"I really didn't expect to run into her… Damn it, I had everything planned perfectly, but now this unexpected accident... Looks like I have no choice but to act ahead of schedule."
The young girl who looked identical to Medea wore a look of pure annoyance after spotting Medea. She had been having a lot of fun up until now.
"Damn it, damn it! Get me out of here! I don't want to see that witch ever again!"
Jason poked his head out from behind Heracles and screamed frantically at Hector and the young Medea-lookalike. Medea was his living nightmare.
"Captain, it's not like we're guaranteed to lose," Hector said, sighing softly at Jason's terrified reaction. After all, they still had the mighty Heracles. Even if the enemy had gained a few more Servants, victory wasn't entirely out of reach.
"Spare me the nonsense! I said get us out of here now!"
Despite Hector's reasonable suggestion, Jason was far beyond listening.
"Well, looks like there's no other way," Hector said, exchanging a glance with the young Medea, then giving a small nod.
"Sorry, dear. Just bear with it; it won't hurt too much," the youthful Medea said sweetly before stabbing her wand directly into Jason's body.
"You lied to me! You're just like that witch!"
As pain erupted throughout his body, Jason's expression twisted in agony. His body began to swell grotesquely, and eerie red eyes sprouted all over him.
"Noooo!"
Jason let out a shriek as his body and head bloated grotesquely, transforming in an instant into a massive Pillar Demon.
To Jason, his appearance had always been his greatest pride. To be turned into such a hideous monster was the ultimate nightmare.
"Watch out! It's a Pillar Demon! Mana levels have exceeded the limit!"
The moment the transformation completed, Romani immediately warned everyone.
"What are you doing?"
Medea unfurled her cloak into wings and flew directly in front of her younger self. Though others might not recognize her, she knew exactly who the young girl was—herself, back when she had just graduated and was still naive.
Her feelings were complicated. Those were the happiest days of her life—days when she was naive enough to fall for Jason's good looks.
Not to mention, Jason's appearance was undeniably handsome. In times of crisis, he would even show rare flashes of brilliance and decisiveness, reminiscent of a certain someone.
"Just playing a little prank on my dear captain," young Medea—Medea Lily—said with an innocent smile.
When she was first summoned, Jason had been terrified of her until he confirmed she was just a naive, young version of Medea, unaware of future events. Only then did he lower his guard.
Little did he know that he had been thoroughly deceived. Medea Lily might have been young, but she was still a Heroic Spirit—one fully aware of future events. From the start, she had set Jason up to fall just when he thought he had won—just like in the past. After all, no matter how young, she was still Medea.
As for the infamous title of "Betrayer Witch," Daniel personally disagreed. Jason had betrayed her first, and her revenge—harsh as it was—was merely a response. It was the same old story: history blaming women for disaster, much like the trope of "a beauty bringing ruin."
"I'll leave the Pillar Demon to you. I'll take care of Heracles. First, we need a proper battlefield."
As Medea and Medea Lily talked, Daniel glanced at the giant Pillar Demon and Heracles, then addressed the two Artorias and Jeanne Alter. With a sweep of his left hand, an icy chill flooded the air, freezing a thousand-meter radius of the ocean solid.
"Hector! Let's fight!"
Without hesitation, Cú Chulainn lunged forward.
"Oh? Who are you?"
Despite the serious situation, Hector's expression remained utterly lazy and disinterested. If not for knowing who he was, no one would have guessed he was the great hero of Troy. Were it not for Achilles, he might have changed the course of the Trojan War.
"I'm the Hound of Culann, Cú Chulainn."
Facing a worthy opponent, Cú Chulainn revealed his true name without hesitation. In his era, being called a "hound" was high praise.
"The Child of Light, huh? What a troublesome opponent."
Hector still looked utterly unmotivated—but underestimating him would be a grave mistake.
"How about we move to a better battlefield? It's ready."
Cú Chulainn suggested, pointing to the frozen sea.
Fighting on the Argo, now partly occupied by a Pillar Demon, would be messy.
"Why should I? This is my home ground."
Hector saw no reason to give up his advantage. A true politician and prince, he wouldn't foolishly abandon favorable terrain.
"Too bad... Master, move us."
"I got it. Room—Slaughterhouse."
Daniel activated his Spatial Fruit, transferring both of them to a distant open space perfect for battle.
"Well, guess there's no getting out of it now," Hector sighed, moments before Cú Chulainn charged him.
