After returning to Valhalla for two consecutive battles under the Hollow, Locke's body also continued to request his other "self" to activate skills to adjust Mahoraga's adaptation during combat.
Accelerate Mahoraga's adaptation—
Number of failures: 5
Let Mahoraga's adaptation gradually become a ritual for the Greater Holy Grail—
Number of failures: 13
Slightly accelerate Mahoraga's adaptation—
Number of failures: 2
Let Mahoraga's adaptation become the very purpose of the Holy Grail ritual itself—
Number of failures: 4
Slightly accelerate Mahoraga's adaptation within an appropriate scale—
Number of failures: 0
Let the direction of Mahoraga's adaptation approach "Valhalla"—
Number of failures: 1
Slightly accelerate Mahoraga's adaptation within an appropriate scale—
Number of failures: 0
Let Mahoraga adapt its energy toward the analysis of Valhalla—
Number of failures: 0
Having completed his adaptation to all the world's evils, using the right plan, Locke transformed his Magic Circuits into a vessel for this black mud, completely unaffected.
At the same time, he gained the ability to control the black mud, which could be used for both attack and defense, as well as being converted into magical energy and transmitted to Mahoraga for power.
With the help of this black mud, Locke could be confident that Mahoraga would not only continue this pattern but also trigger it, creating a mutable adaptation of the Greater Holy Grail and Valhalla itself, accelerating the adaptation process and saving more time.
Gradually, Mahoraga's body changed more and more. It gained adaptation results for magical energy and established a connection with the Holy Grail ritual, which also accelerated the consumption of the black mud.
The magical energy accumulated in the Fuyuki Dragon Vein over sixty years rapidly dissipated at this moment, fueling Mahoraga's adaptation acceleration. Gradually, Mahoraga underwent more and more new changes, and the Dharma Wheel above its head spun faster and faster.
In the end, Mahoraga's body nearly filled the entire void, growing increasingly transparent, making Locke somewhat uneasy. When all the black mud was absorbed, Mahoraga had successfully completed the task Locke had given it.
At the same time, Mahoraga's existence triggered a reaction from the world's rules. Its existence passed through the system's selection, and the world's rules began to automatically fill its body with power, causing astonishing changes.
When Locke noticed something unusual and opened his eyes, he did not see the underground cavity filled with black mud, but a world of sky and water.
"This place is Valhalla, which exists beyond the world."
A distorted, abnormal sound came from behind. When he turned around, he was surprised to find that it was his own shikigami—Mahoraga.
Mahoraga... speaking?
"Master, do not be surprised. This is the result of my adaptation to this ritual and to the Throne of Heroes itself."
Faced with Mahoraga's response, although Locke was shocked, he quickly grew accustomed to it and asked rhetorically:
"Then what is the outcome of this adaptation?"
Mahoraga turned its head, looked at the world before it with non-existent eyes, and replied:
Heroes and demigods, knights and pioneers, mortals and villains—every soul representing a facet of human civilization has gathered here to create this hall called Valhalla.
They are the guardians of human reason, the sharpest sword and the strongest shield in the hands of the Counter Forces.
"As a shikigami, my original power is adaptation and reconciliation. Through endless reincarnation and adaptation, I have obtained a result—that is, 'understanding.' I have tried to adapt to Valhalla from the concept of understanding the existence of human reason."
Before the words fell, Mahoraga slowly raised its hand, its fingertips crossing the void. The boundless sea of heroic spirits before it instantly flashed, shattered, and reformed, freezing on the plains of Mesopotamia ten thousand years ago—the epic moment when the oldest king, Gilgamesh, turned his back on the gods, declaring that humanity would henceforth become independent and bid farewell to the Age of Gods.
Every time their gazes swept past, the world before them brought about astonishing changes.
Those key nodes that reinforced human reason and shaped modernity—from the Sumerian city-states to the fall of Rome, from the fires of the Industrial Revolution to the first shots of the World Wars—all the brightest and darkest moments of human civilization replayed one after another before their eyes, like a long river that never stops flowing.
"Humans are truly the most contradictory creations in the world. Reason and madness, destruction and creation, good and evil—all seemingly incompatible poles can coexist perfectly within them."
"I have tried countless times to understand the reason, but I have never been able to grasp it, though my desire to understand them has constantly grown, creating emotions that should not exist."
"It is this obsession and these intense emotions that have allowed me to touch the Root. From the infinite 'causes,' I have obtained the 'results' that were already destined."
His voice spread across the world of heroes with infinite sorrow:
"I have understood everything about humans and finally become the being I was destined to be, incarnating as a Beast that should not exist in this time and space—a Beast of Humanity, the Beast of Understanding."
As Mahoraga's master, Locke had seen strong winds and rough waves before, but he had never seen such a situation. He had thought that Mahoraga might one day become a true big daddy, but what was this about turning into a Beast?
What did that mean?
"That is to say, I am in pain, Master."
