Another two weeks go by, and another chapter uploads!

Anyways, from last chapter's question, the results seem to almost be a unanimous 'No' on whether or not [Harem Protagonist] should be a skill. Which is fine, and somewhat expected considering just how many people are shipping the characters here.

That aside, this chapter was a fun one to write, but a hellish one to finish since I needed to crunch the entire thing. Still, I think I did an okay job on the chapter as a whole.

Now, onto the chapter itself: (Spoilers for the chapter below!)

Yep, if you read on (or you've already read and came back), Saber just had a bout against Ibaraki and took her sword as the winning prize. For those who don't know, Gilgamesh summoned a bunch more servants who either went AWOL or just straight up died before Ritsuka and Mash finally entered the Singularity. Ibaraki's one of them.

The Ibaraki here might be a bit OOC, but that's mostly because Ibaraki's an oni general, and a damn good one at that. Respectful, dedicated, and powerful. So I imagine she'd greatly respect Saber, both as an opponent and fellow leader.

Now, as for the question I have for this chapter: Do you think Kingu should be saved? We've established Tiamat will eventually be saved, but what about Kingu? Should he live? Should he die? Should Enkidu's spirit (somehow) return to his body? What do you all think?

Anyways, that's enough from me for now. As usual, if you have anything you want to say, leave a review. For now, enjoy the chapter!

P.S. Two days ago, several of Genshin's Chinese VA collabed on BliBli and sang a song called [Let The Wind Tell You], and leme say this: Venti sounds so good and Xiao sounds hot! Oh, and Klee and Qiqi are cute as always.


Saber looks at the amulet in her hands and frowns.

It's a dainty little thing; a simple circular plaque made of silver, with the image of a rising sun carved onto its surface. It was shiny, unnaturally so, and it glittered under the sunlight. Tied to it was an unassuming string, made from tightly coiled leather and made to have the amulet be worn around her neck.

But the feeling it gave is...frighteningly familiar. It pulsed with a bright, cleansing energy, and though Hanami had advised her to wear it, she finds herself reluctant to do so.

She isn't the only one to receive this, and most of the rest had already worn theirs, so with some trepidation, she slings the string over her head and lets the amulet clink against her chest.

And magic rushes into her, playing a gentle melody, and she can't help but shiver at the hauntingly familiar warmth. But she can't do much about it, especially considering the news Hanami had dropped on them this very morning.


"Those amulets are enchanted with [Holy] energy." Hanami explained. "Make sure to wear them at all times. Well, except Shirou, since he doesn't need it, but-, eh, whatever."

Ritsuka had been the one to ask, staring at the amulet in her hands with no small curiosity, wincing slightly as the loud excited shouts of Da Vinci reverberated through the comms. Hanami turned to her, and with a small frown she spoke.

"That fever of yours yesterday, that wasn't because you were sick. " She began, taking a sip from the water bottle she pulled out from...somewhere. "Sometime before you fell ill, a dark taint, something of a similar breed to that monster Shirou killed a while ago, managed to get inside your body and started feasting on your magic circuits."

The entire throne room was silent.

"The taint was making itself home inside you in the beginning, which's why you didn't feel much. It's only when noon was approaching that the taint struck, diving into your magic circuits and draining you of your energy." She took another chug of her water, and screwed the empty bottle close. "If the thing stayed in your body for, maybe, another hour, you would've been dead."

And wasn't that a surprise. Everyone's eyes had shot to the now horrified Ritsuka, and the girl had simply looked down at the amulet in her hands and gulped.

"The reason why I forced everyone to leave after I brought you back was to take the taint out." She continued. "That, and I wanted to do some investigating on my own."

"Hanami." Shirou quickly cut off. "What do you mean?"

The magician went silent for a moment, before the space beside her began to pulse. She dipped her hand into the distortion, and she pulled out a dark, almost slime-like blob, wiggling and shivering on the girl's hand.

"This is what it looks like." She said as she gave the thing a couple pokes. "Don't worry about it moving. It doesn't have the ability to move, but don't touch it either, since it'll begin sucking your prana dry."

"...Interesting." Gilgamesh whispered, leaning forward from his throne as he glared at the offending little thing. "It holds some [Divinity], yet it's incomplete, a fetus of a divine being."

"Yep. That's pretty much it." She dipped the taint back into the distorted space beside her, putting it away before anything terrible could happen. "If it'd finished eating on Ritsuka's magic circuits and turning her into a husk, the taint would've taken over your body, and you'd turn into an [Incomplete Lahmu]."

"If I may ask, Hanami-san." Ushi said, and Hanami turned to the warrior. "You'd said that one mustn't touch the evil taint. Then why did you not suffer any adversity when you held it atop your hand?"

"My magic's poisonous to it." She explained with a shrug. "[Divine] it might be, but it's still somewhat [Demonic] in nature, so my magical energy heavily damages it."

