After the White Mage disappeared, a long silence hung over them. This time, even Deadpool didn't reach for the remote to press "Pause." Yet, the silence stretched on.
"He's pretending to whistle some tune..." Deadpool said.
He slowly moved towards Cú Chulainn, reading aloud the stage direction about him imitating whistling without making a sound.
"Catch!" he shouted.
From somewhere, a long steel beam appeared in his hands. Putting all his strength into the blow, Deadpool brought the H-beam down on Cú Chulainn's head. A clear "Ting!" rang out, or rather, "Bam!", and the beam simply bent, wrapping around the opponent's skull. Cú Chulainn stared at the attacker with a completely impassive face.
"Uh oh," Deadpool muttered. His premonition hadn't deceived him.
"Senpai, while they're busy, we should retrieve Miss Nightingale and Artoria..." Mash whispered.
"Huh? Yes, right!" Ritsuka snapped back to reality.
While Deadpool meekly took the blows from the enraged Cú Chulainn's crimson spikes, Mash and Ritsuka hurried to rescue the unconscious Nightingale and Saber Alter.
"Why... *cough*... why only... a-a-a! Why are you only hitting... *grr*! Me? Hey! I was actually trying to... *gurgle*!"
The scarlet spikes on Cú Chulainn's arms had a nasty property: for whoever they pierced, new needles would begin to grow from the inside, literally tearing the flesh to shreds. Every time Cú Chulainn struck, Deadpool's insides turned into a bloody mess of thorns bursting outward.
"Those two are much weaker than me, why do you always latch onto me?!"
"Because I want to," Cú Chulainn cut him off.
At some point, he stopped attacking. Deadpool's body was impaled with spikes, and his limbs had become such a mess that no description could convey the horror.
"Wade! Get up! We have to fight!" Ritsuka shouted from afar, having already dragged away the injured.
Deadpool suddenly felt hurt – a feeling that everyone had abandoned him, like the last outcast. As if by magic, he jumped to his feet, shook off all the spikes, and thanks to his healing factor, his body instantly returned to normal.
"Do you even know what a sensitive issue school bullying is around the world?! Because of brutes like you, a lot of shy kids are afraid to even take a breath! On behalf of all victims of bullying, I officially declare: I will carve a tunnel through your ass into a bright future!"
Seeing that Deadpool not only didn't die after such a beating but recovered in seconds, Cú Chulainn grimaced with obvious disgust.
"What kind of immortality is this... The incubus said you were an 'irregular'... Are you some kind of anomalous monster?"
Deadpool looked at him with sincere indignation.
"To hear from a monster that a normal Canadian guy is a monster is even funny. Though everything in the world is relative. For a canary, you know, even a cat is a monster."
Cú Chulainn was tired of this nonsense. As if making a final decision, he stood still opposite Deadpool and drew the Holy Grail from his body.
"And why do we need the Grail? I'm feeling uneasy..." Deadpool muttered.
His unease was justified. Clenching the Grail, Cú Chulainn began to chant the words of the spell:
"By the power of this Grail, I dispel all that has been summoned. Return to the vessel. The vessel will be filled, and the mad king's blood will spill. I will drink it and become evil."
Cú Chulainn slashed his throat, letting his blood flow into the chalice, and drank it. In that instant, distorted, unnatural chunks of flesh began to pile up around the Grail, consuming Cú Chulainn. The pale mass grew until it became a colossal pillar. Bloodshot eyes opened all over its surface, resembling the tip of a cursed spear.
"I... am the seventy-second pillar, the thirty-eighth in the hierarchy – Halfas. Come, you who are destined for destruction. The time for assimilation has come."
Mashr appeared before them. To destroy the singularity of North America, Cú Chulainn had summoned him using the Grail, a colossal amount of mana, and his own blood.
"Mashr... Senpai! If we defeat him, the singularity will be corrected. We... we must win!"
Mash resolutely raised her shield.
"Whoa, whoa. War. Wait, Mash. Give me... well, ten seconds."
