Present.
The absolute silence of the pocket dimension was shattered by a roar of fury that made the very conceptual structures of the non-existent space tremble.
"DAMN IT! DAMN THAT SON OF A BITCH!"
Jeffery—or what remained of him after his ascension—floated in the void, his changing form of shadows and eyes pulsing with a rage so visceral it distorted the reality around him. The floating screens that normally displayed timelines and future possibilities flickered erratically, as if sharing their creator's agitation.
In front of him, one particular screen played recent events on loop. The events that had meticulously shattered the plans he had been weaving for years.
Sukuna. Ryōmen Sukuna.
The King of Curses stood on the screen in his four-armed form, his crimson eyes gleaming with a cruelty that rivaled Jeffery's own. Around him, the Malevolent Shrine—his Domain Expansion—had reduced an entire section of Chaldea to rubble.
"Impossible," Jeffery whispered, his voice resonating on multiple frequencies. "This shouldn't have happened. My calculations... my manipulations... everything was perfectly designed."
But there was the evidence, replaying over and over. Artoria Lancer, split vertically in two. Astolfo Pretender, dismembered beyond recognition. BB, disintegrated piece by piece. And worst of all...
Miyamoto Musashi and Ibuki-douji, two of his most powerful pieces, eliminated.
Jeffery closed his multiple eyes, trying to control the storm of emotions that threatened to consume him. Anger. Frustration. And something he hadn't felt in a long time since he ascended: fear.
"Calm down," he told himself, his voice adopting that cold, calculating tone he had perfected over the years. "Emotion clouds judgment. Analyze. Understand. Adapt."
He opened his multiple eyes again and waved his hand. The screens reorganized around him, each showing different angles and moments of the battle. His mind, enhanced to superhuman levels by the corrupted Grail, began to process information at speeds that would make a supercomputer seem primitive.
"Sukuna wasn't that strong," he murmured, studying the King of Curses' four-armed form. "In Jujutsu Kaisen, he was powerful, yes, but not at this level. He shouldn't be able to rival high-rank Servants simultaneously. So, what changed?"
The answer came like a punch to the stomach.
"He's a Servant now," Jeffery understood, his voice loaded with bitterness. "When he was summoned into the Fate system, his essence fused with the Throne of Heroes. His base strength must have multiplied. And even worse..."
He paused, observing how Sukuna manifested Mahoraga, the Divine General.
"He has complete access to the Ten Shadows. Not only that, but being a Foreigner Servant, his cursed energy has transformed into something hybrid. It must be, his energy must have fused with mana or something like that, that's why my HAZE can't touch him because it operates under a completely different system or at least different enough for my HAZE to falter and be purged or maybe he adapted with Mahoraga silently."
Frustration boiled again in his chest. He had been so careful. So meticulous. He had studied the Fate system for years, had learned its rules, its limitations, its weak points. But Sukuna was an anomaly—a piece from a completely different chessboard forced into this game.
"And on top of everything," Jeffery growled, "that bastard pretended from the beginning."
He rewound one of the screens, returning to the moment of Sukuna's summoning. He carefully observed the King of Curses' expression when he first appeared in Chaldea. That slight surprise, that apparent confusion, the way he interacted with Gudako and the others as if he were genuinely adapting to his new situation.
And when he came to find people fucking in Chaldea in a strange way or when he saw hints of the strange relationship that Gudako and Mash had with Astolfo (one of the bodies he used to fuck and vent). Sukuna did absolutely nothing, and he thought his HAZE worked on him. Because he did tests on him and even came to ignore the existence of some quite blatant sexual scenes.
He should have realized that the bastard was mocking him, that everything had been an act on his part.
"He saw my HAZE from the first moment," Jeffery understood, grinding teeth that didn't physically exist. "He felt it, recognized it, and instead of confronting it immediately, he decided to observe. Study. Learn the extent of the corruption before making his move."
It was a strategy Jeffery himself would have employed. And that infuriated him even more.
"He beat me at my own game!" he roared, and the screens trembled. "That arrogant bastard deceived me using my own tactic!"
Jeffery forced himself to breathe—a purely psychological act since his current form didn't require oxygen. He had to think. He had to coldly analyze what had gone wrong and how he could recover.
First, the losses.
"I lost two competent masters," Jeffery tallied, beginning to make a mental list. "Without them, summoning high-quality Servants will be significantly more difficult. I lost Mash's shield. A very important catalyst in Chaldea for the summoning of Servants. And two of the three last grails that were safeguarded."
Fortunately, he had hidden the best holy grail in his pocket dimension. And the stolen grails were defective so he didn't care much.
He expanded another screen, showing the moment when Pretender Astolfo was dismembered. Jeffery looked at him with an empty and disappointed look, without really feeling anything for Pretender's loss.
The false Astolfo... eliminated. It took weeks to create that Pretender, to adjust his personality enough to be useful but not so obvious as to raise immediate suspicions. And that bastard destroyed him in seconds.
The next loss hurt particularly.
"Lancer Artoria," Jeffery murmured, observing the moment when her body was split in half by Sukuna's invisible attack. "One of my powerful pieces though still low in importance. Her Rhongomyniad should have been enough to at least seriously wound Sukuna, but..."
He paused the video right at the moment Sukuna stopped the Sacred Lance with his own hands.
That brute force... he should have realized that if the bastard survived and stopped Gojo's Purple, then now with his increased strength he could survive a noble phantasm even one as strong as Rhongomyniad.
