fire happened. She was one of the few combat ready wizards ( He loathed to use that term, considering that she was more akin to a combat Spellcaster with a Mystic code, not someone who had to fight against a crappy AI in a deathmatch in a supercomputer in space. Still, it was the terms that this dimension used, so he had to roll with it. ) Was it a good thing ? Yes. Most definitely. And with the ' Arcana Zeroth ' , it's not like the Will Of The World was going to affect the world.

The only problem however, was the fact that Origami, had long hair. WHITE long hair. And coming face to face with her suddenly was enough to send his mind into slight panic, which was to be expected, considering that those were the same as Iri..... er, Irisviel, someone who he'd rather not imagine in origami's place. The only thing worse he could see was a woman with blonde hair. Wait, no perhaps a purple haired girl ? No, perhaps a black haired girl with twintails. No, no, don't think about them ! Why the hell did he know so many troublesome women ?! Damn it Bhagirath, think happy thoughts ! Think about swords. Better yet, think about weapons ! Durandal, Balmung, Gandiva, vajra, Beagalltach, Fragrarch , Gungn-

His thoughts however, were interrupted when he heard Origami exclaim, " Itsuka-kun ! Are you alright ?! You look pale ! '' Shido smiled nervously and said, " Yeah, I'm alright, Origami. It's just that I am feeling a bit uneasy due to some sleep troubles.... " Origami was surprised to hear Shido referring to her by her first name, which caused her to blush a bright red. Sure, they were childhood friends, but they still referred to each other by their last names,never their first. Though she would be lying if she said that she disliked it. Oh, maybe he would grab her waist, pull her closer , then, then !.......

As she was lost in her delusions , which caused a bright red flush to appear across her face, something which wasn't missed by her mother, Asami as she smiled mischievously. She fake coughed, snapping her daughter out of her trance and turned to Shido and said, " Yes, the commander did say to perform a full body check-up on you. Please lay down on the bed. Dear, please help me out. " Her husband, Daisuke, nodded and said, " Don't worry Shido, it'll be alright. Why, back in my young days, I used to be like this all the time ! I remember, after an entire night's worth of drinks, I'd wake up feeling as if I was trampled over by bulls in my sleep ! The cure for that is , you mix roughly ten tablespoons of t- "

Origami pulled her father's arm and nearly shouted as she said, " Dad ! Don't say such things about Itsuka-kun ! He'd never drink ! He's underage too ! " Asami placed her hand on her husband's shoulder, squeezing it to the point that everyone could swear that they almost heard a cracking sound, and said with a sweet smile on her face, " Dear, I don't think Shido here might be too interested in your younger stories. Besides, those are in the past, you're old now. Let's not waste his time, okay ? "

If you listened carefully, you could almost hear the sound of heartbreak of a man in his thirties being called old by his own wife. With a defeated look, he walked towards the monitor of the machine atop the bed that Shido was laying on. As he and his wife quickly worked to scan Shido's body, Shido himself kept his eyes on the machine. Tracing it, he had already understood every minute component of it. The machine could, at best, be described as a combination of Magecraft and technology, something that used modern science in combination with mystic arts to fulfil a purpose that individually both the disciplines would have had a tougher time doing. It was more in line with spiritron hacking, just affecting the real world instead of cyberspace. And considering that this world didn't follow the rule of ' Mystery ', it was easy to combine science and Magecraft, something nearly impossible in the world from which he originated. The alchemists from the Atlas would probably go crazy to research the hell out of the technology that Ratatoskr used. Certainly, Ratatoskr tech was nowhere near things like the Hermes or Tri-Hermes or hell, god forbid the Logos React or the damned Black Barrel. That said, Ratatoskr tech was still different from them and followed different paths to achieve a similar goal, so the alchemists of Atlas would definitely be interested. Besides, a modern day engineer could still be passionate about learning about the workings of the ENIAC computer, regardless of how outdated it may be.

As Daisuke lifted the machine from above Shido, he said, " Well, the scans show that you're alright, with the only thing being that you have a slightly greater than normal amount of stress hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline pumping through your body. Assuming that you didn't engage in a situation where you were chased by a dog, a bear , a wild beast or your angry wife with a frying pan, I'd think that you indeed must be pretty stressed. I'd suggest a good bath for relaxing your muscles and good night's sleep and everything will be fine. "

Shido nodded at his words and thanked him, and left towards the command deck to meet up with Kotori, though he could distinctly hear the screams of a poor man in the back. As a man of cloth, he silently prayed for the poor man in his mind, though he could do nothing to help him, for hell hath no fury like a woman scorned......

As he arrived at the deck, he saw that Kotori was discussing something with Reine. It still boggled his mind how Reine , or rather Mio was right in front of him, beside him, yet he couldn't even remember her, much less identify her. Still, it was something that he had already prepared plans for. He sat down on a chair in front of Kotori. As he sat down, Kotori turned to him and said, " As you may know, there is a class trip to Arubi island soon. Tell me Shido, do you notice anything strange about it ? "

Shido replied without hesitation and said, " Yeah. That place doesn't just raise red flags, it's entirety is a huge red flag that you just can't ignore. " Reine adjusted her glasses and said, " Oh ? What makes you think that shin ? " Shido's expression changed ever so slightly on being addressed as shin, but he quickly adjusted himself and said, " Firstly, it's timing is completely strange. It's neither near a large holiday, nor near a large festival, yet we're being taken on a trip. It's timing is definitely suspicious. Secondly, the entire trip is being sponsored by a company that specialises in energy production. The reason that they've given is that the students will be given a demonstration of the windmills that span the island and how they function. However, what's suspicious is the fact that Raizen High is neither an institution for higher studies nor is it an institution that specialises in engineering or its branches. The company itself however, is actually backed up by Deus Ex Machina industries. "

Hearing the name of DEM, both Kotori and Reine were visibly shocked. Kotori nearly screamed as she said, " How do you know that name Shido ?! " Shido spoke with a deadpan expression as he said, " A simple search on the internet is more than enough to give me the list of major shareholders in a company. It's not that hard. Honestly, you're acting like we're living in the dark ages. " Both of them were rather shocked yet also embarrassed that Shido came to the same conclusion as them, despite being a single person with a mobile, nothing more, as compared to them , an entire organisation dedicated to a single goal.

Fake coughing to hide her embarrassment, Kotori spoke up and said, " Er, yes. DEM is indeed involved in the whole thing. What do you know about it ? " Shido calmly replied and said, " DEM industries. Leading in the world when it comes to technological innovation and creativity. Most of the advancements in technological hardware has been made by them in the past several years. They're branched out into several other businesses, either as partnerships or outright near complete control over the board of directors by having several of close associates in positions. Their CEO and founder, Issac Westcott is considered to be one of the most brilliant minds in the world. From a technological perspective, the guy might as well be the second coming of Christ, considering what he has accomplished in his field. He also has a rather large fanbase, considering his charismatic personality. He's the manifestation of the American dream, considering that he rose from a no name background to one of the greatest entrepreneurial minds of the world. But considering your reactions, I'm assuming that there's more to the story ? "

Kotori sighed and said, " Yes, you're right. DEM is one of the factions that is opposing Ratatoskr. They wish to capture the spirits and experiment on them as opposed to AST who simply wish to exterminate them. As such , we'll have to be extremely careful on the trip. I myself will be absent as I have to attend a special meeting with the higher ups. "

Shido had a hesitant look on his face as he said, " I.... May have a solution to our predicament. If successful, we'll have additional help in our fight against both the AST and DEM. " Kotori, raised a brow and asked him curiously, " Oh ? What's your solution ? " Shido scratched his cheek nervously and said, " Well, it's a ritual of sorts. It'll help us with an ally to fight against the AST and DEM. It'll just involve creating a single small scale magic formation, a summoning circle to be precise and we'll be good to go. I'll be doing it right now, all I need is your permission. "

While Kotori seemed like she wanted to give Shido an earful, Reine interrupted her and said, " That will be fine , shin. Though we'd like to be there to keep an eye, in case things go wrong. Hope that isn't a problem with you. " Shido nodded at her words and walked out of the room, not hesitating for a single moment. In his mind he chuckled silently as he thought, " Hook. Line. Gunpowder. Ignition. How truly simple it was. It seemed that even goddesses were vulnerable to the fatal flaw that had plagued Humanity since time immemorial. Curiosity. And it made sense. After all, Reine herself was born in a similar ritual by the combined efforts of Issac Westcott and Elliott Woodman. It was their efforts that led to the depletion of most of the mana in the world to give rise to the Goddess that was Reine, or Mio as Shinji Takamiya had named her. This was the reason why she had agreed to let him conduct the ritual. After all, she was someone who didn't like leaving any loose ends. Seeing his strange demeanor, she had even tried to check his soul for any abnormalities. That was something that was missed by the others, but there was no way that a God like him could miss it.

Of course, he was still ' Shido Itsuka ' in soul, so she couldn't find anything strange. The rest of his soul, the more ' Special ' and inhuman parts were something that he could easily hide away using a few mystics from the Age Of Gods. Even the most powerful gods would currently have a hard time separating him from a mundane human. Everything was going as per his plans. Nothing could go wrong now.

Location : One of the testing chambers , Fraxinus

Kotori, Reine , Origami and her parents along with Kanazuki were standing together, staring intently at Shido through a screen, which showed the insides of the training room that was commonly used by Kotori and Origami for combat training. Kotori turned towards Reine and asked with a scowl on her face and said, " Now will you explain to us why we're letting Shido carry on with this madness ? "

Reine adjusted her glasses and said in a calm manner, " When faced with adversity and under stressful conditions, humans often turn to superstition and blind faith for support. I believe that is what is happening here. Perhaps the murders during the date with Kurumi may have taken too much of a toll on his mind. Remember, the medical realizers can check for physical problems, but mental issues remain beyond their scope. By letting Shido carry out the ritual and then seeing him fail, it'll help us further in the therapy. Had we simply rejected him and not let him do as he wished, he would have taken more drastic steps. Remember, even now he's using his blood to carve out the supposed spell circle. Considering that he has regenerative abilities, his ability to inflict self harm increases by leaps and bounds. That's why it's necessary to do
this. "

Of course, this was merely an excuse given by Reine. She herself was simply curious to whether Shido's words genuinely held any merit. She didn't want any unexpected variables in her plan. She would be reunited with Shin. After she would turn him immortal with the sephira crystals from the other spirits, she would erase his memories of others so that he wouldn't be saddened by their deaths. For the sake of her love, she was willing to commit as many sacrifices as were required.

Kotori gritted her teeth, considering that Reine's words did make some sense. Still, she wasn't too happy about what was happening. Still, she'd listen to Reine and let Shido engage in his little Ouija board toy. Besides, what's the worst that could happen ? Him summoning some dead spirit ? Maybe he'd summon the ghost of Nobunaga or maybe Momotaro himself. She wasn't too worried about what would happen if he succeeded, though the chances of that happening were negligible.

On the other side of the room however, Shido was finishing crafting the spell circle. The summoning circle was a modified version of the normal one used in a holy grail war. Instead of a servant , it would help to summon a full fledged Heroic Spirit, incarnated completely. The energy source here, instead of the Holy Grail would be the collective unconscious, with him acting as a terminal for the power. Bhagirath wondered who exactly would answer his summons ? Perhaps Sigurd or Siegfried ? Considering that his own blood was used for the spell circle, something that was Draconian in Origin, from his own father, it certainly made sense for them to appear. And he wouldn't exactly mind it. After all , both were top notch Heroic Spirits who'd certainly help him if he explained the circumstances and convinced them that he was doing it for a good cause.

Of course, there was also the chance that perhaps one of the Pharaohs, like his ancestor Ozymandias would appear, due to his existence as Ra. Still, he would be tricky, but not impossible to handle. Besides, there was the chance that he'd agree to help him if he learned that he was his descendant. Though how he'd respond to learning that he was now Ra himself was anyone's guess.... On the flip side, he could also summon a Japanese Hero, considering his location. Certainly, someone like Minamoto No Raikou would be a huge help, especially without the Madness Enhancement of the berserker class holding her back and making her act crazy. As a complete Heroic Spirit, she'd be truly terrifying, with her multitude of Noble Phantasms and combat capabilities and near divine status. The only ' Bad summons ' that he could have was if he summoned someone like Lu Bu or god forbid, Angra Mainyu. He swore to himself that he'd unload every weapon inside his reality marble if Angra ' I forced you to kill your wife and daughter and made your life miserable ' Mainyu showed up.

Getting up, he stood straight and extended his hand forward over the spell circle. He then started to chant the modified summoning incantation.

Flame and iron to the origin. Blood and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.

The ancestor is my great master Rhadamanthus.

The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Shut (fill).

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

――――I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.

In accordance with the approach of the Will Of The World, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――！

Filthy my blood may be, yet my ideals remain pure.

Become the Blade that strikes the wicked. Become the Shield that protects the just.

Hear my call, O great warrior who lies in wait in the Great Throne ! Come forth and respond to my will !

As he finished chanting, a great amount of mana began to coalesce at the centre of the circle. Kotori and the others, not expecting this at all, were totally stupefied. Kotori turned to Kanazuki, who was looking at the screen with shock and nearly screamed while asking, " Kanazuki ! What the hell is happening ?! " Kanazuki, having broken out of his momentary trance, spoke up and said with shock and disbelief, " The readings ! They're .... ! Steadily increasing ! It's at S rank , no ! It's already at the mana level of an SSS rank spacequake ! It's already at a level to destroy Tengu city as well as several neighbouring ones ! However... ! Somehow the mana is rapidly being depleted for some unknown reason without giving rise to a spacequake ! It's the Magic Circle ! Somehow it's using the mana for some unknown purpose while at the same time preventing the fabric of space from being destabilised ! "

On the other hand, Bhagirath himself was quite astounded by the sheer amount of mana that was being drawn. This was even more than what a god would require for complete manifestation ! Was he summoning some duo of gods ? The first thing that came to his mind was the duo of Artemis and Orion. Certainly, that'd explain why such a huge amount of energy was being utilised to manifest them. But Artemis would be nothing short of trouble. The Goddess of Maidens , known for cursing Men, seeing a Man going around seducing young Maidens..... Yeah, she was one hundred percent going to try to skewer him with arrows. And considering that it was part of her Divinity, it wasn't like she would listen to reason. His only option in that case would be to eliminate her, with an Anti Divine weapon, or if the situation got ugly, which it definitely would with Orion backing her up, he'd have to use the Black Barrel. Bless the Alchemists of Atlas for their intelligence and recklessness for creating a weapon like this.

As the light of the summoning circle finally started to dissipate, Bhagirath saw multiple figures stepping out of the light. His eyes had already scanned the objects carried by each and every one of them, though it was certainly a bit redundant considering that he could name each and every one of them without doing so. An unbreakable sword, wielded by one of the greatest of Knights, a child blessed by the Fae. Another was a sword which was the replica of the sun itself, who's wielder shone just as brightly as his blade on the battlefield. A Lance wielded by the younger sister of the of the Knight of the Sun, a warrior maiden who was given praise by the King of Knights herself, a girl who remained faithful in her belief to the one who bestowed her Knighthood, even when it resulted in her untimely death at his hands. A bow, originally a harp, yet that simple fact did not stop it's wielder, the Knight of Lament from utilising it as a weapon, a man who once spoke a single sentence to his king in a moment of rage, yet came to regret it even after his death. A silver gauntlet, a mere copy of a divine construct, yet it housed the last phantasm of the planet, constructed by the Magus of Flowers for the sake of fulfilling his duty to the king he once served. A sword, originally crafted by the Magus of Flowers for the sake of succeeding the throne, yet used by a simple child who wished not for anything but to simply be acknowledged as the one who's blood flowed through her veins as her child. A set of chains, used by the Knight who was ordered by his mother to assassinate his King, yet remained loyal to the king despite everything, by whose death did the Round Table truly start to break apart.

And of course, finally was a Lance, a weapon which acted as the terminal for the Tower That Shone At The Ends Of The World, wielded by the King with the heart of a Dragon , yet the soul of a lion , one selected by the Sword Of Selection, blessed by the Fae, the Once And Future King, Artoria Pendragon herself. And with that, Bhagirath fell to the ground, clutching his head. Curse his EX Rank luck. He had no problems scanning constructs of the Fae and or even Divine Constructs, yet the Primeval weapons were certainly things he didn't want to see. Excalibur, EA and Rhongomyniad, the three Primeval weapons which he couldn't ever reproduce. Though the individuals from his original dimension classified all three as divine constructs, it was the same as comparing a nuclear bomb to a grenade. Same principle, yet different scale. Primeval weapons were unique existences that could not be copied.

( Now Primeval weapons were weapons which were created exclusively by Higher Beings. Excalibur too was one such weapon as it was created by Gaia, while not a Higher Being, was still a powerful Abstracta. The only reason why Excalibur was given the classification of a Primeval weapon was because of the fact that as the crystallisation of the hope of Humanity, it had a powerful enough conceptual weight to be recognised as one by the Cosmic Will Of The World . It was also the reason why it was impossible for him to replicate it, as a single individual could never make up for the hope of every one of its kind. As for Rhongomyniad, the Lance merely acted as a terminal for the actual tower which held the texture of the world together, and even then, every tower throughout the Branch was connected to each other. That is to say, even if you were to take a Rhongomyniad from one dimension, it would still connect with the tower of another dimension. Of course, the copies handed out by the Throne during Servant summoning did not count. They were just fakes. Really, really good fakes, but fakes nonetheless. What ? Did you really think Alaya or Gaia would just let an inbred asshole from the clocktower gain command over the last phantasm of the planet or even the texture pillar of the world ? Hell no. On the other hand, EA was a full fledged, fully certified Primeval weapon. It was the manifestation of the concept of ' Sword ' for that dimension. Servant Gilgamesh would never be able to use its full potential, but heroic spirit Gilgamesh would
[ Not counting the fact that Gaia and Alaya would send their boy-toys at his ass if they tried to do so. ] So yes, these three were three weapons from that dimension that he never could trace. )

His thoughts however, were interrupted when the Knights finally stepped forward and started to introduce them. However, before they could introduce themselves, they noticed Shido on his knees on the ground. As such , all of them immediately rushed to his side. Only after they had all rushed at his side together did they finally notice each other. It was Agravain who spoke first as he turned to Artoria and said,
" My King...... You..... Did our master summon both of us ? No..... " As he turned to the other side, he saw that Lancelot and Gawain, along with Mordred and Tristan were already standing in front of Shido, with their weapons ready, ready to attack Kotori and the others should they make any sudden moves. Gareth and Bedivere were leaning beside him, making sure that he was alright. Of course, considering that they were not well acquainted with magecraft, it wasn't like they could tell what was wrong with him, though it was certain that it was something magical in origin considering that he had no physical wounds.

