Section 2: You as a Beast, Battleground (1/2)

Gold! Riches! What self-respecting pirate could stay away from those!?

Wherever you are, whenever it may be, that's the kinda treasure you're supposed to nab!

Since you're on our turf, you'd better give us everything you got. Including your lives!

Yeah, I know we only just showed up here. But what do you expect? We're pirates!

All right, men! We're gonna plot a parallel course with the old haI mean, Drake's ship! Stay on her!

I'll admit you've got guts, stealing another pirate's treasure! I don't know if you're Demonic Beasts or straight up demons...

...but either way, you're gonna regret laying hands on treasure claimed by Blackbeard, pirate among pirates!

Perfect, the idiot's all fired up! Okay men, whatever you do, don't you dare lose to him!

If we go down first, I'll have you scrubbing every toilet in hell till judgment day!

Ready cannons!

Ready cannons!

Fireeeeee!!!

So, they have started firing upon us, have they? Very well then!

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It is only surface level! It lacks a soul or anything else of substance!

But...it still packs a wallop!

Yeooow!

Watch where you are steering! A flesh pillar just struck us!

Yes, ma'am! Man, for a catgirl, you sure know how to run a captain ragged!

Now! We are going to board their ship ourselves!

As a Beast, I appreciate their lust for wealth, but as a ruler, I cannot abide their insolence.

I shall therefore carry out their sentence myself. These pirates will hang!

...Battling without pause like this is getting tiring. I can see you are breathing hard.

Fortunately, there is plenty of room here, and no end of places to hide. Take this chance to recover your magical energy while you can.

？！

Our only hope is to escape this space. Unfortunately, we have no means of doing so.

My fate has been sealed for a long time now. I merely refused to give in and somehow managed to find a sliver of hope in you.

I have been improvising ever since. My only goal at the moment is to continue this struggle for as long as I can.

？！

You mean THIS? Unfortunately, that will not work.

Your thinking is not wrong, but it is not quite right, either.

I created this world myself. It is a Proof World modeled after Beast I's Incineration of Humanity.

The Proof World recreated the seven Singularities and drew in different Chaldeas from various parallel worlds.

As Sodom's Beast, I collected these many Chaldeas' wishes into the Holy Grail and drank them to the last drop.

Correct. My Beast Authority is Nega-Messiah. To me, all messiahs are prey to be mocked, scorned, and finally devoured.

In this universe, Chaldea and its Master defeated Beast I. They are victors that exist in many different worlds.

The wish to save the world is the only desire capable of growing my Beast horns.

Hence this Singularity. Hence this Holy Grail War. The battle you Chaldeans waged against me was truly delectable.

You should be proud. Every Chaldea, every Master, fought hard enough to quench even my thirst.

Then, at the very end, you strode over the corpses of the many Chaldeas that came before to finally sink your fangs into my throat.

Correct. My Beast Authority is Nega-Messiah. To me, all messiahs are prey to be mocked, scorned, and finally devoured.

The wish to save the world is the only desire capable of growing my Beast horns.

That is why I copied you, your companions, and your battle with Beast I.

You should be proud. It was youyour Chaldea's Holy Grail War, carried out countless times in this Proof World...

...that served as the source for this grand stagethis arcade.

Of course, in the end I was struck down by something of a deus ex machina twist, leading to my current, pitiable state.

？！

When Chaldea defeated me, my Beast Authority was lost. So alas, the Holy Grail is no longer in my possession.

This chalice I hold now is not a wish granter, but merely an empty vessel.

This theater is no longer a theater. This table, no longer a table. Ruin has claimed this place. All that remains are the twisted remains of the Proof World.

It is a garden, an execution ground for the Heroic Spirits who hunt the Beast.

...The truth burns in those eyes of yours. It is only right that I now find myself hunted.

Be that as it may, I cannot allow myself to die here. I will return to my true form as Sodom's Beast once more.

When that happens, you will be there by my side...but worry not. I will devour you too. Down to the marrow of your bones.

That is the least I can do to pay my respects to the original.

What are you thinking about? It is all right. You may offer me advice.

Is it about the Holy Grail? ...I see. Broken Proof World or not, the fact that it maintains form means magical energy must be supporting it.

That principle remains true for Singularity and Proof World alike. Which means someone must have claimed the Holy Grail in my stead.

True, the logic does hold. It was most likely one of the Heroic Spirits gathered here to kill me. That does not change our situation though.

Your only choice is for us to join forces, obliterate these Heroic Spirits, and reclaim the Grail. Hehe, I will be counting on you.

Fight. Give it your all. Depending on how things go, I may be willing to present you with the Holy Grail.

As a wise and benevolent ruler, I understand the value of rewarding my retainers' hard work.

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What is it? Are you upset? Are you afraid? Worry not. I am your Servant, your fangs.

I swear to you that I will keep you safe from all manner of threats. I may be a ferocious Beast, but I am also a noble one.

So, until the moment I am once more an Evil of Humanity, let us continue together, my Master.

All right, it is time we made our move. I would like to avoid unnecessary battle, but sometimes, one needs to power through the obstacles ahead. I leave those decisions in your hands.

If only we had some way of ascending... No, never mind. Come, let us be on our way.