Then there was BB.
"I lost my main avatar," Jeffery said, his voice loaded with frustration. "BB was my most direct connection to Chaldea, my way of manipulating the systems from within. Now she only exists on the server, incorporeal, and now I have to have Da Vinci build her a new body. And that will take time... time I may not be able to afford."
But the losses didn't end there.
"Scáthach," Jeffery said, turning his attention to a screen showing the Warrior Queen's unconscious body. "Lilith was controlling her through possession when she fought against Mahoraga. But clearly it wasn't enough."
The image showed Scáthach in a deplorable state. Her immortal body, normally so perfect and resistant, was mutilated in ways that defied comprehension. Multiple deep cuts crossed her pale skin, but worst was the black corrosion spreading from the wounds like liquid poison. Her immortal regeneration—that ability that had kept her alive for millennia—was completely stopped, as if something had rewritten the fundamental rules of her existence.
"Mahoraga," Jeffery murmured with a mixture of fascination and fury. "That beast doesn't just adapt to attacks. It learns to negate them. It must have found the way to cut her conceptual immortality."
It was terrifying and brilliant at the same time. A Shikigami capable of evolving to the point of negating immortality itself. If Jeffery didn't have so much hatred for Sukuna at this moment, he might have admired the absolute perfection of that creature.
"Who knows what exactly that monster did to her body," Jeffery admitted with bitterness. "The logical thing would be to kill her and eliminate a potential problem, but for now I'll keep her watched. Maybe she can be useful if I manage to repair her. Nightingale is working on stabilizing her, at least."
And finally, the two great losses of the night.
"Miyamoto Musashi," Jeffery said, his voice adopting an almost reverential tone despite his anger. "The wandering swordswoman who could cut the Void itself. Even with her Celestial Eye and her technique of becoming Nothing, Sukuna found a way to kill her. That damned Mahoraga adapted to her technique and pierced her even in her state of non-existence."
He switched to the last screen, showing Ibuki-douji's final moments.
"And you, daughter of Yamata-no-Orochi," Jeffery continued, his voice loaded with contempt. "With your divine barriers, your almost infinite regeneration, your strength of mountains and rivers... And how pathetic and useless do you have to be to die from a simple fire technique?"
Jeffery couldn't believe Ibuki had been eliminated by a technique like Fuga. Sure, the technique was dangerous, but that meant nothing against Ibuki's defenses and divine barriers. She had faced dragons, gods, natural catastrophes. A simple fire, no matter how hot, shouldn't have erased her from existence like that.
"And all this," Jeffery growled, "because of a single enemy. An enemy who shouldn't be this strong."
But that was the problem, wasn't it? Jeffery had assumed he knew all the variables. He had studied Fate/Grand Order extensively, had read thousands of fanfics, had analyzed each Servant and their capabilities. But Sukuna wasn't from Fate. He was from Jujutsu Kaisen—a completely different power system.
And when that system was forced into the Fate mold, the results were... unpredictable.
"Is this damn Alaya interfering with my plans again? Or is it Gaia?" Jeffery wondered, beginning to consider the broader implications. "If cursed energy can exist and adapt to the Fate system, what about other forms of power? Nen from Hunter x Hunter? Chakra from Naruto? Stands from JoJo? Reiatsu from Bleach?"
It was a terrifying thought. Jeffery had based his entire strategy on understanding Fate's rules. If those rules could be bent or broken by external systems...
"No," he denied himself. "I can't think like that. That's paralysis by analysis. I have to focus on what I know, on what I can control."
He forced himself to calm down again, letting the anger gradually dissipate. Emotion was a useful tool, but also a double-edged sword. He needed to think clearly.
Besides, not everything was so bad. If Sukuna could adapt his cursed energy to the Fate system, then why wouldn't he himself try to obtain it? If he managed to obtain other power systems, he could become much more powerful. It was something to consider in the future, when he had more time and resources.
"So," Jeffery said, his voice returning to that cold, calculating tone, "let's objectively assess the situation. What is the current state of the game board?"
He waved his hand and the screens reorganized, forming a three-dimensional map of Chaldea and its surroundings.
"Sukuna has escaped from Chaldea with Ritsuka, Gudako, and Mash," he began to enumerate. "That means the cuck now has a powerful ally who knows about the HAZE and is actively working against it. Worse yet, Sukuna has the Fujimaras as hostages, which severely limits my attack options."
He marked Sukuna's estimated position in red on the map.
"For now I can't simply bombard them with Servants. Sukuna demonstrated he can eliminate multiple opponents simultaneously, and if I press too hard, he could kill the Fujimaru twins out of spite. And dead, even if I win the battle, I'll lose the war, and with it all the plans I planned to make to take over Ritsuka's body."
Of course, only if it were possible. If Ritsuka became a bigger problem, the best thing would be to eliminate him or pressure Sukuna to eliminate them out of spite. But that was the last option, plan Z that he would only use if everything else failed.
He added yellow markers around Chaldea, representing his remaining corrupt Servants.
"I still have control of most of Chaldea," he continued. "Nightingale continues manufacturing the drugs. Salter remains a useful piece. I have several corrupt male Servants who can serve as cannon fodder. And although BB is incorporeal, she still has access to Chaldea's systems."
But there was a significant problem.
