Within the somewhat desolate temple belonging to Ishtar, perched atop the sacred mountain.
A girl with orange hair tied in a side ponytail stood bewildered in the temple, which had been bustling with people not long ago, now lost in confusion.
Weren't there a lot of people here just a moment ago?
Kiana wasn't here.
Bronya wasn't here either.
Even the true mistress of this place, Ishtar, and her sister, Ereshkigal, were gone.
It was as if some mysterious power had been activated in an instant.
Besides herself, all the girls who shared a close relationship with a certain someone seemed to have vanished from this world.
"Master, do you know what's going on?"
Miss Guda's ever-present companion, holding the Beast of Comparison who would one day be completely won over by Mash's chest, surveyed the empty temple and asked his Master.
"I'm not sure."
The girl, who hadn't been sent away by Li Zihan's system—which, despite having an artificial idiot for an AI, had top-quality hardware—due to her special status, shook her head.
This bizarre event, as if the world had been hollowed out, made the faces of Miss Guda and Miss Mash turn grim.
Should I go ask Li-kun? Miss Guda thought.
"Wherever the 'wind' blows, just call out 'darling,' and I will come to your side."
That was the promise the playboy had made to her when he confessed.
Then, Miss Guda couldn't help but remember something else.
She hadn't actually given him an answer yet.
And... that form of address was so embarrassing!
The mere thought of having to call that bastard "darling" in front of Mash made Miss Guda want to cover her face.
She had questioned whether he was just trying to mess with her.
And Li Zihan had given his reply.
"Aiya, I'm willing to cross mountains, seas, and even different worldlines to find you, and you won't even call me 'darling,' Ritsuka?"
"That's just too cruel," the scoundrel had said, full of self-righteousness.
"If you don't shout 'darling' loud enough, I won't respond, you know."
Thinking of that handsome face of his, which for some reason just made people want to take off their shoes and throw them at it, Miss Guda felt a surge of indignation.
But when she recalled his other words, all that indignation dissipated.
"So, will you try relying on me for a change?"
"From now on, I'll be in charge of saving the Human Order, and you'll be in charge of acting spoiled."
Honestly. That guy... he just knows how to bully me. Bastard.
"Well then, Master, what should we do next? Please give your orders."
Miss Mash, clearly unaware of the complexity of her Master's feelings, held the Merlin-beast and requested instructions from the Master with whom she had fought through so many Singularities.
Miss Guda, completely in the dark and unable to issue any suitable orders, looked at her Servant awaiting her command, her heart a tangled mess.
So in the end, I really have no choice but to ask that guy?
At the thought of the word she would have to shout, Miss Guda's face flushed red.
Whatever, I don't care anymore. I'll just pretend I have a pet husky named 'Darling'. Yes, that's it. Just a husky.
"Darling (Husky), please come to my side!"
To Miss Mash's slightly baffled expression, Miss Guda pulled her out of the temple and into the open, where strong gusts of wind occasionally blew.
Then, forcing down her shame, she shouted into the wind, much to the thunderstruck shock of Miss Mash, with whom she shared such an intimate bond.
What emotions Miss Guda was suppressing that day to shout those words, we may never know.
But what is certain is that Mash's expression was as if she had been abandoned by Galahad and then possessed by Otto.
"M-Master, what are you saying?!"
Before the call had even fully faded, Miss Mash grabbed her Master in a panic.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that her flustered, terrified expression was like that of someone witnessing the end of the Human Order.
"D-Did you really agree to go out with that guy?"
"H-How is that possible?!"
The girl, who hadn't resisted at all when he had held her and kissed her, shouted with a red face, as if trying to cover something up.
In contrast to the deepening crimson on Miss Guda's face, Miss Mash's complexion was filled with the aura of nature.
Her eyes looked as if they had died.
"That guy said he wouldn't respond if I didn't call him darling," Miss Guda explained hastily, a cold sweat breaking out on her fair forehead as she sensed her Servant was on the verge of turning dark.
"Is that all it is?" the girl holding the Fourth Beast pressed on.
"...I... think so."
Although she didn't want to admit it, Miss Guda, who desperately wanted to try setting down the burden of saving humanity and just act spoiled like a slightly dramatic girl, let her eyes drift away.
It's over.
Miss Mash's heart went cold.
My Master has been stolen away. What do I do? Waiting online, it's urgent!
"Alright, don't worry about it," Miss Guda said, clearly feeling a little guilty. She grabbed her best friend's hand and looked around.
"The important thing is to get information from Li-kun."
And then—
Nothing happened.
Miss Guda, who had trusted him, froze.
According to him, he should have arrived the moment he heard her call.
Was he lying to me?
That seemed highly unlikely. If that bastard had really wanted to deceive her, she would have been sold off long ago.
So, why hadn't he come yet?
Then, the sky gave her the answer.
It had turned dark.
It wasn't the darkness of night, caused by the star of the solar system illuminating the other side of the world.
Rather, a colossal shadow had blotted out the sky, completely obscuring the sun.
It was a dragon.
A dragon over sixty meters tall. The mere flapping of its wings stirred up a powerful gale that nearly blew Fujimaru Ritsuka off her feet.
Accompanying it was a terrifying magical energy that was simply beyond the comprehension of Ritsuka and Mash.
No, what coiled around that giant dragon was something far more than simple mana.
It was True Aether!
True Aether, which even gods found difficult to use on a large scale!
"W-What is that?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka, completely unable to imagine what kind of existence that dragon could be, was at a loss for words.
Then, a cheerful voice that was all too familiar to her provided the answer.
"That's your mother-in-law in her wedding dress, Ritsuka."