The Ex-Machina on a Dimensional Journey

Achilles looked at the colorful halo floating above Xiu Er's head and spoke between ragged breaths.

But Xiu Er met his question with silence.

"..."

Her golden eyes held no emotion, as lifeless as a doll's.

Being stared at by those eyes sent a chill down his spine.

Achilles was unaffected, though. It was hardly unusual for Magi in this world to have eyes like that.

"...Interesting."

Her transformed spear had already returned to its original shape. Only the golden lines along it still glowed faintly. Xiu Er held it casually before her and looked down at the battered Rider standing in the pool of molten liquid.

He had to admit, the shield Noble Phantasm in Achilles' hand was impressive. It had withstood every one of Xiu Er's follow-up attacks, even after she saw him use it and increased her energy output.

"Data collection complete. Uploading data automatically..."

"Mission progress... 0% → 50%"

"Target updated: Rider/Achilles → Archer/Atalanta"

"You have one message:"

"02: Got the data. It's in the database now. Thanks for the effort, Number Nine."

"A few of the others are back already. Need help?"

Number Nine quickly read through the messages, briefly assessed Achilles' condition, then used the "surveillance" cameras in the area to look at the green-clad archer watching from the edge of the crater.

After a moment of "consideration" through her brain-computer calculations, she replied.

"09: Affirmative. Improving efficiency is important."

There was no such thing as "stealing credit" among the Xiu Ers. Greater efficiency was always welcome.

As for why Xiu Er herself had arranged for her Doppelgangers to fight the Servants one-on-one, it was simply because a one-on-one fight that forced an opponent to use a Noble Phantasm created a greater sense of urgency than a group attack.

The more pressure they applied,