Isolating the Demonic Realm of Shinjuku / The White Hound's Stronghold

Originally, the Spirit Origin possessing him had been summoned through the FGO system. Now, it was handed over to the Youth.

"I'll be more careful this time." Shirou accepted the Holy Grail and nodded. The Servant simulated through the Possession Summon before, "Muramasa," was someone with some sort of connection to him.

Perhaps they were closely linked in the past or future, or perhaps it was one possibility from a parallel world. With forging techniques that had reached the realm of gods and a fighting style that disregarded his own safety, he possessed extraordinarily formidable combat power. But it often meant injuring the enemy by a thousand while hurting himself by eight hundred. He could only be used as a secret weapon for a decisive blow, and had to be used carefully.

"Then are you ready, Gudako, Shirou?" Da Vinci asked.

"Mash, just think of this as preparation for shining in the next battle. Wait here until we come back!" Shirou said.

"Yes... Shirou-senpai." Mash lowered her head. She felt like she was of no use and regretted it.

"Mash, getting proper rest is important work too. Leave this one to Shirou-senpai and me!" Gudako hugged Mash to comfort her.

"I understand, senpai. I'll do everything I can here to support you," Mash promised while being hugged.

Da Vinci glanced at the pink-haired girl. "Mash, can I leave Romani's job to you? In a sense, this might be even harder than Spiritron Transfer. No matter what happens, you'll have to operate the machinery and stay in close contact with the Master at all times, constantly monitor the changing data, and immediately correct anything abnormal. Until the situation stabilizes, you won't be able to sleep. Want to give it a try?"

"Yes! Mash Kyrielight will do her utmost to support Gudako-senpai and Shirou-senpai!" Mash perked up and agreed crisply.

"Yeah, do your best." Shirou patted his pink-haired junior's head encouragingly.

"Oh! Do your best, Mash!" Gudako followed suit and began patting the girl's head.

"Yes! Even if we're separated by distance, my heart will always fight alongside my senpai! So please, make sure you come back!" Mash silently offered up a prayer in her heart.

"Then we're off!" The Youth and the girl stepped into the transfer device.

White light flashed, and a blue vortex spun. Shirou and Gudako were transferred to the Singularity, while Mash remained in Chaldea as their support.

At that moment, Da Vinci was overjoyed inside. All right! I finally found someone to share the workload with! This is Da Vinci's great victory!

"Da Vinci?" Sensing something, Mash looked suspiciously at the woman.

"Ahem. Let's take a look at the situation over in the Singularity instead," Da Vinci said, turning her face away.

Shirou felt as though he had entered a mysterious transfer space. A blue vortex revolved, emitting blinding white flashes, and then he arrived in another distant space.

Gudako, Shirou, and the Chaldean Servants who had come with them encountered another problem with the transfer and appeared a thousand meters up in the air.

Looking down, they found nothing but darkness all around them. Only directly below was there light. Their bodies seemed to be drawn there as they fell at tremendous speed, soon about to plunge into the only city in this world.

Gudako, however, had fallen asleep because of the Spiritron Transfer.

"The Singularity formed too quickly. Once you enter a Singularity, if you don't correct the era, you can't return," Staff Member B said.

"Master! Master! Wake up!" Mash shouted at Gudako, who was falling from the sky yet still unconscious.

"Shirou-senpai, everyone, please find a way to save her!" Mash cried anxiously.

"I got it! Whoa!"

Just as Shirou was about to go save Gudako, he suddenly felt an enormous force from behind. It bounced him away like a ping-pong ball. The surrounding Servants were also sent flying at the same time, instantly passing Shirou and vanishing from this world.

They seemed to have been rejected by the Singularity, which had expelled the uninvited guests.

"Waaah! Shirou-senpai!" Gudako had only just woken up when she watched Shirou get flung away in the other direction.

Unlike the other Servants, Shirou was not ejected directly from this world. After being blasted over a hundred meters into the air, he stopped. Perhaps because of his unusual constitution, the Singularity's rejection was not as strong against him.

