Chapter 60: The World's Destroyer! The Isolated Worlds Beyond!

"You know me?"

Lucien glanced at Rin Tohsaka.

Her long, slender legs were definitely top-tier.

But—

He had zero memory of her.

"Of course I know you, you bastard Lucien!"

"I've seen the drawings Sakura and Illya made of you!"

"Tell me, Lucien!

Why did you abandon Sakura and Illya ten years ago?!"

Rin felt a sense of duty to confront Lucien on their behalf.

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Abandon them…?"

"First of all, I never abandoned them."

"The memories you all received from ten years in the future—"

"Were forcefully implanted into you by the World's Will to maximize your 'destined fate'."

"Second—

Even if we assume those memories are real—"

"I didn't abandon them. I was exiled from this world. I didn't leave by choice."

"Hah?!"

Rin's face scrunched up in confusion.

"What do you mean 'exiled from the world'?"

"You're telling me your disappearance was some kind of cosmic event?"

Nearby, Saber also turned her gaze toward Lucien.

As someone who had allied with both Rin and Sakura,

She had heard the stories about him.

She had imagined Lucien as some mature, dignified middle-aged man.

But the actual Lucien…

Was far younger than she expected.

"You— You're Lucien?!"

Jeanne gasped, taking a step back.

Her eyes trembled.

Lucien's face—

Was identical to the man from her divine revelation.

Which meant—

Lucien was the Holy Father?

The father of her child?!

No—

Not just the father of her child.

She suddenly remembered—

The name Lucien was also the one person that Alaya had ordered her to kill.

(What is happening?!)

(The Lord's prophecy… and Alaya's orders… are contradicting each other?!)

"Jeanne, you know me too?"

Lucien's curiosity peaked.

It made sense for Rin and Saber to know him.

But Jeanne?

How the hell did she know his name?

(Wait—)

(Did Jeanne also participate in the Holy Grail War ten years later?!)

"I—"

Jeanne took a deep breath,

Her chest heaving as she struggled to process the situation.

"Lucien… I have some questions for you."

"Go ahead," Lucien replied casually.

"Ask whatever you want—"

"But let me move this monster somewhere else first."

If the Sea Dragon Beast was left unchecked,

Lucien wasn't sure if he could contain it later.

"Agumon, go!"

[Understood, Lucien!]

A golden light shot out from Lucien's hand,

Manifesting into a holy platinum-armored beast.

[Agumon Super Evolution!]

[MetalGreymon!!]

"Boom!~"

A miniature MetalGreymon—about ten meters tall—appeared.

From its chest launcher,

It fired two golden projectiles into the sky.

[Holy Domain—Mirror Space!]

The golden shells exploded above the Sea Dragon Beast—

Raining down divine light.

Under the shimmering golden radiance,

The Sea Dragon Beast's body gradually became ethereal—

Phased out of the physical world.

Even though it was still present,

It could no longer interact with anything in the real world.

This was similar to Ultraman Nexus' "Meta Field",

Creating a separate battlefield and sealing the target within.

"This guy… doesn't fit our setting at all, does he?"

Iskandar couldn't help but comment.

Jeanne's jaw dropped.

She had noticed something strange too—

Lucien's summoned creatures were completely unlike anything from this world.

Everyone else summoned mythological beings or human heroes.

But Lucien?

He summoned something completely foreign—

A sacred beast radiating pure faith and divine energy.

As a saint of the Church,

Jeanne could feel it—

Agumon's holy aura was even stronger than hers!

(How is this possible?!)

(What kind of absurd existence is this?!)

[Lucien! Analysis complete. As expected, the Sea Dragon Beast has fully transformed into an Outer God Apostle!]

Agumon's voice echoed in his mind.

[Understood. I'm on my way.]

Lucien replied through their contract link.

[So if I kill it now, you won't have to fight it later, right?]

Agumon sounded eager.

[Calm down. Even if you can beat it, we should attack together.]

Lucien warned him.

