186 Muddy

"Huh."

"What a useless fool!"

"That idiot Kingu got taken out so easily!"

"And the Grail we gave him was snatched by Chaldea. What now?"

In the boundless expanse of imaginary number space, a temple aglow with radiant light stood alone.

This was the palace of the King of Magecraft, his mightiest bounded field Noble Phantasm: the Grand Temple of Time.

Beneath the vast, pristine pillars, a figure claiming to be King Solomon rested his chin in his hand, pondering the unusual events unfolding in the Seventh Singularity.

Even he hadn't expected Kingu's abrupt demise.

Below, the Demon God Pillars erupted in outrage over Kingu's arrogance—how he'd tried to intercept Chaldea's Master only to lose his head for nothing.

"Self-important moron couldn't even read the situation. Not only did he die before Tiamat's revival, but he handed our Grail to Chaldea too."

"At this rate, the Seventh Singularity falling is just a matter of time…"

"Forget critiquing that fool. We need to figure out what's next. That mysterious Master who appeared out of nowhere is no pushover—contracted to Karna and that inscrutable blond Servant. Gorgon alone can't hold them off."

"Tiamat's revival needs time and mana, but with Kingu gone and the Grail lost, her awakening's been delayed. We need a plan."

"…You're right. We must act."

"But where'd that weird kid come from? He's got the strength to clash with the Chains of Heaven head-on. I didn't think another human Master besides Chaldea's would show up in this Singularity."

Barbatos rumbled, "Unknown."

"…"

The Demon God Pillars fell silent.

"Wild guessing won't help. Let's have the King peek into that Master's background," Paimon, one of the supreme four pillars, finally offered a useful suggestion, halting their fruitless bickering.

"Seconded."

"Agreed."

After a quick vote, the pillars adopted Paimon's idea, turning their collective gaze to the new king atop the white throne—born from the remains of Solomon, the King of Magecraft: Goetia.

"…"

Stared at by countless giant eyes, Goetia shook his head with a无奈 sigh, rising from his seat to deliver his verdict.

"I've got plans for the Seventh Singularity."

"First, it's a critical piece of our strategy. We can't just hand it over to Chaldea's lot."

"Send some Demon God Pillars to take over Kingu's role there. Revive him while you're at it. He's still key to awakening the Primordial Mother Goddess—might as well squeeze some use out of him."

"Revive Kingu?"

The pillars understood Goetia's orders.

Even without him saying it, they'd have gone to obstruct Chaldea's Master as usual.

But how to revive Kingu?

Hadn't they seen him get killed by that blond Servant through the Grail's connection—followed by the link being severed? Enkidu's body was in Chaldea's hands now. How were they supposed to resurrect that dead fool?

"No need to worry about that. He's an idiot, but he's still Tiamat's child. As long as he's on Mesopotamian soil, even if destroyed by others or gods, there's a chance for revival."

Goetia answered their doubts, his eyes perceiving Kingu's potential to return.

"Gorgon's at the Blood Fort Andromeda, where some of Kingu's essence soil remains. It's just scraps, but enough to revive him. He won't have much sanity left—just right for a tool. Take the Grail I'll give you, gather that soil, awaken its consciousness with magic, and place it in a suitable vessel."

With that, Goetia raised his hand, tossing his three remaining Grails to the pillars below.

Unlike the scheming Kingu, he trusted his Demon God Pillars—his comrades—enough to hand over the spares without hesitation.

"But, King, what about that human Master who popped up in the Singularity? Not just Karna—that blond Servant's a mystery too," Barbatos, ever astute, asked before they moved out.

The pillars' gazes fixed on Goetia again.

"…"

He shook his head lightly. "Don't know."

"Don't know?!"

"Yeah. The blond Servant rings a bell, but that human doesn't appear in my sight. Even seeing him directly, I can't pierce his future or past. It's like he popped out of nowhere—no trace at all."

Indeed, Goetia had been stunned when the blond Servant appeared. Unlike the pillars, blind to Tezcatlipoca's identity, Solomon's Clairvoyance could see him.

—A Grand Servant.

One of the seven pinnacle Heroic Spirits, chosen by the Root to stand atop the seven classes. Deployed by the Counter Force against Beasts threatening primate life, they required exceptional prowess and legend to claim the apex of their class. Candidates weren't singular but many, selected based on the era's "transcendent threat."

His presence meant a Beast—Evils of Humanity—would emerge in this Seventh Singularity.

Kingu dying to him wasn't unjust, nor did it surprise Goetia.

But that human shocked him more.

A soul so pure, so grand, with a future beyond comprehension. He'd tried to probe Roy's origins with Clairvoyance.

Nothing but darkness.

He saw nothing.

Even his vaunted EX-rank Clairvoyance couldn't glean a shred of his past.

