Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

"Believe in Senpai! He can definitely defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox!"

Mash's small face was slightly pale.

After watching the video, she had regained her memories and could clearly sense the overwhelming power of that fox.

It was like staring directly into the sun!

There was no hope of defeating her in sight!

In the video.

Facing the walls of Camelot that withstood the raging flames.

"Nameless, you've been flirting with other girls all this time. I can't tolerate another girl standing by your side—that's disloyalty to me~"

Tamamo-no-Mae's golden pupils gazed down at the kouhai. "It seems I'll have to kill her to make you obedient!"

She had completely transformed into a golden sun.

Flames surged like a tsunami, engulfing everything around them, trapping everyone within.

From within this sea of fire, crimson-flame-wreathed golden crows suddenly emerged, flying toward the group.

Just like the countless terrifying new humanoid monsters born from Tiamat's black mud.

Each one possessed immense power, capable of effortlessly crushing humans.

"Hmph, I never liked you in the first place!"

Nameless sneered without hesitation.

From their very first encounter, this fox had been stirring up trouble nonstop, even attempting to obstruct his mission to assist Qin Shi Huang in unifying the world.

If he could actually fall for someone like that, he'd have to be a full-blown masochist.

Swinging his sword, he cut down one golden crow after another, working alongside Mash to fend off the terrifying onslaught.

"As long as I like you, that's enough. Your soul… it's beautiful. Pure and powerful, far beyond those ordinary fools! So beautiful that I want to tear it out and keep it by my side forever."

Tamamo-no-Mae finally descended from the treetops, stepping gracefully toward the group.

She licked her pink lips and smiled. "Nameless, why struggle? Your resistance is meaningless before me. Just be a good boy and become my collection."

As a white-faced, golden-haired nine-tailed fox, her aesthetic sensibilities naturally differed from those of humans.

She valued the allure of the soul far more.

In her eyes, his soul radiated a suffocating temptation.

It was the unyielding will of a man who had walked through human history, endured countless battles, yet never strayed from his righteous path.

A soul so strong it surpassed even the gods!

Like catnip to a feline, the mere scent of his soul drove her to recklessly throw herself at him, desperate to claim it as her own.

"Die, you ugly thing—neither human nor Heroic Spirit!"

Golden flames surged around Tamamo-no-Mae as her entire body transformed into a blinding miniature sun.

From her back, tails erupted in pillars of fire, stretching hundreds of meters long.

With a brutal swing, those colossal flaming tails lashed against the magnificent city walls.

BOOM!

A dazzling inferno erupted, instantly devouring everything within hundreds of meters, engulfing the entirety of Camelot's ramparts.

The explosion was catastrophic—like multiple nuclear detonations going off at once.

Far more terrifying than Quetzalcoatl's life-annihilating meteor kick in the Absolute Demonic Front.

CRACK!

With each tail strike, the sound of shattering echoed clearly.

Camelot's walls, renowned for their impregnable defense, were smashed apart by her tails.

Mash's face turned deathly pale.

The walls were a manifestation of her willpower.

Their destruction meant severe backlash for her.

Tamamo-no-Mae flicked her tails, aiming a strike at the shield maiden who had become the city gate. "Heh, you're just too weak!"

"Not happening!"

Without hesitation, Nameless swung his sword at her with full force.

His eyes turned pure black and white as he channeled every ounce of his peerless swordsmanship into this single strike.

Mana surged violently, pouring into the blade.

SWOOSH!

A golden arc of sword light slashed toward the nine-tailed fox.

Yet she merely smiled, not bothering to dodge, allowing the devastating strike to land.

BOOM!

A crimson barrier flared around her, filled with the agonized wails of countless tormented souls.

This was the collective sin of humanity—the endless wars, slaughter, and persecution woven throughout history.

As a Beast of Humanity—the Beast of Cherishment—she was born from mankind's ceaseless conflicts, making her the natural counter to human opposition.

"Useless, useless, useless!"

Tamamo-no-Mae's laughter grew even more mocking. "My Authority is to create all weapons mankind has ever forged and to wield them at their absolute peak—I am the supreme god of armaments!"

"Your so-called mastery of ten thousand swords is still far too naive before me!"

Under the astonished gaze of everyone.

She extended her slender fingers and actually caught Nameless's longsword head-on.

