"So, you've officially become my sister's Servant now, right?" Ritsuka asked, staring intently at the blue-robed Servant standing before him.
Cú Chulainn grinned, casually twirling his wooden staff.
"Yup. I'm under a temporary contract with that little lady," Cú replied. His eyes then scanned Ritsuka from head to toe, as if appraising a valuable item.
"But honestly, if I'd known there was a Mana monster like you here, I would've picked you as my Master. With a Mana supply that insane, I could freely cast high-level Runes without worrying about the cost."
Ritsuka chuckled, then shook his head firmly. "Can't do that, Cú. You need to stay with Rikka. She needs your protection more than I do."
He then glanced back. "Right, Rikka?"
There was no response.
Rikka was still sitting on the ground with her cheeks puffed out, deliberately turning her face away.
Beside her, Olga Marie stood with her arms crossed, wearing a sulky expression, still irritated from being toyed with earlier.
Ritsuka let out a long sigh, then gave a wry smile.
"Come on… why are you two still sulking like that? I already apologized," Ritsuka coaxed.
He then wrapped an arm around Mash, who was standing beside him, and pointed at her as a model example.
"Look at Mash. She's a good, understanding girl. She's already forgiven me. Right, Mash?"
Ritsuka placed his hand on top of Mash's head, gently stroking her soft hair.
Pat. Pat.
Mash's face instantly flushed bright red. Her defenses completely collapsed under the head pats.
"Y-Yes, Senpai…" Mash murmured softly, her eyes sparkling shyly as she enjoyed the treatment.
Olga and Rikka watched the scene, their anger intensifying as they shouted, "Stop that!"
Ritsuka let out a long sigh. "Alright… no other choice," he muttered, then looked up at the sky as if praying. "Merlin, please lend me your power."
He lowered his gaze to the two of them, the corner of his lips lifting into a confident, crooked smile.
He slowly stepped toward Olga first, his movements smooth, almost like a dance.
"Great Director…" Ritsuka called in a low, slightly husky, teasing voice.
Olga, still with her arms folded and her face turned away, suddenly flinched when she felt Ritsuka standing extremely close.
"D-don't come any closer! I'm still mad at you, you know!" Olga snapped without turning around.
Ritsuka didn't retreat. Instead, he leaned in and gently took Olga's right hand, lifting it to chest height.
"Oh dear… don't make such a scary face, Marie…" Ritsuka whispered, deliberately using her given name.
"E-eh?!" Olga's face instantly heated up.
Ritsuka gazed deeply into Olga's eyes with a look capable of melting a woman's heart.
"That face of yours is far too precious to be twisted in anger. The beauty of an Animusphere noble should shine brightly like Chaldea's stars—not be hidden behind storm clouds of sulking, right?"
Ritsuka pressed a light kiss to the back of Olga's hand, like an elegant knight from old European tales.
"M-Me-Me—" Olga stammered, her brain short-circuiting. Her face turned bright red all the way to her ears, imaginary steam practically rising from her head. Her anger evaporated instantly, replaced by explosive embarrassment.
After disabling Olga, Ritsuka turned to Rikka, who was still sitting on the ground with puffed cheeks.
He crouched in front of his sister, bringing their eyes to the same level.
"And you… my little princess," Ritsuka said gently.
Rikka glanced sideways, her eyes still narrowed in irritation. "Hmph! Big brother is mean. Don't think that cheesy flirting will work on me."
Ritsuka chuckled softly. He extended his hands—not to pat her head, but to gently cup Rikka's cheeks, forcing her to look at him.
"Mean? When all your big brother wants is to see that sweet smile of yours," Ritsuka said in an overly dramatic tone.
He leaned closer, smiling as if flowers were blooming behind him.
"Come on, Rikka. Your smile is my sun. If you keep sulking, my world becomes dark and cold, you know. You wouldn't let your big brother freeze, would you?"
Ritsuka gave a playful wink. "Forgive me, okay? Pretty?"
"Ugh…"
Rikka's defenses completely shattered. Her face flushed red, unable to withstand that EX-rank Charm assault.
"B-big brother is unfair…" Rikka muttered softly, covering her burning face with both hands. "F-fine, fine! I forgive you! Just don't look at me with that sparkling face!"
"Great! Problem solved!" Ritsuka said cheerfully, returning to normal.
Nobu burst out laughing, clutching her stomach.
