The World Mythology Summit was held in a hotel in a certain Japanese city. Officially, it was a meeting concerning the revived Solomon, convened with the knowledge that Azazel and Sirzechs had defeated him.
Just a month ago, various mythologies gathered under the Three Factions to counter the Khaos Brigade. This summit, however, saw even higher attendance from mythological heavyweights. Their interest lay not in the Khaos Brigade but in Solomon, his presumed subordinates—the Demon God Pillars—and their associate, Kingu. The information Kingu would reveal was of utmost importance, as no faction wished to be caught in the crossfire of that king's wrath again.
Although Amaterasu, recently emerged from seclusion, was the host, concerns about appearances led to Daikokuten—Shiva—overseeing the summit, facilitated by Buddhist connections. Japan's unique blend of multi-religious yet non-religious identity allowed such flexibility. As an aside, there were reportedly disputes with Indra over who would steer the event, not its occurrence.
Kingu, arguably the summit's centerpiece, was deeply troubled in the waiting room prepared for Kyoto's yokai faction.
"Here, Kingu. Say 'ahh'."
Kunou offering a piece of yokan skewered on a toothpick.
"Can't we just… not do this?"
"No! Mother tasked me with keeping bad influences away from you. I must show everyone our bond!"
Yasaka wasn't attending; Kunou was her proxy, with Kingu as her escort. Many factions sent proxies, but Kyoto's yokai had a distinct intent.
For them, the summit's goals were twofold: to testify about Kingu's connection to the Demon God Pillars and to declare him a member of their faction. Only Yasaka had witnessed Kingu's full power, but as their leader, her conviction was unshakable.
They couldn't let him be taken.
"But no other factions are watching, so this is pointless…"
He sensed others monitoring them, but to Kunou, the presence of onlookers was irrelevant.
"Come on, ahh!"
"Ahh…"
Reluctantly, barely hiding his embarrassment, Kingu ate the yokan. Kunou beamed with delight.
Kyoto's yokai—mostly the women—squealed at the sight.
Suddenly, commotion erupted outside. A maid checked and returned swiftly.
"Lady Kunou, Lord Kingu, the Demon God Pillars have appeared. The Fallen Angels' detection device picked up a signal."
"Huh, they're using some neat tricks."
The yokai found his nonchalance surprising. Only Yasaka, Amaterasu, and Shiva knew his true identity at this point.
"Levia-tan vs. the giant monster, round two! ☆"
"Nee-san, please behave!"
A cheerful voice and a scolding scream echoed from somewhere, ignored by all.
"Hmph! Are they after Kingu?!"
"Probably not. They won't attack here." Kingu lifting Kunou onto his lap and gently hugging her from behind.
"W-What's this, Kingu? Not that I mind, but you startled me!"
"I'm nervous too. Can I stay like this for a bit?"
"U-Um, yes! Use me to calm down!"
Kingu was genuinely tense, not just posturing. A strange presence—neither this world's gods, the Demon God Pillars, nor the Lion King—caused it, though he kept silent. Feeling Kunou's voice and presence, he pondered the Pillars' true intentions, beyond their plans.
(Will the Three Factions realize why they appeared now? Some might see it's a diversion, but that's not the real issue.)
"They've made their move."
"As expected, the Three Factions are leading."
"Of course. They have their pride. Neutralizing us and ensuring the summit's success will curry favor with other factions."
"Besides, only the isolationist vampires, aside from the Three Factions, have suffered our attacks. They lack reason to act. They're likely testing our strength through the Three Factions."
"But we're not fighting at full strength."
"Our goal is a diversion for seizing Agreas."
"And our first and final dialogue with you."
"The ideal of incinerating the Biblical system has been refined."
"The world of Biblical revision has been discarded."
"Burning the Underworld provides enough energy for our ultimate goal."
"Your lives are unnecessary for the pinnacle we seek."
"But we offer one last chance."
"A single dialogue."
"Tell us your answer."
"Let us speak our will."
"Share your words."
"Hear our ideals."
"Teach us the value of your lives."
"By some causality… Serafall Leviathan is heading to that location with it."
"It's inevitable. It contains twenty-eight Demon God Pillars. Since the Biblical freaks can sense us, their strongest force will head where the signal's strongest."
"Glasya-Labolas, it's the rematch you've awaited. Stall them until Baal and Andras seize Agreas."
"You say stall, Bureau, but can't I just kill her?"
"…Fine. We need to prove our equality to them. Take that insufferable Satan's head and show our power."
"Got it!"
"One more report."
"What, Zepa-something?"
"I'm finally stepping up! The Gremory peerage is heading to a site with a Pillar signal, but we didn't deploy there. What's going on?"
In a forest near the summit venue, Solomon's three summoned knights gathered.
"Will they really come?"
"They will."
Archer revealing his left eye from beneath his bandages—a reddish-black orb, unmistakably inhuman.
"While using that power, you emit the same signal as the Demon God Pillars? To us, taking their power is madness… No, I'll say no more. These Pillars seem fundamentally different from those we know."
"The essence isn't that different. Just slightly better aligned, you don't have to join me. I'm certain the man I want to kill as much as my past self will come, but there's no guarantee of Fallen Angel leaders. Besides, you two already have the Holy Grail from Solomon to summon your wives."
"Don't insult me, Archer."
Saber—Rama the Ideal King retorted with pride.
"I am a king. Solomon is a king. No matter how personal, a king's pact is unbreakable. I swear it on Vishnu's name."
