Fate Grand Order: Broadcasting Master Love — Chapter 112

Chapter 112: Mapo: This Is Basically Me

[Mercedes lowered her gaze, her voice trembling with a quiet, lingering confusion. “But now… I am also within the Château d’If…”]

[“A soul imprisoned in this lightless stone. Perhaps my presence here was chosen as the manifestation of some hidden sin.” Her eyes dimmed, the faint light in them scattering as she whispered into the damp air.]

[Seeing the heavy despondency settling over her shoulders, Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately leaned forward to offer comfort. “Perhaps you were just caught up in this incident? You shouldn’t blame yourself. There’s no so-called sin here.”]

[“Thank you very much, Lord Ritsuka.” Mercedes lifted her head. A fragile, grateful smile touched her lips. “I sometimes wonder… are there truly innocent people in this world?”]

[“Whether it is anger or jealousy, though they differ in degree, they are merely part of normal human mental activity.”]

[“If these natural emotions are sins, then who but the Lord can judge them…” Her voice faded into a soft murmur, drowning in the deep confusion of her own unjust imprisonment.]

Meanwhile, in the world of the Fifth Holy Grail War.

Deep within the solemn halls of the Fuyuki Church, Kotomine Kirei sat alone at his dining table. A steaming, violently red bowl of mapo tofu sat before him. He ate leisurely, savoring the fiery spice. As Mercedes’s quiet musings echoed from the glowing light screen suspended above, he paused. His chopsticks hovered mid-air.

A devout, almost euphoric smile curled the corners of his lips.

“An innocent person entirely devoid of anger and jealousy…” Kirei murmured, his deep voice vibrating with dark amusement. “Though I do not wish to boast, that description is basically me.”

[A harsh, metallic screech shattered the quiet atmosphere. The heavy iron door of the cell groaned open. The imposing figure of the Avenger stepped into the threshold, his dark cloak still clinging to the dust of their previous battles. He cast a cool glance at Fujimaru Ritsuka sitting on the stiff cot.]

[“Awake, my temporary Master?” Dantes asked, his tone flat and measured. “Then get up.”]

[His sharp features hardened into absolute seriousness, leaving no room for argument. “Let’s go. The Fifth Judgment has grown impatient.”]

[The scene shifted. Fujimaru Ritsuka’s consciousness was violently yanked back to the familiar halls of Chaldea. The very first thing that met his eyes was a towering figure clad in ancient Roman military armor, radiating a suffocating, heavy aura of pure madness—Caligula.]

[As the mad emperor materialized on the broadcast, the massive light screen floating above the countless parallel worlds flickered. Pale golden streams of data cascaded downward, weaving together to form his official introduction.]

[Caligula. The third emperor of the Roman Empire, forever etched into history by a legend of absolute cruelty. A tyrant from the first century AD. The maternal uncle of Emperor Nero.]

[Initially a wise and just ruler deeply beloved by the Roman citizens, he was suddenly favored by the moon—plunging headfirst into an inescapable abyss of madness. In the dark years leading up to his eventual assassination, he ruled his vast empire with an iron fist of terror. Wherever his iron hooves trod, only the wails and despair of his broken subjects remained. His former reputation for benevolence was utterly annihilated, buried deep beneath a mountain of blood and brutality.]

In the Fate/EXTRA timeline, Nero Claudius shot up from her luxurious velvet throne. Her brilliant emerald eyes widened, swimming with unconcealable shock. She subconsciously raised a golden-armored hand to cover her mouth, her breath catching in her throat.

“It is… my maternal uncle…!” she gasped, her usually boastful voice carrying a rare, barely perceptible tremor.

[A lover of sadism. A complete and utter sadist. Any enemy unfortunate enough to catch his eye instantly becomes the sole object of his wicked brutality. The Mad Enhancement skill further plunges his already fractured mind into a completely uncontrollable state. His glowing crimson eyes hold nothing but a raw, primal desire for destruction. Even his fellow Heroic Spirits find it nearly impossible to rein in this beast shrouded in madness.]

