Olga Marie stepped forward when Heracles stopped.
Heracles.
"Um."
I can grant your request.
Heracles turned to look at her.
A silent gaze was cast from the dark crimson eyes hidden in the shadow of the hood.
"But before that, could you please do Chaldea a favor?"
Olga Marie's long silver hair swayed gently in the wind.
" The Holy Grail of Mount Enzou is the key to repairing this Singularity. With your strength, you should be able to defeat the guards there."
Heracles remained silent for a moment.
Then he shook his head.
It's not that I'm unwilling to help you.
He said.
"But this Singularity is very special."
Olga Marie frowned.
"What's the meaning?"
Heracles glanced at her.
"This Singularity is not an ordinary temporal anomaly; it was deliberately preserved by the Counter Force."
Olga Marie's expression changed.
Mash's expression changed as well.
" Counter Force?!"
Olga Marie's voice rose.
"Why does the Counter Force preserve a Singularity? The existence of Singularity is itself a threat to Human Order; the Counter Force should want it to be repaired!"
I don't know much more than you do.
Heracles ' voice remained calm.
"But one thing I'm certain of. There's a reason this Singularity has been preserved. And that reason is related to what your Chaldea will face in the future."
He looked at Olga Marie.
"You'd better go and conquer the other Singularity first, and come back to deal with this place after you've learned the whole truth."
Olga Marie's lips were pressed tightly together.
She didn't understand.
I don't understand at all.
Counter Force is a collective unconscious defense mechanism of humankind, and its function is to protect the continuation of human civilization.
Singularity are deviations from and threats to Human Order.
The Counter Force preserves the Singularity, which is theoretically contradictory.
unless.
Unless the existence of this Singularity itself has some significance for Human Order.
Olga Marie couldn't understand it.
She turned to look at Cú Chulainn.
Cú Chulainn leaned against a tree, his staff resting on his shoulder.
His red eyes stared at Heracles, his expression calm.
No surprise.
" Cú Chulainn, you know about this?"
I roughly know.
Cú Chulainn's tone was casual.
"I've been stuck in this lousy place long enough; after seeing so much, I've naturally come to understand things."
He did not explain in detail.
"The great hero is right. You don't need to know about this Singularity yet. Go and deal with the other Singularity first."
Beneath Olga Marie's long silver hair, her eyes flashed with Wrath, confusion, and helplessness.
But she ultimately suppressed it.
"There's one more thing."
Heracles said.
" The Servant newly summoned by the Counter Force to guard the Holy Grail."
He glanced at Mash.
"They're not someone you can handle right now."
Mash gripped the shield's handle tightly.
"Her Spirit Origin core is related to biblical mythology."
Without giving anyone time to be surprised, Heracles turned and walked through the castle gates.
A group of people followed behind.
The interior of the castle appears quieter than the exterior.
The walls of the corridor were adorned with faded brocade paintings, and the floor was made of dark wood that creaked slightly underfoot.
There is no dust.
Someone is cleaning.
But apart from Heracles, no other Servant in the entire castle reacted.
Heracles himself was the one who cleaned.
The group followed Heracles up to the second floor.
Walk through a corridor and come to the innermost door.
Heracles reached out and pushed open the door.
The room wasn't big.
A window, its white curtains half-drawn, lets in the dark red sunlight that streams through them onto the floor.
A single bed was placed in the center of the room.
The bed was covered with white sheets and a light blue blanket.
A person was lying under the blanket.
A very small person.
Her long, silver hair was spread out on the pillow, reaching to both sides.
His face Pale it was almost transparent, and his lips were completely bloodless.
With her eyes closed, her breathing was extremely shallow, and her chest was barely rising and falling.
A very faint golden halo flowed slowly around her body.
It was the power of the Golden Apple that sustained her life.
Illyasviel von Einzbern.
Illya in this Singularity world.
Heracles ' Master.
Ritsuka Fujimaru walked to the bedside.
She looked down at the silver-haired little girl.
She's about the same age as Mash, maybe even younger.
It looks like it's sleeping.
But there was no sign of peaceful relaxation on that face.
His brow was slightly furrowed, as if he were enduring something.
"She is your Master?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru asked in a low voice.
"Yes."
Heracles stood in the doorway.
His height meant he had to duck to avoid hitting the door frame.
The giant, who was over two meters tall, stood there, looking at the little girl on the bed who was less than 1.4 meters tall.
"She and I formed a contract. The reason I can still maintain my Spirit Origin is because of the contractual connection with her."
"If she dies..."
Heracles paused for a moment.
"I won't leave immediately, but my strength will decline significantly, and who knows what will happen after that."