[Alright. I'll wait for you before I go all out.

Until then, I'll focus on weakening it.]

[Good. I'm counting on you, Agumon.]

"Alright, now that we've bought some time—"

Lucien turned back to Jeanne.

"You had a question, right?"

"Ah—! Yes!"

Jeanne's serious gaze locked onto him.

"Lucien, please answer me truthfully."

"Have you ever committed an act that endangered the world?"

"Endangered the world?"

Lucien raised his hands in mock innocence.

"Do I look like the kind of guy who would do that?"

His expression was calm and confident—

And for a moment,

Jeanne found herself nodding instinctively.

(Indeed… from his appearance and actions—)

(He does not seem like a villain.)

Lucien was handsome, charismatic, and righteous in his behavior.

Even his summoned creatures radiated holy energy.

If anything—

He looked more saintly than Jeanne herself.

And yet—

She couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his story.

Why would the World's Will want Jeanne to eliminate him?

Even going so far as to summon her real body into this world?

...

Jeanne d'Arc—

The naïve French farm girl—

Had never been good at lying.

So, she simply spoke the truth.

"If that's the case, then why did Alaya order me to eliminate you?"

"Hah?"

Lucien's expression became oddly amused.

Good grief.

Alaya really did have a backup plan.

"Wait, WHAT?! Alaya wants you to kill him?!"

Rin's eyes widened in shock.

And then—

She immediately found a way to insult Lucien.

"Don't tell me—

Even Alaya couldn't stand the fact that you abandoned Sakura and Illya?!"

Lucien rolled his eyes.

"What nonsense."

"If anything, this is nothing more than Alaya's petty revenge."

He let out a cold chuckle.

"She's acting like a sore loser because I kicked her out of this world."

"That's why she's sending you after me, Jeanne."

"...Huh?"

Jeanne froze in disbelief.

Rin also blinked rapidly, trying to process his words.

"Wait a damn minute."

Rin's voice rose in pitch.

"Are you saying that the future memories in our heads—"

"Are from a timeline where you weren't in this world?"

"And that now, you've completely EXPELLED the World's Will?"

"AND CUT THIS ENTIRE WORLD OFF FROM THE MAIN TIMELINE?!"

This was—

Completely insane.

"Exactly."

Lucien nodded casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"The World's Will has already abandoned this world."

He turned to Jeanne—

His golden eyes glinting knowingly.

"You should understand this better than anyone, Jeanne."

[Name: Jeanne d'Arc (♀)] [Level: Lv205 (Low-tier Demon King)]

[Attribute Evaluation][Note: Strength within the same level.]

[Strength: D]

[Speed: D+]

[Magic Power: E]

[Physical Durability: C]

[Martial Arts/Spell Proficiency: D](A farm girl from the French countryside. What talent do you expect? In life, she relied purely on battle instincts. In death, she relied purely on the "Heroic Spirit Enhancement" buff.)

[Sacred Gear/Bloodline Ability: S](1. Spirit Body of a Heroic Spirit: Magic Resistance, Divine Judgment, Revelation, Leadership, Saint, etc.)(2. Noble Phantasms: "Luminosité Eternelle" & "La Pucelle".)

[Comprehensive Evaluation: B- Tier Demon King.]

[Overall Comment: The legendary Saint of France. Has near-impenetrable defenses but lacks firepower unless she uses her one-time self-sacrificing Noble Phantasm.]

Lucien almost laughed after reading her stats.

"Jeanne—

Do you know why you're the only one whose real body was summoned?"

Jeanne's lips parted slightly,

But she remained silent.

"Looks like you already understand."

Lucien's smile deepened.

"Alaya never saw you as a true Heroic Spirit."

"To her, you were just a disposable pawn—"

"A suicide soldier."

"You were only summoned in your true body—"

"Because Alaya wanted you to use your ultimate self-sacrificing Noble Phantasm."

"Nothing more."

For the first time—

Jeanne wavered.

