Fate/Magus Path

"AAAAAHHHHHH!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Nrvnqsr Chaos's agonized screams echoed through the air.

In an instant, the entire world seemed as though splashed with chaotic, swirling paint. Red and black hues mixed with endless flesh and blood surged forth across the canvas of reality. Twisted, grotesque beastly heads rolled and roared from the bloody mire, their forms indescribable and merged into one seething mass. They howled in unison, desperate to consume every living thing within this domain.

Its very existence mirrored the primordial chaos of the universe, a state of disorder and turmoil from which Nrvnqsr Chaos derived his strength. This was the core of his power, sealed within him.

Lair of the Beast King!

As this chaos unleashed, unrestrained, the world itself seemed to freeze. The surroundings lost their color, replaced by the blackened, fleshy realm of the Lair of the Beast King. From the shadowy mire underfoot, countless savage beasts bared their fangs, ready to strike.

ROAR!!!

"Humans! You worthless scraps of meat have forced me to this point! You've made me release this power!!"

"But now, it's over. Whether it's you, or the Princess, none of you will leave here alive!!!"

The entity that was once Nrvnqsr Chaos but now embodied the Lair of the Beast King roared with fury. The walls of flesh and shadow writhed violently, spewing forth wave after wave of monstrous beasts and synthesized horrors from the darkness, launching a ceaseless and terrifying assault on the group.

This world of flesh and shadow, where Nrvnqsr Chaos had become one with the Reality Marble, drastically amplified his conversion rate of beastly essences. He could summon an endless horde of beasts and synthesized monsters, overwhelming any enemy within his domain.

It was a deceptively straightforward ability: magnify his own power several times over and transform the battlefield into one that favored him entirely. Simple, yet undeniably effective.

In this environment, even the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception couldn't pinpoint his death lines, safeguarding him from annihilation. The flesh-crafted world was boundless, constantly regenerating and expanding. Even Arcueid's powerful strikes barely made a dent in this ceaseless cycle.

If Arcueid were at her full strength, dismantling the Lair of the Beast King would have been trivial... one strike of her ultimate attack, Moonfall, could obliterate both the Reality Marble and Nrvnqsr Chaos in an instant.

But now...

"This is endless!" Arcueid growled, shredding yet another synthesized monster that leaped at her from the shadows. More immediately surged to take its place, forcing her to tear them apart again and again. It was clear that Nrvnqsr Chaos intended to wear her down completely.

Her already weakened condition worsened, and frustration boiling over. Each attack felt like punching into cotton... soft, yielding, and utterly unsatisfying.

Meanwhile, Shiki stood calmly, her ice-blue eyes betraying no emotion, though her breath came a little heavier.

Unlike Arcueid, Shiki's body, infused with Avalon, showed little sign of exhaustion. Each slash of her blade brought her an indescribable thrill, a savage joy akin to a Dead Apostle's bloodlust. A crooked smile crept back onto her lips, unbidden.

"Focus, Shiki…"

As before, a gentle hand gripped her arm. Bright magical projectiles shot from his fingers, obliterating the incoming wave of beasts.

The calm voice broke through Shiki's frenzy, grounding her. Emerging from her trance-like state, she stumbled slightly, her mind spinning as clarity returned. Instinctively, she leaned against Roy for support.

"Can you keep going?" 

"Yes."

With a nod, she steadied herself.

"Good. Trust me, this will all end soon. After this, I'll take you home, Shiki." 

Turning to Arcueid, he spoke firmly, "Arcueid, stop wasting time on these things. Help me look after Shiki."

"The Reality Marble is mine to handle."

"Huh? Oh… alright."

Though momentarily stunned, Arcueid nodded decisively, retreating from the fight.

Roy gently patted Shiki's head, offering her a comforting smile. Handing her over to Arcueid, he turned to face the approaching tide of darkness alone.

"Do you think you can escape with them from my Reality Marble?!"

The Lair of the Beast King bellowed, its voice a mixture of rage and mockery.

"This is my world! The soil beneath your feet, the shadows around you... all are under my control. You face an endless army of beasts!"

Its tone grew ever more frenzied and malevolent.

"Oh, really?" Roy replied, a faint smirk on his lips. "Then, care to guess whether I can destroy both you and this Reality Marble?"

He raised his hand, gathering magical energy. Piercing white light shot from his fingertips, disintegrating another wave of beasts with ease.

