Detective Fujimaru Ritsuka

Mash Kyrielight looked helpless; she clearly wanted to ask the same question, and even wanted to determine whether the other person was a Servant or a human.

However, Romani could usually give a quick answer, was unable to do so this time. He simply used the communicator to secretly inform the others of the current situation.

"You can't detect it either? Me neither! There's too much magic around, so I can't detect any reaction at all! But she's wearing armor, so she's probably not an ordinary London citizen."

"Ugh, this is a real headache! I thought limiting things to the city would make things easier. Now things are really complicated! We have no idea who she is. Is she just an ordinary person who happens to be resistant to Magecraft, or a Servant...?"

Romani was ranting and raving, and seemed quite distressed by the current predicament, when Olga Marie's voice chimed in.

"Should we have a frank discussion, or just take them out and eliminate them?"

Olga Marie's suggestion silenced everyone.

After a while, Romani asked, "What if they are friendly forces?"

"This place is Singularity. The fastest way to restore it to its original state is to resolve all the anomalies here, right? For example, take care of all the Servants, regardless of whether they are good or evil, kill them all, and bring back the Holy Grail. That will naturally solve the problem."

"Anyway, Servants are just avatars of Heroic Spirit, and they will return to the Throne of Heroes after being killed. As for the people here, they will naturally return to their original historical trajectory after the history is restored, so there is no need to worry about making any major mistakes during the process that would be irreversible."

Olga Marie said, and the reason she gave was so compelling that no one could refute it.

Meanwhile, as everyone was still secretly discussing with headquarters, the mysterious armored woman who had been waiting for their answers looked puzzled. She frowned and said, "What are you all doing sneaking around like this? Since you're not attacking me, it doesn't matter."

As she spoke, she completely disregarded the fact that Mephistopheles's people were conducting clandestine communications, as if she had no intention of pursuing the matter at all.

After saying that, her expression dimmed slightly. "I didn't need anything from you. Sorry to bother you, the fog around here is very thick, we'd better leave as soon as possible."

"Thank you for the reminder." Mephistopheles smiled and thanked the other party, which also brought a slight smile to their face. Just when Ritsuka Fujimaru and the others thought that Mephistopheles was going to take a step back and find a place to stay, Mephistopheles suddenly spoke again, "Hmm... you're a Servant, right?"

The question was so blunt that Mash Kyrielight was momentarily stunned, as was the woman opposite her, but she quickly nodded. "That's right, I am."

After she finished speaking, she waved her hand and turned to leave.

As they walked, they shouted, "Just be careful!"

This action made Mash Kyrielight's eyes widen again. She thought Mephistopheles's sudden question about whether the other person was a Servant was already quite careless, but the other person's behavior was even more peculiar. First, he didn't hide anything, and second, he just left like that, swaggering away.

Upon witnessing this, Dr. Roman shook his head. "She's gone already? That's too fast! What an impatient child... Is she from London?"

"Didn't she say she was a follower?"

"Then it's also possible that she's a London turned Servant," Romani said, then added helplessly, "And judging from what she just said, she seems to know some inside information. She should know more about the current situation in London than we do."

"Alright, let's go after her and ask. I was hoping to continue our conversation and try to get some information out of her, but she just left," Mephistopheles said, shaking his head.

Romani agreed with the suggestion, "Yes, let's go after them and ask."

But looking further ahead, there was no sign of the other person.

However, no one cared. They just kept walking forward and figured they would eventually run into each other.

After walking a short distance, Mephistopheles frowned; he sensed something approaching.

Black Jeanne also looked around warily, clearly sensing that something was nearby.

"Something has arrived, and there's quite a lot of it," Black Jeanne said.

Mephistopheles nodded. "Yes, quite a few. Judging by the magical fluctuations, they seem to be just small fry."

Romani shouted at this moment, "I didn't observe any biological reaction, but there were reactions from multiple moving objects. I still can't sense any magical reaction. This fog is interfering too much with the Magic Resistance!"

"There's a magical reaction; it's Magecraft construct, possibly a puppet," Mephistopheles said, staring at his surroundings.