"However, Sukuna has revealed the existence of the HAZE to Ritsuka," Jeffery admitted with bitterness. "That means any Servant who isn't completely corrupted could begin to question themselves if Ritsuka manages to communicate with them or if they discover the reality of the situation. The seed of doubt has been planted."
And then there was Lilith.
Jeffery turned his attention to where the first woman of creation was kneeling in submission, her head bowed, awaiting his judgment. She had been there the whole time, silent witness to his fury and frustration, not daring to speak or move.
This Lilith was the first woman from the Fate verse that Jeffery had summoned as his personal Servant and subsequently corrupted. She was a powerful entity, with possession and manipulation abilities that made her invaluable to his plans. He knew she was just one version of Lilith in the entire multiverse, but he didn't care.
"Lilith," Jeffery said, his voice adopting that cold tone that preceded punishment. "Lift your head. Look at me."
Lilith obeyed slowly, her dark eyes—as ancient as humanity itself—meeting the multiple violet eyes of her Master. There was fear in those eyes, but also resignation. She knew what was coming.
"Kneel properly," Jeffery ordered. "Not like a woman kneeling casually, but like a subject before her god. Forehead resting on the ground. Hands extended forward. Show me your complete submission."
Lilith didn't hesitate. She leaned forward until her forehead touched the non-existent floor of the pocket dimension, her arms extended in complete prostration. It was a position of absolute vulnerability and humiliation.
"Good," Jeffery said, walking slowly around her prostrate form. "Now, explain to me. Explain to me why you disobeyed my direct orders. Why you allowed Mahoraga to adapt when I specifically told you to eliminate it quickly."
"Master," Lilith began, her voice muffled by her position but still clearly audible, "I... underestimated Mahoraga's regenerative capabilities. When I attacked it initially, I inflicted significant damage. I saw its blood spill, I saw its wounds open. I thought it would only be a matter of time before it fell."
"And the wheel?" Jeffery interrupted abruptly. "Didn't you notice the wheel spinning above its head? Didn't it seem strange that its movements became more coordinated with each exchange?"
"I noticed it, Master," Lilith admitted. "But I assumed it was simply part of its nature as a Shikigami. A visual manifestation of its power, not an indicator of something deeper. When I realized it was actively adapting to Scáthach's combat patterns, it was already too late."
"I gave you a simple instruction!" Jeffery spat, his form beginning to change, shadow tentacles extending from his back. "Eliminate Mahoraga quickly. Don't play with it. Don't test its limits. Simply destroy it and retreat. Was that so hard to understand?"
"No, Master," Lilith responded, her voice barely a whisper.
"Then why after five minutes of fighting hadn't you killed it yet?" Jeffery asked, one of his shadow tentacles brushing Lilith's cheek like a threatening caress. "Why did you allow it to adapt? Why didn't you use Scáthach's full power from the beginning?"
"I'm sorry, Master. I have no excuses," she admitted quietly. "I didn't think the beast would adapt so quickly. I underestimated its capabilities until..."
"Until it was too late," Jeffery finished for her, looking at her with disappointment and fury, his voice dripping with poisonous sarcasm. "And how much time passed before you realized? Three minutes? Four?"
"Approximately three and a half minutes, Master," Lilith responded, her voice trembling slightly. "After that, I tried to change my strategy, use more lethal techniques, but by then Mahoraga had already learned enough."
"Three and a half minutes," Jeffery said, stopping in front of her. "In three and a half minutes, you turned what should have been a simple elimination into a complete disaster. Because you not only failed to kill Mahoraga, but you taught it. You taught it Scáthach's combat patterns. You taught it how to counter some of her runes. You even taught it how to adapt to a perfect attack like Gáe Bolg."
Shadow tentacles began to emerge from Jeffery's form, writhing in the air like hungry serpents.
"Do you know what that means, Lilith?" Jeffery continued. "It means that now Sukuna has a weapon that can kill even Servants with conceptual immortality. It means that because you couldn't kill that stupid beast, I came to lose Miyamoto Musashi because Mahoraga learned to cut the Void. It means that every death, every loss of this night, can be traced directly to your incompetence."
"I deeply apologize, Master," Lilith whispered, her body trembling. "I accept all responsibility for my actions. I have no excuse."
"Oh, you have excuses," Jeffery contradicted. "Arrogance. Curiosity. The desire to understand your enemy before destroying it. All excuses that plague your mind, very pathetic for someone who is supposed to be the first woman, the mother of demons, an entity that has existed since the beginning of creation."
The shadow tentacles moved closer to Lilith, brushing her back with ghostly touches that made her shudder.
"I will give you a punishment," Jeffery announced, his voice adopting an almost ceremonial tone. "A punishment that will last exactly five minutes. The same five minutes you wasted playing with Mahoraga. And during those five minutes, you will experience pain. Not physical pain—that would be too simple. No, you will experience conceptual pain. Pain that attacks directly your essence, your being, your soul itself."
Lilith swallowed audibly, but didn't protest. She didn't beg for mercy. She knew it would be useless.
"But that punishment won't be now," Jeffery continued, and the tentacles withdrew slightly. "No, I want you to anticipate it. I want every minute from now until I decide to execute it, you to live with the knowledge of what's coming. I want that anticipation to eat away at you, consume you, keep you in expectation of terror."
He raised one of his hands, and a timer appeared floating in the air—a purely conceptual construction that marked not real time, but perceived time.
