42 Chapter 41: Arcueid Brunestud and the resolve

(Titus's POV)

London 2006

"Tamamo… my child…" I muttered, my voice a mere whisper. I didn't know how long I lay there on my sofa, but I kept repeating those words like a broken record.

At first, I thought I would move on from Nero, as I had wanted to live a better life to respect her choice. But now, after losing Tamamo, my second love, and my child growing in her belly, I felt utterly defeated. I wasn't crying; I wasn't weeping. I simply didn't know what I was supposed to do or whether I should continue living my life.

"Merlin, tell me if the Whore of Babylonia is dead or gone?" I asked, my voice devoid of emotion. Since I couldn't ask my system, I decided to turn to the very person who had been observing me during the events in the Tamamo Singularity.

[Merlin: …please don't make any rash decisions…!] Merlin pleaded, but I continued to stare blankly at the floor.

[Merlin: I will first share the good news: the Beast of Humanity will not directly affect your future missions. For now, our world is safe. The bad news is that even though Tamamo-no-Mae died, your child in her belly was protected within your body. Unfortunately, the Whore of Babylonia absorbed the child. Since the child had Tamamo's divinity, the Beast completed itself.]

"I see," I replied, my tone flat and emotionless.

To be honest, I didn't care. My first and second child had both somehow been converted into Beasts of Humanity, and I had no idea why or how. I didn't really care now.

[Merlin: Unky, please don't do anything ras-]

I closed the system and drew a gun to my chin. It had one bullet, enough to end my misery.

"Nero, Tamamo… I-I am sorry, but I can't continue living…" I said, my voice breaking as tears finally began to dwell in my eyes.

[The co-owner of the Roulette System wishes to speak with you.]

I saw a system notification, but I ignored it and pulled the trigger.

*Click* *Click* *Click*

I tried to pull the trigger again, but it seemed like the barrel was jammed with… ice?

"Where am I?"

I then noticed my surroundings had completely transformed into a different reality. Turning around, I saw a castle of sorts. It was a magnificent piece of architecture, far beyond the capabilities of humans. Behind the castle, a large clear moon hung in the sky. I had seen such sights in the Tamamo Singularity, but this moon was clearer and more magnificent than anything I had ever seen.

On the other hand, the ground was covered with a bed of radiating blue grass, stretching as far as my eyes could see.

"Welcome to my Millennium Castle, Lord Titus."

It was then I heard a feminine voice. Turning around, I saw a beautiful woman. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back, and she wore an opulent dress that emphasized her regal demeanor. The moment I saw her crimson eyes and familiar hairstyle, I called her name, "Arcueid Brunestud."

The woman chuckled softly and replied, "That's the name you gave me."

In the next moment, she took me into her embrace, burying my face in her bountiful bosom.

"For now, my dearest, you need to shed your sorrow and lighten your heart."

Those soft words felt so familiar that drops of tears began pouring from my eyes, and in that moment, I cried for the last time.

---

"First, I should introduce myself. You may call me Arcueid, but my real identity is Archetype: Earth, a being known as the 'Original One' in the world of Magecraft."

I was quite surprised hearing her identity. Arcueid Brunestud was the main heroine of Tsukihime, another one of Nasu's visual novels. She was what you could call the big boss of all vampires in the Nasuverse. 'Original One' here is what you call the Ultimate One. It is believed that every planet has its own Ultimate One, but their status is unknown. They are what you can call the primal Celestial Bodies.

However, I had many other questions to ask.

"Now, before you ask, this name was indeed given to me by you… well, technically. As for why and how, you will find out one day if you continue to walk and make your own fate."

I turned my face down. I had never loved any person in my life except for Nero and Tamamo. They were the reason for my strength. They broke me but then showed me a new flower of life. Yet I had lost them.

"Now, let's talk about the Whore of Babylonia. I think you are already aware of her identity, but let me explain how she got into this universe."

Arcueid briefly explained.

The Whore of Babylonia that I encountered wasn't even her real identity. She was actually some kind of Alien God. That's right; you heard me correctly. A similar entity that had possessed Olga Marie. However, she didn't enter from outer space; instead, she hid in the Roulette System as a BUG.

When I went to the Nero Singularity, I disrupted proper human history. This is where the alien in my system, or rather in my soul, woke up. She then traveled through my sperms, making her way into Nero's body.

