The black dragon shot into the sky, radiating a vile and oppressive aura across its entire body.
Artoria raised her longsword, while Gilgamesh no longer cared about maintaining his regal dignity or appearance.
Scáthach lifted her spear, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips.
"Killing a dragon, huh? It's been a long time since I last dealt with one."
King Hassan's figure had vanished at some point—only to reappear behind the black venomous dragon, slashing at its neck.
*CLANG!*
Azrael, the massive blade King Hassan had wielded for years—responsible for countless deaths—struck Angra Mainyu, yet not even a single white scratch was left behind.
It was evident just how tough her scales truly were.
"Enkidu!"
Countless golden chains shot forth from shimmering ripples, wrapping tightly around Angra Mainyu and pinning her to the ground.
The divinity that granted her strength now became the chains that bound her.
Enkidu—the greater the divinity, the stronger the restriction.
But Angra Mainyu's power had also grown. With evolution, her resistance against Enkidu had steadily increased.
Since divinity was what restrained her, she discarded it entirely—leaving only malice, absolute malice toward humanity.
"Gae Bolg Alternative!"
One spear pierced space itself; the second delivered a fatal blow!
At this moment, Scáthach, Queen of the Land of Shadows, held nothing back—unleashing her full power.
The crimson spear focused its energy, breaking the sound barrier and shattering space. Even Angra Mainyu couldn't withstand it.
Her heart, head, and even the simulated Spirit Core—all were pierced.
But that was all. She had no true physical form. Even this dragon body was merely a simulation.
Of course, Gae Bolg Alternative could not truly harm her. At best, it only created holes in her form.
Seeing that the four Heroic Spirits made little progress, Iskandar joined the fray as well.
Even Merlin couldn't resist lending distant magical support, despite having bitten his tongue several times within minutes.
"Arthur." Said Kiritsugu, the man who saw himself as a Savior—he wanted to save the world.
His instincts told him that if he were to save the world, the King Arthur before him was the only link worth relying on.
"What exactly is the truth behind Angra Mainyu?"
"You should ask the Einzbern family."
Aslan smiled and shook his head, swirling the Divine Wine in the glass he held.
"Why was the Holy Grail corrupted by All the World's Evils?"
"During the Third Holy Grail War, the Einzbern family illegally summoned a Nameless Heroic Spirit—Avenger."
"A nameless Anti-Hero, given the title of the head of an Evil God: Angra Mainyu."
"He is one and the same. That's why he resurfaced from the Holy Grail."
"In a sense, he could even be considered a Beast."
However, Aslan's words irritated Draco.
"I'm not that extreme—going so far as wanting to destroy the world."
Draco, one of the Beasts and part of Beast VI, spoke with clear displeasure.
No one understood the Beasts better than the Beasts themselves.
What was called "malice" was merely a fleeting emotion. The core of a Beast was actually rooted in human compassion.
It was a conflict born from the spirit of "desiring a better future", which inevitably harms the peace of the present.
Not the absolute malice like hers—one that nearly sought to destroy everything.
"I don't know anything about that. Maybe he suffered great grievances, and that's why he wants to destroy the world?"
Aslan spread his arms casually. He had already given all the clues he intended to provide.
From here on, it was up to these Heroic Spirits to solve the game.
Beast, Angra Mainyu, absolute malice…
Countless hints swirled in Kiritsugu's mind, and in the minds of the Heroic Spirits battling Angra Mainyu.
They seemed to grasp something, but remained silent.
Artoria gave a slight nod toward Gilgamesh.
They all understood each other's intentions.
"Rhongomyniad!"
"Enuma Elish!"
Ea and the Holy Lance, released at full power, unleashed energy nearly sufficient to destroy an asteroid.
Under the combined force of the Anti-World Noble Phantasms Ea and Holy Lance, Angra Mainyu was momentarily pressured.
Even her scales, flesh, and black mud began to melt away.
Yet, the damage inflicted upon her remained minimal.
She regenerated within moments.
Though she could regenerate endlessly without rest, Angra Mainyu had now begun adapting to this immense flow of mana.
In fact, she started absorbing the mana in reverse.
Merlin, however, seemed to realize something. He glanced sideways at Aslan and gave a strange smile.
He plunged his staff into the barren, nuke-scorched earth.
"Alright, everyone, I'm ready! I can pull her into a dream."
Countless flowers bloomed from the desolate soil—ground recently reduced to ashes by nuclear fire.
Now, this place no longer resembled Fuyuki City—it looked more like Avalon, a utopia.
When Angra Mainyu inhaled the scent of the blossoms, the dragon's face showed a hint of calm.
At this moment, she seemed to give up resistance, curling her body and falling asleep.
"As expected, we shouldn't underestimate the people of every world."
"Especially someone named Merlin."
Aslan shook his head helplessly and smiled. He had made it so convincing—so why did Merlin still see through it?
His experience was still lacking.
Yet, Merlin didn't expose it. That was for the best.
The boundary between reality and illusion, the realm of dreams, combined with Displacement Magecraft enveloping the entire planet—
This made everything simultaneously real and false—or rather, the entire planet existed in the gap between reality and illusion.
Only in this way could a fabricated Spirit Status manifest its true abilities, deceive the entire world, and trick the Counter Forces.
It also gave the world one final chance to reverse the crisis.
"Well then, it's about time."
"The impact on the world is now sufficient to leave a mark on personal achievements."
"All that's needed is for Little Garden's Central Core to observe it—and allow the Core to transform this final illusion into reality."
Aslan snapped his fingers, and the scenery around him shifted.
Now, all Heroic Spirits and everyone else had fallen into a dream.
Quantum Records, along with the two Counter Forces, faithfully recorded everything.
They would touch the truth and solve this game within their dreams.
That was it. Nothing more remained. He had been squeezed dry.