After a while, a large number of puppet-like creations did indeed appear. These magically powered things immediately surrounded the group and began to attack them!

However, these things were of no use to Mephistopheles and the others. Mephistopheles didn't even need to lift a finger; Mash Kyrielight and Black Jeanne Alter annihilated all the puppet creations in an instant.

After eliminating all of them, Mash Kyrielight breathed a sigh of relief, "Breakthrough successful, we can continue moving now."

Romani was also somewhat surprised. "I didn't expect something like that to be hidden in the fog. No wonder everyone is hiding inside the buildings. Since the doors and windows weren't damaged, it means those things can't invade the buildings, right? But it's really strange and eerie."

Mash Kyrielight recalled the guys she had defeated and said, "I remember the structure of those wreckage; some of it was used in the machinery of this era."

"I told you, it's a puppet. It really is a piece of trash that fits the characteristics of the times." Mephistopheles said, holding a fragment of wreckage in his hand and carefully examining its internal structure.

Romani sighed, "It's a pity. Because of the fog, it will be difficult for me to observe for you. Be careful during your upcoming exploration to avoid being ambushed."

Mash Kyrielight nodded. "Okay."

Then, she looked at the group and said, "Let's go!"

The group embarked on their journey to find the armored girl once again, but along the way, they experienced several more battles, with their targets being things resembling puppets.

After yet another battle with the mechanical constructs, Mephistopheles suddenly noticed something.

"There are signs of corrosion here," Mephistopheles said, pointing to a section of the wreckage.

Everyone looked over there and, sure enough, found that the sheet metal was showing signs of corrosion. Seeing this, the group was taken aback. They all remembered very clearly that the people fighting here had not used any corrosive techniques!

"In London during the Industrial Revolution, the large amounts of smog emitted by steam engines became a social problem. The sulfur dioxide in the smog would condense and become sulfuric acid mist when it encountered low-temperature fog..." Mash Kyrielight's expression suddenly changed at this point, "...Huh?!"

"What's wrong, Mash Kyrielight!" Romani asked quickly.

" In London in 1888, there were some case records describing it as 'as if they had inhaled sulfuric acid,' right?" Mephistopheles said, Mash Kyrielight nodded. "That's right."

A dark figure appeared behind Mash Kyrielight. It was petite but concealed its presence, so much so that Mash Kyrielight didn't even notice it.

Ritsuka Fujimaru quickly shouted, "Watch out!"

At the same time, the shadowy figure made its move!

Just as she made her move, Black Jeanne also attacked. Black Jeanne Alter was already very powerful, and almost the instant she noticed the opponent's appearance, she swung her weapon and struck. In that instant, the dagger and the flag collided, forcing the sneak attacking figure back!

It was a white-haired girl, mostly naked, staring at the group with a voice full of doubt.

"... What are you...? Humans? Or Magecraft? Not only can you move around in the magic mist without any problem, but you can also move freely within our mist. Are you Servants like us?"

Mash Kyrielight saw the person at that moment and immediately recognized him.

"You are a Servant, though you should have been a human from this era." She revealed the other's identity, "Jack the Ripper!"

"Numerous women were murdered in London at the end of the 19th century, and not only that, all the victims were dismembered..."

"A notorious serial killer who provoked the London police, accustomed to symbols of terror around the world, and even spawning numerous copycats."

Mephistopheles smiled and took a step forward, his True Magic incantations instantly unleashed!

"You actually know me?! I'm so happy! I'm so excited!" Jack the Ripper, or rather, the servant named Jack the Ripper but actually a loli, let out a morbid laugh. "So happy, so joyful! In that case, you should know what I'm going to do to you!"

Jack the Ripper's goal was simple: to kill people and dismember them!

Unfortunately, she can't be happy right now.

Because Mephistopheles acted immediately.

In an instant, Mephistopheles appeared in front of Jack the Ripper. Even though his opponent was a little girl, Mephistopheles had no intention of holding back. Flames gathered in his hand, along with the power of Michael, carrying a light that purified filth. Before Jack the Ripper could react, he smashed the flames directly into her face.

