This was, in the truest sense, the final battle.
For Rozen and the others, and for Chaldea as well, it was nothing less.
The seven Singularities had been repaired.
The seven Holy Grails had all been recovered.
Now, all that remained was to find the true culprit behind it all—and put an end to him.
More than a year had passed since the beginning. From a situation that had once seemed utterly hopeless, they had fought their way to this point. There was no need to put into words how difficult that journey had been; every single person understood it in their hearts.
And so, here at the very end, everyone would pour their all into the fight.
Hope lay just before them.
A miracle was already within their grasp.
That last step—they would take it no matter what. From the Director of Chaldea down to the most ordinary staff member, this was their shared resolve.
From this moment forward, Chaldea would hold nothing back. All the frustration, helplessness, despair, and fear endured for more than a year would be transmuted into fuel for a final desperate struggle—to find the time and place where Mage King Solomon hid.
Until now, Chaldea had no leisure to pursue the mastermind behind the Incineration of Humanity. Just repairing the seven Singularities had demanded their all. But now at last, it was time to strike back.
For that purpose, all seven Holy Grails were brought out for observation and analysis.
This was something Chaldea had been doing all along.
By analyzing the Holy Grails, they sought to uncover the information they needed: Solomon's mana, his techniques, his motives, and his location.
Now that the seventh Holy Grail had been recovered, this work could at last reach completion.
The seventh Holy Grail had been personally delivered to the Age of Gods by Solomon himself.
By tracing its properties, they would surely be able to track the path it had taken—where it originated, in what era it had been dispatched to Mesopotamia, and the exact course it had traveled.
Of course, to accomplish this, one had to first understand the construction and mana composition of a Holy Grail.
Ordinarily, this would take considerable time. But the six Grails recovered earlier had all been forged by Solomon's hand as well, and Chaldea's prior analysis had already solved those mysteries.
In other words—Chaldea now held the key to unlock the radar.
Thus…
"Three days. At most three days, and we'll complete the analysis of the Holy Grail and pinpoint Mage King Solomon's location."
So promised Da Vinci, Chaldea's chief technician.
"Once we determine his coordinates, we'll launch Chaldea itself as an ark, and sail directly to his seat of power."
In short, this time Chaldea would go on the offensive, striking straight into the enemy's stronghold.
"In the meantime, you all should rest. Leave everything else to us."
Roman too gave this assurance to Rozen and the others.
"Three days… huh?"
At Rozen's murmuring, the others echoed it quietly, before all nodding heavily in agreement.
Three days later, the final decisive battle would begin.
The path of saving humanity had reached its end.
Win or lose—everything would be decided there.
If they won, the Incineration of Humanity would be cut away, and human history would return to its rightful course.
If they lost, Chaldea—the only force opposing the Mage King—would be annihilated. With no obstacles left, Solomon would be free to burn the Earth and turn human order to smoke.
Victory or defeat—everything rode on this one fight.
"So be it," Rozen thought silently.
"I'll use these three days to complete the final step."
What step?
Simple.
"To complete the sublimation of my Foreign Mana."
…
And so, everyone threw themselves into their tasks.
Rozen and the others left the central command room, careful not to disturb the many staff members working there.
That was their battlefield.
Rozen and his companions' battlefield would not come until three days later.
"For these next few days, rest well here in Chaldea—or wander about if you like," Rozen told his Servants.
None objected.
"Rest before battle, huh? Three days is short, but I'll make the most of it," said Artoria [Alter] as she departed.
"Rest well, Master. Don't end up getting beaten half to death, okay?" Jeanne [Alter] added with a crooked smile before turning away.
Hassan of Serenity, on the other hand, wished dearly to stay by Rozen's side.
But she knew full well that what Rozen needed now was not service, but quiet space to complete his own preparations.
"I'll spend time with Mash, see if we can lend some small help," she said with a trace of regret.
Mash nodded as well.
"You really worked hard in the battle at the Seventh Singularity, Senpai."
Leaving those words for Rozen, she left together with Serenity.
The place was left quiet.
Even Fou went off with Mash, leaving Rozen alone.
No—there was still one figure who had quietly lingered nearby without a word.
Tiamat.
The goddess obediently followed after Rozen, doing nothing, making no unnecessary moves—like she dared not leave him.
To call her a loyal hound would be wrong. She was more like a guardian spirit hovering at his back.
Rozen understood. Tiamat simply did not know what she ought to do.
After all, the primordial sea, the mother of all life, knew nothing beyond the instincts to bear children and to love them.
Even now, though bound to Rozen by an absolute contract, transformed into his familiar, her instinct suppressed so she no longer birthed children at will or altered ecosystems—Tiamat held no other desires.
For her now, with the instinct of procreation gone, only the wish to love, to tend, and to protect her children remained.
And above all else, that child was Rozen.
As Rozen's familiar, the only one she had to love, tend, and protect was him.
Thus she followed silently, just like a mother trailing behind a toddler taking unsteady steps: nervous, cautious, wanting to reach out and hold him, yet afraid to scare him, able only to follow quietly in constant watchfulness.
Rozen watched this and rubbed his temple in exasperation, before finally suggesting tentatively:
"If you don't want to leave my side, then at least turn into spirit form, all right?"
That way, he wouldn't have to constantly feel the presence of the Beast of Original Sin looming behind him.
Tiamat stared blankly at Rozen, then after a pause nodded and quietly vanished into spirit form.
Only then did Rozen let out a breath of relief.
At that moment…
"Wait, Rorelai."
A voice called out to Rozen.