You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Before he finished speaking, his spear came crashing down like a giant axe with the sound of wind and thunder, but Cú Chulainn deflected it, sparking a shower of sparks!

Scáthach stood on the sidelines with her arms crossed, coldly commenting: "Cú Chulainn, your advances and attacks are too straightforward—do you want Cú Chulainn to pierce your heart?"

"cut!"

The young novelist, however, paid no heed to this strange comment. After exchanging blows with the fierce dog for several rounds, he temporarily withdrew from the circle and resumed his stance.

This person is Cú Chulainn from another timeline. Compared to the main story of FSN, he is relatively immature in appearance, skill, and mentality, but his indomitable nature makes him just as arrogant in front of the adult Cú Chulainn and Scáthach.

On the other side, the tranquil Hassan was being instructed by a beautiful woman wearing a veil and a long robe, with deep red eyes, on how to fight a third-tier knight head-on.

Interestingly, although assassins are specialized Servants who target their Masters, this pseudo-Hassan, nicknamed "Mad Nobunaga," has a fighting style that is different from his predecessors in terms of ferocity.

Well... considering the heavily armored old man slowly nodding in the shadows, Kyonobuko shouldn't be considered to be going against tradition; rather, it's more like a return to simplicity.

Of course, besides the martial arts faction, there are also many Servants who prefer clerical work. Most magicians have their own workshops and can make full use of the resources collected from singularities to give full play to their talents.

"The purity is very high. The conversion rate of Saint Quartz should be increased by one-third. Originally, only six could be made, but now at least eight can be obtained."

...The azure magical fluid flowed silently through the glass pipe, with countless sparkling points floating within, like a trapped galaxy.

Medea floated in mid-air, her fingertips guiding threads woven from ether. In the corner, Paracelsus was discussing improvements to the Philosopher's Stone with other magicians at the experimental table. On the aurora-covered wall, blueprints were projected, flickering slightly. The interwoven magical glow within the workshop blended with the cool blue of the electronic screens, creating an eerie tranquility.

……

"It's so quiet today."

Inside Chaldea's central control room, the smoothly operating magical reactors emitted a deep hum, while various data and images flashed on the surrounding screens, displaying the operational status of each department. Employees were operating the various devices methodically, each one extremely skilled, as if they had honed their skills for centuries.

"No singularities of Honkai have been found, nor have any Servants caused trouble."

"I guess I'm in a lull period. I don't want to encounter any major events all the time."

"After all, people like us with little fighting ability can easily die."

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!

Before the employees could finish speaking, a piercing siren suddenly blared throughout Chaldea. They exchanged glances, skillfully setting aside their work and activating their internal defense mechanisms to deal with the sudden invasion.

It's not that they have big hearts, but that similar things are not news at all in Chaldea... They can only pray that they won't get hurt.

"The familiar forces are deployed. The enemy is breaking through from the east corridor. Requesting reinforcements!"

A mage servant calmly reported, his fingers flying across the control panel, directing the specially made sub-servant familiars to various battlefields.

However, at that moment, all the lights in Chaldea flickered and then went out completely. The screens in the central control room also went black instantly, leaving only the faint glow of the emergency lights.

"The power supply has been cut off!"

A magician servant looked up.

Another employee exclaimed, "Communications in all departments have also been cut off!"

"Activate backup power immediately!"

The lead mage servant, El-Melloi II, calmly issued the order, but soon his expression turned serious. "The backup power has also been cut off... The enemy is much more cunning than we expected."

"Damn it, Chaldea is damaged everywhere... The enemy, the enemy seems to have appeared everywhere in an instant!"

"Have we gotten bogged down...? What's the situation in each region?"

"We are working to establish communication!"

……

Dormitory area.

Artoria Pendragon, dressed in a black gown, wielded a holy sword, its crimson light gleaming in the dim corridor. Before her, several enemies attempted to break through her defenses, but were instantly overwhelmed by a torrent of magic.

And this is merely the release of magic!

She swept through countless enemies with ease, finally encountering a Servant-level magical attack. Without any intention of stalling, she simply raised her holy sword high.

"Ex—Calibur!"

Without hesitation, Artoria unleashed her Noble Phantasm, a beam of light shooting into the sky and piercing the ceiling, instantly engulfing the enemies. However, the enemies seemed endless; as soon as one group was eliminated, even more surged forward.

The majority of the enemies were creatures like Dragon Tooth Soldiers, Magical Puppets, Automata, and Monsters. The sheer variety of enemies made it seem as if a single singularity had invaded Chaldea.

"Where did these guys come from?"

