Crazy Britain:They’re All Raising Me

As the rumbling thunder gradually faded into the distant skies, in the very center of the flattened ruins, Mash slammed her overheated, steaming shield into the ground and began to pant heavily from exhaustion.

Beside her, Ritsuka Fujimaru quickly scanned their surroundings. Seeing the mansion completely obliterated, she couldn't help but click her tongue.

"Whoa… that power is terrifying…"

But soon, another realization struck her.

"Even though Dr. Jekyll said he was just a human, Hyde—his true self—definitely used a Noble Phantasm just now... So he really is a Heroic Spirit after all, huh?"

"Seems like it… Maybe we should go ask him directly?" Mash nodded weakly. Even though she'd only taken the aftershock of the crimson lightning head-on, for her current physical condition, even that was already too much—she definitely needed to rest.

However, just as Ritsuka was about to approach Will, he suddenly raised his hand, gesturing for her to stop.

"Wait… Don't come any closer."

"Eh? Oh—okay!"

Though confused, Ritsuka obeyed and immediately stopped.

Once he confirmed she hadn't moved, Will lowered his head and turned his gaze to his character interface, stopping on the quest tab.

Though Mephistopheles and his many copies had seemingly been annihilated by that single strike of crimson lightning—vaporized along with Victor's entire mansion—Will wasn't going to fall into the same trap twice.

—After experiencing one fake-out death already, this time he would be sure.

And what could be more direct than checking whether the quest to defeat Mephistopheles had been marked as "completed"?

Yet at that moment, the mission still showed: In Progress.

Will's eyes swept over the area once more, confirming that everything had been utterly leveled—nothing left standing. After a few seconds of silence, he shifted his gaze to his own torso, closed his eyes, held his breath—and listened.

Several seconds passed before he opened his eyes again and muttered,

"I see now… Looks like while I was focused on Victor's research notes, you slipped in through my feet, didn't you?"

He paused.

Seeing no response from Mephistopheles, he continued:

"But did you really think hiding inside me would let you get away with it?"

"…Impressive! How did you find out?!"

This time, Mephistopheles' voice rang out again—but it came from within Will.

"Just happened to be familiar with your Noble Phantasm, that's all," Will said flatly, his gaze seeming to penetrate his own skin, as if looking at something deep within himself.

"If I remember correctly, what you find most terrifying about parasites is that they 'hide in places where they can't be defended against'... And the real usage of your Ticktock Bomb is to plant a bomb inside an enemy's body to bypass all defenses, right?"

Despite speaking of something deeply disturbing, his tone remained calm, as if discussing something utterly mundane.

"Using your own body as a Noble Phantasm to hide inside an enemy is a clever idea. But that also means you've forfeited the rest of your Noble Phantasm's abilities… Or what, are you actually planning to blow up your own body to take me down with you?"

"How the hell do you know all this?!"

For once, Mephistopheles' voice was laced with genuine fear—his every trick being casually exposed like words written on a whiteboard.

"Heh."

Clearly satisfied with the reaction, Will let out a cold chuckle.

"Unlike you, who knows nothing about me—not even my True Name—I know all about your abilities. Aside from the powers granted by your Nightmare incarnation, I'm thoroughly familiar with everything else. Given that, it wasn't hard to guess the rest."

"You—!"

Terror bubbled up in Mephistopheles again, but then he realized something else.

"...But so what?!"

Though flustered at first, as he remembered their current situation, Mephistopheles began to laugh maniacally once more.

"So what if I'm inside you? What can you do about it?!"

"What, you gonna cut yourself open to get me out? Hahaha—now that's comedy gold!"

"Oh? Is that so?"

Will remained utterly unfazed.

"So, after revealing all your tricks, you still know nothing about my abilities. And now you actually think you've won?"

"…What do you mean?" Mephistopheles froze.

"I mean exactly what I said."

And with that, Will plunged his hand directly into his own chest.

—Hunter Rune: Curse of Bloodborne, activated.

In that moment, Mephistopheles, still lurking within, watched in utter disbelief as Will's hand passed through his own flesh as if it were liquid—his muscles and organs parting smoothly to let him reach inside, before seamlessly sealing up behind his wrist.

No injury. No pain. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Within seconds, Will's hand found Mephistopheles' hiding place and closed around him.

"Eeek—Stop! Are you trying to make me blow myself up inside you?!"

Mephistopheles screamed.

