"Senpai!"
"Master!"
"Fujimaru!"
...
The shouts of the others did not reach Ritsuka Fujimaru clearly. Facing those mocking crimson eyes—and the deathly black light that tore through space-time, broke through layer after layer of Servant protection, and arrived right before him—his emerald-blue eyes widened. Reflected in his constricting pupils were the panicked figures around him turning in shock, faces filled with horror.
The arm he instinctively raised before him, along with Chaldea's specially designed Master outfit, gave him not the slightest sense of security.
At this moment, Ritsuka Fujimaru felt time stretch endlessly. A profound sense of helplessness flooded his mind.
Am I going to die...
I'm so unwilling. After everything we've gone through together—Doctor Roman, Da Vinci, Mash... everyone—we were just one step away from restoring human order. And in the end... I still can't do anything.
If it were the seniors from Team A... they would definitely succeed, right...
At that moment, a bright and lively female voice pierced through from behind, ringing in his ears.
"Lord Fujimaru, now is not the time to give up—!!"
"Shana-Ō Ruri Tan—Fourth Scene! Dan-no-Ura · Eight-Boat Leap!"
At the critical moment, a petite figure shining with golden light descended—it was a Japanese Servant dressed in an extremely bold, even unrestrained style.
Her voice instantly snapped Ritsuka Fujimaru out of his frozen state. He saw the tachi in her hand—Usumidori—ignite with a brilliant golden flame that surged through the otherwise unadorned blade.
Her body split into eight in an instant, like eight dazzling streaks of golden light rushing forward at incredible speed. Then, accelerating once more, she slammed into Ritsuka Fujimaru just as he was about to dash forward, sending him flying.
Before Ritsuka Fujimaru could even cry out in pain—
Splurt—!
The black light descended. In the instant before he could retract his right leg, it was severed cleanly. Bone-white flesh was exposed as blood mist burst forth. But at this moment, he could no longer care about the agony or the mutilation of his own body.
Because—
"Ushiwakamaru—!"
His broken body crashed heavily to the ground. That face—both valiant and cute, with a bewitching charm—was exactly the same as when Ritsuka Fujimaru had first met her in the Seventh Singularity, Babylonia... but now it was utterly devoid of color.
Split diagonally from the waist, her slender body had been cut in half. Blood gushed out, splattering across the ground.
Her black hair, once neatly tied in a sharp and spirited style, now hung loosely. The broken hilt of her blade slipped into the deep trench behind her, carved open by the Subspace Ribbon. That tragic, almost beautiful scene was beyond words.
Ushiwakamaru had come to save him. Even with the tremendous boost from fame and the advantage of fighting on her home ground, she was still only human.
To block Selene's attack head-on was simply impossible for her.
All she could do was pour out every last bit of magical energy, racing against the destruction of her own Saint Graph to arrive in time—barely avoiding the fatal blow meant to take his head.
Yet in that instant, everything—her tachi Usumidori, her eight split forms, even her own body—was cleaved apart by the Subspace Ribbon.
"Ushiwakamaru..."
The severed leg triggered unbearable pain, twisting Ritsuka Fujimaru's face in agony. Staggering, he threw himself toward her, hurriedly lifting her half-body into his arms.
The suffocating pressure, the continuous defeat and death of his comrades—all because of him—completely shattered his earlier composure.
Buzz—!
A gentle healing light glowed in his palm. With a frantic expression, he poured out magical energy without restraint. Even though Ushiwakamaru's body was already beyond saving, there was only one thought in his mind now: save her!
"Cough... Lord Fujimaru... this time, I made it in time, didn't I? Consider it making up for my impulsiveness last time... I caused you trouble."
Blood bubbled up her throat, producing a ragged, bellows-like wheezing sound. Her brows knit in pain as she tried to raise her hand to touch Ritsuka Fujimaru's face so close before her—but her strength drained away like water bursting through a broken dam, vanishing almost instantly.
What she saw in the corner of her vision... was only the severed remains of her arm below the elbow.
"Hold on, Ushiwakamaru! Merlin, Artoria—hurry and save her!!"
In response, Merlin could only shake his head helplessly.
At the same time—
Rumble—!!
Crack—!
The earth trembled.
No—it was the entire world that was trembling.
Temporal shock.
As if responding to the violent aura erupting from Selene, the Temple of Time beyond the world's barrier finally descended.
At nearly the same moment, across every corner of the world, extremely violent magical energy from the Age of Gods surged forth.
