I run through a space that feels as if it’s been painted pitch black.
A shadow pursuing me from behind draws closer with terrifying speed. No matter how much I gasp for air, no matter how much I run until my legs tremble with exhaustion, that shadow approaches with a smile.
Leisurely, as if mocking me, it follows as if it finds the sight of my fear-stricken face enjoyable.
Even though it could easily catch me, I feel no resentment at its taunting behavior. My heart is dominated by a single emotion, a single color.
A blade approaching my throat feels cold and sharp.
Strangely, the approach of death doesn't feel bad. Ah, am I being liberated? Can I finally be free from this chaos?
Every hardship, every pain, every wound, every memory, every trauma—everything ends once you die.
No matter what impurities you held in life, once you die, everything ends as if it were all just a fleeting dream. That is reality.
"No, it doesn't end. ……You have to start over."
Someone speaks quietly as they slit my throat.
And as if it were only natural, my head reattaches, and the shadow clings to me again. It repeats. It repeats forever.
Caught by an existence I cannot defeat, it continues until the end, even if my mind breaks. Even if my limbs stop moving, even if my physical body ceases to exist, I start over.
No answer comes to the question of how long this will last. Just eternally…….
"Haa……!!"
I opened my eyes and sat up.
……It was Chaldea.
I clutched my head, gasping for breath. Ah, damn it. No, don't think about it. I shouldn't think. If I think negatively, I'll only fall deeper into a bottomless pit of despair.
It’s okay, I’m fine. Of course I am. This power is incredible as long as I can keep a positive mindset. Protect my sanity—don't I have to protect the Human Order?
I’ve come this far talking a big game, so I have to fight well enough to back up those words.
I…… can fight. I can fight, I can fight, I have to fight, fight, fight—what happens if I don't?
Even if time passes and even Chaldea disappears, I will return again. Until I win, until I win and everything ends, I cannot be liberated.
The tragic salvation of 'it ends when you die' doesn't exist for me.
No matter how much it hurts, no matter how tired I am, no matter how painful it is, there is no path for me other than to 'challenge' it again.
'I have to fight, right? It’s the only way anyway. It can't be helped even if I despair, it can't be helped. It can't be helped……. If not me, then who? Only I can do this. I might not be a chosen hero, but I am here. If it's something only I can do, then I must do it. ……If I just hurt a little and endure it, nothing bad happens. I can make things proceed smoothly. ……I'm fine, I have to be fine.'
I sat up and got dressed. My permanent prosthetic leg wasn't finished yet, so I was wearing a temporary one Da Vinci-chan had given me for emergencies.
The lengths of the two legs were slightly off, so I walked with a limp. I looked at my arms and let out a quiet sigh. Artificial nerves felt strange.
They moved, but a sense of dissonance was unavoidable. I was told that since everyone's nerves are different, they would need to be adjusted to fit me through regular check-ups.
Aside from that, I had numerous other fatal wounds, but the Chaldea medical team reportedly worked through the night to treat and care for me, bringing me back to life.
Considering the state of my body when I returned from Fuyuki, it was a miracle I was even alive.
Chaldea's medical technology is incredible.
"What are you doing wandering around again?"
"Director, I really enjoyed the lunch box you gave me last time. Yeah, it had that great feeling of being made by someone who hasn't cooked in a long time and is a bit clumsy at it."
"Shut up, resting is also part of your duties. ……That said, I was just about to come find you."
"Hm? ……Did you find a Singularity?"
"Along with that, I've recovered all the Saint Quartz remaining in Fuyuki as you requested. Fortunately, there are no significant dangers left in Fuyuki, so sending drones was enough to retrieve them. In total, we've obtained 32 Saint Quartz. ……You're going to perform a summoning, right?"
"Yeah, because I need to."
If I get Craft Essences, my means of protecting myself increase. Furthermore, if I summon a Servant, whoever they are, they’ll be more helpful than I am.
When I first summoned Charlotte, I was in despair, but looking back now, summoning her was nothing short of a stroke of luck.
Besides, Charlotte, Mr. Caster, and I fought a battle so intense in Fuyuki that you could say our souls were bound together.
Therefore, a bond must have been formed.
One of those two……. No, maybe both will come.
I had no doubt that with the strong friendship of our Fuyuki conquest team, I could summon them quickly.
That’s why, if possible, I wanted a Servant rather than things like Craft Essences.
Of course, I’d be thrilled if Mr. Caster and Charlotte showed up, but any Servant would be welcome.
Naturally, those 'unique' individuals who try to kill me as soon as they're summoned would be a bit problematic; I’d be happy with someone gentle and reasonable, preferably Lawful Good.
Personally, I’d love it if they could fire beams. Beams.