"Damn it! What is going on?" Shirou twisted his body, adjusted his posture, and fell downward again, Winged Sandals projected onto his feet. This time, he forced his way into the Singularity's city. Unfortunately, he was already thousands of meters away from Gudako and had completely lost sight of her.

Shirou finally landed on the ground. At that moment, a heavy motorcycle came roaring toward him, drifting to a stop less than a meter away.

"Are you the Master who came from Chaldea?" a stern, icy female voice asked.

Hearing the voice, Shirou quickly turned around. The moment he saw that familiar face, he froze.

Isolated Demon Realm Shinjuku

Gudako, who had fallen from the sky, was rescued at the very last moment.

"Just as it is a prince's duty to wake a sleeping Princess with a kiss, it should also be a Youth's duty to save a falling girl. If this were the sort of story about 'love and hope,' this is usually how it would go..."

"You would be caught in the arms of a handsome, brave Youth, then flirt with him while working hard to repair the Singularity!"

"That kind of plot development is truly subarashii! But! But—! Unfortunately, the one who saved you was neither a beautiful Youth of justice nor a warmhearted man willing to take care of all the housework after marriage. It was a suspicious-looking Bearded Uncle!"

The suspicious uncle, around fifty years old, who had suddenly appeared and caught Gudako in his arms, made this declaration.

This unknown uncle called himself Shinjuku Archer, then began explaining the situation in this world to Gudako and Da Vinci in Chaldea.

This world had completely broken down. It was hell, a magic mirror, a city of sin, an apocalyptic landscape where all good people had died out and only the worst villains could survive. This was—Isolated Demon Realm Shinjuku!

The entire city was sealed off by towering walls. There was no way to communicate or learn what was happening outside, and every corner of this city was dangerous.

Mages who prowled dark streets and alleys had fallen into petty thugs. Terrifying Demon Wolves occupied the roads and rampaged along the highways. In Yoyogi, filled with residential districts and towering apartment buildings, moving puppets were everywhere. And in the city center lurked the mercenaries known as the Sparrows.

The whole city had already broken down. The lights shining from its high-rises were merely the final afterglow before destruction.

The only building still under construction was a cylindrical tower in the city center?

"For you, that is the enemy's headquarters. It is heavily sealed off on all sides. If you go there now, the Servants there will kill you easily."

It was on such streets that Shirou encountered Artoria.

Her golden hair fell behind her back, tied into a low ponytail with a ribbon. Every strand was neatly combed, without a single hair out of place. She wore a black trench coat over a low-necked black short-sleeved shirt, with an X-shaped silver ornament hanging around her neck from a black cord.

Her lower body was clad in belted hot pants, revealing her pale thighs. This black punk-style outfit suited the girl perfectly, making her look fashionable, cool, and handsome.

She stood tall and straight, still as imposing as ever. Only her eyes, their colors somewhat paler, appeared colder and sharper. Her brows carried the authority of a king. This was probably another side of the girl he knew, one different from the one he was familiar with.

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Why are you staring at me like you've gone stupid? Did you hit your head when you fell out of the sky?" The girl got off the motorcycle and frowned at the distracted Youth.

I feel like she'll really cut me down if I don't answer properly.

Coming back to his senses, Shirou hurriedly replied, "No, though I really did come from Chaldea."

"Come to think of it, your face looks familiar. You give me a nostalgic feeling, but I don't have any memories of meeting you." The cool girl with the golden low ponytail said.

"For now, I can sort of serve as a Master too, but I'm not the person Saber is talking about," Shirou said.

"There's no need to tell me. I can see that you are not the Master who saved humanity and liberated seven Singularities. But since we have met and share the same goal, will you walk forward at my side? Will you? You will, won't you?" Artoria Alter said to the Youth in a rapid succession of words, with a force that permitted no refusal.

"Of course! I'd be happy to." Shirou smiled delightedly and immediately agreed. Though her personality and manner seemed somewhat different, something inside her had not changed. As expected, she was the Saber he knew. She seemed to have no memories related to him, but seeing her still made him happy.

