In Type-Moon, it all starts with adopting Sakura.

The first wave of impact arrived instantly, accompanied by a piercing sound that sent chills down one's spine.

"Boom boom boom --!!!"

With a constant roar, feeling the pressure, and hearing the shields and bones humming under the weight, these warriors who had inherited the name of Sparta gritted their teeth and simultaneously thrust their spears through the gaps in their shields, killing dozens of monsters.

"continue!"

The Spartan formation shifted, and the warriors suddenly raised their shields, deflecting the claws of several crimson monsters that tried to tear them apart. Then, seizing the opportunity, the warriors pierced the monsters' most vulnerable parts—their bellies—once again, completing the second round of defense.

There were six military formations, each consisting of fifty men, with a total of three hundred men per formation. These three hundred warriors, bearing the name of the New Spartans, guarded the main gate, defending this important defensive line that led to the city of Uruk.

Like true Spartan warriors, they used their own bodies as a barrier to hold back the flood, and their weapons as gears to keep them afloat. Although they were teetering on the brink of collapse, they miraculously managed to keep going.

However, the difference in numbers was still too great. Faced with tens of thousands of monsters, a defense line of only a few hundred or a few thousand people was ultimately insufficient to completely hold them off. Human strength has its limits, and when the warriors were exhausted, that would also be the time when they died.

"Roar!!"

"Awoooooo!!!"

Clearly noticing this sudden appearance of the battle formation that was blocking the advance of the beast tide, the monsters on the battlefield turned their rage on the humans behind the round shields. They bared their ferocious fangs and continued to charge with their sharp claws, trying to kill all of these humans on the spot.

As the number of monsters increased and their impact grew stronger, the once-solid battle formation began to falter under the relentless onslaught of the monster torrent. Soon, a monster seized an opening, leaping high into the air and launching a fierce attack from above. Taking advantage of the soldiers' defensive stance, the monsters pounced down and bit off most of one soldier's shoulder.

"Aaaaaah! Damn it—!!"

With a shrill and resentful scream, his body was torn apart, rendering him unable to fight. The soldier, his eyes filled with resentment, fell to the ground and died. His comrade, who was supporting him, dropped his spear and immediately took the shield from his hand, continuing to maintain the battle formation with both hands. However, the demonic beasts, who had figured out how to break the formation, would not let them go. Soon, more and more demonic beasts trampled over their comrades' bodies and pounced down from above, intending to completely destroy the battle formation.

Swish swish! ! !

However, at this critical moment, accompanied by a series of ear-piercing whistles, blood-stained spears were kicked rapidly from the city wall, piercing through the demonic beasts like fierce arrows and temporarily saving them from their desperate situation. Then, a nimble, petite figure stepped across the battlefield using the spears she had thrown, landing on the warriors' battle formation. She then drew her longsword and swiftly cleared away the surrounding enemies.

"Ushiwakamaru-sama!!"

Upon seeing that petite and graceful figure, the soldiers in the battle formation cried out in delight.

"Yes, it's me. You guys evacuate first. Leave the rest to me. I'll cover your retreat."

Ushiwakamaru nodded slightly and then said this. He then leaped high into the air, grabbed a spear stuck in the battlefield, and used his powerful legs and agile movements to turn several more monsters into corpses. Finally, he spun and fell in mid-air.

"Snap—!!"

That was the sound of bones breaking. Another magical beast that had tried to ambush her had its head pierced through by her blade and fell to the ground.

“What a disgusting enemy. It’s less of a war between people and more of a primitive slaughter—am I right, Musashibo?”

Releasing the spear he was holding, Ushiwakamaru swung the long sword in his other hand, severing another monster in two. He then glanced at the dark brown figure that had suddenly appeared on the battlefield, his expression complex.

"I never expected you to show up again, Musashibo."

She simply asked a question without showing much dissatisfaction, nor did she question him about where he had gone when Gorgon arrived. Ushiwakamaru continued as before, seemingly not caring at all.

Musashibo, understanding this, lowered his head and answered while simultaneously fending off the monsters.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ushiwakamaru. I backed down again during the day because of fear."

Swinging his weapon, Musashibo killed several monsters that were attacking him. This time, he did not run away.

"Hmm? Then why did you come back?"

Hearing his answer, Ushiwakamaru wasn't surprised, since it was the same as in the past, but she was still curious.

She was curious as to why Musashibo had returned.

“Because of Ms. Meryl, she found me hiding in the alleys of Uruk, told me what had happened here, and encouraged me not to do anything I would regret, so I came…”

Upon hearing Ushiwakamaru's question, Musashibo, standing behind him, solemnly replied, "Actually, I had already figured it out when I retreated during the day—after seeing and learning about Leonidas's selfless act of using his body to block Gorgon's advance, and Ibaraki-doji's release of his Noble Phantasm, showing that even as a demon he did not desert in the face of battle, I was already deeply ashamed. But... these are not what touched me the most."