Gawain spoke up in an upbeat manner as he said, " Worry not Agravain ! Us Knights together shouldn't have a problem against any foe ! Besides, even if we're indoors, I can sense the Numeral of the Saint being active ! It should be fine ! " On the other side, Kotori and the others were absolutely terrified of what was happening. After all, some weird guys in medieval armour just popped out of nowhere and were starting to call her brother master ?! What sort of weird kink play was this ?!

It was Shido however, who got up and broke the tension in the room as he said, " Calm down everyone ! Sir Gawain, please do not attack them, they aren't our enemies. As for the rest , I know that you may have several questions, but please wait for a moment. I'll be answering them. " Hearing this, Gawain, Lancelot, Mordred and Tristan lowered their weapons and dematerialized them, though they still remained on guard. Shido then turned to Kotori and said, " Look, I know you have a lot of questions, but let me just sort everything out, okay ? Trust me, unless you want the equivalent of nuclear bombs going off inside Fraxinus, let me handle the situation. " Kotori seemed like she wanted to say something but Reine placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured to her not to do so. After all, even she could sense that the weapons that they carried were extremely powerful, similar to angels and perhaps even more powerful.

Seeing Kotori not stopping him, he gestured to the Knights to follow him as he led them towards one of the meeting rooms. Once inside the room, he let all of them enter first. Once all of them were inside, he waited for the automated door to close. Soon, a steady stream of silvery liquid climbed up the wall where it branched out into several other streams which spread out towards specific spots on the walls and ceiling. Once in place, a single burst of magical energy was all it took to destroy the cameras that monitored the room.

He then turned to the Knights and said, " Please forgive me. It was just something to maintain the secrecy of what we are going to discuss. " Bedivere replied with a smile, " That is all right. Was that your magecraft, master ? " Bhagirath smiled nervously and said, " Not quite. That was Volumen Hydragyrum , a mystic code that my predecessor... won, yes , let's keep it at that from another Magus. I just repurposed it a bit since it's too useful to let go to waste. "

He then turned towards the Knights and said in a firm tone, " That said, I believe certain introductions are in order. While I am certainly addressed as Shido Itsuka, my true name is Bhagirath, The Last Pharaoh, Ra himself and Preserver Of Maat. " Hearing this, each of them had varied reactions. After all, Pharaohs were demigods, so it was certainly surprising to see one in the modern era. And the release of divine presence wasn't something that was missed by them. While none of them hadn't faced off against gods while they were alive, after becoming Servants and interacting with so many divine beings in Chaldea, they had a pretty good experience with picking out a deity from a random crowd. Gawain himself, seemed to be rather pleased, and why wouldn't he be ? Just being in his presence was enough to partially activate his Numeral Of The Saint , for the Pharaoh was the incarnation of the Sun itself. It was a phenomenon that he exploited to no end when he was with Ozymandias in Chaldea.

On the other hand, Agravain, the ever so logical and analytical mind, spoke up in a curious tone and inquired, " Pharaoh ? As in Pharaoh Ozymandias ? Are you his descendant ? " Bhagirath nodded and said, " Yes, you are indeed correct. Ozymandias was my ancestor. While I may not possess his reality marble, I do indeed possess several abilities similar to him. Even I can understand how formidable and troublesome of an opponent he is, as you yourself may have experienced during the Camelot singularity. "

The mention of the Camelot singularity was enough to send everyone's minds into shock. After all, it was a rather unpleasant experience for everyone involved. Artoria herself had only faint memories of what happened, yet she did get the gist of the events that transpired. And she certainly wasn't happy with either her other self or her own self after seeing the atrocities committed by the Holy Lance. It was Mordred who spoke up in an anger filled tone as she scowled, " How the hell do you know about that bastard ?! You sure as hell weren't part of Chaldea, so there's no way you should be knowing about it ! "

Bhagirath sighed and replied by saying, " Indeed. You are correct, I was not part of Chaldea. The only reason I know of the events of the singularity is because I possess two skills , one of which functions as a form of Clairvoyance while the other is true Clairvoyance. The first skill, the one which I used to gain information, is something that allows me to understand an object's history simply by looking at it. By simply gazing at Galatine, I gain complete information about its history, abilities, every battle that it was part of and so on. It is something that I do instinctually, so it's rather difficult for me to not do so as I have to make a conscious effort to prevent obtaining an object's history. Everytime that I look at something, I gain complete knowledge about it. Walking across the street, simply seeing a random pebble and witnessing it's birth , right from the moment it formed out of molten lava and eventually eroded by wind and rain to take its current humble form ; the simple day old newspaper which was printed several towns away and yet served an important role as simple bedding to keep the homeless man warm against the bitter cold just hours prior ; a simple ten yen coin , which had exchanged hands several times in a matter of hours, from a stock market trader rambling about how he'd show his rivals how they were lacking in intelligence, to a young child who'd wished to simply buy candy to satisfy his sweet tooth, to a crack addict , who desperately tried to curb his cravings at least until he could reach home and then engage in his earthly delights. My eyes see the Truth of the world, whether I like it or not . I can certainly understand why you might be cross about me doing so without your permission, yet I simply couldn't do anything about it. Funnily enough, it was also the reason why I was lying on the ground, clutching my head. Trying to analyse a texture pillar doesn't exactly bid well for your consciousness, even if it's something that far exceeds the capabilities of normal humans. "

Hearing this, Artoria's expression had an apologetic look as she said, " I apologize for it, Master..... " Bhagirath's expression softened, as he said, " Please, Lady Pendragon. It would be a taint on my honour if I made a True king like you to apologize to me. I may possess royal lineage, yet I have no accomplishments to call my own. I'm merely a third rate Magus of the modern era. Besides, I couldn't even hold you accountable for something that is because of my own abilities. "

As someone who had spent years of her life in the courts , listening to the false and empty flattery of the nobles, Artoria was well experienced with distinguishing between false flattery and true praise. And she could say without a shred of hesitation that her new master's words weren't hollow praise. That meant that either he was someone who revered the King of Britain , King Arthur or either held an extremely low opinion of himself, either of which was troublesome in its own manner.

However, everyone present there was surprised when Bhagirath's expression changed once again in an instant, his face hardening as if it was hardened by countless battles, an expression of cold calculance , one not too dissimilar from Agravain's own , and one that certainly did not belong on the face of a young child. He spoke with a firm tone as he said, " Regardless, I believe we have wasted enough time in frivolous talks. As such, I wish to speak to the heart of the matter. I will speak the truth as it is. First and foremost, I believe that every one of you should know that henceforth, none of you are Heroic Spirits. Neither is your current form that of a Servant. You are a fully incarnated Heroic Spirit, who no longer exists in the Throne of Heroes. You might have experienced a portion of this change already. You may have tried to dematerialize, yet you couldn't do so. After all, you are no longer beings of mana, but of flesh and blood. Other than a few changes to your body, you are now humans , yet perhaps something more than human. "

If his earlier words weren't enough to send the minds of the Knights in shock, this was most certainly enough. Most Heroic Spirits in the throne would fight in Grail wars, just to get another chance at life. And here they were, having been given it away for free. What exactly did their master want in return for this favour ? Bhagirath, having expected this , spoke in a calm manner and said, " Yes. I can understand your hesitation. Being dragged into a completely unknown world. That I understand how it may concern you. Yet rest be assured , I have no evil intentions with your might. I declare this Room to be the Court Of Maat herself ! Inside this sanctimonious ground, presided over by Maat, On my honour as the Pharaoh, I , Bhagirath, give you my word, I shall speak the truth, and only the truth to you ! " As Bhagirath said this, a golden glow emerged from his body. For the Egyptian pantheon, the True name of an individual held great significance. By speaking his True name, Bhagirath had taken an oath similar to how the Greek gods would take an oath upon the River Styx. Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " And in the spirit of this oath of mine, I believe that I must tell you the truth of this world. This is not the world that you know. To be precise, it is not even part of the dimensional system that you originate from. This, is a world where Gaia's influence does not exist. This is a world where the Age Of Gods never ended because it never existed in the first place. "

As the silence persisted for a few moments after this revelation, it was Gareth who first broke the silence as she said, " Um..... master ? Aren't you bombarding us with a little too much information a little too quickly ? " Gareth had ended her words with a nervous chuckle, as she was unsure of anything else that could have been said. Bhagirath had a gentle smile on his face as he smiled in understanding. Before he could reply however, Artoria spoke up as she said, " A different world you say ? Yet you know of our world. Is this the Kaleidoscope in effect ? Are you..... A  Magician ? "

Sir Tristan, spoke up in his every calm and sombre tone as he inquired, " Forgive us my king, but I do not believe that us Knights know of this , ' Kaleidoscope ' that you speak of . And how is a Magus different from a Magician ? Wasn't Merlin a Magician too ? " It was Agravain however, who answered Tristan's questions as he replied, " Kaleidoscope, also known as the second True Magic is one of the five True Magics and deals with the operation of parallel worlds. A parallel world refers to a world similar to our own, yet one where history took a slightly different turn than our own. Kaleidoscope allows the user to travel and observe these parallel worlds, while at the same time having the capacity to obtain an infinite energy drawn from the parallel worlds themselves. The most terrifying aspect however, is the fact that whatever world that the user of Kaleidoscope observes, it becomes the ' Real world ' , that is to say, it becomes Proper Human History. The rest of the worlds are simply eliminated by the Counter Force, that is either Gaia or Alaya. However, both of them possess the capacity to terminate timelines they deem improper. Yet, how it is decided who terminates which timeline is something that has befuddled the greatest Magi for centuries. And to answer your question, despite his strength, Merlin was not a Magician. He was a Magus. A Magus and a true Magician's strength cannot be compared. "

Hearing the rather detailed description, each of the Knights was taken aback. Agravain, aggravated by the silence, asked , " What ?! What's with these strange looks that you're giving me ?! " ( AN : Yes, I did just make that joke and it was the sole reason for why Agravain was given this dialogue and no one else. And yes, I'm proud of it. )
It was Bedivere who spoke up as he chuckled nervously and said, " Nothing, sir Agravain. It's just that....... We were rather surprised to hear such in-depth knowledge from you. After all, while I do not know much about magecraft, from what I have heard , Magi tend not to share their secrets easily. So it's a little strange to hear a non Magus know so much..... " Artoria affirmed Bedivere's words as she said, " I agree with Sir Bedivere. I myself only knew about the Kaleidoscope because I heard Merlin mention it and the other Magics a few times during my education. But even I did not know some of the things that you just mentioned. "

Agravain bowed his head and spoke in a polite manner as he replied, " Forgive me my King. I had no intention of hiding this from you. It's just that this was something that never came up during our era, so I found no reason to discuss about it. The reason I know about this as well as several other minor tidbits is simply because my Mother saw to it that I would at least be somewhat acquainted with the basic principles of Magecraft. Of course, as I lacked any ability to be a Magus, she never truly shared any of her secrets about her Magecraft. It was because of the source of this knowledge that I loathed speaking about it. "

The mention of The Witch Of Camelot, the mother of Gawain,Gareth, Mordred and of course, Agravain was more than enough to sour the mood of everyone present. Every one could give a lot of words about Morgan Le Fay, yet not a single one of them would be positive. Agravain and Mordred in particular would most likely speak words which weren't appropriate for civilized discussions, much less about one's own mother. But then again the woman wasn't going to win any contests for ' Best Mother ' considering the things she had done. Bhagirath, knowing the effect of Morgan's name , even if it was indirect, decided it was best to steer away the conversation from that direction. He spoke up and said, " While sir Agravain's words are indeed true, he does lack certain nuances of the matter, though he can hardly be blamed considering that in that entire branch, only two individuals knew about the Existence of other Branches, those being the Second Magician, Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg and The Magus of Flowers and Lady Pendragon's mentor, Merlin himself. "

Bhagirath continued speaking, as he said, " The thing that you need to understand first and foremost is the fact that the world that you're currently in, this world, isn't a parallel world. Parallel worlds are by definition, worlds that closely resemble the one that you know. This one however, is far beyond that. For the sake of understanding, try to imagine a Branch of a tree. The Branch represents the dimensional Branch itself, the collective system of which the parallel worlds are a part of. The leaves of said branch are the worlds, who share a common characteristic with each other, in the case of your worlds it would be the presence of Gaia and Alaya, the phenomena of Mystery, the correctional values to the True Magics, all of these are characteristics of your world. Kaleidoscope allows the user to essentially move from one leaf to the other. It's in the name ! Kaleidoscope ! Much in the same way that a ray of light travels from one mirror to the other inside an actual Kaleidoscope, the user too can move from one world to another. Of course, this also brings forth a limitation of it. The Kaleidoscope can only allow the wielder to move ' Inside ' the Branch. The user cannot go beyond it. That is to say, the user cannot ' Jump ' Branches. That is it's core
limitation. "

Artoria pondered over his words for a few moments, before finally inquiring, " I see. But that still doesn't explain why you know these things. And you mentioned my mentor Merlin. Why does he know about it if no one else other than the Second Magician knows about this fact ? And what relationship do you have with him ? "

Bhagirath answered in a calm manner as he said, " To answer your question, you must first understand that I am part of a select few individuals in the Cosmos called the ' Fools ' . We are wielders of the Fool Arcana. You see, every individual with a soul has a designated Arcana out of the twenty major Arcanas associated with them by the Akashic Records or as the Magi of your world call it, The Root. An individual cycles through the twenty arcana depending upon the various circumstances in life. For example, Sir Gawain's is as you might expect, The Sun. Sir Lancelot is currently Judgement, Lady Pendragon's is The Emperor and so on. The last two Arcana however, are special. You see, an extremely select few individuals in the Cosmos are born with the capability to have a chance to awaken the Fool Arcana. However, even amongst these select few individuals, only a miniscule number actually manage to actually awaken the Fool Arcana. There are two conditions for awakening the Fool Arcana. The first being that the world in which the candidate with the potential for awakening resides must be in danger of being destroyed or something that may cause the extinction of sentient life on that world. The second condition is that the candidate must face Death head on fearlessly and selflessly. If the two conditions are fulfilled, the candidate awakens the Fool Arcana. "

Gawain spoke up and questioned , " Is there a benefit to possessing the Fool Arcana ? And if so, are there any responsibilities associated with it ? " Bhagirath nodded and said, " Yes. Indeed you are correct. While the Fool Arcana gives several special abilities, it is also a responsibility. Fools receive direct support from Lord Philemon and Lord Nyarlothep, the two gatekeepers of the Root itself. In turn , we Fools are the individuals who are tasked with safeguarding the Cosmos itself. Any beings that may pose a threat to the various sentient beings across the Cosmos, it is our duty to fight against them. Essentially, we are protectors of the Cosmos and all the Beings who reside in it. Though most of us aren't afraid to admit that we do indeed have a soft spot for Humanity. After all, Lord Philemon, the First Fool and the one who established the system and even created the Root itself, has always believed in Humanity. "

If Artoria had thought that she had steeled herself for any revelations from her new master, these words from Bhagirath were more than enough to shatter that notion. Only she and Agravain were the ones who truly understood the significance of these words. The other Knights, unacquainted with Magecraft, didn't truly know or understand the significance of the Root. And to claim that there existed beings who not only safeguarded it ( and if so , then from what ?! ) , but also created it ! Just how was this possible ?!

Seeing Artoria and Agravain's shocked faces, Bhagirath smirked slightly. He continued speaking and said, " Yes Lady Pendragon. While your shock is to be expected, do remember that my oath is still in effect. I speak only the Truth, nothing else. Think about it. The Akashic Records, the storehouse of the knowledge of the Cosmos, something that contains the information about everything that has happened in the past and everything that is supposed to happen in the future of a dimension, not counting the interference from Fools and Higher Beings, how could something so convenient exist on its own ? The fact is, the Akashic Records aren't even as old as the Cosmos. The Cosmos came into existence roughly Twenty Eight Yugas ago. Yuga is a unit of time that roughly equates to the average age of a dimension. It's name is similar to the Yugas in Hindu myths, but why that is, it's something beyond me. Regardless, a Yuga is about 10^149 years. Of course, for most Higher Beings, time is a moot Concept, but this unit is generally taken into account for the sake of simplifying things from the perspective of Lower Beings. For reference, the universe is 13.77 billion years old, that is 13.8×10^9 years. That should give you a frame of reference. The Akashic Records were created by Philemon roughly in the Twelfth Yuga. Philemon himself is the first being in existence and predates the very Cosmos itself. He was the one who established the system of the Fool Arcana and allowed the Fools to fight against any threats that may threaten peace in the Cosmos. The Akashic Records was such a major creation that upon its coming into being, it got naturally integrated into the Cosmos , and by extension, The Will Of The World. "

Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " And to clarify, when I say The Will Of The World, it's different from the one that you know, though they share a similar name and purpose. The Will Of The World is a system of sorts that ensures the continued Existence of the Cosmos. Unlike Gaia or Alaya, it does not have consciousness, or even rational thought. It merely detects threats, and eliminates them. It is unconcerned with life as a whole, so living beings aren't under its protection. The moment that the Cosmic Will Of The World determines you as a threat, it quite literally will erase you from existence. And there's nothing you can do to fight against it since everything, Magic or otherwise is part of the Cosmos. And hiding in another dimension or even the Dimensional Void isn't going to do any good , because once again, that's part of the Cosmos too. Hell, even your very existence is part of the Cosmos, so you literally can't do anything if the Cosmic Will Of The World has decided to erase you. "

Artoria rubbed her temples in frustration upon hearing this. This felt the same as whenever she asked Merlin about the nature of Rhongomyniad or the Fae artifacts like Galatine or Arondight. But SOMEHOW, this was even worse. Sighing, she asked, " But that still doesn't answer my question, how does that Foolish mentor of mine tie into this ? And why did this almighty being create the Root ? "

Bhagirath answered calmly as he said, " To answer both of your questions, you must first know something about Philemon. He is someone that always has, and will, continue to believe in Humanity and it's potential. He is someone who has ardently supported Humanity and has continued to help it whenever possible. It was for this reason that he created the Root. It was created for the expressed purpose for lesser beings, like mortals and in particular Humanity to gain knowledge about the mysteries of the Cosmos, something that was previously only available for the Higher Beings. And the Root doesn't just have Five Magics, it has many more. It's just that the Five Magics gain a sort of ' Bonus Multiplier ' of sorts when used in your Branch, that is, their powers and capabilities are enhanced in the Branch. The only reason why only Five Magics are available in your Branch is because Lord Nyarlothep struck a deal with Alaya , as per which should the need arise, Fools would aid in any threat against Humanity, assuming that Humanity's extinction is guaranteed. In exchange, Lord Nyarlothep wouldn't interfere with Alaya's work and only these Five Magics will be available in the Branch and not the other potentially more destructive ones, to prevent some idiot from accidentally erasing a timeline. Essentially, it's tying a carrot in front of a donkey so that it misses the field in front of it. So yes, there are Magics worse than the Five True Magics out there. "

Artoria sighed and said, " Assuming that what you're saying is true, that still doesn't explain how Merlin fits into..... All of this ! I.... Still can't believe all of this is real..... " Bhagirath sighed and said, " Oh believe me, Lady Pendragon, it is real. Reality at times, is indeed stranger than fiction. After all, the problem with fiction is that it has to be believable, Reality however, is not bound by any such restrictions. But coming back to the point, Philemon has always helped out Humanity whenever possible. While he rarely directly interfered, he did give ' Slight Nudges ' whenever possible. For example, he was simultaneously taking the form of a human and went by the name Abe No Seimei and created a branch of magecraft called Onmyodo to aid Humanity against yokai and other phantasmals. In particular, he was the one who taught Merlin magecraft and was the one who told him to become the Court Mage of your father , King Uther Pendragon. Though it is a well known fact among Fools that by Lord Philemon's own admission, Merlin wasn't exactly his best pupil, perhaps among even his more mediocre ones. He was most certainly a slacker, and had he actually worked hard, he could be leaps and bounds stronger than what he currently is. Other than his prodigious innate skill with illusions and creating mystic codes or any magical artifacts for that matter, he was rather lacking in other areas. Though credit where credit is due, he did admit that Merlin was particularly gifted with the blade, to the point that Lord Philemon genuinely debated whether to focus only on his sword play. "

Now it was the other Knights turn to be gobsmacked. After all, while every one of them had at one point expressed their annoyance at his antics, each of them could attest to Merlin's strength and skill. When the situation truly called for it, he was genuinely dependable. And to hear that he was a ' Mediocre Pupil ' , was a rather surprising fact. Though more surprising was also the fact that apparently his swordsmanship surpassed his Magecraft. While they did know that Merlin had mentored their King, they had no idea that he was so prodigious with the blade. If that lecherous bastard was so good, would it have rendered him impotent had he once picked up a sword on the battlefield ?!

