One second passed.
Two seconds passed.
Three seconds passed.
Ritsuka Fujimaru kept her eyes squeezed shut, trembling, but the pain she expected never arrived.
"I have to say… it really is just like you, Ritsuka Fujimaru."
It was Adam's voice. Wait… I'm not dead?
Confused, Ritsuka slowly opened her eyes.
Her body had gone completely limp from terror and was now cradled securely in Adam's arms.
The moment she realized this, her face flushed bright red, like a kettle about to whistle. Even her previously ice-cold skin began to warm up.
"W-what's happening?!" she stammered in a panic.
Adam didn't answer right away. His eyes were fixed on the spot where Cursed Arm Hassan had been standing.
Following his gaze, Ritsuka looked over—and her eyes widened in disbelief. After a stunned second, she finally spoke, voice shaking with shock.
"You're… Mash?!?!"
[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Value +10]
[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Value +10]
[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Value +10]
...
The person standing protectively in front of them was indeed Mash.
But this wasn't the Mash Ritsuka knew.
Gone was the dark purple combat suit with its high exposure. Instead, nearly every vulnerable area was now covered in pristine white armor.
Elegant golden patterns ran across both the armor and shield, and a flowing blue-purple skirt swayed at her waist.
This Mash had evolved.
She unfolded her Noble Phantasm—a circular matrix of glowing runes.
This was the ultimate answer Adam's Mash had reached after witnessing both the Incineration and Reconstruction of the Human Order.
It blocked Cursed Arm Hassan's Zabaniya perfectly, almost excessively so.
With a powerful surge of strength, Mash swung her entire Lord Chaldeas and slammed it straight into the Assassin.
Cursed Arm Hassan felt the crushing helplessness of an ordinary person facing an unstoppable disaster.
His body was sent flying, bones shattering, before he vanished into particles mid-air.
Cursed Arm Hassan defeated.
Her Noble Phantasm slowly faded away. Mash stood tall like a deeply rooted tree, purple hair and skirt fluttering in the wind.
"Armed and ready!"
"Mash Kyrielight, deploying!"
Ritsuka's mouth fell open, eyes nearly bulging out of her head.
"That was incredible, Mash!! How did you suddenly get so strong?!"
"Did you turn into Super Mash or something?!"
[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Value +10]
[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Value +10]
[Ritsuka Fujimaru Emotion Value +10]
...
Obviously, Ritsuka had completely misunderstood the situation.
She thought this ultra-powerful Mash was her Mash.
In reality, the real Mash was still elsewhere, locked in combat with Benkei.
This Mash looked at the orange-haired girl with clear confusion, searching her memory. After a moment, she concluded she didn't recognize her at all.
She turned her attention to Adam instead.
"Any battles to fight, Senpai?"
"Please give your orders."
Ritsuka thought Mash was speaking to her and quickly waved her hands.
"You're already this strong! You must've taken care of that big-sword guy too, right?"
"There's no fight left, silly!"
Mash tilted her head, genuinely puzzled by the girl's behavior.
Adam struggled to hold back a laugh as he gave instructions to his own Mash.
"Mash, there are two enemies."
"Well… you already took out one~"
Ritsuka froze as she watched Adam calmly commanding this super-powered Mash.
"Eh?!?!"
Mash also paused at his words.
"I took one out?"
She recalled the black shadow she had smacked away earlier.
Somewhat uncertain, she asked, "Senpai… do you mean that really weak shadow?"
Adam fell silent for a moment.
"…"
Mash… if Cursed Arm ever heard you call him that, he'd be heartbroken.
He chose not to correct her and simply pointed toward where the original Mash was fighting the Lancer.
"The other enemy is over there."
"Understood!"
Eager to finish the battle quickly so she could stay by Adam's side, Mash charged forward without hesitation.
Ritsuka remained rooted in place, watching Adam direct "Super Mash" while the Servant obeyed him perfectly. The two of them looked far too close and natural together. Her mind spun.
After a long moment, all she could utter was:
"Ahhhhhhhhh?!?!?"
Adam grinned and teased her lightly.
"She's your junior, isn't she? Just go with it."
Hearing that, Ritsuka felt like her clown makeup had completely fallen off. She sank into deep self-doubt.
Am I still dreaming?
Yeah… this has to be a dream.
There's no way my adorable junior suddenly belongs to someone else.
Adam watched Ritsuka's ridiculous, dumbfounded expression and found it incredibly endearing.
——————————
Meanwhile, on the other Mash's side.
She had plenty of questions herself.
Just moments ago she had been organizing materials with Adam. The next instant, she was suddenly transported here.
This location looked suspiciously like Singularity F.
Although confused, since there were enemies, she would deal with them first.
Mash hurried toward the battlefield, determined to end the fight quickly so she could return to her Senpai.
When she arrived, she saw two figures locked in combat.
The Lancer wasn't the problem.
But that shield… why did it look so familiar?
It looked almost exactly like the one she used to carry.
The moment she clearly saw the person holding it, Mash froze.
No way…
"Is that… me?"
After a brief moment of shock, she shook her head hard to snap out of it.
Since Senpai said there was still one enemy left, she had to figure out which of these two was the real threat.
She glanced between the Lancer and the "herself" who was desperately fighting him.
That "her" could easily be an illusion created by a mage.
Should I just knock both of them out?
But what if I hit an ally by mistake…
Forget it. I want to get back to Senpai as soon as possible.
I'll knock them both unconscious and ask Senpai later.
Decision made, Mash raised her shield and charged with a powerful shield bash.
Crash!
The white shield slammed straight into Musashibō Benkei's face.
"Pfft—!"
Benkei collapsed to the ground.
The original Mash blinked at the fallen Lancer, then turned to thank her savior—only to freeze completely the moment she saw who it was.
"..."
"..."
***
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