"Oh, so why did you come back?"

After cutting down several pursuing demonic beasts with her sword, Ushiwakamaru leaped behind Musashibo. The two stood on either side, each holding their weapons, bracing themselves for the surging wave of demonic beasts. She asked casually, her tone utterly calm, as if she didn't care about the reason behind it.

"They were humans, they were those warriors..."

Back to back, Musashibo didn't turn around, nor did he see Ushiwakamaru's expression. He gripped his long sword tightly and continued to fight off the monster, while simultaneously uttering the answer in his heart.

"Soldiers?"

Ushiwakamaru was somewhat surprised by this.

“That’s right, it was those valiant warriors who inspired me. If it were just Leonidas, Ibaraki-dōji, and other beings who far surpass me in every way, I would only feel ashamed and embarrassed, lamenting my own cowardice. But what truly made me make my decision were those humans…”

On the chaotic battlefield, the two stood back to back, wielding their weapons in coordination and fighting.

Because they are servants, their physique and martial arts skills are far superior to those of ordinary humans. Not to mention that they are heroes who have fought countless battles and are worthy of being named on the Throne of Heroes. Therefore, the battlefield in front of the city gate, which originally required hundreds of people to hold, was cleared by the two of them.

While fighting, Musashibo shared his inner thoughts and feelings.

"When I saw those humans who were weaker than me, who were going to war for the first time, who knew that staying there would likely mean death, yet who still stubbornly held their posts and refused to retreat, I finally understood everything—"

“Determination and willpower are not related to a person’s strength. Even the weakest human can radiate the brilliance of their soul when they want to protect something. Since they can do that, and choose to run away time and time again, how can I, filled with fear, continue to run away? So after hearing Mage Melly describe the situation here and the battlefield you are fighting on, I came here!”

Musashibo said firmly, this time without the slightest hint of confusion in his words.

"You mean... you won't be a coward anymore?"

After hearing his words, a faint smile appeared on Ushiwakamaru's lips, though Musashibo couldn't see it.

Musashibo nodded solemnly and replied, "That's right! Lord Yoshitsune, this time I will never leave your side again. I will fight alongside you to the very end, even if it means dying here! But please be careful, our opponents are monsters far beyond human imagination!"

"—Hahahahahaha! In that case, I'll wait and see."

After hearing Musashibo's words, Ushiwakamaru immediately burst into laughter. After her inner knot was untied, she no longer clung to the past and things that had happened not long ago, but instead devoted herself even more wholeheartedly to the battlefield.

"Musashibo, cover me!"

She shouted and then gave the instructions.

"Leave it all to me, Lord Yoshitsune!"

Musashibo responded with a furious roar, swinging his longsword wildly, each swing sending several demonic beasts' heads flying. Behind Ushiwakamaru, Musashibo relentlessly slayed the demonic beasts attempting to attack his blind spots, clearing a path for Ushiwakamaru's charge.

This is the battlefield located in front of the city gate, an even more brutal battlefield.

Their deep penetration into the enemy's rear was intended to draw fire and monster aggro, reducing pressure on the defenders at the city gates and buying them more time to regroup and await reinforcements. Their efforts were clearly not in vain; their relentless slaughter boosted the morale of the soldiers on the city walls, dispelling their initial panic and intensifying the atmosphere of the battlefield. To withstand the beast tide with such numbers—a seemingly impossible feat—was something these heroic spirits, summoned by King Gilgamesh, were striving to make a reality.

"Seriously, while it's incredibly satisfying to chop them down, there are just too many of them, Musashibo! Did these damned monsters just appear out of thin air?"

Ushiwakamaru stepped to the left, lightly dodging the beast's pounce. At the same time, he plunged his katana into the beast's ear, then yanked it out and flicked it. The spray of blood from the blade landed precisely in the eyes of the next two monsters. Ushiwakamaru then dodged forward and delivered a horizontal slash, cleaving another monster in two.

"I am unaware, Lord Yoshitsune. Although I am also a monk, I still know very little about demons and monsters. However, I know that all we can do now is to do our best to subdue them in this situation."

As Musashi answered, he tried to pull out the long sword that was stuck inside the monster's body and pinned down. However, after realizing that he couldn't get it out, he immediately reached for the other weapons on his back to continue his counterattack, but several monsters had already taken advantage of the chaos to attack.

"—Snap!"

That was the sound of teeth piercing flesh. Musashibo's back was being gripped tightly by a demonic beast, which wanted to tear him apart and rip the flesh from his body.

"Damn monster!"

Feeling the pain in his body, Musashi cursed under his breath, but reacted quickly. He reached out with his other hand, grabbed the monster's head, and slammed it to the ground. Then, he punched it until it shattered, his fist instantly covered in blood.

