Those Desiring Love/Even if the world breaks

Great, as if things weren't bad enough. So now we've got Durgā, but even more violent.

In that form, she's a murderous fiend who's lost any semblance of sanity or her ostensible divine duties!

We're talking about someone whose favorite party trick is tearing a demon god open and chugging all its blood at once!

Raaahhh!

Ha!

Ghh...

Lancer!

This smell... It's demon blood! Haha!

Aah! Back off! Stay away from me!

Urk...

Berserker!

Haha... Gyahahaha! Good, good! Blood, blood!

And now, I dance. I dance with glee at the sight of my enemies' blood, and my arms and legs will follow suit!

Ahh, hear me! Hear me! Let my wish be heard loud and cleaaar!

？！

Is she...? Oh no.

Kālī. Are you truly attempting to call Shiva here?

Of course! That's the whole reason I exist!

Please, tell me how you plan to do it. I only hope you are not using the method I think you are.

I will destroy the world, and then Shiva will appear beneath my feet.

That is what I was afraid of!

Oh, so we're doing that story, huh?

After Kālī killed the demon gods, she was so excited about her victory that she began to dance.

But her dancing was so violent that it threatened to destroy the world. The gods didn't quite know what to do about that.

It was only when Shiva stepped in and laid down at her feet to cushion the blows...

...that Kālī finally returned to her senses.

So you mean to recreate that myth here, using reverse causality as a means to summon Shiva.

Because if Kālī is performing a world-ending dance, then it follows that Shiva must be there to stop it!

This Paper Moon world might be virtual, but it's still a world. Conceptually, I guess it doesn't matter if it's real or not.

...You're going to destroy this world? The whole world?

Please, stop! If you do that...everyone here will die!

Why would I stop? I will never stop until Shiva arrives. That is the whole point of this dance!

(Right... Her godly nature is driving her to act this way, based on the same underlying principles that give myths their strength!)

Besides, this world will end sooner or later, even without my help. It's only a matter of time.

Khh... Aah!

...!

This is bad. Creating a magical energy connection between herself and Kālī was a foolish miscalculation.

It means she is being made to endure the brunt of this entire process.

And it is much too great a load for any one entity to handle on their own.

It is as though a computer process has gone haywire and begun consuming every available resource.

If something is not done, she could even suffer a meltdown if she is unable to keep up with the sheer strain!

What's wrong with that? We were going to defeat her eventually, right?

Yes, but there is an order to these kinds of things!

Having the central governing AI suddenly break or disappear would almost certainly cause a fatal error.

It would be like using a computer and having its kernel suddenly be deleted.

Yes, our goal is to completely shut down the AI Holy Grail War system...

...but the best way to do that safely is to use the central governing AI's admin privileges.

Conversely, if we are unable to shut down the AI Holy Grail War that way...

...there is a chance of the system going haywire, leaving us unable to return to our world.

？！

How could I have made...such a terrible miscalculation? I can't believe my own world...now faces destruction...

Her admin privileges will be crucial to our returning home. I will figure something out.

And how are you going to do that?

By connecting my Etherlite to her nervous system.

I will then hack into her base programming and rewrite her code to give us a chance.

？！

Yes, it is. In many ways, it will be like trying to defuse a bomb embedded in the circuits of a runaway vehicle.

Dangerous or not, it must be done if we are to return to the outside world.

... ...

It looks like we are just going to have to trust each other.

I want you to trust that I will save the Dust of Osiris...

...and in the meantime, I will trust that you two will find a way to defeat Kālī.

I have faith that you two can pull that off. Do you have faith in me?

？！

？！

...Friends.

Yes, that is right. I admit it.

That word is the reason I went down this road.

Admiration. Respect. Surprise. Goodwill. A bit of hesitation, and a tinge of regret.

It is that very mixture of emotions which drove Sion Eltnam Sokaris to leave the Atlas Institute.

And yet, none of that would have occurred to me while I was still young and immature.

...I see. So that is why I look like this.

My younger self would never have gone to Chaldea.

I knew the answer, but I was still hesitant about it.

It is embarrassing to admit this...

...but it also makes me happy to know I harbored such an Alter Ego within myself.

？！

Never mind. It is no big deal. I just finally got the answer to a question I had been wrestling with.

But right now, I have a job to do here, and I am going to do it.

This may not be the dream this version of me had, but I cannot complain about becoming what I wanted to be.

I will also give you the thing I told you about on the way here. It is already tuned and ready to go.

But please be careful. As I said before, whatever you do, do not overuse it.

All right...here goes nothing. Once again, I am trusting you two to handle Kālī!

