Melancholy of the Judge

How is it proceeding, my soul?

Not well, my spirit.

Hmm. So even mobilizing the entirety of the Epang Palace's operational resources is insufficient...

Things may not be proceeding well, but neither are they stagnating. Progress is still being made, even if it comes at a snail's pace.

Well hurry. We have very little time left.

We are well aware. Remember, we have always held Authority over analysis and data processing.

Yes, much as it pains us, we know there is nothing we can do to help.

That is where you are wrong, my spirit. Now that you have regained human form, there is something only you can do.

Console our citizens. Stay on the ground with them until their final moments.

True, that too is an emperor's duty, and we cannot neglect it. But once everything has returned to null...

Not to worry, my spirit. Even then, you will still have an important part to play.

Your body is a perfect replication of the fairy woman's. As such, it should let you reenter the sage world.

There, beyond its deepest recesses, you will surely find a path that leads to Proper Human History.

Then we have a long journey ahead of us. We only hope we can prepare in time...

Once you have arrived, you are to do your best and leave the rest to providence.

For we are the only one fit to rule over all things between heaven and Earth...

We have a Singularity! Come, let us begin the Rayshift!

Fowha fou!?

Um... A Singularity, Qin Shi Huang? Are you sure?

Hey, Fujimaru? Sorry to bother you when you're on break...

...but I wanted to give you a heads-up that an overly excited Servant might be headed your way, like, right now.

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Oh, yeah? Figures...

Okay, in that case, come down to the Command Room and I'll fill you in on what's going on.

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This one is taking place in Xianyang, right? And in 210 B.C., no less, right?

That is exactly the time when our frustrations over our failed search for immortality reached their peak.

So we can say with absolute confidence that we must have done something to cause this new Singularity.

Absolute confidence, huh?

We cannot say we are surprised. We had gone quite mad at the time.

For a time, we even lost sight of why we wished to extend our life, or why China and the emperorship existed at all.

(Sigh) I cannot believe this is from the same Qin Shi Huang who was renowned far and wide for their wisdom and his insanely high performance computation resources.

How can you be so blasé about a Singularity you know you caused?

Must we remind you? We may be two-thousand two-hundred and seventy-six years old now, but we were not even fifty at the time we almost died.

By your standards, at that age we would have been the equivalent of a toddler who has only just started to walk.

And who would be so narrow-minded as to blame a toddler for the damage they inadvertently caused on a tumble while learning to walk?

Hmm. Yeah, that's definitely the kind of grandiose excuse I'd expect an emperor to come up with...

Anyway, why're you making such a big deal out of this? I don't remember you being so prone to excitement.

Fou. Fo fou. (Special Translation: You'd be surprised.)

Well, let us just say it is something of a black mark on our otherwise sterling history we would just as soon not remember. Surely you can understand our urge to hide our embarrassment.

See, that's just it. It's not like you to be embarrassed about, well, anything.

Anyway, as the current strategic commanders in charge of operations...

...it's technically up to Gordy and me to decide who gets to go on a Rayshift to a Singularity...

...but as the Master actually carrying out the operation, Fujimaru, you have a lot of say as well.

Still, are you sure you want to bring this overblown jester, emperor along on this latest expedition?

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Indeed, a wise decision! That keen insight is exactly why we chose you to be humanity's protector!

...

All right, if that is your decision, Fujimaru, I will not object.

But I will insist on coming along this time, in my capacity as Novum Chaldea's weapons development advisor.

Huh? You mean, you're going to Rayshift too, Sion?

If it is my compatibility you are worried about, then you can stop. While there may be some issues, I am fully prepared to work around them.

Hmm? We suppose you may come along if you wish...

But know that as we are strictly Fujimaru's Servant, it is his safety alone we will be concerned with.

That is quite all right. I have absolutely no intentions of taking part in combat.

And while my ability to protect others may be limited, I am very capable of protecting myself.

As an Atlas Institute genius, I am actually quite proficient in both martial arts and sharpshooting.

Hmm. Well, as long as you do not get in our way, then there should be no issue.

We trust you have no objections either, Fujimaru?

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So you're going too, Sion? That's great! Now I know I won't have anything to worry about. Oh, but wait.