Everyone stared. Hanami blinked, and blinked again. "...Anyways, when a corpse becomes an [Incomplete Lahmu], it'll go off to Tiamat-, or at least her dwelling place, and grow and turn into a fully-grown [Lahmu], which was the thing Shirou killed a while ago, and the monster Mash and I fought the day before."

"...wait, Mash, you-" Ritsuka turns and stares, and the shielder could only shyly laugh. It wasn't quite her fault, considering she was very much tired from the day before.

"...Thankfully," I continue. "The evolution of an [Incomplete Lahmu] to a fully-grown [Lahmu] takes quite a bit of time, so that gives us some time. It also helps that the ones that were created were still just experiments."

Then, Hanami frowned, and the bright sky seemed to darken. "But there's already a lot of [Incomplete Lahmu] that were created. They just need to decide on the perfect [Lahmu] form and start transforming at once. And if that happens, well…" She let the sentence hang, but the implied threat was clear.

"To make things worse, those things learn incredibly fast." She added. "If I was to...put it to numbers, then their skills had the potential to jump around 20, maybe 30 levels in the span of a minute. As an example, the [Lahmu] Mash and I fought started out being pretty bad at attacking, but after only a minute or so, the thing could probably fight against Heroic Spirits."

The throne room was silent once more.


And isn't that terrific? Saber can't help but sigh. She had heard bits and pieces about this monster from Shirou's encounter, but to learn all of that?

Although, to have gathered so much information from so little, and in so little time…

It proves that those mystic eyes Hanami has are incredible, and definitely much more powerful than Hanami claims them to be.

But if Hanami had been a foe instead of an ally…

Saber shivers at the implications. If Hanami was truly an opponent she had to face, then she'd have all of her information taken. Hanami would immediately learn of her strengths and weaknesses, of her likes and dislikes, of her history and her life, and of the Noble Phantasms she could use.

Thankfully, Hanami had been introduced into the moonlit through Shirou, and so that was impossible.

But what if she'd learnt from another source?

...Considering that parallel universes exist, such a scenario surely exists in a distant world.

Sighing, Saber shakes her head and pushes the thoughts away. This isn't really the time to be thinking of such things.

So she stands, donning her armor-

And leaps back as the ground where she stood upon suddenly combusts into flames. She lands, digging her foot into the dirt as she swings her Excalibur, clashing it against a golden claymore. She stands her ground, shifting her grip to push forward, when the strength behind her opponent's sword suddenly doubles, and she's forcibly flung back.

With a shout, Saber stabs her sword into the ground, dragging herself to a stop. Pulling her blade out, she leaps back, just in time to avoid the claymore that came her way.

Slowly, the dust clears, and Saber narrows her eyes.

The one that stands before her is a girl, with her hair long and yellow and her eyes an unnatural gold. A yellow kimono is loosely worn over her lithe body, decorated by the bright yellow fire that dances all around her.

But most telling are the two horns on her forehead.

An oni. She distantly recalls from the knowledge the grail granted her, though the information she has is scarce, and most likely useless. All she knows is that this oni has control over fire, has a claymore filled with curses, and is most likely filled with a lust for battle, seeing as her lips are curved to a mad grin.

"Not bad, girl." The oni says, hefting her claymore over her shoulder. "So, Ibaraki-Douji's the name. What's yours?"

"...Arturia Pendragon." She says slowly, silently casting [Reinforcement] on her armor.

Ibaraki's eyes shot open. "Well, if it isn't King Arthur herself!" She says, feral excitement clear in her voice. "This false world's filled with all kinds of wonderful people-, except for the one bitchy girl I have to work with. Ugh."

Saber eyes the girl oddly, though she can't help but smile slightly. "I thank you for the compliment."

"I aim to please." She says with an exaggerated bow.

Saber remains silent for a moment, contemplating, before she lowers her sword. "If I may ask," She begins. "Must we fight?"

"Why not?" Ibaraki shrugs. "I get to fight, I get to kill humans, and when all of this is over, I get a chance to get a wish. What's there not to like?"

But Saber maintains her stare, clearly unconvinced by the oni's words, and Ibaraki sighs. "...Well, not like I can help it. My will has been chained, and there ain't anything I can do. Still," She grins. "At least I'm on the winning side."

"Oh? Truly?" Saber bites back with a small smile. Odd as it may be, but she can find no hatred or malice that she can direct towards the oni. There is only understanding, and a strange small spark of excitement. "Perhaps I should show you which side you're truly on?"

"Oya? Not bad, girl." Ibaraki grins, and her fire grows as she swings her claymore down. "But let's see if that bark of yours has any bark!"