In the sky, a divine temple—bearing the characteristics of the religious holy city Jerusalem and Hebrew culture—materialized from illusion into reality.
Such a vivid manifestation of a miracle caused all believers across the world, including the Pope in the Vatican, to fall prostrate, crying out to "the Lord," "God," and countless other names.
The fusion of the Grand Temple of Time with this world had already begun. The seventy-two Demon God Pillars commanded by King Solomon had also emerged upon this land through the spatial rifts torn open by Selene.
"Senpai... Miss Ushiwakamaru... you must pull yourself together."
Holding her shield, Mash looked at Ritsuka Fujimaru nervously—glancing between the violently fluctuating sky where the temple was forming and the still-roaring battlefield in the distance.
"Cough... don't waste your effort, Lord Fujimaru. My Saint Graph is already shattered..." Ushiwakamaru forced herself to smile.
"I already died at Koromogawa Hall... I am a failure proven by history. But you are different, Lord Fujimaru. The continuation of human order rests in your hands."
"Besides, it's not like we won't meet again. I am a Heroic Spirit. If you call for me, Ushiwakamaru will always answer..."
With that, she smiled and closed her eyes. Her body slackened, dissolving into particles of light within Ritsuka Fujimaru's arms.
"Fortunately, that Rider pushed you away. Otherwise, if you had taken that attack directly—even Avalon might not have been able to save you."
Placing her hand on Ritsuka Fujimaru's back, Artoria gazed toward the massive fissure in the ground not far behind him. A trace of lingering fear flickered in her emerald eyes.
If she had not regained Avalon—the Everdistant Utopia—with its fortress-like defensive power, she might have been cut to pieces as well.
Within her line of sight, though the fissure was narrow, its terrifying cutting force had even split the distant ocean. A clearly visible black scar stretched across the sea's surface, refusing to close—like Moses parting the sea.
Looking closely, the objects severed by the Subspace Ribbon were in a bizarre state of stillness.
They neither flowed outward nor recoiled inward—as if frozen in time, like a lifeless painting. The sight was profoundly unsettling.
When she swung the holy sword at the forefront and met that pitch-black slash, Artoria already knew—without the scabbard, she would have died without question. In the instant she relied on Avalon's absolute defense to block Selene's attack, the immense force carried by the Subspace Ribbon sent her flying.
"Lord Ritsuka Fujimaru, I know that the Heroic Spirit called Ushiwakamaru was very important to you, but please calm yourself."
Humm—
As expected of Avalon's true owner—when wielded by Artoria, the scabbard's automatic healing effect was practically immortality itself. Coupled with its passive defensive power akin to a mobile fortress, dying became nearly impossible.
(PS: This only applies when held by Artoria. When held by others, such as Shirou Emiya, Avalon's automatic healing is significantly slower.)
Flesh regrew over bone. In just a few breaths, Ritsuka Fujimaru's severed right leg had completely reformed. Aside from the skin appearing slightly paler, it was almost no different—if anything, it seemed even healthier than before.
Standing barefoot on the rigid, warm wasteland, Ritsuka Fujimaru clenched his right hand bearing the Command Spell, his voice low as he replied, "Yes... thank you... I know what I have to do..."
Just as he raised his head, ready to face the final battle of this ultimate Singularity—
Clap, clap, clap—
Applause echoed through the air, adding a strange eeriness to the silent void.
"So you're still alive, Ritsuka Fujimaru. Even under the overwhelming might of Her Majesty Selene forcibly wielding divine power—and you're nothing more than a mediocre nobody who has never shown any talent."
"How should I put it... you're even more disgusting than a cockroach, clinging to life so pathetically. What nauseating vitality!"
Rip—!
The air tore apart. From within a prismatic spatial gate, a man wearing a vintage green suit and a top hat stepped out, his mocking smile fixed on the battered Ritsuka Fujimaru.
"Lev Lainur Flauros!"
Mash immediately raised her shield, stepping in front of Ritsuka Fujimaru.
Clap clap clap clap—!
Seeing Mash, Lev let out a snicker, yet the increasingly enthusiastic applause in his hands revealed his rising excitement.
"Oh my, I never expected you to come this far. I admit it—I underestimated you. Even tiny, insignificant insects, if ignored, can still deliver a painful bite. However..."
The mocking smile lingered on Lev's lips.
But as the smile faded, pure fury filled his voice.
"This is as far as you go!"
