"I'm not talking about that," Ritsuka scratched her cheek a bit awkwardly, "I just want to invite you and your Master to repair this Singularity together with us."
"Sure," Iori agreed immediately, but before Ritsuka could smile, he added right away, "but I won't be traveling with you."
"Huh? Why?"
Mash also ran over and asked curiously, "Mr. Berserker, do you have any concerns?"
"Yes. I don't mind lending you a hand when necessary, but for me, what matters more is helping my Master achieve victory."
"Besides, you are heroes who save human order. For 'heroes,' if a journey has no difficulty, it can't really be called an adventure. A story where everything goes smoothly only makes people feel bored."
"Uh…" Ritsuka struggled to think for a while, "so you mean… you don't want us to complete the mission too easily, you want to give us some challenge, so you won't travel with us?"
"You could say that."
"That's way too mean!"
Ritsuka complained, "I'm just a delicate girl in the prime of my youth. Even when I play games I always pick easy mode. Can you not think so highly of me?"
"Then I'm really sorry… As compensation, there's actually a more suitable Servant waiting for you besides me."
Iori pointed at Jeanne. "Ruler should be able to sense the location of Red Saber. Her true name is 'Mordred.'"
"You should know her as well… As long as you explain the situation, she and her Master will probably choose to join forces with you."
"Mo-san?" Ritsuka immediately perked up. "No problem, worst case I'll just treat her to a big meal!"
"You're pretty skilled at strategy," Iori couldn't help laughing, because Mordred, or rather the entire ahoge-type group, could all have their favorability raised with this method.
"With Mash, Jeanne, and Mordred joining forces, you can boldly explore this Singularity. As for me… I still have things to do."
"Thank you… This feels really strange. Even though it's our first time meeting, it feels like I've known you for a long time. There's this inexplicable sense of familiarity."
Ritsuka looked at Iori with clear, cloudless eyes and smiled openly. "You must be hiding some kind of secret."
"Maybe it even has something to do with me… but it doesn't matter. I trust my instincts. The moment I saw you, I knew you're someone I can rely on."
Iori didn't respond. After a faint smile, he used Shunpo to leave, leaving behind a lingering voice.
"Do your best, Fujimaru Ritsuka…"
———
"So she's the person you were waiting for?"
Sera watched the entire interaction between Iori and Ritsuka through her familiar. Her weak body couldn't support such prolonged mental strain, but she still held on until Iori returned and asked this question.
The moment she spoke, she startled herself, because the tone sounded a bit strange, almost like she was sulking.
Sera quickly adjusted herself and followed up in a calmer voice, "What does 'Chaldea's Master' mean?"
She knew that during this period, aside from "grinding mobs," Iori hadn't taken any initiative toward either the Red or Black factions. The main reason was that he was waiting for a certain moment.
Sera had always thought he was waiting for the Greater Grail to officially activate, but she didn't expect it to be a specific person…
Of course, who Iori was waiting for had nothing to do with Sera, but as a Master, wasn't it only natural for her to try to understand her Servant's inner thoughts?
So after Iori finished explaining Chaldea and the broader background of the "Incineration of Human Order," Sera completely ignored all that important information, like Demon God King Goetia, just roll aside for now.
"Alright, I get it." Sera nodded, then asked, "Then what's your relationship with that girl? This wasn't your first meeting, was it?"
"…"
Facing Iori's teasing gaze, Sera instantly realized she had been too hasty.
"Ahem… I just find it strange. You were clearly summoned as a Servant by the Holy Grail, so why do you know so much about Chaldea? If it's you from a parallel world… then, then what did you and Fujimaru Ritsuka go through?"
Iori tried to control the corners of his mouth, but they still lifted upward, making Sera even more embarrassed and annoyed.
"Pfft!"
"You!"
Sera narrowed her eyes, looking like she'd just go all out, determined to get a clear answer today.
"I'm your Master… don't forget those three Command Spells!"
"Using Command Spells for something like this? As expected of one of the 'Three Great Families,' you really do maintain a consistent style in this regard."
After a light laugh, Iori's gaze softened. "You've changed, Sera."
"…Huh?" The silver-haired girl froze.
"This is the first time I've seen you act this irrationally. The Sera von Einzbern I knew before would never waste something as important as Command Spells on understanding a Servant's feelings, something this insignificant."
"But don't worry, this isn't a bad thing. Also… the way you look when you're angry is quite beautiful."
"I'm… angry?"
Sera's eyes widened slightly. For a moment, her vision blurred. Then she clutched her chest, as if she was having trouble breathing.