And with that declaration, Ibaraki leaps forward with incredible speed, but Saber is ready now, and quickly she swings her sword forward, clashing her sword against the claymore. Once again, Saber feels Ibaraki's strength suddenly increase, but unlike before, Saber remains in place as she fights the increased strength with her own.

Then, she slides forward, letting the claymore crash against the earth as Saber thrusts her sword towards the oni's stomach.

But fire suddenly springs forth from Ibaraki's side, and Saber swiftly leaps back. She spins in the air, catching a glimpse of Ibaraki's outstretched hand, and her eyes shoot wide open as she sees fire gathering around her hand, forming into a giant smoldering fist made of flames.

Ibaraki smirks.

"Fly! [Great Grudge of Rashomon]!"

And at her call, the flaming fist is fired, racing quickly towards the airborne knight. Even at a distance, Saber can feel the powerful heat the fist carries, feel the cloth underneath her armor begin to burn, and so she makes a decision.

Pumping prana into her sword, she reinforces her hand as a vortex of wind forms, gathering a powerful storm onto her sword. She tightens her grip, and facing the incoming fist, she shouts.

"[Invisible Air]!"

At her behest, the gathered winds fire off in a powerful column of concentrated wind. The attack quickly makes contact with Ibaraki's Noble Phantasm, and in a brilliant explosion, the two forces collide. Winds and fire are shot out, and Saber quickly brings her sword up to defend against the blast.

It works, to an extent. The force of the explosion sends her crashing into the earth, though the impact is negligible to her natural vitality, The heat of the blast dealt much more however, with some pieces of her breastplate having been melted, and much of the cloth on her shoulders have been burnt off.

Well, no worries.

Now, shall I return the favor?

She takes a step forward, her metallic boots sharply grinding into the earth as she holds her sword towards the sky. Then, like fireflies, sparks of golden light begin to rise around her, swirling towards her blade as one, lighting the magical weapon with power. She sees Ibaraki quickly approaching, fire burning in her hands, and Saber smiles.

She takes another step forward, and swings.

"[Excalibur]!"

A pillar of light crashes down on the oni, and it's only because of the claymore she brought up that she remained uncrushed. The earth isn't so fortunate however, having been crushed and swept away by Excalibur's might.

But it's certainly too bad, as Ibaraki doesn't notice that Excalibur's glow is yet to fade.

Saber shifts her grip, and ducking under Ibaraki's claymore, Saber swings her sword up. The magical light gathered within the sword releases once again, and Ibaraki can only scream as her torso suffers the complete blunt of Saber's Noble Phantasm. Even with her increased strength, Ibaraki holds out for only a second before she's swept away, carried along with rocks and dirt by the column of light.

However, she wouldn't be Ibaraki Douji if she fails from just this. She's survived multiple amputations, strikes to the chest, and swords towards her heart.

Something as ample as this won't be enough, and both she and Saber know.

So Ibaraki spins and punches the air, sending herself higher towards the sky. She takes a breath, mist blowing from her mouth as she roars, and in response the fire around her grows, and their light overtakes even that of the uncovered sun. Saber winces slightly as she feels her breastplate begin to melt.

Saber takes a step back, rearing her arm back as Excalibur begins to glow again, fairy light dancing around as she tightens her grip. Then, as per her command, wind begins to spin, growing violent as they gather around her sword, mingling with the blade's holy light and turning a bright, gentle white.

Ibaraki clenches her hand, and all around her, the fire morphs into giant flaming fists, each ready to be fired.

Saber lets her prana flow, her magic core thrumming with power, and the ground cracks under her presence.

Both women shout, and the world flashes white as hellfire crashes against winds and light.

Ibaraki is blown away by the explosion's intense force, crushing several of her bones as she's sent flying further into the air. Saber bites her lip as she's forced deeper into the ground, the chinks of her armor grinding painfully against her body as she withstands the explosion's force.

The fire abates, the wind fades, and the world is silent in the aftermath of the collision.

Then, Ibaraki smirks, and the air turns smoldering hot once more as ten brilliant stars form around her. They appear small at a glance, but Saber can clearly feel the heat gathered in them, each star perhaps twice or thrice as hot as those hands she fired before.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Burn from the blinding fires!"

"[Great Flame of Mount Ooe]!"

And like falling stars, the ten great flames descend, the air and light around them bending from the incredible heat.

Saber silently curses as she readies her sword once again.

She takes a step forward, dragging her feet out from the earth and great winds spin around her. "[Excalibur]!" She swings her sword to the sky, firing a column of holy light. The fired light collides with two of the stars, and the explosion that follows creates heat so strong it melts even the stone hidden under the dirt.

Saber winces. "[Excalibur]!" She shouts and swings again, sending another column of light. Three more stars are struck down, and Saber gasps as molten metal from her breastplate drips down onto her chest, painfully searing her skin. "[Excalibur]!" Applying [Reinforcement] onto her chest to dull the pain, Saber takes another step and swings again.

