Olga stood frozen, staring at Ritsuka's hand now firmly clasped by Mash's. Her brow furrowed deeply, and the light in her eyes slowly dulled.
Why is he speaking so gently to her? Why is he reaching out his hand to—
Olga's thoughts were abruptly cut off by Rikka's sudden movement. The girl broke into a wide smile, sprang up from the sofa, and lunged forward to hug both Mash and Ritsuka at once.
"Big Brother is right, Mash! We'll definitely help you. You're not alone!" Rikka cheered brightly. The three of their heads pressed together, with Rikka wedged happily between them.
"M-Master…!" Mash yelped, startled by Rikka's sudden hug.
Ritsuka only gave a small smile, allowing his sister's clingy behavior to continue for a few seconds before gently disentangling himself. "That's enough, Rikka," he said softly as he loosened her arms.
At that moment, Ritsuka's eyes accidentally met Olga's. He paused for a second. The Director's gaze felt… far too intense.
"What's wrong, Director?" Ritsuka asked in confusion.
The question snapped Olga back to her senses. She blinked in surprise, then quickly shook her head to chase away those strange thoughts.
"I-it's nothing!" she denied hastily. She cleared her throat and stood up, trying to restore her authority. "All right then, what's the next plan? We can't just stay here forever, can we?"
"About that…" Ritsuka cut in, his expression sharpening as he turned his head toward the back. "It seems we have guests."
Rikka raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Big Brother?"
Suddenly, a woman's cold voice sounded behind Ritsuka.
"Apologies, my lord. I couldn't locate the enemy Archer, but I've detected two Servants approaching from opposite directions."
Nobu's figure slowly emerged from her spirit form.
At the same instant, the Assassin leapt in front of Rikka, already prepared to pull the trigger of his gun toward Nobu.
"Stop, Assassin!" Rikka shouted, grabbing her Servant by the waist. "She's not an enemy! She's my brother's Servant!"
Olga panicked upon hearing Nobu's report. "Wait, two Servants at once? What do we do?! We're surrounded!"
"Nobu," Ritsuka called. "Describe the enemy's physical traits."
"A man and a woman," Nobu reported crisply. "The woman is wearing a hood and has pale purple hair. The man is wielding a naginata. They're getting closer!"
"So they've finally made their move," a confident smile appeared on Ritsuka's face. He knew exactly who was coming.
"Alright. We split up," Ritsuka ordered. "Rikka, take Mash and Assassin and hold off the male Servant. Nobu and I will handle the woman. Director Olga, please stay with Rikka."
"Huh?!" Rikka panicked instantly. "Me? Leading a fight?! Big Brother, I'm not ready! I've never faced a real enemy before!"
Without hesitation, Ritsuka flicked her forehead.
"Ow!"
"You've done this before, Rikka," Ritsuka said, staring straight into her eyes. "Even if it was only simulations back at Chaldea, you've received basic training. Trust yourself, and trust your Servant."
Olga frowned deeply, unconvinced. "But this is different! She's never been in real combat. A real battle and a simulation are completely different! Can't you command Mash and Assassin yourself?"
Ritsuka shook his head calmly. "Everyone has a first time, Director. Rikka needs to learn from this, because she'll face situations like this far more often in the future."
He glanced sharply toward the outside.
"Don't worry. These enemies are far weaker than their original versions."
Olga froze. "Original versions? What do you mea—"
Before she could finish, Ritsuka shouted his command.
"Rikka, we move now! I'll go ahead first. After that, you follow with your Servant and the Director!"
Bzzt!
The magic circuits across Ritsuka's body flared brightly, pumping mana into his muscles. Without hesitation, he dashed forward at high speed—then stopped, standing at the window.
"Wait, Big Brother! I can't do this!" Rikka shouted in panic, her eyes locked onto Ritsuka's back as he stood in the window frame.
Ritsuka paused, then slightly turned toward his sister. His gaze was firm, yet calming.
"Rikka, this isn't about whether you can or can't. You do it because you must. Face it. This is your destiny." His voice softened at the end. "Don't worry. I'll always be by your side to help you."
Without waiting for a reply, Ritsuka leapt out of the window, followed by Nobu's red shadow.
"BIG BROTHER!!"
Rikka's scream echoed through the room, but Ritsuka had already landed and was sprinting at full speed. Beside him, Nobu floated casually, standing atop one of her Tanegashima rifles drifting through the air.
"Are you sure, my lord? Leaving your sister behind like that?" Nobu asked as they cut through the wind.
"Relax, Nobu," Ritsuka replied without slowing down. "The enemy Rikka is facing isn't strong. With Mash's absolute defense and Assassin's attacks, their battle will end faster than you think. Possibly even faster than ours."
"Hoo… you seem to know our enemies quite well this time," Nobu commented with interest. "Did you gain that knowledge from that 'gathering'?"
Ritsuka smiled faintly, hiding the truth. "You could say that," he lied smoothly. "Now, can you guide me to the enemy's location?"
Without further questions, Nobu increased her speed, guiding Ritsuka through the ruined city.
