The music, Jeanne's speech, the soft whistling of the wind—they echoed in his ears and resonated in his heart.
His spirit soared, his blood felt like it was boiling. His normal running pace suddenly felt impossibly light.
High above.
Blue and white shooting stars continued to streak across the void. He had already run past the Information Room, but the arrival of the Servants didn't stop.
"Praetor~! Over here, over here!"
Through a backdrop of dark-red magical artillery fire, a familiar figure in red waved excitedly.
It was Nero!
Takumi waved back just as frantically.
"Well? Are you surprised to see me again? Are you thrilled?!"
Standing in her classic crimson dress, Nero placed her hands on her hips. Though she framed it as a question, her expression clearly stated, I know you are.
"Of course! I've been looking forward to seeing you again!" Takumi answered without missing a beat.
"Umu! A-Anyway, leave this area to me and my generals! Just keep moving forward, Praetor!"
Being stared at with such intense, fiery eyes made even the usually shameless Emperor blush. Her heart fluttered in her chest.
Back when they first met, Takumi was too embarrassed to even look her in the eye when they stood next to each other.
Nero slowly pressed a hand to her racing heart, watching him continue his sprint.
"Umu! I always knew my Praetor was incredibly handsome!"
Watching his retreating back, Nero puffed out her chest with pride.
Just as she suspected, once the scars were gone, he was quite the looker. Maybe not handsome enough to make an Emperor lose her mind, but combined with the burning fire of his soul, he was more than enough to make her brag, "Look! That's the Praetor I chose!"
Along the way, the Servants from the Second Singularity began to appear one by one.
Jing Ke: "Tch! Fighting giant monsters with a dagger is such a pain. Maybe I really should have brought a spiked club?"
Lu Bu: "▄▄■!" (Translation: Combat is a thrill!)
Spartacus: "Hahaha! Oppressors!"
Boudica: "Ahhh! Don't just blindly charge at every giant monster you see!"
And then there were the others.
Lord El-Melloi II: "Does a chaotic brawl like this even require tactics...?"
Alexander: "Hahaha! Since that's the case, let's just charge in! Let's go, Bucephalus—!"
Caligula: "OOOOOH!!" (Translation: Wherever Nero goes, I shall follow!)
Caesar (facepalming): "Sigh. I think I understand why you were defeated so quickly..."
Romulus: "Roma! Rome is romance! Go forth and pioneer, my child!"
***
As the Servants clashed with the Demon God Pillars, Takumi ran freely through a battlefield overflowing with flashy attacks.
No Demon God Pillar targeted him. And if they tried, the Servants' attacks intercepted them immediately.
He reached the next sector.
"Argh, this place is completely unsuited for sailing!"
Standing at the helm of the Golden Hind, Drake aggressively scratched her hair in frustration.
"Whatever! Listen up, boys... tch, forgot they didn't come with me."
Looking around at her empty ship, Drake clicked her tongue in annoyance.
But seeing Drake and the glowing Noble Phantasm version of the Golden Hind, Takumi smiled.
—He had found the third charge for his Silver Arm!
Load—[The Golden Hind and the Storm (A+)]!
He summoned the legendary ship that had been burned into his memory, the vessel that conquered the seas and commanded the storms. And along with it, he summoned the crew that had accompanied them on that brief adventure.
Note: If the free-spirited Golden Hind wants to escape, absolutely nothing can stop it!
The Silver Arm on Takumi's right hand glowed brilliantly. He could have released the Noble Phantasm right in front of him, but instead, he threw the light toward Drake's ship in the distance.
The light crossed the gap and merged into the ship beneath Drake's feet with a sharp whoosh.
"I'm used to shouting orders. Trying to pilot this thing all by myself feels completely wrong..." Drake muttered, complaining to herself.
"Captain?!"
"Huh?"
That familiar voice and title instantly caught Drake's attention.
She turned around and froze.
"Bessie?!"
Drake's eyes went wide as she stared at the cowardly face nearby.
And it wasn't just him. A dozen familiar, semi-transparent figures had suddenly appeared on the previously empty deck of the Golden Hind.