Crack~

Countless fissures abruptly appeared on the blade.

To the disbelief of all present, this terrifying sword that had once pierced Qin Shi Huang was crushed to pieces by her bare hands!

-[Holy shit, crushed... just like that???]

-[As expected of the Beast of Humanity born from the sins of mankind's wars and mutual slaughter—she's even more adept at destroying weapons than Nameless!]

-[With his weapon shattered, how is he supposed to fight now?]

-[Don't panic! That weapon had already exhausted its power when used against Qin Shi Huang earlier. Stay calm!]

-[He's been disarmed! What's there to stay calm about? Just surrender already!]

...

Nameless's painstakingly forged weapon had been crushed right before their eyes, leaving everyone utterly shocked.

For a moment, despair descended.

All spectators were left without a glimmer of hope.

After all, the opponent had transformed into the sun itself, using the radiant power of sunlight to crush you with despair!

Mordred couldn't believe it: "How is she that strong?"

It was terrifying.

Back when Nameless faced her father, the Lion King who had ascended to godhood, he had been far weaker than he was now.

Yet despite becoming countless times stronger, Nameless stood no chance against this fox!

"This is the power of the sun!" Gawain muttered, his gaze complex as he watched.

The White-Faced Golden-Furred Nine-Tailed Fox, with all nine tails gathered, was the divine spirit of Amaterasu, wielding the authority of the sun.

As the Knight of the Sun, he wielded Excalibur Galatine and was invincible under sunlight.

But here's the thing.

If they both wielded the power of the sun, why was she so overwhelmingly stronger?

If he had this kind of power, would he have been effortlessly defeated by Nameless in the Camelot Singularity?

Would he have been mocked by countless spectators, questioning who the real Knight of the Sun was?

Damn it, why am I so weak?!

Still, seeing Nameless get humiliated felt pretty good.

While Gawain stewed in envy and bitterness, he couldn't help but feel a twisted satisfaction.

There was something deeply gratifying about watching him get utterly dominated without any means to fight back.

It was as refreshing as changing into new underwear on New Year's morning!

"This is a Beast of Humanity that surpasses even the gods," Artoria said gravely.

So strong it defied imagination. So strong it could slay gods with ease.

Even in her divine form, corrupted by the Holy Lance, she stood no chance against this foe.

"So... is Nameless really going to be suppressed by her, his soul extracted and kept as a pet?" Mordred felt a chill run down her spine.

Could that guy, who kept pulling off miracles, actually defeat this terrifying Beast of Humanity?

"Let's keep watching."

Artoria had no answer.

Even she couldn't fathom how Nameless could possibly overcome Tamamo-no-Mae, the Beast of Humanity.

Under the tense gazes of the crowd...

After crushing the sword with her slender fingers, Tamamo-no-Mae smiled at the bloodied Nameless and said, "Nameless, you're so irresistibly charming—I bet others must covet you too, right?"

"So, stay with me forever! Forgive me for hurting you. I'll give you all my love, and no one will ever tear us apart!"

Though she had taken the form of a miniature sun...

Though she radiated light and warmth...

The burning intensity in her golden eyes sent shivers down the spines of all who witnessed it.

"Stay away from me, you monster!" Nameless instinctively reached out to push the other away.

Flames erupted, transforming into countless arms that surged toward him from all directions.

The fire had already begun to erode him wildly, threatening to ignite his entire being.

It was clear—the other intended to destroy his body and extract his soul!

"Nameless, don't be afraid. It'll hurt just a little at first, but soon you'll feel completely at ease."

Tamamo-no-Mae's enormous fox tails stretched endlessly, forming a nine-tailed prison.

She gazed at Nameless with longing and pity: "I'm sorry, I don't want to hurt you, but I love you. I'm sorry, I love you! I'm sorry, I love you!"

Utterly and completely yandere.

A terrifying yandere on the level of human evil.

She cares only for you, wanting to possess everything about you.

The moment she perceives betrayal, she won't hesitate to kill you!

A blackened yandere!

"Nameless, your soul is just too beautiful. I can't bear the thought of sharing it with anyone else."

Tamamo-no-Mae's smile grew gentler, yet increasingly chilling, "So, Nameless, I beg you—die for me. Only in death can you stay with me forever! I'm sorry, I truly love you!"