Deadpool held back Mash, who was ready to rush at Halfas.
"Mister Pool! That's Mashr! We have to stop him!"
"I know, I know, no need to rush. Oh, five seconds left."
Mash wanted to protest such a pointless waste of time, but Deadpool just stood waiting.
"You have abandoned your attempts to resist? This is how it should be. Oh, you doomed to death, despair before my might and perish along with the human order."
Halfas wasn't going to wait. His bloody eyes focused on one point, preparing to unleash beams of deadly light.
"Mister Pool!"
"Wade!"
Ritsuka and Mash frantically grabbed his arms.
And at that very moment, a voice rang out:
"Get down!"
Roar of the fire god!
"Agni Gandiva!"
A small projectile shot towards Halfas. Despite its small size, its speed and power were comparable to a ballistic missile.
The projectile hit its target precisely. As soon as it touched Halfas's whitish flesh, it detonated with monstrous force, engulfing everything around in incinerating heat. The explosion was comparable in scale to Karna's Vasavi Shakti.
Following the roar, a voice came from the bracelet on Ritsuka's wrist:
"Hey... over! Master! Can you hear me? It's me! President-King! We've arrived!"
It was Edison, who was supposed to be at the front of the Northern Army.
"Senpai! Look up!"
From the heavens, shaking the earth, a massive steel behemoth fell.
Before them stood a bipedal mechanical giant, painted in the colors of the American flag – white, blue, and red. It crackled with electricity, and its chest was adorned with a huge white lion's head. The mere sight of this battle robot inspired faith in inevitable victory.
"But why a lion on the chest?" Mash was confused.
It was a robot, but why attach a lion's head to it?
"Because... it's cool!" Deadpool proudly replied, crossing his arms and giving a thumbs-up.
"Hey, Master! We made you wait! The servants of the Northern Army have arrived!"
Following the lion robot, Edison, Blavatsky, Tesla, and Arjuna appeared.
"Arjuna!" Ritsuka, recognizing the one who had just released the arrow, looked at Deadpool in surprise.
"I told you," he winked, clearly pleased with himself.
"Master, I wanted to correct the mistakes made due to my foolish obsession. I apologize for acting without your knowledge," Arjuna bowed respectfully. Ritsuka quickly assured him that he held no grudges, as the help had come at the most opportune moment.
"Actually, if it weren't for Arjuna, the northern front would have been completely destroyed," Edison added.
In short, his explanation was as follows.
Twenty-eight Masinshus, summoned by Queen Medb from the Holy Grail as a trump card, had turned the Northern Front into scorched earth. Edison's group, fighting them, was forced to retreat to avoid complete annihilation. But it was at this moment that Arjuna, with a single blow of his Noble Phantasm "Pashupata – Shadow of the Hand of the God of Destruction," incinerated all the enemies at once.
"And I immediately came to Master's aid, bringing the White Castle's secret weapon with me!" Edison proudly puffed out his chest and presented the giant robot.
"My masterpiece, created by a lifetime of work for the protection of American freedom and world peace..."
"You forgot to mention my contribution! Without my alternating current circuits, this pile of scrap metal wouldn't have even moved! Oh, you cat-faced demagogue!"
Tesla rudely interrupted the conversation.
Edison was just about to eloquently describe the robot's merits, and this upstart ruined it all. While their catfight reignited, Blavatsky decided to take over the explanation.
"As our 'Cat-President' says... it's 'Electro-Magnum-Prime.' Short for E. M. P."
At the sight of the giant E. M. P., Ritsuka's team was speechless. The momentarily hesitant Halfas began to move again.
"Empty tricks. But we are the seventy-two pillars of the King of Magic. Making the impossible possible – that is our calling. Oh, you doomed to death... The collapse of the human order has already begun."
Halfas's words were confirmed by a terrifying sight: the sky darkened, and the earth trembled, covered in deep cracks. Harbingers of the end. If things continued like this, not only the singularity would collapse – they wouldn't be able to return to Chaldea.
"Edison! How do we control it?" In the surging chaos, Ritsuka hurried to the "President."
