After meeting the group of drifters, I pedaled toward Washington while conserving as much prana as possible. Beyond them, I encountered no other refugees, people, or Servants... not even the hostile entities I had grown sick of seeing in previous Singularities.
The land was desolate, a wilderness reminiscent of the Land of Steel—one of the worst possible futures humanity might face centuries from now. The atmosphere was so depleted of moisture and prana that one might die of thirst simply by breathing.
It was fortunate that I am a practitioner of magecraft and possess the ultimate magical attribute of the five Great Elements through the Rinnegan. Had Ritsuka Rayshifted into this Singularity alone, it is highly likely she wouldn't have lasted long. After all, the girl possesses almost no prana of her own.
Driving the motorcycle throughout the day and forgetting sleep, I could feel the environment shifting in various ways. Although it is a well-known fact that America is vast and travel between states usually requires a plane, the motorcycle Altera and I were riding was an anomaly that transcended common sense—a Mystic Code capable of outrunning the assaults of Heroic Spirits and Dragon-kind. Furthermore, while prana was scarce, it didn't mean I was unable to use my Dojutsu.
As I continued racing forward with a vacant mind, I suddenly sensed a change through the vision of the Rinnegan.
Initially, the scenery looked no different from what I had seen before, but within the Rinnegan's sight, I observed atmospheric prana beginning to dissolve into the air. After driving for about ten more minutes at the Motored Cuirassier's top speed, I began to feel a significant recovery of prana by activating the Preta Path: Seal Absorption.
Feeling the sensation of being filled with prana, I immediately brought the motorcycle to a halt. Using the recharged energy to check our coordinates... I confirmed we were already near Washington.
"Master, is there a problem?"
"…I can sense prana. The entirety of America should be suffering from prana depletion, yet Washington is overflowing with it… is this normal?"
"No, it shouldn't be."
"Right, I thought so too."
Ten to one… this was Medb's doing. Whether she was performing some grand magecraft with the Holy Grail or simply creating her own private pleasure palace, the Grail's prana was overflowing, affecting the outskirts of Washington. Even with the Fuyuki Grail, one could observe an ominous aura near the cavern as it drained the ley lines and absorbed Servants; how much worse would it be with the Demon God King's Grail, which had drained the ley lines of all America?
"Prana powerful enough to be detected even outside Washington… this isn't good. I really wish they'd refrain from insane stunts like trying to regress the world to the Age of Gods."
"An enemy is approaching, Master."
"…Hah, so they did have a perimeter established."
At that moment, a yellow short-spear flew toward me. Altera stepped forward and caught the spear with ease. The attacker, who had gripped the spear tightly in an attempt to follow through and gouge out my heart, retreated in slight surprise upon seeing my face.
Following that, arrows shaped like stalks of pure prana traced elliptical orbits to pierce my flank, and a massive two-meter-long partisan lunged toward my throat.
"Shinra Tensei!"
Naturally, in a situation where my prana was being restored, there was no reason to conserve my techniques.
Had it been the Gae Dearg, the Rose of Exorcism that severs prana, it might have pierced my defense and landed a blow, but unfortunately... the only Noble Phantasm Diarmuid currently held was the Gae Buidhe.
"Hmm… formidable as expected!"
The man who withdrew the giant spear, the finger-sucking salmon-man... no, the Great Hero of Irish mythology, Fionn mac Cumhaill, spoke with a beaming smile.
"Indeed, this is the man you spoke of so tirelessly, Diarmuid."
"…And you must be Diarmuid's former superior, Fionn mac Cumhaill. Do you have any idea how much trauma that guy has because of you? He was so desperate that when he was summoned, his only wish was to serve a lord with absolute loyalty!"
While I threw out the provocation to unsettle his vision, more blue prana arrows targeted my neck. Naturally, Altera deflected them, but I could tell instinctively. This was a decent opening.
"…You command a familiar with excellent intuition. Such skill is worthy of the one called the Last Master of Human Order."
"Your skill is also worthy of the protagonist of the Mahabharata, the hero of Indian myth. Shooting down an off-guard enemy is the hallmark of an excellent battlefield commander."
As I continued to needle him, his expression turned into one of pure, seething irritation. As I aimed the Asura Path missiles—which I hadn't been able to use until now—at the lurking Diarmuid, Fionn closed the distance instantly, swinging his spear to strike down my aimed arm.
"Altera, stop Arjuna!"
"Acknowledged."
"Ho? Do you intend to face the two of us simultaneously? Your spirit is admirable!"
What kind of nonsense is he talking?
"Why on earth would I fight you two at the same time? Do I look insane?!"
Fionn's spear whipped out like lightning, and a beat later, Diarmuid's Gae Buidhe lunged toward my thigh. It was a calculated strategy, gauging the cooldown of Shinra Tensei and striking through the gap. It was undeniably effective.
"I hate to break it to you, but this body is the Asura Path… though I never showed you this particular trick before!"
"…Urgh!"
The lightning-fast spearhead brushed past my legs, which had morphed into a spring-like structure. Planting one foot on the ground, I threw a kick toward his wrist. Of course, it didn't land. Even if I aimed for an opening, the opponent was a hero of myth. Letting go of the spear with one hand, he caught my foot and then gripped the spear again with his other hand, attempting to strike my side.
Simultaneously, Fionn gripped his spear in reverse, aiming to crush my head like a hammer. At that exact moment, I shouted.
"Order Change!"
In that instant, our positions were swapped.
I stood before Arjuna, who had been aiming his bow at Altera, while Altera was now positioned between the two Servants swinging their spears at where I had been. Normally, it would be an incredibly foolish strategy to use a Servant as a sacrificial pawn, but… it didn't matter.
