Altair POV
My eyelids fluttered, forcing my eyes open. Before I could even register my surroundings, a searing pain shot through my body.
In a cold sweat, I moved my hand, bracing against the floor as I tried to get up.
With a painful effort, I managed to sit up.
My gaze inevitably fell on my trembling hands.
Opening and closing them, I felt as though my body was being torn apart and remade. The pain was so overwhelming I could barely form a coherent thought. Minutes passed, yet not even a moment of relief came.
I clenched my teeth so tightly they began to grind, but a hoarse scream escaped my lips all the same.
"Arghhhhh..."
My body convulsed violently as I slammed my head against the ground, trying to dissipate the pain, but it was completely in vain.
Strangely, while trapped in that torment, two lives began to intertwine in my mind like forcibly stitched threads.
As my head felt like it was about to explode, my reflection appeared in a fragment of mirror beneath me. My eyes, once black, now shimmered with a golden glow, and the pupils elongated, splitting into incandescent cracks, red as burning embers.
Hypnotized by my own eyes, I unconsciously plunged into the memories intertwining in my mind.
Among those memories, one word involuntarily escaped my lips:
"...Unfair."
On one side, an insignificant life — that of a miserable son of a prostitute, whose only "special" trait was an unyielding refusal to give up. On the other, the existence of a divine being: an unsubmissive god who laughed at the heavens, defied celestial armies, and was betrayed for rejecting a foolish title of Buddha.
A life of misery.
And another of boundless freedom.
Unfair... but in a way, pathetic.
An ironic smile curled at the corners of my mouth as the pain began to fade, almost as if it had never truly existed. And in the next moment, my body started to regenerate.
Without realizing it, my smile widened, and I simply let myself fall back, letting my body hit the floor.
I stared at the mansion's ceiling, still smiling.
Even with my existence merged with another being, my consciousness hadn't been replaced, nor overtaken, which was ironic, considering this other existence was practically a Buddha.
With that thought, I raised my hand toward the ceiling.
I was still Altair Miller, a mere son of a prostitute... but I was also Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Monkey King who defied the heavens, who journeyed westward and reached enlightenment, becoming the Victorious Fighting Buddha.
Curiously, Altair Miller's personality remained dominant, though some traits of Sun Wukong's had blended with mine.
"Doesn't matter," I murmured, rising from the ground with a smile. "What matters is... I'm not dead."
Strangely, I didn't remember how I had died, though the sensation of life slipping away still echoed through my body. But I was alive, and that was all that mattered. Although a morbid curiosity about my death lingered, I chose to ignore it.
Even so, the strangest part was that my existence had merged with Sun Wukong's. Despite sharing a single existence, I had no access to his memories—only scattered fragments.
What a pain... but for now, I'd have to settle for my own memories. I muttered to myself as I made my way to the mansion's door.
The sound of my footsteps echoed among the mansion's ruins. The floor was littered with debris and shattered glass.
Looking down, I saw my reflection in a large cracked mirror.
A cascade of long, jet-black hair flowed down my back. My golden eyes glowed intensely, marked by concentric red rings, while the sharp pupils gleamed a crimson hue. I wore a black jacket with golden accents, gray pants, and a red belt.
I blinked, staring at my reflection.
It seemed that not only my existence had changed—my appearance was completely different. Still, it wasn't my new look that drew my attention, but rather the "little" detail on top of my head.
I raised my hand, fingers brushing the golden circlet on my head. It was thin, golden, and delicately ornamented, with intricate carvings across its surface.
This circlet was none other than the seal imposed by the heavens on the Monkey King, a symbol of control and obedience—
The moment my hand touched the circlet, I stepped out of the mansion, my eyes instantly widening, and a single word came to mind.
Fire!
An entire city burned in crimson flames.
In truth, calling it a city felt inaccurate—it looked more like a devastated war zone than an inhabited place.