"I see. A failed hero like me can't understand that."
"Nor am I so lenient or cruel to ignore the Biblical factions' atrocities against humans. I can't meet Sita in peace until Solomon's intent is clear."
"I agree."
Lancer—Fionn mac Cumhaill said.
"I protect people. Conflict with them is inevitable. One Fallen Angel head won't satisfy Surya. Solomon's a great king, but not kind or good. Even salmon's wisdom can't fathom him. You knew him in life and death—what do you know?"
Archer scratched his cheek at Fionn's question.
"Well… I don't fully grasp his intent either. From my living memories, he's history's greatest conman. But even that's a lie. In my worldline, he was defeated by the God of the Bible, yet never spoke his true feelings. Did he predict I'd be summoned by my parallel self? Oh, in my world, Solomon didn't summon Servants."
In this worldline, Solomon summoned Servants because of the Lion King—an unforeseen anomaly, more shocking than his defeat by the God of the Bible.
Thus, Solomon resolved to summon Servants. Archer was first, catalyzed by this world itself. Using Archer's intel, he summoned Assassin, negotiated with a Moon's king for Caster, summoned Saber and Lancer for their zeal against non-humans, and Rider, expecting betrayal. Berserker was a final push.
"What's certain is that man's a mere beast. He loved humanity, believed in its potential, and valued it despite its weakness. But he could never save humans. Because he—"
Archer paused, sensing a group of Devils approaching, including a dragon-like shadow—likely Tannin, a former Dragon King turned High-Class Devil. A striking red-haired Devil girl stood out: Rias Gremory, sister of the strongest Satan.
"Here comes the enemy, a Devil and a dragon? I'll take their heads."
"I won't lose… What's wrong, Archer?"
"Hyoudou… Issei…!"
Archer's Pillar-like eyes locked onto his unforgettable nemesis, despite his fraying memories.
"I admit it. This is spite, a grudge—a fool's tantrum for misunderstanding what a hero is."
He abandoned reason, lacking the composure to care.
"But even this emotion is a facade."
He discarded logic; it was unneeded for this fight.
"It's you."
Let's speak of a saint.
"I hate you, Hyoudou Issei."
She lived comfortably in a church.
But a Devil's scheme exiled her, forcing her into his peerage as a tool. The saint became a former saint—violated, broken, toyed with, defiled. Her dreams and hopes shattered; she discarded her humanity, enduring pain and tears, cursing God.
"Why did you appear on the same planet, in the same era, on the same battlefield as us?"
A turning point came. The Devil who ruined her died, killed by a woman in military garb—a nurse with a steel will. She saved the former saint and her companions. Grateful, they revered her as a mentor, their emotional anchor. They aspired to save others as earnestly as she did, more than in their saintly days.
But this saint relied on a younger senior disciple, the closest to their mentor despite her age—and her flaws.
"Not from fear of death, but from hatred for you—"
Her flaw was a paralyzing fear of men on the battlefield, a recoil from her liberation.
Still, with her mentor, senior disciple, and comrades, she resolved to stand with them. This was when the God of the Bible revived, unleashing the Two-Faced Beast to eradicate humanity. With the King of Men gone, every fighter and supporter was needed.
"If I'd faced you not as a hero's imitation but as a fool's grudge—"
Her senior disciple died, sacrificing herself to save a foolish man aiming to be a hero from evil mud. He remembered her final words:
"Please take care of the rest."
Everyone mourned her, the former saint included. Defying her mentor, with unhealed wounds, she stepped onto the battlefield.
"I could've repaid them."
But there, a Devil stripped her clothes, exposing her inner voice. For her, still unhealed from male fear, it was no different from her past violation.
"I could've beaten you as a human."
She hanged herself, leaving a simple, "I'm sorry."
"I could've saved someone!"
The man born with the strongest spear failed to protect anything entrusted to him—not just the saint, but the human history the King of Men valued, the lives his comrades swore to protect, or the future Solomon believed in.
All that remained was a bloodied spear, arms that saved no one, and regret that he wouldn't have failed if he weren't its wielder.
He'd long known he was a fake.
"It's time for a rematch, Another End to Overturn I. I've killed you once—easy, right? This time, I'll kill you with hatred…!"
Archer's Noble Phantasm, Another End to Overturn I. Its form is a coffin, fittingly so, though it holds no corpse—only relics. Fragments of the wills of those who resisted the revived God of the Bible to the end.
"True Longinus, activate."
A cursed, useless spear—named god-killer but merely a man-killer. Yet he couldn't discard it, the proof of his and his comrades' path.
This was his worldline's proof—the footprint of humanity struggling against the One God's slaughter. This coffin, bearable by one man, was his world's tombstone, sealed from sight by the victorious God, evidence of its existence.
"Noble Phantasm, multi-deployment."
With the True Longinus as its axis, the coffin's relics summoned their power.
A nation-shrouding mist, a beast-spawning vessel, a life-mocking Holy Grail, a purple-burning cross, a fist-fueled explosion, a holy dragon shaped by a sacred sword, a demon emperor's blade that slays dragon kings, a sacred sword cleaving all, a great shield pinning a serpent goddess, a shadow swallowing attacks, a mind-bewitching illusion, white flames in both hands, green and blue arrows piercing foes, a holy king's sword slashing dimensions, a proud lion's axe, an absolute-zero puppet, freely raging weather, a billion-bladed dog god, a light ring healing all—these became Archer's power.
"Pseudo-Incineration Formula XIII: Catastrophe Longinus!"
***
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