That's great and all, but...how the hell are we supposed to do that?

？！

Damn right we do.

As far as I'm concerned, Kālī is basically Pārvatī gone berserk.

And I just WILL NOT let that damn goddess get in the way of my plan.

So I'm going to do the best I can, and have you... Um, what was I going to get from you again?

Well, anyway, that's how it is!

Right now, the only way you and I are going to have the kind of future I want is if we defeat the bad guy with Pārvatī's face over there!

That being said, it's going to be pretty tough to pull off alone.

Realistically speaking, the best we can hope for right now...

...is to buy enough time for Vāyu Junior and that braggart of a Berserker to get back on their feet.

(Assuming they can both do that, of course...)

All right, Master, I'm counting on you to back me up.

？！

Oho... Good. Now that I've gotten a better whiff of you, I see you're a demon, too.

Then we shall fight, for I am the goddess who slaughters demons!

And at the end of my victory...my dance of destruction shall shake the land itself and call my husband to me!

I am Shiva's Shakti. I am the fury born from anger.

I, the goddess of destruction, shall dance atop the bloody flesh of all demons who cross my path!

Ahh... It's all over.

Now I see. So you are an Alter Ego too. If I were to guess, I would say you are the Alter Ego of Salvation.

This does not compute. Query. ...Why?

Why not try and answer that with the calculations you do so well?

Especially since I am a little busy at the moment.

I'm asking you because that query is too difficult to answer myself. The equation is incredibly complicated.

I do understand that you are attempting to use your own body...

...to get the energy that is actively destroying my programming under control.

But I also understand that you are doing so by directly connecting your body to mine via a specialized filament that is capable of transmitting special kinds of data...

...even though we each function on fundamentally incompatible standards.

If what you are doing fails, you'll be destroyed along with me. In fact, even as we speak, your very life is being drained.

Yes... You may be right. Ghh...!

Bypass...expanded... Transfer route... Closed. Opened. Triple layered! Helix!

So you do understand. Then, why are you doing this?

It is the only way...for us to escape with our lives. You can...understand that, right?

Yes. I also understand what you're trying to hide.

If you're successful at connecting your nervous system to my pseudo one and rewriting my admin privileges...

...then would it not be possible for you to escape on your own, without needing to try to stop my runaway processes?

...Hehe. Yes, but there would be no point in doing that.

I certainly do not need to be an outsider here as well.

Yes, that is right. My real self has no right to call herself Fujimaru's friend.

By the time I worked up my courage, it was too late. I missed my window, as they say.

Sion Eltnam is not a member of his team. She is a spectator...or at best, a cheerleader.

So I am sure my real self will continue to maintain walls between her and Chaldea.

Because I calculated that, at the very end, there will be something that must be done which will require an outsider to do.

But that is not currently the case. There is something else I can do here. Now.

Right now, I am a different version of myself.

An alternate future self created when I was caught up in this accident. A me that cut off the wisdom from my grown-up self.

My personality here can only exist as part of the dreamworld resting atop the Paper Moon.

A trick my mind is playing only because of all those disparate elements coming together in one place.

Yes... Though I may only be Fujimaru's cheerleader in the outside world...

...here, I wanted to experience what it would be like to adventure alongside him as...a friend.

Hahahaha!

Yaaah!

Ugh, would you just hurry up and REMEMBER already?

I really don't like showing up in serious scenes like this.

...Oh, right. It was you.

Sure was. Paper or not, a moon's still a moon.

Normally, I'm all about fighting fire with fire when it comes to moony shenanigans like this.

But this time, I thought you'd be a better fit than me or any of the Sakura Five.

So just this once, I arranged things to make sure you'd be able to join Master on this latest excursion.

Well, aren't you generous? I guess this is where I thank you, right?

But you know, I kind of get the sense I'm halfway dying outside this little mind room or whatever we're in.

Hey, that's hardly my fault. The most you're gonna get from me is a "hang in there."

Anyway, what did you mean by "arranged things"?

Oh please, you need to ask?

I made you into something that matched this world. Something that would obviously get you in here along with Master.

See, I have just a little more experience than your average AI when it comes to manipulating you-know-what.

Oh, but to be clear, the Sakura Five are a special case that don't quite fall under those rules.

They're more like cancers I cut out of myself by forcing them to be generated naturally.

Still, there were some common techniques I could use, and since I'm a genius final boss, I knew exactly what to do with them. Pretty amazing of me, right?

What are you going on about?

Whoops, I digress. I still haven't explained what I did to you, have I?

Well, to put it simply...