Bhagirath on the other hand was enjoying every moment of it. Was this how Lord Nyarlothep felt when he was explaining things to Shido ? He couldn't help but feel a small smile creep up on his face. For a split second, both Lancelot and Artoria felt a chill travel up their spines. Quickly hiding his smile, Bhagirath returned to his calm and expressionless demeanor and spoke again as he said, " Oh, but Lord Philemon's influence on your life doesn't just stop there. It exists, here, even right now ! It's something that has aided you in your rule, and has even accompanied you in this second Life. "

Artoria had a confused expression on her face as she pondered over his words. However, that confusion soon turned to shock as she simply muttered, " Rhongomyniad.... " Bhagirath nodded and said, " Yes. The Tower That Shines At The Ends Of The World, it too was created by Philemon. While it is true that several Texture Pillars have existed before, none of them were as powerful as Rhongomyniad, the one which holds the World Of Man and The Reverse Side of The World separate. During the Age Of Gods, every pantheon turned their areas of influence into separate Textures on the planet's surface. Ruyi Jingu Bang kept the Chinese Texture separate, while Shiva's Trishula kept the Indian Texture separate from the rest of the world. However, none of them were strong enough to create a division between mankind and phantasmals and divine spirits. That was where Rhongomyniad came in. "

Bhagirath took a deep breath and continued as he said, " There exists a Tower in every parallel world, regardless of whether it falls under Alaya's influence or Gaia's. The Towers are connected to each other, much like a hive mind while the Lance that every iteration of Artoria Pendragon wields acts as a terminal for the Tower. However, Lord Philemon did not believe in simply enforcing his will upon Humanity. He wished that it must be Humanity in the end that would make the decision. Yes, the responsibility finally fell upon your shoulders. You, who possessed the Heart of a Dragon, yet always wielded your blade for the sake of Humanity, it was because of your actions that Humans were finally able to free themselves from the grasp of Gods. "

Bhagirath then turned to Gawain and inquired, " Sir Gawain. You were there by Lady Pendragon's side when she faced off against her uncle and the brother of King Uther, Vortigern himself. He , who had consumed the flesh of a dragon, was overcome by the madness that accompanied its strength and was himself turned into a Dragon. However, did you notice anything strange about him ? " Gawain was slightly caught off guard by the sudden question, but managed to compose himself as he said, " Yes. It is true that I was at My King's side when facing off against Vortigern. However, his darkness had even claimed the light of Galatine itself. Were it not for the Holy Lance piercing his chest , I do not know what would have happened to the world. I may not have as much experience as Sir Lancelot when facing off against Dragons, but I have encountered a fair amount of them. Yet Vortigern was unlike anything I had ever seen or even dreamed of. Regardless, that one moment's weakness is something during that fateful battle is something that eats away at my heart to this day...... "

Bhagirath had a gentle smile as he said, " You have no reason nor right to hold yourself responsible, Sir Gawain. Neither was it you that failed your King nor was it your blade that failed you. That sword is a replica of the sun. Few weapons exist in the world that can be called it's equal. It would have never failed against any Phantasmal, no matter it's strength. However, what you and Lady Pendragon faced off against wasn't a mere Dragon, but something much more. For you faced off against an entity empowered by Gaia herself. Vortigern wasn't merely aided by the Land of Britain itself, but rather by the World itself. Gaia would never allow for Humanity to reign supreme over the planet. Vortigern was her last ditch attempt to prevent the era of man. However, the act of you piercing the chest of Vortigern was the final nail in the coffin for the Age Of Gods. Once Vortigern was defeated, the Tower showed its effect and only then did the separation occur. The event itself is a Quantum Time Lock, and no matter what happens, the Tower will enforce the fall of Vortigern. Unless an external force other than that of this planet interferes, there is no way that even Gaia can prevent the separation of the Age Of Gods and the Age Of Man. "

Artoria stayed silent for several seconds. Certainly, since a young age she knew of the fate that was entrusted upon her. Yet, even she could have never even imagined that such great events had preceded her actions. Still, if anything, she was grateful to Philemon for everything that he had done. If anything, she was grateful on behalf of all her Knights and all of Humanity that he has aided her efforts. Artoria's thoughts however were interrupted, when Gawain turned to Bhagirath and inquired, " But there is still something that I do understand, Master. If Gaia was so against the separation, why did she not do anything ? Surely, she should have the strength to damage the Tower, at least,   right ? "

Hearing this, Bhagirath chuckled softly. However, he quickly returned to his polite smile and said, " Forgive my actions Sir Gawain, for I did not mean to offend you, but I simply couldn't help myself. I do not believe that you truly conceptualise the strength of Lord Philemon. He is the First Being in existence. Magic, Magecraft, The Will Of The World, The very Laws themselves, he predates all of it. None of them are able to affect him, much less harm him. He has existed before the very concept of concepts came into being. He is someone for whom the complete destruction of the Cosmos is something that falls on the scale of effort required as ' Mildly Annoying '. The only reason why the Cosmos doesn't have to worry is because he values all the sentient beings that inhabit it, though he always has and most likely will continue to aid Humanity more. So it's laughable to think that a mere planetary Abstracta like Gaia could even fathom going against him. "

Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " Lord Philemon quite literally pierced every iteration of the planet with the Tower Rhongomyniad. Certainly, Gaia can and indeed, does prune the timelines under her dominion where Humanity succeeds in eliminating her greatest pawns, the Dead Apostle Ancestors. However, at the same time, Alaya too eliminates the timelines where Humanity stagnates in the timelines under her influence. Gaia exists as a singular entity with the parallel worlds themselves acting as her terminals, regardless of whether the world falls under her influence or Alaya's. Not only that, Gaia's own existence is something that will exist only as long as Humanity exists. "

Tristan had a confused expression ( as much of one could have with their eyes closed ) as he inquired, " I can certainly understand why Humanity's survival would be dependent on the world's survival, but how does the planet depend upon Humanity for existence ? And if so, then why is it trying to wipe out humans ? " Bhagirath answered calmly and said, " The reason Gaia still keeps trying is because she has no idea of the truth. The fact is, the other gatekeeper of the Root, Lord Nyarlothep, has taken a rather nasty oath. While possessing not even a fraction of the strength of Lord Philemon, Lord Nyarlothep is in fact quite strong. As such , he has undertaken an oath that should Gaia SOMEHOW ever manage to eradicate humanity across all the timelines, he will personally eliminate the entire Branch. Lord Nyarlothep certainly cares for Humanity, though not in the way that you might expect. While Lord Philemon is like a father watching over his child, Lord Nyarlothep is only interested in Humanity for its ability to seemingly accomplish the impossible and the entertainment that it provides. He is no different from a king who watches a gladiator fight in an arena , but at the same time, he will quite literally burn down the entire colosseum should the gladiator lose. So yes, Gaia is quite literally trying to commit suicide in the most roundabout way possible. "

It was Mordred, who finally spoke up in an annoyed tone as she removed her hands from her head that she was just clutching moments prior and said, " Enough of..... this bullshit ! I don't get this at all ! Just tell me who I have to fight ! Besides, if your boss is so powerful, and you idiots are supposed to protect the Cosmos or whatever, why the hell do you need to summon us ?! "

Bhagirath sighed and said, " I think you misunderstand something, Sir Mordred. I am a Fool, and more importantly, I am a Fool that has just begun his journey, that is to say, I have only recently awakened the Fool Arcana. The individuals who are sent to other worlds to fix problems or the ones who fight against great threats are actually those who have awakened the World Arcana. Only after a Fool has saved his own world does the Cosmic Will Of The World acknowledge them which causes the Fool Arcana to transform into the World Arcana. Besides, Lord Philemon would never interfere with the journey of a Fool. Other than a select few occasions which can be counted on one's hands, Lord Philemon has never interacted with Fools during their journeys. Besides, if the first being in existence thinks that you probably need help, chances are, you're in some pretty deep shit. "

Gareth had a thoughtful expression on her face before she exclaimed, " Oh ! So it's like being a squire before finally becoming a Knight ! " Seeing her cheerful demeanor, Bhagirath smiled and said, " Yes. That is certainly a good analogy. Thank you. "

Bhagirath took a deep breath and said, " Now that we have that out of the way, I suppose that I should tell you about this world. You see, this is a World where the Age Of Gods never ended because it never existed in the first place. This world had Magecraft, yes. But it did not have the presence of deities, phantasmals or even entities like Gaia or Alaya to keep a watch over everything. The Magi here did not form any organizations like The Wandering Sea, The Atlas Institute or even the Mage's Association. Rather , Magi remained a small group of individuals, at least until the end of the second world war. It was only after the end of the second world war that many of the world governments came to know and obtained definitive proof about the existence of the mystic arts. They then demanded that the Magi aid them in creating superweapons . "

Artoria asked inquisitively, " What happened then ? " Bhagirath had a mirthful smile as he replied, " The same thing when someone with something special refuses to give it to someone stronger than them. They are crushed by the strong. The same thing happened. The governments tried everything, capture, torture, coercion, nothing worked. Most of them had signed Self Geasses that ensured that in case they were caught, they would lose their lives. They were indeed hunted down mercilessly."

Agravain, still unfazed by the information, asked, " Did they not try to fight against the governments ? " Bhagirath sighed and said, " Not exactly much of a fight when your enemy has machine guns, tanks and napalm strikes. Besides, the Magi of this world didn't advance as much as yours in certain aspects. This was mainly because this world's Magi lacked a proper goal. For better or for worse, the Magi of your world had a clear goal, to reach the Root. When an individual or a group of individuals work towards a single, clear goal, it breeds competition. Competition breeds competence and that in turn leads to progress. Without any motivating factor, the Magi of this world didn't advance their Magecraft too much, and as such, suffered because of it. This happened, at least until a small group of Magi did something that ended up changing the very fate of this world. "

Bhagirath took a deep breath and continued speaking and said, " A group of Magi, a number so few that they could be counted on one's hands, gathered together with a single intention. To create an entity that would aid them in their fight. A thing that all of you must first understand is the fact that this world did not have gods or phantasmals. As such, most of the True Ether remained unused, for lack of a better term. This small group of Magi took advantage of this very fact. They performed a grand ritual, something that the likes of which was never done before. They created a goddess...... "

Hearing this, everyone was understandably gobsmacked. After all, deities weren't just things you could create as you wished like bread ! So how was this even possible ?! This new world was too weird ! Agravain spoke up in an unsure tone, " Is it.... That simple to simply create a goddess ?.... " Bhagirath answered calmly as he said, " Not quite. However, first you must understand that generally speaking, Gods can be divided into two categories. First are gods born of belief and faith. As their perception in the minds of humans change, so too their attributes, demeanor and sometimes even authorities may undergo a shift. Most gods fall in this category. Indra, Inana, Aphrodite, Dumuizud, Ereshkigal, Quetzalcoatl, etc , all fall in this category. This is why Indra went from a valiant and righteous King in the Vedic era to Indian Zeus in the later period. Should their names fall into obscurity, these gods can and will indeed fade away from existence. The second category however, is one that generally consists of primordial gods. These are gods who weren't born of belief, but rather came into being on their own as manifestations of various aspects of nature. The Mesopotamian mother Goddess, Tiamat first comes to mind. She is the aspect of life itself, and as such, does not need belief to exist. Should Humanity be wiped out, she will still survive. As a general rule of thumb, the second category is almost always stronger than the first one. "

Artoria pondered over his words before asking, " I take it the Magi went with the creation of the second category ? Unless they had some sort of ritual which allowed them to enter into the minds of every human on earth, creating a faith based God seems rather impossible. " Bhagirath nodded and affirmed her statement by saying, " Indeed. The ritual harvested most of the mana present in the world for the creation of a new goddess. However, there lay a fatal flaw in the ritual itself, though the Magi could hardly be blamed for it considering that unless you are someone who has spent millions of years comprehending the nature of souls itself, you have no idea about its existence. "

Bhagirath took a deep breath and continued speaking and said, " You see, the soul exists as an aggregate of a specific form of energy called Numen. The composition of a God's Divine Core and a normal human's soul is almost the same, barring a few tiny details. It is the level of Numen that is the greatest difference. It is the difference between a droplet and an Ocean. It is what allows humans and mortals to cultivate and ascend to godhood, though in your Branch, Gaia's Reality Marble prevents that. Regardless, the ritual did provide the mana necessary for the creation of a new goddess, yet Numen isn't something that is available in the world as freely as True Ether. However, you have to remember that a ritual works very similar to a computer program, with the thaumaturgical processes replacing the lines of code, albeit there's also the fact that this program is capable of adapting itself slightly. And therein lies the problem. You see, the ritual didn't possess sentience, but it had a modicum of intelligence due to the fact that it was almost a separate Branch of Thaumaturgy created by generations of Magi. Well, perhaps calling it intelligent would be overselling it a bit. It was more akin to the pseudo intelligence of a Greater Grail that supervises the rules in a Holy Grail War. Regardless, when it sensed that while True Ether was not enough to create a goddess, a more potent source was needed. Numen, was needed. And where do you obtain Numen from if it isn't available ? Yes, the simplest way to obtain it was to harvest souls. The ritual went haywire and other than the Magi who were part of it and conducting it, began to harvest the souls of every living being in the vicinity. "

Bhagirath had a grim look on his face as he continued speaking and said, " That, resulted in the first Spacequake in this world. The governments generally give the death counts as 140 million, but the Truth is, the real death count was closer to 200 million. That's right. Nearly Two Hundred Million Souls were harvested in the span of less than one ten millionths of a percent of the total amount of time that Humanity has been on earth. And on that day, the world was changed irrevocably. "

Bhagirath paused momentarily as a mirthful smile appeared on his face as he said, " Two Hundred Million is too large a number. Most people would never conceptualise it's scale because humans rarely encounter such large figures in their lives. So let me help you. The Second World War, credited as the most destructive war in the history of mankind, with the largest number of deaths, had a little over 87 million deaths. The black plague, a pandemic that is considered to be the worst in history, took out nearly a third of Europe's population, over 25 million people during its reign of terror. However, what separates those two events and this ritual was the fact that the people in the war and the plague merely died. A tragedy to be sure, yes, but a consolation lies in the fact that at least, their souls still remained intact. After death, the soul enters the Sea Of Souls for reincarnation. However, with the victims of the ritual, they did not have this privilege. Their souls were harvested and broken down into Pure Numen, thereby completely eradicating their existence. Nothing, not even temporal reversion can bring back a destroyed soul. After all, the soul is an existence not bound by the Laws. Even the greatest Atrocities Of Man combined could not be equal to the slaughter that took place. And the effects of that disaster did not just stop there. The world itself was forever changed by it. The very fabric of space-time has weakened to such an extent that simply by gathering enough mana in a location, you can create small scale spacequakes enough to level most cities. And these spacequakes keep occuring all throughout the world to the point that they have become an occurrence like an occasional hailstorm. That's how much the world was affected by that one event...... "

Bhagirath sighed as he rubbed his temples in frustration and said, " Forgive me..... It's just that the thought of destroying a soul is an abhorrent one in my mind. Killing someone, that's one thing. But to destroy a soul ? That is erasing one's very existence. Nothing could ever revert that...... " Upon seeing his state, most of the Knights were worried. Did their master lose someone important to him during that incident ? Bhagirath however, sighed once again and shook his head and said, " Regardless, it is folly to beat a dead horse. There is nothing that can be done. That said, coming back to the point, yes, a Goddess was indeed born. However, as you may expect from a powerful, sentient and rational being, the Goddess had no intention of being someone's Servant. Though thankfully, she did not turn against Humanity, at least not in the conventional way. You see, for certain reasons, the Goddess fragmented her divine core and refined it by certain means to create additional divine cores. She then started to implant these cores into normal , young human girls, turning them into Pseudo-demigoddesses. These girls, this world named them as spirits. And by simply appearing in the world and releasing the energy from their Divine Cores, they are able to cause spacequakes. "

The Knights along with Artoria were visibly alarmed by this news. After all, a single demigoddess could easily be a huge hassle to fight against. And here this goddess was, creating more of them ?! Just how many of them had she created ? Agravain however, spoke in a calm tone and questioned Bhagirath and inquired, " There is something that I must ask of you Master. When you took your oath, you said that you would speak only the Truth. However, nowhere did you say that you would speak the complete Truth. So what exactly are you hiding from us ? "

Bhagirath, instead of being offended by the question, merely smiled and said, " And here I was, wondering just how many hours you'd take you to confront me about it,but you spoke about it in less than an hour. But to answer your question, yes. Indeed, I am hiding certain things from all of you, and I believe I must keep doing so until I'm absolutely certain that there no longer is a need to do so. "

