Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

They won't attack proactively, but that's all they'll do. Those things are definitely not friendly to the Chaldeans. Even an ordinary person like Fujimaru Ritsuka could clearly sense the killing intent spreading through the thick fog. It was like a sharp needle pressed less than a centimeter in front of her eye; even without causing any real harm, fear and vigilance would fill her heart!

"Master, it's dangerous here," Bedivere warned more than once. The other Knights of the Round Table surveyed their surroundings with increasing vigilance.

They felt the place looked somewhat familiar, but they couldn't quite place it. They only knew that they had entered a desolate city, with broken walls and numerous stone statues of knights.

The stone knight sculptures depict knights committing suicide. Some knights slit their throats with longswords, others pierce their chests with lances. Their faces are hidden beneath stone helmets, but their actions suggest a penitent execution rather than a glorious sacrifice.

And such stone carvings are everywhere.

“The owner here must really dislike knights,” Ritsuka murmured. “At first, I even had the illusion that I had returned to the Holy City of Camelot in the Sixth Singularity…”

“I have a slight feeling about that too, Senpai.” Mash, who was protecting her closely, carefully surveyed the surroundings, cautiously checking. “But if it’s Camelot… Senpai, be careful!”

She suddenly jerked her foot forward, taking a half-step to raise her giant shield in front of Ritsuka. However, the next moment she realized it was just a false alarm. Because just as she made that defensive move, the thick fog surrounding the Chaldea members visibly dissipated!

The thick fog that had blotted out the sky vanished in the blink of an eye—only then did the group realize they were standing within the ruins of a vast city. The sky was dark and gloomy, the ground covered with black thorns and congealed, almost stone-like, filthy blood. And in the very center of the Chaldeans' vision, a towering, decaying tower was slowly opening its closed doors!

here it is……

The name still echoed in the throats of the Chaldean group, yet the moment it materialized into words, an endless, bone-chilling cold surged forth from the wide-open doorway. Behind them, the city ruins, their outlines now visible, writhed and closed, sealing off all paths they had come from. Every person and servant present felt like a frog targeted by a giant serpent, surrounded by open space, yet seemingly with no escape in sight!

Inside the tower, there were people... or things that weren't human, waiting for them. And this being showed not a shred of goodwill towards anyone present.

—【Hey, Ritsuka.】 Mordred's voice echoed in Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart through the master-servant contract.

—[We're probably in for a rough time. I just tested it, and if I'm not mistaken, I should still have one more chance to strike. But only one. If things get really bad, I'll try to clear a path for you and Mashu. And after that… run as far as you can. Don't die here.]

Thoughts raced, exchanges of ideas in an instant. Fujimaru Ritsuka, a mere mortal, had just grasped the meaning of those words when her expression changed, and she was about to speak. Bedivere, standing guard beside her, preemptively averted this opening and began the conversation. His longsword was drawn from its sheath, protecting the side Mashu couldn't reach, as he spoke in a deep voice—

"Master, something's wrong. You need to make a decision soon."

Thus, the words that Fujimaru Ritsuka was about to utter were abruptly interrupted. Her thoughts raced, and she wanted to say something like "Let's all go together," but she held back beforehand—she took a light breath.

"I……"

A muffled thud, followed by a stomp.

From within the decaying tower, the resounding sound of iron boots striking the ground swept in.

Tristan opened his eyes, and Lancelot-Garonne drew his longsword. The Knights of the Round Table who had been guarding Fujimaru Ritsuka stood in front of her, blocking her path, while the killing intent emanating from the tower grew even stronger.

'Bang! Bang!' Second after second, step after step. The entity residing in the tower, whose true form was unknown, but which everyone present vaguely sensed, was slowly approaching the door—Mordred, the rebel among the Knights of the Round Table, stepped back slightly, and the others cooperated by making a covering motion.

“Senior…” Mash raised her giant shield to block her way, the shield flashing with light before fading away. She tried to activate her Noble Phantasm, but for some reason it resisted her—no, she could actually do it, but a wavering within her prevented her from fully concentrating on doing so.

“Command Spell…” she whispered.

A terrifying, unimaginable fear overwhelmed Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind and body. Every cell in her body, every thought in her mind, screamed and cried out for death. Even during her previous journey to the underworld, she had never experienced such a pervasive and intense panic. She felt her blood freeze, her breath nearly cease, and a sense of drowning and trembling she had never felt before paralyzed all movement. Her courage was robbed, and her thoughts came to a standstill.

—An unidentified bird perched on the corner of the tower cooed.

- Backflow of blood.

The next moment, courage returned to the beating heart of the Chaldean girl. The oppressive feeling emanating from the tower, almost tangible, grew to its maximum through the manifestation of a physical form.