Pain… not exactly. This was something she had never experienced before. There was happiness mixed with a faint sadness, like black coffee without sugar.
"Why?"
"There aren't that many 'whys.' Liking is liking, disliking is disliking. Anger, joy, sadness, sorrow… humans can't control themselves. Absolute rationality doesn't exist."
"It's precisely because people are swayed by unpredictable emotions that they make choices that aren't entirely logical, creating endless possibilities for the future."
Iori thought for a moment. "In simple terms, this is what people call a 'heart.'"
"A heart?"
Sera fell silent. She pressed her hand against her chest, closed her eyes, and quietly felt her irregular, noisy heartbeat.
After a long while, she finally smiled with relief.
"…For a homunculus, this might be a bit too extravagant."
"No, quite the opposite. This isn't something expensive.
You think it's extravagant because you believe you've never had it, but in reality, maybe you just haven't noticed it yet."
Iori seemed to be in a good mood. "We should celebrate."
Sera showed a helpless expression, like she didn't know what to do with him, then changed the topic. "But you still haven't clearly explained your relationship with that Chaldea Master."
"…Just friends."
Iori organized his thoughts and said carefully, "I did meet her in another timeline. Since she has already arrived at this 'Singularity,' our pressure will be much lower. She'll deal with the two troublesome ones, Amakusa and Medea, for us."
"Even if it's not that simple, she'll at least stir up this stagnant situation and break the current deadlock… and we don't need to do anything, just quietly wait for the final battle."
"Oh? You trust her that much?" Sera still felt a bit uncomfortable. "She only brought along a strange shield-bearer. Does she really have that kind of ability?"
"Want to make a bet?"
Iori smiled calmly. "Whoever loses will unconditionally obey one command from the other. How about it?"
"Hmm… alright."
Sera nodded. She thought that since she had three Command Spells, even if she lost, she still had a way to counter it. Even if Iori tried to make things difficult for her, it wouldn't be a problem.
And… depending on the situation, she might even be willing to carry out that command.
"Then it's settled!" Iori's smile was full of confidence, making Sera feel uneasy.
Over the next two days, Sera constantly observed various parts of Trifas through her familiars, and the movements of Fujimaru Ritsuka's group were a key focus.
It was during this process that Sera gradually realized how naive she had been, Iori was right. Fujimaru Ritsuka really could break the current stalemate, she was just too fast.
After parting with Iori, Ritsuka found Red Saber the very next day under Jeanne's guidance. The two sides somehow got into a small conflict, but after a brief fight, they miraculously made up.
Their group continued to subjugate magical beasts in the wilderness and the city. Along the way, they successively encountered Achilles, Chiron, Artoria, Karna… the density of these encounters made it feel like these great heroes had lined up in advance.
And almost every Servant would fight the people from Chaldea once, testing each other before stopping.
Their relationships quickly became harmonious. If not for being bound by Command Spells, they might have switched over and formed contracts with Ritsuka.
The unusual movements of the Servants alerted Medea and Amakusa. They also secretly made contact with Chaldea.
After that, for some reason, whether they figured something out or were provoked, they began accelerating their plans, immediately moving toward the final battle.
From Chaldea's appearance to the eve of the great battle, it only took three or four days, and that even included time spent dealing with magical beasts…
Gudako, she was just too fast.
———
"Finally completed. This is my long-awaited court, [Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Garden of Vanity]!"
Behind Red Assassin Semiramis stood a magnificent and grand palace complex. Around it, in eight directions, were giant statues of divine fish, imposing and full of power. Under the glow of the setting sun, the empress revealed a bewitching smile.
"How is it, Master?"
"Amazing!" Amakusa praised, then asked, "Has it reached its highest level?"
"Of course." The Assyrian empress said proudly.
"Although my garden can theoretically be improved without limit, this is the present era, not the Age of Gods."
"There isn't endless ether to draw upon… Even so, it can still be classified as an Anti-World Noble Phantasm. With this, the Black faction's Servants will surely be terrified!"
She had every right to say that. The [Hanging Gardens of Babylon] is a special Noble Phantasm that pushes the concept of "territory" to the extreme. It can be said to be a combination of a mobile nation and an armed fortress.
Its immense firepower and scale go without saying. Even in terms of the age of its "mystery," it carries thousands of years of weight, making it a truly impregnable existence.
In terms of magecraft skill, Semiramis actually couldn't compare to Circe or Medea. The two Greek witches are priests and disciples of [Hecate of the Black Moon], and Hecate is the goddess of magic and mystery, someone even Zeus must show respect to.