"Sure, if I dragged this out, your Reality Marble would eventually collapse under the weight of the world's rejection."

"But since we're here, let me give these two a crash course on Reality Marbles... and how to dismantle them."

"Futile! Completely futile!!" The Lair of the Beast King screamed, unleashing yet another surge of beasts.

"Shut up already, monster. Watch closely." Roy snapped, his tone sharp and dismissive.

Ignoring the enraged roars, he stepped back, shielding both Shiki and Arcueid with a protective barrier that nullified the encroaching shadows.

Then, as if lecturing in a classroom, he began.

"Shiki, this blackened fleshly realm you see is the same type of magic I used against Aoko... a Reality Marble."

"Reality Marble?" 

"A Reality Marble is a form of advanced bounded fields that manifests a user's 'inner landscape' into the real world. By superimposing their inner world over reality, the caster creates an entirely new domain. It's essentially a conflict between their existence and the world's laws."

As he spoke, Roy unleashed another volley of magecraft, eradicating another horde of beasts effortlessly.

"However, deploying a Reality Marble consumes enormous amounts of energy, and it's constantly at odds with the world's corrective forces. That said, it grants unparalleled advantages within its domain."

"First, it amplifies environmental factors to favor the caster, drastically boosting their attributes. In simple terms, it strengthens their abilities exponentially, much like how this Reality Marble amplifies Nrvnqsr Chaos."

"Second…"

From within the shadows, the Lair of the Beast King's consciousness seethed with disbelief.

How could this man annihilate wave after wave of beasts so effortlessly?

Why did nothing work? Not even the countless sacrifices of his beasts could bring this man to his knees.

He had abandoned his pride, unleashed every hidden trump card, and yet…

This arrogant man still refused to take him seriously.

This contempt! This mockery!!

The Lair of the Beast King trembled, a frenzied madness overtaking its consciousness as the Reality Marble itself began to quake violently.

"Reality Marbles often grant magus unique enhancements. These might include the ability to summon larger forces or, as in this case, elevate ordinary beasts into magical ones. Such abilities are frequently quite troublesome."

Roy resumed his lecture.

Turning to the two girls he was shielding, he raised two fingers. "When dealing with an Reality Marble, I advocate for three approaches."

"First, escape. No Reality Marble is flawless; all have weaknesses or limitations that can be exploited to break free. However, I don't recommend this method... if your opponent has even an ounce of intelligence, they won't give you the chance to study their domain's flaws."

"And the second option?"

Compared to the attentive Shiki, Arcueid's curiosity was perfectly timed.

"Good question. The second option is to endure. Reality Marbles require significant energy to sustain, and under the strain of self-exhaustion and the world's corrective forces, they will inevitably collapse. Once their domain shatters, the magus maintaining it will enter a state of magical depletion, making them vulnerable. This is the ideal moment to strike."

"However…"

Roy shook his head lightly. "This method only works if your strength surpasses your opponent's, and you can outlast them. Both magical reserves and stamina must exceed theirs significantly."

"Bastard! Just how far do you intend to belittle me?!"

Nrvnqsr Chaos's voice was filled with rage, trembling with indignation. "At a time like this, you're actually conducting a lecture for them?! Such arrogance! Do you think so little of me that I'm unworthy of your full attention?!"

"Don't get cocky, human!"

By this point, Nrvnqsr Chaos had come to terms with the disparity in their abilities.

Initially, he had acted alone, not waiting for his so-called partner to arrive. His goals were simple: to search for traces of the princess while conveniently consuming a few humans as midnight snacks.

Even if he failed to find the princess or kill her, it didn't matter. After all, in his view, nothing in this world could truly kill him... he was invincible.

But that assumption shattered when he encountered this calamity. The gap between their abilities was despair-inducing.

Even his ultimate trump card couldn't bridge the divide. In this situation, escape wasn't even an option.

For one who prided himself as a Dead Apostle Ancestor, a being above humanity, to be crushed by a mere human... this was an unacceptable humiliation.

"Devour him! Tear him apart! Destroy them all! Rise, Lair of the Beast King!"

As his command reverberated, the consciousness of his lair erupted in frenzy. The flesh and blood stored within the domain twisted, forming a vortex before Roy and the two girls.

From the shadows emerged countless synthetic magical beasts, far exceeding the numbers from before. In moments, the overwhelming tide filled their vision.

"More magical beasts, and in greater numbers." Shiki muttered.