"WAHAHAHA! Incredible, my Lord! You're truly a natural womanizer!" Nobu exclaimed between laughs. "Where did you learn such sweet talk, huh? With skills like that, you could even steal someone else's wife!"
Ritsuka rolled his eyes lazily.
"Watch your mouth. I was forcibly trained by that damn 'Flower Magician,'" Ritsuka grumbled, recalling Merlin's irritating face.
"And note this, Nobu: I have no intention of using this ability on married women. I still value my life—I don't want to end up tragically like Lancelot or Diarmuid."
Cú Chulainn, who had been watching the exchange, clapped lightly, his expression impressed.
"Well, regardless, your skills are impressive, kid. When it comes to charming women, I'll give you an A+."
"Say whatever you want, Caster," Ritsuka cut in, his face turning serious again. "Enough fooling around. Let's move. We've wasted too much time here."
Ritsuka started walking. Rikka hurried to his side, a faint blush still lingering on her cheeks.
"B-but where are we going, Big brother?" she asked curiously.
Ritsuka looked straight toward the distant mountain, where a dense black aura was gathering.
"We're heading straight to the heart of the problem," Ritsuka replied firmly. "We're going to attack the Holy Grail's location."
Olga Marie's eyes widened, her face turning pale.
"Are you insane, Ritsuka?!" Olga protested in panic. "Are you sure?! You heard Caster's report, didn't you? The Grail's guardian is King Arthur! The strongest Saber-class Servant! Attacking head-on is suicide!"
"Calm down, Director. We already—"
Ritsuka's words were forcibly cut off.
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
A horrifying roar erupted from the distance, deafening and shaking the asphalt beneath their feet.
It wasn't the cry of an ordinary beast, but the condensed scream of pure rage.
Moments later, a rhythmic pounding sound followed, growing louder and faster.
DUM! DUM! DUM!
Like a bulldozer—no, like a battle tank charging at full speed, smashing everything in its path. The sound of trees falling and concrete walls collapsing rang out clearly.
Cú Chulainn's face went pale instantly. He recognized that sound.
"Damn it… no way," Cú cursed, cold sweat dripping. "How did he get here?! We didn't even enter his territory!"
Rikka took a step back in fear. "Cú, what is it?! Who's coming?!"
Ritsuka narrowed his eyes. With his enhanced vision, he pierced through the distant dust.
He saw a dark-skinned man with white hair and blackened armor—Shadow Archer—running backward while firing arrows, deliberately luring a gigantic monster behind him.
"Shadow Archer…" Ritsuka hissed sharply. "He's the one who led it here."
Cú stared in shock. "WHAT?! He launched a suicide attack just to lure that 'Monster' toward us?!"
"From that roar… could it be Berserker?" Olga asked, her face pale. "From Caster's earlier information, the Berserker is Hercules, right? If that's true, this is bad! We don't have the firepower to kill him over and over!"
"Senpai, what should we do?" Mash asked anxiously, moving closer to Rikka and Ritsuka.
Ritsuka didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed straight ahead, past Mash's shoulder.
In the distance, he saw a terrifying elongated crater. It wasn't an ordinary explosion crater—the ground there looked melted and crystallized, as if it had been swept by a pillar of holy light heated to thousands of degrees.
Ritsuka recognized the trace. It was the aftermath of a sword slash. Residual Mana from the wielder might still linger there.
"That land… scorched earth," Ritsuka thought quickly. "The magical residue is still there, even if faint. It can be used as a Catalyst!"
"Ritsuka!" Olga shouted in panic, snapping him out of his thoughts. The enemy was closing in.
"Tch, no other choice. We have to gamble," Ritsuka muttered.
His expression hardened. He immediately shouted commands.
"Listen! We split up!"
Ritsuka pointed toward the running shadow.
"Assassin! Intercept Shadow Archer! Don't let him interfere with the others!"
Then he turned to his two main Servants.
"Caster! Nobu! You two hold back Berserker! Don't try to kill him—just stall him and buy me time!"
"And Mash!" Ritsuka locked eyes with his Shielder. "Come with me to the crater! I need your Shield to perform an emergency Servant summoning!"
"Wait! We're doing a summoning ritual now?!" Olga shrieked hysterically, eyes wide in disbelief. "In the middle of a battlefield like this?! Have you lost your mind?!"