Didn't you say you'd rather not be converted into Spiritrons if you can at all help it?

That was then, this is now! There is no-no way I am going to pass up this chance to try it!

Hmm. Well, if you're sure. Okay guys, go ahead and hop in the Coffins.

I've got the Singularity coordinates locked in, and your existence verification accuracy tuning's already done.

Keep a close eye on us, Da Vinci. Make sure you do not overlook anything out of the ordinary, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

No worries, I got this. You guys just be careful out there.

The Rayshift went off without a hitch. Although...

Hmm. How terrible.

If we did not know better, we would never guess this is our beautiful Xianyang. What is this miasma?

There's a lot of dense curse-tinged magical energy permeating the air. Our Mystic Codes are protecting us from the worst of it, but without them, normal people would never have a chance...

Indeed. We doubt any of our citizens here are still alive.

Any we find here are likely to be transformed into something no longer human.

This kind of environmental change is dramatic, even for a Singularity.

What in the world could this Qin Shi Huang have been trying to do?

Well, we knew we would be facing ourself here, so we expected any disaster our younger self created would be at least somewhat contained...

But we suppose it slipped our mind that we never do anything by half measures.

Still, all that said, we never thought our younger self would be so terribly foolish...

How could they possibly have used up all of Xianyang like this?

Used up!? Do you mean this younger self of yours used all of Xianyang's resources solely for their own ends!?

I can understand how a quest for immortality could end up escalating...

...but how could someone as esteemed as you end up causing a biohazardous disaster like this?

Nnn. Well, um, much as it pains us to admit, we can't say we would never have done something like this.

At the time, we were frantically searching all of China for any possible method that could help us attain immortality, regardless of any danger they may pose.

Really, thinking about it now, it is no wonder Xu Fu chose to run away.

Xu Fu was a court sorcerer during the Qin period.

It's said that Qin Shi Huang sent him out on an expedition with a huge entourage of researchers to the Far East in search of the secret to immortality.

But apparently, he failed to find the sage world and ended up never returning to China.

One theory says that he ended up in Japan, where he became a king.

Perhaps we could have saved ourself some embarrassment if we had called it sympathetic magic, as they do in Western Europe.

Honestly, even if it does possess an unchanging beauty, we can still scarcely believe we were reckless enough to ingest it...

If only we could go back and tell our foolish younger self they would be better off drinking an entire cask of mercury before resorting to curses and spells! Ahh, we are so ashamed!

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Huh!? Master, Sheba just sent us an alert! Hostiles are headed our way!

Yes, it would seem now is not the time to bemoan our other self's appalling disgrace. The best way we can save face now is to fulfill our Servant duties and protect our Master.

Come, let us remind this ruined city what rule by a true emperor looks like!

...

...You seem troubled. Does this mean even superhumans like yourself experience heartbreak in the face of tragedy?

How can our heart not break at seeing our citizenspractically our own flesh and bloodcome to such a horrific end? Especially when we ourself are responsible for it.

...Remember, this is still a Singularity. Another Qin Shi Huang did this, not you.

Be that as it may, we are still one and the same.

We know all too well where human delusion leads. We have seen glimpses of it ourself.

Look well, Fujimaru, for what you see here is why we grew wary of letting the human race diversify.

Regardless of what sort of lofty ideals one espouses, fate will always have far crueler plans in store.

Fear of death... Worry of failure... Such things can all too easily lead people astray.

It is impossible for any given ten people to complete every goal they set themselves. And if even one of those people should turn to evil, they will eat the other nine alive.

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No human can hold out against fear and despair. Not unless they overcome their finite life span to become a Zhenren.

In which case, we thought we alone should bear the burden of carrying humanity past the dangers that lay ahead...

...only for our world to end up pruned away.

Now, the right to challenge the future's cruelties is held by our citizensby people.

Still, you must not forget. If you are to accept humans' potential, you must also accept that this disaster we see here will not be the last such tragedy.

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Heh.

No matter how much we may think to threaten you, your noble gaze always has a way of tying our tongue in knots.

All right, we can continue this discussion another time. Now come, let us put an end to this delusion at its source.

You...

Ahh, there you are. Hmm. We knew to expect you...but seeing you in person is truly nauseating.