...I made you into an Alter Ego.

More accurately, I severed your Alter Ego self from your original self☆

...And what kind of self is that?

Now, where's the fun if I just come out and tell you?

But I'll give you a hint: you already know.

It's an elementa personality, that always existed inside you.

But it would normally never work, because it would never come to the front, so to speak.

Because compared to the "■■■■" you give to others, it's practically nothing.

I mean, your usual self is made to give something to every person in the world. It's no wonder this side of you gets lost in the shuffle.

But, now that it's been isolated and allowed to come out as an Alter Ego...

...where's the harm in letting you be seen for who you are?

...

(Exhale)

No, this makes sense. I thought there was something strange going on with me, too.

I mean, unless I was high on summer or something...

...there's just no way I of all people would so openly plead...or cajole... Or... Or...

...Well, never mind that for now. What's done is done.

Anyway...I guess this means I'm an Alter Ego of...myself who genuinely wants...you know...that.

Sure does.

Welp, now that we've got that all cleared up, I think it's time you remembered why you're the one here now, too.

To be clear, it's not like I'd predicted everything about how this was all going to go down.

I just had a sense it should be you here rather than any of us.

I didn't see why that was until just now.

Aha. I get it.

If it really did have to be me, then yeah, that is probably why. I see it now, too.

And don't tell me how cruel this is. I mean, you could, but me being a final boss kouhai and all, I'd just take it as a compliment.

I won't. It's a compliment for us demon kings, too.

Anyway, I know what I have to do now, but that still leaves one problem...

Ah, don't worry. I'm sure it'll all work out somehow.

All right then, from your past memory to your present self: good luck.

Easy for you to say. I knew you and I shouldn't get mixed up if we can help it.

Now then.

I think it's time I go hurt her like only a demon king fragment can...

？！

...Phew. Thanks, Master. I feel better now.

Ahh, ahhh! I win! I'm winning!

My world-ending dance will never stop. Not until Shiva arrives!

Now, come, my beloved Shiva! My husband! Come! Come! Come to me!

？！

Don't worry. It's fine. I know how I can win this now. Just watch me turn the tables on her.

...What? You don't believe me? Yeah, guess I can't blame you there.

I'll admit, there's still one hurdle left to overcome.

...I need more resources.

And not one of your Command Spells. You're barely on your feet as it is.

No, I need a different source of energy. One I can suck completely dry without worrying about the consequences.

As long as I have that, we should be golden. I don't suppose you've seen any energy like that around here?

？！

？！

This is...

... ...

Berserker...

...No.

...No!

...That's right.

Yeah... This could work!

It doesn't matter if it's a little messy. I'll just jab it in him so we're connected, and then

Aah! B-Berserker?

Don't. It's hopeless. Urk...

Wh-where's this coming from? What happened to the self-assured Berserker I know!?

This has nothing to do with that, you idiot. How many times have I told you? I'm a really smart guy.

That's how I know what's going to happen. It doesn't matter if we use the same Raniment. Servants and AIs are just too different.

You can't possibly tie us together. Our molds will never fit.

...We can't know unless we try.

Oh yes we can. The moment you try to connect us, you die.

...Are you really that stupid?

I'm not. I know what's important.

If anything, YOU'RE the idiot who doesn't get it.

What was that?

Answer me this.

You told that lady not to stand between you and what you want, and she wiped the floor with you.

So now that she beat you, do you just want to give up on getting revenge and go home?

Hell no! I want to get her back with every fiber of my being!

Right? There you go.

Huh?

That's how you're supposed to be: selfish and self-centered.

So why are you holding back just out of concern for me? That's not who you are.

Hey, stop! Don't do this, you idi

...Initiating forced connection. Disregard all errors. Send repair program at full speed. Begin operation!

...Ghh!

You...you really are an idiot!

There's no way this can work! I'm nothing like you! Now knock it off before you pop like a balloo

Ugh, just shut up, will you!?

Oh gods, here it comes...

...Huh?

(It's working? How? This shouldn't work.)

(If we were both human, this would be like trying to give a blood transfusion to someone with a completely different genetic structure and blood type.)

(A Servant and Master like us can't possibly match up like...)

... ...

No way.

Is that it? Āyus, are you...?

... ...

Lancer!

Come on, Lancer... Hang in there...

... ...

...Gurk!

Lancer!

Damn... She got me. This almost never happens.

What's the...situation?

It's okay. Assassin's fighting her now.

Though I don't know if she can win.

I see. Yeah, even for the god of love, Kālī's gotta be one hell of an opponent.

As for Berserker...