It was a hellscape of ruins and fire, a completely apocalyptic scene.
Gazing at the city being consumed by flames, one word escaped my lips:
"Fuyuki…!"
This burning city was the same one from Fate/Stay Night. Though I'd never been a huge fan of the franchise, having only watched the three main routes, I could still recognize this ruined city.
"Am I... in some kind of apocalyptic route?" My voice came out strangely calm, probably thanks to Wukong's mental fortitude.
But...
If I'm merged with Sun Wukong in the Fate universe, does that mean I'm a Servant?
Servants were basically spirits summoned for the Holy Grail War.
However, in my case, I didn't feel like a Servant. In a way, I felt... human. At least half human.
"This is... so complicated."
If I were a Servant, I should have a Saint Graph.
Before I could finish the thought, a blue screen appeared before me.
PARAMATERS
▸ Strength: A+
▸ Endurance: A++
▸ Agility: B+
▸ Mana: B
▸ Luck: C
▸ NP: EX
CLASS SKILLS
▸ Riding: A+
▸ Mad Enhancement: B
▸ Divinity: B
PERSONAL SKILLS
▸ Heavenly Arts: EX
▸ Hair Clones: A+
▸ Celestial Sage: A
▸ Mystical Transformation – 72 Forms: A
▸ Fire and Golden Eyes: B
▸ Sage Spells: B-
▸ Pseudo-Perfect Immortality: B-
▸ Instinct: C
NOBLE PHANTASMS
▸ Ruyi Jingu Bang – The Staff That Holds Up the Heavens [Locked]
▸ Kinto'un – Cloud that Rides the Skies [Locked]
▸ Gourd – Gourd Capable of Sealing the Heavens [Locked]
▸ Loop of Binding – Circlet that Imprisons Against the Heavens [Locked]
"Fuuu..." I couldn't help but let out a low whistle, staring at my Servant stats.
Although the blue screen seemed odd, I instinctively knew it was my [Celestial Sage] ability. It allowed me to visualize my stats, class skills, and personal skills in a status-like interface, along with a few other minor functions.
A fairly useful skill.
Back to my paramaters... they were insane. I smiled faintly at the thought.
A fun fact: the "+" on Strength, Endurance, and Agility came from the Monkey King's Armor, the black jacket with a dragon motif I was wearing. That jacket boosted my attributes, especially Endurance.
On top of that, I had four Noble Phantasms—which, honestly, was absurd. Though it was a shame they were all currently locked for some reason.
Still, four Noble Phantasms was unheard of, considering most Servants had at most two.
I had definitely hit the jackpot.
For a moment, I was so immersed in my status screen that I almost forgot where I was—until the crackling of the flames snapped me out of it.
Practically a war zone, huh? I thought, raising my hand to scratch my ear. For some reason, I felt an itch I just couldn't satisfy.
While scratching my right ear with the tip of my finger, a piercing scream shattered the silence.
I frowned, activating my [Fire and Golden Eyes], a skill that let me see evil, long distances, see through lies, and track magical energy flow with absolute precision.
As I activated it, the magical circuits now flowing through my body began to pulse. Instinctively, I visualized a car engine roaring at full throttle, all 40 circuits operating at full power.
Since I wasn't an ordinary magus, and my body was nearly identical to that of a Servant, there were no external signs—no bulging veins or anything like that.
I felt my mana vibrate intensely through my body, flowing to my eyes, which shone in shades of gold and red, like a drop of blood mixed with molten gold.
In an instant, my vision expanded to 300 meters. I saw a white-haired girl fleeing a horde of armed skeletons.
For some reason, a smile formed on my lips.
I felt my blood boil in my veins as if an untamable energy surged within me.
Perhaps influenced by echoes of Wukong's personality, I bent my knees and, in the next instant, launched into an explosive leap. The ground beneath my feet cracked as I shot toward the white-haired figure, crossing dozens of meters in a single movement.
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