"What… she's regenerating?!"
"The Reanimation Jutsu was originally developed for suicide tactics… Hahaha!"
"Guh, use your Gae Buidhe to suppress the regeneration!"
"Not a chance! Altera! That yellow spear stops regeneration, so just tear off the wounded parts along with the spear!"
"Confirmed!"
In terms of pure parameters, Altera was far superior to the two of them. However, due to the 2-on-1 disadvantage and the likely presence of a Holy Grail buff, the clash between Altera and the two Lancers remained in a deadlock.
Conversely, my battle against Arjuna was… well, I was at a disadvantage. No matter how much I talked, I was fundamentally weaker than him; he possessed a Saint Graph on the level of a Great Hero.
His combat style was very similar to Tristan's, but his power was half a step higher. Considering his Prana Burst and Noble Phantasm, he likely exerted power equal to Gawain, whom Gareth praised so tirelessly.
Simply put, while Tristan specialized in single-target duels, the opponent before me was an area-of-effect dealer specialized in anti-army combat… setting aside Mephistopheles, he was my natural predator.
Being an Archer, he was adept at utilizing time-lagged attacks to find the gap in Shinra Tensei, and he was by no means weak in close quarters.
'If I blast him with full power… no, he'd just come back. What's the point in blowing an Archer far away anyway? That's stupid… Haa, damn it. The Mad King will be here soon if I don't pull back… should I just use it?'
"You are full of distractions. Such an attitude is a failure, both as a commander and a warrior."
Fshht!
An arrow grazed me, and red blood sprayed from my wrist. I felt a fleeting look of pity and apology from Diarmuid, but Fionn's gaze was more intense as he fought Altera, constantly looking for an opening to strike me. Had Altera looked away for even a moment, he would have intervened immediately to attack… the only saving grace was that Arjuna's weapon didn't carry a curse.
Repelling both Lancers simultaneously with a Prana Burst, Altera instantly regrouped with me and fired a beam at Arjuna. She couldn't use her full Noble Phantasm, but using the unique prana refill of the Reanimation Jutsu, she unleashed a heavily degraded version of Photon Ray.
Light resembling the three colors of a multi-pen radiated outward, and standing back-to-back with her, I used a powerful repulsive force to keep the two spear-wielders at bay.
"…Altera, I'm asking you as a warrior. Can you defeat those two?"
"In a 1-on-1, certain victory. In a 2-on-1, impossible."
"Fine, then let's run. There's no benefit to fighting here—"
In that instant.
CRACK!
A blackish-red thorned spear embedded itself in my leg. Along with a paroxysm of agonizing pain, I felt the thorned spear branching out through my muscles and blood vessels. I quickly used the Asura Path to block the vessels and severed my own leg.
"Master!"
"Don't come closer… that thing is dangerous, even with the Reanimation Jutsu… dammit, I should have just run."
The first thing to enter my field of vision was a 'warrior' with slightly tanned skin, covered in tattoos, smiling with pointed fangs.
Behind him stood a wicked woman in a chariot, radiating a seductive yet venomous smile… but that wasn't the important part.
My gaze was fixed neither on the Mad King Cu Chulainn, who had just appeared as the likely final boss of this Singularity, nor on Queen Medb, the root cause of this twisted era.
It was on the massive, lush, and ancient forest standing behind the two of them. And the bizarre, overwhelming prana on the level of the Age of Gods emanating from that sea of trees.
"You've arrived, Master of Chaldea."
"…Mad King."
"Indeed. And the strongest warrior of this Celtic Empire."
"What you want is… a 1-on-1? How old-fashioned… wasn't the being Medb created supposed to be an evil Demon King?"
"Medb created me desiring exactly that. But what Medb wants isn't just a simple Demon King."
He leveled his thorned spear at me as he spoke.
"You are the vanguard of the last of humanity, the strongest 'warrior' put forward by Human Order to oppose the Celtic Empire and the mastermind behind all of this… that King of Mages. A King must, above all, be the strongest warrior. But as long as you live, I cannot be called the strongest."
"…What a convenient logic. You realize I'm a Master, not a Servant?"
"It is the same for everyone. It is rare for a hero to die peacefully in bed. Medb, myself, and the others over there are no different. Is it not absurd to suggest that you, who have achieved such great deeds, are weak?"
A powerful wind rose as he swung his spear. Medb looked like she was about to swoon, seemingly thrilled by every word Cu Chulainn uttered.
"It's simple. You fight me and win to seize the Holy Grail. I fight you and win to complete the fact that I am the strongest—that I am the rightful Evil King of this Celtic Empire."
In that moment, the other Servants simultaneously moved toward Altera… Right, a 1-on-1 duel. No other parties allowed, then.
My prana was still recovering. Having fought several fierce battles and with the Celtic 'Forest' drawing near, accelerating my recovery was difficult. A hostage situation? That Mad King wouldn't care if I took Medb hostage. Medb likely wished for the most cruel and heartless Cu Chulainn, and a 'cruel and heartless' King would hardly value the life of his woman.
Ultimately… only one path remained. A duel with the Mad King…
"No helping it."
Against mindless, overwhelming strength, subtle tricks are useless.
It's not that I lacked a trump card, it's just that most of them wouldn't work on that 'Mad King'. I took my stance, surging my prana to transform my bleeding wrist—wounded by Arjuna's arrow—into a blade…
"Shall we?"
"Yes. Die."
========================
The website for reading paid chapters is available on my Patreon. The number of chapters on Patreon: 197
Link: patreon.com/UltraMagnus_T