Chapter 267: The Great Round Table Gentlemen's Club
The colossal purple-haired girl with the golden giant claws seemed to be under some form of control. At that moment, she glared toward Gudako, opening her mouth wide to emit a sonic wave. As a split-entity of BB, she unleashed her unique authority, "Censure" (Compression)—a cheat skill on the same level as Meltryllis's "Meltvirus" (Dissolve/Absorb).
Within her field of vision, she forced an irreversible compression. In terms of pure destructive power against physical objects, there was likely no Servant in this world who could best her.
It was a close call. Just as Shirou scooped up Gudako and Gawain grabbed the woman, dashing away from the straight section of the corridor, the space behind them collapsed inward like shattered mosaics. The path itself ceased to exist.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!" Space and road alike were torn apart, instantly crushed into transparent glass-like cubes.
Witnessing this, no one dared to linger. They sprinted toward the exit and finally shook off Lip's pursuit. Having escaped, Gawain remarked, "Truly a terrifying foe! An opponent of that caliber has no precedent even in Britain."
"Tch, boring. I suppose stray dogs always prefer that sort of thing. Let's go, Gudako," Lilith clicked her tongue in annoyance, urging the girl beside her.
"Eh?" Gudako, whose eyes had widened almost in sync with Gawain's, didn't know how to respond for a moment.
However, the upright Knight of the Round Table would not permit the girl's misunderstanding.
"That is absolutely not the case! I must correct your perception; this is by no means an improper matter! If anything, it is a natural inclination of the human heart, much like harboring a sense of justice!" The Knight of the Sun, Gawain, retorted with a dead-serious face.
The tall man flashed a smile with glinting teeth and gave a thumbs-up.
"An ancient proverb says: 'A lady is the mother of a gentleman, and a gentleman loves her bosom!' It is only natural for a gentleman to like breasts!"
"Ooooh!" Gudako felt as though she had finally heard the words her heart had always wanted to express but didn't know how to say. She looked at Gawain as a soulmate, a comrade of the same mind.
"Sir Gawain, what exactly are you saying in front of a lady?" The red-haired knight, Tristan, opened his eyes and looked at the girl, his gaze burning with intensity. That slender waist and stomach, the sleekness of her form—though cleverly veiled—exuded an unspeakable allure. Furthermore, her temperament resembled the two girls he once cherished. These things were not bad at all.
"..." Shirou looked on in confusion. What on earth had the conversation turned into just now?
Gawain noticed his comrade's gaze and continued, "Ah, it's a pity for Lilith. As an Alter Ego, no matter how hard she tries, there is no 'future' there. That is why in my previous life, I often advised the daughters of my house that during their growth period, they must match the appetite of my King. Only by eating well can the body grow healthy and strong. Master, you must remember to eat well, too!"
Gawain turned to the purple-haired girl, shook his head regretfully, and said honestly, "Lilith, your physical stature is already a lost cause, so try to make up for it with your character. Though, I don't think that will actually change anything..."
"Aaaaagh! Just let me skewer him already!! We don't need any other Servants here!" With tears of frustration in her eyes, Lilith raised the sharp spikes at her knees, pointing them at the tall blonde knight.
"Well, the current Lilith is plenty cute enough," Gudako walked over and rested her hands on the girl's shoulders, holding her back to comfort her. One shouldn't force the issue of physique; after all, not all breasts can be "marshmallows."
Lilith thought to herself with embarrassment, 'Is the Master I fell for really this kind of character?'
Watching the girl like this, Shirou felt a sense of relief and happiness. The "Sakuras" here were all children who made one worry.
Acting excessively—if this were the girl from the memories he read from Nameless, she likely would have killed everyone the moment a disagreement arose.
Though the current Lilith remained sharp-tongued, she was clearly considering the feelings of others. This was indeed a positive change.
Memories surfaced in Shirou's mind—the first time Nameless and his Master, Hakuno, encountered Lilith during the Moon Holy Grail War. Back then, the girl was far more domineering, a "cheat" monster on a terrifying scale akin to the King of Heroes.
The petite purple-haired girl had leaped out in a sudden ambush. Her long, slender feet were the sharpest of blades, her needle-like toes spinning on the ground with a beauty as lithe as a ballerina. Yet, any place those toes grazed, even with the slightest touch, was sliced in two.
Cute as a doll, she was a composite entity programmed with the data of top-tier goddesses: the Greek Moon Goddess Artemis, the Old Testament's Leviathan, and the Indian Saraswati. Her body was composed of liquid poison, allowing her to change her form at will or even remodel those she injected with toxins. She possessed the ability to melt and absorb all things in the world—even human civilization, the crystallization of ideals, and Noble Phantasms.