"This timer represents your sentence," Jeffery explained. "You can't see it, but you can feel it. It's connected to your soul. And when it reaches zero, the punishment will begin. It could be in an hour. It could be in a day. It could be in a week. You won't know until it happens."
"I understand, Master," Lilith said, her voice barely audible. "I will wait with... anticipation."
"Good," Jeffery said, sounding almost pleased. "Now stand up. We have work to do, and despite your failure, you're still useful."
Lilith rose slowly, keeping her head bowed in deference. Her face was pale, and there was a slight tremor in her hands that hadn't been there before. The fear of the coming punishment was already doing its work.
Jeffery transformed his tentacles into human arms and grabbed her cheeks. "Relax, it's not the time to feel fear," he whispered, making Lilith tense before relaxing with a smile. "If you take care of your mistakes and redeem yourself, I promise your punishment will be lighter and I'll give you a reward of the ones you like."
Lilith's cheeks flushed intensely and she nodded enthusiastically and smiled broadly, grateful for the opportunity. "Yes. Master, I promise to do everything possible to not fail you again."
He hoped she wouldn't fail again, but thinking about it brought him anxiety and whether she could redeem herself or not could wait. For now, he had more urgent matters to attend to.
Jeffery turned his attention to another section of screens, these showing the individuals in question, along with important information. Specifically, the states of several key individuals.
"Gudako," he murmured, studying the data. "I can feel the corruption within her, but she's unconscious. Sukuna knocked her out with a blow to the sternum. Fortunately, he didn't kill her, but the connection I have with her is... tenuous."
He switched to another screen.
"Mash Kyrielight," he continued. "The corruption in her is mild, superficial. And what's worse, for some reason I can't control her completely. It's as if..."
He paused, studying the data more closely.
"It's as if something were protecting her. Galahad? No, her connection with the Heroic Spirit was cut long ago. So, what is it? What did Sukuna do to her so that my control over her was lost?"
The last possibility was the most worrying. If Sukuna had found a way to interfere with his HAZE, to protect people from its influence...
"No," Jeffery denied. "I can't jump to conclusions. I need more information."
Then there was Ritsuka.
"The cuck himself," Jeffery said with contempt. "The mild corruption in him doesn't work either. For some damn reason, I can't touch him. It's as if there were an invisible barrier protecting him."
This had been a persistent mystery for Jeffery. He had managed to corrupt Gudako, Mash, countless Servants. But Ritsuka... Ritsuka seemed resistant somehow.
And worst of all, it made no sense, women like Tiamat, Kama, and Medb were corrupted and dominated by his HAZE. Even Abigail Williams was partially corrupted, due to the instability of her human side and her God side. He used her traumas with Salem to destabilize her, shame he couldn't dominate her, so he decided to put her to sleep in a deep coma and then seal her. While being constantly bombarded with the HAZE.
He had hope of corrupting her, but the prognosis wasn't very good.
Because despite everything, he could still feel Abigail's slight resistance, while unconsciously her soul purged any case of corruption.
The only woman he couldn't completely dominate was Kukulkan, that bitch was too powerful to be tamed, he couldn't even kill her so he had to seal her and separate her to a different plane from ours just to stop her.
He could still feel how she was trying to destroy the seal, although it would be useless while he maintained a part of his immeasurable power in the seal, it would never break.
Honestly, he was puzzled how his useless counterpart could dominate Kukulkan, but the only logic is that it was a false Kukulkan and not the real one. Well, it makes no sense that he fails and his useless counterpart succeeds. Or maybe it's because he based his desire on NTR logic...
...Yep. It's better not to find the answer to that, for the sake of his pride.
Anyway. Luckily Dante was much easier to defeat than Abigail. Jeffery thought that by getting rid of those two annoying parasites would be enough to control Ritsuka, but even then the HAZE kept not working on the Cuck.
"Is it because of his nature as an anime protagonist?" Jeffery asked himself for the thousandth time. "Because of his connection with Alaya? Or is there something else?"
He had no answers, and that frustrated him enormously.
"There's no point thinking about that... better I think about what else I need... let's see," Jeffery said, turning his attention back to the floating screens, "I need to communicate with my remaining pieces. BB, Da Vinci, Nightingale... I need immediate status updates."
He extended his hand and the screens reorganized again, three of them growing larger than the others. One showed Chaldea's main server where BB now existed in digital form. Another showed Da Vinci's workshop. The third showed the infirmary where Nightingale worked.
"BB first," Jeffery decided. "She needs to know that her failure has... displeased me."
He touched the screen showing the server, and his consciousness extended through dimensions, connecting with the AI that had been his main avatar.
.
.
.
BB's Point of View - Chaldea Main Server.
BB now existed as pure code, pure digital information floating in the sea of data that composed Chaldea's systems. Without her physical body, her capabilities were severely limited, but she wasn't completely powerless.
She could access security cameras, though many had been destroyed in the battle with Sukuna. She could manipulate doors and barriers, though with less precision than before. She could collect information, spy on conversations, alter digital records.
But she felt... incomplete. Like a ghost in the machine, observing the physical world without being able to truly touch it.
And then she felt His presence.
Her Master. Her true Master, not Ritsuka, but the one who had given her real power, real purpose.
"BB," the voice came, resonating directly in her code, making her tremble with a mixture of terror and devotion. "We need to talk."
"Master," BB responded, her digital voice loaded with apprehension. She knew why she had been contacted. She knew that her failure, her destruction at Sukuna's hands, wouldn't have gone unnoticed.