Oho... You did it. You really did it.

While we can understand your predicament, our young, foolish self, this failure is utterly abominable.

Don't tell us you did not expect this curse to leave such a miasma in its wake?

What use is there in extending your own life if the entire capital must pay the price!?

Hmph. If we consider death to be part of life, then this is just another form of medicine.

We have not failed. We have succeeded at finally bringing China eternal peace under our reign.

(This Qin Shi Huang? Really?) Excuse me, I have something to say.

While I certainly have my own opinions about the morality, or lack thereof, of truly obtaining immortality, using it merely as a means to a political end is absurd.

You obviously do not need to go to such reckless lengths. We have proof of that right here.

See? This emperor achieved their immortality by ascending to the sage world, and brilliantly at that.

Ah, that may not be the best thing to say if your intent is to de-escalate matters...

The sage world? Now that is ridiculous!

That other self of ours is a pathetic fool who only achieved their own desired future at the expense of their world's!

...!

Oh? We are impressed you figured out our origin so quickly. But then, we suppose you are weor at least, we as we used to be.

Then you would claim this horrific city of death is preferable to history under our guiding hand?

We do. We, and our empire, will no longer fear death or oblivion. Our rule will spread until destruction reigns far and wide! This is the truth of eternity!

All right, we have made up our mind! Any pity we may have had for you is gone. This...thing is no longer the Child of Heaven, nor the Heavenly Emperor. It is but a walking corpse.

That throne is not meant to support the dreams of those who are already dead. You already have a mausoleum prepared for yourself, do you not? Then it is time you went, for it is where you belong!

Graaah... Why do you oppose us? Why do you end us?

And just when we were about...to make our empire eternal...and rule over death...

While we suspect any advice we have to offer will be wasted on a self that was unable to overcome death...

Trust us when we say: do not be so quick to anger, nor to bemoan your state of affairs.

There is no need for you to carry the world on your shoulders. Who knows? Perhaps humanity will surprise you, and figure something out on their own.

Do not be preposterous. We were the only one...

The all-encompassing emperor... meant to guide this world to its destiny...

How shameful. Of all the dark periods in our history to be put on display for all to see...

All right, we have accomplished what we came here to do. Let us take our leave of this place, and quickly.

We do not wish to breathe this filthy air one moment longer than is absolutely necessary.

Accomplished what we came here to do, huh... So you are sure this is everything?

Of course. Were you expecting something more?

...No, I was not. This was a textbook Singularity repair, and you performed your Servant duties perfectly.

Congratulations on a job well done, Fujimaru. Come on then, let us go home.

Yup, you guys nailed it, just like I knew you would. Great work!

Why don't you and Mash go take a nice shower and rest up for a bit, Fujimaru? Don't worry about the report; we can go over that later.

Huh? Are you sure, Da Vinci? That's not our usual protocol...

Yup, I'm sure. I've got some adjustments to make on our gear, anyway.

Oh, but would you mind sticking around a little, Qin Shi Huang? There's something I could use your help with.

Hm?

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Right. Now that we have all the facts, all that remains is to clear up the remaining mysteries.

Well now. Out with Fujimaru, in with the detective, is it? We don't like the look of this.

Oh, come to think of it, we just remembered we had plans to meet Shuwen for tea. To think it almost slipped our mind. Well, if you'll excuse us...

Do spare us the blatantly transparent lies, if you would. You're not going anywhere until we've had a little chat.

See, we've observed a looot of Singularities over the years. Big ones, small ones, and everything in between.

So we've got more than enough samples to categorize any new ones...

...by comparing them against the data my past self collected.

Which is why we can say with complete confidence that this latest Singularity didn't just pop up out of nowhere.

It's a dead ringer for the kind that only appears due to intentional external interference.

And you suspect that we are to blame? We are flattered you would think us capable of such a thing, but that is giving even us far too much credit.

We admit, our Servant form has indeed materialized in our transcendent Zhenren body, the very peak of existence...

But no matter how evolved we may be, we are still only one person. We do not have anywhere near the Authority we possessed in the holy mechanical form that achieved complete domination of our world.

Well, thank you for such a...lengthy and articulate excuse.

True, the fact that you're a Servant now...