"Don't think I'm bluffing! If I get dragged out, I'll detonate right here and now!"

But Will simply smirked coldly.

Raising his sword in the other hand, he slowly pointed it toward empty space—his posture exuding calm confidence.

To Mephistopheles, it was inexplicable.

No matter how tough Will's body might be, even he couldn't withstand an explosion from inside himself, right?

So where was all this confidence coming from?

He couldn't understand it.

But he had no choice.

The moment he felt half his body being pulled out, Mephistopheles realized it was now or never.

"If that's how it's gonna be, then let's go to hell together!"

Cornered, he began to chant his Noble Phantasm:

"Eyes, sides, knees, spine—configuration complete!"

At the same time, Will heard the buzzing of insect wings and the ticking of stopwatch gears from within his body.

Yet his only reaction was a scornful grin.

—Since his First Noble Phantasm: Declaration of the Devil's Descent had already been activated, that meant…

His Second Noble Phantasm: The Day of Devil's Descent was now unlocked.

So now, all he had to do was fire off the "Heavenly Fire" that served as the trigger, and his demonic form would activate.

Once that happened, any wounds he suffered would be meaningless. Mephistopheles' explosion wouldn't be enough to kill him.

At worst, he'd just ask Mash and Ritsuka to donate a little blood for recovery. It'd leave them a bit weak, but their lives wouldn't be in danger.

Sure, wasting a "Heavenly Fire" activation for this might be a shame…

But once the demon form was active, he'd just build up fear value to power it up. In this oddball Singularity, he'd come out on top either way.

In truth, the moment Mephistopheles chose to fight instead of run—this battle was already over.

The difference in raw power was too great. Add in the information advantage… Mephistopheles never had a chance.

The only time he'd actually made things difficult was when he blew up that generator.

And that was it.

But just as Will was about to tear Mephistopheles out and his Ticktock Bomb was fully charged—a sudden twist occurred.

A beam of golden light tore through the mist and landed beside Will. A familiar voice echoed from within.

"—Commence Anti-End, Anti-Correction Defense."

At the same time, another Noble Phantasm chant began, and golden light engulfed Will's body, entirely isolating Mephistopheles outside it.

Even within Will's body, a faint layer of light now separated Mephistopheles from Will's inner flesh.

Upon hearing that voice, Will froze. The sword in his hand hesitated.

Despite the change in tone, he'd know that person anywhere—too close, too familiar to ever mistake.

So after a moment's hesitation, he chose to trust her—and stopped.

The next second, two Noble Phantasms activated simultaneously:

"—Ticktock Bomb!"

"—Round of Avalon!"

Blue flames exploded from within Will's body, attempting to obliterate him from the inside—

But the magic seals surrounding him—glowing golden and petal-shaped—flared into existence, their blessings etched onto Will's skin.

When the shockwave hit, it slammed into a transparent barrier around him and simply dissipated.

Mephistopheles' final suicidal blast… did nothing.

Immediately, a system prompt appeared before Will's eyes:

[Detected: Nightmare Incarnation No. 3 "Undying Believer of the Dead Country" has ceased activity.]

[Target defeated. Reward will now be issued.]

[Both personalities registered. You may choose to transfer rewards to the other. Transfer?]

After half a second of thought, Will confirmed.

Since the body would eventually go back to his other self, keeping him strong was essential. If that guy died, Will would be in trouble too.

He accepted the Hunter Rune: Powder Keg, and sent the random stat bonus to the other side.

[Player: Guinevere has received reward: Basic Endurance +1]

[Player: Will has received reward: Hunter Rune – Powder Keg]

[Rune – Powder Keg: Though not inherently forbidden, the hunters who walked the line of taboo engraved even their forbidden-slaying knowledge into these runes, allowing future hunters to grow stronger faster.]

[While attacking, you may expend mana to add explosive damage to your strike, greatly enhancing its power.]

[Blueprints for Powder Keg weapons are now unlocked for both you and your alternate personality. Crafting success rate significantly increased.]

[—If a weapon isn't fierce, it isn't worth it.]

Not overwhelming, but interesting enough.

Since he had spare rune slots anyway, no reason not to equip it.

After evaluating the new rune in his mind, Will equipped the reward and looked up at the shining girl who had stepped from the light.

"…Artoria?"

he said softly.

"Mhm,"

Artoria nodded gently, smiling as she replied:

"Looks like this time… I got to help you out."