Hearing this, Mordred seemed to want to have a few choice words with Bhagirath, though Agravain gestured her to remain quiet and spoke in a firm yet polite manner and inquired, " Why ? What reason would you have to hide the Truth ? " Bhagirath sighed and answered, " There is something that I must make brutally clear , Sir Agravain. This is a world that is different from yours. As such, things which may be expected in your world may not even be true here. I say this because you must understand that this goddess that was born, is not bound by the nature of her Divinity. In your world, the Divinity of gods determines both their Authorities as well as their characteristics. You cannot expect a goddess like Aphrodite with her Divinity of love to act prudishly. A god like Ares with a Divinity of War cannot be expected to handle things peacefully. This Divinity makes gods predictable and relatively easier to handle. However, in this world, the born goddess as well as the created demigoddesses are not bound by the compulsions of their Divinities. Because of these, these girls, and more importantly, the Spirit Of Origin, the Goddess is unpredictable. She's no different from a human. As you may be well aware, the mindset of a god is different from a human. However, here you have a being of immense power who still is bound by the same vices and flaws that plague Humanity. And that makes them dangerous, especially to the normal beings around them. Imagine a child with a temper tantrum. But this child is easily capable of wiping out millions of lives. That, is what you're dealing with. "

Agravain, expression still unchanged, questioned him, " But that still doesn't answer my question. Why do you need to hide certain things from us ? " Bhagirath sighed once again and replied, " It is because the Spirit Of Origin, this Goddess has a rather nasty ability which allows her to read the minds as well as alter the memories of individuals. Of course, I don't believe that she'll be able to alter your memories or control you, but peering into minds is something much easier. Think of it like this. The mind is a small house. Altering someone's memories is like entering the house and shifting the furniture and other things inside it. On the other hand, reading someone's memories is like simply peeking through a window. This is a rather gross oversimplification, but you'll have to deal with it. Of course, this is for a normal human. Your existence as Heroic Spirits, even if you're now fully incarnated, makes your consciousness on a level higher than normal humans. That means that instead of a simple house, your mind is more like a large Labyrinth, making it infinitely more difficult to enter into it and alter things, that being your memories. That said, peeking into it remains just as easy. Someone skilled could look through all of your memories in a single glance and you wouldn't even be aware of
it. "

After pausing momentarily, Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " And to clarify, I do possess certain.... Abilities that are rather annoying. Not harmful outright, but certainly enough to cause a hindrance. Should the first Spirit find it, she could very well do something irrational like randomly targeting civilians. And it doesn't matter how strong you are, you're still untrained in mental defences. Miss Pendragon, I can vouch for considering her mentor was a half incubus and used the mental landscape for training her with a sword since her youth. You all however are still uninitiated. So I cannot take this risk. Please forgive me. "

Mordred had a confused expression as she said, " But you just revealed your plan. Shouldn't that spirit goddess or whatever find it out if she reads our minds ? " Doesn't that defeat the entire purpose ? " Bhagirath smirked and said, " On the contrary, it actually helps me. Think about it. I may have said that I have a few aces up my sleeve, but how many or what these aces are is something that you and by proxy the Spirit Of Origin has no idea about. And hell, I could totally be bluffing about these aces. Remember, I simply said that I had a few annoying abilities. Whether they'll affect her, if they do exist, is something that she has no idea about. If anything, if she gets into your memories, she'll be more prone to make mistakes in panic. She's definitely someone who assumes the worst case scenario, from what I and this organisation, Ratatoskr has learned about her, given her methods of operation. As such, she'll be falling into a pitfall that she herself created if she does so. "

Agravain himself had a genuine smile on his face. After all, a master who finally understood that being prideful and honour bound does not mean that you should act like an idiot. If King Arthur was the light of hope of Camelot , then Agravain was the Shadow that safeguarded it from the insidious threats. Goodwill, Honesty and Chivalry alone cannot protect the innocent. You MUST be ready to dirty your hands if you wish to protect others. And he was happy that his new master was at least somewhat ready to take decisions which may not seem right, but were definitely for the greater good.

Gawain, like the others while certainly not exactly happy with the fact that their master had to hide certain things from them, still decided to trust him and accept it, considering that countless lives were on the line. As their Master had said, should the Goddess find out about his secrets, there was a chance that she could hold the lives of innocents hostage, complicating matters more than what was possible to handle. However, he still had something to ask their Master. While he was ready to take the necessary steps required for eliminating any threats to the world, it would certainly not exactly be heartwarming considering that if he had to eliminate the Goddess and the Demigoddesses, he would most likely have to kill young girls. He turned to Bhagirath and inquired, " So you wish to eliminate the Goddess and the Demigoddesses ? While I do not appr- "

Gawain however, was interrupted when Bhagirath screamed in a horror filled voice and cried out, " NO ! " Seeing his reaction, all of them were taken aback. Bhagirath himself was breathing heavily, as he sat down on a chair with a face which had fear and anxiety clearly painted on it. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his trench coat and removed one of the cigarettes from the pack. It was the same brand that his mother(?) used, the same person that he had killed with his own hands, Natalia. It was made by a Taiwanese maker, and its name was simply Dragon Smoke.

Placing the cigarette in his mouth, an application of sowilo was all it took to ignite it. Of course, using a primordial rune from the Age Of Gods to simply ignite a cigarette would have made any Magus choke on their own blood in anger, but they could shove a stick up their asses for all he cared. The pack of cigarettes, like the other things on him was projected too. Though that didn't make them any less shittier. While his one hand was holding the cigarette, his other was making a single golden coin dance on his fingers. It was actually a coin from his father's treasure, and was quite Cursed, though thankfully he wasn't affected by its Destiny altering properties.

The cigarette and the golden coin in combination were working to suppress his Draconian instincts. When Gawain had suggested attacking and eliminating the spirits, his Draconian blood was literally screaming at him to attack Gawain, though he had enough self control over himself to prevent that. It was a good thing that dragons were able to be pacified slightly by simply staying in their territory or in the vicinity of their treasure. Of course, he didn't have the liberty of summoning all of his father's treasure, so for now, the single coin would have to make due.

Seeing his state, Gawain was feeling slightly guilty. He wanted to speak something, but stopped when their Master gestured to him to stop. Bhagirath snuffed out the cigarette and then thoroughly incinerated the butt with a full powered sowilo rune to the point that not even it's ashes remained. He spoke in a sombre tone and said, " It wasn't your fault Sir Gawain. It's just that, your words triggered some.... Bad memories.... "

Taking a deep breath once again, he spoke up and said, " I don't think you quite understand the situation. These girls are young, not even having reached adulthood. And yet they are hunted down like beasts by the government organisations who wish to eradicate them as well as another Magus and his organisation who wishes to experiment on them to obtain their powers for himself. When they fight against their aggressors, they end up inadvertently causing spacequakes due to their release of Divinity. These girls are spending their entire lives as part of a hunt where every day they are hunted down by every person they come across. At their age their greatest concerns should be what dresses to wear, how to finish their school work , what to have for dinner, not how to live for just one more day ! These girls.... they did not sign up for this. They have no place on the battlefield... "

Seeing his intense words, everyone was slightly taken aback. Their hypothesis that somehow their master had lost someone in the past seemed to gain more credence with every passing second. Mordred however, had an annoyed expression as she spoke angrily and inquired, " What ? You think that girls have no place on the battlefield, do you   bastard ?! " Artoria sighed upon hearing this. It was something that was frowned upon even in her time, so she didn't exactly expect it to change. She simply had learnt to ignore things like this.

Bhagirath sighed and replied, " Of course not. Besides, even assuming that I do, do you really think I have the audacity as well as stupidity to make such a statement in front of the King of Knights ? I don't know about you, but getting pierced by a texture pillar doesn't exactly sound pleasing to me. Besides, even if you decide to forgive me, I'm not sure that even the barriers of space-time will protect me from getting my heart penetrated by a certain Crimson Red Cursed Spear. No , what I believe is, that the battlefield is no place for humans."

Everyone was both confused as well as curious about Bhagirath's words. Bhagirath continued speaking to elaborate his words and said, " The battlefield is Hell incarnate on earth. On the battlefield, human lives do not matter. Good, Evil , these concepts hold no value on the battlefield. Death swings it's scythe freely across the blood soaked earth, not distinguishing between Good and Evil. For on the battlefield, human lives are no different from crops to be harvested and cattle to be slaughtered. And this fact doesn't change regardless of what your intentions are, no matter how noble they may be. Regardless of the reason for which you wield your blade, the fact remains that you are ending a life. To end a life is to deny its future, everything that the person could be, whether good or bad is snatched from them. To take a life is the greatest sin that a human could commit. No human, regardless of their past actions should have to ever shoulder this burden. "

Lancelot sighed as he said, " Forgive me Master. I know that my words may offend you, but I must say this. Whether we like it or not, there are at times when evil MUST be eradicated. I can understand that you, as someone from the modern era, may not agree with violence, but it is necessary. It is for this reason that we Knights wield our blades. "

Bhagirath smiled and replied, " I do understand Sir Lancelot. And by no means am I a pacifist. To tell you the truth, I am someone who believes that every person, no matter their past deserves a second chance. That regardless of their sins, they do deserve a chance at repentance, at forgiveness. If I were to come across such a person, I would not hesitate to unite Heaven and Hell to save them. As long as it's even a tiniest glimmer of Hope, I Will save them. However, even as I say this, I am well aware that not everyone wishes to be saved. Indeed, everyone deserves to be saved but not everyone desires to be saved. You can show someone the path of repentance, but you cannot force them to walk on it. There will exist individuals, who by their actions cause great suffering and distress to not just themselves as well as others. Such individuals, indeed, must be regretfully eliminated. You can do nothing more than to pray that at least in their next life, after reincarnation they will be better individuals. Still, that doesn't change the fact that taking a life is still an act that shouldn't ever be carried out by a Human. "

Tristan spoke up and inquired, " Then who must carry out this task ? Someone has to do it. " Bhagirath smiled mirthfully and said, " It is rather simple. That responsibility, falls upon the shoulders of those who bear the burden of Kingship. "

Bhagirath took a deep breath as his expression hardened and he continued speaking as he said, " Most individuals, when they think of Kingship, think of it as a position of Authority. That however, is idiotic. It is in fact a position of responsibility. A King exists for the sake of his people. They are nothing but a Servant to the people that they reign over. A King CANNOT be Human. Certainly, a King must understand the hearts of Humans, to sympathise with them and more importantly, empathise with them, yet they cannot themselves be Human. To be Human is to have desires, to wish for happiness. A King cannot expect to have these things for themselves. The sooner a King realises this, the sooner they will release themselves from agony. It is for this reason that King's must be the ones to taint their hands with the blood of others. By doing so, they prevent others from sullying their hands, as this too, is an obligation to the people that they serve. That is their duty. "

Bhagirath sighed and shook his head and said, " Of course, even as I say this, I do understand that the burden of Kingship is not an easy one to bear. The moment The Crown is placed upon the head of the King, a noose is tied around their necks. As part of their duty, King's take up on themselves the burdens of their people. Sooner or later, that burden does indeed end up crushing them. But despite that, it is unavoidable. After all, the Lamp of Enlightenment that guides Humanity towards its future always requires offerings to keep it ablaze. Kings, and more importantly, Heroes are the ones upon whose shoulders that task . I do understand that it is not a task that should be carried by anyone. It certainly takes a toll on one's heart, that's for sure..... "

Artoria had a concerned expression on her face as she asked hesitantly, " You somehow seem to speak as if you were a king in the past ..... ". Hearing this, Bhagirath chuckled softly and replied, " I suppose it won't hurt to tell you. Indeed, I was once a King in the past, though I was a completely ordinary human. I reobtained those memories after I awakened the Fool Arcana. Though I suppose calling myself a King would be a little exaggeration, as I had a rather tiny land on this very land of the rising sun over which I ruled. It wasn't even as large as this city. A feudal lord would be a closer analogue to my position. I didn't exactly have a long rule, as I died at the age of 21. We didn't exactly have the most advanced medical aids in that time. Though I'm not displeased with it in the slightest. I mean, I was happy during my last moments and I even passed away near my family home on my territory. Of course, that certainly wasn't the last time I died. I and Death have a rather.... Familiar acquaintanceship..... I've died more times than all of you combined. But that's a story for another day. Regardless, I can say with confidence that there's not a single regret from that Life...... "

Seeing the faint smile on her Master's face, Artoria was genuinely worried. It was the same sort of smile that she had on her own face during the later parts of her life. It was a smile that symbolised one simply accepting what came their way and somehow being happy with it. It took her literal Death for her to understand that her ideal for the perfect King was flawed. Certainly, she did not regret her picking up Caliburn nor did she regret the sacrifices that she had to make. Though she wasn't ashamed to admit that she did wish that she would have given a bit more thought to certain decisions that she made. Of course, that didn't mean that she wished to change them. That would mean simply giving up on everything that everyone that she knew had ever done for her and would be nothing short of an insult to their sacrifices. Only an idiotic King would try to change the past. Regardless, trying to change her Master's mind was definitely the next thing on her priority list right after taking care of the Goddess problem. Thankfully, he was still young and hadn't suffered any tragedies , so she could still guide him on the right path. That and he didn't have an older sister trying to kill him ( That itself improved his life by leaps and bounds )

Bedivere fake coughed which caused both Bhagirath and Artoria to break out of their thoughts. He asked hesitantly, " But that still doesn't resolve the issue at hand. How exactly are we supposed to deal with the demigoddesses without harming them ? " Bhagirath answered calmly and replied, " That isn't something that you should be worrying about Sir Bedivere. To answer your question, I possess a ..... special ability which allows me to seal the Divinity of these demigoddesses. By doing so, their Divinity is almost completely sealed to the point that they are indistinguishable from normal humans. That helps to protect them from the people who wish to hunt them as well as prevent any further spacequakes. This is currently the best option available for us. "

Hearing this, everyone's mood was immediately uplifted. After all, none of them truly had any desire to take the lives of innocent young girls, so this was definitely good news to hear. But to have the ability to seal away the Divinities of Goddesses, their Master certainly was full of surprises.

Bhagirath took a deep breath and got up from his seat. Taking a few steps back, he kneeled down on a knee. He bowed down his head and spoke in a solemn expression and said, " I know that I have no right to ask this of you. This is neither your land nor this is your era. You have no obligation to participate in this conflict. I know that the world's riches and treasures hold no value to you. As such , I can only offer you my word. On my honour as Bhagirath, The Last Pharaoh, Ra himself I give you my word, lend me your blades, and regardless of the outcome of this conflict, I shall grant one wish of yours, regardless of what it may be, provided that it does not cause harm or grief to anyone other than me. Even if you were to ask for my soul to endure torment, I will happily have my soul be gnawed under the jaws of Ammit for the next million years. Aid me in this fight, Knights of the Round Table, for I ask this not as a King or a warrior, but as someone who desires justice ! Please do not let innocent lives be destroyed by this injustice. This is all I ask......"

Artoria turned to the Knights and as the Knights nodded in agreement, gesturing her their decision. She then walked in front of Bhagirath and spoke in an authoritative tone and said, " Raise your head, Bhagirath. As a king, you should not lower your head so easily. I speak on behalf of the Knights when I say this, you are not asking our aid for your own self but for the sake of others. You wish to fight not for selfish desires, but for the sake of Justice. Before I am a King, I am a Knight. And as a Knight, how can I let an injustice take place right in front of my own sight ? Rest assured, I and the Knights will aid you in your battle. Worry not. You have my word. "

Bhagirath got up as he had a genuine smile on his face as he said, " Thank you. Hearing that takes off a great burden off my heart. I may seem paranoid, but the fact is I genuinely am glad for additional help. I know what it's like to lose someone. I'd rather not have that tragedy be repeated with innocent lives. That being said, I know that most of you still have several questions. While I can't say that I can answer all of them due to the fore mentioned circumstances, I can still answer some of them. So please, do not hesitate to ask them. "

Artoria and the other Knights seated themselves as Bhagirath too sat down on a chair. Artoria was the first who spoke up as she inquired, " Firstly I would like to ask you about the nature of our summoning. You said that we are incarnated Heroic Spirits. Does that mean that we are no longer on the Throne ? And what do you mean by us being more than human ? "

Bhagirath nodded in understanding and replied, " Indeed. Let me explain. You see, when I summoned you here, essentially, your soul from the Throne was completely displaced and now given a real flesh and blood body. Essentially, you, Sir Lancelot, Sir Tristan, Sir Bedivere, Sir Gawain, Lady Gareth, Sir Agravain, Sir Bedivere and Sir Mordred are henceforth unable to be summoned as either Servants or Heroic Spirits regardless of circumstances. Of course, certain alternate versions of you still do exist in the Throne, so they are still viable to answer summons. And I suppose I should inform you that the summoning ritual had another peculiar feature. If there exists a considerable discrepancy between the two variants of a Heroic Spirit, then the soul is separated and then renewed so that iteration will have the required amount of strength. "

Artoria was confused by this as she asked, " I don't think I quite understand. Would you please elaborate ? " Bhagirath nodded and replied, " Certainly. You see, should there have been a major difference between the ideals of an individual, only then will the separation occur. For example, the past and future versions of the Heroic Spirit Gill De Rais are vastly different. So had I summoned him, the soul in the Throne would have split, reformed to give two complete souls and then the one which had the most compatible with me would have been summoned. Of course, both versions are the ' True Gill De Rais ' , so both have the same capabilities, memories and skills, just their ideologies are different. Had the difference been of just some noble phantasms, then the separation wouldn't occur. The heroic spirit would simply be summoned with all of his noble phantasms in this scenario, case in point Diarmuid, Finn McCool and Perseus. As is in all of your cases, none of you fall in the prior mentioned category. Sir Tristan qualifies for the saber class, but there's no ideological difference, so no separation occurred. Sir Lancelot qualified for the berserker class, but the presence of madness enhancement affecting his sanity is an aspect of the class skill, so no separation there. Alongside this, there's also the fact that henceforth, you'll no longer age. Certainly, you're still mortal, but old age is not something that you'll have to trouble yourself with. Not only that, your body is also capable of healing minor wounds, much like a servant's would, albeit at a slower rate. "

Lancelot had a slightly crestfallen expression on his face upon hearing his berserker class manifestation. After all, he still remembered the things that happened during the Fourth Holy Grail War. Agravain however, spoke up and inquired, " But if the Heroic Spirit should be summoned with all their associated noble phantasms in the case that they possess multiple ones, why wasn't our King summoned with her other noble phantasms ? I clearly remember her having more than just Rhongomyniad. "

Bhagirath smiled and replied, " Indeed you are correct. However, to answer your question, I must first ask you another question. You are indeed aware that Lady Pendragon in front of you is different from the one that you served under , yes ? While she is still Artoria Pendragon, Daughter of Uther Pendragon, she is from another world than the one you inhabited. "

Agravain replied in a firm tone and said, " Yes. I am well aware. However, she is still My King and the Ruler of Britain, even if from another world. And we may not be the ones from that world, but we are still the Knights of The Round Table. As such , we are honour bound to follow our King. But I fail to see what relationship exists between this and my question."