"Listen, Nobu. When we face her, don't take any action without my command," Ritsuka instructed firmly. "There's something I want to test."
Nobu glanced back slightly. "Are you planning to test the 'Wheel'?"
Ritsuka gave a short nod.
Nobu grinned widely. "Very well, if that is your order."
They continued until they reached a wide open area. Both stopped at the same time.
"My lord, the woman is nearby," Nobu warned.
Hearing that, Ritsuka stretched his neck and shoulders, doing a brief warm-up. Soon, the sound of heavy footsteps approached. From the shadows emerged a woman with pale purple hair and a tattered cloak.
"I didn't expect… there to still be humans alive," the woman muttered coldly. Her snake-like eyes glanced up at Nobu in the air, then returned to Ritsuka. "And judging by this… you're a Master, aren't you?"
Ritsuka stared at her silently for a moment, then a crooked grin slowly formed on his face.
"Wow, you're really pretty… AUNTIE."
He deliberately put heavy emphasis and an infuriating pause on the last word.
The woman's eyebrow twitched sharply. Her killing intent surged instantly. "…Auntie?"
Ritsuka didn't stop.
"And wow, you're really tall, like a telephone pole. Are you some kind of giant, Auntie? By the way, how old are you now? Why does your face look so old?"
Each sentence was delivered with painfully sharp mockery.
Nobu, who had been silently listening, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Bwahahaha!" Nobu laughed loudly, pointing at their now-fuming enemy. "My lord, your mouth is truly vicious! You're way too cruel!"
The figure in front of Ritsuka vanished in an instant. Without warning, a crescent-shaped flash streaked toward his neck.
"Die."
Ritsuka reacted instantly. His magic circuits flared, flooding power into his legs. He leapt backward a fraction of a second before the blade could sever his head.
Whoosh!
The attack sliced through empty air.
Ritsuka landed lightly and grinned again. "Wow, so aggressive! Why attack me like that, Auntie? Are you mad because I called you old? Or—"
The enemy gave him no time to finish. She lunged again, her sickle dancing wildly in a flurry of lethal strikes. Left, right, above—each swing aimed to kill.
Yet Ritsuka was unfazed. He moved lightly, dancing between the deadly arcs, evading them all with minimal motion.
"Ah, I remember now! You're Medusa, aren't you?" Ritsuka shouted as if he'd just realized.
The woman froze instantly. "Y-you… know my name? How—"
Ritsuka cut her off with a cold grin.
"You're the monster who devoured your own older sisters, right? You're the monster Gorgon."
Medusa's body trembled violently. Her eyes widened, pupils shrinking as buried trauma surged back. "Stop…" she hissed.
"Am I wrong?" Ritsuka tilted his head. "If I remember correctly, the sisters you chewed up were named Stheno and Euryale, right?"
"SHUT UP!" Medusa screamed, her voice cracking with panic.
Ritsuka didn't care. He kept pressing. "Wow, your sisters must've been really stupid. They raised a sweet little sister, never realizing they were nurturing a monster that would one day eat their flesh piece by piece—"
"DON'T SAY ANYMORE!!!"
Medusa snapped. Her sanity shattered. She lunged forward at a speed far beyond before, becoming a shadow of death.
Looks like I'll have to apologize to Medusa and Anna later, Ritsuka muttered inwardly.
He tried to leap back instantly, but Medusa's rage was unstoppable this time.
CRASH!
Fresh blood sprayed into the air.
"Geh…!"
Ritsuka staggered as he landed. He clutched his left shoulder—but there was nothing there. His arm had been severed, flung onto the ground along with a spray of blood.
Before Ritsuka could even process the pain, Medusa's eyes beneath her bangs shone with blinding light.
Mystic Eyes of Petrification.
CRACK!
The horrifying sound of bones hardening rang out. In an instant, Ritsuka's body, still in a defensive posture, turned gray. He became a complete stone statue.
Medusa stood before the statue, breathing heavily. Slowly, a crazed smile spread across her lips.
"Hahahaha… Serves you right, bastard! HAHAHAHA!"
Nobu remained silent, staring at her master's body, now a cold stone statue.
"So… this was your true goal, my lord?" Nobu murmured softly, more to herself.
Below, Medusa scoffed. "Tch. You talked so big earlier, but this is all you amounted to, Magus?"
She stepped closer, intending to shatter the statue into dust. But her steps suddenly stopped when her gaze locked onto Ritsuka's petrified face.
There was something about it. Something that felt… painful.
Without warning, warm tears spilled from Medusa's eyes, rolling down her pale cheeks.
"Eh…?" Medusa touched her own cheek in confusion. "Why… this? I should be furious at him. I should hate him. So why…"
Her voice trembled violently. Her chest tightened with a longing she couldn't understand. "…Why am I crying for him instead?"
Nobu frowned in confusion at the strange reaction. "Why is that woman crying?"
But Nobu's attention quickly shifted. Above the stone statue of Ritsuka, a golden ring of light slowly manifested.
It was the majestic Dharma Wheel.
Nobu grinned widely. "Ah, it seems it's begun."
And the wheel began to turn.
CLUNK.