Since Nero was a candidate according to Nasuverse Biblical records and with the changing proper human history, it was the perfect time for her to awaken. But Nero ended her own life before the alien could possess her body. With proper human history written by Tacitus, the alien was almost erased from this world. However, a twist of luck gave that alien a proper chance when Nero was already pregnant with my child.

The alien, or rather the Whore of Babylonia now, couldn't fully evolve into a Beast of Humanity due to her weakness. So, she decided to hunt for another half to absorb. It was then that Tamamo-no-Mae entered the picture. Since Amaterasu was also a candidate for the Beast of Humanity, the Whore of Babylonia could essentially grow into a proper beast. She just needed Tamamo-no-Mae.

Tamamo-no-Mae also met her end, but luck still stood with the Whore of Babylonia. After my and Tamamo's deaths, the Beast devoured the innocent life in Tamamo's belly, gaining another core to evolve.

This time, however, Tamamo did something to permanently prevent the Whore of Babylonia from interfering directly in any of my future Missions.

The reason why this world wasn't drowned in a rain of blood and fire was because the Whore of Babylonia was still in the process of maturing somewhere in the timeline.

"I am sorry, Lord Titus." Arcueid then bowed, apologizing. Before, she had a monotone face, but now her expression was distorted with grim determination. "As you might know, I am the co-owner of the foreign artifact in your body, the 'Roulette System'. I am also the one who implanted your souls throughout various bodies, like Tacitus and Takeru."

I was a bit taken aback, but I had heard so much that I wasn't that surprised. After all, Arcueid, or at least the concept of the Original One, had existed for a long time.

"It's not your fault. Please get up." On my words, Arcueid rose again. Another reason why I asked her to stop apologizing was because the sight of her boobs was distracting. Since there was slight activity in my pants, I was certain that I didn't suffer from PTSD or ED due to Tamamo's death.

"However, I want to know the real owner of this system. The person who created this system and asked you to implant it in me."

I was certain that Arcueid wasn't the mastermind. This system was the work of another entity, strong enough to manipulate timelines and summon servants without any fear of Alaya or Gaia.

"I can explain, but you may not fully understand," Arcueid replied halfheartedly, but I wasn't angry.

I insisted on knowing more. "Is it related to my Extra Timeline, or rather the Moon Cell Holy Grail War?" I asked, to which Arcueid nodded.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It meant that these mysteries related to the System lay in my former self, the Titus from Fate/Extra. If I wanted to know more, I had to continue completing the system missions and unlocking my past memories.

I understood. But there was still one problem…

"Still… I can't defeat her…"

I had spent only a few moments with the Whore of Babylonia, and I was certain that I could not simply defeat her. Even now, when I spoke about her, my whole soul shivered. She was something that could not be easily defeated by someone like me. You might as well call her ORT.

"This is true for now, but who knows about the future," Arcueid added. "She won't interfere, so go on and become stronger. Others might not, but remember that you are also an alien to this world."

I raised my brows and finally smiled. She was right. I was also not originally from this world. To me, it felt like a dream where I was marrying my Waifus. But I still respected this dream and considered all these people as real.

"Even then, I don't have the will to continue. I-…"

Arcueid approached me and placed my hand on her breast.

"…"

I had no idea what the hell was going on, but I felt something strange. It seemed like all my worries, all my sorrows washed away. I felt hot, and I felt something rising in my pants. I had no idea why it was happening to me, even though I only felt these feelings when I used to touch Nero or Tamamo.

I widened my eyes and looked at Arcueid, who had rosy cheeks, and then at my hands, now squeezing her breast. They were soft and squeezy, but more than lust, I felt something familiar. Come to think of it, Arcueid looked a lot like the woman I was going to see in my original reality before I died by a champagne bottle.

It was as if I had known Arcueid more than anyone else in this entire universe.

I then retracted my hand, confusion still evident before me.

"See, you still have a lust for women," Arcueid said, then smiled playfully, "So how about you chase after this new desire? Reach out to historical figures that you knew from your memory, make them fall in love, bed them, and make children. Even a harem is an option. Isn't that your hidden dream?"

"I… it's not like that!" I retorted, my face flushed.

Now I understood how Rin felt. I really didn't want to talk about it, but what she said was true. I mean, there are so many attractive individuals in the Nasuverse, and I have always wanted to explore those desires. I had never had sexual experiences before, but after being with Nero, it was like my hidden kink.

As cringe-worthy as it sounds, it was just my hidden desire.

Arcueid approached me and placed her palm on my cheek.

