Prelude to the Decisive Battle

Being under too much mental strain for too long means that the moment you relax even slightly, a wave of fatigue washes over you.

"Yes, we held them off."

Ritsuka nodded in response, then wiped the blood off her hair.

Mash, standing beside Ritsuka, was in a similar situation. Although her shield and armor were stained with countless scratches and blood, her eyes showed no confusion or fear. Although she and Ritsuka had always been by Artoria's, Merlin's, or Anna's side, these two girls had long been capable of standing on their own after experiencing so much. After all, they were partners who had crossed six Singularity to reach this place, and they had already changed.

Moreover, it wasn't just them; others in this Singularity also had their own thoughts and gains.

Regardless of what era we come from, what our feelings are, or what beliefs we hold, everyone here is now a partner we can entrust our backs to, a companion we can trust.

"However, King Gilgamesh's power is truly formidable; he has so many cannons. Although I didn't see it with my own eyes, I can still feel the awe-inspiring scene from this distance..."

Ritsuka sighed, and Mash nodded slightly.

Beep beep beep!!

It was accompanied by a crisp sound.

Just as they were chatting, the communicator, which had been silent for a long time, finally made contact again.

"Hey, can you hear me? Ritsuka, Mash."

Da Vinci's face Projection into it.

"It's Da Vinci!!"

Upon hearing this sound, Ritsuka and Mash immediately exclaimed in surprise.

This also relieved Da Vinci.

"It seems to be fixed."

After seeing that the two were alright, she was relieved. Then, she began to inquire about Ritsuka and Mash's situation and told them about what was happening on their side. Because Goetia had destroyed half of Chaldea, Rameses II, Jeanne, and the others who were originally planning to set off had been put on hold, and they were now in Chaldea trying to figure out a solution.

However, it's good to know they're alright; she'll find a way to fix the rest.

As for Tiamat, she already knew about it. After all, Dr. Roman used Merry's blog to communicate with this Singularity and relayed the information back. Chaldea and Holmes were already searching for information related to Tiamat.

At this point, just as Da Vinci was about to ask Ritsuka some questions privately.

Suddenly, a male voice appeared behind them, causing Ritsuka and Mash to tense up immediately.

"So you're the Master of the Observatory? Humans from the same place as my Pact Holder? You seem quite interesting... How about we make a deal?"

Chapter 300: The Prelude to the Final Battle

"Looks like I'm really lucky. I just got back from Gilgamesh and ran into the people I'm looking for, the guys at the observatory."

A slightly frivolous male voice sounded in her ear. Although it sounded somewhat flippant and contained no hostility, it reminded Ritsuka of voices like Jason or Blackbeard. However, they both felt a chill run down their spines at the fact that the other person had approached them from behind without them noticing at all.

Ritsuka and Mash, who had been leaning against each other, hurriedly stood up. Mash even raised her shield, controlled her strength, and instinctively slammed it down.

Clang!!

A sharp, crisp sound rang out—the kind of sound that only comes from the collision of metals.

The two turned around and stared wide-eyed.

A Blond Man held a pistol with an axe blade attached, steadily blocking Mash's shield, which was larger than a person, and smiled at them.

"That was a powerful and forceful strike, very impressive, or rather, a beautiful attack. The strength, the angle, and the awareness displayed were all impeccable. Even in my Underworld, you would be considered a qualified warrior. It seems you're not as weak as that guy described, Shieldbearer."

Instead of being angered by Mash's shield, Tezcatlipoca commented on her attack with interest, a hint of amusement in her eyes. Meanwhile, Ritsuka raised her gloved left hand, the crimson Command Seal on it glowing. Then, the modern Mystic Code prepared for her by Da Vinci, Edison, and Nikola Tesla emerged from the glove, two slender black gun barrels pointed at Tezcatlipoca's face.

Like Ritsuka, Mash instinctively became wary of the evil gods Tezcatlipoca had approached her from behind without permission and whose hands had just touched their shoulders.

After all, this isn't Chaldea, so they can't let their guard down. They've already witnessed enough horrific scenes in the Seventh Singularity, and they're no longer innocent girls, so they won't easily lower their guard.

"Someone I've never seen before..."