It’s not that I’m deifying Saber just because she beat me like a dog on a summer day, but beams are the strongest, right? They wipe out everything they touch!
"It’s going to get harder from here. Maybe three King of Knights types will show up at once. Will you be okay?"
"……Hehe, Director. It’s only natural for a Heroic Spirit of the past to lose to a human of the present. If three King of Knights show up, I have a great method."
"What!? You have a strategy? H-How……. There shouldn't be any notable weaknesses for the King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon."
"First, all you need is a pistol. There’s no law saying current technology can't beat the past."
"A pistol?" the Director asked with a peculiar expression. I walked down the hallway with her, mimicking a gun with my hand.
"Then you put it to your temple like this……. and pull the trigger."
"That’s suicide!! Don't joke around!!"
"You're the one who shouldn't joke! Are you saying that because you don't know how much I suffered in Fuyuki!? Three!? Thr~~~ee? Are you insane?"
Right now, I’m confident I’d start foaming at the mouth and collapse the moment even one King of Knights appeared before my eyes.
If it were the Alter version, I’d even be prepared for a heart attack. I’d just return even if I died, but I’d definitely fall into escapism.
That was how much the King of Knights had become an object of terror to me. In my mind, she was an immortal who never died.
Luck was on my side, the situation favored me, I made a plan, and I suffered like a madman, but I still couldn't quite believe that I had actually defeated that King of Knights, Artoria Pendragon.
At this point, I felt like I’d be fine even if the mastermind showed up right now.
To me, nothing was scarier than that King of Knights.
My fear of the King of Knights was actually reducing my fear of other Servants.
It was a confidence close to bluffing or illusion, but if it helps me move forward, I might as well use it.
"You really are……. Haa, thinking about it, in a sense, you've formed a bond with the King of Knights too. She might even show up in a summoning."
"When I summon, could you and the Doctor be ready with cardiac massage?"
"Just what is the King of Knights to you?"
If you asked what kind of image I had…….
I thought Tristan, who said the King doesn't understand people; Lancelot, who had an affair with the King's wife and killed his comrades; and even Mordred, who started a rebellion in the chaos, were all crazy bastards.
To think they’d even consider rebelling after seeing her.
In a way, they had courage. Just, wow, such knightly guts~ Seriously?
If they had used those guts to understand the King of Knights' heart even a little, Britain wouldn't have ended like that.
The situation was unavoidable, but the fatal mistake was picking high-ranking officials based solely on skill without looking at their character at all.
How is she supposed to know the human heart when there aren't any decent humans around her? ……I insulted the King of Knights plenty while fighting her, but I didn't mean it.
I felt sympathy and pity for her situation. And I thought she was incredible.
……However, let’s never meet again. Not even as allies.
The words the King of Knights said at the end about meeting again suddenly flashed through my mind. I’d meet her in the 4th chapter, and again in the 6th.
It wouldn't be her exactly, but people around her would appear. Especially the 6th chapter—the power there made the King of Knights I met in Fuyuki look cute.
……Ah, just imagining it makes me feel sick. This is a trash game. Ritsuka, how did you restore the Human Order with a body even less talented than mine?
Give me some tips, tips…….
"If, if, if, if, if, if the King of Knights comes out as an a-a-a-ally, then t-t-t-t-that would be destiny."
"I was wrong. Stop making that face like you're about to die."
I still remembered that final moment.
She lost the Greater Grail, her spiritual core was cracked, and her body sustained wounds that should have forced her withdrawal. She had already used her Noble Phantasm once, so her mana must have been depleted.
The King of Knights, who didn't even have a skill like Battle Continuation, swung her sword with one arm and activated her Noble Phantasm once more. The power of that Noble Phantasm, which narrowly missed me and split the earth, was beyond description.
I almost died without being able to do anything, but I survived by sheer luck.
In the end, the King of Knights withdrew like that, but she felt like she would live on in me forever. In a negative sense.
"I'll explain the Singularity a bit later; let’s do the hopeful thing first. If you can just summon a Servant, they'll be a strong addition to our forces. Go in; everything is ready inside."
I cautiously stepped inside. Bathed in brilliant light, a fusion of science and magecraft stood before my eyes.
This was the Heroic Spirit Summoning System, 'Fate.' It was a system filled with such malice that even Angra Mainyu would recoil—the very thing that created countless Grand Berserkers and people dying of salt.
I swallowed hard as I looked at the Saint Quartz prepared to the side.
If I do a 10-roll, surely it'll give me at least one Servant. In the game, a 10-roll guaranteed one 3-star or higher Servant and one 4-star or higher card.
