"If you can ensure Tiamat keeps her peak strength, of course I want her! What if she gets weakened?" Souma rolled his eyes.
This was no joking matter.
Tiamat was his strongest ally.
If some black-hearted capitalist nerfed her, he'd have nowhere to cry.
Alaya smiled. "If she weakens, I'll just revert her back to an Evil of Humanity. Satisfied?"
"That's more like it."
Souma nodded.
With that guarantee, even if Tiamat weakened as a Servant, she could shed the class and return to being an Evil of Humanity.
In the battles to come, Tiamat would be his ultimate support healer.
With her by his side, he could recklessly burn through his life force in battle without fear of actually dying.
Her importance was self-evident.
Truly, "he who has a healer has a mother."
A powerful healer was every frontline warrior's dream.
"Then, where do you plan to have her appear?" Alaya continued.
An Evil of Humanity attracts an Evil of Humanity.
Thus.
Tiamat appearing in Souma's home would obviously affect the mischievous child.
One careless move could let her completely break free from the seals.
In this era of radiant Heroic Spirits,
each powerful Heroic Spirit belonged to a different nation or faction.
Since he wanted to turn Tiamat into a Heroic Spirit, he naturally had to find her a suitable place to settle.
Souma stared at his phone, his expression slightly dazed. "Let's choose Chaldea."
In his past life, even though Tiamat belonged to her Master, she had been forcefully taken away by the arcade version.
It was truly the greatest grievance of all Masters.
One after another, they sent their most sincere blessings to the arcade—
[When will that damn arcade finally die?]
Now, as Alaya's Enforcer, he was determined to protect Tiamat at all costs—no one would take her away.
That place, after all, was where Souma had rested time and again after countless battles.
Where he had reunited with his fellow Heroic Spirits.
Having her manifest in Chaldea was the most fitting choice.
"As you wish. You can inform her yourself."
Alaya was surprisingly accommodating.
Or rather, there was no other choice!
Aside from Souma—the last and strongest Master of humanity—there was simply no other human guardian capable of connecting with all Heroic Spirits and standing against countless terrifying enemies.
Alaya continued, "Also, the next video is about to be released. Please prepare yourself."
"Are you even more relentless than a workhorse from a production brigade?"
Souma glared at her.
This ruthless capitalist had sent him to fight across countless timelines just to make him protect humanity.
Now, even though they were telling him to retire and enjoy an ordinary life, he was still being dragged into one desperate battle after another.
"It's not that I'm impatient—it's that the enemies are already here," Alaya replied.
As the collective self-preservation instinct of humanity,
Its sole purpose was to ensure the eternal survival of mankind.
If given a choice, it would naturally want Souma to keep growing stronger—the stronger he became, the better he could safeguard human order.
Unfortunately,
The enemies simply wouldn't give them that time!
The United States' Council of Gods had gone berserk, seeking to enslave all of humanity—yet that was still within manageable limits.
But afterward,
The Council Speaker completely devoured the other members, transforming into an omnipotent deity on par with the Evils of Humanity, utterly surpassing all control.
Not to mention the subsequent arrival of the Starfleet's vanguard on Earth.
That terrifying war machine, if allowed to grow unchecked, could eventually destroy the planet outright!
And then there was the Mercury Ultimate One dwelling in South America, along with the Primordial Father possibly residing on the Sun.
Each of these terrifying foes had transcended the planet's constraints.
So overwhelming that even Alaya could see no hope at all.
The only chance for humanity lay in the Nameless Heroic Spirit, who had repeatedly defied the odds, fighting to carve out a sliver of hope.
"Ignorance and weakness are not the barriers to survival—arrogance is."
Alaya stared at him intently. "Losing one's humanity means losing much, but losing one's primal instincts means losing everything."
"If you want humanity to endure, you must keep moving forward. You cannot stop now."
This era, where Heroic Spirits gathered, was in fact a preparation for the battle against these monstrous enemies.