Ritsuka stared straight into Olga's eyes, transmitting calm to her.
"Calm down, Director. Trust me. This is the only way we survive."
He then turned to his sister, his face serious.
"Rikka, go with the Director. Find a place far away and take cover."
"B-but, Big brother—"
"No arguing," Ritsuka cut her off sharply. "This battle is on a different level. Even the shockwaves alone could kill you. Go, now!"
Rikka swallowed hard and nodded obediently. She grabbed Olga's hand and ran away from the danger zone.
After ensuring his sister was safe, Ritsuka turned back to the Servants with him.
"Mash, come with me! And you three…" Ritsuka glanced at Caster, Avenger, and Assassin. "Take your positions! Hold them until I'm done!"
The three Servants nodded and dispersed.
Magic Circuits flared brightly across Ritsuka's body, neon-blue lines crawling over his skin. He sprinted toward the crater, Mash following close behind.
Upon reaching the center of the crater, Ritsuka felt faint residual Mana.
"Mash, place your Shield here! We'll use this spot!" Ritsuka ordered.
Mash immediately planted her massive shield onto the scorched ground.
"Senpai, but why here?" she asked while preparing the summoning procedure. "Don't we need a holy artifact to summon a specific Servant?"
Ritsuka knelt down and touched the ground.
"That's right. And this 'wound' on the earth is the best artifact we have," Ritsuka explained quickly.
"This land was once burned by a sword. The earth's memory of that strike—the golden Mana residue left here—is the strongest catalyst to summon the one who wielded that sword."
At the defensive line, Cú Chulainn moved swiftly. His wooden staff danced through the air, carving dozens of defensive runes and blazing fire traps across the ground.
High above, Assassin had merged with the shadows atop a skyscraper, waiting for the fatal moment to ambush the Archer.
Meanwhile, the Avenger, Nobunaga, hovered dominantly in the sky, standing proudly atop a long-barreled rifle used as a flying platform.
Suddenly, the vibrations stopped—replaced by an ear-splitting roar.
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
"He's here!" Nobu shouted, her eyes glowing red with battle excitement.
BRAK!
A concrete building collapsed instantly. From the cloud of rubble, a massive black giant with steel-hard skin charged out like a raging bull.
Nobu didn't waste a second. She snapped her fingers.
"Turn him into a sieve!"
Hundreds of shots rang out.
DUARRR!
Gunpowder explosions thundered as hundreds of bullets were fired at once, showering Berserker with a storm of fire and lead. The battle erupted.
…
Several hundred meters behind the front line, Ritsuka stood motionless at the center of the crater.
He could hear explosions and monstrous roars behind him. The ground beneath his feet shook violently from the impact of battle. Yet Ritsuka didn't look back even once.
His focus was locked forward.
His right hand rose straight toward the sky, the Command Spells engraved on the back of his hand beginning to glow red.
Before him, the Shield responded to his resolve. A magic circle on its surface began to rotate, emitting a dazzling blue light.
The blue light burst upward, forming a pillar of energy that pierced the night sky. Slowly, the intensity faded, leaving golden mana particles drifting like fireflies.
Within that pillar of light, a single figure stood tall.
He wore gleaming silver armor beneath the moonlight, wrapped in a blue cloak with a hood partially covering his face. The night wind lifted the hood, revealing golden blond hair and a pair of sharp yet gentle emerald-green eyes.
Ritsuka's eyes widened. His breath caught at the sight.
"I thought… I thought the one who would answer this call would be your female version," Ritsuka murmured in disbelief, recalling the female King of Knights he was familiar with.
But the doubt vanished in an instant, replaced by a confident smile.
"But this is even better… With you here, Goetia and those Demons are no longer an impossible foe," Ritsuka continued, his eyes shining. "You're the specialist for this job."
Ritsuka gazed at the Servant with deep respect.
"The Giant Beast Hunter and slayer of Beasts… the knight hailed as a candidate for Grand Saber."
Hearing such lofty praise, the Servant smiled faintly. His smile radiated the undeniable charisma and authority of a true King.
"You flatter me too much, Master," he replied humbly yet firmly.
He straightened his posture, grasped the hilt of the holy sword at his waist, and declared his oath.
"Servant, Saber—Arthur Pendragon."
His voice echoed, calm yet powerful.
"With the rise of this vow, I shall draw my sword… Ah, Master. I look forward to working with you."