"Fool—this will be your end!"
...
Thud, thud, thud—rip—!
Wounded all over, clad in a thin, dark-purple bodysuit riddled with tears that only made it more alluring, even as her pale skin was covered in horrifying patches of corrosion—her voluptuous figure wielding the spear still commanded attention.
For ordinary people, the devastated terrain would be nearly impassable, but for Scáthach, it was as easy as walking on level ground.
She flicked her spear, spinning it twice with ease. Despite her heavy injuries, the demonic spear in her hand still struck with lethal precision, tearing through the beast before her and transforming into streaks of crimson meteors that pierced everything along their path.
Boom! Boom—
With no support, the massive, mountain-like coarse tentacles collapsed one after another.
"Hah... hah..."
Her full chest rose and fell as Scáthach cast a bloodstained crimson glance at the beast dissolving into purple-red energy particles. Immediately, her scarlet spear traced a circular "gate" in the air.
"Wisdom that beholds the abyss—primordial runes, manifest here! The kingdom sustained in my name, descend! Open—!"
"Still lacking... consider this a greeting from me to Queen Scáthach's true body."
In an instant, the light around her was swallowed. Scáthach's crimson eyes widened as her deep-purple hair was whipped wildly by the massive high-energy sphere rapidly approaching.
What—?!
Selene paid her no further attention. She forcibly interrupted the activation of her Noble Phantasm. With a slight bend of her arm, she gathered power—and hurled the "sun," undergoing a fission reaction, directly at Scáthach.
"Explode."
The "sun" struck Scáthach, crushing her together with it into the forming gate of the demonic realm. Immediately afterward, Selene pushed forward with her palm, her fingers flicking lightly.
Spatial teleportation.
Whoosh!
Crack!
BOOOOMMMMM—!!
In the next instant, across a hundred kilometers of ocean, a blinding flash and thunderous explosions erupted. A violent shockwave spread rapidly outward from the center, as a colossal mushroom-shaped sea explosion surged into the sky.
From afar, it looked like a massive, crystal-clear blossom blooming upon the raging sea—beautiful beyond measure.
Yet within that beauty lay a terror that felt like plunging into an icy hell. The marine ecosystem within dozens of kilometers was instantly annihilated. Countless lives were lost.
And then...
Cough, cough... pfft!
Selene slowly descended from the sky. Her massive serpent tail, stretching for thousands of meters, slammed heavily into the imaginary tides within the cracked earth below. The ruins of Fuyuki, already reduced to canyon-like terrain, shattered further, collapsing outward in all directions.
"Hah... that feels much better."
Bathed in the nourishment of the Imaginary Sea, Selene finally felt some relief.
That last sequence had indeed been impressive—instant movement, silence, restraint, "Rasengan," transfer, detonation—a full combo. But the price was that Selene genuinely needed time to recover.
Fortunately, Tiamat's Beast-class Saint Graph was on the same level as a Grand Saint Graph. Otherwise, with Selene's reckless usage, even a Divine Spirit-level Servant's core would not have been able to withstand it.
The uniqueness of divine beings meant that the spiritual foundation used by their downgraded incarnations was a higher-order existence beyond that of Heroic Spirits. In other words—it could be called a divine core.
Among Servant skills, Divinity represents a lineage of gods—not gods themselves, but closely related, such as demigods. A divine core, however, is equivalent to being a god.
"This feeling of having power but being unable to fully use it is truly unpleasant."
Estimating the damage to her Saint Graph, Selene roughly calculated how long she could remain in the world.
"If I refrain from forcibly using beyond-standard Authorities, rely on the nourishment of the Imaginary Sea, and reduce my magical energy output... I can maintain this spirit form for at least two more days. Hmph, more than enough."
As Selene considered how best to use her remaining time—whether to combine it with her trump cards for a decisive move—suddenly, starlight tore through the atmosphere above, forming a radiant golden vortex.
A clear and high-pitched shout echoed across the vast sky.
"Fly, Maanna! Gate Open! Hehe, you should be honored?! Behold my full strength! Annihilate them—!"
"An Gal Ta Ki Gal Šè!"
The goddess' eyes blazed with overflowing energy, while an immense tide of golden magical power surged around her.
Yet Selene could not even be bothered to move. She almost wanted to yawn. After all, it was time for her ally to act.
I've held the line for you long enough—time for you to stretch your limbs.
"'Solomon,' now it's your stage."
"With pleasure."
Humm—!