Nameless had raised his black and white blades to block the girl's devastating strike, but the danger had only just begun. Countless hunts and perilous escapes followed from that moment on.
At the time, the girl felt strange: her exposed outfit, her aggressive demeanor... whether it was her attire, her razor-sharp feet, or her piercingly sharp aura, she was like poison, yet like honey—a fatal temptation. No matter how one looked at her, she was far too mad and dangerous. He only wanted to take his Master and flee far away from such a threat.
"The steel-like arms that easily parried my blow; the iron-like spirit that prioritizes protecting the Master over one's own body; that hawk-like expression when shooting an arrow at me... Ahh~"
"Wonderful, Archer! You are practically the manifestation of the 'Ally of Justice' from the stories!"
"I've set my sights on you! I can't stand it! I love you the most! Ah... I've finally found my true purpose!"
"Archer! I want to fall in love with you!"
"Because you don't hate BB, do you? I can see perfectly clear that you're still thinking about saving her. You... are hopelessly gentle to your very core."
Among them were also memories of failure. Though Shirou hadn't lived them, he had experienced everything the white-haired man went through by possessing the mind-scape of the man called "Nameless" through his Mystic Eyes, like watching a movie.
Therefore, more than anyone else present, he understood the girl's terrifying and malicious side.
In one timeline, Nameless followed his Master, Hakuno—that strong girl—into a final battle against Lilith in the Sakura Labyrinth, and they were defeated.
The Master fell, and the white-haired man lost his ability to fight.
The slender girl walked over on her long, spiked feet, speaking in a dazed tone: "Ahhh, my beloved. Now, finally, only you and I are left. I've kept you waiting—our wedding night. I feel so happy, I feel as though I could die right now and it would be fine. Are you ready? Do you have extra requests? What kind of pain do you want? Sweetness? What level of dissolution should we aim for?"
'No...' Shirou wanted to say something, but in this memory, the defeated Nameless could no longer speak. He only felt a sharp pain in his chest.
The needle-like toe pierced his body, injecting venom. Then, his body dissolved, being absorbed bit by bit into the girl's form.
The girl let out a joyful whimper. "Ahhh—haaaa, I can't take it~! So warm, so happy. So this is the sensation of love?"
'No, this isn't true love...' Shirou thought. This scene in the memory turned pitch black; his eyes could no longer see.
"Now you are my property, Archer! In this world, I only have you, and you only have me. I'll melt and destroy the whole world and offer it to you, my love..." He only faintly heard the girl's lonely final words.
In the end, whether the girl won or lost, in the memories of the various worlds connected by the Mystic Eyes, this girl never achieved true redemption. She was always swallowed by that demonic saint who had faked his death. A monster created by BB, a defective product that craved love but could not obtain it...
Even though she possessed the supreme ability to melt, swallow, and remodel everything, even if she remodeled the entire world to her liking, it would be nothing more than playing house with herself. The moment the girl realized her loneliness, she would be unable to bear living in an environment where only her own thoughts existed.
That was why she yearned so much for someone's care and warmth, seeking an existence that could accept her for who she was.
Yes, in this girl's lonely world, all she wanted was one person who could love her.
But as a girl born as an AI, she admired humans, imitated humans, and craved human love, yet she didn't understand the human heart at all...
Due to a congenital neurological disorder, she had almost no sense of touch throughout her body. While her hands were clumsy, she also had no way to understand the thoughts of others.
Originally, as the manifestation of "Pleasure," Lilith—driven by her selfish nature—would torment others, gaining a sense of her own existence and the thrill of her life's value from their exaggerated expressions of pain.
However, when she fell in love, she shifted her life's value to making her beloved happy. She devoted herself entirely to the happiness of the one she loved, even if it meant sacrificing everything she had.
But the result of doing so was only rejection by her beloved. Because if one truly loves someone, they will not let that person sacrifice themselves. Only those who mutually yearn to be together can be called a couple; only two people together can be called happy.
Lilith was a girl full of pride, so she wouldn't easily fall in love. Once she did, that person was certainly worth loving.
But the more this was true—the more outstanding the person Lilith loved was—the more it was destined that they could not agree with what Lilith was doing.
Only that girl named Hakuno was truly a remarkable person, worthy of being the Master recognized by Nameless. She defeated Lilith and then forgave her.
Through their conversation, she made Lilith wake up. She finally understood a bit about human thoughts and what it truly meant to want to be with the person you love. Though the outcome wasn't beautiful, the girl's heart at that time had probably found peace.