"Your performance tonight was... disappointing," Jeffery's voice said, each word cutting like a knife. "I gave you a simple task: control the situation with Sukuna. Stop him before he could cause significant damage. And what did you do?"
"I tried—" BB began, but was cut off.
"You failed!" Jeffery roared, and BB felt as if her very code was being compressed, crushed by pure force of will. "You not only failed, but you underestimated him. You allowed your arrogance to cloud your judgment. You thought you could handle him with your usual tricks, your digital games. And what happened?"
"I was destroyed," BB admitted, her digital voice breaking. "My body was dismembered piece by piece. Sukuna... humiliated me."
"Exactly," Jeffery confirmed. "And in the process, I lost my most direct connection to Chaldea's physical world. Now you're trapped in this server, practically useless, while Da Vinci works to build you a new body. A process that will take time. Time we may not be able to afford."
"I'm sorry, Master," BB whispered. "If I could go back—"
"But you can't. That bastard stole the last two grails that remained," Jeffery interrupted. "You're lucky they're not as strong as other grails. Or I'd be much angrier."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, master. I accept any punishment you indicate." BB bowed her head, at least she tried to manifest her wishes to do so, to bow her head in a submissive way and trembling with slight fear.
"Forget it, I made a contingency plan in case they stole the grails, if they use them it will be good for us."
"I see," BB nodded amazed by her true Master's intellect, but it was to be expected after all. He was a perfect existence.
"Anyway. What's done is done. Now we have to deal with the consequences. So listen carefully, BB. Despite your current state, you still have access to Chaldea's systems. I want you to use them to the maximum."
"What do you need me to do, Master?" BB asked, eager to redeem herself.
"First, I need you to monitor all incoming and outgoing communications," Jeffery ordered. "If Ritsuka tries to contact anyone in Chaldea, I want to know immediately. If Sukuna tries to hack our systems, I want to be prepared."
"Understood," BB confirmed. "Anything else?"
"Yes," Jeffery continued. "I want you to start altering the records. I need the official narrative to be that Sukuna attacked without provocation, that he killed several Servants and kidnapped the Masters. Any evidence of my HAZE, any record of suspicious activities before the attack, must be deleted or altered."
BB processed this for a moment. It was a massive task, would require accessing multiple systems, altering countless files.
"It will be difficult," she admitted. "Some of the systems have protections that even I will have trouble overcoming in my current state. And Da Vinci might notice the alterations if she looks too closely."
"Da Vinci is being handled," Jeffery assured. "The HAZE has been working on her for weeks. She's not completely corrupt, but she's clouded enough not to ask too many questions. Just make sure to be subtle."
"I will, Master," BB promised. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes, one more thing," Jeffery said, his tone becoming almost contemplative. "I want you to report to me on the moral state of the remaining Servants. Who suspects? Who is questioning the official narrative? Who could become a problem?"
BB accessed the remaining security cameras, scanning the faces and body languages of the Servants wandering through Chaldea's corridors.
"Most are confused," she reported. "The attack was so sudden, so violent, that they don't know what to think. Some are showing signs of doubt, particularly those who knew Sukuna well or who have high resistance to mental manipulation."
"Give me names," Jeffery demanded.
"Gilgamesh is one," BB said. "His arrogance makes him resistant to our BLESSING, and his Sha Naqba Imuru allows him to see hidden truths. If he decides to investigate, he could be a problem."
"Gilgamesh is too arrogant to worry about 'mortal' affairs," Jeffery dismissed. "Unless something affects him directly, he won't bother. And if he does... then I already have a plan to deal with him. Who else?"
"Enkidu also shows resistance," BB continued. "His nature as a divine weapon makes him difficult to corrupt. And EMIYA... the Counter Guardian is acting suspiciously. He's been asking questions, investigating on his own."
"EMIYA is a problem," Jeffery admitted. "But he's just a Servant. If he becomes too problematic, he can be eliminated. Anyone else?"
"Sherlock Holmes," BB said, her digital voice adopting a worried tone. "If he's in Chaldea at this moment. His deductive ability is almost supernatural. If he gathers enough evidence, he could deduce the existence of the HAZE."
"Holmes," Jeffery growled. "Yes, he's problematic. Keep a special eye on him. If he starts getting too close to the truth, I'll need to know immediately so I can take measures."
"Understood, Master," BB confirmed. "I'll maintain constant surveillance."
"Good," Jeffery said, his tone softening slightly. "Despite your failure, BB, I still believe in your usefulness. Just... don't disappoint me again. The next time you fail, the punishment will be much more severe than simply losing your body."
"I won't fail, Master," BB promised, and there was genuine determination in her digital voice. "I'll do whatever is necessary to redeem myself."
"I hope so," Jeffery said, and then his presence withdrew, leaving BB alone once more in the sea of data.
.
.
.
Sigma-Null Pocket Dimension.
Jeffery withdrew his consciousness from Chaldea's server, satisfied with the conversation. BB understood her position, understood the consequences of another failure. That was good.
Now, Da Vinci.
He touched the second large screen, the one showing the Renaissance genius's workshop. His consciousness extended again, this time connecting more subtly, more carefully. Da Vinci wasn't as deeply corrupt as BB or the others. She required a more delicate touch.
.
.
.
Da Vinci's Point of View - Da Vinci's Workshop - Chaldea.