"Heracles, move!"
Seeing Hector forcibly relocated, Medea Lily immediately commanded Heracles. The great hero leapt toward Medea—but suddenly flew backward from a powerful kick.
"Sorry about this, Heracles. No hard feelings, okay?"
With that, Daniel summoned the Heavenly Fire Judgment and struck him down.
Facing Heracles was now second nature to him. Weapon after weapon materialized, and he struck Heracles again at the exact moment he resurrected.
"Huh, only eleven lives this time? Guess they haven't fully recovered."
Daniel recalled Mash mentioning how Jason had used Heracles' Twelve Labors during previous battles to their advantage.
"Excalibur!"
"Excalibur!"
"Roar, My Wrath!"
As Daniel kept Heracles occupied, the two Artorias, Jeanne Alter, Mash, and Atalanta unleashed their Noble Phantasms against the Pillar Demon.
Having formed contracts with Ritsuka, the Archers received Command Seal boosts to replenish their mana, allowing for repeated Noble Phantasm attacks.
Despite its immense magical energy, the Pillar Demon couldn't withstand such a barrage and began to fall apart. Even the Argo, legendary though it was, disintegrated under the combined assault.
Before the ship could completely collapse, Medea quickly captured Medea Lily. She knew herself all too well—young, naive, and specialized in healing magic rather than combat. Her true power had only developed later, through heartbreak and revenge.
"Is that really your Master? I've never seen anyone take down Heracles like that."
The Twelve Labors were formidable, but there were ways to bypass them. Most strategies relied on overwhelming brute force. Daniel, however, systematically eliminated Heracles with twelve different lethal techniques—an unprecedented feat in the Moonlit World.
"Hard to believe, but yes, he's my Master—a human stronger than most Heroic Spirits."
"Looks like we've lost. At least we can have a proper fight."
Heracles finally collapsed. Meanwhile, the Pillar Demon continued to struggle, regenerating thanks to the Grail's power—but its defeat was now only a matter of time.
"Miss Medea Lily, can you tell us anything about the Pillar Demons? Who's behind them?"
While the others fought, Romani opened communications, questioning Medea Lily.
"Sorry, I can't say. I can only tell you that the mastermind is an incredibly skilled magician. I challenged him once... and lost completely. His knowledge of magecraft is no less than my teacher's."
"That's impossible!"
Medea herself was stunned.
Her teacher was the goddess of magic—an actual deity. It wasn't about strength; it was about raw magical knowledge. Even weak magi like Waver Velvet could outclass most in knowledge if they studied deeply enough.
Clearly, Medea Lily was referring to a contest of magical understanding, not brute force.
"Sorry. That's all I can say."
Because of a magical contract, Medea Lily was unable to reveal anything more—even hints.
"Poor Pillar Demon. It must be cursing non-stop right now."
Jason's mutated form never even got the chance to fight properly. Overwhelmed immediately, even its attempts to regenerate were futile under the constant Noble Phantasm barrage.
Finally, after using up all of their Command Seals, Ritsuka and Rin managed to slow the regeneration enough for Mash to seize the Grail.
"Wait! Don't seal it yet!"
Daniel stopped Mash just as she was about to store the Grail inside her shield.
"Final blow—Gáe Bolg: Barbed Spear That Pierces With Death!"
"The Spear That Shatters and Conquers, Unbroken and Unbending!"
Both Cú Chulainn and Hector unleashed their Noble Phantasms at once. Due to Cú Chulainn's causality-reversing attack, his struck first—piercing Hector's heart and causing his own attack to miss.
"Looks like I won."
Luckily, Cú Chulainn survived the counterattack with severe injuries rather than death—important for Daniel's later plans.
"Captain Drake, sorry we couldn't join your world adventure after all."
Mash walked up to Drake and bowed apologetically.
"No worries. Thanks to you, I had the greatest adventure of my life."
Despite being a pirate, Drake had influenced Mash deeply. The Seven Singularities had been her journey of growth.
"A true Stormrider... no wonder she could later claim a divine core from Poseidon."
Poseidon ruled the seas—but Drake conquered them.
"Another Singularity restored! We're one step closer to saving humanity!"
Another celebration followed, complete with a lavish feast. Thanks to Daniel's abundant supplies, Chaldea lived much more comfortably than in the original timeline.
"Now that this is settled... it's time to visit another world. Hopefully, next time, we'll finally find a Great Grail."
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