"Now, for my parting words, I just want to inform you that there is a possibility to start over with Lady Nero and Lady Tamamo without any tragedy, and then you can achieve your 'happy ending'."

I smiled and nodded. She was right. With the system in this world of magic, infinite possibilities existed, and within these possibilities, I might be able to live again with both of them. If I believed, no, it was certain that I could achieve these possibilities. My happy ending, I couldn't let anyone take it away from me.

It was then that I started to disappear. I knew that I couldn't stay there any longer.

"Then can I add you to my harem?" I smirked as I began to fade into ripples.

"Nope, this is our first and last meeting in this world. However, I am also what you call the 'final prize'. See you after the 'end'." With those words, we shared a warm hug for the final time before I returned to my office.

I looked at my hand. I had just met a woman who was a stranger to humans yet so familiar to my soul that I still felt the warmth of her body.

"Fine. I won't run away." My eyes firmed, and my resolve was now stronger than ever. I had decided to defeat this Whore of Babylonia myself. Until then, I wouldn't spare any effort to become stronger.

"Let's take a look at my rewards." I tapped on the system to see what kind of rewards I had received this time.

[Congratulations! You have received the following rewards.]

[57000 EXP]

[You have leveled up!]

[Lv. 20 -> 27]

[You have obtained 30,000 LCs.]

[You have obtained a passive skill (Charmer C)]

[You have obtained a passive skill (Amaterasu: 5 tails EX+)]

[You have obtained an active skill (Odin's Eye EX)]

[You can now level up by killing dangerous beasts and enemies while also gaining Light Cells from now on.]

[Tamamo-no-Mae has been added to your Summon Servant panel.]

I blinked a couple of times before I realized I wasn't hallucinating. What's with these broken skills?! Let's forget the (Charmer C) for now.

First, I had leaped a couple of levels, and I felt my muscles growing strong. I removed my shirt and saw visible abs in place of belly fat. If you think about it, you can say that an average person could get as strong as Level 20. So, I was clearly surpassing any normal person in terms of raw strength now.

LCs are also good. They might help in upgrading future skills or magecraft.

Now, let's come to the skill.

[Charmer C

Effect: Enhances looks by gaining favors from any person regardless of gender.]

Okay, it was not that usable. Besides, I was convinced about my looks. After all, I had already seduced two infamous women of the history.

[Amaterasu: 5 tails EX+

Effect 1: Rank A resistance against debuffs like disease, magic, curses, poison, etc.

Effect 2: Rank A automatic HP and MP recovery.

Effect 3: 900% increase in MAGIC and every skill cooldown and cost reduction by 90%.

Effect 4: Rank B Fire Manipulation and Fire Element

Effect 5: Rank A Divinity of Amaterasu: Increase the effectiveness of skills and spells during day or Fire Related.

Description: When the nine-tailed fox cut off her tails, each tail becomes a separate skill for her beloved husband. You can only use this skill of this rank or the reality will crumble.]

I was left speechless. This single passive skill wasn't just a single ability; it encompassed five powerful skills of the Divine Goddess Amaterasu. To add to my surprise, these incredible skills were significantly nerfed in this form.

I couldn't help but smile and shake my head at Tamamo's peculiar way of gifting. In her desire to give me something meaningful, she had cut off her own tails and presented them to me.

With curiosity piqued, I decided to experiment. I conjured a small flame at the tip of my finger without relying on magecraft. When I infused this flame with the Divinity Tamamo had gifted me, it brightened significantly while maintaining its size.

In FGO, Divinity usually served as a debuff rather than a buff, offering only minimal stat increases. Furthermore, enemies with anti-divinity abilities could easily clap your cheeks if you have any divinity but it was different in my case. So Tamamo's unique approach certainly intrigued me. Anyway, I decided to test the other effects later.

[Odin's Eye

Effect 1: It shows multiple 'What if' paths to you to achieve your goals. Further you see, further it consumes your MP. Cooldown: 1 Day.

Effect 2: It shows the 'Value' of anything. For example if a thing is fake or original or how strong/weak or trustworthy a person could be. MP cost: 1 per thing/person.

Description: A skill the host has obtained once.]

"Isn't that just Clairvoyance?" I questioned aloud.

Odin's Eye was a legendary artifact born from Odin's sacrifice, granting him unparalleled wisdom and foresight. It enabled him to perceive the events of Ragnarok and plan countermeasures against it. While I wasn't sure of the extent of Merlin's or Solomon's Clairvoyance abilities, I knew I couldn't be anywhere near their level.