"What's going on? What is happening?!"
"Didn't we all die? How did we end up back on the ship?"
"To be precise, we are definitely dead." The pirate speaking casually poked his crewmate's transparent kidney.
"We're doomed! Does that mean we're ghosts?! The Captain hates ghosts more than anything!"
"Just for the record, I lost my eye because I tried to scare the Captain once!" a pirate wearing a black eyepatch said solemnly.
"Perfect! Listen to my orders! Stuff Bombe into the cannon and fire him at that meat pillar!" Drake pointed a grand sweeping gesture toward a Demon God Pillar firing magical beams in the distance.
"Even a ghost would die from that! Please spare me!" Bombe shrieked, instantly begging for mercy.
"Then get to work!" Drake roared, though a wide grin split her face.
"Huh? We still have to work after we die?"
"What do you know! This is an adventure in the afterlife! It's way cooler than our old voyages!"
"Is there treasure?"
"..."
"Who cares! Charge, charge, charge!"
Seeing her crew enthusiastically scrambling to their stations, Drake looked toward Takumi and waved casually.
Takumi smiled and waved back.
He kept moving.
Euryale: "We're literally right here. Why did you answer a summons that didn't even come from far away? You can't be this stupid in the future~!"
Asterios: "Mhm. Understood."
Then the two of them watched as the Golden Hind seemingly strapped on rocket boosters, its speed skyrocketing. Dark clouds, heavy rain, and lightning suddenly materialized around the ship.
"Captain! The ship is so much faster now!"
"Holy crap! That's not all, Captain! It looks like our ship can actually summon and control storms now!"
Euryale: "...Is it too late to answer the summons?"
The Minotaur didn't have such complex worries. Spotting Takumi running in the distance, his face lit up and he gave Takumi a massive thumbs-up.
Takumi chuckled and returned the gesture.
Orion: "Waaah! Why am I a stuffed bear again?!" The little bear let out a miserable wail.
Artemis replied sweetly, "Darling~, because I tagged along again, of course!"
Seeing the two of them, Atalante sighed. "I think I'll just focus on dealing damage..."
David: "Abishag, I spotted a fantastic island earlier. Want to go check it out together?"
Atalante: "..."
Medea Lily: "Oh my, you all seem to get along so well!"
Atalante: "I have no idea how you came to that conclusion... Where is Jason? Didn't he come with you?"
Medea Lily: "Oh, he felt it was far too humiliating that he was mind-controlled the entire time, so he was too embarrassed to show his face."
In the distance, piloting the Argo, Jason flew into a rage. "Slander! This is pure slander!"
***
The next sector.
Watching Takumi casually finish off a few Demon God Pillars as he ran past.
Hans Christian Andersen: "..."
Hans: "That guy... Does he really even need our help anymore?"
At this rate, he could probably wipe out every Demon God Pillar here by himself if he just took a few minutes, right?
Mordred: "Yeah, his growth rate is actually absurd. Back then, he only had that one Noble Phantasm, and he still managed to beat me."
Mordred: "But whatever! Just buff me already! I want to chop these ugly pillars to pieces!"
Hans ignored the battle-crazed knight and looked to his side.
Shakespeare was writing furiously in his notebook, muttering non-stop.
Jekyll, looking pale and frail, stared at the giant meat pillars, completely unsure of what to do.
Hans: "So it's really just the few of us here?"
I suppose this is the downside of speedrunning the Singularity...
Paracelsus (slowly fading into view): "Ahem. If you don't mind, I can offer my assistance."
Hans: "Just you?"
Paracelsus: "Just me."
Hans facepalmed.
***
The next sector.
"The Son of Surya, Karna. I have arrived to bear witness as promised."
Clad in golden armor, his white hair flowing like fire, the Hero of Charity landed softly on the ground.
Seeing Takumi running past unharmed, a small smile touched Karna's lips.
Scathach: "My cute little disciple seems to have gotten a bit too strong..."
She glanced at Li Shuwen beside her. "Your thoughts?"
