"A servant on the Beast's side is a user of the Second Magic?"
Amakusa Shirou quickly obtained the intelligence report on Jiang You. "But Kaleidoscope hasn't passed away in this era, has he? There can only be one successor to a Magic in any given era, and there were none before... Does this mean... a Magician from the future?"
"Future Servants are involved now too?"
Actually, for Semiramis, most Servants were from her future. However, when the Holy Grail summoned them, it only provided legends known in the current era. "In Kaleidoscope's case, he must be from a much later era," she mused. "Even if we know the general gist, we won't be able to figure out his weaknesses. That puts us at a huge disadvantage in terms of intelligence."
"It's true that we can't gather intel on future Servants," Amakusa said, analyzing the situation. "But as the inheritor of the Second Magic, and with Summons capable of dealing with Atalante, Chiron, and Achilles, he's an extremely troublesome opponent... He's probably the most dangerous threat after the Beast."
Amakusa continued his assessment. They still hadn't identified the Beast's true nature, and now they had even more adversaries to contend with.
"If possible, we'll probably need to ask someone from the Clock Tower for help. An ordinary Lord won't be enough... It seems we'll have to turn to Kaleidoscope himself."
"Do you think he'll agree?"
Kaleidoscope's personality was well-known to anyone who bothered to ask.
"This concerns the Second Magic. Even he can't afford to stay out of it," Amakusa reasoned. "As far as I know, the Second Magic has no clear successor right now. There are only two families that even use Jewel Magic. The Wizard Marshal will, at the very least, find this situation... interesting."
Amakusa felt it was necessary to bring in powerful outside help. "However, we also need a backup plan. Even if the Clock Tower agrees to assist, we might not have enough time. That Servant's Summons possess a powerful Dragon attribute. Fortunately, we have a Servant on our side who is a legend against such foes."
"You mean... the Black Faction's Saber?"
"Exactly. As the Dragon-Slaying Hero, he should have a complete affinity advantage over the enemy."
Amakusa recognized the benefit of having a large roster: they were more likely to have a counter for any given opponent. Now, they had to consolidate their forces. Against an enemy of this caliber, their current scattered formation would only lead to them being picked off one by one.
"Also, you should have your Noble Phantasm ready. The enemy probably can't hold back much longer."
"Don't worry," Semiramis replied confidently. "The summoning of Bašmu, Child of Tiamat, is complete. He can attack at any moment."
Semiramis had made thorough preparations. Bašmu's venom was potent enough to kill even gods; ordinary Servants stood no chance against it. Once she deployed her Hanging Gardens, she would be able to challenge any Servant. She would show the world just how terrifying the Queen of Assyria could be when fully prepared.
"By the way, the Black Faction has agreed to fight alongside us. Should we..."
Semiramis was suggesting they poison them. She didn't intend to use a fast-acting poison, but rather one that would allow her to eliminate everyone after the battle. The toxins would remain completely harmless until the Beast was dealt with.
"Of course. All for the sake of ultimate salvation."
Amakusa didn't care about the means, only the outcome he desired. If they failed, the poisons could still serve one final purpose.
-
"So, your appearance in this world was an accident?"
Caules stared at the incredibly chill group of Beast Faction characters, finding the scene somewhat inconceivable. When Amakusa had explained the existence of Beasts, he had described the Class as a great calamity rejected by Human History—an existence like "cancer cells," nurtured by human civilization, growing stronger with humanity's development, and ultimately destroying it from within. A single Beast was said to be enough to sever Human History, a fact corroborated by numerous historical records. Caules remained deeply puzzled. "So, was the description of Beasts also a misunderstanding?"
"Not entirely. Tiamat was actually preparing to destroy the world once, just not this one."
Jiang You glanced at Tiamat, who was currently stewing mushrooms. He could have taken everyone to another world or the Library for dinner, but seeing Tiamat's eager, picnic-like enthusiasm, he'd decided against it.
"But I made a bet with her, and she lost. So, theoretically, she's on humanity's side now."
"Well, back then, Mother was just throwing a tantrum because her children had abandoned her."
Tiamat looked indifferent, though she rarely showed much expression anyway.
"Now that I have children who acknowledge my existence, I naturally won't be angry anymore."
"...This is completely different from what I imagined."
Caules glanced at Deimlet, who was trussed up like a turkey nearby. This guy hadn't been treated as well as he had. Because he'd resisted fiercely earlier and even proposed an excessive Shadow Game, Jalter had beaten him up directly. A Servant's strength was far too much for a second-rate Magus; several of Deimlet's bones were broken.
"But since this is all a misunderstanding, there's no need for us to fight, right?"
"Look at you."
Jiang You took a sip of mushroom soup, and a Duel invitation abruptly triggered. He glanced around. Tiamat seemed to have tossed poisonous mushrooms into the stew as well. The poison wouldn't affect Jeanne, whose resistance was very high. Jalter would probably be fine too, and Tiamat herself was obviously immune. As for Melusine, she was a Dragon, so she'd definitely be okay. After briefly considering the toxicity, Jiang You decided not to say anything. The ingredients Tiamat had fished from her Primordial Sea were highly beneficial for Magi—the kind that could increase their Blue Mana cap. They certainly wouldn't object to a little suffering for such a reward.
"I've already said so. Besides, would you just take my word for it? For example, what if I told you this soup is highly poisonous?"
Caules just assumed Jiang You was joking. If they wanted to kill me, would they really need to use poison? he thought. Since Jiang You had drunk it himself, Caules didn't take the warning seriously.
"You have a point. But why are you so determined to go after Amakusa?"
"Because this world is genuinely on the verge of a catastrophe."
Jiang You explained that because of his intervention, the two sides hadn't fought. This meant a certain Homunculus wouldn't receive the "Sorry" inheritance and thus wouldn't be able to face Amakusa in the final confrontation.
"If we let this continue, Human History will truly be finished."
"But didn't you say you weren't here to destroy the world...?"
Caules grew tense again.
"If we don't do it, someone else will."
Jiang You smiled, ladled a full bowl of mushroom soup, and handed it to Caules. Caules thanked him instinctively and took a small sip. He had to admit, as a conceptual Mother, Tiamat's cooking skills were top-notch. The soup was the perfect temperature. Without a second thought, Caules drank the entire bowl.
Seeing the boy hadn't wasted any food, Jiang You nodded. "So, since even Tiamat has turned over a new leaf, someone who's still up to no good naturally needs a good beating."
"Don't call Mother by that name."
Tiamat tapped Jiang You on the head with her bowl.
Meanwhile, Jalter wore an indescribable expression, faced with the enormous portion of soup Tiamat had prepared for her.
Caules chuckled at the scene and opened his mouth to speak, but then he suddenly foamed at the mouth and collapsed. Multicolored light—excess magical power made manifest—streamed from his seven orifices, making him look as if he'd been blessed by Slaanesh.
"Alright, you're next."
Seeing this, Deimlet's eyes filled with terror. He squirmed like a maggot, trying to escape, only to see Jiang You approaching with another bowl of soup.
"Be good now, Deimlet. Time to drink your soup."
"Mmph! Mmph!"