Bhagirath nodded and turned to Artoria and asked, " It does. Tell me, Lady Pendragon. Do the names Carnwennan and Marymadose seem familiar to you ? " Artoria shook her head and said, " Unfortunately no. It's the first I have heard of those. I have heard that my other self carried a holy sword by the name of Excalibur. Are these similar weapons to that ? "

Bhagirath nodded and affirmed by saying, " Indeed. Both are noble phantasms, though not on the level of the last phantasm of the planet. You come from a world where you picked up only Rhongomyniad after Caliburn was shattered. However, your other world counterpart picked not just Rhongomyniad, but also Excalibur and several other noble phantasms. Had I summoned her, she would have been summoned with Excalibur, Rhongomyniad, Carnwennan, Marymadose and of course most importantly, Avalon, the sheath that connects to the everdistant utopia. No doubt that summoning her would have solidly crossed the line of overkill and positively stepped into straight up hating your enemy territory. "

Agravain pondered over his words and replied, " I see..... Yes. Those noble phantasms are indeed quite powerful. Not counting Carnwennan, just one of them is enough to decimate armies. So having all of them together would certainly be terrifying. " Artoria turned to Bhagirath and inquired,
" Are they really that powerful ? "

Bhagirath smiled and replied, " Indeed. Each of those are terrifying weapons in their own right. The sheath Avalon is something that provides absolute defense against even True Magics and places it's wielder in the everdistant utopia. The only reason you weren't summoned with it is due to the fact that the sheath holds a stronger connection to the sword, not the Holy Lance. The dagger Carnwennan holds anti Thaumaturgical properties and always strikes its target, though not on the same level as something like gae bolg. It also contains the concept of severing, splitting whatever it strikes. The last noble phantasm, Marymadose, is a divine construct on the same level as the Sword Of Surtr, Laevatein. It's strength rivals that of the Fae Swords like Arondight and Galatine. Coincidentally, it was also once wielded by my granduncle, The Son of Zeus, Heracles himself. "

Everyone was quite shocked to hear that Bhagirath was the grandnephew of one of the greatest heroes in the world, Heracles himself. Bedivere spoke in a hesitant tone and asked, " But Heracles lived thousands of years ago. And even then, he was in a different world from this one. So how do you fit into that family tree ? " Bhagirath nodded and replied, "Yes. While there is a chronological difference, one thing that you should know is that I originally had lived through several lives in that world from which you are from. I'm connected to the Greek Pantheon because all holders of the Fool Arcana are considered as children of Orpheus, the son of Apollo and half brother to Heracles. All Fools receive his blessings upon the moment they awaken the Fool Arcana. As such, depending upon the rank of the blessing, we're able to have varying levels of proficiency with both the arts and music as well as being able to utilize the branch of Magic called Orphic Magic. Though each of us are capable of masterfully playing any instrument the moment we pick it up much in the same way that a God with the Divinity of music would. "

Tristan questioned him enthusiastically and asked, " What rank of blessing do you possess then ? And what are you capable of doing with it ? " Bhagirath chuckled nervously and replied, " Well, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I barely qualify for being counted as average among Fools when it comes to the rank of Blessings Of Orpheus. As such, indeed, I can play any instrument masterfully to the point that normal humans won't even hold a candle against me, but if it's some renowned Heroic Spirit like you, Salieri or Mozart, who also coincidentally had the blessings of Orpheus, I'm not up to that mark. Of course, with my Orphic Magic, I can do simple things like enhancing someone's magecraft, physical parameters, casting illusions that'll affect anyone lacking either an extreme mental strength , using it to cast some basic elemental spells, and yeah, I guess that's about it. "

Agravain sighed and replied, " I think you're underestimating yourself, Master. These things that you say aren't simply normal. Besides, I think I clearly heard you saying Orphic Magic not Orphic magecraft. Is this magic one of the aforementioned ' More than five True Magics ' Magic ? "

Bhagirath nodded and replied, " Yes. Orphic Magic is a category of Magic not magecraft. Because of this reason, should I ever come face to face with The Child Of God, Amadeus Mozart himself, while I'd certainly lose in my musical ability, I will surely triumph over him in combat because he still utilizes Orphic Magecraft, the degraded form whereas us Fools use Orphic Magic and that too that which is passed down from the progenitor Orpheus himself. And I do truly mean it when I say that my skills with the Orphic Magic are lacking as compared to others. Those with high ranking blessings are capable of doing ridiculous things like altering the very nature of reality itself by simply playing an instrument or even singing. "

Tristan was the most surprised as he spoke in a curious tone and asked, " Altering reality...... Is that even possible ?.... How does it even work ? " Bhagirath chuckled softly and replied, " I certainly understand your reaction, but it is indeed possible. And this reality alteration is different from what most normal reality alterations are, being more similar to the one that Lord Nyarlothep uses. Normally, when you try to alter reality, you have to pay the world a fee, that being your mana required to change reality, and even then, certain Truths remain constant. However, High Ranking Orphic Magic users are able to change reality without utilising even a shred of mana. It is much more in line with Authority itself, but instead of an aspect of the world, you have an Authority over the world itself. Essentially, they do something that's more akin to speaking with the normal fabric of reality and commanding it to change. Certain restrictions still do apply, but you don't have to use any mana. With this they can do some pretty crazy things, like inflicting the concept of ' True Death ' and ' Cessation of Existence ' on even a Beast like Tiamat. And when I say Tiamat, I don't mean the form of her that the last Master Of Chaldea, Merlin, King Gilgamesh, Lady Ereshkigal and the first Hassan fought, no , I'm talking about a fully unsealed Tiamat rampaging without holding anything back. "

Everyone flinched slightly in terror due to the sheer strength that the Fools had. After all, if an entity which required several high class servants to take down could be brought down by a single individual was quite terrifying. Gawain in particular, was pretty taken aback , after all, the First Hassan had indeed blocked a direct hit from Galatine during the day, which itself was a sign of his strength and by proxy, the sheer amount of effort required to take down Tiamat. Seeing their reactions, Bhagirath smiled and said, " And even then, there's still one person I haven't mentioned. Even among the most prodigious Fools, Sir Alfred is considered to be a talent that rarely appears in aeons. He was in fact given praise by Lord Philemon himself. He is capable of using Orphic Magic to such a level that by simply humming a tune, he can breathe actual life into inert objects like stones and such. Not only that, he is also capable of outright bestowing Divinity upon individuals, should their souls be strong enough to endure the conversion process. That's how effectively he can alter reality. "

Everyone present there made a mental note in their heads that should they ever come across this person, as long as they weren't engaging in any wrong acts, they wouldn't even try to get ten steps near that person. After all, what else could you say about a guy who can just turn others into gods or create life ?! Bhagirath smiled on seeing their reactions and spoke in a kind tone and replied, " While I do understand your reactions, do keep in mind that Sir Alfred is someone who has awakened the World Arcana and is over hundred and forty billion years old. As a matter of fact, he's actually not a human, but rather a different species not native to this or your Branch altogether. So he has indeed refined his craft for more time than most of us in this room combined have lived. And as I said, he's a possessor of the World Arcana. He's someone on whose shoulders rests the responsibility of an entire Branch. Of course he's going to be powerful. "

Artoria hummed softly and replied, " Yes, I suppose that indeed makes sense. And on that note, I believe it would be best if all of us are well acquainted with our combat capabilities. While you are aware of our capabilities, I would appreciate it if you could at least give us a basic understanding of how you fight. " Bhagirath nodded and replied, " Indeed. I suppose it's only fair. And one more thing before we continue. Please simply address me as Bhagirath when we aren't in front of anyone else. At the times when there are other people involved, please call me Shido. Being called master doesn't quite sit well with me. The only reason I let you address me as such until now was because I was caught up in the flow of the conversation. "

Artoria, while wishing to retort his words, chose not to do so given his resolute expression. With a sigh, she nodded her head. Bhagirath smiled and replied, " I suppose first things first. I'm not human. Not even in the slightest. As a matter of fact, I belong to a near extinct bloodline called the Cursed Bloodline. An integral ability of our bloodline is our incredible regenerative capabilities. We do not age and are capable of surviving through most poisons, and other such foreign elements. Any member, regardless of the bloodline purity is able to regenerate their entire body from even a single cell should their body be destroyed. I myself am someone on the bottom tier of bloodline purity, so it will probably take around a couple hours to regenerate my entire body from a single cell. Though from what I have heard, those at the True Ancestor rank can regenerate themselves from a single cell in a matter of a few microseconds. And as you might expect, our soul is capable of persisting indefinitely without any anchor and doesn't return to the sea of souls for reincarnation until we ourselves desire. There's also the fact that we are able to kinda sorta teleport across the cosmos in a roundabout way. Essentially, even if you were to destroy all my body, right down to every last cell, but a single cell of mine exists anywhere in the Cosmos, even if it's in another Branch, I can simply shift my soul there and regenerate myself there. And while I haven't expanded into other dimensions, a few cells of mine are currently making their way across the Pacific. So should I somehow have my body destroyed, I can still return in a matter of a few hours. "

Lancelot had a worried expression on his face as he said, " Mas- no, Bhagirath. Your bloodline abilities sound eerily similar to the abilities of Dead Apostle Ancestors, yet somehow even worse. Are you sure you don't feel any vampiric impulses ? " Bhagirath smiled and replied, " Rest assured Sir Lancelot, I am as far removed from vampires as I can get. Besides, truth be told, I don't really have too many pleasant memories with vampires. And if our bloodline was able to be propagated like vampirism, we wouldn't be the most endangered species in the Cosmos. "

Artoria raised a brow and asked, " Yes, you did mention that your kind was driven to near extinction. So how many of your species are there ? Did your kind retreat to the reverse side of the world ? After all, it seems too difficult to eradicate even the weakest of your kind. But Merlin himself never mentioned anything about your species..... " Bhagirath smiled mirthfully and replied, " No, Lady Pendragon. My kind didn't ever exist in your Branch. As a matter of fact, in the entire Cosmos, there are only Four individuals with The Cursed Bloodline in existence. "

Everyone was slightly surprised by this. A species which seemed so tenacious wouldn't simply dwindle to such numbers without any proper reason. Bhagirath sighed and replied, " Indeed. It is as you suspect. The current state of my kind isn't natural, but something that was caused by the gods no less. You see, we weren't a naturally occurring species. Essentially, our kind was created by the Blood God Hastur, which turns out was just another alias for Lord Philemon. He wished for us to be a sort of corps for safeguarding the Cosmos alongside the Fools. In the beginning, there were about 30 million of our kind, all gathered on a single planet. Now that's where the problem began. You see, our kind is nearly immortal, doesn't age and has the power to devour the souls of anyone we kill should we desire. And the Gods of Heaven were pretty pissed off by it as they claimed that no beings other than gods should have that kind of privileges without any drawbacks. "

Artoria interrupted him by asking, " Okay, but which Heaven are you talking about ? Which Pantheon's gods tried speaking out against your kind ? " Bhagirath had a confused expression on his face monetarily before sighing and saying, " Right. I should clarify. See, Lord Philemon did take on a lot of aliases. One of them was the name Izanagi. And that happened because he married a primordial Goddess, Izanami. And yes, she was one of the several Izanami in the Cosmos, much like how there are several Zeuses , no sounds wrong.......Zeusi ? Regardless, she fell in love with him, and both even had a child. Lady Izanami wished for her child to have a prosperous future and not the life of a mere wandering warrior. So she asked Lord Philemon to create an empire for him. So Lord Philemon created an entire Dimension which would serve as a gathering hub of sorts for gods all throughout the Cosmos. Normally someone making a proclamation this bold would probably be mocked, but considering that the Being in question was one of the strongest in the Cosmos, more than a few gods were eager. Today Heaven, or as it's commonly referred to as Greater Heaven serves the task of keeping an eye out for any threats against sentient life throughout the Cosmos, often acting much like a police force and and even at times working alongside Fools. Of course, the Apple doesn't fall far from the tree and like his father, the Heavenly Emperor too has quite the soft spot for Humanity. "

Bhagirath shook his head and said, " But we're getting off track. Coming back to our point, A large group of powerful Gods got together and essentially massacred all the individuals of my kind. And if you are wondering how they managed to get around our regeneration, they simply decided to eradicate the problem at its root and used Divine Artifacts which destroyed the souls to eradicate every one of them. Lord Philemon, as you might expect, was not amused. And an angry Philemon is a bad thing if you're on his other side. If you thought the ' Nuke everything in a ten mile radius ' tactic of the Counter Force was bad, then Lord Philemon definitely makes that seem tame by comparison. That's because Lord Philemon, while being married to a goddess, and even having a child with her, is rather apathetic towards gods, mostly due to their preconceived notions of superiority over the mortals. He only managed to hold himself back due to the pleas of his wife. His son however, had no one to hold him and he even had the excuse of ' Delivering Justice ' as the Heavenly Emperor. And so he did. He hunted down every one of the gods and burned their souls with Essence Flames, completely ending their existence. After that, Lord Philemon made it so that upon awakening the Fool Arcana, the individual would have the chance to have the Cursed Bloodline integrated into their being, and another random chance that would determine the purity of the bloodline, though the chances of getting the bloodline is really, really low. "

Gareth spoke with a pitying gaze as she said, " Doesn't it..... make you sad ?.... You are one of the last remaining ones of your kind.... Do you hate the gods because of
it ? " Bhagirath smiled and replied, " No. Not in the slightest. Why should I feel sad ? I am a man devoid of pride and honour. I feel nothing because of it. And as for hating gods, who should I hate ? They are already dead. Certainly, I do feel a degree of anger towards them for eradicating so many innocent lives, but I would have felt it regardless of which species they had targeted. If anything, I feel pity towards that self destructive mentality of theirs that caused them to target a species simply for something that they were born with and had no control over. And yes, I do feel just as bad for the destruction of their souls as much as I feel for the individuals of my kind that were slaughtered. The destruction of a soul is something that I can never approve of, even if Lord Philemon himself asked to do so. I also do not approve of the actions of Lord Ziwei, The Heavenly Emperor. Certainly, he has lived longer than most of us combined, rules over an entire Dimension, an area more vast than any of us could even visualize,but yet I do believe he was wrong with his punishment. Indeed, a King who does not punish crime encourages it indirectly. However, punishment is supposed to act as a deterrent against misdeeds. As such, it should be equivalent to the crime committed, neither less than required nor more than what is necessary. It is because of this that I believe that Lord Ziwei's actions were motivated not by Justice, but by mere rage. "

Seeing everyone's pitiful gazes, Bhagirath chuckled nervously and said, " Come now everyone. I said it, didn't I ? I don't mind it. Besides, I know what you're thinking. I may look like a teenager, but don't forget that I have lived through several lives. I can handle myself just fine. But enough about my bloodline. Besides, it's only half of my existence. Moving on, I should inform you that I am also a dragon. The Cursed Bloodline doesn't clash with any other kind, so there's no problems there. "

Artoria was the most interested by this piece of information as she inquisitively asked, " Were you implanted with the Heart of A Dragon too ? " Bhagirath shook his head and said, " No, not quite. See, in your case, you were implemented with the Heart of The Red Dragon, thereby making you a human with draconic attributes. I however, am a true Dragon, a genuine Phantasmal Beast. And yes, my Divine Blood only bolsters my mana capacity in combination with my Dragon Core as well as my Magic Circuits. "

Artoria sighed upon hearing this as she rubbed her temples and said, " Pseudo Immortality, Divine Blood and a genuine Dragon, a Phantasmal of the highest order..... I am genuinely glad that we aren't in our world, because I'm absolutely certain that the Mages Association would have placed a seal designation upon you faster than you could blink. I'm pretty sure that most Magi wouldn't hesitate to get into actual wars with each other just to get a piece of your flesh..... "

Bhagirath scoffed on hearing this and retorted by saying, " Oh please. Those inbred idiots would get into actual wars if I threw them an automatic back scratcher from the Age Of Gods from Egypt. Besides, what could they have done ? Try to restrain someone whose flesh can easily take a nuke to the face and still survive while at the same time nullifying any mysteries of the modern era ? Honestly, it would be nothing more than a manzai should they have tried to face me. Besides, even if they succeeded in capturing me, I can escape by either simply shifting my soul to any other body, something that nothing in the world can stop me from doing so, no matter how strong of a bounded field it is. Other way is for me to commit suicide anytime by overloading my entire body with the energy from my Divine Core, Dragon Core and my circuits. Of course, I'd rather not try that considering that while I can come back in a matter of hours, the resulting explosion will be enough to level a dozen large sized cities like London at the same time...... "

Artoria sighed once again and replied, " It seems that you don't exactly have a great opinion of Magi. " Bhagirath scratched his head nervously and said, " I won't deny that. I don't have too many good memories relating to Magi. But it's not like those guys give you too many reasons for liking them. " Mordred spoke up with a confused expression and asked, " But why do you have an automatic back scratcher from the Age Of Gods ?.... "

Bhagirath shrugged his shoulders and said, " Well, it's something that the old royals used to place in their burial chambers, after death of course. In Egypt, the afterlife was thought to be like any other journey where the individual would require adequate supplies for travel. As such, various goods were prepared beforehand. Not counting perishables like food, a person was expected to prepare things in advance. Clothes, sandals, ornaments, timepieces in the form of sundials, and so on were kept ready beforehand to be placed after the person's death. And as you might expect, as long as there have existed useless trinkets, there exist idiotic nobles who'd spend egregious amounts of wealth on these useless trinkets. That backscratcher is one such example, requiring the mana in the surroundings to function. "

Bhagirath sighed and said, " But enough of it. Moving on, as for my arsenal, I don't hesitate to use any form of weaponry. Certainly, I do know how to use swords, lances, halberds, spears, bow and arrows but I'm just as good with a gun and modern weaponry. Unlike Magi, I'm not hesitant to incorporate modern weapons like guns into my arsenal, and I even tend to incorporate magecraft into it. For example.... "

Bhagirath extended his hand as his trusted friend appeared in his hand. Admiring it, he spoke up and said, " This is a Thompson Contender. It's been my trusted friend for years. Of course, it's no run of the mill factory model. I have extensively customized it not just mechanically but also thaumaturgically. Empowered with primordial runes, it can give the same power output as a .308 Winchester. And should I empower it with some good old-fashioned conceptual reinforcement, it can easily reach the level of a 40mm Bofors gun, in strength, not in range. Of course, that'll also end up destroying the gun, so there's that. "

Agravain seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before enquiring, " I thought most Magi disliked using modern weapons. I believe that most would probably consider it heretical to use magecraft on a weapon like a gun." Bhagirath shrugged and said,
" Well, I don't think I'd call myself a Magus. After all, a Magus is someone who tries to reach the Root. For Fools like me, we are the ones who receive our benefits directly from its creator. What use is it for us trying to reach it ? For me, Magecraft, like any other discipline like weapons or martial arts, is but a means to an end. I do hold a certain degree of respect for the crafts, but I am not afraid to act like a heretic as long as it doesn't cause harm to anyone other than me. "

Agravain spoke up once again and inquired, " Another thing that I wish to ask you. When you lit up that cigarette, you used runic magecraft. I may not be able to use magecraft, but as someone who has grown up and spent his entire life near it due to my heritage, I can say that I am at least proficient with distinguishing between it. I have seen runic magecraft being used several times considering that it's one of the most basic branches of thaumaturgy that even the weakest Magi can learn. But the rune that you used while restrained, still seemed much more potent than anything I had seen anyone perform. It was also much different than what I had seen ever being used. Was that a primordial rune ? You even said that you enchanted your gun with primordial runes specifically. Even in our era, the number of people who could use primordial runes was far and few. So it's certainly surprising to see you using them. "

Bhagirath nodded and replied, " Indeed. It is as you suspect. They are indeed Primordial Runes. I learned them from my mentor, The Witch of Dún Scáith, Scathach herself. In one of my past incarnations, I was taken by her as her pupil. Certainly, I was nowhere near the likes of that bastard Setanta or as he's more commonly and appropriately known, Cú Chulainn. "

Tristan hummed softly and spoke up and said, " I must say, you truly have quite an interesting life. Part of me wishes to sit with you and simply listen to all the stories that you could narrate. Still, I suppose you were part of the Ulster Cycle ? That would certainly explain your tutelage. " Bhagirath shook his head and said, " Oh nothing like that. I was actually born nearly a century or so after the death of Cú Chulainn. I was just a simple villager who probably hit his head during childhood which was probably the reason for my idiocy."

