Abyssal Wanderer.

"Well? My Master, shouldn't you listen to this gentleman's advice and let her summon her Servant for another round?"

After listening to Alex's opinion, V asked Zhou Liqi over the communication channel.

Are you kidding me?

This was the man's answer.

He then continued:
Try to stall for time; I'll be right there in the Argo.

I do not recommend that you do this.

V immediately responded to the Master's suggestion.

[The person before us is most likely the Master of the Hercules Path. Their combat power is equivalent to, or even greater than, a powerful Servant... A direct confrontation would be unwise; it's better to proceed according to the original plan.]

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communication, then a reply came:

Okay, then you need to stall for time as much as possible.

Having received confirmation from his Master, V dusted off his cloak, glanced around at the increasingly faint flames, and sighed:

"Seriously... Even though he's a Master, he beat me up like this with just one punch. This world is just too unfair, isn't it?"

Then he looked at Alex and said directly:
"Regarding your suggestion... I'm sorry, even if I were willing to let this lady summon a Servant, it seems she doesn't have the opportunity right now."

The other person's mocking tone made Sita realize something.

The other party's meme release had stopped at this moment, but she still hadn't resumed communication with AR.

After several attempts, she finally only heard intermittent explosions and curses on a severely jammed channel.

They are fighting against whom?

Sita looked up at V, and if her bionic disguise were still intact, her eyes would be filled with rage.

"Unfortunately... it seems we've already encountered it."

V spread his hands, speaking with a hint of regret.

Zhou Liqi had a very accurate grasp of the battle situation. After learning that the enemy had not yet summoned their Servants, he sent the nearest unit to encircle and annihilate them.

"you……"

Just as Sita was about to say something through gritted teeth, Alex suddenly spoke up.

"Go."

As he spoke, he took a step forward, blocking the way between Theta and V, and then turned back to look at the woman whose prosthetic body was now completely shattered.

"Go and rescue your companions, summon your Servants. Don't worry, I'll help you hold off this juggler."

This man, whose appearance was no different from that of an ordinary person, put his hands in his pockets.

The other party seemed completely unconcerned that he was helping a potential competitor—this might be because he had no interest in the Dionysian framework, but more likely it was because he was confident that he had no rivals.

Sita hoped the answer was the former.

But at least for now...

"Thank you... I owe you a favor this time."

"Sita said softly."

Alex chuckled and said:

"You can't afford to owe me a favor, and besides, I'm doing this purely for my own satisfaction."

Sita has seen plenty of people who use lofty reasons to justify their self-gratification, but she has rarely met anyone who openly admits that their actions are solely for self-gratification.

Having said that, Sita no longer hesitated.

She gathered the Nyx Factor and circulated it within her body to replace some of the burned-out circuitry, using the remaining Aegis modules to assist her power system. Instantly, the leg servo motors emitted a strained groan, stubbornly propelling her towards the reception center.

According to the GPS device on AR, she and the morticians should be at the old reception center at this moment...

But before she could take a few steps, another unexpected event occurred.

A blinding searchlight suddenly shone down, converging on an open space like a spotlight on a stage.

Several old Apache helicopters appeared in the sky, stirring up the rain. Their rotors tore through the curtain of rain, and the faded Stars and Stripes on their fuselages were still faintly visible in the dim light.

Then, a figure surrounded by a halo of light jumped off the plane and landed steadily in the spot illuminated by the searchlight.

Sita had seen this visitor before in a live stream—the Colombian goddess.

She was still wearing that classic red, white and blue dress, with a Phrygian red hat on her head, and the torch held high in her right hand.

In the torrential rain, the rainwater evaporated within a foot of her, and the rising mist formed a blurry halo behind her.

"What a touching friendship between colleagues."

The sounds of Colombia pierced through the rain and reached everyone's ears clearly.

Then her gaze slowly shifted from Sita to Alex, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

"Mr. Alex, your strength is admirable. But letting your opponent go at this time, isn't that a bit too confident?"

As she spoke, the lighthouse in her hand pointed like a sword at the West Tower.

"Especially since she was the one who let Orpheus go, you should know best how troublesome she is once she starts."

Alex didn't answer her question, but instead frowned and said:

"You know my name?"