Artoria frowned, a vague unease creeping into her heart.

Meanwhile, inside the training field:

Two Cú Chulainns brandished their spears, the tips whistling sharply as they sliced ​​through the air. Enemies surged before them like a tidal wave, but the two emperors showed no fear; instead, they wore excited smiles.

"Come on, you weaklings! Let me see what you're capable of!"

Cú Chulainn laughed loudly, his spear dancing like a dragon, each strike hitting the enemy's vitals with pinpoint accuracy.

However, the enemy's numbers were simply too great, and even the incredibly resilient Cú Chulainn gradually began to feel his strength waning. Seeing that the mastermind behind it all hadn't appeared yet, he muttered a curse under his breath: "These guys... they're never going to stop!"

Meanwhile, at another training ground.

Gilgamesh stood atop a high place, arms crossed, coldly surveying the enemies below. Behind him, several mage Servants were frantically repairing communication equipment.

"You bastards, how dare you trespass into my territory and disturb my rest! You have no respect for life!"

Gilgamesh snorted coldly, then raised his hand and waved it, and countless Noble Phantasms flew out from the golden vortex, instantly engulfing the enemy in a torrent of Noble Phantasms.

"Hmph, vulnerable."

Gilgamesh scoffed, but soon his brow furrowed. The number of enemies didn't seem to be decreasing; in fact, it seemed to be increasing.

"If we're talking about external enemies, their numbers are far too many, but if the problem lies within..."

Gilgamesh muttered to himself, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

"In this situation, the enemy's target will be... Oh no, Merlin!"

……

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Merlin stood in a corner of the abandoned warehouse, holding a crystal ball that emitted a faint glow. It was the core he had extracted from the incomplete, still functioning "Chaldea." Although damaged, it still contained immense magical power, conceptually equivalent to a star core.

"We collected it in time, which at least preserved some of the data."

Merlin said in a low voice, then carefully put the crystal ball away.

Bang!

Just then, the warehouse door was kicked open violently, the heavy hatch flying out like a playing card, and a cold figure walked in. It was a girl dressed in a dark dress, shrouded in mystery, with a black veil covering her head. Her face was identical to Artoria's, but her eyes were filled with indifference.

"Merlin..."

The girl said coldly, her voice as icy as ice, "You shouldn't have done that."

“Alto… Oh dear, what an unexpected guest.”

Merlin smiled slightly, but a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes. "I didn't expect to see you here, Your Majesty?"

Now you know why this attack was so sudden: the enemy didn't need to invade from the outside; they were already inside Chaldea!

Relying on the resources of Chaldea and the Singularity, and perhaps even directly connected to the Holy Grail Storage, they created an endless stream of familiars, and then strategically dispatched high-end combat forces... This is a long-planned "war"!

"Do you want to drive me away from Ritsuka? But even so, what can you change? All that awaits Chaldea is ashes and endless regret, if my guess is true..."

"..."

The girl didn't answer, but instead brandished her wand, the sword-like tip unleashing a burst of magical energy. Merlin quickly cast a spell to defend himself, but the power and speed of her attack far exceeded his expectations.

The Flower Magician used illusion magic to escape the first round of attacks. Countless rose-colored petals rained down from the sky, instantly transforming the lifeless warehouse into a beautiful garden. However, the two protagonists of this battle clearly didn't care about any of this.

"An illusion!"

Morgan snorted coldly, and an invisible force extended from beneath her feet. All the petals were decomposed and burned the moment they touched her, turning into ashes.

"Merlin, these little tricks won't work on me—I know you too well!"

The two exchanged a glance, neither of them knowing what they were thinking, but they acted almost simultaneously, their spellcasting movements quite similar.

Even... the staffs and holy swords used by the two people are essentially the same thing, both being some kind of degraded mass-produced version that they created themselves.

"boom!"

Merlin was sent flying by the blow, crashing heavily into the wall and spitting out a mouthful of blood. He barely managed to lift his head, looked at the girl before him, and said with a bitter smile, "You're really ruthless... It seems you've made up your mind completely, and I can't sway you with words."

The girl ignored his words and raised her sword again.

Merlin sighed and murmured, "What a pity... our Chaldea... was once such a dazzling existence..."

His consciousness gradually faded, and the scene before him began to blur. In his final moments, he saw the girl's cold face, and his heart was filled with countless emotions.

"Unfortunately... we were destined never to understand each other."

Merlin's consciousness completely vanished, and the crystal ball in his hand rolled to the ground, emitting a faint light.

The crisis at Chaldea continues, with Heroic Spirits on every battlefield fighting valiantly against the enemy's onslaught. However, the enemy's numbers seem endless, and Chaldea's defenses are gradually crumbling.