Another two stars explode from the collision, and all the combined force finally sends the remaining three stars off their course, letting them crash and explode a distance away. But even with the distance, Saber can only silently curse as heat washes over her, melting away some more of her armor.

But with the ten stars gone, Saber makes a hasty step forward, sword glowing,

When Ibaraki suddenly appears from the cloud of smoke and dust above her, the oni's eyes burning a hungry red as her gloved hand reaches for her face. Saber's eyes grow wide as the hand grows closer, the heat they carry growing stronger.

Then, she takes a note from a certain hulking Berserker and lets go of her sword, bending her waist back and letting the oni's hand fly right over. Then, as her hands make it to the ground, she leaps, sending a powerful kick onto Ibaraki's chin before sending a couple of flying kicks onto the oni's stomach.

Ibaraki cries in pain as she's sent crashing back, her chin broken and her stomach bruising.

"Ough…" Ibaraki coughs as she stands, a stilted smile on her face. "Didn't...think King Arthur could do that."

"Certainly." Saber casually comments back as she pulls her sword out of the dirt. "But like anyone, I can learn new things."

Of course, it isn't as simple as that. Back on their home world, Hanami had suddenly appeared before her and gave her a strange instruction book on [Jujutsu] and [Reinforcement], saying that having some form of close quarter skill would aid her in the future.

And the magician certainly is right. If she hadn't learned those skills, she wouldn't have been able to react to Ibaraki's flaming hand, and who knows what the oni might've done?

Although it certainly is odd that she managed to learn in such a short amount of time. She suspects that those instruction books are actually tomes, and the magic that surrounded them lent credence to that assumption, but she isn't too sure.

"Well, that's a surprise to be sure." Ibaraki says, rubbing her already healed chin. "I wanna fight a bit longer, but…" She points to her chest, and it doesn't take long for Saber to feel the sudden build up of magical energy. "Seems like my times up for now."

So, with her teeth showing, Ibaraki grins. "I'll see you next time, Arthur. Don't die just yet!"

And without sound nor noise, the oni disappears, leaving nothing but her golden claymore, left behind just a distance away.

Saber stands there for a few minutes, scraping away the molten bits of metal that'd fallen onto her skin. Thankfully, no burns scars are left on her skin, but the pain is very much real, and she can only wince as she painfully pulls the cooled blobs of metal from her skin.

With her task finished, Saber takes a small breath as she turns to leave, and stops. She stays there for a moment, lips pursed in slight conflict before she quickly turns back, takes Ibaraki's Claymore into her hands and turns back, heading towards Uruk.

Had Hanami been there, she would've noticed and told Saber of the curses within the Claymore, and of how it latched onto Saber's draconic heart.


You know, I had an idea of how dedicated the citizens of Uruk were from Gilgamesh's visions, but now that I'm here?

God damn.

From a distance away, I can only smile wryly as I watch hundreds of soldiers line up before one of the [Dumping Points], large magical barrels strapped onto their backs as they pour the liters upon liters of demonic blood. With how fast they're doing it, the stream of demonic blood seems almost constant.

And this scene is happening at the other three [Dumping Points] as well.

Honestly, watching the entire thing's making me wonder if Uruk needs another couple [Dumping Points] or so. But, then I remember how fast the [Demonic Javelins] are being created by the automatic [Production Line] I, Merlin, and Da Vinci made, and I swiftly put a stop to the idea. As cool as it sounds, just like everything, having too much of one thing is never beneficial, and Uruk's already kind of swimming in Dingir ammunition now.

Well, it's nice to know that the system I helped to create functions well, but let's see how long we can keep this up.

Because an odd problem is beginning to show itself.

The number of available Demonic Beasts are decreasing. With Gorgon no longer creating demonic beasts from corpses and Kingu working to create a [Lahmu] that can actually grow and survive, the number of beasts have become finite. Then the [Production Line] was made, soldiers got to work killing and draining the beasts' blood, and the finite numbers decreased even more.

The area around the [Walls of Babylon] are clean of demonic beasts now, and the soldiers are expanding their reach to find more beasts to kill.

Of course, they wouldn't normally do this. For as strong the soldiers of this era are, they're still normal humans, and they wouldn't have lasted long against the demonic beasts, let alone an entire pack.

But then again, whenever I'm added into the mix, nothing's ever normal.

With the knowledge that the [Soul Forge] accepts other people, Shirou and I got to work, forging hundreds of spears and armors for the soldiers to wear, creating them using magical metals and imbuing them with some low-level skills to help them out.

And the results are wonderful, if slightly frightening, and traumatizing.

I mean, now that they have new weapons, the soldiers went through a new training regiment. I was curious and went to one of the training sessions the soldiers undergo with Leonidas, and, I just-

I never wanna go again.