Due to his inherent abilities, his body's hardness even surpasses that of ordinary Servants, making it difficult for even the sharp teeth of magical beasts to tear him apart. However—

"What should we do now? This battle will never end, will it? Mage Melly said that if we want to end the battle, we must deal with the entity behind the monsters, so she sent me to assassinate the leader of these monsters. But if I do that, won't I be swallowed up before I even see the leader?"

Not only Musashibo, but Ushiwakamaru, who had also experienced such an offensive, also cried out in pain at this moment.

She shed the flesh and blood from the mortal body and looked at a hill nearly a kilometer away from them. There stood a dark purple magical beast, completely different in appearance from the other magical beasts. It was the leader of the magical beasts on this battlefield, one of the eleven son magical beasts, the Scorpion Man.

Ushiwakamaru and Musashi learned of this news from Meli and received a mission. Their ultimate goal was to kill the Tiamat offspring who was the leader. They thought that with the skills of Servants, this would not be difficult for them. However, this offensive was extremely large, and the assassination progress was completely stalled. Being able to hold back the battlefield and prevent the front line from collapsing was already the limit. By the time the two of them got there, they would be exhausted.

"No, we have to think of another way!" Ushiwakamaru said.

"Lord Yoshitsune!"

However, just as Ushiwakamaru was pondering, the strange bird in the sky locked onto her and launched an attack during the gap. Musashibo behind her hurriedly warned her, but it was too late; the strange bird was already above her head.

"hateful……"

Ushiwakamaru gripped the hilt of her sword and raised her weapon to defend herself, fixing her gaze on the strange bird in the sky. With her skills, it wouldn't be difficult to defend against such an attack; she just needed to wait for it to strike and then cut it down.

However, the monsters ahead were also charging forward, and she could no longer deal with them at the same time. If she jumped to dodge, the strange birds in the sky would attack, but if she dealt with the strange birds, she would be ambushed by the monsters, putting her in a dilemma.

however--

"Gah!!"

In an instant, the strange bird circling in the sky was struck down by a golden sword aura that erupted from afar, turning into ashes and successfully helping Ushiwakamaru escape his predicament.

"Ha, Mage Melly? You've been a great help..."

Ushiwakamaru looked at Meli on the city wall, who was brandishing a holy sword that she had pulled out from somewhere and was beginning to gather sword energy and wildly swing it across the battlefield. She stretched out her arm and waved to her, then gritted her teeth slightly, no longer daring to let her mind wander, and began to move forward seriously.

"This battlefield is a bit troublesome. Ushiwakamaru and Musashibo alone will have a hard time handling it. If this continues, it's only a matter of time before they can't hold out. Should I take the initiative to kill that monster? But..."

"This monster is less a monster and more a manifestation of pure malice. It is indeed a monster that crawled out of the primordial sea. It seems that Tiamat's self-seal has been almost completely broken."

Mary frowned inwardly, already guessing the answer.

Although she had seen and fought Kingu's resurrected eleven before, and the latter's goal was also to kill humans, their nature was completely different from the eleven now.

The Scorpion Man of that time, although a magical beast, could still sense some emotion and rationality within him. But this one now is nothing more than a mass called Scorpion Man, but in reality, it is just an aggregate of malice. It feels as if all rational elements have been removed from its base, leaving only murderous intent and the primal instinct to kill.

These are not Tiamat's eleventh son, and these magical beasts are not real magical beasts either. They are merely vessels that Tiamat maliciously condensed in the Sea of ​​Life.

"..."

Merry drew her holy sword, her eyes narrowing slightly as she fixed her gaze on the purple magical beast, preparing to set off. Under normal circumstances, she certainly wouldn't have taken action herself; at most, she would have given some guidance, letting the humans and other Servants handle the situation themselves, while she would have sat on the city wall with a joyful expression, watching this theatrical performance put on for her by humans and magical beasts.

As for the splattering blood, sharp teeth piercing flesh, and the loss of life?

It is indeed quite pitiful, but so what?

What does this have to do with her? She didn't kill the person herself, so why would she save them?

She is not human, and has no kindness. All she has are the most primal pursuits and pleasures. If she were confused, she might join in for role-playing. But now her inner void has long been filled, so even if they all die, it has nothing to do with her.

From the moment she arrived at this singularity, what she did wasn't for humanity, for humankind, or for Uruk; it was solely for the person she loved, and simply because Rowe liked it. It wasn't for any grander cause. Although she genuinely wanted to turn back and leave, Meryl knew that if she left, Rowe would truly sever ties with her, making any further development of their relationship impossible. And if this place were breached and many people died, he would be heartbroken…

Mary didn't really want to see him sad, although she secretly hoped it would be, but the thought of him being sad and crying made her heart ache.

and so--

"Let's take this a little more seriously."

She sighed, then gripped the holy sword in her hand, preparing to go into battle and resolve the predicament on this side.

But the next moment—