In the midst of this chaos, no one knew that Merlin had collapsed in the abandoned warehouse, and Chaldea's future seemed to be sliding into an unpredictable direction...

"Iori...save me..."

……

"Merlin?"

Iori, who was having fun with Saito in some other world, suddenly turned his head, as if he had heard something, but he didn't seem to care too much.

Since his real name was conceptualized, he has often had similar auditory hallucinations, but he cannot control them and does not know who is calling his real name in his mind. He can only guess and search based on his feelings.

"Forget it, I'll stop thinking about him for now. That old fox Merlin will be fine—and even if he is, it's none of my business."

Chapter 556 Fujimaru Ritsuka's Second Challenge.

"Well……"

Fujimaru Ritsuka awoke with a start from the cold stone bed. The surroundings were dim, and the air was thick with the damp smell of mildew. She rubbed her eyes and found herself in a simple cell, the walls covered in moss. Beyond the iron bars stretched a deep corridor, devoid of any guards.

"Mashu? Fou?"

She called out softly, but only an empty echo answered her.

Ritsuka stood up and carefully walked out of the unlocked cell, her heart filled with unease.

She didn't know why she was imprisoned here. She woke up to her current predicament and had no idea where Mash and Fou had gone. She couldn't sense any connection with any of her Servants. Just as she was trying to find an exit in the dim torchlight, heavy footsteps came from the end of the corridor, accompanied by the harsh sound of metal scraping.

Although Ritsuka wasn't a master magician, she had experienced several singularities and was quite experienced in dealing with unexpected situations. She immediately went to the corner and secretly peeked inside. Deep in the dimly lit and narrow passageway was a familiar made of withered and sharp bones. Although it was a biological skeleton, its surface gleamed with a metallic sheen.

"They're Dragon Fang Soldiers!"

Ritsuka's heart tightened, and she quickly hid in the shadows to the side.

She was very familiar with this thing. In order to collect "Dragon Fang" materials to complete the Spirit Origin of Servants, she went to the Singularities almost every day to find wandering Dragon Fang Soldiers to farm. Strictly speaking, this was just a creation of a magician and could only be considered a grunt in the Chaldea enemy encyclopedia. But no matter how weak it was, it was still a great threat to Ritsuka.

Even if I use all the self-defense techniques I learned from Leonidas and Mr. Charon, I still can't deal with more than three at once... Should I use my Mystic Code?

With her limited magic reserves, she could only use powerful skills three times before needing a long rest, especially in this isolated and helpless place...

Several Dragon Fang soldiers, wielding spears, slowly approached her. Although the passageway had forks, Ritsuka was afraid of making a noise that would alert them, so she slowly moved backward, hoping to retreat before the Dragon Fang soldiers reached the intersection.

However, fate had other plans. She had only taken a few steps when she knocked over the brazier. The loud thud was abrupt and jarring in the deathly silence of the prison.

"!"

Sure enough, the Dragon Tooth Soldier immediately sped up. Despite being a skeleton, he ran as fast as a living person and quickly ran towards them.

Ritsuka wore a helpless expression, then, without further ado, began to sprint away. She was quite confident in her running ability, because as a Master, she most often traversed the entire Singularity on foot; if she didn't have strong stamina, she probably would have been killed by the enemy halfway there.

As a result of not being familiar with the terrain, Ritsuka was shocked to find herself behind the Dragon Fang Soldiers after a few turns, with the two sides less than 30 meters apart!

Dragon Fang Soldier noticed the commotion behind her and turned around. Facing the menacing enemy, she touched the magical artifact on her wrist, took a deep breath, and quickly chanted a short incantation of only one or two syllables. Her specially designed combat suit immediately responded.

A beam of magic shot out from the costume, striking the foremost Dragon Fang soldier. The soldier fell to the ground, but more enemies surged forward.

Ritsuka fought, dodged, and retreated, barely managing to remain calm. However, remembering the route was obviously impossible at this point, and in her panic, she had no choice but to escape into a narrow passage.

Use the terrain to block the Dragon Fang Soldiers and take this opportunity to quickly create distance... However, this kind of underground prison cannot be all the way through. If you end up in a dead end, Ritsuka will be fighting like a trapped beast.

Just when she was almost driven to the brink of despair, a tightly closed cell door appeared at the end of the passage. The door was covered with complex magical runes, clearly intended to seal away some powerful being.

"Who... is locked up here?"

Ritsuka was puzzled, but the pursuers behind her had already caught up, so she had no time to think about it.