"Demon Pillars…?"
Everyone present immediately grew thoughtful.
Especially Olga Marie, whose expression was more complicated than the rest.
After all, in the past, the technician she trusted the most—one who had been active since her father's tenure and held a high position in Chaldea—was none other than Lev Lainur.
Lev Lainur Flauros—that was the true name of the man who designed Chaldea, orchestrated the explosion that left all of Chaldea's Master candidates near death, and even killed Olga Marie herself, reducing her to a mere wandering spirit.
"Although Lev Lainur Flauros was eliminated by you in the first Singularity, that doesn't mean he won't appear again."
Roman warned with unusual gravity.
"The so-called 'Seventy-Two Demon Gods' is itself a concept, much like Tiamat's 'Eleven Beasts' or Queen Medb's 'Twenty-Eight Warriors.' They have long since become entities defined by their collective meaning. Unless they are all destroyed in one stroke, their conceptual existence guarantees they will maintain their fixed number and never truly vanish."
Just like Medb—who could use the Holy Grail to continuously recreate her twenty-eight warriors. No matter what, the number would always remain twenty-eight—never twenty-nine, never twenty-seven.
That limit was established by the very legend and meaning of her tale. Even with endless mana, if she attempted to summon twenty-eight warriors, there would always only be twenty-eight.
The same applied to Tiamat's Eleven Beasts. They were destined to be eleven in number. Mass-produced copies, like those spawned by Gorgon, lacked the overwhelming power of the originals.
Only Tiamat herself, as the Mother of All, as one of the Evils of Humanity, could create beasts that matched the gods—and even then, there would only ever be eleven. Not a twelfth.
Under the same principle, King Solomon's Seventy-Two Demon Gods were fixed by the concept of "seventy-two." No matter how much mana Solomon expended, he could never summon a seventy-third Demon God.
Conversely, as long as the number was maintained within "seventy-two," then no matter how many pillars were destroyed, Solomon could simply summon replacements, always sustaining their number at seventy-two.
In other words…
"Lev Lainur Flauros has a very high chance of not being dead at all—he is most likely still inside the Temple of Time."
Roman declared.
"In the same way, once you enter the Temple, no matter how many Demon Pillars you destroy, they will continue to appear."
This was undoubtedly troublesome and vexing.
"If not for this reason, with Rozen's current level of Summoning Arts, a mere seventy-two Demon Gods would be nothing to worry about, correct?"
Da Vinci remarked.
"That's right." Roman nodded, then looked at Rozen. "So don't underestimate the Seventy-Two Demon Gods. Their Spirit Origins are already of extraordinary rank, making them formidable enemies. With the added trait of immortality, and considering that the Temple of Time itself gathers such immense mana that there is no risk of depletion, once battle begins, we will be assaulted endlessly by the Demon Pillars until Solomon is destroyed."
Roman's words made everyone's hearts sink heavily.
"Is this really okay?" Mash asked with unease. "If the Temple of Time is so dangerous, isn't it too reckless to directly perform Rayshift with the entire Chaldea?"
This was indeed the concern troubling everyone else as well.
Against the attacks of the seventy-two Demon Pillars, Rozen and the frontline Servants might endure—but Chaldea itself could not.
Each Demon Pillar's power was superior to even the highest-class Servants. Without several top Servants joining forces, a single one could not be brought down.
To thrust all of Chaldea into the Temple of Time, right into the enemy's sight, was practically suicide.
But no one present had a solution.
"Chaldea and the Temple of Time both exist outside the normal flow of time, within a space beyond the timeline. Now that Chaldea has locked onto the Temple's coordinates, the other side must already be aware of our observation. As a result, they've locked onto Chaldea's location in return. Two beings outside the time flow will inevitably be drawn together, pulling each other in to correct the distortion."
Da Vinci helplessly spread her hands.
"So even if we don't want to go, we'll still be dragged there. Otherwise, do you think transferring the entire Chaldea through Rayshift would be such a simple feat?"
Of course, it wasn't simple at all.
After all, just having Rayshift compatibility was already extremely rare. In the current Chaldea, besides the Servants, only Rozen and Fou possessed Rayshift aptitude. Olga Marie only gained it after death. The rest had none at all.
Thus, trying to transfer the entire Chaldea into Rayshift should have been utterly impossible.
The only reason it was now possible was because Chaldea and the Time Temple were pulling each other closer.
"This is a true, all-or-nothing battle. No one can run, no one can hide. Until one side is destroyed, there is nowhere else to go."
Olga Marie declared firmly.
"Chaldea is preparing for Rayshift now. We'll be jumping over directly, and the process will complete in about half an hour."
When that happened, the battle would commence at once, with no room for chance.
"Be ready. This time, it's truly kill or be killed."
Her words tightened every face in the room, but soon, each bore a look of determination.
Artoria [Alter] and Jeanne [Alter] exchanged a brief glance before turning away with blank expressions.
Mash and Hassan of Serenity also looked at one another, then nodded.
Rozen remained calm as always, but turned his gaze toward Roman.
Roman, sensing it, met Rozen's eyes in return.
The two brothers silently stared at one another, emotions stirring in their gaze.
Everyone else also watched in silence.
"…Do you have any other questions?"
After a long pause, Roman finally asked.
His face bore an expression that was equal parts resignation and release.
Seeing this, Rozen didn't know what to say.
But then…
"At this point, I've decided I won't waver anymore." Rozen spoke, his tone calm. "So, big bro, I won't go in circles—I'll just ask you directly."
"Ask away." Roman replied just as directly, as though he had been prepared all along. "What do you want to know?"
It was, in truth, very simple.
The question, when boiled down, was only one.
"Who are you, really?"
Nothing more.