The smile flickered and vanished in an instant; Ritsuka and the others, still whispering among themselves, naturally didn't notice.
Still being ignored, Ophis quietly raised one arm and pointed at Ritsuka. A tiny golden ripple appeared at her fingertip.
Then a streak of gold shot out.
Ritsuka and company looked like they were having a great time discussing things, but their nerves weren't so thick that they'd drop their guard completely in front of an unknown Servant. Almost at the same moment, Mash shifted her shield, cutting off the gold streak's path.
And El-Melloi, staring at that attack style—one that had left a deep impression on his past self—furrowed his already knitted brows even tighter.
"Huh?"
The golden streak struck the shield and shattered instantly, and Mash froze.
Almost no impact at all… Was it some kind of special ability—some kind of trap?
Ophis shrugged. What she'd fired was just the stick left over from the cotton candy she'd been eating—she only wanted to get their attention.
If she'd truly been launching a surprise attack, at the very least, they wouldn't have had the slightest chance to react to the first blow.
"You're people from another era, aren't you? Are you here to interfere with this Holy Grail War?"
Tilting her head slightly, Ophis asked with a smile.
"Who are you? What do you have to do with the King of Heroes?"
The overworked man called El-Melloi stepped forward, one hand in his pocket, and demanded grimly.
"I am the King of Heroes."
Ophis flicked a calm glance at El-Melloi's hidden right hand and gave a faint laugh as she replied.
El-Melloi felt like his brow hadn't relaxed once all day.
If Ophis were some existence connected to the King of Heroes but distinct from her—Enkidu, for example—that would at least be comprehensible. But she claimed she was the King of Heroes, and she didn't look like she was lying.
Theoretically, it was impossible. Even if individuals differed across parallel worlds, it shouldn't be to the point of being completely different—there ought to be at least fifty percent overlap in common traits.
A being birthed by the Singularity? The culprit behind it? The Holy Grail's latest product? A corrupted King of Heroes? Or maybe she was simply a master liar, so unfazed you'd never catch her—and she wasn't the King of Heroes at all?
Possibility after possibility flashed through El-Melloi's mind, and still he couldn't reach a conclusion.
They had too little information.
She'd directly exposed part of their origins—obviously suspicious—but El-Melloi's instincts insisted she had nothing to do with the Singularity at all.
Just a participant in the Holy Grail War.
His gut and the available data pointed in different directions, giving him a headache.
Honestly, if she were merely the King of Heroes with a different "skin," it would be simpler—they could proceed with the original plan. But this was a personality shift so drastic it changed everything…
What if she opened with Ea and just plastered it across their faces the moment the fight began?
An arrogant King of Heroes could be handled with the cards they already had. But a King of Heroes going all-out… then their only option would be to call in support from Chaldea.
Thinking of the existence of "her," who was extremely effective against the King of Heroes—and another existence who had once defeated the King of Heroes head-on—El-Melloi's nerves steadied slightly.
As for the possibility that this Servant might be even stronger than the King of Heroes…
El-Melloi truly didn't want to consider it.
"You still haven't answered. What's your objective?"
El-Melloi was thinking, but Ophis wasn't about to pause for his troubles. She continued, head tilted, asking in that same calm tone.
If nothing went wrong, these people should, in their future, enter the Seventh Singularity and help Ophis defend Uruk.
In that case, a bit of training was necessary, wasn't it?
At that moment, Ritsuka stepped forward.
"Um… hello. We're the Master and Servants from Chaldea."
Truthfully, this Ritsuka felt much more timid than the one Ophis had met before—there was barely any strength behind even introducing herself.
A flicker of amusement rose in Ophis's chest. She nodded.
"Hello."
"Uh…"
The sheer normalcy of the reply left Ritsuka choking on her next words, suddenly unsure how to continue.
We need to stabilize her first…
El-Melloi narrowed his eyes.
Without certainty on her combat power, a head-on clash with no preparation was the worst possible option. And Chaldea's support came with many restrictions—it had to be saved for critical moments.
First, they needed to keep her from focusing on them any further.
But at that moment, Ophis spoke again.
"I'll ask directly. Is your goal the Holy Grail?"
"No. We're here to resolve the Singularity and restore Human Order!"
Ritsuka steadied herself and shook her head.
That answer made Ophis lift a brow.
This place was… a Singularity?
That did explain why they were here.
But she couldn't feel a Singularity at all. Everything seemed normal.
"This concerns humanity's continued existence—"
Ritsuka tried to keep explaining, but Ophis waved a hand, cutting her off.
"To resolve a Singularity, you need the Holy Grail, don't you?"
To create a Singularity required a powerful distortion of some kind—typically only the Holy Grail could play that role… though Ophis's true body could as well. But right now, she was only a Servant clone that existed by clinging to the Holy Grail.
So ordinarily, the Holy Grail was the key point of a Singularity.
"Th—"
Ritsuka parted her lips, but couldn't find a rebuttal.
"The Holy Grail belongs to me. Naturally, I will not permit anyone to lay a hand on it—"
At that moment, El-Melloi swept his left hand out. The Noble Phantasm he'd already prepared—his right hand forming seals—released at once.
"[UNRETURNING FORMATION]"
STONE SENTINEL MAZE
Countless stone pillars burst up from the earth, enclosing Ophis. Then, with a sudden twisting distortion, Ophis was swallowed into the stone formation and vanished from sight.
"It won't hold her for long. Move—now!"
El-Melloi gritted his teeth and dragged Ritsuka and the others into retreat.
None of them noticed Ophis, perched on a nearby streetlamp, watching the scene with a quiet laugh.
There was no obstacle that could truly trap an Ouroboros. Even back in the space where Gaia had been, Ophis could leave whenever she wished.
She wasn't her true self now, but El-Melloi's stone formation wasn't a domain of the Counter Force, either. Trying to imprison Ophis with it still fell far short.
Besides, Ophis had never intended to wipe out Ritsuka and the others right then.
"What surprises will come next…?"
Now that she'd confirmed the enemy's identity, Chaldea would surely start devising every possible way to deal with her, wouldn't they?
Ophis was genuinely looking forward to what kind of battle she'd be made to face.
Though she couldn't help wondering what kind of expression Tokiomi would make, if he ever learned Ophis had just gone and attracted a whole group of mysterious enemies to his doorstep.
As for now…
Feeling the flamboyant fighting spirit rolling in from the harbor, Ophis considered it for a moment.
She'd go take a look. If there was an opening, she'd blast it with Ea.
If one shot wasn't enough, she'd fire a few more.
With that thought, Ophis dissolved into spirit form once again and disappeared.
---
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