Now that Mash could use her Noble Phantasm—though it was still only a conceptual projection—Olga Marie immediately decided they should head to confront Black Artoria and resolve the Singularity, then return to Chaldea to confirm the situation.
"Yo, we meet again."
As expected, when the group arrived at the half-collapsed Mount Enzō, destroyed during Daniel's battle with Black Artoria, the first person they encountered was not the King of Knights herself—but Archer EMIYA.
"I won't let you through," Archer said, materializing a spiral sword and preparing to fight.
"I'll handle him. You all go ahead and find Artoria. He and I have an unresolved score," Cú Chulainn stepped forward, intercepting Archer.
"See you later, then."
With Cú Chulainn blocking their path, Archer could only grit his teeth and watch helplessly as the others ventured deeper into Mount Enzō. Tactically, it would've made sense to gang up on Archer and eliminate him right there, but Cú Chulainn had his pride—and wanted to settle the score one-on-one.
Their previous battle had been interrupted, leaving things unresolved. Cú Chulainn was bothered by the fact that Archer used twin blades despite being an Archer class, but failed to realize that he himself was wielding a magic staff as a spear, despite being a Caster.
"So, they finally came. So, you were waiting for them after all."
Deep within Mount Enzō, Black Artoria showed no surprise upon seeing Daniel again—but her expression briefly changed when she saw the shield in Mash's hands.
"Indeed, now that they're here, you no longer need to stand guard."
Of the seven main Singularities, counting this Fuyuki one, there were eight. And this one was by far the closest to completion. If Black Artoria had willed it, the Singularity could've been completed even before Chaldea arrived. As strong as Cú Chulainn was, he had no chance against her in her current state.
"That depends on whether they are worthy. Unknown girl—whether the one you protect is real or not, let my sword decide."
Black Artoria released a powerful surge of magical energy and swung her sword. A wave of black energy extended tens of meters—this wasn't even her Noble Phantasm, just a standard mana burst.
"Senpai, look out!"
Mash threw herself in front of Ritsuka and blocked the attack with her shield. Though the shield stopped the blow, the force of the strike knocked her backward more than ten meters.
"Mash!"
Ritsuka rushed toward her in panic. Olga Marie looked on in concern but didn't approach—she knew her own strength was useless in this battle against a Heroic Spirit like Artoria.
"Is that all?"
Black Artoria fired another mana burst—this time aimed directly at Ritsuka. Mash jumped to block again, this time successfully intercepting the blow without being knocked back.
As a Shielder, protecting others was Mash's strongest instinct. Especially when she had someone worth protecting. In the final Singularity, she had even blocked Goetia's Noble Phantasm—sacrificing herself in the process, but her shield never wavered.
"I see. Excalibur."
"Be careful! Intense magical energy detected—it's a Noble Phantasm!"
Romani shouted from Chaldea. Mash could feel the overwhelming power of the attack—if she didn't stop it, Ritsuka would surely die. In that moment, she activated her conceptual Noble Phantasm.
Black light versus white stone. The next instant, the energy beam collided with the summoned wall of Camelot. The ground quaked violently under the clash of the two forces.
"A perfect representation of the Castle of Camelot. I wonder what it'd feel like to drop this entire city on someone's head."
Mash's Noble Phantasm wasn't just for defense—it could also be weaponized. Theoretically, she could raise the entire city and slam it down. Though that was more of a conceptual possibility.
"She's holding back." Daniel observed the struggle between the two Noble Phantasms and realized what was happening. If Black Artoria were using the same power she'd used against him, Mash wouldn't stand a chance.
"Mash!"
Seeing her struggling, Ritsuka stood beside her, placing her hand on the shield. One of the three Command Spells on her hand vanished—she had used one to restore Mash's mana.
With the Command Spell's reinforcement, the power of Mash's Noble Phantasm increased dramatically, not only resisting the beam but even rebounding it.
This was one of Mash's Noble Phantasm's hidden effects—reflection.
Caught off guard, Black Artoria failed to defend herself in time and was swallowed by her own beam. As the light dissipated, her black armor was cracked in many places, and though she wasn't defeated, she was clearly injured.
"Flaming prison of total incineration!"
Just then, Cú Chulainn reappeared, unleashing his Noble Phantasm. A massive wooden titan rose beneath Artoria, destabilizing the ground and throwing her off balance. A huge wooden hand grabbed her and threw her into the titan's chest cavity—where flames erupted from within.
"Victory belongs to the power of protection. Just like that pure and innocent one... nameless girl, one last warning—this war is only beginning."
Emerging from the flames, Black Artoria—battered but smiling faintly—finally showed a different expression. A bitter smile, but still a smile. Her body then began to glow golden and slowly vanished, leaving behind a Holy Grail hovering in midair.
"It's over. If you ever need me again, remember to summon me in Lancer class."
Cú Chulainn's body also began to glow. With a final parting line, he faded from the world.
"Mash, quickly—store the Holy Grail!"
Olga Marie shouted urgently. Mash's shield had been specially modified to store Holy Grails, and also served as the hiding place for Fou whenever they Rayshifted.