Ritsuka murmured.

In just one glance, she determined two crucial pieces of information: that Tezcatlipoca was a Servant and that she had never seen him before, meaning he was definitely not Servant from Uruk.

Since he's not Servant from Uruk, then...

Who are the other Servant in this Singularity?

Enemy?

She and Mash exchanged a glance and nodded, preparing to work together to subdue Tezcatlipoca or wait for others to come and help.

At that moment, Da Vinci also noticed the sudden approach of the Tezcatlipoca, and was equally alarmed that Sheba hadn't noticed him before.

She quickly turned on the instrument to detect the Tezcatlipoca and finally confirmed its location, along with more information.

"This Spirit Origin reaction is Berserker, definitely not Servant from Uruk. His attire is modern; could he be Servant from the Western World? And look at the size of his Spirit Origin... no, wait, this, this is--!!"

Da Vinci was seriously investigating the Tezcatlipoca and had begun providing information to Ritsuka and Mash, immediately widened his eyes.

"What's wrong, Da Vinci!"

Ritsuka and Mash immediately inquired about the situation, but the Tezcatlipoca in front of them simply smiled slightly, not paying any attention to them.

"It's nothing, Ritsuka, get away from this guy right now! Leave immediately before you're sure if he's friend or foe! He's definitely not an enemy you can handle!"

"His class is Berserker, his true name is unknown, but his Spirit Origin is Grand! He is a genuine Grand Rank, on par with King Hassan encountered in the Sixth Singularity and Solomon seen in the Fourth Singularity!"

Da Vinci immediately informed them of the information.

"Grand Servant?!"

Upon hearing this information, Ritsuka and Mash were slightly taken aback, then showed expressions of surprise.

But just as they were about to retreat, the Tezcatlipoca, who had been in front of them, appeared behind them without them noticing. He casually put his arm around their necks, then looked down at Da Vinci on the communicator and smiled.

"So fast!"

Suddenly brought so close, Mash and Ritsuka trembled slightly, their bodies immediately stiffening.

Given his position and the strength he displayed when he caught Mash's shield with one hand, it would have been as easy as blinking an eye for them to snap their necks. But the fact that he didn't means...

Ritsuka quickly regained her composure and asked a question.

What do you want to do?

"Oh, you calmed down so quickly? That's a rare quality."

Tezcatlipoca smiled slightly, satisfied with Ritsuka's composure in the face of adversity. He then placed his fingers on the back of Ritsuka's hand and infused her with magic power, helping her activate that interesting Mystic Code. The next moment, several specially made bullets enhanced by Da Vinci were fired, hitting the city gate beside them and leaving several bullet holes.

Upon seeing this, his eyes lit up, and he then pulled off Ritsuka's gloves before leaping away.

"Interesting thing, what an ingenious design! A combination of firearms and Magecraft? Interesting..."

As if he had lost interest in Ritsuka, Tezcatlipoca, like a child who had received a toy, began to seriously play with the gloves in his hands, then adjusted them slightly and put them on his own hands.

"What exactly is this...?"

Although Ritsuka and Mash were somewhat relieved to be out of danger, they were still puzzled by the other party's unusual behavior.

Fortunately, Chaldea had many problematic Servant, so they didn't hesitate for long before asking each other their questions, such as--

Who exactly are you?

What do you want to do?

And, Da Vinci's.

Are you on friendly forces?

Upon hearing these words, Tezcatlipoca shook his arm, his smile vanished, and he greeted them.

"You are allies. I am Grand Berserker, my real name is Witness of Flame and Future. My paradise will always welcome those who dare to challenge all difficulties. But this time, I am your ally."

He didn't reveal his real name, but Tezcatlipoca did explain his location.

"I shouldn't be here, but because someone completely disappeared, the Counter Force sent me to fill in. I'm in charge of the First Beast. I just came to see you all. How should I put it? Although you still look like somewhat immature little kids, you already have the resolve of warriors. I underestimated you before."

Tezcatlipoca stroked his chin, giving Mash and Ritsuka this assessment.

"Although you may lack some talent compared to those guys, you have your own unique qualities. So it's still uncertain who will win or lose. Anyway, good luck! I'm really looking forward to your future performances."