So many six-packs and pectorals and manly shouting and hugging and...and just thinking about it is sending shivers up my spine.

Curse you, absolute perfect memory from my mystic eyes…!

I'm pretty sure Ritsuka's traumatized as well, since when I asked her about it, she just shut down and shook her head with the emptiest expression I've ever seen the girl have.

That all aside, my days here have been hectic, to say the least. By day, I'm working on several new trinkets and weapons for everyone to use, and by night, I'll be in the throne room, discussing Uruk's troubles with both Gil and Gilgamesh.

It's quite the fulfilling life, and tiring.

But of course, this is nothing but an illusion. Tiamat will soon rise, Uruk will inevitably fall, its people will be slain, and when this Singularity ultimately ends, Ritsuka and Mash will return to Chaldea.

I don't have much to say on it. I already know what's inevitably coming, and all I can do is prepare everyone to the best of my capabilities.

And when that's over, life will go on.

I don't really have anything against that.

...That aside! Remember the [Divine Essences] and the [Divine Shell] skill book I got from killing that [Lahmu] last time? I've been pondering over what to do with the two. I mean, I can use the skill book for myself, but all it does is grant me extra defense with some divinity tacked onto it, and the [Divine Essences] are still a mystery.

Or at least, they were, until I remembered someone that might enjoy regaining some divinity.

So, standing up, I cast an [Empty ID] over the entirety of Uruk, bolstering it to make sure no energy can escape. Then, pulling the two items from my inventory, I let the [Divine Shell] skill book and the bundle of [Divine Essences] drop onto my hands. I look down at the items, watching them glow with a gentle white light, and I smile.

"[Brimstone Elemental], come forth!"

The wind blows, and the Brimstone Elemental appears out of thin air, her expression still frozen in that emotionless mask. But now that I'm able to use my mystic eyes to peer into people's minds, I can feel the lingering shroud of regret over her, and a deep longing for a past and future that cannot be.

So it's just a tad awkward to suggest my idea.

"Uh," I begin softly, bringing the two divine items forward. "So, I got these some time ago. Do you think they're safe?"

The Brimstone Elemental remains silent, but I can feel the agreement from her mind, and I smile. "I see. Well, I wasn't sure what to do with these things. I don't need the skill book, and my mystic eyes' are not providing anything useful about the essences. So, I wondered,"

Looking up at the stoic elemental, I hold the two items up. "How about I give these to you to restore your divinity?"

The elemental is still as silent, but I can see her eyes widening, her mouth dropping open slightly as if to say something. I blink, surprised. It is, after all, the first time I've seen the elemental's face become so animated.

Her mind is in chaos. Even without prying too deep, I can feel anger, suspicion, wariness, surprise, and hope all mixed together into one, and the sheer intensity is making my head feel slightly dizzy. Still, I remain in place, a smile on my face as I waited for the silent elemental's response.

Then, slowly, the Brimstone Elemental makes a minute nod.

"Okay then." And so, with a gentle smile I reach out and grasp the connection tying us both, taking hold over the leash binding us with my prana. Then,

[Gift! You are giving 100x [Divine Essences] and [[Divine Shell] Skill Book] to [Brimstone Elemental]. Continue? Y/N]

I click [Yes].

And light fills the world as the two items in my hand begin to float, their divine auras mingling with the magical energy in the air. Then, like a slab of iron to a magnet, the two items fly into the Brimstone Elemental. They crash against her chest, and the light dies down.

Everything goes silent for a moment, and worry begins to grow inside me.

Then, the elemental's torso cracks, lines of yellow and white spreading across her chest, and my worry spikes. I immediately activate my mystic eyes,

And I stop, eyes widening in surprise.

Deep inside the elemental's chest, I can see a small seed glowing, growing with every second as it feeds from the energies inside the elemental's body. As it grows, it stretches against the rigid body, and the elemental cracks as a result.

The cracks spread, and out from the elemental comes a great burst of magical energy, sending winds blowing out and tearing apart the surrounding empty buildings. The building I'm standing on remains undamaged, though I still float up using [Morningstar], in case it happens to break as well.

And a second later, it does, the building toppling over when another burst of magical energy shoots out.

The seed inside the elemental continues to grow, sending stronger and stronger pulses of magical energy, and I float back to a safe distance, keeping a watchful eye over the seed's growth.

A minute passes, and the seed's grown large enough to really stretch against the Brimstone Elemental's body, causing the elemental's body to bloat up, with cracks lining every inch of her body.

Then, the elemental's body finally reaches its limit, and it shatters, exploding and filling the world with bright light, sending winds of biblical powers out onto the empty city. The winds send the buildings flying, and the earth seems to splash as the dirt and stone are ripped out and sent flying into the sky.

