Chaldea's Operation
Watching the scorched earth charred by the flames before her, Quetzalcoatl let out a breath.
"You're truly powerful, Kiana," she said, her gaze fixed on Xia Yu with undisguised fervor. "Ah, such a formidable warrior! You're exactly what I was looking for!"
"Again, let's go again!"
"That's enough, don't you think?" Xia Yu shook her head. "Why keep going? It's time for lunch."
"Hm? How can such a blood-boiling battle be interrupted by a mere fleeting desire for food?" Quetzalcoatl's eyes burned with battle intent. "Can't you feel the fire surging in your chest? Don't you want to settle this between us?"
"I'm not that combative," Xia Yu replied with a helpless smile. "Compared to fighting... I prefer to curl up in my own little home and find my own entertainment."
"Fighting... to me, it's just something I have to do. If the world were beautiful to begin with, why would there be a need to seek out conflict?"
"It seems we aren't the same kind of person," Quetzalcoatl shook her head. She could tell that this powerful and beautiful warrior before her must have experienced many things to be shaped into the person she was now.
"Then, let me give you a reason!" Quetzalcoatl wasn't about to give up. "I am Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent at the highest point of the South American Demonic Realm!"
"And one of the Three Goddesses wreaking havoc in this Mesopotamian world!"
She reached out a hand toward Xia Yu. "Come, human warrior! To protect your home, to protect your future, come!"
"Defeat me!"
"Not interested," Xia Yu rolled her eyes. "Big sister, you really think what you're doing is so secretive?"
"Big sister doesn't understand what you mean," Quetzalcoatl blinked. She didn't care how Kiana knew what she was doing; she just wanted to fight.
"Big sister just wants to have a good, hearty fight!"
"I see," Xia Yu sighed helplessly. Then, the essence of the Herrscher of Flamescion began to spread from her body without restraint.
"In that case, it's even more of a coincidence. Look," she extended her hand, revealing her true nature. "I am a Herrscher, an Enemy of Civilization, born to destroy everything."
"Now, our goals are aligned, so there's no need to keep fighting, right?"
"...Is it too late for big sister to switch sides to Uruk now?" Quetzalcoatl narrowed her eyes at the undisguised malice toward civilization radiating from the other.
As a supreme deity of South America, she naturally had her own methods of detection. The profound malice toward civilization embedded in the power Kiana displayed could absolutely not be faked.
Originally, Quetzalcoatl had joined the Three Goddess Alliance purely for her own interests, to find an excuse to test the local humans.
But now... it seemed she couldn't just stand by and watch.
"Go ask Gilgamesh yourself," Xia Yu shrugged. The local Human Order was simply too rude.
After she had told Gilgamesh about the nature of the Herrscher, it was as if she had been marked by the local Human Order. Any powerful Servant could instantly see the malice toward civilization inherent in her Herrscher power.
"The waters of this Mesopotamia really run deep," Quetzalcoatl looked at the Kiana before her, deep in thought.
After the other party displayed her capabilities without reservation, Quetzalcoatl knew that on her own, she could never defeat her—not unless the Quetzalcoatl in her full glory manifested.
She was merely a Split Spirit of Quetzalcoatl, a facet manifested as a Servant. While stronger than the vast majority of Servants, facing an opponent who could casually destroy an entire continent... she felt out of her depth.
If she were to go all out and attack now... it might push things toward the worst possible outcome. After all, don't forget, the local "trouble" hadn't been resolved yet.
Thinking of this, she studied Xia Yu carefully again.
"You say you are an Enemy of Civilization," Quetzalcoatl suddenly remarked. "But how come you don't look like one to me?"
"In big sister's eyes, you're less of a destroyer... and more like a hero walking the path of saving the world."
"Light and shadow accompany one another; friend and foe share the same origin," Xia Yu smiled. "There should be no shortage of such things anywhere, right?"
"Big sister, do you still want to continue? If we really get serious... are you sure there will be any survivors left in Mesopotamia?"
"Why is it that you just can't appreciate the joy of battle?" Quetzalcoatl shook her head helplessly.
She knew the urgency of the situation. As a benevolent god, she couldn't drag the entire world into ruin just for her own amusement.
"Then, how about we eat together?" Xia Yu looked down, having found a deer in the ruins of the forest whose skin was charred black. "My cooking skills are decent, you know."
"Then let big sister have a good taste," Quetzalcoatl sighed. "Since we can't fight, at least I won't go hungry."
Xia Yu withdrew her power, then efficiently began to gut the deer, set up a pot to boil water, and prepared the seasonings...
On the other side.
The final fortress of humanity, Chaldea.
"At 7:00 this morning, we at Chaldea completed the preparations for Rayshift to the seventh Singularity," Dr. Romani Archaman said to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash in front of CHALDEAS. "This is the final Singularity."
"The seventh Holy Grail, which Solomon personally sent back to the past. This recovery mission can only be entrusted to you two."
"How is it? Has the fatigue from the last Singularity faded?"
"The last Singularity, huh," Ritsuka sighed, recalling that pure white Holy City and the people rejected from its gates. She remembered Bedivere and those Knights of the Round Table.
The archer who used his life to grapple with the gods, the Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's glorious era, and the final enemy, the Goddess Rhongomyniad...
"Sigh, fighting enemies on the level of gods... it's truly exhausting," she sighed. "I hope Mesopotamia doesn't have quite so many gods."
"That's unlikely," the Doctor replied helplessly. "The destination of this Rayshift is one of the truest, oldest civilizations—the end of the Age of Gods, 2600 BC."
"How could the land of ancient Mesopotamia be lacking in gods?"
"A Singularity in the Age of Gods..." Mash's expression was solemn. "The world before the common era..."