"Hmm! That was a quick response. Smiling so brilliantly, do you really want to be with me that much... Mm, I have to praise you for that." Apparently surprised by the Youth's straightforward answer, the girl nodded in satisfaction.

Artoria Alter said seriously, "Then my sword shall be with you, and your fate shall coexist with mine. Thus, the contract is complete! Master! I look forward to working with you."

"Yeah, I look forward to working with you too. If you're willing, you can call me Shirou," the Youth said to the girl whose Spirit Origin had been inverted.

"Shirou, Shirou... I like the sound of that." Artoria Alter repeated it twice, then nodded.

The Noble Phantasm Artoria Alter held was a black holy sword patterned with red lines—Excalibur, Excalibur Morgan. Just as the Lady of the Lake had Vivian, who represented good, and Morgan, who represented evil, the holy sword also possessed both good and evil aspects.

The transformed girl was King Arthur's other side as a tyrant, so the holy sword in her hand had naturally changed as well. But being a tyrant did not mean being a foolish king or a villain. Even after coming to this world filled with evildoers, she had not joined them. Instead, she chose to resist.

Just as Shirou had sensed, Artoria might now be cold and brutal in temperament, but in essence, she was no different from the original King of Knights.

"Shirou-senpai! Miss Artoria! This is bad, please rescue Gudako-senpai immediately!" Mash's hologram appeared at that moment, shouting anxiously.

"Then let's go, Shirou!" Artoria swung a leg over the motorcycle and patted the rear seat.

"Huh? I'm sitting in the back?" Shirou asked in surprise.

"Stop dawdling! Get on! Hold on tight!" Artoria Alter shouted.

"Okay..." Shirou had no choice but to obediently get on the motorcycle and wrap his arms around the girl's slender waist. Though she seemed more distant in this state, when he touched her body, she was still as petite and delicate as in his memories, and her heart was still just as strong.

It was difficult to imagine that the girl's roughly forty-kilogram frame could perfectly control the steel beast beneath her. The large motorcycle, the Armored Cavalry, was a specialized machine modified to use magical energy as fuel. It shot down the road at over two hundred kilometers per hour. If it went all out, it could even catch up to Divine Beasts flying in the sky.

Only in this abandoned Shinjuku district could such an outrageous vehicle race so recklessly.

Vrooom!

The exhaust pipe roared, and the tires screeched against the ground. Accelerating fiercely, it became a black streak of light. Following Mash's directions, Artoria Alter drove the Armored Cavalry straight toward Gudako's location.

Demon Wolf White Dog Base

The howls of a beast came from dozens of kilometers away. A gigantic azure wolf was running toward them, its powerful limbs pounding the earth as it burst forth with speed beyond any creature on the ground. Each lift of its four paws carried it over a hundred meters.

Claws capable of easily gouging pits into the ground extended from its fleshy paws. Riding atop it was a Headless Knight in black armor, while the giant wolf's howls echoed throughout all of Shinjuku.

The howl alone inspired bone-chilling fear, rage, hatred, and brutality, as though it wanted to tear everything apart and destroy it all.

The monster's gaze locked onto Gudako as it ran directly toward her. At first, it had merely been a beast defending its territory and expelling intruders. Now it wore the expression of an avenger, seeming to want nothing more than to bite the human before it into bloody pieces.

Shinjuku Archer had been escorting Gudako all along. The middle-aged gentleman in his fifties, dressed extravagantly and carrying a white coffin on his back, somehow gave off the impression of a major villain. Yet even with Gudako's full support, he was struggling alone against such a monster and could barely hold it off.

With one careless mistake, even a Servant's body would be torn apart and crushed by the giant wolf's claws and fangs. He had no ability left to protect Gudako.

"Master, get ready to run. Can you drive away by yourself? Even if you can't, you'll have to learn. Let Da Vinci teach you on the spot. Run! We'll meet at Shinjuku Station later!" the middle-aged man said.

"Gudako-senpai! Shirou-senpai and one Servant are already on their way there!" Mash reported.