So, a Servant will definitely come out. I believe in you, Mr. Caster and Charlotte! I believe in our bond!
Let the miracle we caused in Fuyuki happen here once more!!
[Ah, can you hear me? It’s better for only the summoner to be in that room for various reasons, so we're doing it apart like this……. But I'm watching, so I can stop it immediately if a problem arises. No matter what happens, you'll get a Servant and Craft Essences that will help you move forward. I hope they'll be of use in the next Singularity.]
"Don't worry!! Mr. Caster and Charlotte will definitely show up! After all, summoning Charlotte in Fuyuki turned out to be the jackpot!! I'm lucky! I can definitely do this!!"
[Uh, um……. Right. It doesn't have to be those two specifically, but the most important thing is you, the Master. Alright, then let’s begin the summoning.]
Vrummm……. I moved the prepared Saint Quartz. Rumble!!! Light began to shine, just like when I summoned in Fuyuki.
Since the fundamental principle of summoning was the same, it felt similar. However, there was only one spinning ring.
Hmm……. Is this a Craft Essence? No! It’s okay!
Craft Essences were fine too. Depending on how you used them, many were broken.
Even if a Servant is strong, I don't know what might happen to me, so having a Craft Essence as a means to protect myself was by no means a bad option.
[Elixir of Youth]
"Where am I supposed to use this!!"
Are you telling me to get younger!? I'm already young!
If I get any younger, that’s not being young, that’s being a child! No! Calm down! It’s only the first one!
I shouldn't think too negatively! Didn't Mr. Caster say so too?
Things can look positive or negative depending on how you view them! There might come a day when I need to use it!!
[Elixir of Youth]
"Twice in a row is a bit much……."
[Elixir of Youth]
"Are you kidding me!!"
If I take three of those, won't my very existence disappear!? Give me some good news already!!
I won't even ask for gold or rainbow sparks—just a Servant! Servant please!! Mr. Caster! Charlotte! Our bond!!
The feelings from Fuyuki!! I'll never forget them!!
[Elixir of Love]
"Is there an Elixir rate-up going on!? Don't mess with me!!"
[Spicy Mapo Tofu]
"I don't even know how to retort to this! Why is Mapo Tofu coming out!!!"
More than half are already gone. This is impossible! No, to put it another way, there’s still half left!
I don't even want anything big anymore! Just any Servant!! As long as I have a Servant, I can navigate the next story in France more easily than Fuyuki!
Fuyuki was sudden, with no support and no forces; I literally fought using my life force as a tool, but I can go to France prepared.
That’s why it’ll be a problem if a Servant doesn't show up here!!
[Hydra Dagger]
"Huh?"
Finally, a weapon instead of food. It wasn't a Servant, but I stared at the Craft Essence card labeled Hydra Dagger.
……A Master named Sisigou in Fate/Apocrypha had this. If I remember correctly, this Hydra Dagger didn't end up playing a major role.
Was it helpful when making an antitoxin for Semiramis's poison?
Anyway, even if it wasn't used in direct combat, this is useful. According to legend, it was a poison that even eroded Heracles.
Since it came out as a Craft Essence, it must be heavily degraded, but it’s still important to have a weapon that works against Servants.
Especially those Three Knight classes—they all have Magic Resistance and swat away my magecraft like trash.
But with this, it might be possible to poison them.
……This is useful.
"Alright, I see some hope!"
[Mystic Masks]
"Hey, you're listening, right? You're mocking me, aren't you!? You are!! This is weird in the first place! It’s an unwritten rule that one Servant comes out in a 10-roll!!"
[There is no such rule.]
"There isn't!? Damn it, even here there’s a reverse reality correction!!"
It was guaranteed in the game, but here, whether you do a 10-roll or a single roll, the probabilities are all the same?
It was so ridiculous I felt like I was losing my mind.
Seven have come out, so there are only three left. I pressed my hands together as if praying to God.
Please! Please!! Give me hope! Counter Force! I even cleared Fuyuki, so think of it as a reward and give me a Servant!!
How am I supposed to clear France all by myself with just Craft Essences!?
Fujimaru Ritsuka at least had Mash! I have nothing! I don't even need a Servant on Mash's level, just any Servant!!
[Shinji-kun Who Swallows Everything]
"Just get swallowed by the shadow and die already!!"
I wanted to cry now.
[Leyline]
"Gaaaah!! You, as a Craft Essence, are just a one-time mana recovery potion!! You're the same as one Saint Quartz! But this crazy summoning system makes me consume three Saint Quartz to give me one pseudo-Saint Quartz!? What a miraculous exchange! Don't make me laugh! Counter Force!! If you're watching, help me!! Give me hope!!"
Don't joke with me!