Li Shuwen's eye twitched. He knew Takumi would be strong eventually, but he didn't expect him to be this strong!
He had even attached a Noble Phantasm to act as an arm to cover his weaknesses...
"I have nothing to say. I just want to fight... Speaking of which, our promised deathmatch hasn't actually started yet, has it?"
Scathach: "True. Then shall we begin once my disciple passes through that gate?"
Li Shuwen: "Just what I was hoping for!"
Elizabeth Bathory: "Hmph! What's the point of fighting all day? I should just hold a concert right here! That mysterious song playing has really put me in the mood to perform!"
Billy the Kid and Robin Hood panicked and hurriedly grabbed her arms. "Woah, woah, woah! Let's not do that! Seriously, don't do that!"
Geronimo nearby: "...So even here, things still end up like this?"
Nightingale: "I see. So this place is the absolute source of all illness!"
Thomas Edison, who had somehow pulled out a round shield from nowhere: "Avengers! Assemble!"
Helena Blavatsky: "...What are you even talking about?"
***
The next sector.
Lancelot: "Ahem. Anyway, we are here to assist."
Tristan: "Ah, to be stared at so intensely... how truly saddening..."
Not far away, Hundred Personas, Cursed Arm, and Serenity glared daggers at the two Knights of the Round Table from behind their skull masks.
Ozymandias: "To plead for the Pharaoh's presence, yet fail to even clean up the tourist attraction beforehand. How incredibly arrogant."
Nitocris: "Did you hear that?! Hurry up and clear out these foolish Demon God Pillars!"
Xuanzang Sanzang, looking incredibly proud and waiting for praise: "Ah-Qi~! I rode my Nimbus Cloud non-stop to get here!"
Tawara Touta (sweating profusely): "Yes, yes. Assuming we ignore the part where we crashed directly into a Demon God Pillar and I had to spend half my energy saving us."
Sanzang: "Ah! Touta, stop ruining my moment! Do you have any respect for your master left?!"
A little further away.
"Are you not going to join Sir Lancelot and Sir Tristan?"
The Lion King looked at the violet-eyed silver knight standing beside her.
"There is no need. While we recognize each other, I am ultimately not the Bedivere they know."
Bedivere shook his head.
He was not the Bedivere who had successfully returned the Holy Sword early on. Similarly, the Lion King was not the Artoria who had been trapped on the hill of Camlann after returning the sword. They both felt a bit out of place among these standard Servants.
Looking at the brilliant flames he hadn't had the chance to truly witness before, a gentle smile appeared on Bedivere's androgynous, handsome face.
'We really did meet again, Takumi...'
His situation was similar to Jeanne Alter's. He had also been physically pulled here by the Heart of Fire.
"This body is merely a Servant vessel I crafted through a loophole. My output is significantly lower than usual. I will have to rely on your support, Knight Bedivere," the Lion King said slowly, glancing at the Holy Lance in her hand.
"Understood! Leave it to me!"
Bedivere answered without hesitation, raising his Silver Arm.
***
The next sector.
Gilgamesh crossed his arms. "If we Heroic Spirits failed to appear at the final moment, leaving everything to an unrelated Foreigner, I would honestly die laughing—"
Before he even finished speaking, Gilgamesh drew Ea.
Sing it! Ea!
Fueled by his mana, the three cylindrical segments representing Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld began to spin wildly. He was actually opening the fight with his ultimate Noble Phantasm!
The Demon God Pillars in the sector: "..."
This guy is crazy!
Glancing in disgust at Gilgamesh acting like a maniac, Ishtar landed her Maanna in an area away from the blast zone.
The moment she touched down, she noticed a petite figure nearby with pale pinkish-white skin, large horns on her head, and her hair tied up.
'I don't recognize her... wait! This presence—?!'
Ishtar glanced at her casually, was about to look away, then suddenly realized what she was sensing. Her head snapped back so fast she nearly got whiplash. She stared with wide, horrified eyes.
Tiamat (≧?≦)ノ: "Hi, hi~! It's Mommy! Mommy came to help Takumi too!"
