Part Four, Section Two: Eternal Unburning Nirvana, Makuzu

Our allies have won yet another battle. And it's all thanks to you, Lady Kagetora.

...All right then, I'm trusting you to handle the rest.

I'm going to go report this victory to Bishamonten.

Yes, my lady!

...Phew. I always freeze up whenever Lady Kagetora's around.

Me too. And I still don't know what she's thinking, refusing to cut off this territory even after winning the battle.

Indeed, her mind is a mystery to me as well...

Well, Lady Kagetora is an avatar of the gods. I suppose we mere humans could never hope to understand her.

Perhaps not. For that matter, as of late, I cannot even bring myself to look her in the eye...

It feels as though she sees right through me, and I have nowhere to hide...

...Ahahahaha!

Help me, Bishamonten. I cannot understand people.

I know that people are weak and fragile...

I know that they curry favor with those stronger than themselves, and trod mercilessly upon those weaker.

Yet despite that, I have devoted my life to protecting them, in the name of virtue and morality.

I have killed many, many people in war.

That is all my strength is good forthis monstrous strength that my father, my brother, and my sister feared.

I will no doubt kill many, many more people as the wars continue.

But am I truly protecting people by killing others in this way?

Help me, Bishamonten. I cannot understand people, no matter how hard I try.

Ahaha... Ahahahahaha!

...What are we going to do now, Senpai?

What else!? We break outta here and kill the bastard that did this to us!

There's a problem with that. Whatever these restraints they put on us are, we can't even move now!

They seem to have been designed to rob Servants of their strength.

？！

...Senpai, someone's coming!

Hey guys. Guess your meeting didn't go so well, huh.

S-Sakamoto!?

What were you thinking, letting yourselves get caught? Who do you think you are, Izo?

I was hoping to settle this more peacefully, but it seems you and my lord were a poor match for each other...

Hey! You with the snake woman! What the hell are you doing with him!? You two been in cahoots all along or something!?

Yes, we were. Sorry for not telling you sooner.

？！

What!?

I knew you didn't seem trustworthy, but still...

Dammit! I knew there was something fishy about him right from the get-go!

Oh Sakamoto, you really are an incorrigible tease, aren't you? Oh well, never mind that.

There. You should be able to remove your restraints now.

...So we can. What's going on here?

Allow me to introduce myself more fully this time. I am a Caster. My True Name is Maxwell.

Maxwell... As in the nineteenth-century mathematician?

Ah, so you've heard my name before. Well, strictly speaking, that isn't quite who I am, but it's close enough for now.

So, what? You're saying you're not our enemy after all, Caster?

No, I'm not. I brought you all here because I have a request to make.

A request, you say? I take it this is not on behalf of your lord, but of you personally?

Yes, that's right. You see, I was hoping...

...that you could destroy me.

...It seems it has begun.

...

We have an emergency!

A number of dark giants have appeared all throughout our territory and begun attacking our citizens!

What? Hey, you, what's going on? Did you do this!?

Don't be ridiculous. My loyalties lie solely with Lady Nobunaga. Don't you lump me in with those cultists.

Then what are those things!?

...They've started the creation of their so-called paradise.

RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!

H-help meee! Aaaaaahhh!!!

Waaaaaah!!!

RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!

Don't worry about me! Just get out of here! Go! Run!

Waaaaaah! I don't wanna go without you!

Oh, Buddha! I beg of you! Take me if you must, but please, let my son live!

Waaaaaah! Mommy! Mommyyyyyy!

RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!

Yes, this Singularity's goal is to unite all of Japan, but there was more to it than that.

It also contained a Holy Grail...a powerful repository of magical energy with the capacity to throw history off its original course.

The high priest never had any interest in unifying the country. All he cared about was getting his hands on the Holy Grail before anyone else could.

Basically, he ignored the contest to unite Japan entirely so he could sneak in and make off with the prize.

You said it, Senpai! That goes against every written and unwritten rule in the entire Warring States period!

Right. Nobunagas are compelled to do battle with other Nobunagas.

But since he wasn't one, he avoided fighting neighboring provinces in favor of focusing solely on the Holy Grail...

？！

Right. The high priest was never even a Master. At first, he was just a monk like any other.

It was only after he found the Holy Grail that he summoned a strange Servant.

What do you mean "strange"?

I mean that this Servant would normally never even exist.

He only showed up here thanks to the Atlas Institute, and the far-future technology that was used to create it.

That would be me, Maxwell's Demon.

I think it was a fictional demon created for a thought experiment.

Well now. I wasn't aware I was so popular.

？！

Yes, that's right. I'm a fictional demon who was imagined as a way to demonstrate how the second law of thermodynamics might be broken.

And now, for some reason, I have found myself in this world with a Spirit Origin of my own.

Thermo...what now? The hell are you talking about!?

Assuming we all make it back home intact, I encourage you to look it up online when you have a chance.

To make a long story short, my Noble Phantasm generates limitless magical energy...

...and now, my lord is using that energy to capture the Holy Grail War and thereby conquer this world.

Limitless magical energy...? Are there really no caveats to it? I thought truly limitless energy was impossible.