[—Yet, even in this deranged state, he still deeply loves Rome and Nero. This singular obsession, buried deep beneath layers of insanity, is the last remaining fragment of what could ever be called ‘reason’ within his soul.]

[The true source of the madness radiating from his flesh is the twisted favor and protection of the moon goddess Diana—the Roman equivalent to Artemis of the Twelve Olympian Gods. It is a Noble Phantasm sublimated directly from his tragic legend.]

[When that strand of cold, ethereal moonlight falls upon him, it brings absolutely no peace. Instead, it breeds an even greater, more violent madness. If unleashed upon an entire enemy army, it would produce a terrifyingly tragic outcome. Soldiers, completely bewitched and broken by the moonlight, would turn their blades on each other in a frenzied slaughter until not a single soul remained alive.]

[Mad Enhancement: A+]

[All physical parameters are drastically enhanced, but nearly all capacity for reason is stripped away. If Nero or the concept of Rome is brought forward to make contact with him, a Luck check can be performed. If successful, his out-of-control rampage temporarily halts. However, relying on this Luck has always been a desperate gamble—something one can only pray for, never something one can actively seek.]

Back in the Fifth Holy Grail War timeline, Cu Chulainn was lazily leaning back in a folding chair by the docks, casually flicking his fishing rod over the water. Hearing the screen’s mechanical narration, the relaxed smirk on his face instantly stiffened.

His jaw locked, his expression twisting into a painful grimace caught somewhere between a laugh and a wince. “A Luck check…” the blue-haired Lancer muttered, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his temple. “Now that… that is a truly terrifying thing.”

[Noble Phantasm: Flucticulus Diana — Devour My Heart, Moonlight]

[Rank: C | Type: Anti-Army]

[He spreads his own internal madness outward through cold moonlight projected from the heavens, manifesting as a devastating, wide-range mental pollution attack. Its potency is extreme. Any area bathed in that pale light instantly transforms into a maddening, blood-soaked hellscape from which even the gods themselves would retreat.]

[On the MasterLove radar section of the light screen, a line of highly conspicuous text flickered to life. It clearly indicated that Caligula belonged to an alternative, highly unconventional category of MasterLove. He does not express loyalty or affection in the manner of ordinary Heroic Spirits. Instead, his shattered mind treats Master Fujimaru Ritsuka as if he were his beloved niece, Nero—loving his Master in his own unique, madness-branded way.]

[Next, please observe Caligula’s Valentine’s Day record.]

[Inside Fujimaru Ritsuka’s personal quarters, a warm yellow light spilled softly across the carpet. Fou squatted comfortably on the edge of the desk, his fluffy white tail gently brushing against the back of Ritsuka’s hand. The small beast tilted his head, his dark eyes rolling around as he looked up at his Master, letting out a soft, questioning cry. “Fou… Fou?”]

[Ritsuka reached out, gently rubbing the space between Fou’s ears. A trace of helpless amusement danced in his eyes as he replied in a light, breezy tone, “It’s all Rome anyway, so it’s fine.”]

[Shortly after, they encountered Caligula in one of Chaldea’s metallic corridors. The long hallway was completely empty. The towering Berserker stood with his broad back facing them, staring out a reinforced window into the snowy void outside. He let out a series of low, beyond understanding growls. “—Grrr… Rrraagh…”]

[The guttural sound was thick with suppressed madness, vibrating with such intensity that the fluorescent lights on the ceiling swayed slightly on their fixtures.]

[Hearing their approach, the mad emperor suddenly whipped around. His glowing crimson eyes locked intently onto Ritsuka’s position. The sheer bloodlust vanished, replaced instantly by the look of a man beholding his most precious treasure in the world.]

[Throwing his arms wide, Caligula shattered the silence of the corridor with an earth-shaking roar.]

[“Neroooooooooooooo!!”]

[“Chocolateeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”]