Vroooom!

The roar of a motorcycle sounded. A smoke bomb was thrown out, obscuring the giant wolf's vision, and the stern girl carrying the Youth appeared here at a speed that raced the wind.

The tires carved a deep trail into the ground. After a shrill drifting screech, Artoria brought the motorcycle to a steady stop beside Gudako.

"Shirou-senpai! And Miss Artoria!" Gudako shouted happily.

"Yo, Gudako." Shirou looked over the situation on both sides. That violent thing is Rider? And there's also that uncle who looks suspicious no matter how you look at him?

"Hmph, the Master of Chaldea, huh? You got separated from your companions, yet you're still alive and full of energy. Get on. We can't beat that thing with this much combat power!" Artoria said.

"Then we're running!" Shirou immediately got off the motorcycle, reached out, and scooped Gudako into his arms before placing her between himself and Artoria.

"Eh?" Gudako let out a dazed cry after suddenly being swept up in a princess carry.

"We can talk later. We're leaving now!" Artoria immediately started the motorcycle and charged forward at a speed faster than the giant wolf could run. She turned at a corner, entered a side street, and pulled away from the wolf ridden by the Headless Knight.

"Waaah!!!" The three of them were crammed onto one motorcycle. It felt unstable, and although they were on level ground, it felt as though the wind would blow them into the sky. Gudako screamed in terror.

"Don't talk! You'll bite your tongue!" Shirou forcibly covered the girl's mouth.

"Haha, this uncle will find a way to escape after holding this monster back." The Bearded Uncle's laughter as he stayed behind alone to fight the monster somehow sounded rather bleak.

"It's safe here now. We'll have to proceed on foot from here. In any case, let's talk once we get to my base."

Artoria stopped the motorcycle beneath a building and spoke to Shirou and Gudako.

"Got it. Let's get off, Gudako." Shirou pulled Gudako down from the motorcycle.

"Ugh... Shirou-senpai, I feel like my whole body is still flying," Gudako said, still shaken.

"There's an excellent driver here, so you can relax. What's really terrifying is a highway woman killer who isn't good with machines but insists on showing off, or someone who drives slowly yet keeps swerving all over the place. That's the truly scary kind," Shirou comforted Gudako.

Artoria led Shirou and Gudako inside.

Even after racing like that just now, not a single strand of her hair had been disturbed. She remained stern, cool, and handsome.

Woof!

Ahead of them sat a large pure-white dog. Judging by its breed, it seemed to be a Samoyed. Its black eyes held an adorable, gentle expression.

"Wow! What a cute doggie!" Gudako immediately recovered her spirits, laughing as she ran over.

"It's a stray dog. Hey! Don't go over there. Don't blame me if it bites you," Artoria warned.

"Good dog, good dog~!" The white dog accepted Gudako's petting, while its eyes looked toward Artoria and its tail wagged back and forth.

"Oh, this dog is so gentle. I didn't expect it to be this healthy even in a world like this. It looks like its owner has protected it well," Shirou said to Artoria with a smile.

"Mm..." Artoria seemed to blush faintly. She stepped forward, picked Gudako up, and said, "How long do you plan to waste time here? We're going!"

Woof, woof. The white dog looked at its owner expectantly, wagging its tail.

"I don't have any dog food for you right now, so give up!" Artoria said coldly.

Whine... The white dog whimpered pitifully.

Artoria hesitated, then looked at the two of them. "Shirou, Gudako, do either of you have any food with you?"

"Let me see. An onion and chocolate." Gudako rummaged through her pockets and pulled out two things.

"Are you trying to kill it, idiot! Why are you carrying an onion around?!" Artoria scolded.

"Right, I was in a hurry when I left. Mm... Would ham from another world work?" Shirou searched through his clothes and pulled out half a ham. Xiao Da had found him while he was cooking, and he seemed to have casually stuffed it into his pocket then.

Woof! Smelling the delicious scent, the white dog eagerly ran over and wagged its tail at Shirou.