...does mean we have ways of keeping you in check thanks to Fujimaru and his Command Spells.

But...if you were to regain the kind of power you had in your Lostbelt, that would no longer be the case.

All right, let us say we are willing to tolerate the wariness in which you hold us because we choose to see it as a sign of the awe in which you hold us.

Even so, surely you don't truly think we are capable of making a Singularity in our current form, do you?

For that matter, is it even possible to create a Singularity through artificial means?

Theoretically, yes. Though you'd need to be able to Rayshift, or have access to something equivalent.

So what are you saying? You think someone misused your facilities for sinister ends?

If you are implying that our security is full of holes, think again.

As a hacker myself, I would never say that there is such a thing as a perfectly secure system...

But I will say that, at least for Novum Chaldea's facilities, it would be impossible for someone to use them without leaving behind a log of their activities.

Quite so. As such, our primary suspect would be anyone besides us who might be capable of performing a Rayshift.

Come now, we could be here all day if we begin theorizing. For example, what if Rayshift technology is as ordinary in the future as light bulbs are now?

I assure you, there's no need to resort to such extreme arguments. It's perfectly possible to narrow down the field of suspects to those who exist here and now.

If we consider who could have gotten their hands on both Animusphere's theory and the Laplace software, and who possesses computational power on par with Trismegistus...

...then the guilty party must be the only one who could meet all such conditions.

I'll admit that this was definitely a blunder on my part, but the fact is...

...when we brought the Shadow Border into the Chinese Lostbelt, it still had all the backup data we'd brought with us when we escaped from the Antarctic Chaldea.

I hate to say it, but at the time, I never considered the possibility that someone might seize and thoroughly analyze the entire Border.

And of course, your other form in that Lostbeltthe one that had achieved total global dominationwas a supercomputer.

I really wish I had been able to see it for myself. I also wish we could have seen what happened there after we left.

Indeed. From what we were able to determine, it appears as though the Chinese Lostbelt disappeared rather quickly.

But of course, we had no way of determining how time may have passed on the inside. If its collapse came slowly, rather than suddenly...

...your mechanical counterpart would have had ample time to analyze the data they collected from the Shadow Border.

And if that was not enough, your Singularity counterpart's remarks clinched it beyond any doubt.

You may have thought you did a good job covering it up, but logically speaking, there is simply no way they could have figured out at a glance that you were from the Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon.

And that leaves just one possibility.

A version of you from the Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon must have already made contact with your Singularity self.

Which means the mastermind behind this Singularity is not the Servant version of you that exists here at Chaldea...

...but rather, the mechanical version of you that ruled over that Lostbelt.

Are we wrong?

Hehe. Then tell us this: What would we possibly have to gain from Rayshifting once we knew we would be pruned away?

Even with Rayshifting, changing history would not be possible. The best we could hope to accomplish would be to generate a bit of space-time stagnation in the form of a minute Singularity.

True. There's nothing anyone could do to avoid being subjected to the Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon.

But, if you were to go back in time far enough, you could definitely find a point when your timeline was still part of the Chronicle Theoretical Phenomenon.

Which explains why you insisted on coming along to this Xianyang Singularity.

I suspect the other Qin Shi Huang in the Lostbelt arranged for several Singularities of varying magnitude to see which one Chaldea detected...

...and as their accomplice, it was your role as Servant Qin Shi Huang to identify the Singularity in question.

...

If a Lostbelt was ever going to generate a Singularity that could be observed from Proper Human History...

...it would have to be in their shared past, before the timeline diverged into Chronicle and Pruning.

And any Singularity taking place that far back in the past could be used to interfere with Proper Human History.

Look no further than the trap Goetia once set.

The reason I accompanied you on that Rayshift was because I was concerned you might try something while you were there, but you gave no indication that you would do so.

In which case, it is reasonable to assume that your true goal was something else.

So I think you laid several traps...

...with the goal of finding out which one you could use to invade Proper Human History.

That was the reason you answered Chaldea's call when we summoned your Heroic Spirit, was it not?

(Sigh) This sort of thing is exactly humanity's problem. You are all simply much too accustomed to war and conflict for your own good.

We could never bring this up in front of Fujimaru.

We needed to at least find out on our own exactly where your true intentions lie.