If this is true, it would be one of the greatest nonscientific marvels in the history of mankind...

It's true, but the caveat is that it could never exist in the normal world. Even in your own time, no one has managed any practical application of this thought experiment.

But here...

Right. This Singularity was generated by the Atlas Institute's Logos Reenactor Generic simulation device.

Exactly. My existence as a Servant, along with my infinite energy-generating Noble Phantasm, are only possible in a simulation like this.

I see. And now, your Master has attained limitless magical energy thanks to you.

With power like that, it would certainly be trivial to emerge triumphant in a Holy Grail War.

That's not to say it was easy, believe me. I'm so weak that I can't even fight my own battles.

Instead, I ran myself ragged making Heroic Spirit Soldiers and negotiating as best I could with the other daimyo.

...At any rate, we're here now. This underground facility, built below the Makuzu headquarters, is the hub of our entire operation...

The Perpetual Magical Energy Generator operated by Maxwell's Demon.

So that's the Magical Reactor that generates limitless magical energy.

Indeed. That core in the middle there is my Noble Phantasm, where Maxwell's Demon is contained.

Hold on. What's in those tube-looking things?

Ah yes, those are the children who came here from nearby villages. The machine draws on their magical energy in order to operate.

Huh!? Why would you do that? I thought the point of your Noble Phantasm was to generate limitless magical energy!?

Unfortunately, my perpetual motion machine turned out to be a fraud.

My Noble Phantasm can't operate solely on its own. It requires a bit of pure magical energy to get it moving.

Pure magical energy... So you mean the children's life force.

That's right. Children are an excellent source of pure magical energy, after all.

Damn, this Noble Phantasm's even worse than I thought.

Indeed. Frankly, as I am a mere imagined demon who wishes to create a true perpetual motion machine, this thing is an abomination to me too.

...Now I see. So that's why you chose to betray me and have them try to destroy you.

？！

Oh, don't worry. Maxwell's Demon only needs a small amount of pure magical energy to operate.

All we have to do is change out the children inside a few times a month, and everyone else can enjoy the benefits of Lord Makuzu. A pauper's price for a king's bounty.

What's wrong with you!? How could you possibly think something so monstrous is acceptable!?

Why not?

How is it any different from the way you daimyo grow fat off the taxes you keep collecting?

That is pure bullshit and you know it!

You're killing kids just to put food on your plate! You have NO business lecturing us about the way of the world!

Hmph, this is exactly why I detest trying to reason with stubborn fools like you. Why can't you understand?

It is a simple calculus, really. We offer a tiny sacrifice, and in exchange, the masses can enjoy peace and happiness. What more could a unified nation desire?

A tiny sacrifice, huh... You've got a point. If that was enough to save everyone else, maybe it really would be the right thing to do.

Sakamoto!?

But the thing is...it's never the people in power like you making that sacrifice, is it?

...What's your point?

My investigation has shown that your so-called "tiny sacrifice" has been growing rather rapidly, hasn't it?

...

You said you'd "only" need to change these children out a few times a month? At this rate, you're going to need far more children than you're using now.

Exactly. By continuously generating magical energy on an impossible scale...

...you're causing Maxwell's Demon to accumulate fatal errors, a buildup of material debt.

At some point, this small-scale simulation alone won't be enough to cover for it.

That's why you're planning to use this Singularity as a toehold to begin eroding the real world as well.

It doesn't matter if this world is real or not. All that matters is that I now control limitless magical energy.

If anything, it would be wrong of me not to use it to bring about paradise on earth and free all living things of their suffering.

Yes, that's right. I'm going to need even more magical energy if I'm to save more lives. The only way to save the living creatures of this world is to take matters into my own hands.

So I must generate even greater amounts of magical energy to save as many creatures as I can, even if I must sacrifice this world to do so.

This limitless power will let me save even more living creatures!

？！

All right, enough talk. It's time to break through this world's shell and use my power to bring about true paradise!

RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!

Are those... Those are the same kind of dark giants we saw in the Imperial Capital! Only there's three of them now!

Who cares how many there are!? We've just gotta kill 'em all anyway!

That's a...really simply way of looking at it, but you know what...I like it.

All right then, let's go! Bishamonten's protection is with us!

RRRAAAHHH...!

RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!

What's with these things? Every time you kill one, more pop up in its place!

Are you truly so surprised?

After all, Lord Makuzu's limitless magical energy can make as many of them as I wish.

Hmm, I don't like how this is going. Let's fall back for now. This place is too cramped to give them a real fight.

It's frogshit that these guys get infinite respawns. Tomoe would go ballistic on no good cheating cheaters like them!

？！

...You poor fools. You still don't realize there is no escape from my paradise.

RRRAAAAAAHHH!

The hell!? Those things are all over the place even out here!?

Does this mean they're popping up across the entire Singularity?

Afraid so. They're essentially magical energy distortions that emerge as byproducts of my Noble Phantasm.

To put it another way, they're like a chain of fatal errors in the system keeping this world running.

What you're saying is that they signify the fast-approaching end of this world... I see what they mean when they speak of lands where even the gods fear to tread...

You see? As I said, there is no escape.