In France, unlike Fuyuki, it’s impossible to use the local area to summon a Servant separately!
No matter how many allies there are, I have to wander France alone until I meet them!!
What if I die? What? You can just try again!?
You try dying! Try it!!
Let’s see if those words come out so easily!! Now, the last one…… No! I believe in our bond!!
"Right!? Mr. Caster! Goddess of Luck!! I believe you'll show up!! Our bond! We fought in Fuyuki, shedding blood and even causing our souls to resonate!! We worked so hard against Saber! Join me on this journey to correct the Human Order!! Guardian of the Scales! Please!! Please!!"
[Origin Bullet]
"Guh!"
I collapsed forward as if I had fainted, just like when I summoned Charlotte in Fuyuki. Unlike then, I didn't vomit blood because I had been treated well.
……No, does this make sense? Ten times and not a single one came? Is this for real? My luck…….
It’s too pathetic……!!
That Counter Force bastard isn't working. He’s definitely just slacking off. Just die, just get burned by the mastermind and die!
Aaaah!! Don't you even feel a sense of human triumph for a human trying to flip a game they've already lost back into a victory, you lazy piece of work?
[Um……. You were unlucky.]
"Mr. Caster……!! Charlotte……!! I, I……!! I'm sorry my luck is so trash……!! I'm sure those two were right there, rattling the doorknob!! But I didn't know how to open the door!! What a disaster……!!"
[Uh…. First, calm down. I'm truly sorry a Servant wasn't summoned either, but don't take it too hard.]
The Director was desperate to comfort me. ……Ah, I was hurt, but I'm fine.
It was just a shock that all ten were Craft Essences.
Besides, not many of them seemed useful. Leyline is useful, but as I said earlier, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had used three Saint Quartz to summon one.
Still, it’s better than nothing. And honestly, I didn't think I’d use the Elixir series right away. But they were quite rare items, so I might be able to use them for trading locally.
It was an optimistic outlook, but…….
I-I have to think positively. The ones that seemed most directly linked to my survival were the Hydra Dagger and the Origin Bullet.
The Hydra Dagger can use poison that works on Servants.
Since it came as a Craft Essence, it might be weakened, but either way, if I can make a Servant feel what it’s like to be poisoned, that’s enough.
No matter how much I struggle, I’ll get beaten up not just by Servants, but even by Shadow Servants. In other words, my only use is as a distractor or time-buying bait.
And this seemed like it would make me stand out even more.
If I’m not just an annoying eyesore but also deal some poison damage, they’ll have no choice but to pay attention to me.
……And the Origin Bullet that came out at the end—a Craft Essence that was a specialist bully for magi. ……As long as their Magic Circuits are connected, even if I don't hit them directly, I can just turn their Magic Circuits into a complete wreck.
……I wondered if this would work on Caster-class Servants, but it was worth a try.
I only have one, so I’ll have to think carefully about where to use it.
[Are you okay?]
"……I'm fine. So I'm alone in the next Singularity too. ……I hope I can meet some allies quickly on-site."
Since I was doing this instead of Fujimaru, things were distorted in terms of time, so there was no guarantee that things would proceed exactly as they did in the original work.
If things had proceeded exactly like a copy of the original, would my upper body have been blown away by Berserker?
The Director listened to my words and then spoke with a slightly gentle smile.
[You don't have to worry. You brilliantly conquered a Singularity even in a worse situation. The next Singularity will be no different. I'll do everything I can to support you from here. And the important thing isn't the Servant, it’s you. You just have to cause the miracle you caused in Fuyuki in the next Singularity too. ……You can do it.]
"I wonder if this 'Elixir' tastes good?"
[Listen to me!! And don't eat it!! Honestly……. Why don't you try to develop a bit more tact? Hurry up, I'll explain the next Singularity we've discovered.]
"I'll go meet the Doctor first. I'm curious about the progress on my prosthetic leg too."
[To Romani……? Fine, come to the command room as soon as you're done talking.]
Sigh. I let out a breath as I stepped outside. Seriously……. You want me to go to France alone? Is this for real?
I leaned against the wall as if clinging to it.
Ah, aah……. It’s okay. Unlike Fuyuki, where Mr. Caster was my only hope, there are ally Servants over there like Jeanne d'Arc, Marie Antoinette, and Siegfried.
The downside is that the enemies aren't things like Shadow Servants, but genuine Servants whose skills are fully functional and who use their Noble Phantasms with gusto.
……Wait? Isn't this situation even worse?
……Calm down, I have to calm down. Still, nothing could be scarier than the King of Knights! It’ll surely be…… fine.
"Mr. Caster……. Charlotte……. Huaaaa……."
I trudged along toward where the Doctor was.
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