"Bang!"

As expected, Jack the Ripper couldn't even stop Mephistopheles in the slightest and was knocked to the ground by her punch. Dazzling flames appeared on her face and began to spread to other parts of her body.

Michael's power is naturally the power to ward off evil. Even Satan cannot deal with Michael, let alone a mere Jack the Ripper.

At this moment, Jack the Ripper let out a piercing scream. The sins she carried began to be settled under the burning flames. The deeper the sins, the greater the pain.

Jack the Ripper was in extreme pain at that moment.

Even though she is now a Servant, a being almost like a god, she is powerless against Michael's flames.

Poor Jack the Ripper didn't even get to say another word before he was reduced to ashes in the flames.

Mash Kyrielight gasped, feeling that the little girl's condition was truly tragic.

Ritsuka Fujimaru blinked and asked, "I didn't expect you to be so ruthless with lolis, Mephistopheles! I thought you were a lolicon!"

"A lolicon?!" Mephistopheles scoffed. "If you saw a bunch of teenagers killing each other every day, you'd get used to it just like I do."

As he spoke, he thought of his superior in the world of A Certain Magical Index, that twelve-year-old girl who was incredibly strong and had a terrible temper!

"Strange, my memory..." Mash Kyrielight suddenly frowned, as if she couldn't recall what had just happened. "I only remember being a Servant, and then..."

"Smack!"

With a snap of her fingers, a special True Magic incantation began to spread outwards. Mash Kyrielight shook her head; her previously hazy memories became clear again. She gasped, "This mist feels very problematic; it's affecting my memories!"

"It's not just the memory, even the recording device is malfunctioning; the recording from just now is gone..." Romani's voice was also serious.

"Alright, let's keep chasing and see if we can catch up with that armored woman. If we encounter any other hostile Servants along the way, we can take care of them too. It's pretty easy anyway," Mephistopheles said from the side.

"Be careful, I have a feeling this enemy might not be so simple!"

He wasn't concerned about Magecraft that interfered with his memories, since it wouldn't affect him anyway. Besides, he mostly agreed with Olga Marie's suggestion: just get rid of the suspicious guy, and everything would be back to normal once history was restored, so there was no need to worry about so many things.

Moreover, the search along the way has been smooth sailing, much like encountering Jack the Ripper. Every time you meet someone, you eliminate them, constantly weakening the opposing forces. This is a blow to those behind the scenes and can also delay their plans.

It can be said that apart from needing sufficient strength to avoid being counterattacked during execution, there is nothing to worry about with this plan!

Mephistopheles alone could provide this "sufficient strength" requirement!

Moreover, whether it's Mash Kyrielight, Ritsuka Fujimaru, or Black Jeanne, these people are all quite strong. If the three of them join forces, Mephistopheles believes that even if Gilgamesh were to Golden Sparkle his full power, he probably wouldn't gain any advantage.

Chapter 169 Detective Ritsuka Fujimaru

As they continued walking, Mash Kyrielight asked Mephistopheles, "You also discovered she was Jack the Ripper?"

"Hmm, I've found it. It would be ridiculous if I hadn't, since the location and timeline fit perfectly. But what I didn't expect is that the other party is a Servant, not a real human."

As Mephistopheles spoke, he inwardly grumbled.

Fortunately, he had also paid attention to some murder cases in the Type-Moon world, so he knew these details. In fact, in the A Certain Magical Index world, although he knew about Jack the Ripper, he had never seen a record of Jack the Ripper using sulfuric acid to kill people. This record only exists in the Type-Moon World.

At first, Mephistopheles thought it was just a special kind of mythologizing of the killer, which had become distorted over time. But now it seems that this might not be the case, because this Jack the Ripper is completely different from the Jack the Ripper he imagined.

"As expected of this place, even Jack the Ripper is a woman... and a little girl at that..."

"Huh? What did you say, Mephistopheles- senpai?" Mash Kyrielight asked, somewhat puzzled.

"I was just complaining, why are all the Servants I thought were male actually female?" Mephistopheles said, chuckling, "This Jack the Ripper from before gives me a very special feeling. She's probably not an ordinary Servant; she's more like a collection of resentment."