Leonardo Da Vinci was leaning over her worktable, her hands moving with practiced precision as she assembled components for BB's new body. It was delicate work, requiring both artistic skill and technical understanding.
Around her, the workshop was an organized chaos. Blueprints and schematics covered every available surface. Tools of all shapes and sizes hung from the walls. And in a corner, partially covered by a sheet, was one of the "stolen bodies"—a physical receptacle modeled after a male Servant, prepared to be inhabited.
Da Vinci didn't question where these bodies came from. The HAZE whispered that they were necessary, that they were for Chaldea's good, that she shouldn't ask too many questions.
And then she felt... something. A presence at the edges of her consciousness, like someone gently touching her shoulder.
"Who's there?" she asked aloud, her hands stopping in her work.
"A friend," a voice came, soft and reassuring. "Someone concerned about Chaldea's wellbeing. And about your wellbeing too, dear Da Vinci."
Da Vinci frowned, trying to identify the source of the voice. It wasn't external. It was in her head, but it didn't feel like an intrusion. It felt... natural. As if it had always been there.
"What do you want?" she asked cautiously.
"Just to check your progress," the voice responded. "The new body for BB. How is it going?"
"It's going well," Da Vinci said, returning her attention to the work. "It should be ready in approximately forty-eight hours, assuming there are no complications."
"Forty-eight hours," the voice repeated, sounding thoughtful. "That's... acceptable. But I wonder, could it be accelerated? Chaldea needs BB operational as soon as possible."
"It could," Da Vinci admitted, "but doing so would compromise the quality of the work. The body could be unstable, prone to failures."
"I understand your concerns," the voice said soothingly. "But consider this: Sukuna is still out there. He's kidnapped our Masters. Every hour that passes is an hour they're in danger. Isn't a little risk worth it if it means rescuing them faster?"
Da Vinci paused, considering the words. There was logic in them. Ritsuka and Gudako were in danger. And BB, with her digital capabilities and knowledge of Chaldea's systems, would be invaluable in any rescue operation.
"I suppose you might be right," she said slowly. "I could reduce it to thirty-six hours if I work non-stop."
"Thirty-six hours," the voice confirmed, sounding pleased. "That would be perfect. And don't worry about rest, Da Vinci. Nightingale can provide you with stimulants to keep you alert."
"No, thank you," Da Vinci automatically declined. "I prefer to work with a clear mind."
"As you wish," the voice conceded. "But the offer remains open. Now, there's another thing I need to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Da Vinci asked, her hands returning to her work.
"The other bodies," the voice said. "The ones you've been preparing. I need you to prioritize one in particular."
Da Vinci turned her gaze toward the corner where the stolen bodies were stored. There were several, each modeled after different male Servants.
"Which one?" she asked.
"The one modeled after King Hassan," the voice responded. "The Grand Assassin. That one needs to be ready as soon as possible."
Da Vinci frowned. Something about that felt... strange. Why would she need the body modeled after King Hassan?
But before she could form the question, the HAZE whispered reassuring answers. It's for a rescue operation. The voice is right in what it says, just obey and don't ask questions. Trust.
"I understand," Da Vinci said, though her voice sounded slightly hollow. "When do you need it?"
"As soon as possible," the voice responded. "Ideally, at the same time as BB's body. Can you handle it?"
Da Vinci made quick mental calculations. Working on two bodies simultaneously would be exhausting, would require all her skill and concentration.
"I can," she finally confirmed. "But I'll need assistance. I can't do both alone in that timeframe."
"I'll send you help," the voice promised. "Morgan can assist you. Her knowledge of runes and sorcery will be useful for the more mystical aspects of the work."
"Morgan," Da Vinci repeated. The Witch Queen had been acting strange lately, more withdrawn. But her skills were undeniable.
"Alright," she accepted. "With her help, I can have both bodies ready in thirty-six hours."
"Excellent," the voice said, sounding genuinely pleased. "I knew I could count on you, Da Vinci. You are truly the greatest genius that humanity has produced."
The flattery made Da Vinci feel warm, satisfied. The HAZE amplified those positive feelings, reinforcing her desire to please, to meet expectations.
"I'll do my best," she promised with a smile.
"I know you will," the voice said, beginning to withdraw. "And Da Vinci... don't mention this conversation to anyone. Some might not understand the need for urgency. Better to keep it between us."
"I understand," Da Vinci agreed, and then the presence disappeared completely, leaving her alone with her work.
She shook her head, feeling slightly dizzy. Had she really had that conversation? It felt like a dream, hazy at the edges.
But the orders were clear. Thirty-six hours. Two bodies. With Morgan's help.
She returned to her work with renewed determination, she hoped the voice would give her a reward after the grand work she would do.
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Sigma-Null Pocket Dimension.
Jeffery smiled as he withdrew his consciousness from Da Vinci's workshop. That had gone perfectly. The genius hadn't even realized the manipulation, so deeply was she wrapped in the HAZE at this point.
"Two birds with one stone," he murmured satisfied. "BB will have her body, and I'll have my receptacle of King Hassan's body. All in thirty-six hours."
Now, the last communication. The most important in some aspects.
He touched the third large screen, the one showing the infirmary. His consciousness extended once more, connecting with Nightingale.
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Nightingale's Point of View - Chaldea Infirmary.
Florence Nightingale was in her element, surrounded by medical supplies, surgical equipment, and her precious "medicines". The drugs she had been developing under her Master's guidance, designed to break wills and amplify the effects of her beautiful blessing (HAZE).
