"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! Mash, I'm counting on you!"
Today, at 7:00 AM, Chaldea completed its Rayshift preparations for the Seventh Singularity.
What followed was another exploration by Mash and Ritsuka.
The Rayshift [Coffin] was already familiar, and having experienced it several times, the landing point after the Rayshift shouldn't have posed any problems.
But the result of this Rayshift was still unexpected. After Mash and Ritsuka recovered from a brief period of unconsciousness, they found themselves ten thousand meters in the air, under a clear sky and Goetia's Ars Almadel Salomonis.
(Spy-The Big fgo ring in the sky)
"Fou! Fou!"
Ritsuka cried out, clinging tightly to Mash's waist from behind. The strange little beast, Fou, also cried out. It had been in Chaldea even before Ritsuka arrived and had abruptly burst into Mash's [Coffin] just before this Rayshift.
"Senpai, please don't move your hands any higher! I'll lose my strength!"
Mash was already used to Ritsuka's actions. Ever since their journey through the [Divine Realm of the Round Table], Ritsuka had become overly proactive, completely influenced by Guinevere.
Biting her lip slightly, she couldn't quite tell if she felt more anger or joy.
After her reprimand, she pulled Ritsuka's hands down, ensuring those increasingly calloused hands stayed firmly on her waist.
Then, Mash, already clad in her light armor, manifested her shield. After silently thanking Galahad once more, she focused her will to manifest [Lord Camelot].
A castle descended from the sky, protecting Mash, as well as Ritsuka and Fou behind her. It crashed into the endless wilderness with a tremendous roar, leaving a deep crater and attracting the attention of nearby lion-like Magical Beasts.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"
Though uninjured, Ritsuka cried out in pain. Compared to her attire during the [Divine Realm of the Round Table], her new Magecraft Mystic Code greatly enhanced her base stats, yet her well-toned legs, trained to perfection, remained exposed beneath the short pleated skirt.
Ritsuka was still youthful and beautiful.
"Senpai! Are you hurt? I thought I..."
"Mash, my body isn't hurt, but my heart is because you wouldn't let me touch you there! Sobsob... And we're companions who've faced life and death together, even bathed together countless times!"
Was she being coy? She must be!
Just as Mash suspected, her Senpai was becoming increasingly unrestrained, showing less and less shame in front of her.
But...
"Senpai, whatever you want to do, shouldn't we deal with the surrounding Magical Beasts first?"
It was both a change of subject and a sign that trouble had arrived. After scanning their surroundings, the two easily confirmed they had landed near a dilapidated village. Between the mud-brick village houses and even beyond the wilderness horizon, lion-like Magical Beasts, each over two meters tall, were gathering.
"Mash, are there always this many Magical Beasts in this Singularity?"
One, two... a hundred. After counting to a hundred, Ritsuka gave up. She reached out and borrowed the Knight's Sword from Mash's waist, then cast the Body Reinforcement Magecraft that came with her new Mystic Code.
Ever since receiving Guinevere's tutelage in the [Divine Realm of the Round Table] Singularity, Ritsuka had continued to train diligently upon returning to Chaldea. Perhaps because she had already developed a strong physique and extraordinary insight in previous Singularities, her progress in swordsmanship was remarkably fast.
Of course, besides the sword, Ritsuka also received guidance from some of Chaldea's resident Servants, learning a vast array of unarmed combat techniques for when she lost her weapon.
When she expressed a desire to learn combat, many Servants in Chaldea were delighted and eagerly vied to be her mentor.
"Mash, I'll clear the path ahead. You watch our flanks. Fou, if we miss any Magical Beasts, please alert us!"
"Fou! Fou!"
The small 'Beast' stood on Mash's shoulder, responding with great confidence. After giving her orders, Ritsuka truly set off.
Mana erupted beneath her feet. In the next instant, she appeared before the nearest Magical Beast, which was already less than ten meters away.
She swung her sword, its blade glowing with an orange magical light. As the light flashed, the lion-like Magical Beast, over two meters tall and weighing more than three tons, was instantly cleaved in two.
Then, Ritsuka continued forward, her hair merely stained with a few faint streaks of the Magical Beast's purple blood.
"Fou! Fou!"
Before leaving Chaldea, Mash already knew her Senpai had improved at a divine speed. After training almost ceaselessly under the guidance of numerous Servants, she was finally able to fully utilize the experience accumulated from previous Singularities.
Her Senpai now possessed martial prowess comparable to that of an average Servant.
"Fou, I know! I'm coming right now!"
The shocks from Ritsuka's performance were unending. Mash felt a slight unease at her Senpai starting to protect her, as if she were being relied upon less.
Shaking her head and accepting Fou's reminder, Mash also felt a fighting spirit akin to 'competition' rise within her.
In just a single step, Mash caught up to Ritsuka, who had already slain three Magical Beasts, and with a single shield bash, sent the two Magical Beasts attacking from the side flying.
Tendons snapped, bones shattered, blood splattered everywhere. It was clear they wouldn't survive.
Kill, advance, kill, advance...
Ritsuka's expression gradually shifted from resolute to a smile. As she truly wielded her sword with the essence of Guinevere's swordsmanship, she found each swing becoming easier. And as she slew more of the same type of Magical Beast, she began to see the common weaknesses they all shared.
"Mash, fighting really does bring joy, doesn't it? Especially now that I can finally protect you with my sword."
Mash couldn't perfectly grasp Ritsuka's thoughts. The words merely made her heart tremble with a faint sweetness, causing her movements to slow for less than half a second. Then, Ritsuka truly had to come back to rescue her.
"Damn it!"
Her cheeks puffed out, though she was only angry at herself. But this very anger made Mash subconsciously use more Mana in the subsequent battle, causing every strike to be redundant with excess power.
This led to...
"Senpai, can we really escape this Magical Beast encirclement?"
They had advanced a kilometer and slain over 300 Magical Beasts, yet the horde swarming from the horizon's edge showed no end, as if someone were whipping them forward.
And these Magical Beasts truly lacked reason. If they had any, they would have retreated long ago after so many of their kind were slaughtered.
"Mash, we have no other choice!"
As her Mana dwindled, as the battle showed no sign of ending, and as they still couldn't reach the village ruins that should offer protection from all sides, Ritsuka's smile turned to gasps.
This was a continuous life-or-death crisis from the very beginning, something they had never encountered in previous Singularity explorations.
"Mash, can you activate your Noble Phantasm again? I want to try summoning a servant on the spot. I hate to admit it, but just the two of us..."
Amidst the slaughter, Ritsuka had already foreseen the 'future,' so she wanted to gamble on whether she could change it. The Mana in this era was dense; it seemed she might not need to find a Leyline and set up a Summoning Magic Circle.
But just then, the boundless horde of Magical Beasts suddenly froze. They, along with Ritsuka and Mash, all looked up at the sky.
In the sky, a small black dot grew larger and larger, quickly taking the form of a girl who seemed to be wearing only her undergarments. As she plummeted like a meteor, she shouted, "Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
"Mash, you secure the perimeter! I'll save her!"
Ritsuka had already realized that if she didn't catch the falling girl, she would crash directly into the horde of Magical Beasts. Even if the fall didn't kill her, she would be instantly devoured.