In the living room.
Roya was utterly dumbfounded: "He just... defeated Goetia like that?"
It felt unreal, like a dream.
The invincible Demon King had been beheaded by Nameless with a single slash.
Just like that senior, he had become a decapitated Demon King.
If it was really that easy to defeat him, why would the world need to be rebooted?
And—Dr. Roman hadn't returned yet!
Dr. Roman had sacrificed himself, vanishing from existence entirely, just to strip the Demon King of his immortality.
In truth.
The Demon King was the natural counter to all heroic spirits.
Even if every Grand Servant were to gather, none would be as effective as Dr. Roman alone!
Wasn't it promised that the doctor would be revived? Why hadn't he returned yet?
And if the doctor were to come back, would the Demon King return as well?
"Isn't defeating the Demon King a good thing? Or do you actually pity him?" Souma feigned calm as he watched her.
He had already seen the head get chopped off—why hadn't the brat reacted yet?
Could it be that [Alaya] was still suppressing her?
"Of course I don't pity him! He brought all of this upon himself—he totally deserved it!"
Roya answered without hesitation.
Strangely enough.
Watching the Demon King get beheaded by Nameless made her reflexively clutch her own neck.
She suddenly felt an inexplicable phantom pain.
How bizarre.
She was such an innocent, kind-hearted little angel who wouldn't even step on an ant—why did she feel such empathy for the Demon King?
This was absolutely all the Demon King's fault!
Roya could already feel the power within her surging violently, on the verge of erupting at any moment.
Once she gained overwhelming strength, she would join forces with Nameless to slay the Demon King again!
You dared to incinerate human history, you ultimate mass murderer—you deserve to be killed over and over!
Illya nodded vigorously in agreement. "Exactly! The Demon King is the ultimate final boss, even worse than that edgy King of Heroes!"
Compared to the atrocities committed by the Demon King Goetia,
that chuuni Gilgamesh, who wanted to "purify" humanity with the black mud and preserve a select few, was practically harmless.
No matter how corrupted the King of Heroes became, he still held onto a sliver of hope for humanity—he never sought to annihilate the world entirely.
He simply believed there were too many worthless humans and wanted to cleanse them with the [All the World's Evils] from the Holy Grail.
But the Demon King Goetia? His goal was purely to ignite human history and create an eternal new world—one devoid of humanity.
Humans, in his eyes, were nothing more than flames destined to burn out after reaching 4.6 billion years.
Once extinguished, they would turn completely into useless ashes!
Suppressing the strange thoughts in her mind, Roya curiously asked, "So, can Dr. Roman really return?"
That Dr. Roman gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
It was really strange.
As if there were some legendary bloodline connection!
But the problem was, the man had never even married, so he couldn't possibly be her biological father.
She must be overthinking it.
"Just watch quietly. Everything will be revealed soon," Souma replied casually.
At that moment.
His pants shifted slightly.
The Heavenly Lock, now transformed into a belt, was sending him a silent inquiry.
Souma reached down and patted his waist, signaling for it to wait patiently.
For now, all they could do was wait until the video ended to see whether the troublesome child could truly regain his memories.
And whether, upon remembering, he would once again seek to ignite human history!
...
The video continued.
The massive body of the Demon God King collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Nameless quickly ran to the side.
Little Shielder Mash, who had been grievously wounded earlier, lay quietly on the ground.
Seeing Nameless approach, she weakly reached out her hand. "Senpai… can you hold my hand one more time?"
Before participating in the battle of the final singularity, she had little life left.
Yet.
Mash still came without hesitation.
Since death was inevitable, she chose to meet it while fighting alongside her senpai.
From the moment she made that choice, she had already prepared herself to sacrifice everything for him.
Unfortunately.
She was still protected by her senpai in the end.
"Of course, you can hold on for as long as you want." Nameless intertwined his fingers with hers, his right hand clasping hers tightly.
Gently lifting her, he settled her onto his lap, his gaze growing ever softer.
This girl—she was the one who had fought by his side all along, the little shield maiden who wished to protect him.
A kind and adorable kouhai.
Mash's face blossomed with an angelic, radiant smile. "Senpai, I'm so glad... that I could stay by your side all this time. For so long, I've caused you so much trouble. I really am an unworthy Servant."
"No, you've already done more than enough." Nameless gently stroked her small head.