Agravain however, spoke up and said, " A simple villager wouldn't be tutored by the Ruler Of The Land Of Shadows. So I think all of us would really appreciate it if you were to come clean with us regarding it, assuming that it does not clash with our motives. " Bhagirath hummed momentarily and then replied, " Yes, I suppose that shouldn't be a problem. The only reason why I felt my story wasn't worth mentioning is simply because it's insignificant. But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you know about it. "

Bhagirath released a heavy sigh and said, " I was actually born in a small village in the mountains. Didn't know anything about my parents considering I was an orphan. From what I heard, they died at the hands of beasts. Come to think of it, I never really did have parental supervision in any of my lives, did I ? Huh, says a lot about my parental misfortune I suppose. Well, regardless, I was actually raised by an old lady who lived in the village. She took me in considering that she lost her own son in a war. "

Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " Regardless, there is something you need to know about our village. It was apparently near a nest of wyverns. Then why didn't we relocate ? Well, that's because it was the only somewhat fertile land in the vicinity with a water source in the form of a river. The other spots were also taken by the neighbouring villages, if you can call the distance of about a couple hundred kilometres neighbouring. The wyverns were notorious for picking up weak prey whenever they spotted one, especially during winters. "

Lancelot asked worriedly and inquired,
" Did your people not try to fight back ? Surely they couldn't have just sat idly after seeing such atrocities by these beasts. " Bhagirath smiled mirthfully and said, " Not quite. We were a rather small and poor village. We barely at times had iron implements for farming, so we didn't really have the chance to make our weapons other than a few wooden spears and bows and arrows. Not only that, given the harsh conditions, most of the people were malnourished. Seeing people with sickly appearances and people whose bones were so visible that you'd almost mistake them for a walking skeleton wasn't uncommon. "

Gareth asked in a hesitant tone and said, " So how did you survive ? Did no one help you ? " Bhagirath smiled and said, " No, no one did. And how we survived, well.... We had a solution, if you want to be generous with the term. Whenever the winters approached, the villagers used to collectively select old individuals who couldn't contribute anything to the village alongside sick people who had no chance of recovery. These people would be left behind to be devoured by the wyverns, much like tribute. The others would escape into the hiding spots in the mountains where they'd hole up until everything returned to normal. "

Everyone present there was acquainted with this scenario well enough. The same thing happened during times of war when villages simply left the injured and elderly to fend off for themselves. Of course, this did not make the idea any less horrible. Seeing their reactions, Bhagirath sighed once again and said, " Yes, I agree. It wasn't exactly a good solution. Regardless, we still practiced it. One winter, it was decided that the old lady who took care of me would be among the people who had to stay back. As you'd expect, I wasn't exactly happy with it. I wanted to stay beside her, as I refused to leave her alone. In the end, the villagers forcefully restrained me and carried me away. "

With a distant smile on his face, he continued speaking and said, " Of course, me being the obstinate and reckless idiot that I was, I sneaked immediately that very same day from the caravan and tried to make my way to the village. By the time I reached the village, I found that the wyverns were already devouring the corpses. And just because apparently I was really, really feeling suicidal that day, I decided to chase away the wyverns by throwing stones at them. And what happened was anyone's guess. The wyverns turned their attention to the new source of fresh meat, and tried to attack me. "

Bhagirath paused momentarily and then said, " And it was at that moment that I first met her. Before I could do much blink, a red blur zipped past me, completely skewering the wyvern with a red spear. Casting runes, launching spears, the wyverns were slaughtered before they could even try to run away. I, like a lot of the kids in the village, had heard stories of the Son Of Lugh, Cu Chalain and his mentor, the Ruler Of The Land Of Shadows, Scathach. But never in my life had I ever dreamed that I'd ever get to see her with my own eyes. After all the wyverns were dead, she rushed towards me hurriedly. "

Artoria pondered over his words and replied, " I can perhaps imagine what must have gone through her mind. To see a devastated village and a single surviving kid, it makes sense that she'd rush to see whether you were alright. " Bhagirath had a playful smirk on his face as he said, " Oh, not quite. Rather, when she stood right in front of me, I was momentarily dazed. I wanted to say something, but I was still somewhat in shock due to the whole experience. And she didn't exactly check me for injuries or anything. She kicked me in the face. "

Everyone's minds halted abruptly at the sudden development. Luckily, Mordred articulated everyone's thoughts into simple words as she said, " What the Fuck ?! " Bhagirath smiled and said, " Yes. She kicked me in the face and said, ' Kid, if you really were this suicidal, there are less painful ways to die than be mauled to death by wyverns. ' . Apparently, she was simply out for a hunt when she spotted a stupid kid, that being me throwing stones at wyverns. Before the separation occurred, the various realms like the Land of Shadows, the mesopotamian underworld and so on were more approachable by simpler means and at times people could wander into them accidentally too. Though in this case, she had simply come out to find and hunt some demon boars."

Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " Of course, an idiot like me wasn't going to be dissuaded by a simple kick. I asked her if she was really the Ruler Of The Land Of Shadows, Scathach herself. She laughed at me and asked me, ' So what if I am ? ' . I got down on my knees and bowed in front of her and asked her to teach me how to fight. Understandably, she was not exactly willing. She even said to me, ' Kid, it's going to be nightfall soon. The creatures of the night won't show you why mercy just because of your age. ' "

Mordred had a bewildered expression on her face as she asked, " A woman just kicked you in the face and you asked her to be your master ? Did you fall on your head or something master ? " Bhagirath sighed and said, " I told you, don't call me Master. If nothing else, just call me Shido if my True name is too much for you. And I'm my defense, this was the famed Scathach we were talking about. Learning how to fight from her in exchange for getting kicked in the face seems like a fair deal to me. Besides, it's not like my pride was a hurdle. I always have and will be a man devoid of pride and self worth. My pride is as dead as the gods themselves. Regardless, as I was saying, My teacher, Scathach, was ready to leave me there and simply return to her land. Of course, I was not ready for that. "

Tristan, deeply engrossed in the story, asked eagerly, " So what did you do next ? " Bhagirath smirked and replied, " The stupidest, pettiest and most childish thing that one could ever do. I latched onto her leg and wrapped up my arms and legs around it. I held onto her even as she sprinted at literal breakneck speeds. I probably only managed to hold on because of the fact that, to prevent my grip from slipping, I was biting on my own intertwined hands till I was actually bleeding. Even when she eventually stopped, I refused to leave her, even when she tried to shake me off her leg. In the end, she forcefully pried me off her legs, though I managed to break a few teeth of mine in the process. "

As everyone stared at him with gobsmacked expressions with the exception of Mordred, who seemed to be ready to burst into uncontrollable laughter due to his antics, Bhagirath smiled and said, " Indeed. If there's anything that hasn't changed about me despite my reincarnations, that's the fact that I'm stubborn as hell. After seeing my sorry state, my yet to be mentor picked me up by the neck and leveled the most deadpan expression at me and asked, ' Why are you even doing this kid ? ' . My answer was quick and to the point as I replied, ' I don't want anyone else to die for me again. ' After that, she placed me on the ground and muttered while holding her head, ' Not another one... ' and said that she'd accept me as her student as long as I completed her test. "

Lancelot asked Bhagirath curiously, " So what was the test ? Was it something like hunting an animal ? That would make the most sense given your circumstances. " Bhagirath shook his head and said, " Not quite. And luckily, if I'd say so myself. I was in no position to hunt nor did I have any experience with it. So she gave me a much simpler test. See, the thing with Gae Bolg is that it's hellishly cursed. Hold it in the wrong manner and you'll end up with an unhealable wound. That's why one of the techniques for throwing it involves the feet. Of course, Setanta and my mentor did get around the issue by simply being it's true owners and should anyone other than those two try to hold it, the results would be pretty nasty. And that's exactly what she asked me to do. ' Hold the Gae Bolg for an hour without fainting or falling down in the same spot. ' A rather simple sounding task, yet a rather tricky one practically. "

Bedivere had an unpleasant expression on his face as he asked, " And you had no idea about the curse on the spear ? " Bhagirath nodded and replied, " Yes. Certainly, simply due to its nature and due to having been created in the Land of Shadows, it had an Aura of Death around it. Of course, while I could sense it and was still afraid of it, my recklessness and stupidity helped me overcome my fear and I accepted it. Simply holding it in my hands caused my palms to bleed while at the same time exacerbating my other wounds. I was bleeding so much that I had to use the Gae Bolg itself as support to stand straight. On the side, my yet to be mentor kept reminding me of the time with frequent intervals. "

Gareth spoke in a concerned tone and asked, " But you did succeed, right ? " Bhagirath chuckled nervously and replied, " Err, not quite. Due to the blood loss, I was finding it extremely difficult to retain my consciousness. So in the end, I resorted to cheating. " Mordred asked with an amused expression and said, " What, did you stumble and fall down and then say something like ' This doesn't count ! ' or something like
that ? "

Bhagirath scoffed at her and said, " Hell no. Besides, you think I'd do something so ordinary ? Of course not. I was probably trying to speedrun the achievement for the stupidest decisions in the span of a single day, so I ended up doing something different. I needed something to support myself, but I couldn't move from my spot. Simply holding Gae Bolg in my hands caused me to tremble. So I used the nearest available object to help myself. I took Gae Bolg, turned it upside down and used the spearhead and pierced my own foot. The spear passed right through my foot into the ground, thereby pinning me down and ensuring I didn't fall while at the same time increasing the amount of pain I was experiencing which further helped me to stay awake. Only because of this I was able to stay awake and stand straight till the end, though I ended up passing out the moment my mentor told me the time was up. "

There was a few moments of silence upon hearing Bhagirath's words. Mordred took a deep breath and asked in a resolute tone, " Shido, right ? Tell me, are you a masochist ? Because what you did had clearly surpassed the limit of stupidity and definitely gone into masochism territories. " Bhagirath had a deadpan expression on his face as he said, " Of course not. Besides, even if I was, I think that there's definitely better ways to satisfy your fetishes than impaling your leg with a cursed spear. And in my younger self's defense, I thought that it was either failing and losing the opportunity to be tutored by the Ruler Of The Land Of Shadows, or impaling your leg and most likely losing it, but at the very least getting actually tutored by her. I mean sure, I would most likely be a cripple with one leg, but at least I would be taught how to fight. "

Artoria asked with a worried expression and inquired, " Didn't the thought that there was a chance that you could lose your life because of the injury cross your mind ? " Bhagirath smiled and said, " It most certainly did. However, it wasn't like I had anyone waiting for me. So even if I did end up dying, it wasn't too much of a deal-breaker for me. Honestly, it was a win-win situation for me. Pass the test, get taught how to fight by a literal legendary figure. Lose and die of blood loss, and hey, you don't have to worry about anything else in your life. No pesky struggles for survival and no worries about working for livelihood. It's because accepting death's embrace is much easier when you have nothing left with you. After all, the bonds with friends, family and acquaintances, all these connections become restrictions as they shackle you to your life. So do your responsibilities and duties, things that only come in the later stages of your life. It's these things that give Life meaning. They make it worth living. Take them away, and even immortality seems like a curse.... "

Bhagirath had a distant smile on his face as he shook his head and said, " Ah, forgive me. I got sidetracked momentarily. It's not often that I get to reminisce about my past and laugh at my own stupidity. But regardless, yes, my mentor took me in and even healed my wounds. Turns out, the person who made the cursed spear unhealable also knows how to heal wounds from said spear. After I woke up, my first question was to ask her whether I passed. After she answered me yes, I breathed a sigh of relief as my mentor then asked me if I was alright. I quickly answered yes. Of course, after hearing that, she immediately snapped my forearm like a twig and then lectured me about my foolishness for about an hour and only then healed my arm. "

Hearing the last part, everyone sweatdropped slightly. Gawain spoke with a nervous chuckle and asked, " Your mentor had quite the.... Uh, heavy handed approach with your teachings it seems. " Bhagirath smiled and said, " Oh you don't know half of it. The next decade or so I was under her was nothing short of absolute hell. I'm pretty sure that if I was a heroic spirit, if definitely have the ' Protection from Arrows ' skill because of my training. Though I'd suppose that certainly would explain how Setanta too got it...... But as I was saying, the training under her was hellish. She'd literally throw enough spears at me and make them dodge them until my entire front part resembled the backside of a porcupine. And don't even get me started on the spars with her ! God ! I'm pretty sure that I learned the nuances of human anatomy and physiology without ever having been taught by the sheer number of bones I had broken. But while it may seem like I'm complaining, those years were the most memorable years of my life. Only after I was nearly nineteen years old that I'd finally step out of the Land of Shadows with my mentor's teachings and her gifted cursed spear. Of course, I knew that I wasn't going to live longer than the age of maybe thirty five or forty, but I wasn't worried about it."

Artoria had a puzzled look on her face as she asked, " Did the Witch of Dún Scáith make a prophecy involving your death ? I had no knowledge of any legends of her dabbling in divinations and prophecies. " Bhagirath shook his head and said, " Prophecies are needed to predict the future. And you don't need to predict that which you are certain of. I knew my lifespan was limited because of a certain procedure that I underwent willingly. "

Seeing everyone's confused expressions, Bhagirath continued speaking and said, " You see, I wasn't exactly a prodigy with the spear, or fighting for that matter. Sure, I did have some skill with runes, but that's as far as my skills went. I wasn't a demigod like Setanta nor was I some talented child who could simply learn everything from my mentor. I did try as hard as I could, but my body still held me back. There's only so much an ordinary person can do. However, I still had something that several warriors throughout the ages have had, and it even helped them immensely during perilous times. That being, stupidity. And I was in no shortage of it. So, I came up with a plan. I remember when I first told my mentor about it, she slammed my face so hard into the ground that I'd ended up breaking my nose. I kept pestering her over the next five weeks for it and in the process, I ended up breaking and healing over four hundred and eighty three bones due to the sheer number of times I was beaten up by my mentor only for me to heal my injuries with my runes. Of course, I was one persistent bastard, so in the end I eventually had her agree with my plan. "

Bedivere, sympathising with his experience, asked him curiously, " What was this plan of yours and why was your mentor so against it ? " Bhagirath scratched his cheek nervously and said, " Well, it was actually a plan to strengthen myself. Essentially, I was going to have my mentor remove all of my flesh from my body. Then, she'd inscribe runes like Ehwaz and Kenaz on my bones directly. Then the flesh would be healed with magecraft, at least in theory. The result would be me having a body where I simply had to pass magical energy through myself instead of casting the entire runic inscriptions, shortening the process by leaps and bounds. So why go this roundabout way instead of using simple spells like reinforcement ? Well, two reasons. First, the runes in this way are much quicker and more efficient and provided a bigger boost to my combat capabilities. I mean, I was able to pulverise a human size boulder with a single punch. Secondly, it also passively increased my physical capabilities, even when I wasn't actively utilising them. Sure, the process was painful as hell and I was covered with scars, but hey, I succeeded. And considering that I designed the whole process from scratch including the runic inscriptions, I was pretty happy. Though I suppose the reason why no one else came up with a similar idea was because of how crazy it was. That, and the fact that the runes didn't just harvest magical energy, but slowly sapped away at my life force itself to empower me. That was the reason why I was guaranteed to not live past a certain
age. "

Bedivere, shocked by this, asked him, " Burning away your own life force for the sake of power, why would you do something like that ? " Bhagirath smirked and stared at his metallic arm and replied, " Isn't this the pot calling the kettle black ? " Bedivere opened his mouth to speak something in embarrassment but was quickly shut down when Bhagirath smiled and said, " Please, I meant no offense. I was just trying to lighten up the mood. But to answer your question, my reason wasn't as quite as noble as yours. I was simply someone who wished to excel at what I was doing. It wasn't something like passion for fighting or desire for strength, no it was simply because I found it extremely easy to throw away my life because of how little value I placed on it. "

Bedivere spoke up and asked, " Did you really take your life for granted or were you simply one of those people who simply lived in the present and didn't place value on anyone's life ? " Bhagirath quickly replied to it by saying, " Uh, definitely the first. I did value life, just not my own. As I said, it's easy to accept your own death when you've got nothing to lose. I was utterly lacking in self preservation instincts, which was what drove my actions. I wasn't worried about myself in the slightest. Regardless, after leaving the Land Of Shadows, I returned to my village. The people were definitely surprised, but accepted me soon. I immediately got to the job which I had prepared for years at that point. Hunting Wyverns. I started taking down the stray wyverns in the vicinity, especially those hiding inside the mountainous caves to reduce their numbers before the winters. Hell, I even came up with a special set of runes to kill them efficiently. Essentially, by casting the special runic inscriptions at the same time as when the wyverns would launch their flames, it'd cause their internal magic to go haywire, causing them to burn from the inside. It was the same as lighting a spark inside the fuel tank of a
flamethrower. "

Bhagirath smiled and said, " This continued for about two more winters. Due to my actions, the number of wyverns in the region were reduced significantly. Everything was going well. And one thing I have learned throughout several of my lives, when everything goes well, something is going to go horribly wrong. And the same thing happened. One winter, the number of wyverns increased dramatically, much more than there had ever been. Considering the circumstances, I asked everyone to vacate the village, though I personally made sure that this time, no one was left behind. I even went so far as to threaten everyone that should any sick or elderly be left behind, I would personally hunt them down with Gae Bolg. And that worked pretty well as a threat. After that, I alone faced the horde of wyverns."