Beside her, Arcueid seemed equally on edge. Yet Roy remained unshaken, his expression calm. He continued his explanation as if nothing had changed.

"The third option is the optimal solution in situations like this. The most effective counter to a Reality Marble is deploying one of your own. When two domains clash, the one more refined and dominant gains the upper hand."

"Of course, this also depends on the compatibility of both domains and the total magical reserves of their users."

Facing the oncoming tide of black beasts, Roy smiled faintly. Moving to shield Shiki and Arcueid, he slowly raised his hands.

"Let's get a bit rough today. Rather than explanations, a practical demonstration will be more memorable."

With that, Roy formed a seal over his chest. As he faced the beast tide, a brilliant white light exploded from behind him, projecting a vivid manifestation of his inner world.

The revealed domain was a boundless expanse of white sands beneath a sky of gray and white hues. The sun above wasn't red but a strange mix of the two tones.

"Reality Marble: Heaven Hymn."

In an instant, the overwhelming white light engulfed the Lair of the Beast King and the endless tide of beasts within.

A heavenly realm descended upon the battlefield, banishing the encroaching darkness.

Blinding white light filled their vision.

"Pseudo-Divine Construct: Demon-Banishing Sword!"

At Roy's soft command, a colossal blade of light descended from the white sky, piercing the Beast King's core. The twisted entity that was Nrvnqsr Chaos, along with his lair, was pinned to the sandy expanse of Roy's domain.

The outcome was decided in that moment.

Despite his monstrous nature, Nrvnqsr Chaos was no match for Roy.

Their magical reserves were worlds apart. The clash of Reality Marbles was a one-sided annihilation.

One small world had completely consumed another.

Paralyzed… Unable to use magic…

Nrvnqsr Chaos was reduced to a mere clump of flesh... devoid of resistance.

"Now, Shiki."

A colossal white figure emerged from the desert, grasping the mass of flesh and hurling it towards Shiki.

Deprived of its form, Nrvnqsr Chaos had no strength to resist. Suppressed by the giant of light, he was utterly powerless, hurtling toward the girl who embodied his death sentence.

This time, it was truly over.

As the grotesque lump neared her, Shiki activated her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Ice-blue eyes glimmered as countless death lines appeared before her.

She saw everything clearly this time... every death line and the convergence of death points on the monstrous being.

All that was left was to sever them.

With a swift stroke, the flesh was split in two, devoid of any spectacle or grandeur.

I… am truly… dying…

As the death lines unraveled, the 666 beast factors within Nrvnqsr's core began to dissolve. Unlike Roy's repeated attacks, this was true annihilation... complete and irreversible.

Those eyes… Could it be…?

With a pained cry, Nrvnqsr Chaos met his end.

Boom!

The massive angel slammed its hand down, obliterating the remains entirely.

Nrvnqsr Chaos was confirmed dead.

"Is that all?"

Shiki glanced at her hands before turning her gaze toward Roy, her tone sharp. "You made it sound like such a formidable opponent, telling me I needed to train more. Yet, I barely lifted a finger. You were the one who did all the work... only delivering a single strike and keeping him subdued the entire time."

"Don't be so hard on yourself… If it weren't for that strike of yours, no matter how much I suppressed him, I'd never have been able to finish him off completely." Roy replied with a shake of his head.

"Anyway, thank you, Shiki. Without your help, it would have been difficult for me to bring justice to the souls he devoured."

"Did we really eliminate Nrvnqsr Chaos just like that? Feels like I didn't do much to help." Arcueid commented as she approached.

Just as Shiki had said, the fight, though billed as a three-person effort, had largely been Roy's show. From the start to the end, he had been the one controlling Nrvnqsr Chaos, suppressing him until the final blow.

Shiki's role had been crucial at the end, using her Mystic Eyes of Death Perception to sever Nrvnqsr's immortality, but as for Arcueid... She had really just been a bystander throughout.

The death of Nrvnqsr Chaos, the Dead Apostle Ancestor, felt almost surreal to her.

Yet, having witnessed the power of the Third Magic and Shiki's Mystic Eyes firsthand, this outcome didn't seem all that surprising.

"Well, now it's time to think about the aftermath."

Roy turned his attention to the still-burning apartment building in front of them, its flames crackling in the night. Fire trucks and police were already managing the scene, maintaining order as best they could.

Roy fell into brief contemplation.

It seemed that tonight, Aoko and Ciel had their work cut out for them.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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