Chat group, if you have anything to say to my Holy Sword,

Seeing that the group seemed ready to talk again, Leonidas I quickly stepped forward and forcefully intervened in a loud voice, trying to steer the conversation back on track. As he spoke, he focused his gaze on Fujimaru Ritsuka, as Xiling had already explained to him that Fujimaru Ritsuka was the true Chaldean.

"Gentlemen, are you sure it's a magician sent by Chaldea? King Gilgamesh of Uruk foresaw your arrival. Therefore, he specifically dispatched the Flower Magician Merlin to the designated landing site to greet and guide you. Logically, you should be meeting with him..."

Faced with the questioning look in her eyes, Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped forward and shook her head. "We did not see the monk Merlin you mentioned. As for what you said, could you be more specific? The King? Did he know we were coming?"

When faced with Fujimaru Ritsuka's question, Leonidas I shook his head. "As I said before, the king knew all along that you would come to this world, so he sent the sorcerer Merlin to find you."

Leonidas I paused, his gaze sweeping over Xiling and the others: "However... the direction you arrived from is completely wrong. The intended location was the relatively safe southern plains, so why did you come from the north, where monsters roam most?"

Upon hearing this, almost everyone's gaze instantly and simultaneously focused on that one person, and Xiling immediately felt as if she were being pricked by needles.

Upon witnessing this scene, Leonidas I began to think, but within two seconds, he chose to abandon his thought process.

He then stated frankly, "Regardless, welcome to Uruk. If you don't mind, I will arrange for you to see the King, who has been waiting for a long time."

"Thank you for your help," Matthew said, bowing slightly to the other person.

Just as Mash straightened up, Danheng took a step forward, his voice calm: "Lord Leonidas, we are not members of Chaldea. Is it inappropriate for us to accompany you to the capital so rashly?"

Leonidas I turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the group, then slowly shook his head.

“I can sense it,” Leonidas’s voice was steady and powerful.

“Several of them exude an aura similar to mine—the spiritual origin fluctuations of Servants.”

"Although I have no way of knowing who summoned all these heroes to this singularity..."

His gaze finally settled on Xiling. "But I choose to believe in you. In this time of crisis, I, Leonidas, on behalf of the defenders of the northern wall of Uruk, implore you to join our ranks!"

Leonidas I then turned his gaze back to the still surging, seemingly endless horde of monsters below the city walls. "We need power! We need power to break free from this suffocating predicament! Therefore, whatever your final decision, I implore you to go to the capital and meet the King. If you are willing to offer even the smallest contribution to this era on the verge of collapse..."

"I, Leonidas, offer my deepest respect and gratitude to the warriors!"

Upon hearing this, the people in the chat group subconsciously exchanged glances, and finally, everyone's gaze turned to Xiling.

Xiling noticed everyone's gaze, shrugged, and smiled, saying, "Then let's go."

Seeing Xiling nod, Leonidas's tense expression finally relaxed, and a relieved smile appeared on his resolute face: "Alright! Then, gentlemen, please follow me, I will arrange your journey to the capital immediately..."

"Don't rush," Xiling shook her head and walked to the edge of the city wall, looking at the large group of magical beasts in the distance, and spoke slowly.

"Hey Kevin, Faded One, didn't you two say you learned some new skills? Why don't you show them off?"

Upon hearing Xiling's words, Kevin and the Faded One instantly understood. After chuckling, they walked over to Xiling's side.

“We definitely need to show off a bit,” Kevin nodded.

“Then let’s use the monster below as an example.” The Faded One picked up his staff and tapped it lightly on the ground…

Om-!

Purple magic, representing gravity, wrapped around the faded one's body, and the air beneath his feet seemed to solidify into invisible steps, lifting his body leisurely into the air.

At the same time, a chillingly hot aura suddenly erupted from Kevin's direction! The surrounding air distorted and rippled under the intense heat, and the same deep purple gravity magic flowed and compressed around him, forming visible ripples. He also defied gravity, hovering steadily in the air, almost level with the Faded One.

With her final step, Xiling seemed to step onto invisible, solid steps, ascending naturally into the sky.

The three of them hovered in a perfect triangular formation high in the air in front of the city wall, looking down at the horde of monsters below.

The people in the chat group silently covered their ears, because they knew what would happen next.

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mashu also guessed what was about to happen, and after thinking about it, they covered their ears.