It was precisely because of such experiences that the Lilith who came to this world became softer and cuter.
Looking at the girl now, Shirou felt that she had truly changed a lot compared to the cruel version of her from before.
If the her in the Moon Cell was poison that melted everything and fatal honey, the her now was like a spring in the deep mountains. Perhaps she might seem too cold at times, or too hot at others, but if one understood her well, they might find a cooling stream in summer or a hot spring in winter.
"What is it? Don't look at me with such a relieved expression. Even if you have memories, you aren't that person!" Lilith said irritably. Though she harbored a longing and a desire to fall in love with Archer, she also carried the guilt of having killed him.
"My name is Shirou. You could say I'm the Nameless of a parallel world. Although our mental states are different, the experiences of our lives were very similar. From the standpoint of Origin, we are indeed the same person. So, Lilith, I can say these words on his behalf: You've grown up, haven't you? That's truly wonderful!" Shirou reached out his hand, lifting it high to pat the girl's head.
"Wha—! Don't just reach out and pat a lady's head! I'll skewer you!" Lilith lowered her head, feeling the warmth upon it, and made a fierce face to threaten him—though with her blushing face, she had no intimidation factor whatsoever.
Shirou turned his head dismissively toward his junior on the other side.
"Anyway, Gudako, explain in detail how you ended up here."
"Okay, I got it!" Gudako agreed readily.
The Deep Sea Cyber-Paradise, SE.RA.PH. This sub-Singularity occurred within an oil extraction base on the seafloor.
Seraphix, this oil rig, was a prime asset owned by the family of Chaldea's former director, Animusphere. Using a semi-submersible platform and a 24-hour shift system, it continuously extracted offshore oil to generate funds, the majority of which were used to provide stable operational capital for Chaldea.
Among Chaldea's staff, some had colleagues and friends who were assigned to work there. Because both sides were in similar enclosed working environments—one on a mountain of snow and ice, the other on the ocean floor—the employees of both sides, aside from necessary work-related contact, would use the opportunity to vent to and chat with their
counterparts, becoming something like pen pals. Thus, every so often, the two sides would make regular contact.
The power of friendship and family ties soothed the hearts of both parties.
To put it simply, they were like "Magi*Mari." In Dr. Roman's case, even if he were constantly scolded by the other party, he would feel very happy and be able to continue even the most exhausting work.
However, the communication received this time was a distress call from the future. Amidst the crackling of a messy signal, intermittent human voices came through.
"Please! This must be received! I don't know... what happened? Everyone... everyone is disappearing... Help, everyone... everyone is being turned into data..."
The call cut off abruptly.
Da Vinci immediately ordered an investigation. However, through detection, it was discovered that the oil base had actually disappeared. There were no traces of any accidents or mishaps; it had simply vanished from reality, with no evidence left that it had ever existed in this world.
While everyone was bewildered, a super AI from another parallel time-space, BB-chan, hacked into Chaldea's system. She explained everything to everyone, guiding Chaldea to discover a sub-Singularity located in the deepest trench in the world in A.D. 2030.
"BB—Channel!" The legendary BB Channel sounded of its own accord. A talking purple-haired girl—in a story text where only background music played, even the protagonist didn't have the right to be voiced.
To show off her uniqueness, she didn't hesitate to directly invade the games of all players, planting synchronized audio to demonstrate her status as the one and only heroine.
However, because she wasn't the type to stand at the front and fight alongside the protagonist, her tone was too wordy, her text volume was too large, and budget constraints meant she could only show off briefly when she appeared. Soon after, a more straightforward female character with a distinct personality would appear, snatching away her status as the primary heroine and relegating her to a supporting role.
In truth, the girl was simply too lonely and didn't want to be ignored by her Senpai. So she would follow closely from beginning to end. Because of her awkward personality and reasons she couldn't explain, she would only indirectly indicate through circuitous speech that she was actually on the side of the allies.
With every sentence, she would mock him before expressing affection, making her true thoughts impossible to pin down. While providing tips to guide the Master in the right direction, she also had to pretend to be an enemy, hindering the protagonist and doing mischievous, disruptive things.
"Even if Senpai is a completely incompetent sea-cucumber-tier Master, I will take good care of you until you die," the little-devilish girl vowed with a mischievous grin. When she said those words, she was incredibly serious, yet she presented them with the casualness of a cruel joke so that others wouldn't notice.
This kind of "pitiful cheat character" was exactly the kind of cuteness expected of an internet idol; BB-chan was precisely that kind of maliciously cute character.
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