Chaldea, Central Command Room.
"Fou! Fou!"
Before opening his eyes, Rozen first heard that familiar voice.
When he finally opened his eyes and stepped out of the Coffin, he saw the small white creature leaping toward him. Catching it in his arms, Rozen couldn't help but smile.
"I knew it. You little guy—always coming and going mysteriously—but I was sure you'd be here once we returned."
From the moment Rozen spent four days and nights restoring his Magic Circuits in preparation to face Gorgon, Fou had mysteriously disappeared once more. And just like in the past, it only reappeared now, at the very end, as though not wanting to disturb them during the final battle.
Back then, Rozen had thought this little creature was enigmatic and strange.
Now, he wasn't surprised anymore.
After all, Rozen already knew that Fou wasn't some ordinary mystical lifeform, but a Phantasmal Species that had lived for over a thousand years—the former familiar of the great Magus Merlin, the legendary magical cat of Britain's King Arthur cycle. That it was both spirit-touched and shrouded in mystery wasn't strange at all.
Still...
"I thought you'd gone back to Avalon with Merlin, but instead you came back here with us to Chaldea, huh, little one?"
Rozen lightly tapped Fou on the head.
"Fou! Fou!"
Fou immediately let out a protesting cry—but it wasn't resisting Rozen's touch. Rather, it sounded as though it were rebutting: "As if I'd ever go with that guy!" Its appearance was undeniably adorable.
At that moment, Mash and the others approached.
"We're back, Master."
Mash caught Fou as it bounded toward her, then looked at Rozen. Her expression was both relieved and wistful as she spoke.
Artoria [Alter] and Jeanne [Alter] stood nearby, along with Hassan of Serenity.
But their eyes were not on Rozen.
Instead, they were fixed on the silent figure following behind him.
Tiamat, still bound in her sealed form, hovered over a surging tide of black mud. Gazing at Chaldea with eyes holding no particular emotion—only calmness and melancholy—her presence alone was overwhelming.
Even so, the very fact that this Primordial Goddess, this Beast of Original Sin, was standing here caused all the Servants present to remain on edge, some even trembling with fear.
Though everyone knew Tiamat was Rozen's familiar and would not rebel, unease was unavoidable.
Rozen said nothing about it.
After all, back when he formed a contract with Altera, people had reacted in much the same way.
He understood very well: words alone could not change this kind of fear. Only time could gradually wear it down, allowing everyone to grow accustomed to Tiamat's presence and realize she was harmless to humans. Only then would the issue resolve.
So, Rozen merely turned his head toward Mash.
"Yes, we're back." Rozen nodded, his voice also tinged with nostalgia. "This battle was without a doubt harder than any before—and many problems arose along the way."
For example, his damaged Magic Circuits.
For example, the conflicts among the three goddesses.
And above all—the awakening of the Beast of Original Sin, along with the corruption and reversal of Ushiwakamaru and Okita. Each of these was more serious than any problem in prior Singularities.
"Thankfully, we made it through."
Rozen said it plainly.
"Yes." Mash smiled gently. "And this time, we also met so many people—Miss Ishtar, Miss Ereshkigal, Miss Quetzalcoatl, and King Gilgamesh. And in the end, we were able to properly say farewell to everyone. Though... I wonder about Miss Nobunaga and Miss Ryougi Shiki..."
At that, Mash suddenly recalled something.
"Wait—Where's Miss Ryougi Shiki?"
She froze.
When they returned, Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Man had vanished into light. Ishtar and Nobunaga had chosen to remain in that era. But Ryougi Shiki—she had not been seen at all in the end.
"Could it be that Miss Shiki quietly vanished?"
Mash speculated.
But she was mistaken.
"No, Shiki didn't disappear." Rozen shook his head, recalling the final moments before returning, and let out a wry smile. "At the very end, that girl contacted me through mental transmission and asked me to send her to the Underworld."
Yes—Ryougi Shiki had gone to the Underworld.
"Since Ereshkigal doesn't intend to leave the Underworld yet, I'll stay with her until the very end."
That was what Shiki had told him, asking him to use Cleansing to deliver her there.
Normally, as a neutral Servant summoned by the Holy Grail, Shiki should have disappeared like Quetzalcoatl and Jaguar Man once the Grail was recovered. But within the Underworld, that rule no longer applied.
For the Underworld was Ereshkigal's dominion—the realm of the dead. All spirits, all shades, fell under her authority.
And Servants, being spirit forms—phantoms not unlike the dead—were no exception. Without Ereshkigal's leave, no Servant or Heroic Spirit could vanish there.
Thus, Shiki chose not to disappear, but to return to the Underworld, to remain as a guest of its mistress.
Thinking it no bad thing that Ereshkigal would have company, Rozen agreed, and with Cleansing sent Ryougi Shiki back.
From now on, with Shiki at her side, and with Rozen occasionally contacting her through mental transmission, Ereshkigal would no longer be as lonely or sorrowful as before.
"I see."
Mash nodded in relief, happy for both Ereshkigal and Shiki.
This Singularity could truly be said to have been brought to a perfect conclusion.
Olga Marie, Da Vinci, and Roman hurried in.
"You've done well!"
Da Vinci was first to offer heartfelt praise.
"We were so worried... it's such a relief that it all worked out!"
Olga Marie's eyes brimmed with the relief of one who had survived a great trial.
The memory of that final battle in the Seventh Singularity still left her trembling.
But Roman, the moment he entered, fixed his gaze on Tiamat. In the end, he bowed silently to her in respect.
And, unexpectedly, Tiamat lowered her eyes to meet his gaze—watching him quietly, as though perceiving something in him.
Of course, the others could not ignore Tiamat's presence either. Just thinking that Beast II was here in Chaldea was enough to make their skin crawl. If she were to unleash her power even once, Chaldea would be obliterated.
Yet, remembering Rozen, they all chose to suppress their unease and place their trust in him.
Seeing this, Rozen silently nodded to himself, then stepped forward with the Holy Grail in hand.
"Our mission is complete—the final Grail has been recovered."
Rozen presented it to Roman.
"Yes, I've received it."
Roman accepted the Grail with solemnity.
"And confirmation has come through—every one of the seven Singularities has now been repaired."
Da Vinci beamed at them.
"With this, Human Order can be restored, and human history set back on its foundation."
Olga Marie was practically trembling with excitement.
Not just her—the staff throughout Chaldea could not hide their joy.
All seven Singularities had been resolved.
The crisis of Human Order was finally at an end.
Or so it seemed—until Rozen spoke, dousing their relief with cold reality.
"No—it's not over yet."
Rozen's voice cut through the joy.
"The true mastermind behind it all—the final culprit—has yet to be defeated."