Alex had always trusted Juno Financial's intelligence control capabilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to remain in seclusion at the company for so many years. His public record in mercenary warfare was pitifully small; the last time he truly fought in front of the world was during the "Lunar Eclipse Incident"—but that was ten years ago.

Mars War Company shouldn't have known in advance that he would participate in this war.

If that's the case...

"Is this a skill you possess as a Servant? Or is it the ability to unleash memes?"

Sita, whose path was blocked, spoke first before Alex.

Colombia simply smiled and remained silent in response.

Back then, the United States' intelligence capabilities were indeed far ahead of the competition. The CIA, FBI, PRISM program, ECHELON system… in the era before the Great Impact, no country could rival the United States in intelligence gathering. It's not surprising that the other side inherited an intelligence-related capability from this historical legacy.

This also explains why the Master named Sam chose to livestream the summoning ritual—he knew he would always have the information advantage, so he dared to reveal his most obvious trump card and use the public information about his Servants to exchange for the Servant's public opinion strength bonus.

Sita thought to herself.

What a formidable opponent... Who would have thought that the seemingly laughable president of the United States was actually the one with the most far-reaching schemes?
Even the fact that they rushed over to block me was probably part of a plan devised by the enemy based on their intelligence advantage.

The backend processes of Theta evaluated all possible tactical options in that instant.

The conclusion is very pessimistic: with her current cybernetic body, let alone fighting against Servants, it's hard to say whether she can even save AR and the others on her own at the reception center.

But she still had to go... Summoning her own Servant was her only chance of winning at the moment.

"How I know this is not important; what's most important to you now is 'what to do'."

As Columbia spoke, a thick, ancient book appeared in his hand.

“Unlike that destructive maniac who subverts the order, I am usually a pacifist. My existence is based on democracy and freedom, and I will naturally give others the opportunity to choose... As long as you choose to give up your qualification and hand over the Holy Grail fragment to me, I can guarantee that you and your companions can leave here safely—I swear on the Bible and the Constitution of the United States.”

Zhou Liqi, observing the battle from a distance, secretly thought things were going badly.

Her words were tantamount to saying that she would join forces with Alex to deal with V and at the same time wipe out the troops she had previously sent.

If she agrees, immediately use your Second Meme Release ability to escape from there.

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhou Liqi decisively gave V the order.

Although this would allow Columbia to obtain a Holy Grail fragment sooner, it's better than sacrificing one of his Servants. However, V's reaction to this was quite calm.

Don't worry, Master, this won't happen.

V didn't explain why he wasn't there; at that moment, he focused most of his attention on Alex beside him.

Alex, standing to the side, did not express any opinion on Colombia's proposal at this moment.

He was just watching quietly.

But it was at this moment that a hoarse, weak voice appeared in the Master's ear.

"Master...do you need my help in the current situation...?"

The Hungry Knight, who was watching the battlefield from afar, asked.

"Don't spoil my fun... But then again... Go check how Colombia got here so quickly. Logically speaking, a memetic entity like her, which symbolizes the will of a nation, shouldn't have the ability to move at high speeds outside of its 'territorial boundaries'."

Alex crossed his arms.

"I will obey your command."

Despite being sent on this intelligence-gathering mission, the Hungry Knight showed no displeasure. He obediently raised the reins, and his withered horse galloped away in a cloud of black smoke.

Okay... Faced with the chance to back out, would you be willing to risk everything for your dream?

Even if it means sacrificing one's own life, the lives of those friends... just for a slim chance of winning.

Alex looked at Theta and thought to himself.

Sita didn't hesitate for long—she directly released a large amount of Nyx Factor from her body as her answer.

Seeing the silvery-gray nanoparticles gathering around her like a swarm of flies, Columbia sighed:

"I understand... Diplomatic means have failed, so the next step is military intervention."

Without the slightest hesitation, Columbia directly activated its meme release capability.

The Call of the Motherland

【Call of the Motherland】

As soon as she finished speaking, dozens of jet-black umbilical cords extended from her abdominal cavity, their ends touching the void.

Suddenly, the air ignited, as if flames were licking an invisible sheet of paper. Wherever the flames spread, it seemed as if space itself was scorched and dented, revealing the figures of soldiers in Marine Corps uniforms. They were fully armed, their bodies still glowing with dark red embers, as if they had just been branded out of the shadows of reality.