However, after completing the "garden," she gains a boost in parameters comparable to Vlad III. As long as she remains within the garden, she can completely dominate the concept of "poison," reaching omnipotence within that specific domain.
Beyond that, she can even use her Noble Phantasm to perform magecraft from the domain of true magic.
Leaving aside her personal enhancements, the [Hanging Gardens] itself is an extremely powerful war fortress, with both offensive and defensive capabilities reaching unimaginable levels.
As another "territory," Vlad III's [Kazikli Bey] cannot compare. That is essentially an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm that summons impalement, only able to be fixed onto his land to form a "territory."
Asterios' [Labyrinth of Eternity] also falls short.
Under normal circumstances, if an EX-rank Anti-World Noble Phantasm like the Garden were summoned in a Holy Grail War, the game could basically be declared over immediately.
This is also why Amakusa insisted on completing the Hanging Gardens. Not only would it help him win the war, but it would also allow him to carry the Greater Grail around the world and fulfill his wish of "saving all humanity."
Unfortunately, Amakusa's connection with the Grail was rather shallow… this time, things wouldn't be that simple.
Although Medea and Circe didn't have territory-type Noble Phantasms on their status sheets, unlike Semiramis, they were true Casters. Even without relying on Noble Phantasms, they could construct their own temples.
For priests of the Age of Gods, this was practically basic skill.
With the Greater Grail as a super magic energy core, along with ideal vessels like the labyrinth and the Yggdmillennia castle, the magecraft workshops they built had already been elevated into "Grand Temples," a category that was extremely rare even in the Age of Gods, and fully capable of standing against Semiramis' Anti-World Noble Phantasm.
Of course, at this point, without the Garden, Amakusa's chances of victory would only be lower… his personality was steadfast, so he wouldn't be shaken by setbacks.
He wouldn't give up. He would go all in.
———
"Hey, hey, what is that?!"
Looking at the distant scene projected by Medea, even heroes of legend were left speechless.
It was a city that defied the laws of physics, floating in the sky, so exaggerated that it made one question reality itself, like a sky castle that only appears in fantasy works.
"It actually flew over here…"
"This is the Noble Phantasm of the Red faction's Master's direct Servant, Assassin Semiramis."
While everyone was shocked, Circe explained as if she had already expected it, "It's called the [Hanging Gardens of Babylon]."
"Although it's called a 'garden,' it actually possesses all the elements required to wage war. It can completely be considered a mobile armed fortress."
"That's right," Vlad III was deeply familiar with this thing. "We must protect the Greater Grail. If it's taken, retrieving it again will be extremely difficult."
"How could it possibly be taken?"
Circe gave Vlad III a speechless look. She didn't know why the Black Lancer would say that, but she spoke with confidence, "Since I know about Semiramis' Noble Phantasm, I've already prepared countermeasures!"
"A spiritual boundary built upon ley lines, the [Kazikli Bey] that turns terror into reality, and a great labyrinth guarded by the strongest sentinels, even a legendary sky garden cannot break through the triple defenses I've carefully set up!"
Medea said proudly, "With sufficient resources, I am capable of anything!"
That was indeed true. Many Servants, including Circe, showed agreement. During this period, they had fully realized just how outrageous Medea's proficiency in magecraft was.
If it could be quantified, then modern magi would be at the level of Satan, average Casters at Master Roshi, and Medea would be heading straight toward Piccolo Jr., they weren't even on the same scale.
At this moment, familiars roaming the vast wilderness sent a warning. Although the Hanging Gardens were still some distance away, the enemy had already come knocking impatiently.
"Everyone, prepare to welcome our guests."
Medea said leisurely, "Although I would suggest you remain in the castle and take advantage of home ground… ah, have you already left?"
In the blink of an eye, aside from the homunculi and magi serving as attendants, there were no heroes left in the hall.
Just as Medea had expected, when enemies came to provoke them, warriors couldn't accept hiding inside and relying on magi for protection. They would definitely take the initiative to fight.
Chiron and Artoria both had destined duels with their respective rivals (or close companions), so they were the fastest to move, leaving the castle immediately.
Meanwhile, Vlad III ascended to the highest point, gazing at the distant Hanging Gardens, his heart surging with anticipation for a proper siege battle.
In terms of Noble Phantasm rank, he was at a disadvantage, but in life he had always faced enemies far stronger than himself.
In resisting invaders, the Prince of Wallachia would once again display the strength of the "Shield of Christ".