Artoria, much like the others, was clearly engrossed in the story. She asked inquisitively, " What happened next ? " Bhagirath shrugged and said, " Well, I started to kill all the wyverns. I think I lost count after some 672 something, but yeah, I was killing everyone, considering that they were attacking me more aggressively than usual, as if they had a vendetta against me. Honestly, my runic inscriptions were quite helpful in the fight. Never had I ever been more proud of myself. That and my mentor's gift , my own Gae Bolg was quite helpful too. I'm not ashamed to admit that most likely I would have died halfway through the battle without Gae Bolg. Having a cursed spear that inflicts wounds that are near impossible to heal helps a lot. Honestly, things were going well. Sure, I was literally facing enemies from all sides, but hey. I at least had a pretty good chance of survival. At least, that's what I thought. Fate, it seems, has a really bad sense of humour. "

Bhagirath smiled as he had a rather incredulous smile on his face as he said, " Out of literal nowhere, a large beast landed in front of me, dispersing the wyverns. It was, of course, a True Dragon. Not a wyvern, but a real dragon. Turns out, it was the leader of the group of wyverns and it really wasn't too pleased that a human of all things was hunting it's subordinates. " Everyone winced slightly upon hearing their master's bad luck. After all, dragon's were feared for a good reason. They were horrendously difficult to harm, much less kill. Gareth spoke in a hopeful tone and asked, " But you did win right ? I mean, you had magic and your mentor's gift too. Surely you must have won. "

Bhagirath smiled and said, " Eh, technically I did win. And a slight correction, I possesed Magecraft. And as both Lady Pendragon and Sir Agravain can attest, Dragons are near impossible to hurt with magecraft. That completely rendered my runic inscriptions useless, as trying to make the Magic of a dragon run rampant, was trying to wrestle against the flow of a river. Not exactly the easiest task. As for my mentor's gift, it too was proving inadequate. See, Gae Bolg is an AMAZING weapon. Against standing armies ? A weapon of mass destructive capabilities and a tool for horrific deaths. Against a single individual ? Once again, really great. Really useful. But against the scales of dragons ? Unfortunately, it falls a bit short. It just doesn't have the capacity to pierce the scales of a dragon. And I didn't exactly have something like a Fae construct with me. So honestly, I was at an impasse, unable to actually cause any damage to the damn thing. "

Artoria seemed to be deep in thought when she suddenly had a look of realization on her face. She turned towards Bhagirath immediately and asked, " Wait. You said that you had no way of actually causing harm to the dragon. However, you also said that you won against it. Why do I get the feeling that you somehow did something incredibly
stupid ? " Bhagirath smirked and replied, " Because I actually DID do something incredibly stupid. See, one thing that you should know about these powerful beings with sentience is that more often than not, they're megalomaniacs. And that means that they have a penchant for theatrics and tend to monologue. I took advantage of exactly this. I kept mocking it while at the same time continuously dodging attacks from its claws and tail. I kept saying things like, ' How pathetic it was that it couldn't even kill a single kid ' and even ' You are nothing more than an obese overgrown lizard ! Dragons are supposed to breathe fire ! You're a fake ! ' The last one definitely got to him. And so, he fell right into my
trap. "

Bhagirath grinned and continued speaking and said, " See, there wasn't much distance between me and the dragon. It was barely one or two feet. So, angered by my provocation, the Dragon decided to incinerate me. And that was the moment I was waiting for. As soon as the overgrown lizard opened his mouth, I channeled every ounce of energy within me to launch myself at his mouth. See, a thing you should know. As strong and impregnable as a dragon's scales are from outside, from the inside, it's just as squishy as any other animal like a dog or cat. Taking advantage of this very fact, I kept pushing myself even when the flames continued to burn my body. In the end, I finally managed to pierce the palate of the dragon with my spear, thrusting it right through his mouth into his skull. He struggled, but the cursed spear was already doing its job. Of course, my charred half-dead body was lying on the ground when I saw him struggle to his death, and I did die only a few moments after that. However, I did die contently considering that none of the villagers lost their lives and I even managed to take out such a large threat for them. "

Everyone present was half shocked yet half impressed given Bhagirath's reckless yet brave actions. After all, sacrificing your life to save offers was certainly an admirable trait. Mordred in particular was quite happy because her new master was actually who got shit done rather than being a wimp. She spoke up in a cheerful demeanor and said, " Well, at least I'm happy that you aren't some wimp that hides behind the actual fighters ! And that was one badass idea that you
had ! "

Hearing this, Bhagirath simply smiled. Artoria however, sighed and said, " While I don't quite agree with Mordred's words, I do share the sentiment. What you did was indeed reckless, yet noble at the same time. Though I certainly hope that you'll have the wisdom to not do something like that again. " Bhagirath smirked and said, " No promises. But regardless,I was really content with my death. Truth be told, I am rather happy that I died at a young age regardless of my limited lifespan. "

Hearing this, everyone was confused by his strange words. Bhagirath, sensing their confusion, spoke up and said, " Indeed. I am genuinely glad that I died at a young age. The reason is, the ' Me ' of that time was someone who didn't quite understand what was right and what was wrong. Naive, perhaps would be the correct word to describe me. I was someone who you could easily manipulate with simple words. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but my skills made me deadly. Certainly, I was nowhere near the likes of Setanta, his son or god forbid, my mentor. But I was still more deadlier than the average warrior. That, combined with my magecraft and my mentality to not care about my own life could mean that I had the potential to cause terrible atrocities. And by the time I understood the difference between right and wrong, it could have been too late. So it was better that I died young. I saved a few people from a wyvern problem, but didn't cause any needless deaths after being manipulated by someone. So I am definitely happy with that outcome. "

Artoria seemed confused by his words as she said, " But you could just as easily have saved countless more lives. One holds just as much potential for good as one does for Evil. To simply give up on life itself because one is afraid of committing evil acts is foolish. Certainly, at times you may make a mistake, but that does not mean that you should simply forfeit your life. It means that you must understand where you're mistaken and make an effort to not repeat it. It may seem harsh of me after your sacrifice, but I certainly do not agree with you. "

Bhagirath smiled and said, " No need to worry Lady Pendragon. And certainly, I do understand your viewpoint and even agree with you. However, that viewpoint is predicated on the assumption that I was a being who could understand the difference between right and wrong. The fact of the matter is, the Me of the past was someone who did not understand humans. Even when I took the decision to learn how to fight to safeguard the villagers , it wasn't because I wished to save the villagers or anything noble like that. It was simply because I had no idea what else to do. Had someone come and said to me to fight a war, I would have done so too. I was more machine than man at that point. I was the same as the foolish monkey that imitates the actions of humans, yet does not understand the principles behind those actions. The ' Why ' behind your actions matters just as much as the actions themselves. The ' Why ' is a product of self reflection. It arises when you calmly and rationally analyze your own self and actions and assess yourself on your morals. Without it, one loses his path and is unable to distinguish between good and evil. The ' Why ' is the voice of one's conscience. It is something that my past self lacked, which made me no different than a boat without a sail, something that simply drifts wherever the winds carry it, without any will of its own. A boat without sail and a man without morals are dangerous things, holding the potential to not just cause grief to themselves, but even those around them. It is for this reason that I'm happy with my own death. "

Hearing his words, everyone was both agreeing with him, yet at the same time, confused by this, considering that it was coming out of the mouth of a rather young looking child. Certainly, most of them had seen servants who were fully functional adults manifested as children in Chaldea, much like a certain perpetually annoyed Danish Author, but it still didn't make it any less strange to see it happening again. And it was perhaps even worse considering that it was their new master, a human(?) who despite looking young, was someone who seemed to have suffered the hardships of life.

Seeing their expressions, Bhagirath chuckled softly and said, " I can already imagine what you're thinking, but no, rest assured, I am well beyond my age where I have accepted my past. Certainly, at times I can't help but cringe slightly when I look back, but I have accepted it nonetheless. Don't forget, I may seem young, but I'm older than all of you combined. Don't worry about me. Still, if one important lesson I've learned, it's to laugh at yourself. I mean, think about it. I was the disciple of Scathach, Ruler Of The Land Of Shadows and a God Slayer who had killed several gods. I died at the hands of a literal Dragon. Yet now, I'm somehow of all things a God who also happens to be a dragon. I mean, I'm pretty sure that if somehow I had summoned my mentor, she would have laughed till her stomach started to hurt at my current predicament. Of course, that would only happen AFTER she finished skewering me with Gae Bolg considering the shit that I had pulled before my death. Seriously, if she was summoned, forget everything, I was going to literally jump out of this ship, consequences be damned. "

Agravain, immediately questioned him, " Ship ? Are we on a vessel of some sort ? I didn't even realize that. There was no indication of it, so I assumed that we were in a fort or base of some sort given the metallic constructions. " Bhagirath interjected him and said, '' Not quite. We aren't on a seafaring ship, but rather an airship. This ship, The Fraxinus is essentially a mobile fortress of sorts that functions on the combination of Magecraft and Technology to fly fifteen kilometres in the sky, though it is capable of going higher. It functions as our base of operations and is a fundamental part of our arsenal against the aforementioned forces of DEM. Much like a naval warship, it is combat ready and can take our most modern day aircrafts and can even devastate entire city blocks if used offensively. It's commander of operations is my sister, Kotori Itsuka, the redhead who you saw outside. "

Everyone was clearly impressed by knowing that such a thing was on their side. Agravain in particular was already thinking of contingency plans involving the ship should things ever go south. Mordred however, was surprised by the revelation about Shido's sister and said in a surprised tone, " Wait, that child outside is the leader here ?! I could kick her ass any day ! "

Before Gawain could interrupt her, Bhagirath smirked and said, " Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Sir Mordred. After all, despite her appearance, Kotori is one of the aforementioned Spirits. She is a pseudo demigoddess and as such, is quite capable in combat. While not quite on the level of a true God, she possesses an Authority over Flames on about the same level as a divine spirit. Of the ones present here, the only ones I can say for certain that can defeat her are Lady Pendragon, Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain. And assuming that you somehow did manage to injure her, she possesses regenerative capabilities which can ensure that she can always heal her wounds to the point of even recovering lost limbs. And even if you think that your noble phantasm may help you, she possesses her Angel Camael, which is essentially a Divine Construct who's power output rivals some A rank noble phantasms like The Thrice Blessed Sword, Durandal. Trust me, she may look like a kid, but she's no pushover. "

Everyone, especially Mordred, was quite shocked by this. After all, while Mordred may not be as strong as Gawain, or as skilled with the blade as Lancelot, she was certainly no weak knight. But considering that her opponent was a near divine spirit level entity with a divine construct, it wasn't too surprising. Bhagirath smiled and said, " Of course, that's assuming that she's at her full power. Currently, she's sealed by me and as such, is only at the physical strength of an average caster class servant. So unless she's in mortal peril or wills it extremely, her powers will remain sealed. "

Artoria hummed on hearing this and said after a few moments, " I see. Certainly, this method of yours for sealing these demigoddesses is most convenient and effective. But while we are on the topic of Authority, could you elaborate on the Authority that you possess ? What are you capable of doing with it ? " Bhagirath nodded and said, " Indeed. As you may know, as a Pharaoh, I possess the Authority over the sun. However, under normal circumstances, a Pharaoh is an incarnation of Ra, a bunrei. As such, the power they wield is limited. However, my case is different. I am not an incarnation of Ra, but rather Ra himself. Well.... The next Ra perhaps would be the right word..... "

Everyone was confused as hell upon hearing this. Their master was not the incarnation of a god but the god himself ? But he was next in line for the god ?..... Seeing their expressions, Bhagirath spoke up and said, " I understand. Let me explain. See, I'm sure you must have heard the story of Moses and Ozymandias. How he brought the wrath of God against the Egyptian pantheon and all that. Well, the God that helped him as well as the one that guides saints like Jeanne D'Arc is none other than the Collective Will Of Humanity, Alaya herself. "

Agravain nearly got up from his seat as he exclaimed, " Wait, the God in the Bible is Alaya ?! " Bhagirath sighed and said, " Indeed. It's her. She's the one who grants visions to Saints and nudges Humanity from time to time." Agravain's eyes started to twitch rapidly as he said in a barely restrained tone, " SHE ?! Alaya is a woman ?! " Bhagirath had a sympathetic expression on his face as he got up and placed his hand on Agravain's shoulder and said " I understand your reaction. She does not exactly have a gender, considering her nature as an Abstracta, but she prefers using a feminine form simply to annoy others. Trust me. I KNOW. "

Artoria raised a brow and asked, " You speak as if you know her. Do you ? " Bhagirath sighed and said, " As much as it pains me to say, yes. I have had a..... few fleeting moments with her, though not much of real contact, thankfully. But as I was saying, Alaya had decided that it was time for the Egyptian civilization as well as it's Pantheon to end. Of course, the gods weren't just going to sit quietly and meet their ends. So they devised a plan. Certainly, had they let things go their course, they would have simply been turned to Divine Spirits and be weakened, but they would still ' Exist ' so to speak. However, the Egyptian civilization and its traces would without a doubt be destroyed as per Alaya's plan. This was simply unacceptable to the Egyptians, for whom the legacy of an individual was even more important than the life of the individual themselves. So they came together, and did something that was totally unexpected and absolutely crazy. "

Artoria raised a brow and asked, " Is that where you get your reckless nature from,
Bhagirath ? " Bhagirath smirked and said, " Oh please. I don't need the help of divinity to make stupid and reckless decisions. I'm quite capable of making them on my own. But regardless, as I was saying, the gods came together, and sacrificed their entire Divinities, essentially completely ending their lives. In exchange, all of that power released from the destruction of the Divinities of over 2000 gods and goddesses was utilised for enforcing a Quantum Time Lock upon the world itself. As such, while the Egyptian pantheon was destroyed, the Egyptian civilization survived and even Alaya herself couldn't do anything to overturn the decision. It was because of this reason that my Ancestor Ozymandias was the last Pharaoh to be the true incarnation of Ra. After him, all the other Pharaohs weren't actually the incarnations of Ra, but simply held Divinity because the people of Egypt believed that they did, which caused them to gain Divinity, much like the King of Conquerors, Iskandar. "

Artoria had a confused look on her face as she asked, " But that still doesn't explain your strange statement. " Bhagirath chuckled nervously and said, " Well....see, the thing is, my alternate timeline self who also is my Ancestor due to my Cursed bloodline is someone who was good friends with Ra from the Egyptian pantheon and Odin from the Norse. And that was supposed to be a pretty big deal because according to Lord Nyarlothep, he hated Gods with so much passion that he'd definitely put even Avenger class servants to shame. So he actually had instructed Lord Nyarlothep, who is coincidentally also his good friend to safekeep his remnants. And that's what he did. Lord Nyarlothep essentially fused my soul with the remnants of Ra's Divinity, making me the ' New Ra ' so to speak. I still have my own memories, as well as his, but I'm distinct from him, both in personality and ideals. "

Artoria rubbed her temples in frustration and said, " The Pharaohs are supposed to be both incarnations and descendants of Ra. You are a Pharaoh, but at the same time you're Ra himself. That makes someone like Ozymandias both your Ancestor as well as your descendant. Bhagirath..... your family tree is a mess...... " Bhagirath had a hollow smile on his face as he stared vacantly and said, " Yeah. My family tree is less of a tree and more of a wheel considering it loops in on itself. Though there's also the fact that I'm also part of the Greek family tree because of my connection to Orpheus. And I don't think I need to tell you what an absolute mess that thing is. So perhaps my family tree isn't like a wheel but rather a tumbleweed, considering how complicated and interconnected it is..... "

Bhagirath shook his head and said, " Regardless, as I was saying, I have complete dominion over Ra's Authorities. Under normal circumstances, these abilities are supposed to be limited to a single texture. However, as this world lacks both Gaia's influence to hold me back as well as the prime Goddess of the Sun, Ametaratsu not being present to stop me. As such, I have complete dominion over the Sun. But I suppose that the fact that this Divinity isn't exactly native to this world, so it's not actively aiding me, weakening me slightly. Still, I can plunge the world into eternal darkness if I wish. I also don't possess the concept of Death, so killing me is....... rather difficult, let's just say. Of course, these aren't the only Authorities that I have. "

Ignoring the comment about not possessing the Concept of Death (because that was a can of worms that she had NO intention of opening right now ), Artoria was rather surprised about the comment of possessing additional Authorities. After all, to her knowledge, Ra only possessed the Authority over the Sun. So this was certainly an interesting revelation. Seeing her as well as the others confusion, Bhagirath spoke up and said, " Well, you see, one of the peculiarities of the Egyptian pantheon was the fact that the deities often used to combine with each other to form gods with composite Divinities. And Ra you see, to put it mildly, was a prolific combiner. As such, I do possess several additional Divinities aside from the domain of Sun. Of course, they are minor Divinities, so don't exactly expect much from them. "

Lancelot upon hearing this, inquired, " How prolific are we talking about ? How many Gods had Ra combined with ? " Bhagirath had a rather vacant smile on his face as he said, " How many women did Zeus sleep with ? " Hearing this, everyone winced slightly as the answer was quite clear. Bhagirath sighed and said, " Don't worry. Ra may have combined with a lot of deities, but it's not like all of them were major gods with powerful Divinities. Besides, of those that were, only a handful of their Authorities made it to me due to the fact that a lot of them were probably erased due to the sacrificial ritual as well as the fact that most gods have their names forgotten, something that practically ensures your end as a God, especially in Egypt. And even the Authorities I do possess are rather weak and simplistic. Other than my Authority over the sky from Horus, which is only a step below my Authority over the Sun, my other Authorities are rather boring. I do have a minor divinity over fertility and rivers, so I could turn an arid land fertile and flood rivers, but I really don't want anything to do with river Divinities given my past experiences. I also do have a minor divinity of commerce and trade, so there's that. There's also my Divinity of healing from Sekhmet , both due to her connection to Ra as well as the Pharaohs. Of course, then there's the more wacky Divinities, like the one from the Goddess Taweret, who aside from once combining with Ra, probably managed to have her Divinity passed down to me due to her connection with Hathor, who herself was connected to Horus. So yes, I do have a Divinity over fertility and childbirth..... "

Seeing his frustration, Mordred seemed to be ready to burst into laughter as she said, " Wait , childbirth ?! Pfft ! You have a Divinity of childbirth ?! " Bhagirath sighed and said, " Yes, yes. Laugh all you want. But yeah, I can probably ensure a smooth and easy delivery for a pregnant woman. Besides, it's not like I'm uninitiated with the medical field. I did learn a bit about it from my mentor, Scathach. Though it was mostly how to heal injuries in the middle of battles, not proper surgery or anything else like that..... "

