Unlike what Shiomi had expected, the map of SE.RA.PH wasn't a neat square or some irregular layout—it was the silhouette of a voluptuous female body.
Her facial features were obscured by her hands, positioned just right to conceal her entire face, making it impossible to discern her appearance.
The church they were currently in was situated on the upper thigh of this woman's right leg.
"So... up until now, we've been fighting and moving around on the body of some giant, unknown woman—ow ow ow!"
The sheer absurdity of it made Shiomi instinctively relax and blurt out the joke—only to have Scáthach tug at both sides of his cheeks from behind.
"Well, that's one way to put it. Crude, but accurate," BB sighed. "Everyone from Chaldea—do you understand what this means?"
"The Seraphix offshore oil field has been consumed by something—and fused with it," Morgan replied calmly, watching Shiomi's sorry state with faint amusement.
It sounded ridiculous, but there was a certain logic to it. Artoria immediately thought of something relevant.
"In later myths, it's said that Marduk slew Tiamat, split her body in two, and used it to form the lands of Mesopotamia. Could this woman merged with SE.RA.PH be a being of that nature?"
"Not quite right, but very close," BB said. "According to Mooncell's calculations, SE.RA.PH is currently undergoing assimilation by the Beast. The fake Holy Grail War being held here is merely a means to facilitate that process, gathering the necessary resources through the battles between Servants."
"Calculations?" Scáthach immediately picked up on the term. "Is this Mooncell some kind of Spiritron Calculation Device, like Chaldea's Trismegistus?"
BB gave Scáthach a slightly aggrieved look, as if she were pouting over the topic veering off course. "Master, you always zero in on that stuff… But yes, you're right. Mooncell is indeed a computation system—but compared to it, Chaldea's engine is basically a minimalist teen edition~~"
"Oh?" Shiomi paused as Scáthach's actions gave him just enough space to interject.
"Put simply, Chaldea's Spiritron Calculation Device proves a Master's spirit-based existence within the era of a Singularity. But if Mooncell ran a similar operation… it could prove the existence of an entire planet." BB delivered this earth-shattering fact with casual ease.
Then, she turned obediently to Morgan and asked,
"Is that sufficient, Mother?"
Morgan's fairy eyes had remained fixed on BB the entire time—and BB knew full well that even as a top-tier AI, she couldn't lie in front of her.
Which meant that every word she had said so far had been nothing but the truth—albeit selectively filtered truth.
"Go on," Morgan said with a smile, motioning for BB to continue.
"What exactly is this false Holy Grail War?" Artoria asked.
BB shook her head. "It's just as the name implies. Aside from Dad, who was transferred here from the outside world, all the other Masters died the moment they summoned their Servants. Only the Servants remain, left to fight and kill one another."
"I see..." Shiomi turned the information over in his mind. "Then what about Gawain and Tristan, who seem to be under Suzuka Gozen's control? Were they taken over by the Beast?"
"Mm, that one's a bit complicated. Once everyone starts the real exploration, your adorable BB will explain everything properly." BB pointed to the chest area of the map—the chest of the female figure. "From what we've gathered, this area used to be the control room before Seraphix was swallowed. If we want more detailed intel and to understand what really happened, we'll need to head there."
"Why not just go straight for the Beast?" Shiomi asked.
BB blinked, then pouted helplessly. "Dad, you really are a battle maniac, huh? Never mind whether your team could even defeat a Beast that hasn't finished its transformation—your own condition isn't exactly stable, is it?"
"…Yeah. Not long after the Rayshift, my body started dissolving…" Shiomi recalled the awful sensation of fading away. "No, 'decomposing' is a better word for it."
"That's one of the Beast's abilities. In this place, the closer you get to the border, the faster you break down. If you leave SE.RA.PH entirely, you'll vanish in an instant. Not even life-granting Authority can stop it," BB explained. "It's designed to keep Masters and Servants trapped here, turning them into the Beast's nourishment."
Even though the Masters were already long dead.
"But as long as you don't wander off toward the border, and you leave this world using non-standard methods, you'll be fine." BB reached out and handed Shiomi a golden double pyramid. "This is a single-use item Mooncell prepared for Dad. Until this Singularity is resolved, it'll temporarily protect your body in this digital world from divine punishment and let you fight at full strength."
Even knowing it was a one-time, time- and location-bound item, Shiomi couldn't help but mutter,
"How convenient..."
Just what kind of entity was Mooncell? Maybe he'd only find out when he could finally visit it in person.
"If you want to begin the investigation, it's up to you. I'll stay here, and here..."
As BB handed over the item, she suddenly collapsed backward—but Shiomi caught her just as she was about to hit the ground.
"Hey! Are you okay?" he asked, genuinely worried.
"I'm fine... When Mooncell sent me here, the Beast noticed and ambushed me." BB smiled weakly. "Right now, I'm just back to the state I was in when I was with Dad in Chaldea. The only reason I was holding together until now was thanks to that special item."
"Maybe you should get some rest. Or... do AIs even need to rest?" Shiomi asked with concern.
"It doesn't help much, but going into hibernation can restore me a bit," BB said, her voice growing faint. "I've converted this church into a no-combat zone. So don't worry. If you need me for the investigation, I'll be awake in six hours."
With that, BB closed her eyes and nestled into Shiomi's chest, entering a state of sleep.
"Let's get some rest ourselves. In six hours, we begin the official investigation of this Singularity," Shiomi said.
Morgan crouched down and gently took BB from his arms.
"There should be a rest area somewhere in the church. Let's take her there."
Scáthach and Artoria both nodded in agreement.
"Then it's decided."
Morgan carried BB toward the back of the chapel to find a place where she could rest.