First of all, the very first thing I did was ask everyone not to try finding the person who secretly requested articles defaming “Fate’s Sky” to be published.
“Huh? Why is that?”
“Well, personally, I think we should expose his identity somehow and teach him a lesson.”
At this, Karlreya and Serika looked at me with expressions of confusion.
I gazed up at the sky with an air of deep thought and quietly spoke.
“It’s because I want to avoid the chain of hatred at all costs.”
“…Chain of hatred?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Karlreya and Serika tilted their heads, clearly hearing this term for the first time.
“You see, if we find and punish the person who tried to slander me, it might feel good right now. But the one punished will harbor resentment, and eventually, the cycle will repeat itself.”
There was actually a rural village where such a chain of hatred kept repeating until a great revolutionary stepped in to break it.
He planned to send all humanity into a dream world of happiness, but his grand plan collapsed due to the combined efforts of a boy aspiring to be the village chief and a terrorist.
Of course, there’s no way I’d get caught up in such a chain of hatred. After all, the person who secretly requested defamatory articles about “Fate’s Sky” from newspapers was none other than myself.
But even if this truth were revealed, no one in this world would benefit from it. All it would leave behind is irreparable emotional scars.
Knowing this well, I chose to bury the truth in darkness rather than reveal it.
Let me reiterate: I didn’t make this choice for my own sake. It was to realize Yuri’s ideal—a world where everyone can be happy.
“…”
Meanwhile, Deneb, who happened to be visiting due to some matter, stared at me with a somewhat exasperated look.
Ignoring her overprotective gaze, I said in a low voice:
“Therefore, there’s no need to go out of your way to uncover the mastermind behind this incident. Wouldn’t putting more effort into making better anime be the best way to create a just society?”
As I said this with shameless confidence, Serika and Karlreya looked at me with deeply moved eyes.
“How… How can Director remain so naive and honest in this world? Ah, it can’t be helped. It seems Director always needs a smart and worldly woman by his side, don’t you agree?”
“Hmm. Ragnar already has me around all the time. Your Highness doesn’t need to worry about trivial matters like this.”
“Oh my. Now that I think about it, I’ve always been curious—what exactly is the source of Lady Grinevalt’s unwavering self-confidence? Honestly speaking, isn’t Serika merely an old childhood friend of Director, nothing more or less?”
“No, our relationship goes beyond mere childhood friends, doesn’t it, Your Highness?”
“…”
Though there was a brief spat between Serika and Karlreya for reasons unknown, the situation seemed to resolve itself fairly smoothly.
Or… Can this really be called a proper resolution?
The plan to wipe out mages using the “mental domain” setting failed thanks to Master, and bribing journalists for media manipulation almost ended my life instead of just my career in animation.
All I ever wanted was to retire after creating a trashy anime series that everyone could hate-watch. Is that too much to ask?
Am I destined to keep making anime until I’m eligible for national pension?
‘Damn it.’
It’s truly a hopeless situation, but I have no intention of giving up here.
Because I only need one success, and that’ll be enough.
If I can get roasted hard by fans through anime just once, then ultimately, it’ll be my victory.
So, as the ending of “Fate’s Sky” approaches, what plot twist would garner the most hate from viewers?
‘…Is this really the only option?’
The being who easily defeated even the mighty Achemenes during the Full Moon Ritual—the strongest entity in this arc.
A hero so popular he reached third place in popularity polls after appearing in just three episodes.
The founder of the Empire—the Hero King.
It seems the moment has come to send the Hero King… to America.
*
“Ho, so you’ve managed to replicate all my techniques, have you?”
“…What? How could you-”
“Don’t underestimate me. If I couldn’t detect such basic magic, how could I be called the Hero King? The magic affecting you is practically visible to me.”
“Damn, you’re worthy of being called the Hero King!”
“That’s right. Even though you’re now capable of replicating things individually, a fake imitator like you standing against the Hero King is simply unacceptable!”
After the epic battle between present-day Yuri and future Yuri, which thrilled all hardcore fans…
“Fate’s Sky” now stands on the brink of its conclusion.
The Hero King, who has returned to this world via the Full Moon Ritual, aims to ‘select’ the people of this land.
The Knight King, believing reality belongs to the living, seeks to stop him.
Originally, the climax would’ve been a showdown between these two kings.
However, an unknown enemy blocked the Knight King, forcing Yuri to face the Hero King alone.
Naturally, among the viewers watching “Fate’s Sky,” no one expected Yuri to win.
Because humans and heroes are fundamentally different in terms of specs.
Even in a weakened state, the archer nearly killed Yuri despite losing his master and being on the verge of disappearing due to depleted mana.
How could Yuri possibly defeat the Hero King, who far surpasses even the archer?
“I remember the Knight King saying that even at full power, defeating the Hero King head-on would be extremely difficult.”
“In my opinion, the story will likely proceed with a raid-style battle involving the Knight King, Yuri, and Saint joining forces. There’s no way this fight would work otherwise.”
“Indeed, that makes sense. Clearly, someone like Yuri, who struggles just to copy a sword, has no chance against the Hero King.”
“So, Hero King, how long do you plan to toy with Yuri? It’s about time we got rid of him from the screen.”
Despite Yuri being the protagonist of “Fate’s Sky,” all viewers were oddly rooting for the antagonist, the Hero King.
Just as everyone awaited the arrival of the Knight King to start the real battle…
“Hm? You’re still alive? Surprisingly resilient, mongrel.”
“…No, I was mistaken. I’m not copying weapons. I’m manifesting my heart into reality.”
With those words, Yuri slowly rose despite the numerous wounds inflicted by the Hero King’s attacks.
Shaking slightly, Yuri gripped his extended right arm with his left hand and stared straight at the Hero King with determination.
“…My body… transformed into a sword-”
“Wh-what?! He wouldn’t-”
“Is Yuri going to use THAT?”
The audience gasped upon hearing Yuri mutter those words.
Because the incantation coming from Yuri’s mouth was none other than the legendary phrase that once led all imperial citizens down the path of hardcore fandom.
“Mental Domain!”
“My goodness! Could it be that someone like Yuri can now use the Mental Domain of the Archer?”
Leaving the shocked voices of the audience behind, Yuri completed the incantation to activate his Mental Domain…
Flames ignite.
Burning fire creates boundaries, repainting this world to manifest a new one.
Suddenly, both Yuri and the Hero King find themselves standing amidst a wasteland filled with countless swords.
“…So this is your ability, Mental Domain.”
The Hero King gazes at Yuri with newfound caution, fitting for someone who overturned all imperial mages just days ago.
And towards this cautious Hero King, Yuri smirks.
“Don’t be surprised. Because it’s all fake. Of course, even fakes can knock down the real thing.”
“So, let me ask you. Hero King, do you have enough stored weapons?”
“…!”
That line, unknowingly stirring the hearts of hardcore fans, marked the beginning of the battle between Yuri and the Hero King.
Instead of the usual clumsy displays, Yuri now fights with unmatched brilliance.
And finally…
“…Impossible! This can’t be happening! My body, losing to such a forgery?”
“…Huh?”
“You wretch! You wretch! For you to force me to use this sword meant only for the Knight King!”
“…Hmm?”
“Hmph! As if I’d let you use that!”
Pfft!
“Cough!”
“…”
“What? My Hero King?”
Thus…
The first ruler of humanity.
The founder of the Empire.
The strongest being, whose power even surpasses the Knight King—the Hero King.
Defeated dog-like by a current academy student.
Following the airing of Episode 36 of “Fate’s Sky”…
The entire empire was thrown into chaos.