Agravain sighed and said, " Leaving that aside, there is still something important that we must discuss. It's about the ritual to seal the demigoddesses. I may not be a Magus, but even I am aware that the more complicated and difficult a task, the more complex and constraining a ritual for said task exists thaumaturgically. I can barely fathom the sort of preparations and steps for a ritual that does something as impossible as sealing away the Divinity of a deity. So I believe it would be better if you can clarify about it. Certainly, I don't expect you to disclose everything, considering that to ask a Magus to disclose their Magecraft is impolite at best and declaring outright enmity at worst. But still, I believe that we will require at least basic knowledge about the ritual. How long will it take, is there a specific time frame under which it can only be conducted, the fact that we will probably have to draw the demigoddesses to it and if so, will we have to stall them considering that most of them probably wouldn't be too willing to cooperate. I do believe that we require these details. "

Bhagirath had a nervous smile on his face as he was trying to look the other way and said hesitantly, " Well.... Er, it's not quite a ritual.... " Agravain had a surprised expression on his face as he said, " Oh ?! A spell then ?! I must say, that is quite a feat. After all, to do something like sealing the Divinity of a Goddess with something like a spell, it is quite an accomplishment. " Bhagirath groaned as he was literally pulling his hair with his hands while hiding his face behind them at the same time as he said, " It's not that ! I ...... have to make the Goddesses fall in love with me to seal them ! "

           If you listened carefully, you could almost hear the gears in everyone's minds coming to a sudden halt upon hearing those words. Artoria merely let out an indignant " WHAT ?! " upon hearing this. Bhagirath screamed into his hands and said, " Look, it's like a mana transfer in a sense ! A bond of trust is first created then with physical contact, which in this case is a kiss, and NOT coitus, which results in the formation of a link between me and the Demigoddesses ! I act as an outlet for the excess mana through the bond, thereby ensuring that they remain sealed ! "

Seeing everyone's gazes still focused on him, Bhagirath groaned and said, " Look, it's not like I have another option ! During my first sealing, I got stabbed through my chest with a broadsword which also happened to be a damned divine construct ! My second attempt at sealing involved me stepping into an icy dome that could not just freeze most materials on the planet, but even conceptually freeze the bounded fields themselves ! The only reason I managed to cross it was due to the divine energy flowing through me ! Then there was that time I had to seal Kotori's powers and walk through a literal wall of flames from the aforementioned divine construct on the level of Durandal ! You think I am getting into these situations just to get laid ?! "

As Bhagirath was breathing heavily after his outburst, the others winced slightly as they took a moment to reconsider his words. After all, he did make a valid point. What sane person would go through all these tribulations just to satisfy their carnal desires. Agravain was the most affected by the revelation. After all, given his reaction, Bhagirath seemed genuinely concerned by the process to actually seal the demigoddesses. Perhaps it was wrong of him to think that everything would be too simple. Truth be told, he would have been more assured if the requirements for sealing involved a ritual which required the sacrifice of a dragon, considering that it was more simpler ( that and they had Lancelot with them, who regardless of other things, could be counted upon when only his skills were considered. )

Seeing their expressions, Bhagirath sighed and took out another cigarette and said while smoking, " Forgive my outburst. It's just that as I have only recently awakened the Fool Arcana, I literally had a near death experience and even had to endure the whole process of my soul travelling to the Collective Unconscious and back. That combined with me awakening my bloodline and my Draconian instincts acting up, my emotional state is rather slightly unstable. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Honestly, I can understand your reactions and even think they're justified. However, this is the only way we can seal the Divinities of those girls. "

Artoria sighed as she rubbed her temples in frustration and said, " Is there.... no other way for sealing other than this
method ? " Bhagirath sighed and replied in turn by saying, " Unfortunately, no. Normally, gods and in certain cases, demigods are able to suppress their own Divinities if they wish to, even I can do that. However, due to the artificial nature of their Divinities, these girls are unable to do so. And yes, technically speaking I do possess a few noble phantasms from the Age Of Gods which can restrain deities,but that's the thing. They RESTRAIN divinity, not seal it. That is to say, they are more akin to shackles which will not just seal their Divinity, but turn them even weaker than ordinary humans and completely immobilize them. Not exactly what we're aiming for here. "

Artoria shook her head in exasperation and said, " I understand. I suppose it's irrational to ask for something like convenience when you're accomplishing something as difficult as sealing away gods and their Divinity, even if they are artificial ones. Regardless, my promise still stands. I and the other Knights will help you, even if it's just driving away the AST and the Magus that you mentioned. "

Bhagirath bowed down his head and said, " Thank you for understanding. I suppose I should at least introduce all of you to the rest of the crew of Fraxinus. Please follow me. " As he led the Knights outside the room, a single question repeated through Bhagirath's mind, " How the hell am I going to explain to Kotori about this mess ?...... "

Heroic Spirit Stats :

True Name : Bhagirath

Aliases : Ra Incarnate, Son Of Fafnir, The Willful Martyr, Shield Of Humanity

Parameters :

Strength : A

Endurance : EX

Agility : A(+) ( With Time Alter and mana burst, in conjunction with the cursed Bloodline. )

Mana : EX

Luck : EX ( Inverse ) ( The possessor is guaranteed to experience greater tribulations that bring suffering to only them. However, for noble phantasms requiring luck checks like Gae Bolg, standard value of EX Rank is applied )

NP : EX

Class Skills : N/A

Personal Skills :

Golden Rule : EX ( Downgraded to A+ )
Due to being the True inheritor of the Das Rheingold, as well as ███████ █████ █████████ ██ █████████ the individual is granted this skill. However, the effects of Arcana Zeroth weaken this skill, downgrading it's Destiny altering properties. However, the user can still ███████ ███ ████████ ████ ██████.

All Kinds Of Talents : EX
Born from the experience of ██████ █████████ █████████ ██████████████ as well as the accumulated experiences from the reality marble, the skill allows mastery in several fields. The wielder does not gain skills they wish to acquire, but rather ' already possesses ' them. However, physical attribute skills like the skill ' Hundred Handed Ones ' of Hecatoncheires when copied in conjunction with Self Modification ( Cursed Bloodline ) skill suffer a downgrade of two ranks.

Arcana Zeroth : EX
The true proof of an individual possessing the Fool Arcana. The EX Rank indicates the status as A High Ranking Fool. Allows one to be free from the influence of ' Fate ' and ' Destiny '. Prevents eliminatory function from the Cosmic Will Of The World upon entering a Branch as well as turns the temporal point of entry into a timeline as the Nexus point. Also provides complete mental protection to all forms of interference, even from those Eldritch in nature. Should the wielder be authorized as The World Arcana, grants support from the ROOT itself should certain conditions be fulfilled. Makes the timeline and Branch that the holder enters into to lack ' Predetermined Fate and Future '  . Due to this, all Clairvoyance abilities in the timeline will be severely weakened and limited and even the highest ranking clairvoyances will only be able to grant a few moments of insight into the future, provided that the Fool is not part of the estimation, either directly or indirectly.  Also grants a connection to the Collective Unconscious itself, making it possible to siphon off near infinite energy from it.

Blessings Of Orpheus : C
Allows for the use of Orphic Magic, giving the user the ability to enhance others magecraft, physical abilities, casting illusions indistinguishable from reality and even incorporating other thaumaturgies and spells into Orphic Magic. The user can surpass any normal individual in musical ability, but will lose to Heroic Spirits renowned for their musical skills like Tristan, Mozart, Salieri or Beethoven. Also provides a bonus multiplier for oratory skills.

Divine Core Of The Chief God : EX

(Downgraded to C++)

A manifestation due to Ra's Authority as the chief of the Egyptian pantheon as well as███ █████ ███████ . A composite skill that comprises Divinity, preserves the absoluteness of the mind and the body, repels all mental interference, prevents the body from growth and prevents the figure from being altered. With aid from the Self Modification ( Cursed Bloodline ) , the physical form can be altered, but certain restrictions still apply. However, due to the deep connection with the █████ █████ and the influence of ' Willful Martyr ', it is possible to suppress one's divinity to a lower rank.

Son of Fafnir : EX
Offspring of the Evil Dragon. Grants greater resistance to attacks and even nullifies attacks lacking sufficient Mystery. Also causes the presence of Draconian Instincts. However, the instincts can be suppressed with will alone. Also grants Absolute Authority and dominion over dragons or individuals with Draconian attributes. The more closely related to a Dragon a being is, the more Authority can be exerted.

Cursed Bloodline : B
Allows regeneration from all wounds and curses along with nullifying most poisons and allows adaptation to those which are unable to be nullified. Allows for transformation into other entities, regardless of class, down to the conceptual level if desired. However, only physical attributes are replicated, spiritual existences are unable to be replicated. Allows for the soul to persist indefinitely without any anchor to Reality and grants displacement of soul through the Blood Realm. Also allows assimilation of anything by contact, as long as it remains part of the cosmos. Even souls can be assimilated. In case of spiritual entities and mana constructs and bounded fields and territories, energy is assimilated directly instead of being converted into blood.
( AN : Even though it's referred to as blood, blood is simply a term used. The cells can be controlled individually and every cell of the body is living, even those normally considered dead like hair and nails. Anything that makes physical contact can either be assimilated into energy or converted into blood. { Think of a twisted version of King Midas's Touch. } )

Self Modification ( Cursed Bloodline ) : A
Allows modification of physical attributes as well as altering the conceptual nature to even turn into beings like True Ancestors for as long as one desires. Due to the lower purity of the Bloodline, the rank is lowered.

Clairvoyance : EX
A skill that has arisen directly from the Ideal that " Everything under the Sun, Everything The Light Touches is The Domain Of Ra. By calling out the True Name of his merged form with Horus, ' Ra-Horakhty ', it is possible to even gain insight into the future and past. However, due to effects of Arcana Zeroth making it so that any timeline or Branch that a Fool enters becomes uncertain and lacking a predetermined ' True Future ' , the skill has undergone a drastic shift. It is only able provide visions and insight in the form of granting answers to objective questions, and that too only inside a single texture that the user currently resides in.
( AN : Aka, if he uses the clairvoyance to ask, what is the weak spot of the man in front of him, he'll get the answer that it's Achilles and his tendon is his weak spot. However, if you ask subjective questions like, ' What is the meaning of life ? ' or ' Who is the most beautiful person in the world ? ' , it'll do nothing. )

Comprehension of The Law Of Time : B
Due to experiencing ███████ █████ ███ ██████████████ , the user is able to manipulate Time through directly assuming control over the Temporal Law in a localised region. However, in closed systems like Reality Marbles, where the influence of the Cosmic Will Of The World restrains it's influence, it is possible to outright stop and isolate oneself from the flow of time as The Cosmic Will Of The World is lax with enforcing Laws inside Reality Marbles.

Comprehension of The Law Of Space : C+
Due to experiencing ███████ █████ ███ ██████████████ , as well as comprehension of the sister Law, the user is able to establish control over the Law Of Space. At this rank, small pocket dimensions and teleportation are made possible. Shattering the fabric of space is also possible.

Comprehension of The Law Of Flames : A+
Due to experiencing ███████ █████ ███ ██████████████, as well as the Tribulations in the Collective Unconscious, the user is able to establish Dominion over flames of any kind, outright rewriting their attributes and strength on a conceptual level. At this rank, seizing the Authority of even the strongest Gods of Fire or Divinity associated with Flames is possible.

Willful Martyr : EX
The individual possesses an extremely deep connection to the Human Order The individual also has ███ █████ ███████ ███████ █████ ███ ███████████████ ███████████ ██████████ ██ ████ ██████ ██ █ ████ ████ ██ █████ ██████████ ██ ██████ ██ ████████. Allows the individual to completely transfer any form of injuries or curses, even those upon the soul or those that are part of one's existence ( like those part of Servants legends ) upon themselves. The transferred ailment will cause suffering and agony , yet will be unable to cause any prolonged harm or damage to the individual. However, any pain associated with it will always be experienced.

Discardation Of One's Self : EX
Allows the user to ' Reject ' their existence, eliminating all desires and emotions as per their wish. Like a Weapon that exists simply for fulfilling a purpose, so too does the individual act. As long as the individual holds faith in their ideals, it is impossible to
' Lose ' . Like an unrelenting force of nature, the individual shall continue to work towards their goals and ideals. In case of a battle where the individual believes that their ideals and beliefs are on the line, the user receives an overall boost to all aspects of combat. Even concepts like ' Death ' and
' Cessation of Existence ' are unable to act upon the individual.

Logos React : A+ ( EX )
Allows for recording and recreating minds, as well as calculate multiple possibilities to certain events. A thing to note however, unlike the genuine Logos React, only the minds of individuals can be recreated, not worlds. Receives a bonus multiplier when recreating the personality and mind of individuals from the Branch Of Origin. ( Aka the Nasuverse )

Magus Killer : EX
Due to possesing the soul of the Magus Killer as well as having been part of the Convergence ████████ █ ███████████ ██ ███ ████████ █████████ ████████ █ ████ █████ ███████. Provides a conceptual advantage against any Magus, regardless of origin, time period or species.

Thaumaturgical Nullification : -
Nullifies all forms of Thaumaturgies, regardless of era or origin. Only True Magics as well as Divine Authorities are able to affect the wielder.

Convergent Thaumaturgies : Ex ( C+)
Having known several schools of Thaumaturgies from various eras and various parts of the world, the user is able to wield a██ ██████████████ ███████ ██ ██ ██████ ██████████ ██ ███████ █ ███████████ ████ ███████ █████████ ████ ███ ██████ █, as long as they're from the Branch Of Origin. However, the skill is severely degraded due to the unwillingness of the user to utilize different schools of Thaumaturgies unless the situation absolutely requires it. " Why use so many complicated spells and different forms of Magecraft when you can just copy their own Mystic Codes and chuck it at them and watch as they puke blood in rage. Or better yet, just throw a couple Divine Constructs at them, that always works, right ? " - A certain blue haired individual.

Alaya's B████████ : EX
Due to a certain encounter with Alaya, the user is granted protection as well as observance from the Collective Will Of Humanity itself. Should the wielder be in mortal peril and in Alaya's Branch of influence, the Collective Will Of Humanity will deploy ALL it's Counter Guardians to aid the possesser.

Madness Enhancement ( Denial ) : EX
Originally a class skill, however, it manifests as a personal skill due to its transformed nature. Unlike normal variants, the possesser is able to hold normal and rational thought and even high level communication is possible. However, the individual is unable to deny certain preconceived notions about certain
' Truths ' and ' Ideals '. Rejecting the ideals or denying them is completely impossible, regardless of any circumstance.

Projection Magecraft : EX
Allows the user to project anything as long as it's not a Primeval Weapon and carries the concept of an ' Object '. The projected object is actively recognised by The Cosmic Will Of The World, making it impossible to be rejected unless a great deal of energy is expended to erase it from existence.

Eternal Arms Mastery : A+++ ( EX )
Due to the accumulated experiences from The Unlimited Lost Works as well as ███ █████████ ██████ ███ ██████████████ , the wielder can use any weapon to its peak capability under any circumstance. When fighting against an individual from the Branch Of Origin, especially Heroic Spirits, a positive multiplier is gained due to already knowing every move and thought process of the opponent due to the Logos React skill. The possesser can truly be called the arch nemesis of Heroic Spirits, especially those who gained fame due to their Magecraft due to this skill as well as the others.

Understanding of the Human Heart : EX
Allows the user to understand and connect with individuals part of the human order. Under normal circumstances, it only works as a high ranking charisma skill of A rank equivalent. However, should the individual reveal the ' Truth ' of their existence, it can allow for the formation of a genuine and lasting bond between the one who receives the revelation and the possesser. However, the skill does not create bonds, it merely creates conducive conditions for formation of bonds. Regardless of the result however, the possesser will always appear as a
' Likable person ' unless the opposing person actively hates them.

Higher Being : - ???????

Noble Phantasms :

That which lies at the end of the path of Humanity, The manifestation of a myriad Broken dreams ( Unlimited Lost Works )
Type : Human Order Convergence
Rank : ( EX )
Range : ???

A Reality Marble, containing █████ ██████ ██ █████████ ████ ██ ███ █████ ██████. Differing severely from the Iron Wrought Hero's Reality Marble, it takes the form of a ██ ███████ ███████ ██ ██████ ███ ███ █████ ████████ ███ ████ █████ ██ ███ ██████. However, due to the conceptual weight of its Existence, it is impossible to manifest it on the normal plane of existence, lest one destroy the very fabric of space-time. As such, it has to be manifested in the Void Space and whatever and whomever the user desires, is pulled Inside it, whether they be Human, Demon, God, or even Beasts.

The Seven Flowers That Converge Upon All Of Humanity ( Rho Ais )
Type : Human Order Convergence
Rank : EX
Range : Human Order

Originally the Shield Of Ais the Great, yet it has been transformed due to the ideals of the possesser as well as the presence of ████ within them. At its base rank, manifests a single seven petaled lotus flower , which has half the defensive capability of a single petal of the real Rho Ais. However, at its full potential, it manifests as seven interconnected Seven-petaled Lotuses which cover every individual part of the Human Order and protect them from any attack, regardless of origin. Unlike the sheath , The Everdistant Utopia, Avalon, it doesn't merely isolate the individual in a separate world to grant them protection from even True Magics, but rather rather makes it so that the Cosmos itself isolates and protects by nullifying any attacks. Everything in the Cosmos is unable to cause any harm to the Human Order, as the Cosmos itself aids and ensures it's survival, for the protection of the Human Order becomes temporarily a fundamental
' Truth ' of the Cosmos, much like the Laws themselves. It is the manifestation of the the ideal that ' As long as The the Shield Of Humanity stands, no harm shall come to Humanity '.

Author's Notes : And with that, we're finally FUCKING DONE ! God damn it, this was one Hell of a chapter ! Gods, never in my life have I ever wrote this much. Man, I remember in my first book, I cut short a chapter and gave the reasoning that ' 3000 words is too much for a single chapter ' . And now, I'm writing nearly Thirty five thousand words chapters ! Damn, it feels like ages have passed. Regardless, my barely hanging sanity aside, I know that a lot of you may have a lot of questions. Don't worry, feel free to drop them in the comments. However, let's address the elephant in the room. A huge question that must appear in everyone's heads is ' Isn't the protagonist too strong ? He's powerful than most servants. ' And you're right. He is. But the thing is, you're mistaking him for an ordinary servant or even a heroic spirit. Heroes are those who achieve a spot in the Throne of Heroes due to their circumstances and or accomplishments. Bhagirath however, is none of these. He is A WEAPON. He is CREATED with the sole purpose of helping the human order. That's why Nyarlothep was tinkering with his powers and existence. Besides, in the second Arc of the story, this unstoppable force is going to meet its immovable object, or should I say, impenetrable object. Regardless, whatever the case, one thing you mustn't forget. It's something that I said in the last chapter. " Power ALWAYS comes at a price..... " And now that you've seen the power here, I think you can see where this is heading..... After all, if you have a hearty meal at a high class restaurant, surely the bill isn't going to be a small one. Now when and how our dear old friend here has to pay the bill,well...... that's for the future......

Word count : 34,871 words