She was merely a homunculus raised by the former director, subjected to one inhumane experiment after another.
As the Demon God King had said, she should have hated humanity.
Yet.
Unlike the Demon Gods, who saw only malice and ugliness, she saw only the kindness and beauty in humans.
No matter how much suffering she endured, she never lost her kindness and innocence.
She would protect him—protect humanity—at any cost.
Mash's hand trembled slightly as she softly caressed his cheek. "It's so nice... being in your arms like this, Senpai. It makes me feel like the happiest girl in the world. It's just... I won't be able to walk with you any longer..."
The most romantic thing I can imagine is growing old with you.
Even when we're too old to go anywhere, you'll still treasure me like a precious gem...
But... I won't be able to stay by your side anymore.
Just then.
A familiar white creature suddenly leaped onto Nameless' shoulder, staring straight at her.
It opened its mouth—and for the first time, spoke in human words:
"Mash, there's no time. Let me be brief—I plan to bring you back to life!"
This was the first time Fou had ever spoken.
Mash was instantly stunned. "Huh?! You can talk?!"
Before, she had only vaguely understood his meaning—never like this, in clear, comprehensible words.
"I possess the Principle of [Comparison]. I feed on competition and growth, jealousy and regret among humans—a Beast defined by 'being stronger than the other.'"
Fou gave his first-ever self-introduction.
He blinked his large eyes. "I am the Beast of Calamity, Cath Palug. In another parallel world, I am also known as the Primate Murder."
"As long as I don't appear in human society, I'm just a harmless little animal."
[Primate Murder]
If you are a primate, you are its prey!
No matter how strong you are, it will always be stronger!
If Goetia were a primate, even he would be countered by it.
Unfortunately, Goetia is an amalgamation of the 72 Demon Gods—not a primate at all.
"I was originally living on a deserted island, but that rotten Merlin threw me off the Tower of the End!"
Fou couldn't help but wave his tiny fist in frustration.
Just thinking about it made him angry. Next time they met, he was definitely going to punch that guy a few more times!
He continued, "But because of that, I was able to come to Chaldea and meet you and Gudao."
"Yeah, I've known for a long time." Nameless gently nuzzled his cheek against Fou's fluffy fur.
This little white creature was just too adorable.
Named the "Primate Murder," yet it had never harmed a single person.
This made it impossible for him to ever regard it as a true Beast of Humanity.
"I have been moved by your kindness and wish to use the magical energy I've accumulated over a century to create a miracle even magic cannot achieve—[Resurrection of the Dead]!"
Fou spoke in its soft, adorable voice, "I will transfer the power of fate and completely rewrite the little life you have left!"
The root of Mash's short lifespan lay in her defects as a homunculus and the collision with the Saint Graph of a Servant.
This rendered any magecraft incapable of extending her life.
But now.
This small white creature could accomplish what even magic could not—a true miracle!
"Unfortunately, I have not yet fully matured, so I can only grant you the lifespan of an ordinary human, not eternal life."
Fou sighed slightly, "And this will cause me to lose my reason, turning into an ordinary beast."
"Until now, my voice carried meaning, but from this moment onward, it will become nothing more than the cries of a common animal."
Every time it had spoken before, it had been using its own language to communicate with humans.
Mash reached out to touch it, pleading, "Fou, don't! I don't want you to make such a sacrifice for me!"
Though it was a Beast of Humanity, it had never brought harm to humans.
After years of companionship, Mash had long regarded it as family, not just a mere pet.
She couldn't bear the thought of its sacrifice.
Her wish was to protect others—how could she ever want someone to sacrifice themselves for her?
Yet.
Fou did not heed her words, still speaking in that soft, adorable voice: "Don't worry, it's not much different from before. Just a little lonely, perhaps."
"That magus once said, 'Go and touch beautiful things.'"
"Now, I have truly seen something beautiful!"
Its originally small and cute body suddenly began to swell uncontrollably.
An enormous tail swayed behind it.
It had transformed into the true form of a nascent Beast of Humanity.
"There is evil that can be defeated without slaughter, and answers that can be reached without bloodshed."
A vast and majestic surge of magical energy erupted from Fou.
A century's worth of accumulation was spent in an instant, all poured into Mash's body.
It reverted to its small white beast form, its voice growing ever more ethereal:
"Congratulations, kind people of Chaldea. The Fourth Beast has been defeated by you~"