Curious so I decided to test the newfound skill. I set my sights on a book resting on my desk. As I activated the ability, I found myself in a darkened space, standing on what seemed like water. Two distinct paths materialized before me.

One path depicted me simply walking toward the desk to retrieve the book.

The other path revealed that I could use Force to attract the book toward me.

Each path was also colored differently: the walking path was white, while the skill-assisted path had a faint blue hue. These colors represented the difficulty level of each route.

Returned to my reality, I opted to walk toward the table and grabbed the book.

"So that's how this ability works," I mused, satisfied with my experiment.

Glancing at my reflection in the full-body mirror, I found no visible change in my appearance. I remained the same unassuming background character.

Before delving into my status, I decided to distribute additional Skill Points (SP) to make the most of these newfound abilities.

[STR: +10]

[END: +7]

[AGI: +10]

Since my luck and magic stats were already pretty high, I decided to work on other parameters especially strength and agility. These two would come pretty handy in close combat.

---

[[Status]]

Name: Titus Dusklock

Age: 19

Elements: Light (Special), Fire

Level: 27

…

Parameters:

STR: 54

MAG: 340

END: 45

AGI: 52

LUC: 1510

Additional SPs: 0

…

HP: 406

MP: 1336

…

Passive Skills: (Imperial Manager A), (Saint's Golden Rule A), (Presence Concealment B), (Charmer C), (Amaterasu: 5 tails EX+)

Active Skills: (Force Control A), (Imperial Privilege A), (Odin's Eye EX)

…

Magecrafts:

[Illusionary Arts: Rank D]

[Miscellaneous spells]

LCs: 145,000

---

"I still need to get stronger..." Even though my skills looked solid, I lacked combat experience. When I fought the horde of warriors, I was pushed to the very corner. It was just my luck that kept me alive and led to my victory. Without it, I wouldn't have had the chance to see Tamamo for the last time.

There was still one last reward to see.

[Memory Fragment Part # 2: Caster's Memory is available. Do you want to watch it?]

I immediately clicked on the YES button. Soon, a new memory started entering my brain. It felt like I was watching a movie. Let's see what happened with Tamamo in my previous life.

---

[Fate/Extra World Part 2: Caster Memory]

(3rd person POV)

In this Grail War that took place in the Moon Cell, Titus summoned a Caster Class servant this time. She was an infamous servant known as Tamamo-no-Mae. Despite her reputation as a divine spirit and her past destruction during the Heian period, for Titus, she was just a bubbly girl who enjoyed her title as his self-proclaimed wife.

At first, Tamamo was afraid to reveal her name, but since Titus already knew her, there was no use in hiding her true identity any longer. However, she was immediately charmed when Titus didn't show any disgust even after learning about her horrendous origin. He began treating her as his wife.

Titus, on the other hand, didn't mind Tamamo's bubbly personality. Even though he was just a projection of memories, he enjoyed being with her. Their bond was strong, and together, they won the Moon Cell Holy Grail War.

"Master, what's wrong? Why are you so spaced out?" Tamamo asked, snapping Titus back to reality. They were standing before a cube-like structure to make a wish.

"I don't know. I think I have come here before with another servant," Titus replied. He felt like he had fought this Holy Grail War before. There was also this blond-haired servant he couldn't remember. He tried to search for the said servant's records but found no clues. Moreover, this servant was essential to Titus.

"Moe~! It feels like you are cheating on me!" Tamamo pouted. "Why don't we make a wish? Let's get ourselves new bodies, and then we can get married."

To Tamamo's intimate suggestion, Titus kept his indifferent face. He didn't understand romance, but knowing how humans found raising a family their goal, Titus could aim for the same. He was just a projection of a memory and not a real person with a soul, so he wanted to experience these feelings of belonging.

Titus nodded and wished for both Tamamo and himself to have bodies in the real world. However, the Grail started showing several red notifications.

[Wish is processing… Error! Error!]

[Wish cannot be granted. 'Titus Dusklock' doesn't exist in this universe. There is no record of this person.]

[System detects 'Titus Dusklock' as an anomaly. Deletion of this anomaly begins.]

"See, I told you that I wouldn't get my wish."

Titus had a feeling that he wouldn't get any wish. He was simply an NPC, so it was natural that he would be deleted if he were like a bug.

"But…"

"Miss Tamamo-no-Mae, please make your own wish and get a new body. I am sure you will find a better person than me."

