[FMMISM] Chapter 1: I am a Beast

In the early spring of 1991, in the depths of Tokyo, Japan.

In the dimly lit depths of the underground sewer, a mass of darkness writhed, shaped by despair and fueled by desire. This entity, wriggling beneath the earth, was the culmination of the world's densest darkness, beyond human comprehension.

"..."

Gazing up at the towering sewer ceiling, the mass of darkness, or rather, the mass of black mud, seemed to sigh with resignation.

After sighing, the black mud crawling within a vast cavity began to churn.

Its form, as recorded in the Book of Revelation, resembled black sea waves rising without wind toward the holy city.

Its name—or rather, his name was Ragna.

Initially, Ragna wasn't just a mass of black mud but a rather ordinary transmigrator.

Thanks to some accident, he miraculously ended up in the Nasuverse, Japan, as a young man named Ragna.

He must admit, it was quite an extraordinary feat.

In the end, with the perseverance of a diligent worker, he finally obtained his first job in this new world.

However, of all the places that existed, his workplace was in the Tokyo sewers.

Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that his new life would confine him to a relatively unsuccessful life in the sewers.

Yet, this wasn't the worst part.

On his first day at work, Ragna, whether by accident or not, was devoured by unidentified black mud.

Better to die early and suffer, they say.

Surprisingly enough, even after the black mud consumed his body, his soul did not perish, continuing to resist defiantly.

Perhaps it was because his soul originally came from a higher dimension, or maybe his soul was inherently compatible with the black mud, after six days and seven nights of struggle, the black mud's soul perished in its battle with Ragna.

In successfully taking over the black mud's soul, Ragna ultimately realized what he had become.

In the vast expanse of human understanding, he bore many names that terrified millions.

Beast of Revelation.

Number of the Beast.

Beast of 666.

Seven-Headed and Ten-Horned Beast.

Great Red Dragon.

Antichrist.

Nega-Messiah.

Sodom's Beast.

Satan.

However, if one were to speak of him in the Nasuverse, there was one name that would be most appropriate—the manifestation of great sin and depravity, the king of the world who arrogantly defied all things, known as 'Beast VI'.

Even so, Ragna was still just an unhatched pupa at this moment.

He had to gather seven souls of Servants in an event known as the Holy Grail War before he could bring forth the seven heads of great sin and wear the ten crowns of depravity.

"But... I don't want to destroy the world..." Ragna sighed again.

He was so hungry.

Ever since becoming Beast VI, he felt a relentless hunger gnawing at him every moment.

He already lost track of time.

A day? Three months? Ten years? Sixty-five million years?

After his senses blurred, even the concept of time became vague.

But finally, on a certain day, at a certain moment, although no one said 'Let there be light', a sudden beam of radiance pierced through the always dark sewers.

"Eh? I've got a bounded field set up to keep ordinary people out though..."

As an ethereal voice resounded, it woke Ragna from his musing, causing his featureless face to look up.

In his field of vision, there was a petite girl in a light blue dress that emitted a faint glow in the pitch-black sewers, her light blonde hair framing her light blue eyes, her doll-like face expressing confusion.

Standing amidst the black mud, a brilliant flower blossomed, her name was none other than Sajyou Manaka.

With knowledge from his previous life and memories buried within Beast VI, Ragna understood everything.

She stole a relic from the Holy Church and placed it in Tokyo's sewers to nurture it as an egg for Beast VI.

Needless to say, she was one of the causes that rendered Ragna into his current situation, turning him from a human into a monster.

Yet, Ragna didn't feel any hostility toward her.

After all, this girl, who was more beautiful than any flower, cast gentle eyes upon him—an ugly and abominable black mud that should never have existed in this world.

"Are you being a good kid down here?"

Her melodious voice echoed in the vast underground sewer, making Ragna, who was devoid of internal organs, feel as if his heart were pounding vigorously.

At the same time, the soul of the black mud devoured by Ragna released its final ripple filled with desires beyond what human minds could contain, surging from the abyss of darkness.

It seemed to want to say something to the girl.

Want to eat.

Want to violate.

Want to destroy.

Want to kill.

Want to insult.

Want to corrupt.

No, none of them were right.

Before them, there should be a primal desire beyond all worldly desires—a desire to be born.

Yes, the black mud wanted to be born, and so was Ragna.

In the next moment, influenced by the overwhelming desire of the black mud, Ragna uttered the very first word that humans had spoken upon their arrival in the world.

It was a common word that transcends nations, races, and skin colors.

"Mother."

In the windless expanse of sewers, Ragna churned like a tidal wave, releasing his first cry.

"...How is this possible."

Facing the Beast that had gained reason and speech prematurely, Manaka felt perplexed at first before a smile crept onto her face.

"There are still three years before the Holy Grail War starts, yet you're already eager to be born?"

Manaka smoothed her skirt and squatted at the edge of the black mud. She rested her delicate fingertips against her chin and tilted her head sideways.

"This is troublesome... If you're eager to be born, you'll have to devour the souls of seven Servants or prepare thousands of human souls as sacrifices. Can't you wait a little longer?"

"Mother... Mother... Mother..."

Ragna quivered while speaking.

"Born... Born... Born..."

As the formless black mud boiled and shrieked, Manaka reached out to the black mud with love in her eyes.

"Fufu, such a willful child."

However, the moment her slender and fair fingertips touched the black mud, they dissolved.

"Um?"

Staring at her dissipating fingers and the gushing crimson, Manaka's face surprisingly didn't contort with pain but instead revealed a joyful expression as if she had discovered a new world.

"Oh, right..."

Speaking as if confiding in a child, yet also as if talking to herself, Manaka murmured to herself.

"If we're talking about living sacrifices, isn't there one right here?"

"Mother, Mother..."

Ragna, instantly understanding her intention, panicked and moved erratically, emitting another shriek.

Yet, as the black mud's creator, Manaka mistook Ragna's movements for the ecstasy of his imminent birth.

Manaka knelt on the ground, arms outstretched.

"Fufu, couldn't wait any longer, huh? Come on, devour me~ devour your mother~" 

She smiled as she embraced the black mud, now bulging like a small hill.

"...Ugh."

A frown crossed Manaka's face for a moment before her body gradually dissolved.

Her gorgeous clothes, fair skin, delicate limbs, and exquisite features—all dissolved mercilessly upon contact with the black mud.

Even the one hailed as the 'Root Princess' and 'Babylon the Great' seemed laughably fragile like a heap of salt before a Beast.

It was like when an angel once told John that a wrathful beast with seven heads and ten horns seized his mother's treasures, stripped her of her clothes, devoured her flesh, and finally burned her bones to ashes.

With this, the records in the 'Book of Revelation' were thus fulfilled.

After a while, the boiling black mud finally calmed down after engulfing the girl as if nothing had happened.

"Ahh, I see now..."

Amid the silence, a boy's voice suddenly echoed across the black mud.

"Although the human body feels a bit restrictive, this sense of restraint isn't bad at all."

At this moment, a pristine figure suddenly emerged from the depths of darkness.

No, it was two figures.

The newborn boy held his creator, or rather, his mother in his arms as he stepped out of the black mud.

At this moment, the humanoid vessel of Beast VI had come into existence.

Ragna lowered his head to look at Manaka in his arms, her dazed eyes now open.

In the next second, the exhausted girl raised her hand to touch the boy's face.

"Let's go home, Ragna."