Now, behold Lord Makuzu's true form!

RRRAAAAAAHHH!!!

This giant's magical energy signal is even stronger than the others! And what's that behind it? Is that...a hole?

This is the god of Makuzu's true form!

With a heart of infinity embedded within his flesh, he can make any wish come true, even as it remains unfulfilled.

Now, there is nothing and no one left who can stop me! Go on, my lord! Squash them like the insects they are!

RRRAAAAAAHHH!

We're too late...

There's no stopping this now.

What you see there is a truly omnipotent demon, able to remake every aspect of this world at will thanks to his inexhaustible magical energy.

That...is Maxwell's Demon.

RRRAAAAAAHHH!

I don't give a rat's ass about that crap!

Dammit! My Ningen Mukotsu isn't even scratching it!

...

Now what do I do? It's even stronger than I'd calculated... No, it's worse than that.

The reactor core is already going haywire. There's nothing we can do to stop it...

...Get out of here, Fujimaru. I'll handle this.

Don't worry, I'm sure I can at least take it down with me. Remember, I'm still the avatar of Bishamonten.

？！

...?

Come on now, don't be silly.

Surely you can see that there's nothing you alone can do against such an immeasurably powerful being as that.

And there is no shame in the weak allowing the strong to sacrifice so that they may live.

Kagetora, Senpai doesn't

That high priest person there has a point.

At times...small sacrifices must be made for the greater good.

As a leader, your job is to decide what those sacrifices will be. Now is the time to make a small sacrifice to fulfill your greater obligation.

？！

...

You know, I've been wondering this about you ever since we met.

Why do you go so far to save others without any regard for your own well-being?

Especially given how you're just an ordinary, weak, powerless human.

？！

...?

...Ahaha! Ahahahaha!

Is that a joke? Have your allies truly left you so blind to your own weakness?

Ahahahahaha! You do know this is a world where the weak die off and the strong thrive, right?

You actually believe that accomplishing nothing on your own and relying on others for everything is all right?

Ahahahahahaha!

I've never seen a human so weak and pathetic! It's painful just to look at you!

You can't do anything without relying on others to help you!

You expose your weakness for all to see, and have the audacity to proclaim your lack of power for all to hear!

And on top of that, you say you want to save everyone around you? Ahahahaha!

I've never seen such arrogance! I've never seen such impertinence!

...

Hey! Where the hell do you get off talking down to my Master like that all of a sudden!?

Indeed, yours is a tremendous, impossibly audacious wish.

One that is worth risking everything I have to fulfill!

？！

Couldn't you have just led with that, huh!? 'Sides, everyone here knows full well how amazing our Master is!

I'm sorry, I was just making a clean break. It's important to go into these things fresh, after all.

...Brother...

...I think I finally understand what it is that makes people human.

Kagetora...!

Now then, high priest...this Lord Makuzu is supposed to be a god, yes?

Even with all that incredibly arrogant nonsense you've been spouting since we first met, I trust you still remember who it is you're up against?

Just to be sure, let me remind you now. I am Nagao Kagetora, Echigo's god of war!

Is that meant to impress me? You've already introduced yourself. Why bother doing it again?

You really are just a hopeless Echigo bumpkin of a daimyo, aren't you?

As Himezuru flies, Sanchoumou plays...

As Tanikiri crosses, Gokotai falls back...

It...it looks like several different swords are gathering around Kagetora!

As Saiken worships and Shichisei flies by...

What Taimatsu lights up is the treasured spear of Biten...

Wh-what's going on? What is that behind you!?

Oh? I'm surprised you can see. Guess you are a follower of the Buddha, no matter how rotten you've become.

This is Biten, my guardian. Thanks to them, I have accumulated countless invaluable blades to vanquish enemies of the Buddha with my Noble Phantasm

The Eight-Bladed Guardian, Touhachi Bishamonten!!!

Whoa, the hell is that thing? I can see it too!

I-impossible! Th-the gods and the Buddha would never appear in this world!

This cannot be happening!

Fear me, god of Makuzu, for I am Bishamonten! Now have at you!

Gallop, Houshou Tsukige! Bishamonten's protection is with us!

Bishamonten's...Eight Aspect Rotating Formation!

RRRAAAaaahhh...

How's that!?

Damn, war god, way to go! That thing's really disappearing!

She literally is an avatar of Bishamonten, isn't she? No wonder Uesugi Kenshin was known as the strongest daimyo of the Warring States period.

Even Oryou is surprised by how strong she is. Are we sure she's even human?

This can't be happening! Bishamonten can't possibly have possessed you! He can't!

...Maybe he has, maybe he hasn't. What matters is that your dreams of "paradise" have come to an end.

No! I refuse to accept this! There are no gods or Buddha in this world! None! If there were, they should have shown up when

No matter! All I know for sure is, there are no gods in this world! None!

I-is that...the light from a Holy Grail!?

That's right! I still have this! Now, return, Lord Makuzu! Use the power of the Holy Grail to return to glorious life!

As long as I have the Holy Grail and Maxwell's Demon, my true, glorious god will return as many times as I wish!

Not if I have anything to say about it.

Wh-who are you!?

It's...!