Only I remain unaffected, as if the winds are deliberately kept away from me, and I can only stare as the light dies down to reveal a woman, her long hair a deep burning red and her eyes an untamed orange. Flames snake around her, covering her naked body like a protective shell. She looks at me, her hair dancing in the wind, and smiles.

And I smile back, knowing who this woman is even without my mystic eyes active.

The woman bows, before she disappears into a shower of sparks, swirling before it fades.

[Gift transfer successful!]

["For how long had it been since I was able to move so freely? To see so clearly? I know not. Time had eroded that sense of self, broken my spirit and torn away my hopes for a future.

There had been so many other options you could've picked for a companion from that strange system of yours, so many others that would've been much more powerful than I. And yet, you chose me, and when I'd expected another millenia of enslavement, you gave me freedom.

I do not know why you've done so, and even now I still do not know. But perhaps that is what makes you so different from the others I have served.

My name is of no importance, I have lost it a long time ago You have saved me, gifted me, and restored what was lost. I cannot repay you, and perhaps even my servitude for time immemorial will not suffice, but it doesn't matter. I will be by your side, master, from then, now, and until your soul returns to the Root."]

[From the hearts of men she was born, and from it she had fallen. Now, it is your turn to bring her forth]

[Due to special actions, you have gained the skill [Retainer of the Flame Goddess]!]

...Damn. I...I have no words. I mean, like, I expected something grandiose to happen, but just like everything else, it's blown my expectations from the water.

Seriously, the winds she sent out leveled the entire city of Uruk! That's pretty much nuclear bomb levels of damage…!

But still,

With the goddess now restored, our connection has become clearer, and through it I can feel the emotions swirling behind that smile of hers. There was shock, happiness, and a gratitude so deep it nearly sent me to tears.

And knowing that, I feel...content?

Yeah, that's the word.

So, with a smile, I gently glide back to the ground and let the [Empty ID] break apart, the instant dungeon having served its purpose.


At that time, I thought my concealment had worked perfectly, and that no one had felt the insane surge of power the fire goddess sent.

Of course, since I'm saying this, it obviously didn't. But, that's an issue saved for later.


Hmm…

Something is...odd today. I mean, I woke up, ate breakfast, and went out into Uruk as usual. But, well,

Why is everyone staring at me?

When I woke up, Shirou had paused and stared, his eyes wide before he shrugged and went on as usual. Gil and Gilgamesh held the same amused expressions as I met them, both giving an encouraging pat on her back before heading to the cafeteria. Saber had stared for a full minute, her mouth opening and closing, before she just sighed and left, nursing her head as she left.

As she sat down for breakfast, she met up with Mash and Ritsuka, and both stared at her as if she was some sort of alien. Ushi and Benkei did much the same, though they were much more subtle about it. Leonidas took a good look at me and gave my shoulder a playful punch as he left for his morning duties.

And now, I'm walking through the streets of Uruk, shuffling awkwardly as I feel everyone staring at me.

[[Stoicism] leveled up!]

Thanks, game.

I mean, my appearance is the same as always, and I don't feel like I'm doing anything weird. Well, I did get a new skill, but [Retainer of the Flame Goddess] doesn't do anything explicit, or at least, the description doesn't show anything. It's pretty much like a much stronger version of [Blessed by Dragons], except it's directed on [Fire] related things than [Dragon] ones.

...wait. No, I didn't just receive that skill yesterday, did I? I also took in the purified and restored version of the fire goddess.

Is that what's making everyone stare at me weird?

Thankfully, I'm not given that chance as a loud cry suddenly comes from a distance away. Everyone's eyes break away from me, and I make my hasty escape, heading towards the source of the scream.

I'm not that worried though. I'm picking up some heavy divinity from the area, coupled with some gentle heat, as if I'm sleeping under the sun.

And there's only one individual with that combination.

Nearing the end of the alley, sunlight peers into the dark, and I come out to the wide street to see a pile of unconscious soldiers, a very bewildered Mash, an incredibly exasperated Ritsuka, and a very lively Quetzalcoatl wrestling with Saber.

It's truly a strange sight.

The moment I close in, Quetzalcoatl turns to me, her eyes taking a teasing glint. "Mm~! So you're the new one!" She says as she leaps towards me, and I quickly swerve away to evade the incoming attack.

Or, at least I tried, because as soon as I moved, Quetzalcoatl dug her feet into the stone road, spun, and launched right into my stomach, knocking the air right out and sending both of us crashing onto the ground.

"Um." I begin, my cheeks reddening slightly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about, deary~" She says with a wide smile, and I gasp as I feel her hands roaming throughout my body.

"W-What are you-, hya!?"

"Oh, was that a ticklish spot?" She drawls out, and I can only struggle to escape as she continues her ventures, skillfully prodding and teasing with those delicate fingers of hers. "How about this one?"

