"It's over!"
Jeanne watched from afar as black mud enveloped Samuel, layer upon layer, forming a cocoon that pulsed like a heart.
Her anxiety surged, but she dared not approach. The mud was lethal to Heroic Spirits like her, formed from human thoughts.
It was humanity's deepest evil, its essence—left behind, not carried by souls, pooling into an ocean.
The purer the Heroic Spirit, the less resistance they had. As concepts born of human thought, they were akin to humanity itself.
Contact meant instant consumption for Jeanne.
She didn't care for Samuel, who'd somehow dominated her, but she knew his power. No mana surge had strengthened her, yet she felt closer to her Throne of Heroes' full might.
An infinite near-angelic state.
Samuel's power likely surpassed hers. If this evil consumed him, making him its puppet, the world would face a dire crisis.
But what could she do?
Powerless, Jeanne watched, praying to God that Samuel wouldn't succumb.
For Samuel, though...
It was like being completed...
"Sin" and "Evil."
In the Bible, Adam and Eve, tempted by the serpent, ate the forbidden fruit, gaining wisdom and knowledge.
God, enraged, expelled them from the idyllic Eden to a harsh, perilous world.
In that tale, eating the fruit against God's will was "sin."
But what was "evil"?
Perhaps it was Adam and Eve's curiosity, defying God to taste the fruit. Perhaps it was the wisdom and knowledge gained.
That was humanity's dawn—and evil's.
Myths worldwide tell of humans angering gods, inviting calamity: the Bible's Noah's Ark, Greece's Pandora's Box, or other tales of divine wrath.
Humans seemed powerless against gods, yet repeatedly provoked them.
Why?
Because they could. Because of curiosity.
Like in a game, saving a character—some wonder, "What if I don't? Will there be a secret ending?"
Not from cruelty, but because they can, because they're curious.
No other reason needed.
The old Samuel, like Adam and Eve in Eden, was restrained by concerns...
Bound by the cocoon of his calculative nature, near-absolute rationality.
Even with the "Human Order Observation Formula," he hadn't fully shed his former self.
Perhaps... this "Evil of Humanity" was a gift from this journey!
This "Evil of Humanity" wasn't one person's—it was pure, untainted evil.
Absorbed by Samuel, it bolstered his human side, balancing his divine "Calculation" aspect. In turn, "Calculation," now checked, began to grow.
A strange mutual propulsion emerged.
It heralded Samuel's true ascent to the "angel" tier!
The black mud receded, revealing Samuel's perfected form. It swiftly wove clothes over his skin, restoring his initial appearance.
Jeanne gripped her banner, eyes locked on him. She knew resistance was futile, but she had to try.
Samuel opened his eyes, his aura shifting...
Multifaceted, perceived differently by each observer.
Like an elder, yet a child. Masculine, yet feminine. A saint, yet a prisoner.
To Jeanne, he was a great angel—halo-crowned, six-winged, light reaching the heavens, surrounded by countless praising voices.
To Reines, he bore six black wings, his aura soft, eyes deep as night, wails rising from below, singing his glory.
Their perceptions reflected their mindsets.
Ordinary people might not even see Samuel.
Still human, yet like Aiwass—a pinnacle of mystery, an absolute cosmic entity.
"No... Reines can't like what I do. Something's off!"
Jeanne, who'd heard the Lord's voice, felt a divine presence in Samuel, nearly kneeling in worship.
But seeing Reines, drooling with heart-shaped eyes, snapped her awake.
That girl, a constant headache with clashing values, couldn't share her tastes.
Jeanne assumed a wary stance.
But...
In an instant, Samuel was before her, gently lifting her chin with a warm smile.
"..."
Jeanne's gaze grew hazy.
Not infatuation or magecraft—just the absolute charisma of Samuel, fully ascended to "angel."
"Not bad for me!"
Samuel smirked at her dazed look, waving a hand.
The golden Holy Grail landed in his palm.
While embracing "Evil of Humanity," he confirmed the Grail held the "Third Magic: Heaven's Feel"—but incomplete. Crafted by three mage families from a supposed Magician of the Third Magic's remnants, how could it be whole?
Samuel even suspected the Magician of the Third Magic was a fraud, having grasped only a fragment, mistaken for completion due to its power.
The Holy Grail War was a ritual to perfect the Third Magic, each war advancing it slightly.
Granting wishes was real, but saving humanity?
Hah!
The Grail was valuable to Samuel. With modifications and a refined ritual, he'd complete the Third Magic.
And his intuition told him it wouldn't take long!
***
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