But at this moment, she wasn't working on the drugs. She was standing next to one of the recovery bays, studying the vital signs displayed on the screens around her.
Inside the bay, floating in preservative liquid, was Scáthach's body.
It was... horrible to see, even for someone with Nightingale's medical experience. The deep cuts covering her body weren't healing. The black corrosion spread like poison, stopping her immortal regeneration. Her skin, normally so perfect, was pale and almost gray.
Nightingale had managed to stabilize her, keep her alive, but more than that was beyond her current capability.
"Nightingale," a voice came, and she immediately straightened to attention.
"Master," she responded, her voice loaded with respect and devotion. The HAZE had done its work well with her. She no longer saw the atrocities she had helped commit. She only saw treatment, cure, helping "patients" reach their true potential.
"Report on Scáthach's status," the voice ordered.
Nightingale consulted the screens, her eyes scanning the data with professional efficiency.
"The patient is stabilized but in critical condition," she reported. "Multiple deep lacerations that refuse to heal. Conceptual corrosion that is blocking her immortal regeneration factor. Massive trauma to her Spiritual Origin."
"Prognosis," the voice demanded.
"Without intervention, the patient will remain in this state indefinitely," Nightingale explained. "Her immortality keeps her alive, but the damage caused by... whatever attacked her... has rewritten the rules of her existence. Her body no longer knows how to heal itself."
"And with intervention?" the voice asked.
Nightingale considered the question carefully.
"It would depend on the type of intervention," she said. "Conventional medical treatment is useless. This is conceptual damage, not physical. It would need high-level sorcery, possibly a Grail, or access to some form of healing magic that can rewrite concepts."
"How long for complete recovery with optimal resources?" the voice asked.
"Impossible to say with certainty," Nightingale admitted. "Weeks at best. Months more probably. And that assuming we have access to the necessary resources and that there are no complications."
Jeffery processed this information silently. Weeks to months was too long. By the time Scáthach was recovered, the situation with Sukuna would have been resolved one way or another.
"Keep her stable for now," he finally ordered. "Continue monitoring her, but don't spend excessive resources on her recovery. There are more urgent priorities."
"Understood, Master," Nightingale confirmed. "Is there anything else you need?"
"Yes," the voice said. "Your drugs. How much current inventory do we have?"
Nightingale moved to a locked cabinet, opening it to reveal rows of vials filled with liquid of various colors.
"Current inventory: twenty doses of Compound A (will suppression), fifteen doses of Compound B (lust amplification), ten doses of Compound C (dependency induction), and five doses of Compound D (the experimental one, for breaking extremely high resistances)."
"Compound D," the voice said, sounding interested. "Has it been tested?"
"Only on limited test subjects," Nightingale admitted. "The results were... variable. In some cases, it broke resistances that the other compounds couldn't touch. In other cases, it caused permanent damage to the subject's psyche."
"Permanent damage," the voice repeated, sounding not concerned but almost curious. "What kind of damage?"
"Complete dissociation from reality," Nightingale explained clinically. "The subject loses the ability to distinguish between their truth and the true truth and blessing (HAZE). They become completely malleable but also completely non-functional. Zombies, essentially, who obey orders but can't think independently."
"Interesting," the voice murmured. "Save Compound D for now. It might be useful if we find a particularly resistant subject. For now, continue producing Compounds A, B and C. We're going to need more soon."
"How much more?" Nightingale asked.
"Double the current inventory," the voice ordered. "We have several Servants who need... treatment. And with Sukuna out there, we might need to break new acquisitions quickly."
"Understood," Nightingale confirmed. "I'll begin immediate production. I should have the inventory doubled in seventy-two hours."
"Excellent," the voice said, sounding satisfied. "One more thing, Nightingale. If anyone comes asking about Scáthach, about her condition or about what happened to her... don't answer. Direct all questions to me through BB or Lilith. Understood?"
"Understood, Master," Nightingale confirmed. "Patient confidentiality will be maintained."
"Good," the voice said, and then the presence withdrew, leaving Nightingale alone to continue her work.
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Sigma-Null Pocket Dimension.
Jeffery opened all his eyes, withdrawing his consciousness completely from Chaldea. The three communications had been successful. Each piece was in its place, each pawn understood their role.
BB would be monitoring and altering records. Da Vinci would be preparing the bodies. Nightingale would be producing more drugs and keeping Scáthach stable.
"Progress," Jeffery murmured, allowing himself a moment of satisfaction.
He turned to where Lilith was still waiting, silent and submissive.
"Lilith," he said, "the time has come for your next mission."
She raised her head, her eyes meeting his.
"What do you need me to do, Master?"
"First," Jeffery responded, "I want you to take control of another of Scáthach-Servant's bodies. We have several available thanks to the duplicate summoning records. This will serve as your new operative body until I decide if it's worth repairing the original."
"Understood," Lilith said.
"Second," Jeffery continued, "I want you to contact Morgan le Fay. Tell her I need her in my dimension. We have a complex plan to execute, and I'm going to need her expertise in dark sorcery."
Lilith's eyes widened slightly. Morgan was powerful, and although she was corrupt, she still retained some of her own will. Bringing her here, to Jeffery's pocket dimension, would be... significant.
"When do you need her?" Lilith asked.