Olga Marie went to the bedside.
She glanced at Illya's face, then at the golden halo.
How long will the effects of the Golden Apple last?
"Uncertain. Maybe we can hold on for another month, maybe we only have a few days left."
Olga Marie remained silent for a few seconds.
She turned to look at Heracles.
"I won't go back on my word once I've agreed to your request."
She looked at Mash.
" Mash."
"Yes, Director."
"Put your shield on the ground."
Mash paused for a moment.
"Director?"
"Your shield is itself a simplified vessel for Heroic Spirit Summoning."
Olga Marie's voice became very professional.
"We can use it as a temporary Heroic Spirit Summoning system, decomposing Heracles's Spirit Origin and guiding it to merge into his Master's body."
"Just like what I did to you back then."
When Olga Marie said those last words, there was a hint of bitterness in her voice.
The Chaldea -Demi-Servant.
That was one of Chaldea's darkest secrets.
Mash is the ultimate result of that experiment.
Olga Marie disliked those experiments very much.
But those research materials are now proving useful.
She knew the complete process of Demi-Servant fusion.
" Mash, place the shield on the ground, lay it flat."
Mash nodded and placed the large cross shield flat on the open ground next to the room.
The shield faced upwards, its cross-shaped markings gleaming faintly in the dark red light of the sky.
Heracles.
Olga Marie looked at the giant in the doorway.
"Hold your Master and stand next to the shield."
Heracles entered the room.
His steps were so light that they seemed completely out of place with his massive frame.
It was as if they were afraid of waking someone.
He went to the bedside.
Bend down.
Huge hands carefully lifted Illya from the bed.
One hand supported her back, and the other supported her legs.
Long silver hair fell down from between his arms.
Illya's body seemed even smaller in Heracles ' arms.
Heracles, carrying Illya, walked to the shield and stood there.
Olga Marie closed her eyes.
Her hands were crossed in front of her, and her fingertips began to emit a pale blue magical light.
"Temporary Heroic Spirit Summoning System, activated."
The cross pattern on the shield lit up.
White light seeped out from the patterns, spreading along the shield's surface and forming a halo about two meters in diameter on the floor.
The center of the aperture is where Heracles and Illya are located.
Olga Marie began reciting the incantation.
This is not a proper Heroic Spirit Summoning incantation.
Blue magical threads extended from her fingertips and wrapped around Heracles ' body.
Heracles offered no resistance.
His Spirit Origin is fully open.
There was not the slightest will to resist.
For a Servant, actively opening their Spirit Origin is the most vulnerable state.
But Heracles did not hesitate.
He looked down at Illya in his arms.
The dark red eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hood, were calm.
A white light rose from the shield and enveloped Heracles ' entire body.
His body began to change.
Starting from the toes, the dark reddish-brown skin transformed into golden specks of light.
The light spots spread upwards from the feet.
Lower leg, knee, thigh, waist.
The golden light spots rose upwards like a waterfall flowing backwards.
Heracles ' body is gradually becoming transparent.
His enormous body gradually melted into light.
The golden light did not scatter.
They flowed down Heracles ' arm and into Illya's arms.
Like a river flowing into the sea.
The light spot was absorbed into Illya's body after it came into contact with her.
Her silver hair shimmered with a warm light in the golden glow.
The Golden Apple aura surrounding Illya's body also brightened.
Heracles ' body had melted down to his chest.
His face finally emerged from the shadow of the hood.
A young face.
Strong lines, deep-set features.
If it weren't for his dark reddish-brown skin and crimson pupils, he would have been a very handsome face.
He looked at Illya in his arms.
His lips moved slightly.
No one heard what he said.
Perhaps nothing was said.
Then his face also turned into golden specks of light.
Finally, his hands disappeared.
The enormous hands that held Illya.
Golden light spread from fingertips to palms.
One by one, the fingers turned into light.
Illya lost her footing and fell from mid-air.
Mash rushed forward.
She cast aside all hesitation, lunged forward, and caught the small body firmly in her hands.
Illya was in her arms.
It's very light.
Her long silver hair cascaded down Mash's arms.
Illya's expression changed.
It was no longer that transparent Pale.
A faint blush rose to her cheeks.
Her lips regained some color.
The rise and fall of his chest became more noticeable.
The room remained quiet for a while.
Heracles has completely disappeared.
Only five people and a shield lying flat on the ground remained in the room.
The light on the shield is slowly fading.
Mash held Illya and carefully placed her back on the bed.
Just as she placed Illya's head on the pillow.
Illya's eyelashes fluttered.
It trembled slightly.
It trembled again.
Then.
Her wine-red eyes opened.