Mahorago, following the principle of understanding, had already read all the thoughts flowing through Locke's heart. Before Locke could say anything, it first lowered its eyes, its voice wrapped in an indissoluble confusion and pain, like a child who could not find its way back.
"I see... countless souls burning, shattering, and re-forming before my eyes, each telling its own loneliness."
"Each loneliness has its own shape, hiding an unknown tenderness. But in this world, only I can grasp every tremor of a soul and understand the weight of each loneliness."
"But the more I try to approach and understand humans, the more clearly I encounter an invisible barrier—I can never truly understand 'humanity.'"
"Just as between humans, they are destined to be unable to fully and unconditionally understand each other."
"But even through this insurmountable wall, humans still reach out to one another, still crave each other, and are willing to do everything they can to understand everything in the world."
"As the Beast of Understanding, I do not understand this obsession at all, just as I do not understand the unconditional, absolute trust between you and your other 'self.'"
"So, Master... I am in pain."
Looking at Mahoraga, curled up and writhing in pain, Locke immediately understood the source of its suffering.
He set aside his act and sincerely addressed the shikigami that had helped him countless times:
"Humans are born as contradictory beings. But it is precisely because of this contradiction that infinite possibilities are hidden."
"Precisely because there are differences between people, we are born with distinctions. Through insurmountable barriers, we try to reach out, listen, and attempt to understand each other."
"For me, this striving to understand itself is the most precious thing about humanity."
Locke raised his hand and gently placed it on Mahoraga's shoulder.
For a long time, he had always regarded Mahoraga as a tool for realizing his grand desires. But now, he could no longer define the lonely soul before him—a soul that bore all of humanity and constantly reminded him of the pain of the past—as a cold instrument.
He looked at Mahoraga's trembling body and spoke word by word with unprecedented sincerity and apology:
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you like this. You were born from 'understanding that breaks down barriers,' but you are destined to bear infinite pain for the word 'understanding.'"
"I have tried to understand your suffering, but I still cannot imagine your pain. So... I am truly sorry."
Receiving an answer from his master, Mahoraga seemed to feel some comfort and said to Locke:
"In that case, my master, please end my pain."
Locke was silent for a moment, then asked:
"What should I do?"
"Although I have now obtained the status of a Beast, I am merely an embryo, not even a juvenile. I want to end my own birth and erase my existence from this world."
"However, the Beast of Understanding was born. Even if I do not attain the status of the Beast of Understanding, a new Beast of Understanding will appear in the future. I do not want a new Beast of Understanding to bear my pain. So, Master, please accept the power of 'understanding.'"
"You mean, turn me into a Beast?"
"No. Your acquisition of the power of 'understanding' does not mean becoming a Beast. Rather, the birth of the Beast will be stalled. As long as you do not give up returning 'understanding,' the Eighth Beast will not be born due to the lack of a birth foundation."
Mahoraga stood, looking at Locke, who was struggling, and understood that he was simply thinking about whether to deprive himself of the meaning of his existence, not about the risks. So it said:
"Master, I understand your script and your original goal. But I have read all of humanity's past and finally understood that the end of human behavior has nothing to do with the original intention."
"The most sincere and beautiful intentions always lead to irreversible evil consequences in the flow of cause and effect. The most unintentional and unintentional actions can often sow good causes that illuminate the path forward in the darkness."
"Master, your true intentions are not important. What is important is what you want me to do for the world."
"Therefore, for the sake of this crumbling world, for the sake of the people who have drifted in contradiction for thousands of years, and for me—the beast that understands all loneliness but is still locked within the barriers of understanding—please accept this sincere prayer from the Beast of Understanding."
"Please end the endless suffering of this world, lead humanity, and complete..."
"...glorious evolution."
At the same time, Shiki Ryougi, who was at home in her otaku room, suddenly felt that the Root had changed slightly. After a fierce internal debate, she still wanted to take a look—just a look.
At first glance, the natural connection between Shiki Ryougi and the Root—as natural as breathing, present since birth—suddenly paused for a moment.
However, the empty space of a snap of the fingers made the heart of this Root Princess, watching over the world, pound. When she restrained her infinite omniscient power and searched every corner of the long river of the Root, she could no longer find half a trace of that figure.
Shiki Ryougi suddenly sat up from her bed, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, and her chest rose and fell slightly, almost uncontrollably.
Since her birth, everything in the world had been like an open book to her. She had never known the unknown and had never been half confused.
But at this moment, this completely unfamiliar bewilderment, wrapped in an unprecedented pounding, shattered her calm, unchanging world. A sense of curiosity took root in her heart for the first time.
Who was he?
How had he severed himself from the Root?
Why had she scoured all the records of the Root and never seen his existence?
Shiki Ryougi herself never realized that a feeling called anticipation, through this curiosity, was gradually piercing her empty heart—a heart that had been empty for over ten years—and finally, she gave the most direct answer to the empty room and the boundless sea of the Root.
She wanted to see him. No matter what.