That was... the pale king with golden hair and blue eyes.

“Arthur…” Mordred murmured.

The next moment, the holy spear held by the Pale King radiated light!

“Traitors.” A cold, resolute whisper escaped her lips. “You…”

...He deserves to die a thousand deaths!

"Master!" Mordred raised his longsword high, its blade crackling with crimson lightning!

Without further hesitation, two crimson Command Seals immediately erupted from the back of Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand!

The crimson sword suddenly slashed down—

"To my handsome father—"

The sound stopped abruptly.

Because in that instant, the Pale King, who had just been standing under the tower gate, appeared in front of Mordred like a phantom, stretched out his hand, and conjured out of thin air the crimson longsword that was about to fall!

"Useless." The Pale King's tone was cold, and these words caused Mordred more psychological damage than a thousand cuts to her body. She was momentarily stunned by them, and in the instant before the rage brought about by these words manifested in the mind of the rebellious knight, cracks appeared all over the Old King's sword!

She actually crushed that rebellious sword with her bare hands!

The next moment, thick blood gushed from the Rebellious Knight's horned helmet. Her entire abdomen had been punched through, and she was sent flying backward at subsonic speed like a broken rag doll, crashing into the ruins of a building. A series of booming explosions followed, then silence.

"My King..." Gawain raised his holy sword, burning with flames, to block the Pale King's path, hesitating for a brief moment as he slashed down. "Please stop!"

However, the sun-like holy sword only sparked a burst of fire.

"...Not even as good as trash."

With a flick of the Holy Lance, the towering Sun Knight instantly grew to the height of a coffee table—most of his body was smashed into the ground, and then a massive amount of blood gushed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

Then, the Holy Lance veered towards Fujimaru Ritsuka's direction, its tip flashing with light...

"Senpai!" Mashu screamed and stepped forward, raising her giant shield to block Ritsuka's path!

And after that came endless radiance and a buzzing sound like the vibration of a swarm of bees.

Light, noise, roar... Ritsuka vaguely heard a muffled groan, followed by excruciating pain that swept through her entire body.

When she regained her senses, she found herself lying covered in wounds on the shattered ruins. Shadows immediately obscured her vision.

Not everyone in this world is willing to reason with her.

The last thing she saw was an iron boot stomping down on her.

Section 57 The Second Cycle: The Trial of Man

The excruciating pain, the piercing pain, and the unbearable agony and fear that spread throughout my body.

This is a good thing. Being able to feel pain is indeed a good thing. Being able to feel pain, being able to feel fear, means you're not dead yet. And as long as a person is alive, there is hope.

Fujimaru Ritsuka didn't know if she still had any hope, because when she regained consciousness, her brain and her thoughts were eroded and covered by the pain that came from her limbs and bones. The excruciating pain caused by her body's self-protective measures washed over her nerves and senses like a tidal wave.

It hurts.

It's a sharp pain.

The reason people feel pain is that the body's self-preservation instinct is sending out an alarm, prompting the brain, as the center of thought, to immediately pay attention to specific areas of the body. At the same time... it is also a sign that those painful areas still have potential for treatment.

A completely damaged area won't hurt, because there's no point in continuing to hurt there.

Amidst this intense pain, the girl opened her eyes.

"Mash!" she screamed, managing to stand up from the rubble despite her numerous injuries. However, the next moment, the stern protest from her body easily knocked her down, causing her to kneel and slam her head against the ground, spurting blood from her many wounds!

She remembered; that brief but vivid image flashed through her mind. In the instant that iron boot struck, Mash's figure flickered before her eyes, followed immediately by Mordred's roar—his sword shattered on the first blow, his entire body embedded in the rubble, his fate unknown!

What did Mordred shout? He remembered—the rebellious knight had shouted the word 'Command Spell'. And his body must have reacted to that shout!

Yes, at the very last moment, Mashu must have rushed forward to stop the Pale King's fleeting advance, and then the Rebellious Knight's sword slash created a glimmer of hope... It must be like that, it absolutely must be like that. But if that's really the case...

...Where is Mashu?

The Chaldean girl, covered in wounds, looked around in panic, only to find a flat, barren land and a thick morning mist that was rapidly fading under the sunlight.

An unidentified bird, with brightly colored feathers, was cooing as it circled over the desolate field where the morning mist had dissipated. Yet, on this barren land, which stretched out before her, there was no trace of any human figure other than herself.

Matthew Kyrielight is not here.

She and the other Knights of the Round Table are still trapped in that white morning mist, their fate unknown!

