"Flash Sheath: Flash Walk!"
Tohno Shiki swiftly killed a Dead Apostle, wiped the blood splattered on his face, and panted as he looked at the situation nearby.
The scene with James just now was only a small part of the human fortress; the majority, faced with death, chose to flee and surrendered the defense line to the Ghouls and Dead Apostles.
At this moment, Tohno Shiki, guarding a key traffic point, looked at the dwindling number of companions around him, feeling a surge of grief and indignation.
Beside him, Tohno Akiha patted Tohno Shiki's shoulder.
"Brother, don't be impulsive! Only your Mystic Eyes of Death Perception can completely kill those Dead Apostles. Don't waste your stamina."
Ciel swung the Seventh Holy Scripture to purify a Ghoul, then cast off the shroud of thorns on her body and pulled back a priest who had been grabbed by a Ghoul.
"Father! Be careful."
"Ah! Thank you, Miss Ciel."
A nun nearby, holding a tower shield and constantly swinging her mace to crush the heads of Ghouls, scoffed disdainfully at the priest.
"Coward!"
At the same time, she flipped her mace and stabbed backward, sending a Dead Apostle who was trying to ambush her flying.
The priest blushed, swinging a Bible bound with chains to knock down a Ghoul.
"Captain Litz, stop mocking me! I'm not a knight of the order or an Agent."
"Tch!"
'StarMine, StarBow'
Terrifying Magic Bullets rained down from the sky, pulverizing the Ghouls and Dead Apostles in front of Tohno Shiki and Ciel. Then, Aoko leaped down from a nearby roof.
"Retreat to the inner keep, I'll hold them off here!"
"Yes!"
Watching the group quickly retreat toward the inner keep, Aoko cracked her knuckles and then charged toward the Ghouls and Dead Apostles.
Meanwhile, Gudako, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and Mash, who had arrived nearby, also heard the sporadic gunshots and explosions echoing from the castle.
Gudako looked at the fortress not far away with surprise.
"It's humans! Let's get over there!"
"Wait!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka reached out to stop Gudako, who was about to run toward the castle, and pointed at the black shadows constantly swarming over the walls.
"Gudako, don't rush. Look over there, it's full of Ghouls. I'm afraid this human fortress has already been breached!"
Gudako concentrated her mana into her eyes and looked intently; sure enough, she saw a large number of Ghouls swarming into the fortress, and she also saw the mangled human remains being gnawed on the ground.
"Urgh!"
Experiencing this kind of shock for the first time, Gudako couldn't help but gag, but her stomach, which was already growling with hunger, had long since had nothing left to throw up.
Seeing Gudako in distress, Mash walked to her side and gently stroked Gudako's back to help her catch her breath.
After a long while, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at Gudako solemnly and asked.
"Gudako, do you have any magecraft that can turn this situation around? Based on the gunshots and explosions coming from there, human resistance seems to be very weak!"
Gudako scratched her head at Fujimaru Ritsuka's words, her mind constantly recalling the spells Rin had taught her, trying to find a suitable magecraft to deal with the current situation.
At the same time, Fujimaru Ritsuka looked at the bracelet on his hand, which still showed no response, hoping that Rin's side could restore communication with Chaldea soon so they could use the fate system to summon Heroic Spirits to deal with this Singularity.
"It's no good! Most large-scale spells either require auxiliary Mystic Codes or a long preparation time! This time we were teleported suddenly, I didn't prepare at all!"
Hearing Gudako's answer, Fujimaru Ritsuka punched a nearby wall in frustration. Suddenly, looking at the mangled bones in the distance, Fujimaru Ritsuka thought of something. After a moment's hesitation, he turned to Gudako and asked.
"Then what about Necromancy? I remember you told me you knew Necromancy, right?"
Mash turned her head, looking at Fujimaru Ritsuka with some surprise.
Fujimaru Ritsuka was born into a small family of second-generation Magi in the Far East. As the only son, his parents, who were half-baked Magi themselves, naturally doted on him. When Fujimaru Ritsuka turned 12, they sold their family assets to accompany him to the Clock Tower, the headquarters of modern magecraft, to begin his studies.
Although Fujimaru Ritsuka was a genius in his parents' eyes, in reality, his aptitude as a Magus was only barely passable. Coupled with his ordinary values, he was seen as an outlier by other Magi and was heavily marginalized.
It wasn't until Reines came to the Mineralogy Department to take over part of the family's power and become its 'leader' that she, wanting to emulate Kayneth's discovery of Waver by finding her own 'Waver,' took an immediate liking to Fujimaru Ritsuka, the outlier.
After a period of understanding, Reines discovered Fujimaru Ritsuka's shining points and officially took him as her disciple. Following a series of major events at the Clock Tower, which showed signs of splitting, Reines felt it was no longer worth investing in and sent Fujimaru Ritsuka to Rin's Chaldea.
Thus, entering Chaldea early, Fujimaru Ritsuka truly became Mash's senior this time. Since they met earlier than in the original timeline, the two, who had a slight mutual affection, understood each other better. This was why Mash was surprised; to someone with normal values like Fujimaru Ritsuka, Necromancy—a magecraft that desecrates the dead—should be unforgivable.
"I do know that Necromancy, but Fujimaru... do you really want to use it?"
Hearing Gudako's hesitant words, Fujimaru Ritsuka, thinking she was afraid of Rin's blame, held Gudako's shoulders and said seriously.
"Use it! If the Director blames us, tell her it was my request!"
Gudako quickly waved her hands.
"It's not that I'm afraid of Master's blame, she wouldn't care about this. But are you okay with it, Fujimaru? You should really hate this kind of magecraft that toys with the dead!"
"I do hate Necromancy, but I know what we should be doing most right now! So I must make a compromise. Please, Gudako!"
"Alright, since you've put it that way!"
Saying this, Gudako walked to an open space nearby and began drawing a Magic Circle on the ground.
Mash came up behind Fujimaru Ritsuka and embraced the stiff Fujimaru Ritsuka.
"Senpai, you are too kind. Don't put so much pressure on yourself!"
"But the seniors of Team A and B and the other team members are still missing. If I don't change, then..."
"I will always be with you, Senpai..."
By this time, Gudako had finished the Magic Circle. As it was completed, the entire Magic Circle began to emit a faint purple light, and some faint purple specks of light began to fly toward the bones on the ground nearby.
"The Virtual Souls have been created! Let's go!"
Having had her fill of their public display of affection, Gudako couldn't wait to rush toward humanity's last fortress.
With his mood much improved by Mash's comfort, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash smiled at each other and hurried to catch up with Gudako.
"Wait for us, Gudako..."
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