"Hya!?"

"Oho? That one was loude-" Before she can finish, an armored fist smashes onto her side and sends Quetzalcoatl flying into the nearby building, punching straight through the walls.

"What are you doing, you heathen!?" Saber shouts with burning fury, before her expression melts to one of concern as she gently picks me up. "Are you okay, Hanami-san?"

"I-I'm fine!" I squeak out, wiggling uncomfortably as the two spots Quetzalcoatl poked still tingle. "It's-, I'm j-just kinda sensitive right now…"

Saber stares at me for a minute or so, before she turns back to the American goddess and glares. Quetzalcoatl just stands from the rubble and smiles, cracking her fingers and neck as if to prepare for some massive battle. "Mm, that was fun!" She says happily, before dropping down to a low crouch. "Powerful and confident. The perfect combination~"

"...every word you speak is reminding me of Merlin." Saber whispers dangerously. "It's too bad you're a female. Your genitalia would've been gone by now."

Within the castle, a certain flower magus shivers.

"Ooh, how kinky!"

Saber glares further. "You damn-"

"K-Kya!?" I let out another squeak, and Saber stops as she looks down to me, clearly confused on what happened. I whimper slightly. "P-Please don't move so much, Saber…"

All goes quiet.

"...Hanami-san." Saber begins, her expression the most serious I've ever seen. "I know you mean well, and that you are a sweet girl, but please, I beg of you, never say those words like that ever again."

"E-Eh, why…?"

"...Hanami-san." Saber says again, this time with a smile. "Please stay quiet."

"Okay…?" And as she places me back down on the ground, I turn to see how Mash and Ritsuka are doing, and...huh? Are their faces red? And why are they looking away?

My attention is pulled away when Quetzalcoatl launches out of the house with a jovial laugh, and Saber rushes forward with her fists ready to strike.

And so a clash of [Wrestling] and [Jujutsu] occurs as the two fighters duke out in combat. Quetzalcoatl attacks with wide sweeping strikes and lunges, with a particular fascination of grabbing Saber and throwing her around like some sort of stuffed doll. In response Saber strikes back with quick and brutal punches, using any openings available and countering when possible.

Stone and debris fly as the two battle, occasionally bulldozing through buildings in their path, though both fighters are keen on keeping collateral damage to a minimum, hence why both are fighting with their fists and kicks.

It's just amazing to watch really. Quetzalcoatl's attacks are wild and primal, but their strength is undisputed, and Saber's swift punches are incredible, especially considering the short amount of time since she first picked up [Jujutsu].

But then Quetzalcoatl smirks, her magical energy spikes, and Saber brings her arm fast enough to block a powerful slam, though the force still lifts the king off the ground and sends her flying. Quetzalcoatl crouches, ready to jump,

Before she suddenly turns and leaps towards me. But, I'm ready this time, and I reverse the gravity around me, halting the goddess' charge and instead sends her tumbling back. Narrowing my eyes, I create several little balls of condensed magic and fire them at her. Seeing the attack, Quetzalcoatl swiftly stops and jumps.

The goddess realizes too late that my aim wasn't her.

"Saber!"

"Yes!" Stretching out her fist, Saber catches the orbs, and [Morningstar] activates as I spread the orbs' magical energy throughout Saber's arm, coating her gauntlet with powerful magical light. With her gauntlet now glowing with light, Saber cocks her arm back, her eyes trained on the airborne goddess.

"[Mana Burst]!" And with a shout she punches forward, the combined power of her [Mana Burst] and my magic firing off in the form of a powerful beam, and Quetzalcoatl can only shield herself as the beam of light slams right into her.

But then the attack suddenly grows, and Quetzalcoatl cries out as she's sent crashing into the ground, cracking the earth as the beam continues to push down onto her.

...Huh? I blink, surprised at the sudden doubling in power. I turn my eyes to Saber, and she looks just as confused, staring at her own fists in shock and fascination.

Wait, oh, I see. I didn't consider that!

Now, since my magic mixed with hers, the attack she sent was technically mine as well. And Saber's a dragon, right?

[Blessed by Dragon] doubles the power of any [Dragon]-based attacks.

You see what I'm getting at here?

But what was with that slight delay? If I was the one to attack, then the power bonus would've applied immediately. Is it because my involvement in the attack is indirect? Maybe that caused my [System] to need some time to rationalize the attack?

Whatever the case, it's an interesting tidbit I'll need to watch out for in the future.

However, even after that, Quetzalcoatl just stands up from the crater our combined attack created, looking as if she hadn't been slammed onto the ground by a powerful beam of concentrated magic. "Mm! That was fun!" She says cheerfully, and we all ready ourselves.

Then, Quetzalcoatl stops, and her smile softens. "But, if you're the one battling, then perhaps we all have a chance at survival after all."