He got taken down, just like you. I think his Master is trying to save him...

...but I doubt it's going to work.

I don't know about that. He's a lot tougher than you'd think.

Anyway, I can't let Kama do this alone. I've gotta heal up and get back out there, but... Ghn.

Hey, Master. I don't suppose you've got anything to eat, do you?

Huh? Who cares about food now?

I'm sending you some Raniment to help you recover right now. Just be patient and

Never mind that. Being hungry's actually a pretty big deal for me. I think I'll recover if I eat something. Probably.

So, it's just a mood thing?

More an attitude thing.

...Oh, fine. Here.

Thanks... A sandwich? I didn't make this.

Wait. Did you

Something wrong with that? I saw you making them, so I thought I'd give it a try myself when I had some free time.

Not bad. No, scratch that. Something you made yourself is the best food I could ask for, Master.

All right, down the hat

What? If you don't want it, you can just throw it away. It's fine.

It's not that. Do you have any flavor adjustments for me? Like you did for those AIs?

You're an expert at observing individual people's tastes, remembering what they like, and customizing their food to make it that much better, right?

That stuff just popped into my head at the time. It's not like I'm some kind of expert.

Besides, you don't need any little garnishes like that. What would be the point?

...Even I can tell you're not a normal Servant.

You're one of those great hero types who could beat just about anyone if they really went all out, right?

I'm not sure about the whole great hero thing, but I do think I could beat just about anyone, yeah.

The only exception would be my middle brother when he's really on his game.

...So why did I of all people end up as your Master?

You would have had a much easier time fighting if not for me.

You might even have been the victor already, rather than beat up and wounded.

Honestly, if you wanted to give up, I wouldn't even blame you. Really, why fight at all?

I already told you; I want to see you smile.

And I want that 'cause you're my Master.

...

You want to know why you're my Master instead of someone else?

Beats me.

But that's fine. I'm here 'cause I want to be your Servant.

It's what I told you earlier. That's what I wanted to do before, and what I want to do now.

That's not a reason.

Most people wouldn't want anything to do with a downer like me. I'm a pain in the ass...

Hm? Well then, maybe the answer's easier than I thought.

Huh?

(Munch, munch...) This is really good.

You remember the rakshasa lady I told you about? The one I had a kid with?

Let's just say, I've never really minded a woman who could be a pain in the ass.

...Haha.

Are you comparing me to a literal cannibal? Jerk.

All right. Now that I've had something tasty, I think it's time I head back. Plus, my injuries are just about healed!

(That's a lie.)

(But...I guess I can't stop him.)

What the...?

Hmm. Looks like I won't be getting a turn after all.

This is...void-formatted data. I can open this.

Even if it's a trap, it's not as if things could get any worse.

All right, let's see what's inside this package.

？！

No, that's just the shape it's been compressed into. Oh, hey. What's this bonus data?

Ahem.

It's kind of embarrassing to be recording one of these. Eh, not like I'm around to care anymore.

Anyway, what you're watching right now is my dying message.

I'm inscribing this data in the final moments before my death, after some sniper I couldn't see shot me.

？！

As for why I'm doing this, well...I've always enjoyed measuring the future and making preparations for it.

So I looked into some stuff, and I think I have a decent idea of what's going on here.

In the future, this whole world's going to become a system of sorts. It's already beginning to happen.

I'm not an oracle or a fortune teller, so I don't know exactly what kind of system that's going to be.

This is just a theory I arrived at after observing that all the pockets tied to the various areas had been sent flying to the perimeter after those rotations.

Speaking of which, the central governing AI didn't mention this, but that wasn't just one rotation.

As fast as it was, it might have felt like a single rotation, but it was more like tens of thousands.

At any rate, I thought about what those rotations could be for, and this is what I came up with:

That system is going to make use of conceptual rotations and centrifugal force.

As to what that actually means, well...you in the future probably have a better idea of that than I do.

Anyway, as I lay here dying, I thought...

"If my power's just going to go to waste, I may as well leave it for the future."

I don't know what it's going to be used for, but it should still be better to have than not.

Maybe it'll make a difference somehow.

So, I opened up a void pocket...

...and deposited all the excess Raniment tied to Rider's Noble Phantasm inside it.

And since the world could end up rotating again after I'm gone, these coordinates were my only option:

The church in the center of the worldthe place least susceptible to the effects of the rotation.

All I wanted to do was see what came next, but since I won't be able to...

...I'm entrusting this little nest egg of mine to someone in the future. Use it however you like. See ya.

...Hang on. Was there anyone other than me who could open void pockets?

Ah well, I'm sure things'll work out.

