"Judging by your appearance, you don't seem to be here for trouble."
Seeing that the Ender Dragon had absolutely no intention of attacking, Fu Zhu relaxed his guard. He and the Ender Dragon had killed each other an unknown number of times; it was rare for the dragon to not want to fight him and instead talk about mysterious things.
"Back to business. The Battle of the Gods... is it just a brawl between Aeons?"
The Ender Dragon's massive draconic head dipped slightly. Even though they were in outer space, their voices still rang clearly in each other's minds.
"Amphoreus, the Land of Mortal Combat for the Triple Paths, is where you and I will fight to the death."
Amphoreus...
Hearing this vaguely familiar name, Fu Zhu couldn't help but frown. If he remembered correctly, this was the next stop Black Swan had recommended to the Astral Express for refueling.
Barring any accidents, everyone would likely agree to go there, but now the Ender Dragon was saying it would be a land of mortal combat.
Fu Zhu felt a moment of hesitation. If he were going alone, there would be no need to worry, but Himeko and the others were going too. He was concerned about what might happen to them.
"Steve, you hesitated."
"Don't misunderstand, I have no intention of fearing you. I've killed you countless times, and you've killed me countless times. No matter what form you take, I will draw my sword against you without hesitation."
"Good. Then I will be waiting for you there, as always."
The Ender Dragon flapped its massive wings, the immense impulse propelling it toward the depths of the universe away from Penacony. By the time it stabilized its form, it had already merged with the pitch-black cosmos, its whereabouts unknown.
Fu Zhu glanced at his minimap to confirm the Ender Dragon had truly left, then switched into [Observer Mode] and returned to the Dreamscape's Grand Theater.
He arrived just in time to witness the scene of Xing using a Command Spell to order Saber to release her Noble Phantasm and destroy the Holy Grail.
Fu Zhu didn't step forward to interrupt. He simply watched as the group defeated the Holy Grail along with Berserker. With this, the Holy Grail War was officially declared over. The total elapsed time: less than three System Hours.
Saber sheathed the holy sword in her hand, glanced at the Grand Theater's ceiling—which now sported a massive hole punched through it—and raised her hand to wipe the beads of sweat from her forehead. She let out a long sigh of relief, then turned to look at Xing.
"Master, let me confirm with you one more time. Do you really have the money to compensate for the damages of the Holy Grail War?"
"Relax!"
Xing walked up to Saber with a spring in her step, patting her chest as she guaranteed, "I'm a shareholder here. This place is basically my home. Why are you worrying about that?"
"That's good."
Saber breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled and replied, "With the Holy Grail destroyed, us Heroic Spirits must return to where we came from. So, I was worried that if you didn't have the money, I wouldn't have time to stay and work to pay off the debt."
"Huh? You guys are leaving right away?"
Upon hearing that Saber was about to leave, Xing instantly felt a pang of reluctance. Although they had only been together for a short three System Hours, she already considered Saber a good friend.
Now that her good friend was leaving, and she didn't know when—or if—they would ever meet again, it was inevitably hard for her to bear.
Seeing the sadness on Xing's face, Saber comforted her gently, "Since the Holy Grail has appeared in this world once, there is a possibility it might appear a second time. We might not necessarily never meet again. Next time we meet, Master, you'll just have to treat me to a meal, okay? As a friend."
"Okay! It's a promise!"
"It's a promise."
Fu Zhu waited on the side until Xing and Saber had finished their goodbyes before deactivating [Observer Mode].
The moment he appeared, Rider immediately walked over.
"Master."
Rider looked at Fu Zhu with a face full of hesitation and a hint of worry.
Fu Zhu guessed roughly what she was thinking and spoke up to reassure her, "Relax, you won't disappear."
"No, that's not what I'm worried about." Rider shook her head, then said, "If I continue to exist in this world, I'm afraid I will constantly drain your power, Master. Is this... really okay?"
Rider was very concerned that she would become a "parasite," solely absorbing Fu Zhu's power. She knew this world was likely even more dangerous than her original one, and she was terrified that Fu Zhu would lack a portion of his strength because of her existence.
If Fu Zhu failed to protect the people he cared about because of this single point, then she would be a sinner.
Fu Zhu looked at Rider with some surprise. He hadn't expected her to be worried about this.
The corners of his mouth hooked up unconsciously. As expected of the Himeko from another world. Although Rider appeared heroic—more like a valkyrie and quite different from the bookish, elegant Himeko on the train—their gentleness was surprisingly identical.
"No need to worry. Even if there were a hundred of you, I could support you all. Just stay in this world with peace of mind. Don't you still have people you want to find? When you find them, just treat our Express crew to a big meal."
Seeing Fu Zhu's relaxed expression, the heavy stone in Rider's heart finally fell to the ground, and a relaxed smile appeared on her face as well.
"Alright. I still have some savings back on Earth... Of course, that's assuming my friends haven't split up my inheritance already."
After saying goodbye to Saber, Xing turned her head just in time to see Fu Zhu talking with Rider. The sadness from the parting on her small face immediately vanished, replaced by a smile.
"Old Bro! You're back! Everything okay outside?"
Fu Zhu patted her head. "It's fine, just exchanged a few words and it was over. Let's go. The Holy Grail War is finished. It's the perfect time to take Rider back to meet Himeko and Welt. I guarantee they'll be shocked!"
Xing's eyes lit up instantly. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl into a mischievous grin. She and Fu Zhu exchanged a sly, conspiratorial laugh, then simultaneously turned to look at Rider. They walked over and each grabbed one of her arms.
Rider, completely bewildered, was dragged by the siblings toward the exit of the Grand Theater.
"Wait, Fu Zhu, Xing, what are you two doing?"
"Taking you to change your clothes, of course! Otherwise, if you go in this suit of armor, people will get suspicious right away!"
---o---
Fu Zhu and the other two returned to the Astral Express through a spatial tunnel. As soon as they arrived, Xing shouted at the top of her lungs.
"We're back!"
Pom-Pom walked out of another carriage holding a broom. Seeing the three of them, the conductor happily waved a paw in greeting.
"Passenger Fu Zhu, Passenger Xing, welcome back-pom. Huh? Passenger Himeko, did you come back with them too-pom?"
Rider looked at the furry creature in front of her that could actually speak human language, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. But a second later, she was nudged in the waist by someone's elbow. She immediately composed her expression, forced a slight smile, and nodded.
"Yes."
Pom-Pom nodded, not noticing "Himeko's" unnatural expression at all. The conductor simply glanced at Rider a few times, then walked over with small steps and looked her up and down carefully.
"Huh? Passenger Himeko, why do I feel like... you have a bit more of a murderous aura between your brows than before-pom?"