Though Mash was Chaldea's Demi-Servant, Chaldea had never considered her a primary combat asset. Her main purpose was to use her shield as a summoning array for proper Masters to summon Servants. Now, she had become Chaldea's only combat Servant.
"That Noble Phantasm of Cú Chulainn's... I could replicate that."
Watching the flaming wooden giant, Daniel suddenly had a thought. He could construct a similar titan using his own abilities. With fire magic added, it would resemble a pseudo–Noble Phantasm.
Of course, it would only look like one—it wouldn't have the actual conceptual strength of a true Noble Phantasm.
Just as Mash stepped forward to retrieve the Grail, something unexpected happened. A hand reached out and snatched it first—a young man in a green robe and tall green hat.
"Professor Lev?"
Mash gasped. Of the few people she was close to at Chaldea, Lev was one. They often chatted, and he had always treated her kindly.
Strictly speaking, Mash's very existence was what triggered Human Order Incineration. Lev originally loved humanity—had she never been born, he would've committed suicide, and the plan would've ended there. But seeing the cruelty of the experiments done on Mash caused him to turn against humanity.
From birth, Mash had been the subject of countless inhumane experiments at Chaldea—all of which Lev witnessed.
Ironically, it was Chaldea that created the conditions for humanity's destruction—and yet it would also be Chaldea that saved it.
For now, these truths didn't need to be revealed to Mash. Those truths could wait until the crisis was resolved.
Lev's sudden appearance shocked not just Mash, but Romani and Da Vinci back at Chaldea—and even Olga Marie. The only one unfazed was Ritsuka, who had only just met him.
"It's Lev... Lev! I missed you so much!" Olga Marie cried and rushed forward.
In Chaldea, Lev had been her most trusted aide. After the previous Director, Marisbury Animusphere, died unexpectedly, she'd been forced to take over. Lev had supported her through the entire transition.
"Let me go! What are you doing?!"
Olga Marie shouted at Daniel as he held her back. There was no way Daniel would let her walk straight into danger.
"Director, calm down! Professor Lev isn't acting normal!"
Mash, despite her previous closeness to Lev, now stood protectively in front of Ritsuka. Her instincts screamed that this Lev was dangerous.
"What are you talking about, Mash?!"
"Calm down, Director—Mash is right. There's something wrong with him."
Lev should've died in the explosion at Chaldea. That he now appeared here was the biggest red flag of all.
"Tch, Romani. I didn't think you'd be such a hassle. Should've killed you from the start."
Lev's plan had been airtight—Romani was supposed to die in the explosion. But he'd underestimated the doctor's ability to slip away and avoid responsibility.
"What are you saying, Lev?"
Even Olga Marie sensed something was very wrong.
"Olga Marie. I planted a bomb under your feet. Yet you survived... no, this body is just your soul. You haven't realized it yet, have you? Why you—who lack a Master's aptitude—were able to Rayshift? Because you're already dead."
"No... no, that's impossible..."
Lev's words made Olga's face go pale. Deep down, she had suspected it—but chalked it up to an emergency transfer.
"The Director is dead?!"
Mash and Romani fell silent. Neither had thought of it until now, but Lev's words made too much sense. The only one who didn't fully grasp the implications was Ritsuka.
"Director, don't panic! It's not confirmed yet!" Romani tried to comfort her, though he already knew it was true.
"Lev, why? Why are you doing this?" Romani demanded, though he was still trying to help Olga.
"Why? Because humanity is a filthy, disgusting species that no longer deserves to exist. Look for yourself—this is Chaldeas. Aside from you lot, no one else remains. So why bother resisting?"
As Lev spoke, an image of the Earth projected into the sky—burning red with fire.
"But no matter. I'll correct this mistake now. All of you die here. Humanity's end has come."
With those words, Lev disappeared with the Holy Grail.
As he vanished, so did the projection of Earth. The ground began to shake violently. Fuyuki itself started to crumble—buildings collapsed, fissures tore open the earth.
"This is bad. Director! Mash! Fujimaru! Hang on! I'm initiating your return!"
Romani, witnessing the collapse, immediately activated the return protocol. Mash and Ritsuka's bodies began to glow—they were about to be Rayshifted back.
"This is basically quantum teleportation..." Daniel muttered, watching the light consume them. In the Honkai world, quantum teleportation was relatively mature, but still couldn't transmit humans. Chaldea's system seemed far superior.
"I'm sending them back now, but what about the Director and Daniel?!"
Mash, seeing the scene unfold, panicked. She and Ritsuka were being pulled back—but what about Daniel and Olga?
"I'm trying!" Romani was frantic, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find a solution.
"Da Vinci, any ideas?"
"Sorry, I've got nothing either."
If there were an easy way, they wouldn't need to select Masters in the first place.
"Romani, there's no need. I already know... there's no way. Take Mash and Ritsuka back. Leave Chaldea to you. Whatever happens, stop their plan..."
Perhaps because she had come to terms with it—or because her body had begun to fade—Olga Marie spoke calmly. Maybe the Grail's disappearance had accelerated her dissolution.
"I'm sorry..."
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