It baffled Goetia, yet he was powerless to change it.

"Even your eyes can't see him?"

Goetia's answer stunned Barbatos and the pillars.

"Yeah. Can't see, can't pierce, can't clarify. It's bizarre, riddled with dissonance—like he just appeared in this world out of thin air."

Goetia rose from his throne, descending the steps slowly.

"If not for the Seventh Singularity's uniqueness, and my need to stay here stabilizing the Grand Temple of Time—rash moves would ruin the plan—I'd love to visit that Singularity myself and meet this enigma."

"Should we capture him and bring him to the Grand Temple of Time for you, King?" 

"Capture him? Haha, no need. I'm just curious—he's not that important."

Goetia waved off the suggestion.

He'd seen Roy's strength—briefly clashing with Kingu showed he rivaled top-tier Heroic Spirits. With a premier Servant and a Grand Servant guarding him, snatching him from the Seventh Singularity would cost too many pillars.

He doubted they could even nab him from Tezcatlipoca's grasp, even all together.

He wouldn't risk his pillars on a whim like that.

"Enough chit-chat. Time's about up—get moving."

Goetia's gaze sharpened. He lifted a hand, sketching a simple mission outline in the air with mana.

"That blond Servant's dangerous—not your fight. If you run into him, don't engage. Run. I won't blame you."

"Dangerous?! Even all of us together can't take him?" The pillars reeled at the warning.

They weren't weak—on par with first-rate Servants. Individually, they might not match Karna, Arjuna, or Enkidu, but combined, their power multiplied.

Even then, no chance against that blond?

Seeing their doubt, Goetia warned them off suicide missions.

"He's a Grand Servant, like Solomon. His name was Tezcatlipoca. He's here for Tiamat, the Primordial Mother Goddess of this Singularity. He's not your foe to tackle. I know his nature—don't provoke him, and he likely won't bother clearing you out."

"Grand Servant?!"

The thunderous title struck awe into the pillars, silencing any bravado. They nodded obediently to Goetia's command.

"Here are my three Grails. Keep one for mana reserves, use one to revive Kingu, and the last to boost Tiamat."

"Once in the Singularity, negotiate with Gorgon—the self-proclaimed Queen of Magial Beasts—on my behalf. Offer Kingu's revival for partial control of her beasts, then lead them to smash Uruk's frontlines in one push."

"Also, though he's just a tool for Tiamat's revival, Kingu's decent muscle. Don't stuff him in some random human or flimsy mana construct—find a vessel rivaling the Chains of Heaven to maximize his leftover use."

"A vessel rivaling the Chains of Heaven?"

Paimon frowned at Goetia's words.

Mesopotamia's divine age was long gone; even the Chains were relics of that era.

Where would they find such a vessel for Kingu?

Not just him—all the pillars stared at Goetia, puzzled.

Did he plan to craft Kingu a body himself?

Possible, but the time and effort would be immense. By the time it was done, the Seventh Singularity's battle might be over.

Seeing the clear stupidity in their giant eyes, Goetia rubbed his head helplessly.

"Idiots. Divine constructs may be gone, but who said it has to be god-made? A god's or beast's corpse can house Kingu's consciousness too."

A god's or beast's corpse?

The pillars exchanged looks, realization dawning.

That made sense—Mesopotamia might just have something like that.

Like the massive beast corpse in the cedar forest—perfect fit.

Seeing they'd caught on, Goetia didn't bother elaborating.

But to keep these six-time losers from screwing up again, he added a caveat.

"When reviving Kingu, dull his sanity and plant a backdoor for control. We don't need a scheming partner—just a tool."

"His role is to liaise with and revive Tiamat. Don't overstep or draw Tezcatlipoca's attention. Once Tiamat's fully awake, toss her all the Grails, then pull out of the Singularity and return to the Grand Temple of Time for our final plan. Got it?"

Having failed so often, Goetia held little hope for these clowns.

With a Grand Servant and a Beast in play, the Seventh Singularity wasn't their stage.

His orders were simple: muddy the waters, buy him time by stalling Chaldea.

Crushing them there would be ideal, but failure wouldn't matter.

His plan was in its final stretch—just a bit more time, and everything would change…

Chaldea's so-called victories were futile in his eyes.

"Understood!"

Confirming Goetia's orders, the Demon God Pillars in the Grand Temple of Time roared in unison.

Save for those stabilizing the temple's functions, the rest mobilized, surging toward the Seventh Singularity.

Thus, a new force was poised to emerge on Mesopotamia's plains.

With Goetia's power, thirty-six Demon God Pillars slipped silently into the Seventh Singularity.

___

If you're interested in reading more, feel free to visit my pat reon, 

https , // www .pat reon. com /XElenea