"... ah?"

After listening to Tezcatlipoca's cryptic and enigmatic words, Ritsuka and Mash were somewhat baffled. They didn't know where to begin asking, and they also knew that even if they did, he might not answer. So they simply got straight to the point.

"Um... you mean you're here to help us this time?"

Mash asked.

"That's right, we're here to help you."

Tezcatlipoca nodded, then continued to play with the toy in his hand.

"However, before that, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"What is it?"

Upon hearing this Mash and Ritsuka also became serious, and their hearts immediately went on high alert.

Having experienced so many Singularity, they roughly understood the plot's development, which was—

Although it's not really necessary, let's have a match first and get to know each other better.

Some questions can be clarified during combat.

They had reason to suspect that Tezcatlipoca also wanted to jump straight into the battle.

However, although the other party enjoys fighting, there are things he cares about even more than fighting.

Tezcatlipoca flicked her gloves, fired a few more magic bullets, and then asked them, "Did you make this?"

"... Ah, it's Da Vinci..."

Although they didn't understand why the other person asked this question, the two obediently answered, after all, it wasn't a confidential topic, and everything in Chaldea was in the hands of the Uomo Universale Da Vinci.

"Da Vinci? The name of some god of craftsmen? No, the Uomo Universale..."

Tezcatlipoca thought for a moment, then said, "Humans have become so interesting."

"While I'm pleased to be addressed as Grand Rank, is there something you need from me?"

Da Vinci spoke at this moment.

"So you're Da Vinci, huh? Very well, then how about we make a deal? You just need to help me produce..."

Upon hearing the woman on the communicator who identified herself as Da Vinci, Tezcatlipoca nodded. He pointed to the formal attire in his hand, about to propose a deal as usual, but in the next moment—

"Katlipokka, you're bewitching humanity again! Die!!"

Before he could finish speaking, a ham suddenly fell from the sky and kicked Tezcatlipoca directly in the back of the head, causing him to stagger and almost fall. However, at the last moment, he braced himself with his palm, then leaped up and nimbly deflected the attack.

He then turned around angrily and shouted at Quetzalcoatl had jumped off the pterosaur's back while he wasn't paying attention and was about to kick him in the back of the head.

"Quetzal, you bird-brain, are you never going to stop? Why are you everywhere? Are you really trying to annoy me?"

Are you alright?

At the same time, the black warhorse slowly descended from the sky and came to Ritsuka's side. The black Lion King opened its helmet, revealing a familiar face, and asked the two of them a question.

Upon seeing this face, Ritsuka instinctively wanted to call out Artoria's name, but then suddenly remembered that this was the Lion King, not the Artoria they knew.

"We're alright."

"Um."

Seeing that they were alright, Black Lancer Artoria, then raised the Holy Lance and aimed it at the Tezcatlipoca.

Unlike Ritsuka and Mash, she had been to the Underworld and had seen this guy.

At the time, the other party was on the opposite side, and in the illusion, they ripped out Merlin's heart. After that, they disappeared without a trace. Now, it is unknown whether they are friend or foe. So, she was prepared to fight them first, but Ritsuka and Mash stopped her and explained the situation that this person might be an ally.

Furthermore, with Quetzalcoatl's endorsement, it was said, "Don't worry, Black Lily. Although this guy is notorious, he can't lie in this situation. Although he's annoying, he's not a traditional evil god and can be trusted."

Black Lancer Artoria then put away his weapon and lowered his guard.

After being told this by Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca also had mixed feelings.

After all, this was the first time he had been praised by his arch-enemy, and he had only gained the other man's trust because of him. How to describe this feeling? It was quite complicated.

Quetzalcoatl then inquired about what happened to the Tezcatlipoca afterward.

When they met in Uruk, she heard from the Tezcatlipoca that they were here to find Gilgamesh, and she even gave them a ride. Now that they've come out, it means they've already met Gilgamesh, right? She wanted to know what he said and what their plans were.

"Gilgamesh... I met him, and we talked about some things. The details are a bit complicated. If you want to know more specifics, you should go find him."

"--Hahahaha! Are you all here to see me, Your Majesty?"