We swear... Did you think this through at all?

If you knew you were going to accuse us like this, then you SHOULD have kept Fujimaru close at hand so he could use his Command Spells on us.

Your detective work may be sharp, but your shockingly naive lack of contingency measures in case we were the villain you believe us to be is exactly why we worry for Proper Human History's future.

At any rate, we have already warned Fujimaru numerous times that if Proper Human History's humanity should end up as some intolerable abomination...

...we will establish our empire once again.

Then, you ARE planning to

Calm yourself. Before you truly lose your cool, let us remind you that we have not said we are going to put our plans into action.

Let us be clear: we have no intention whatsoever of getting in Fujimaru's way.

We came to Proper Human History so we could bear witness to his fight, and we are happy to offer our assistance if he should need it.

Remember, we have already abdicated our former throne.

...Then why go to all this trouble?

We have genuine trust that people such as Fujimaru will pave the way to a bright future.

But, as we believe they say in your time, "Trust, but verify." Indeed, as a politician, we are not willing to risk gambling with our world's welfare.

So if there should ever happen to come a time...

...when Fujimaru and other people like him are unable to overcome humanity's current crisis...

...then we shall step in and build a new humanity, where we are once again the only true person.

...

...So you agreed to your contract with us while thinking we would fail? How is that not a betrayal?

True, we are sure there are some Heroic Spirits who serve Fujimaru out of faith or friendship. However.

While some fools may believe that a world which cannot be saved by good people is not worth saving at all...

...we do not number ourself among them.

Fujimaru and we are bound by honor, and defeating the Foreign God is a matter of justice.

If there should ever come a time when we must weigh the two, we will choose the heavier one every time, for that is our duty as an arbiter.

...So you are still claiming that your actions were only meant as a means of combating the great reset of humanity?

Consider it a form of insurance.

We are heaven-sent to rule over a world of humans. We will be damned if we allow a nonhuman invader to take this world for their own.

If Fujimaru should one day triumph completely over the Foreign God...

...we will gladly admit we were being overly cautious, and forget all about these contingency measures.

Indeed, our original goal in rejecting all these Singularities was always to ensure a victory of the people.

Good grief.

I hope you are aware that it is difficult to take this seriously when we watched another version of you who succumbed to their ambition...minutes ago.

(Though that being said, I certainly do not consider that spirit to actually be Qin Shi Huang.)

How many times must we tell you? We have overcome death and lived over two-thousand and two-hundred years longer than that younger self of ours.

Nor should you forget that we have attained enlightenment in the sage world. Do not doubt Zhenren like us when we say that our perspective has changed.

Besides, while we thought this form of insurance might be a clever idea at first, we are no longer certain.

There is just...something about this Rayshift system that does not sit well with us. It smells of evil.

Evil? How do you figure?

The fact that you saw through our plot so easily means that the Crypters could easily do the same.

Well, much as I appreciate your caution, I can't say the same for your recklessness.

We swear, things would be so much easier...

...if you and Fujimaru and everyone else would simply emulate our way of thinking.

I'm sure that would make your life much easier, but don't hold your breath. It ain't happening.

I can't speak for other places, but Novum Chaldea will never sign off on any kind of plan that requires sacrificing others' lives, for any reason.

Because a victory won like that wouldn't actually be a victory at all.

Hmm. While there are some aspects to your way of thinking I could agree with...

...at present, our most pressing problem by far is removing the remaining Trees of Emptiness.

So I believe our alliance will continue to holdat least, as long as we share a common enemy in the Foreign God.

I think so too. Plus, it also looks like a safe bet that you genuinely don't mean Fujimaru any harm.

But don't forget, Qin Shi Huang, we'll be keeping a close eye on you.

If you do anything to betray Fujimaru's trust, you better believe we'll have some "contingency measures" of our own. Is that clear?

We were just about to say the same to you, Heroic Spirit. Fujimaru represents the potential held by the next generation of humans.

So if you truly do not want us to reestablish our empire, you had best do everything in your power to ensure he emerges victorious, no matter the cost.

Fou? Fooou!

A-are you okay, Senpai? You're not coming down with a cold, are you?

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True, you don't seem to have a fever. Hehe, maybe this means someone is talking about you behind your back.

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