"No, no." The girl shook her head violently, ignoring the excruciating pain in her shinbone, and supported herself on her knees as she sprinted towards the direction where the thin mist was fading! She tried her best, but her efforts were not enough for her spirit to overcome her body. Excruciating pain shot through all the magic circuits in her body, and she only took four steps forward before collapsing to the ground. A sweet taste rose in her throat, and she vomited bright red blood!

"Wow--"

What she vomited was blood clots, metabolic waste, not the worst-case scenario. This severely damaged her physical strength, and the hormones barely supplied by her brain glands could no longer stimulate activity. Her vision went black, but she still struggled to lift her head.

“Put Mashu…” She stretched out her blood-soaked hand toward the thin, shadowy morning mist, her eyes bloodshot.

"Give it back to me..."

Her hand fell limply to her side, and in the instant that the morning mist vanished completely in the sunlight, her vision was once again plunged into darkness.

dark.

Darkness is an everlasting abyss.

From the depths of the abyss, nameless fruits sprouted seeds.

What kind of fruit is that? What color is it?

That's Margatr...

The Chaldean girl suddenly opened her eyes. She felt terribly cold, her body as weak as if her internal organs had been hollowed out. The blazing sun hung high in the sky, but it brought her no warmth whatsoever—she shivered violently, followed by a series of sharp pains throughout her body.

She was still on that desolate wasteland, still that penniless girl. She looked up, and the area within a mile or two was still an empty wasteland. The place where the morning mist had been was now completely cleared, and there was no trace of the ancient city hidden in the mist.

She lost Mash, lost her most important companion. She lost all her Servants, and at the same time... lost all contact with Chaldea.

The terminal on her wrist was tattered and useless, serving no purpose other than displaying the time and indicating that she had slept there for at least four hours. There was not a single bar of communication signal from Chaldea, and even the contingency plan had not been triggered; otherwise, Chaldea should have been able to make contact with her from the future using the observation mirror.

My body was in a lot of pain, but I could barely move my hands and feet, thanks to the emergency treatment techniques sealed in my combat suit. However, the effectiveness of this general-purpose treatment was very limited.

This is just a temporary emergency measure and won't be of much use. The internal injuries won't disappear easily, but there are more important things to do before dealing with those.

“Something must have gone wrong at Chaldea…” She gritted her teeth, supporting herself on her knees as she stood up from the cold, hard ground. While magic circuits carry the pain that will inevitably cause long-term consequences, that doesn't mean they're completely useless!

"Vitality..." She activated a low-level spell installed inside her Chaldea combat suit. The spell's effect, equivalent to a powerful stimulant, immediately manifested in her body—the intense chill within her gradually faded, her heart raced, and her temples throbbed. She stretched her limbs and then pulled a slightly torn and deformed piece of makeshift rations from an inner pocket.

Eating is essential; without nutrition, she will perish once the spell's effects wear off. She knows she has no one to rely on now and must take matters into her own hands to rescue her lost companions from the unseen ruins.

“Mash will be alright. She will.” She stared at the Command Seal on her hand, now bearing only three faint marks, and in her daze, she could still sense a faint connection. She didn't know if it was a hallucination, but she absolutely refused to believe it—no, it was real. Because Mash was definitely still waiting for her to rescue her in that city!

“That king had no reason to kill Mashu.” She rubbed her head vigorously, trying to clear her mind. She had reconstructed every move of the Pale King in her mind as thoroughly as possible, which made her scalp tingle, but it also confirmed that her judgment was correct.

The king wouldn't kill Mash, because Mash was definitely not among the traitors she mentioned. Furthermore, Mash was able to block the attack before she was about to die, meaning she withstood the White King's holy spear without suffering the at least crippling injuries that the other Knights of the Round Table would have sustained!

"Mash isn't dead, I have to go save her." She pressed her hand firmly to her chest, trying to banish other uncertainties from her mind and stubbornly clinging to the not entirely certain conjecture that 'Mash is definitely still alive.' With each pounding of her heart, she tried to strengthen her resolve.

"I can do it, I absolutely, absolutely can." She bit her lower lip hard, using the pain and the sweet taste of blood to confirm her goal. "It's just rescuing people alone, isn't it? It's just repairing the singularity alone, isn't it? What Senior Flora can do, I can definitely do too, and I must do it!"

She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and listened to the crisp sound of her joints rubbing together. As if hypnotized, she repeatedly emphasized her purpose in her mind, then took a step back in the direction she had come from.

It's possible, it's definitely possible, because it's impossible if it can't be done!

“Chaldea’s communications are down. Even if they weren’t, the Director and the others would definitely be too busy to help themselves. And I alone have absolutely no way to rescue Mash, Mr. Bedivere, and Miss Mordred. But there is one person who definitely can…” She spat out that name through gritted teeth.

Merlin!