Dozens of Skull Marines, connected to Columbia by black umbilical cords, appeared around her, silently and professionally transitioning into tactical maneuvers.

Not only that, the Apache helicopters that had been there before also came again, and in the distance there were the roars of tanks and the engines of other heavy machinery—all of which were connected to Colombia via a black umbilical cord.

Since she had already revealed her real name at the meeting, she didn't hesitate at all when using Meme Release.

Sita looked at the skeleton soldiers with a solemn expression.

The scans revealed that although these undead troops looked like relics from the 21st century, the energy reactions within their bodies were extremely intense.

They are merely wearing the skin of a 21st-century United States military; what lies beneath is far more terrifying.

Even more deadly is that, according to the Nyx Factor's detection, these skeleton soldiers have no self-awareness whatsoever—the only way to deal with them is to eliminate them one by one using physical means.

If I hadn't been injured, there might have been some explanation, but right now...

"Since you've given her a chance..."

At this moment, Alex spoke up:

"Then I'll give you a chance... let her go, let her summon her memetic entity. After that, how you decide to fight is between you, I won't interfere. And the final winner among you will also be given a chance to challenge me."

He spoke such arrogant words in an extremely calm tone.

It's as if I'm stating a fact.

Columbia scoffed at this, ignoring the other person and turning directly to V.
"Mr. Zhou, with neither of your Masters' Servants around right now, this is a golden opportunity. How about we join forces and take them both out right here? And afterwards, we'll each take one of the Holy Grail fragments?"

V tilted his head, seemingly quite interested in the suggestion.

But he didn't say anything; he just waited.

The air fell silent for a few seconds, with only the white noise of the torrential rain echoing in the air.

Then, Zhou Liqi's voice came from V's communication module.

"can."

Without any unnecessary words or haggling, Zhou Liqi gave a straightforward answer.

Upon hearing this answer, Sita's heart sank.

Even a Hercules Path Coordinator shouldn't be able to fight two Servants at the same time, right?

Moreover, the Colombian goddess had previously received a round of public opinion buffs...

Alex simply scoffed at this.

"You two's Masters would be better off coming along too, otherwise I'm afraid I won't have enough fun fighting them."

He said this.

Then, he turned to look at V and said to the person behind V:
"Furthermore, since you're paying attention to this battle, then step forward and speak up. What kind of skill is it to hide behind Servants and point fingers?"

V tilted his head, and after a moment of silence, Zhou Liqi's voice came through the communication channel again, hoarse and tired.

"It seems that you, like this lady, haven't grasped a basic premise—this is a war, and war is never a fair duel between knights."

The voice paused for a moment.

"War is about the many bullying the few, the strong oppressing the weak. It's about delivering a fatal blow when the opponent is at their weakest. It's about having no morals, using any means necessary, all for the sake of final victory... If you want to participate in a knightly duel, you should go to the Colosseum."

The other party's answer completely relieved Alex.

The battle for the Dionysian framework, the legacy of Bacchus' ascension... in the end, it was all just a farce.

In that case, let the Dionysian War end tonight.

Alex turned around, his back to Columbia and V, and looked at Theta.

"Go and save your companion."

"But……"

“I’ve already said it, I do this purely for my own pleasure.”

Alex said, his face full of boredom.

"After you rescue your companions and summon the memetic entities, come back to the port. I will give you the Holy Grail fragments of these two Servants."

"what?"

Although she understood what the other party meant, Xita was still stunned for a moment.

"If you want to be the last challenger, I'll give you seven at the end."

After saying that, he tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and roared:
"I hereby announce to all participants!"

His words echoed throughout Thebes in the form of sound waves, electromagnetic waves, gravitational waves, and so on.

"The War of Dionysus ends tonight. From this moment on, all rules are null and void. There will be no more Servant battles, Master battles, or Holy Grail fragment battles... I, Alex, am the new rule for all of you!"

"I'm at the port of the Plata River. Before dawn, anyone—Master, Servant, Support Personnel, Constructor, or just watching—can come find me, no matter the method or the number of people."

"Consider this a gladiatorial contest. Only those who defeat me will be worthy of the prizes you crave!" (End of Chapter)