Fate: How About a New Savior?

"Hear me, Holy Grail—the ultimate vessel of wish-fulfillment. Manifest, be remembered, be transformed. That which descends upon this place... is one of the 72 Demon Gods."

A low chant echoed from beneath the frozen shell encasing Cú Chulainn. The vicious surge of Mana radiating from him became nearly tangible, fracturing, melting, and evaporating the thick ice.

Dense steam filled the air, obscuring Shiomi's vision. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and cast a powerful wind spell.

A spiraling vortex swept the vapor away, revealing the ominous, pitch-black figure within.

The Mad King's body was shrouded in the mass of a Demon God Pillar—yet unlike Makiri in the Fourth Singularity, he hadn't completely fused with it. Instead, the pillar had been shaped into a suit of armor wrapped around him, resembling the crimson spear itself.

The pillar's eyes, embedded in the armor, twitched faintly.

"What... is that?" Shiomi raised his wand, locking his gaze on the Mad King's new form.

"One of the 72 Demon Gods—Halphas. No..." Cú Chulainn muttered, "Demon God, Curruid Coinchenn."

"Curruid Coinchenn"—another of the Mad King's Noble Phantasms.

A materialized exoskeleton, formed from the Red Sea Beast Cú Raídhe—the monster that served as the prototype for the crimson spear. Now manifested as offensive bone armor worn like a carapace.

It was this very form he used in Washington to break through Scáthach's Noble Phantasm gate.

But now, empowered by the Holy Grail, Cú Chulainn had fused Halphas and the crimson spear to activate Curruid Coinchenn again—transforming himself into a new kind of Demon God.

"Cú Chulainn's Mana signature has fused with the Demon God Pillar's..." Romani's shocked voice echoed through comms. "That's not Mana an individual of his scale should be able to control!"

Shiomi rotated his wand slightly. "With the power of the Holy Grail, and a hollow shell of a personality? I can believe it."

But that wasn't the real problem.

With a mere glance, the demonized Cú Chulainn struck overwhelming fear and pressure into the hearts of American soldiers—even those who had just torn through the southern Celtic forces.

Shiomi caught a glimpse of their instinctive retreat. He understood perfectly.

This was a primal terror, etched into humanity's genetic memory—fear of the primordial, of the unknown. No ordinary person could withstand it.

Even Heroic Spirits had to resist it with sheer will.

To witness a Demon God was to suffer a kind of spiritual corruption, a fear that gnawed at the soul.

And yet—Shiomi felt nothing.

As if, somewhere in the past, he had already faced something far more terrifying. Something that made this seem insignificant by comparison.

That brief moment of reflection gave the Demon God its chance.

The four eyes embedded in its helm blazed to life.

A massive explosion erupted beneath Shiomi's feet, carving multiple craters into the desolate earth.

But the target meant to be torn apart by the blast—was gone.

The Demon God looked up. Shiomi floated midair.

"Too bad. I've seen that one before." Shiomi swung his wand. Runes etched themselves into the air, forming a sharp, streamlined array. "If you want to kill me, you'll have to try something new!"

From the four arrays formed by the runes, four massive dragons of flame burst forth, roaring as they dove at the Demon God with jaws wide open.

Fierce. Brutal. Swift.

The attack's breadth was too wide to dodge entirely. The Demon God didn't hesitate—arms crossed, it braced for impact.

Blazing heat scorched Harpas's armor. The exposed areas, unprotected by the carapace, were repeatedly burned—only to heal again, over and over.

Eyes embedded in the armor swiveled erratically, tracking every movement. Even the runic flames weren't enough to blind eyes empowered by the Holy Grail.

Then, as the firestorm faded, one eye caught a flicker—a shadow in the blind spot.

A massive claw lashed out, slamming into Shiomi's wand.

A direct hit.

The Demon God swung its tail, aiming to pierce Shiomi from the flank.

But again, Shiomi countered—his freezing Mana exploded outward, locking the demonized Cú Chulainn in ice once more. The tail, inches from his neck, froze solid just before it could tear into his skin.

And under the ice, the eyes saw something even more dangerous.

This was deliberate.

Shiomi had closed the distance on purpose—to trap the Demon God's movements and trigger the waiting barrage hidden around them.

Even with some of its rationality intact, the Demon God could guess Shiomi's tactic: bait the enemy into close quarters, then unleash prepared Magecraft in a killing strike.

There was only one answer—abandon defense, go on the offensive.

The Demon God's arms shattered through the ice and swung upward.

"Transform! All curses, be unleashed... I'll show you no mercy. Curruid Coinchenn!"

Countless crimson spears erupted from the Demon God's body, spreading like a swarm. Seizing the moment when Shiomi was just about to retreat, they pierced through him from every angle.

Bloodied and torn, Shiomi was hurled backward with the shattering ice. But even as he flew, the loss of the icy blades restraining him allowed his body to crash straight into Cú Chulainn. Ignoring the sharp, cursed thorns, he struck the Demon God directly, triggering a chain of explosions.

Even the Servants and soldiers stationed at the central front could feel the raging storm howling from the south.

The once-barren wasteland—scattered with sparse, dry vegetation—was now entirely blanketed in frost. And atop that frost, smeared patches of blood had turned the pristine white landscape a gruesome crimson.

Just stepping into the area was enough to catch the stench of blood so thick it churned the stomach.

Shiomi lay sprawled on the frozen ground. Not far off, the demonized Mad King still stood. Every drop of blood soaking this battlefield belonged to them both.

The twin crimson spears lay embedded in the ground a full hundred meters away.

Shiomi glanced at them. He rolled over, reached for the wand at his side, and slowly got back on his feet.

Just then, the Demon God dropped to one knee with a heavy thud. The shattered armor formed from the Demon God Pillar bled from countless wounds—his condition hardly better than Shiomi's.

Though Shiomi had looked to be cornered by a surprise assault, in truth, he now held the advantage.

Power... and the Holy Grail.

Both were continuously healing. But Shiomi could feel it—he had grown more attuned to this incomplete Authority than during their last clash. With only a shallow dive into his consciousness, he could clearly sense the depth, size, and cursed nature of every wound on his body.

His rapid regeneration caused faint steam to rise from his skin, accompanied by a hissing sound—like dousing a campfire with cold water.

He raised his wand, aiming it at Cú Chulainn, who was recovering noticeably slower.

The Rune characters on his wand began to glow, gradually forming a glowing circle in the air ahead.

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake