Shadow Servants are a rather special type of Servant.
As Servants, they possess combat power far exceeding that of ordinary magi, but compared to the true Heroic Spirits themselves, they lack decisive power.
"Shadow Servant" is the most apt title—existing like a shadow, and just as fleeting.
Precisely because of this, the Shadow Servant Emiya, who appeared in Singularity F due to the Grail's corruption, was not as powerful as imagined.
But...
Something is wrong.
Gripping the "Sword of Slaanesh", Ian recalled what he had just split apart.
A black bullet!
Is that something that should exist in Singularity F?!
"W-What's wrong?"
Seeing the man draw his blade, Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was just trying to apply various buffs to Mash using Command Spells, suddenly settled down.
"Is there danger?"
Thud.
Mash raised her cross shield, protecting Fujimaru Ritsuka behind her.
Compared to Ritsuka as a Master, having become a Demi-Servant, she was obviously much more sensitive regarding combat.
"Which way?"
"Not sure yet, but—"
Before he could finish, a screech rang out through the air.
"Look out!"
Ian couldn't make it in time this time.
But Mash reacted.
She fully deployed her cross shield, arriving before the bullet flying at that moment with speed beyond human imagination.
Boom.
An explosion centered on the contact point of the bullet and shield, kicking up a massive wave of dust.
Even though he had inserted his blade into the ground beforehand, Ian still stumbled back several steps before barely stopping.
The smoke cleared.
Mash still stood tall with her shield; behind her was Fujimaru Ritsuka, somewhat dazed from the shock of facing an explosion directly.
"Are you okay?!"
Ian asked anxiously.
Even not at the center of the explosion, the man could feel that hit wasn't light.
If he hadn't tampered with Mash's body beforehand, the result now might have been uncertain.
"No problem."
"If it's just one bullet..."
Mash shielded Fujimaru Ritsuka tightly.
"I can absolutely protect Senpai!"
"Mash..."
Fujimaru Ritsuka came back to her senses, her eyes looking at Mash filled with emotion.
"Ian, I'm fine too!"
Though she said that—
Ian couldn't relax at all.
How could there be a gun that only fires one bullet?
The facts were indeed so.
Clack.
Clack.
Footsteps approached like a phantom.
On the street filled with scars and destruction, a figure appeared.
"I thought..."
"It would be two Servants and a human."
"I didn't expect the situation to be reversed?"
Under the slightly harsh sunlight, a man with dark skin walked up to Ian's group.
Golden light shimmered faintly.
The weapons in his hands, resembling both guns and blades, were aimed at the three of them.
"But it doesn't matter."
"Anyway... you all have to die."
Emiya [Alter], not the Shadow Servant Emiya.
Singularity F, twisted due to Olga Marie's survival, was now displaying its terror once again.
If Shadow Servant Emiya was merely an enemy appearing like destiny due to the influence of the corrupted Grail...
Then Emiya [Alter] was a far more extreme existence.
This guy was holding Kanshou and Bakuya in pistol form; that Noble Phantasm, Unlimited Lost Works, which could be fired like a bullet and then expand inside the enemy's body, was unheard of.
"Instant death upon contact" might be a far more suitable description than Unlimited Blade Works.
"Alright, chatter for the dead ends here."
"You've already wasted two of my bullets."
Emiya [Alter] cocked the Kanshou and Bakuya in his hands.
"It's about time you died without complaint."
"The collapse of this world... ought to continue."
Was he attracted because the reality of Singularity F was twisted?
Ian couldn't guess the reason for Emiya [Alter]'s appearance here.
Everything in existence had changed drastically with Olga Marie's survival.
But he noticed the path behind the opponent—a stone staircase leading up the mountain. It was about seventy percent destroyed; finding a foothold would likely not be easy.
He had been too busy educating Mash on the way and hadn't noticed this at all.
That's right.
Barring any other accidents, that was Mount Enzou.
And the root of it all, the King who triggered Singularity F, was probably there.
But—
Looking at Kanshou and Bakuya flashing with red light, Ian couldn't think of a possibility to break through the opponent.
After all, compared to the original, Emiya [Alter] not only had combat abilities that skyrocketed after abandoning his original justice, but he would also strike with absolute lethal intent.
If it was just him alone, the possibility of breaking through...
Was zero.
"I can help you—"
A girl's voice interrupted Ian's bitter thinking.
It was Mash.
Holding her shield tightly, her eyes were resolute.
"You want to get past him, right?"
"Do you have a plan?"
Ian lowered his voice.
"You could say I do, or you could say I don't."
"If we charge up together, we should be able to create a significant opening—take that chance to get past!"
"You..."
Ian was somewhat surprised.
If not for that explosion just now, Mash saying something like this might be understood as ignorant bravery.
But after personally blocking an attack from Kanshou and Bakuya, she should understand the opponent was no nobody.
In other words...
Mash was doing this with the resolve that she might die!
"No time, here we go!"
"Haa—!"
Probably never dreaming that Mash, a Shielder, would charge so actively, Emiya [Alter] obviously didn't react in time.
The girl's short pink hair flew in the air, followed by a call full of trust.
"Go, Ian!"
"What?!"
In just a moment, Emiya [Alter] watched the man who had sliced his bullet sprint towards the path behind the mountain at unimaginable speed.
He wanted to chase and intercept, but was fiercely interrupted by Mash's shield bash.
"Your opponent is me!"
Mash looked straight at the enemy before her.
She knew the opponent was definitely stronger than her, yet she still unhesitatingly bought this time.
"Want to die first?!"
"Then I'll fulfill your wish!"
Under Emiya [Alter]'s rage, Kanshou and Bakuya skipped the charging phase directly.
Two black bullets flew out in response.
Mash's pupils dilated slightly at that moment.
"Defense reinforcement—"
The sound of a Command Spell being used rang out.
Mash felt a new power.
In that instant, she once again blocked Kanshou and Bakuya with her cross shield.
Of course, the aftershock of the explosion still knocked the girl back quite a distance, but that was completely within acceptable limits.
"Mash!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Mash in front of her and said somewhat resentfully.
"Although I don't understand at all why you and Ian have such tacit understanding, but—"
"His opponent isn't 'you', it's 'us'!"
"Senpai..."
Mash's eyes held a bit more glimmer.
She propped up her cross shield and nodded.
"Mn, it's us!"
"Then let's start!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka revealed the remaining Command Spells on her arm; with a serious expression, she had clearly entered a combat state of mind.
"Want to stop Ian?"
"No way!"
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