Only Leonidas I and his soldiers, filled with utter bewilderment and intense anticipation, stared wide-eyed and breathless at the three figures in the sky—the stronger they performed, the better it would be for humanity!

At that very moment! Three completely different lights, each containing destructive power, simultaneously shone on the three of them!

The brilliance of the stars.

A silvery-white slash.

The merciless sun.

Three forces, one after the other, descended simultaneously!

There was no deafening explosion. Only a terrifying sense of annihilation... as if the world itself had been forcibly torn apart, distorted, and then reduced to nothingness!

The light engulfed all the monsters in sight. When the light, strong enough to burn the retina, dissipated, and when the gravitational ripples that distorted space subsided... a colossal, bottomless crater was abruptly imprinted on the front of Uruk's north wall.

It was as if a god had casually wiped away a piece of the earth.

......

ten minutes later

A sturdy carriage was traveling smoothly along the road leading to the capital of Uruk.

Shirin, Kevin, the Faded One, and Dan Heng sat on the roof of the car.

In the sky, Elena rode her broom, maintaining a steady flight speed. Not far above and to the side, Ishtar sat on her celestial ark, Maana, her gaze constantly drifting towards someone on the roof of the vehicle below, her eyes filled with complex and unfathomable thoughts, as if she were pondering something.

run away?

This thought had indeed been lingering in her mind ever since she was persuaded by Xiling Physics and signed that humiliating contract that forbade her from leaving the team without permission.

But after witnessing the terrifying attack unleashed by the three of them working together... Ishtar instinctively shrank back.

For now, let's... wait and see?

Inside the spacious carriage were the remaining five people: Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mashu, Luo Tianyi, Houraiji Kusho, and Remyane.

"So, what are we going to see that king for?" The Faded One asked Xiling directly, without lowering his voice at all.

Inside the carriage, Mashu and Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately perked up their ears.

"Oh, they've already mentioned it, wouldn't it be awkward to say no?"

Upon hearing Xiling's answer, Fujimaru Ritsuka had a few black lines on her forehead, but after thinking for a moment, she stood up from the carriage.

"What are you going to do, senior?" Matthew asked, turning to his senior.

Fujimaru Ritsuka turned around, gave Mashu a smile and a reassuring gesture, then went to the back of the car and tried to climb onto the roof.

She used both her hands and feet to climb up to the connection point on the roof of the car.

Just then, the carriage wheel rolled over a rough stone, and the carriage lurched violently!

Fujimaru Ritsuka's climbing was interrupted, and she instantly lost her balance, about to fall off the edge of the not-so-low roof!

However, the expected pain did not come. A gentle yet irresistible force supported her, making her feel as if she had lost weight, and she landed lightly and steadily on the wooden plank on the roof of the car.

"What are you doing up here?" Xiling made room for a bit and looked at the Chaldea succubus with a puzzled expression.

Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked, realizing that Xiling was responsible for what had just happened. After calming herself down slightly, she took a deep breath and solemnly spoke:

"Who are you?"

"You seem to know... a great deal. Information far beyond our comprehension. Could you please tell me some of it?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka initially thought the other person might be some other Servant, like in other singularities, but after spending some time together and hearing the other person's completely unreserved conversation, she realized that the other person was probably not a Servant at all.

Faced with Fujimaru Ritsuka's direct and earnest question, Xiling smiled and said, "I thought you wouldn't ask."

Fujimaru Ritsuka was slightly taken aback by Xiling's reaction, seemingly not expecting such an opening.

Xiling's smile faded, and she looked directly at Fujimaru Ritsuka, her voice serious: "But Fujimaru Ritsuka, are you really sure... you want to know now?"

“I’m the kind of person who, once I start talking, I can’t stop. Once I start, I’ll tell you everything I know—about Chaldea, about the truth of the burning of humanity, about the undercurrents behind this era, and even…about yourself, about the thorny path you may take in the future—without holding back.”

"The information I'm about to tell you... is not harmless knowledge; it's both a key and a poison. It may distort your judgment, leading you to make choices at future crossroads that are completely different from your original path, or the same choice with different results."

Seeing Fujimaru Ritsuka's slightly furrowed brows, Xiling slowed her speech: "Even in this singularity, your future is already as chaotic and uncertain as water with a stone thrown in, full of variables... but knowing these possibilities in advance may still become your biggest burden, do you understand what I mean?"