Even during the fight against the Sea Dragon Beast,

She had never hesitated.

But now—

Lucien's words shook her resolve.

If this were before…

She would have ignored him completely.

She would have activated "La Pucelle" without hesitation.

But now—

She had received a divine revelation.

She had seen visions of Lucien as the Holy Father.

And so, she hesitated.

"Lucien… Who exactly are you?"

"Why do you know all of this?"

"Why does Alaya want to erase you so badly?!"

Lucien paused for a moment.

And then—

He smirked.

"I am… the World's Destroyer."

"Because of me—

People can escape the fate they were originally bound to."

Because of me—

The world can take a new direction."

"Even if that direction is toward destruction?"

Jeanne challenged him.

"Whether it's good or bad—"

Lucien shrugged.

"That's for ME to decide—"

"And for EVERYONE ELSE to decide for themselves."

"Isn't that better than being shackled by destiny?"

Lucien smirked.

And then—

He tossed her something.

A white chess piece.

A "Knight" piece.

"Take it, Jeanne."

Lucien's voice was calm but commanding.

"If you accept my chess piece—"

"You will no longer be bound by the Throne of Heroes."

"You will have the right to surpass this world—"

"And defy your own fate!"

Jeanne stared at the chess piece in her hands.

"This… means becoming your subordinate, doesn't it?"

"That's right."

Lucien smiled faintly.

"If you use my chess piece—"

"It means you become mine."

Lucien's golden eyes locked onto hers.

"But Jeanne—"

"You already know that."

"The moment you hesitated—"

"You had already made your choice."

"...You're saying… Alaya really has abandoned this world?"

Jeanne's breathing became shallow.

She clenched the chess piece in her hands.

Lucien nodded.

"This world has been severed from the main timeline."

"It has become an independent world cluster."

"That's why Alaya sent your true body—

To be used as a last resort against me."

"That's why Alaya lifted all restrictions on Outer Gods."

"That's why the Sea Dragon Beast possesses both 'World's Will' and 'Outer God Apostle' attributes."

"It's nothing more than another attempt to screw me over."

Lucien grinned.

"After all—"

"If the world is destroyed, I'll have nothing left to play with."

Jeanne remained silent.

She exhaled deeply, trying to process everything.

"You can take your time to decide."

Lucien turned away.

"As for me—"

"I have a Sea Dragon Beast to deal with."

Just before vanishing completely,

Lucien glanced at Saber.

"King of Knights—Artoria Pendragon."

"If you truly wish to change Britain's fate—"

"You should become my servant as well."

"No one bound by the world can ever surpass it."

"Only by transcending it—can you rewrite history itself."

And even if you refuse—"

"I'll find a way to make you mine regardless."

As his final words echoed—

Lucien vanished into the void.

And with a soft clink—

Another white chess piece dropped onto the ground.

Saber said nothing.

She simply bent down and picked up the white Knight chess piece.

"To save Britain..."

That had always been her lifelong wish.

She was not the same Saber from the Fate main timeline—

The one who had already let go of her past regrets.

No.

She still carried that burden.

She still believed that Britain could have been saved.

And if Lucien truly held the power to change fate itself—

Then perhaps...

This was her only chance.

"Saber! That monster is moving again!"

Rin's urgent voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? It's moving again?"

Saber's head shot up,

Her emerald eyes narrowing.

Just a moment ago,

The Sea Dragon Beast had been sealed in an alternate dimension.

Even though they could still see it,

It should not have been able to affect the real world anymore.

So then—

What the hell was happening now?!

Saber lifted her gaze toward the center of the river.

And in the very next second—

Her jaw dropped.

Her red lips parted slightly,

Her entire body frozen in sheer disbelief.

"...What... is this?"

This scene—

It was completely beyond comprehension.

Was she even still participating in the Holy Grail War?!

Or had she somehow wandered into a Kaiju battle instead?!

Lucien's interference had completely changed the nature of this war.

And from this moment forward—

The Fate of this world would never be the same again.