"In three hours," Jeffery responded. "That should give her enough time to prepare the tools she'll need. Tell her to bring her most powerful ritual implements. We're going to do something... ambitious."
"May I ask what, Master?" Lilith inquired cautiously.
Jeffery smiled, and it was a smile that didn't reach his multiple eyes.
"We're going to finish destroying the Will of a Grand Servant," he revealed. "Specifically, we're going to King Hassan. The Grand Assassin. The Evening Bell that Announces Death. If I want his body to serve as a temporary receptacle, I have to imprison his will even more in an absolute cage from which he can't escape. That way I can use his body, as you use Scáthach's body."
Lilith inhaled sharply, genuine surprise crossing her face.
"Master, that's... risky. Male Grand Servants are almost impossible to control, making one's receptacle could be very detrimental, especially King Hassan in particular—"
"I don't need to control his body permanently," Jeffery interrupted. "Just long enough to do the job and kill Sukuna. King Hassan's ability to impose death even on immortal concepts is exactly what we need against the King of Curses and his annoying adaptive Shikigami."
"I understand," Lilith said, though her voice still carried a touch of concern. "Is there anything else?"
"Yes," Jeffery confirmed. "Once you've contacted Morgan, I want you to put all corrupt Servants on maximum alert. Double the patrols. Establish detection barriers on Chaldea's perimeter. And make sure everyone knows that Sukuna is considered extremely hostile and must be eliminated on sight."
"And what about Ritsuka and Gudako?" Lilith asked. "If they're with Sukuna—"
"The Masters must not be harmed," Jeffery interrupted firmly. "They're too valuable. If there's a choice between killing Sukuna and risking the Masters, prioritize the rescue and obtain them at all costs. Understood?"
"Yes, Master," Lilith confirmed.
"Good," Jeffery said. "Now go. You have much work to do."
Lilith bowed deeply before dematerializing, her shadows flowing back toward Chaldea to fulfill her orders.
Jeffery was alone once more, surrounded by his floating screens and the oppressive silence of the void.
He allowed himself one more moment to contemplate his situation. Yes, he had suffered significant setbacks. Yes, Sukuna had proven to be a much more formidable enemy than anticipated. And yes, his plans had been derailed.
But he wasn't defeated. Far from it.
He still had control over most of Chaldea. He still had multiple powerful Servants under his command. He still had resources, a Grail hidden in his dimension in case of emergency, and most importantly, knowledge.
And although he had to accelerate the preparations, now, he would have King Hassan's body to use himself along with his abilities.
"Patience," he reminded himself. "Patience is what separated me from my idiot counterpart. He rushed and awakened Alaya's Beast. I will be more careful. More methodical."
He raised one of his hands, and the shadow tentacles emerged once more, writhing in the air like hungry serpents.
"Sukuna," he murmured, savoring the name as if it were poison. "You enjoyed your little victory. You destroyed my pieces, ruined my plans, thought you had won."
The tentacles extended toward the screens, caressing them with ghostly touches.
"But this is just the beginning," Jeffery continued. "Just the first move in a much longer game. And in the end, when all is said and done, when I'm finished with you and with the pathetic cuck you protect..."
His form expanded for a moment, revealing his true nature—the mass of shadows and eyes, the tentacles and conceptual flesh that defied comprehension.
"...I will be the one left standing," he finished, his voice resonating through multiple dimensions. "Because I am patient. Because I am intelligent. Because I am a god."
And in the absolute silence of his pocket dimension, Jeffery began to weave the threads of his next plan, each one more complex and twisted than the last.
Unfortunately, Sukuna didn't expect he could locate him anywhere, the HAZE was everywhere in the world, there was no place to hide.
That's why the game continued.
And this time, he wouldn't make the same mistakes.
"EHH?!" Jeffery had planned to finish his monologue, but something on the screen caught his attention: Sukuna landing in Kerguelen Archipelago -- Near the Antarctic Convergence.
Sukuna dismounted his bird before looking at the sky and smiling with a mocking and sadistic smile. And he abruptly dropped the hostages to the ground roughly.
Then, Sukuna brought two of his hands together in a complex seal, while the other two traced symbols in the air charged with static electricity. The air began to vibrate, not with mana, but with the suffocating pressure of Cursed Energy.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than the abyss of darkness," Sukuna began, his voice resonating with an authority that made the snow stop in the air. "Purify what is impure, devour the illusion of the false creator. Let the sky close and the earth drown in my shadow."
The sky over the islands suddenly turned dark, as if invisible ink were spilling from the zenith.
"Barrier Technique: Veil of the Malevolent Shrine."
Sukuna struck the ground with the palm of his hand. A dome of dark energy, translucent but impenetrable, expanded at blinding speed. As it collided with Jeffery's HAZE, a violent reaction occurred: sparks of black energy jumped while the corruption was disintegrated on contact with Sukuna's barrier.
Jeffery stood staring dumbfounded as he lost any trace of Sukuna and his slight connection with Gudako and Mash. And no matter how much he tried to penetrate the barrier with his HAZE, he couldn't.
That was fucking impossible.
Jeffery's eye suffered a tic, annoyed and irritated, he couldn't help but exclaim. "DAMN BASTARD!!!"
His new enemy was going to be a headache and Jeffery didn't like headaches.
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By the way, did you like the chapter? If you want to support my writing and get early access to chapters of my story, you can support me at Patreon com/c/Paxkun12. You have to put it in your search bar for it to work, all together.
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