Countless viewers collectively shuddered—

-[Damn, I can only say damn! The Lostbelt really isn't normal—first Qin Shi Huang, now a fox!]

-[Though people's tastes are free, yours is downright terrifying—a soul fetishist?!]

-[If the villain is hot enough, morals go out the window… A blackened yandere fox spirit is just too alluring!]

-[Hey, you up there—want your soul extracted too? You're not right in the head!]

...

At the Tohsaka residence.

Inside the roundtable conference of minds.

Watching this, Rin suddenly trembled, an instinctive chill running down her spine.

She stared blankly at the screen: "Damn, this one's terrifying—a textbook yandere!"

Not long before.

As a genius magus, she naturally had the privilege of interacting with the Academy Director, Tamamo-no-Mae.

She'd even gone shopping with her, treating her like a kind and approachable older sister.

She'd nearly stepped right into hell!

This fox's disguise was far too perfect.

So perfect that everyone believed her to be a proper Academy Director.

However, the leaked footage of Alaya completely exposed her true nature.

She was, without a doubt, a bona fide scumbag fox.

Nameless who had caught her eye was truly in for a world of suffering.

Even though he had always regarded her as a monster, he still couldn't escape the fate of being hunted down by her.

While others were charmed by Nameless and wanted to be with him,

this fox only wanted to extract his soul and keep it with her forever.

Rin had seen plenty of bizarre fetishes, but this was a first!

Damn, so you're the one and only soul-lover?

Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Ereshkigal, are souls really that captivating?"

As the Goddess of the Underworld who had collected countless souls, Ereshkigal was naturally the most qualified to answer.

After all, she was the true expert in soul management!

"They are indeed quite captivating..."

Ereshkigal blinked in surprise, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

As the Goddess of the Underworld, she could naturally discern the beauty or ugliness of a soul.

Nameless's soul was, without exaggeration, the most perfect and pure human soul she had ever seen.

No wonder Alaya had chosen him to be the Guardian of Human Order, humanity's savior.

Ishtar eyed her suspiciously. "Don't tell me you've also thought about extracting his soul and keeping him in the Underworld forever?"

"H-How could that be...?"

Ereshkigal's reply lacked conviction.

Truth be told, she had considered it.

Living alone in the Underworld, presiding over countless souls without a single living being in sight—

when all the living despised her, Nameless was the only one who treated her with kindness.

He even called her the most beautiful flower in the Underworld, stirring thoughts of keeping him there.

But alas, he was still among the living.

She could never selfishly force him to stay with her in the dark, silent Underworld.

"You really are... adorable."

After a moment's thought, Rin settled on that description.

A tsundere, even more so than herself.

Or perhaps all three versions of Rin shared the same personality?

In the footage—

Facing Tamamo-no-Mae's deadly embrace,

a mighty warrior came charging from afar in this critical moment.

It was Heracles!

Swinging his massive axe-sword several meters long, he struck at her with overwhelming force.

The impact made Tamamo-no-Mae frown slightly. "A futile struggle. Why bother?"

With a flick of her tail, she effortlessly blocked the axe-sword's strike.

At that moment—

From a distance, Illya's Command Spells erupted in dazzling light.

"Berserker, you are the strongest!"

With the immense magical energy provided by multiple Command Spells,

Heracles' body swelled violently, his form wreathed in crimson light.

His boundless strength erupted, forcefully repelling the fox's tail barrier.

"SPARTA!"

With a furious roar, Heracles unleashed his peerless might, tearing through the nine-tailed prison.

Nameless, trapped by the fox, was finally free.

As magical energy surged in his hand, it took the form of a whip.

"Back in the Age of Gods, I learned a thing or two from humanity's oldest air force angler."

"Eighty-four divine seals, full activation! Heavens, open up and descend—the Divine Whip of Punishment!"

Hum!

The slender whip shot into the sky.

Mystical energy erupted, transforming it into a massive whip dozens of meters long.

Nameless waved his hand lightly, and the massive whip lashed fiercely at the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Crack!

Tamamo-no-Mae's tails attempted to block, but they were sent flying by the whip's strike!

She couldn't believe it: "Aren't you a swordsman? How can you project Jiang Ziya's Noble Phantasm?"