Ignoring Tamamo, Titus walked out and sat down on a rock while thinking about the servant missing from his memory. Since he would get deleted anytime, it was better not to waste time arguing with Tamamo.

"Hump! Fine." Tamamo snorted and went inside the Grail alone.

Titus was still thinking about his blond-haired servant when the blurred image of the same servant started to become clearer until he saw her.

"Nero Claudius..."

That's right, she was his servant with whom he fought and won. But then the Moon Cell was reset, giving Titus another chance. However, in this process, Nero had completely disappeared. He never found her records.

Titus remembered every moment he had spent with that woman.

But before Titus could raise more questions, he noticed that the black spots on his body began to shrink. It was as if he was coming back to life.

What confused him even more was that Tamamo came out with the same dark spots on her body like Nero. She also looked weak.

"Please don't tell me..." Titus widened his eyes when Tamamo fell into his embrace. He caught her and hugged her gently. "Why? Why are you doing this for me?"

"Hehe… I saw that the servant named Nero had sacrificed herself, even going so far as to remove herself from history, just to corrupt Moon Cell into resetting for Titus."

He didn't know why these women kept sacrificing themselves for his sake, making him human again.

"As your… first wife, I couldn't bear that another woman had done more than me, so I have decided to compete with her. I cannot stay behind," Tamamo spoke weakly. She then raised her head and wiped a tear from Titus's eyes. "See? You have humanity in you, and it is beautiful."

Titus was stunned. As a projection of memory, he never thought he could cry or laugh again, but now the odds had changed when he saw a tear in his eyes.

"Now you will remember everything, no matter how many times resets happen," Tamamo smiled and with rosy cheeks, she confessed, "I love you, my husband. I hope that next time we see each other, I will be able to meet a complete person."

Titus smiled and nodded, "I just want to say one thing. Both you and Nero have bad taste in men."

Titus was just a plain-looking person with a dry personality. But somehow, two women fell for him so much that they had sacrificed themselves for him. He could never know what kind of charm he possessed to cause these women to go that far.

"Hehe, you are right," Tamamo chuckled.

She then stared down at Titus with anticipation. Titus nodded and closed the distance before their lips finally met. He couldn't believe he was kissing a different woman this time, but he could distinguish the different warmth from Tamamo-no-Mae.

Titus then parted his lips with Tamamo's with a silver string hanging.

"Farewell, Tamamo-no-Mae. If we meet again, I hope to fall for you and create a bright family with you," Titus smiled and kissed Tamamo's forehead.

Tamamo nodded with a smile before disappearing into light particles.

Titus could only watch alone as those particles faded into nothingness, and then the whole structure started to crumble.

He stood and smiled for the first time.

"Nero Claudius, Tamamo-no-Mae , please wait for me. I will become human and find you two again." With a thankful smile and firm resolve, he closed his eyes.

[Error! Error!]

[Tamamo-no-Mae's wish... Error!]

[System is resetting.]

When Titus opened his eyes again, he was back to square one. It was a different place this time, but he saw similar notifications.

[Welcome to Moon Holy Grail War]

[You have been chosen to compete in the Holy Grail War.]

Titus grinned and walked out of the room. Now that he remembered everything, he would make a different strategy this time.

"Let's summon a different class servant."

---

(Titus's POV)

"So she also fell for me? Seriously though, do I really have an attractive face or something?" I shook my head.

Tamamo did the same as Nero in the Moon Cell. Although I was confused about some parts, like exactly what Nero and Tamamo wished, for now, I decided to move on.

[Tamamo-no-Mae's farewell message is ready. Do you want to read it?]

I pressed Yes, and in the next second, I was taken to a different place. It was the green plains with a bright moon in the sky. There I saw Tamamo again.

I immediately averted my gaze.

"Nero and I are both so unlucky, huh..." I heard Tamamo's bubbly voice and felt my heart skip a beat.

Even though she was just a memory, I wanted to turn around and hug her, but I couldn't.

"Yeah… Sorry, it might be my fault." I said without looking at her. I was just ashamed of my weakness, so I didn't face her.

"But I will gain my strength to face you two again. I will make everything right." I added.

Unlike before, I had a firm resolve. I was done running away.

"Hehe, I will be waiting, Takeru-sama." Those were her last words before I came back to my reality.

"Man, I will die under the debts of their kindness before any beast can kill me. Well, anyway. Time for the preparations."

[Volume 2 ended.]