I blink, surprised at the sudden shift. Quetzalcoatl simply laughs. "What? Cheery I may be, but so too am I a deity, you know? I'm not one to have fun at every moment." She says with a shrug. "Now, I've come to have that promise from that redhead fulfilled."

"Redhead?" I turn my eyes to Ritsuka, but she just blinks back, just as confused as I am. Then, if it's not Ritsuka-

"You mean Shirou?"

"Mm, yes, I think that's his name. Promised something about having someone help with the contract binding me to Tiamat."

Ah. Right. The [Three Goddess' Alliance]. I forgot that's even a thing-

Wait, but isn't that a contract that works between Quetzalcoatl, Ereshkigal, and Gorgon? Gorgon's out cold now, and there isn't any point since Gorgon's not planning on destroying humanity any time soon, so the contract should be nulled now. Quetzalcoatl shouldn't even be bound to the actual Tiamat at all.

But when I use my mystic eyes, I can clearly see a contract binding her to Tiamat. Did Gorgon's usage of Tiamat's name somehow bound Quetzalcoatl to the actual Tiamat as well-

No, hold on. From the moment I stepped into this Singularity, I knew everything was different, that there were new enemies I'll need to battle against to reach this Singularity's conclusion. What's to say the past of this Singularity isn't different as well?

"That 'someone' is probably me." I say as I sit on the stone road.

"Oh, truly?" She asks, and I nod confidently, my mystic eyes easily catching sight of the thread between her and the unseen Tiamat. Quetzalcoatl smiles. "Then I will wait for your miracle. But, be warned." She takes a step forward, and her smile takes a dangerous edge. "If your claim proves to be false, then hell shall follow."

I remain undeterred. "I know."

And so the air suddenly stills as my magical energy rises, reaching deep into Quetzalcoatl's soul. With my invisible hand, I reach out and grasp the connecting thread, and the magic in the air grows, and the stone roads and buildings around us begin to crack from the pressure.

Ah, this is bad.

Not wanting to pay for more insurance (not that it'll put a dent in my bank account), I create an [Empty ID] over us, and the empty streets become truly empty, with only the ones present at the bout brought into the mirror world.

I solidify my connection to the contract, and the pressure in the air nearly doubles. In the back, Ritsuka struggles to stand, needing Mash to hold her to stay standing, and Saber narrows her eyes, the metal bindings of her armor quivering and scraping against one another.

I feel Quetzalcoatl shiver at the invading energy, but I give her a quick smile to assure her.

The goddess looks to me, both confused and hopeful, and she forcefully calms her body. Seeing that, I take a deep breath, and shout.

"[Gehen]!"

Through our connection, and guided by my mystic eyes, the skill activates and my magical energy dives into the contract. It seeps into it, bringing forth information over the contract's effects and clauses, and once it reaches the contract's core,

My prana lashes violently, and like a piece of paper through a shredder, the contract is torn.

Unlike shredding a paper however, the effect isn't simply dirtying the inside of the shredder. The moment the contract is broken, its magical energy violently lashes back, escaping from Quetzalcoatl's soul and out into the world. The magic tears across the goddess' body, creating wide gashes all over her body, and through our connection, the violent magic attacks me too, cutting wounds all over my arm.

Thankfully, the effect on the outside world is minimal, and I let out a shaky sigh, slowly withdrawing my arm and gently placing it down on my lap. Had my [Reinforcement] been slower, I'm pretty sure I would've lost my right arm, and isn't that a scary thought?

Well, even if I did lose an arm, I guess I can just create a new one, maybe even one with magic and stuff.

Ah, but thinking about that is bad. As tempting as the idea sounds, I've never made a living arm before, and cutting my arm off just for an idea is a good way to reach an early grave.

But, that aside,

"So…" I begin softly, turning to look at Quetzalcoatl. "It should be broken now."

The goddess closes her eyes for a moment, and she can only silently nod. "That's good." I say, my eyes drooping slightly. "Really good." I repeat. "Sorry about the blood though. I...tried to hold back the whiplash, but I couldn't do much."

"Mm, I don't really mind." She says casually.

"Ah...okay then." I smile, and with my good hand, I stand back up.

Before falling down, my legs having grown numb.

"...eh?" I blink, before I'm suddenly assaulted by a massive pounding headache. "What's…?"

"Do rest, Hanami-san." I hear Saber say, and I blink to realize that I'm being carried in the knight's hands. "You've been working for a good hour after all."

An...hour? I sat down on the road for an hour? But I barely felt anything! The entire thing felt like minutes to me!

[Stamina: 4%]

But my stamina clearly states otherwise.

"Un, okay then." I whisper, and it isn't long before sleep takes me.


Just as a reminder, Imma put this here again: Should Kingu die? Should he live? Or should something else happen? What do you all think?