Looking at the incredibly girly entity standing on her tiptoes and happily waving at Takumi, Ishtar fell dead silent.
'I must be dreaming...'
Quetzalcoatl looked deeply troubled. "Ah, this is so annoying. I can't use my full strength with a Spirit Origin at this level."
Jaguar Man spun her staff smugly. "Hehehe! Mine is absolutely perfect, meow!"
Ereshkigal let out a panicked wail. "Waaah! This isn't my home turf! I don't really know how to fight here!"
As the Goddess of the Underworld, she had literally never fought outside of the Underworld before...
Leonidas: "Keep moving forward! I, Leonidas, shall block all incoming attacks!"
Ushiwakamaru: "By the way, are we the only two normal Servants here?"
Ana: "..."
Ushiwakamaru (clasping her hands together): "Sorry, force of habit."
Ushiwakamaru: "Is Merlin not planning to come?"
Ana: "He can't run this far."
Transforming into a Servant in the Seventh Singularity was purely exploiting a loophole. When it came to the Grand Temple of Time, even Merlin couldn't manifest here through normal means.
In short, Merlin had no choice but to sit this one out.
***
Finally.
The eighth sector. The Wastehole of the Beast's Domain VIII.
"There is nothing here. Everything here is worthless. All existences are deemed useless and discarded—this is an island of absolute death where no one will come to help!"
The Demon God Pillar Andromalius held its breath, glaring fiercely at the Foreigner running toward it. Its voice was incredibly low, yet carried a hint of nervousness.
This was the only place—the absolute only place where those ignorant Heroic Spirits shouldn't be able to appear!
Even if they couldn't beat Takumi, even if they couldn't stop him, even if they were just going to get hacked to death and forced to respawn... the Pillars stationed here would use their rotting voices to prove their worth!
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
Hearing a wild, unrestrained laugh that clearly didn't belong to Takumi, the Demon God Pillars in the sector shuddered.
'That voice... Impossible! Are you kidding me?!'
"Is that so? Because I just heard a very funny joke!"
A black silhouette flashed like lightning, suddenly appearing in an empty clearing near Takumi, wearing a fierce, disdainful grin.
Seeing the figure that had arrived at ultra-high speed, the Demon God Pillars were so enraged they almost started wailing.
Stop breaking the rules of our Wastehole—!
"What do you think, my accomplice?"
Looking at the trembling, furious Demon God Pillars, the Count smiled. He turned to Takumi and raised an eyebrow.
Takumi smiled back. "Yeah. It's a pretty hilarious joke."
As the owner of [Tiger, Burn Bright], Takumi understood that better than anyone.
But seeing Takumi's overly radiant smile, the Count suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. He adjusted his fedora and grumbled,
"You could have easily crossed this area in the blink of an eye, yet you stubbornly called for me and waited. You really are incredibly selfish!"
Takumi chuckled awkwardly.
"But... since you called, I obviously had to come. Go! Your final battle lies ahead!"
"Mhm!"
Reaching the final stretch, Takumi's smile slowly faded. He nodded seriously.
And then he picked up his pace.
A little further away.
A black figure and a red figure slowly appeared in Takumi's line of sight.
They actually came too?!
Recognizing them, Takumi was genuinely surprised.
Holding her blackened Excalibur, Saber Alter spoke coldly, "I'm just here to watch the show. And maybe make up for accidentally hurting you by taking things a bit too seriously before."
In truth, the burns Takumi suffered previously weren't directly caused by her.
Once Takumi locked her in place, she had already massively held back. Otherwise, with her Mana Burst acting as defense, how could a single Noble Phantasm have taken her out?
If anything, given how half-baked Takumi's attack was, she could have easily retaliated and killed him instead!
The burns he got were from his own Wicker Man exploding point-blank. He basically blew himself up.
Archer Emiya spoke up shamelessly. "Ahem. Obviously, I just followed her here."
It was a bit weird, but...
"Thank you both for coming!"
Takumi smiled and waved at them, before sprinting at full speed directly into the massive gate ahead.