"The crew is three people! But to unleash the true power of this machine, the hearts of three must beat as one! Therefore, I entrust the control to you!"
Tesla seemed to agree: holding Edison's head in an arm lock, he nodded.
Before Halfas could attack, the trio, following instructions, hastily took their places in the E. M. P.'s cockpit.
"One, two. Can you hear me? This is Cat-President speaking. I've left the operating instructions inside. Now, only Master can stop this Masinshu! We will handle the rescue and evacuation of people. Good luck."
Edison's hologram appeared before them and gave a thumbs-up.
"Wow... I can't believe the day has come when I'll be piloting a robot!"
Inside the E. M. P., Ritsuka felt his secret dream come true: to sit in a giant machine and crush villains. And it came true at the most unexpected moment.
"Kid. Remember that video game we used to play?"
"Yes!" Ritsuka replied to Deadpool, recalling how they spent their time in Chaldea. The control levers indeed resembled that very controller.
"Electro-Magnum-Prime! Let's go!"
As soon as Ritsuka shouted, the robot's front cameras flashed, and it assumed a combat stance.
"Perish," Halfas rumbled. "Pathetic creatures, clinging in vain to life."
The Masinshu unleashed invisible beams and explosive spells on the E. M. P.
"Mash!"
"Yes, Senpai!"
Pseudo-Noble Phantasm – Imaginary Turn.
"HAL-DE-AS – SHIELD!"
The E. M. P. raised its left arm, and Mash's spectral shield pattern appeared before it, weaving a protective field. Halfas's attacks shattered against it, causing no damage. As soon as the barrage subsided, Ritsuka pulled the levers, directing the robot straight at the enemy.
"Wade!"
"Electro – …!"
The armor on the E. M. P.'s right arm began to rotate, releasing electrical discharges that turned into a real storm. Drawing level with Halfas, the robot, with Deadpool's cry, forcefully thrust its fist forward.
"...Magnum!"
The "Electro-Magnum" technique was a powerful ranged attack: the efficiency of alternating current increased destructive power, and the power of direct current allowed the fist to be retracted instantly. However, despite the power of the discharge, Halfas only shuddered in pain – he was still alive.
"Useless... Before you defeat me, the human order will fall."
A huge disk, hovering high in the sky, began to approach the North American continent. They had to finish Halfas immediately. They needed one decisive blow.
"Mash, Wade. Do you believe me?"
"Yes, Senpai!"
"Of course, kid! One hundred percent!"
Ritsuka closed his eyes. Three friends who had gone through countless adventures and hardships. Dear comrades, allies, and...
With a face full of determination, Ritsuka pressed the decisive strike button.
"Final! Grand! Order! Fate!"
The last Command Spell on Ritsuka's right hand disappeared, and a stream of magical energy flowed into the E. M. P.'s manipulators. The two polar forces began to merge into a single whole as the robot clasped its hands together. Edison's direct current and Tesla's alternating current combined, generating an unimaginable amount of compressed energy.
"Haa-a-a-a-a-a!!"
Ritsuka pushed the booster lever all the way.
The accelerators on the E. M. P.'s back spewed pillars of flame, throwing the machine forward.
Target – Masinshu Halfas.
"Futile."
Halfas focused the radiance of all his bloody eyes into one giant beam, directing it towards the robot hurtling towards him.
The collision of the beam with the E. M. P. generated a shockwave that covered all of Washington. But Ritsuka, Mash, and Deadpool did not retreat, pushing further and further through the energy flow.
"Become light!"
Ritsuka's voice, imbued with unwavering will, echoed over the battlefield. The E. M. P.'s clasped fists literally split the enemy beam in two.
"This... cannot be!"
Halfas's pupils narrowed and trembled finely. And then...
"Strike! I-i-i!"
The robot's fists tore the Holy Grail from the monster's depths and pierced through the white carcass. Halfas, with a gaping hole in his body, disappeared in a blinding flash of explosion.
"Wow... Did we really just play Super Robot Wars?"