"Knowing the future is itself a huge distraction."

Xiling's gaze was fixed on Fujimaru Ritsuka: "So, Master of Chaldea, after understanding the potentially heavy consequences of all this, do you... still want to hear my answer?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka fell into a brief silence, her brow furrowed with obvious struggle and contemplation. The carriage was eerily quiet, the only sound the rumble of the wheels.

Mashu leaned halfway out of the carriage door, nervously watching the two people on the roof. Kevin, the Faded One, and Dan Heng also turned their gazes to Fujimaru Ritsuka.

"Knowing the future... a clairvoyant?" Fujimaru Ritsuka finally spoke hesitantly, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"That's about right, but not as awesome as it," Xiling said, scratching her head a little embarrassed.

He only knows some of the plot details; he can't possibly have the same level of foresight as some people.

Fujimaru Ritsuka pondered the meaning behind Xiling's words. After a few seconds, she looked up, her eyes becoming clearer: "You know my future... or rather, you know what I might have gone through?"

"Yes I know"

Do you think that if I knew those futures, those futures might have changed?

Yes, that's what I think.

"...Then..." Fujimaru Ritsuka took a deep breath and asked the most crucial and essential question, "In your knowledge, the future that I was supposed to experience...was it good...or bad for me?"

Xiling stared at her, without answering immediately.

A few seconds later, Xiling gave a complex yet truthful answer: "You will eventually achieve your goal."

"That's beyond doubt. But the road leading there..."

Xiling's tone lowered, as if she were sighing: "...It will be anything but easy. It will be exhausting. Extremely exhausting. You will carry an unimaginable weight, you will feel lost, you will suffer, you will struggle on the edge of the abyss."

"Yeah"

Fujimaru Ritsuka and Xiling spoke without any attempt to conceal their conversation, and Matthew heard it, as did everyone else in Chaldea.

Just then, a man's voice came from a device that Fujimaru Ritsuka was carrying.

"Can we...trust you?"

A smile returned to Xiling's face. "If I said, 'Please believe me,' would you believe me?"

To everyone's surprise, Fujimaru Ritsuka spoke almost without hesitation, "I will believe you, Xiling."

This unwavering declaration of trust seemed to leave Roman, on the other end of the communicator, momentarily speechless.

Looking at her incredibly determined young master, Xiling asked again solemnly:

"So, Fujimaru Ritsuka, after all these conversations, after knowing the heavy burden that the future may bring..."

"...Do you still want to know the so-called truth about everything from me?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled with relief, then gently but firmly shook her head. "If..."

"I don't know what the future holds, but it will give me the determination to keep moving forward and eventually reach that destination..."

Her gaze seemed to transcend the barriers of space, seeing the worried eyes of her companions in the Chaldea control room, Mash's tense face, and the lights that belonged to humanity after the restoration of human order.

"Then," Fujimaru Ritsuka looked directly at Xiling:

No matter how many thorns or how much pain that unknown road may hold.

Her voice was resolute: "It was all worth it!"

Xiling stared at her quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and vigorously ruffled Fujimaru Ritsuka's short orange hair, making a mess of it.

"Why are you taking this so seriously, kid? I was only saying 'possibly.' Perhaps your future has already changed, and that change is because of what I've been waiting for."

"No matter what, in this singularity, I'll carry you this round. You just need to lie down and relax."

Fujimaru Ritsuka felt that the heavy and resolute atmosphere from just now was shattered as if by Xiling's hand that had ruffled her hair!

Damn it! That guy!

After glaring fiercely at Xiling, Fujimaru Ritsuka climbed off the roof of the car and made a face at Xiling.

Fujimaru Ritsuka plopped back down next to Mashu in a huff, looking unhappy.

However, in Matthew's eyes, could that reliable senior really show this side of himself?

In Mashu's memory, no matter how desperate the predicament or how deep the pain she experienced, her predecessor could always grit her teeth and stand up again.

She had seen her seniors tired, sad, angry, and confused, but she had never seen them express their sullen emotions so directly as they were now.

So... does my senior have this side to him too?

Fujimaru Ritsuka herself was unaware that the change in her at this moment was as if she had returned to the time before she joined Chaldea.

At that time, she was just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life.

"Why is it so quiet?" Matthew looked at the people in the carriage with a puzzled expression. The people above him also seemed to have stopped talking.