To stake everything humanity had, to defend its future!
"So, after all that, you're just telling me to work overtime like crazy, huh?" Souma looked at it with clear disdain.
Even though protecting humanity meant protecting himself, overtime was still a pain.
Alaya didn't bother explaining further, smoothly shifting the topic. "You should go and speak with Him first."
"Fine."
Souma nodded.
Bzz—
A sudden dizzying flicker overtook his vision, as if countless stars were shimmering before him.
Countless stars converged, forming a vast constellation.
Upon closer inspection,
Those weren't celestial stars—they were the Saint Graphs of Heroic Spirits.
This was—
The Throne of Heroes!
Located beside the Root, sustained by the boundless source of all truths, it granted power surpassing all mortal limits.
Just a single glance sent an overwhelming flood of information crashing into Souma's mind.
Had he tried to absorb it all, the backlash would have been far worse than his near-overload from Athena.
Fortunately, the Throne effortlessly shielded him.
The radiance of countless "stars" bathed him, and slowly, a key materialized, imprinting itself upon his forehead.
This was the key to the gates of the Throne of Heroes.
It could also be called—
[The Key of Humanity.]
A symbol of opening the door to hope, of seeking an infinite future for mankind.
This was the highest expectation Alaya and all Heroic Spirits held for him.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown."
Souma sighed softly.
This burden was heavier than Mount Tai—no ordinary person could bear it.
By the way, could this key unlock the lock on Abby's forehead?
Time and space shifted before him.
Souma arrived in the empty void of the Imaginary Number Space.
No time, no space.
Nothingness in its purest form.
A silence so profound it could drive a man mad.
But amidst all this nothingness, a woman with dragon horns stood quietly.
Souma fell silent for a moment.
He knew the Imaginary Space would be tormenting, but only now did he truly witness the horror of this realm.
The endless void around them formed an enormous cage, forever imprisoning her here.
Her colossal form stood serenely upon the sea of imaginary numbers.
Her pink cross-shaped starry eyes gazed at him with tender warmth: "Aaaaa (Don't come here. Humans don't belong in the Imaginary World. I can come to you instead.)"
Her gentleness was heartbreaking.
Souma's emotions became complicated.
Indeed, humans didn't belong in the Imaginary Space—but neither did gods or Evils of Humanity.
Or rather,
This place was a prison for any conscious, intelligent being.
Souma spoke softly, "Tiamat, would you become a Servant and return to the human world with me?"
Every previous descent to the human world had come with restrictions, suffering constant rejection from the world.
Always reminding her that she must leave!
"I've always loved humans, wanting you all to stay with me forever. But... is that really possible?" Tiamat's expression was filled with unease.
During the Singularity, she had manifested as an Evil of Humanity, wielding the authority of [Regression].
All to return to the human world, to be with her children again.
Yet her very existence was humanity's original sin—an impossibility.
Which led her to say—
[Don't go. Don't abandon me. And don't love me anymore...]
Because of love, she longed to return.
Because of love, she chose to let go!
Such was the nature of this supremely gentle Mother Goddess.
"Of course. I'm here." Souma stepped forward, reaching out to embrace her.
The only slight regret was their size difference—he looked like a tiny ant before her.
Hum~
Her form quickly shrank to that of an eight-foot-tall woman, who then tightly embraced him.
"Mmm... that's a bit too tight!"
Souma instinctively wanted to struggle but chose instead to let her hold him.
"Stay with me a little longer." Tiamat didn't loosen her embrace.
Once they returned to reality, countless others would claim this child she cherished most.
But here,
She could have him all to herself.
"Alright."
Souma responded gently.
After thousands of years apart, spending some time with her was only natural.
"You haven't grown strong enough yet. You need more energy."
Tiamat smiled tenderly, pressing him against herself: "So eat up."
To a transcendent Evil of Humanity like her, even this powerful child before her was still far from sufficient.
He needed to eat more, grow stronger!
"Well... if you insist."