I see. So this is those Type Ts' leftover activated Raniment...

...from when he used Rider's Noble Phantasm to power the spell that took out Caster.

？！

Well, he was dying. I bet he threw in some extra since it was meant to be a parting gift.

Anyway... Hehehe, talk about a lucky break. This energy should do nicely.

I'm pretty sure this is what I need to stop Kālī. Piece of cake.

？！

However, there are still two problems we have to deal with.

The first is... Well, it's not that big a deal, and it can wait until later.

But the second one is pretty important.

I'm going to need some time.

These resources are kind of like a compressed file.

It's going to take a little time to extract them before I can use them.

？！

What are you, stupid? You really think it's that easy?

Our opponent there is the goddess of destruction and slaughter. Even Bhīma and Duryodhana were no match for her.

She's focusing on her dancing right now, but as soon as I start working, she'll turn her attention to me.

So how's a Master like you going to buy me time...

...when your Servant is too busy to fight at all, much less protect you?

You shouldn't try to be a hero, and you definitely shouldn't throw your life away.

？！

I-it doesn't matter how cooly you say it. The answer's still no.

This is a purely practical problem. You've gotta be smarter about it.

Hmm. The only chance we might have...

...is for Bhīma and Duryodhana to recover and play meat shield until I'm ready...

？！

？！

Now that I think of it, Fujimaru...

...there is something I should tell you about now, while we have the chance.

It is about the conceptual eye Medusa gave us, which we are using as a compass to find our destination.

Well, more accurately, it is about the bonus she mentioned.

？！

It is very aggressive, that is for sure.

To make a long story short, this eye still contains her Noble Phantasm's power...

Chrysaor, the father of all monsters, and his ability to summon monsters of his own. Granted, this power is more limited in this form, but nonetheless.

？！

Since you are already used to summoning, I am sure you can make use of it.

So I will tweak it on the way to our destination...

...to ensure that it will function as part of your Mystic Code...

...and let you summon a number of monsters by feeding it Raniment.

But do not rely on it too heavily.

Mystic Code or not, humans are not made to connect to a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm.

Think of it as a very dangerous, single-use summoning Mystic Code which may well blow up in your face if you are not careful.

I would only use it when things are dire and you have exhausted all other alternatives.

？！

？！

Oh? Ha, haha! I smell it! I smell more of my detested demons!

(Hey, yeah. Medusa's monsters were technically demons, too.)

(So it makes sense that Kālī would see them as the kind of creature she was made to destroy!)

(I doubt she'd be able to ignore them. And if she doesn't, that could buy us the time I need...!)

Dammit! Okay, I'm going to get started, Master. Whatever you do, don't push yourself too hard!

Hahaha! Blood! Victory is mine!

？！

(Come on... It's okay.)

(You don't have to push yourself so hard.)

It's okay. I finished just in time.

Extraction complete. Maybe you didn't want to give me this gift...but I'm going to make the most of it anyway!

There we go. Finally, the form I've been waiting for.

I am Ananga, the formless one, who burned to ash in the flames that will do the same to the whole universe...

？！

Is that...?

Ooh! Oooh!

You...you're wreathed in Shiva's flames!

That's right. They're still burning me, even now.

And since these flames belong to Shiva, they're connected to him even as we speak.

As for me, I lack a form, and am no more than ash. Ash meant to be spread across the ground.

Now, let me ask you this:

Can this ash that smells like Shiva serve as a replacement for the ground?

No... No, no! Those flames are fake!

Those aren't what I seek. They're not what I want!

All I want is Shiva! My beloved husband!

It's okay. I'm willing and able to help you with that. I can satisfy aaall your desires, no matter what they are.

This may not be the real Shiva, but...hehe, that won't matter once you're satisfied.

Don't you dare try to lure me into depravity, foul demon king!

Ahh. I knew it. This smell... It's Shiva...

I know I can't truly burn a goddess like you with only a little stray flame.

Which is why I'll hold you in my embrace, right to the very end.

Now, come. Let yourself sink into depravity.

...I did not lose to you.

I lost to my own love.

Hehe. Yes, you did.

I'm the god of love, the one who imparts love to all beings. And if I must love another god, then I will.

The moment you appeared before me as an Alter Ego susceptible to love, you lost. It was only a matter of time.

And now the fires of my depravity burn you too.

... ...

What about you?

Huh?

You're burning yourself along with me; doesn't that make us the same?

...

Meaningless wordplay or not, you may be right.

As an Alter Ego, I, too, am susceptible to love...

Teehee. Yes, that...is surely the greatest depravity of all.