Mash Kyrielight was taken aback. "A collection of resentment?"

Not only Mash Kyrielight, but also Ritsuka Fujimaru and Black Jeanne joined in, wanting to hear what Mephistopheles had discovered.

"Right now it's just a feeling, but considering that Michael's power could cause her so much damage, it's safe to say she's some kind of evil spirit or malevolent being." Mephistopheles thought about his own experience fighting her and said, "She's like a vengeful spirit, similar to a ghost, but also different. The feeling she gives me is complicated..."

"What's complicated?" Romani asked.

"Yeah, what's so complicated? Is this Servant a ghost like me?" Olga Marie asked as well.

Mephistopheles shook his head. "It's a bit different. She gives me the feeling of a large number of ghosts merging together, but then her existence wouldn't be so stable. She should definitely have some kind of mental breakdown, but she just happens to have a stable, single spirit."

Romani immediately used his "unbeatable wisdom" to come up with a more convenient description. "You mean she's like a combination of many ghosts, but with only one unique consciousness?"

"That's right, and didn't I say that she felt like a collection of resentment? If you consider it from that perspective, it doesn't seem wrong. Resentment is hatred, a curse, and human malice, but this kind of malice itself has no consciousness of its own."

Mephistopheles said with a slight smile, "So, curses are, in essence, the manipulation of malice."

"We'll talk about that later. First, tell me what's this talk about the collective resentment of Jack the Ripper?"

"It's very simple. Resentment without self-awareness gathers together and transforms into extreme malice. And this extreme malice, because of the reason for its birth, generates its own special consciousness, such as the consciousness of a ghost."

"From this perspective, I can make a deduction: the ability to generate such a singular consciousness indicates that when the resentment merges, the consciousness of the individual generating the resentment is not actually strong, and may not even have developed a true self."

"Moreover, their experiences are all similar, and the objects of their resentment are also similar. It is only under such circumstances, where almost all of them only want the exact same thing, that such a collective of resentment with a unique self-awareness can be born."

"Wait a minute, does that mean Jack the Ripper's traits can help us understand what he really is? Or even what experiences shaped him into the Jack the Ripper we know today?" Ritsuka Fujimaru asked, then she saw Mephistopheles nod at her.

After receiving affirmation, Ritsuka Fujimaru became even more excited. In this foggy city, she even felt that she was about to awaken the soul of a great detective. She looked at Mephistopheles with some envy, and at the clothes Mephistopheles was wearing.

Indeed, the most suitable attire for this place is exactly what Mephistopheles is wearing!

However, she quickly dismissed this envy and turned her attention to solving the case.

"Well, as far as I know, Jack the Ripper almost exclusively killed women, including many prostitutes, which shows he harbored immense hatred for these women. I originally thought Jack the Ripper was a man, a fanatical believer who thought these women had violated his doctrines, but now I see it was a little girl..."

"The most unique aspect of these conditions or information is that the child resents adults, especially women. This narrows down our considerations, leaving only one thing to consider: the mother!

"Since the object of their resentment is only the mother, we can rule out the existence of the father. This can only mean one thing: the tragedies and pain suffered by these aggregates of resentment must have occurred before they came into contact with their fathers. So there is only one possibility: they did not have a father, or they died at the moment of birth and never came into contact with their fathers!"

As Ritsuka Fujimaru spoke, she pushed up her non-existent glasses and squinted.

"There's only one truth: Jack the Ripper was actually the product of the resentment of abandoned babies who hated their mothers. And because of the nature of prostitution, abortion was even more prevalent, which is evidenced by the fact that most of the women killed were prostitutes!"

Mephistopheles clapped his hands, his eyes full of admiration as he looked at Ritsuka Fujimaru, and laughed, "If you traveled back to 18th or 19th century London, you could definitely survive as a private detective!"

This reasoning wasn't particularly brilliant, but it was still quite good, better than many of the detectives Mephistopheles had ever met. With enough information, Ritsuka Fujimaru might have been able to uncover the secrets of Jack the Ripper even faster.