"One could say that just getting there is already harder than any previous Singularity," just then, Da Vinci walked in and patted Mash on the head. "Mesopotamia prospered between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that flow into the Persian Gulf."
"This time, you're going to the Early Dynastic Period," the Doctor added. "The Age of Gods will bid farewell to the world at this point in time, gradually fading away."
"So, it's a world where gods and Demonic Beasts exist in daily life. The difficulty exceeds any previous Singularity."
"Well, no need to be too nervous," Da Vinci-chan patted Ritsuka on the shoulder. "You've already crossed six Singularities; believe in your own strength."
"Moreover, while the opponents of the Age of Gods are strong, your local friends shouldn't be weak either. Make the most of your strengths, Ritsuka."
"Don't forget, you're someone who has seen big events," she said with a grin. "No matter how difficult Mesopotamia is, surely they couldn't possibly pull out a Beast as the final boss, right?"
"You've witnessed with your own eyes a Beast being wiped out as easily as cutting vegetables. Compared to that, what other big event could possibly shake you?"
"That's right, I have seen big events," Ritsuka raised her head and revealed a sunny smile. "Honestly, if it weren't for the despair brought by Miss Firefly back then, I'm not sure I could have remained that calm when facing the Goddess Rhongomyniad."
Before the fight started, the pressure from Miss Firefly wasn't as intense as the others, but once the battle began, you knew what true strength really was.
A Noble Phantasm slammed into her armor, and she didn't even budge...
"Speaking of that Miss Firefly, sigh," Da Vinci sighed, filled with regret. "Why didn't I go with you?"
"That armor... ahhh! I really want to study it!"
"Alright, the Rayshift frames are ready," the Doctor urged from his side.
"Everyone, come over."
"Target set—2600 BC—Uruk!"
The staff began to report.
Ritsuka and Mash exchanged a look and returned to their respective frames.
"Counter-Summoning System, initiate!"
"Starting Rayshift!"
"Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash Kyrielight, Rayshift sequence complete."
Blue light surged within the frames, enveloping their bodies.
The Doctor gave the order: "Commence verification—Grand Order VII!"
As the order was issued, Ritsuka felt a familiar white light envelope her, followed by the Rayshift process she had undergone so many times before.
When the white light before her eyes vanished, she finally opened her eyes.
Then, she realized something was wrong.
What met her eyes was a deep blue sky, untainted by industrial pollution, with the ringed clouds caused by the Incineration of Humanity still shrouding the land.
Only... wasn't she a bit too close to this sky?
"W-w-w-wait a minute! *2"
Ritsuka realized with horror that she was falling rapidly. She looked up and saw Mash looking just as terrified.
"Falling, we're falling!!!"
Her voice cracked.
"We're falling, this is bungee jumping!" Mash was so startled she didn't know what she was saying.
"Mash, I'm counting on you!" As a Savior who had seen big storms and waves, Ritsuka quickly calmed down and reached out toward Mash.
"Yes!" Hearing her voice, Mash seemed to find her anchor. She reached out and grabbed her Senpai's right hand, then summoned her shield with her other hand and placed it beneath them.
"Hold onto me from behind!" She immediately made the best judgment.
And Ritsuka reached out to hug her waist.
"Noble Phantasm, deploy!" Mash shouted, holding her shield high. "Sir Galahad, please lend me your strength!"
Blue inscriptions appeared from the center of the shield.
"Manifest! Lord Camelot!"
A holy, pure white castle wall appeared on the earth, and Mash, holding the shield with Ritsuka, slammed into it.
Amidst the swirling dust, the two of them somehow remained unhurt.
That was the miracle of a Noble Phantasm.
After landing, the white castle wall turned into motes of light and slowly vanished. As a Demi-Servant, Mash coughed twice before looking up at Ritsuka.
"Senpai, are you alright, Senpai?"
"Nice work, Mash," Ritsuka opened her eyes amidst the dust and instantly went blank.
The moment they landed, Mash had turned around to protect her, landing on her back. So now, the two were face-to-face, Ritsuka's hands braced near Mash's shoulders; they were practically nose-to-nose.
"No, because it happened so suddenly, my mind went blank..." Mash subconsciously began to search for her own shortcomings, but before she could finish, she saw the face pressed almost against her own.
"Blank..." Mash blinked. Now her mind was truly blank. She said subconsciously: "Just now... we were hugging each other tightly..."
The "Eggplant" began to go online.
Ritsuka looked at Mash's little face beneath her, and whatever she was thinking, her face turned red.
Just as the two were gazing deeply into each other's eyes, the sound of a small animal broke the ambiguous atmosphere.
"Fou... Fou!"
Fou crawled out from Mash's armor and squeezed between the two of them.
"Ahem, Mash, I'm glad you're alright," Ritsuka coughed twice to cover her embarrassment, then straightened up, stood, and reached out to pull Mash up.
"It's good that we landed successfully," she looked around. "Why... is this a ruin?"
The sight of the dilapidated city around them made her heart heavy.
Mash rubbed her hair, shaking out the dust that had flown inside, before looking around.
"This is..."
"You were supposed to be transferred to the largest city of this era," the Doctor said at Chaldea, watching the monitor with a solemn expression. "That just now..."
"It should be the mandatory expulsion function of a Bounded Field," Da Vinci said from the side. "It seems Uruk has been fortified with a defensive Bounded Field, which is why your drop point was randomized to the sky."
"It's a good thing you reacted quickly."
"A defensive Bounded Field? A Bounded Field that covers an entire city can't be cheap," Ritsuka frowned upon hearing this. "Is the Age of Gods just that wealthy... or did they have no choice but to do this?"
"You heard it all," the Doctor said to the two. "It seems the danger of this Singularity is beyond doubt."
"Uruk must be facing some kind of crisis. I'm counting on you both from here on out!"
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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Shilling time!
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