"Dragon of Echigo!"
As a warlord dubbed a god of battle, Uesugi Kenshin's instincts were razor-sharp. The moment a strange chill made her shudder, that figure appeared in her line of sight.
No hesitation—Kenshin vaulted onto her chariot, yanked the reins, and bolted. She was lightning-fast, her acceleration practically leaving afterimages in the air.
"Wait—get out of the way!"
She'd barely taken off when she spotted a few figures ahead. No time to register that they looked vaguely familiar—Kenshin swerved hard to avoid turning this into a chariot-induced bloodbath.
But this time, Nero wasn't letting her slip away.
Ready for action, Nero flicked his wrist as Kenshin's chariot roared past, sending Echidna's serpent-blade coiling around the wheels. That alone wasn't enough to stop her, though—the chariot's raw momentum after speeding up was more than regular Nero could handle.
So, Nero drew his blade.
A surge of pale blue demonic energy erupted from him, his eyes glowing red, his hair flashing silver-white. In his Devil Trigger form, Nero gripped the whip-sword tight, dragged forward by the chariot's force, his boots digging deep furrows into the dirt.
Not enough. Nero summoned Gilgamesh, liquid steel flowing over his legs, sprouting spikes that stabbed into the ground. Finally, Kenshin's chariot skidded sideways and ground to a halt.
Nero exhaled, letting go of Red Queen and dropping out of Devil Trigger.
Okuni, riding her horse, caught up. Kenshin, seeing escape was impossible, stepped down from the chariot with a resigned sigh.
To keep things from going south, Ritsuka jumped in before Okuni could speak. "Uesugi Kenshin? The Uesugi Kenshin?"
"There's probably only one famous person with that name," Kenshin said with a nod, studying Ritsuka. "...I see. You're Chaldea's Master. My apologies for meeting like this."
"No need to be so formal…"
"A Master is a lord, and a Servant is a vassal. This level of courtesy is only proper."
Nero finally got a good look at the overly proper warlord. Should he have expected it? Of course she was a woman. Petite, clad in white battle armor, wielding a wickedly sharp naginata.
Rumor had it this "god of war" suffered from chronic stomach pains and, despite loving sake, steered clear of women—leading to countless tales that she was a woman disguised as a man. In the Fate world, it'd be weirder if she wasn't.
Hearing Kenshin's words, Ritsuka perked up. "So, you'd be willing to lend us a hand?"
"Hm?" Kenshin blinked, hesitating slightly. "If it's to resolve this Singularity, I'm at your service."
"Awesome!"
Ritsuka's enthusiasm brought a faint smile to Kenshin's face—until the next sentence sent her crashing into despair.
"Then, could you please fulfill Miss Okuni's request?"
The Dragon of Echigo, unmatched on the battlefield, froze. Her neck creaked like a rusty gear as she turned to face the beaming maiden charging toward her.
"Dragon of Echigo!"
Kenshin fought the urge to bolt, her expression stiff as she looked at Ritsuka. "Master… how exactly does this relate to the Singularity?"
Ritsuka answered earnestly, "We need Miss Okuni's help, and this is the condition for getting it."
Kenshin was trapped. She stood there, trembling.
"Alright, cool it," Nero said, stepping in to save the warlord. He grabbed the back of Okuni's shrine maiden outfit, halting her mid-pounce at a somewhat reasonable distance. Nero glanced at Okuni, who was glaring at him with a pout, and smirked. "You're freaking her out, y'know."
Ritsuka's curiosity kicked in again. She leaned in, whispering, "Kenshin… is it okay to call you that?"
"Whatever feels right to you, Master," Kenshin replied.
"So, what did Miss Okuni do to make you this scared?"
Kenshin visibly shivered at the question.
"I… I'd rather not relive those memories."
Seeing Kenshin's trauma run so deep, Nero shot Okuni a weird look.
"Don't look at me like that," Okuni huffed, clearly annoyed. She lowered her voice. "I didn't do anything rude! I just hugged the warlord's arm, petted her favorite horse, and said I wanted to nap in her chariot…"
"For someone you just met, that's plenty rude," Nero deadpanned.
But Ritsuka and Okuni exchanged a glance, both shrugging. "Nah, that's pretty normal, right?"
Humans, Nero decided, were doomed to never understand each other. The gap between different mindsets was like a chasm between species.
Nero sighed, silently wishing Kenshin luck.
After some back-and-forth, mediated by Ritsuka, Kenshin finally handed over a folding fan inscribed with her signature, fulfilling Okuni's wish. The Singularity task force scored two new allies.
Next up: head back to town, make introductions, and prep for the next day's mission. On the sixth day at the Singularity, Ritsuka led Georgios, Mephistopheles, Uesugi Kenshin, and Izumo no Okuni back to the sealed cavern.
The away team had grown, but the number staying behind didn't change. The plan was to break the seal and explore inside, potentially facing demons. Georgios, a demon-slaying expert; Okuni, key to unsealing; and Kenshin, with her high mobility and ability to protect Ritsuka, were all must-haves.
Mephistopheles? No question—he was bound to Ritsuka by their wager, sticking to her like a shadow.
Nero, meanwhile, was still prowling Ratvenchi's streets. After the close call with the plague, the town's vibe had turned grim. Most folks were either holed up at home or praying their hearts out in the church. To Nero, this last-minute groveling was pointless.
Praying for forgiveness when "divine punishment" hits? If it's not divine, it's useless. If it is, why weren't you devout before?
What bugged Nero more was that he hadn't seen Beatrice in days. That kid wasn't the type to stay cooped up. Maybe she got grounded after that incident?
He'd swing by and check later.
But as he walked, a sudden jolt hit him—like the same gut-twisting feeling from the day the rat swarm attacked.
No way. Georgios's Noble Phantasm had wiped those rats out, hadn't it?
Then Mash's voice crackled through, urgent.
"Nero, bad news!"
She sounded panicked. "The seal's been broken, and all the demons in the cavern just poured out!"
"What?!"