At the same time, deep in the ruins of another distant city.
A blue figure and a silver-and-black one clashed without pause, blades ringing through the shattered streets.
The Caster-class Servant, Cú Chulainn.
The Archer-class Servant, EMIYA.
EMIYA loosed sword after sword from his bow, fury etched across his face.
"You've figured out the situation by now, haven't you!"
"Why throw away the greater good for your own selfish whims?"
"Defying the Counter Force!"
Cú Chulainn answered with a faint, reckless smile.
"An endless game gets boring, doesn't it?"
"Good ending or bad, you still have to move the pieces first!"
The two Servants crashed together once more.
...
Back with Adam.
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash were still turning his words over in their minds. No matter how they looked at it, they couldn't piece together what he meant.
"Um… what exactly is this 'Grand Bomber' you keep mentioning?"
Adam opened his mouth to explain—when a Servant wielding a massive blade dropped out of nowhere.
Mash moved on instinct, shield snapping up.
Clang!
Greatsword met shield in a burst of sparks.
Ritsuka flinched hard but forced herself to stay upright.
Mash shoved with all her strength, hurling the blade-wielding Servant backward.
Adam narrowed his eyes at the newcomer. Weapons bristled across his back, and the monk-like robes left little doubt.
"Who…?"
Ritsuka and Mash clearly had no idea who stood before them.
But for Adam—who had crossed paths with nearly every Servant in Chaldea more times than he could count—the face was instantly familiar.
"Musashibō Benkei."
The moment the Lancer's name left Adam's lips, Ritsuka whipped around to stare at him in open shock.
"You know him?!"
Adam didn't answer. His mind was already racing back to Singularity F. He was certain Benkei hadn't appeared when he arrived… Cú Chulainn had taken care of the threats before they got there.
Wait.
Before they arrived, Cú Chulainn hadn't just dealt with one Servant—he'd taken down more than one. Besides the Lancer, there had been an Assassin as well.
If this Lancer was still here… that meant—
Silver glints flashed at the edge of Adam's vision.
He lunged, slamming Ritsuka to the ground.
Several shortswords whistled through the exact spot they had just occupied.
Mash sensed the shift and broke away from Benkei, rushing over.
"Senpai! Adam!"
She skidded to a stop in front of them—and froze.
Adam was on top of Ritsuka, one hand braced against the broken pavement, the other… resting squarely on something impossibly soft. Warmth still lingered where his palm pressed.
Mash's eyes widened, a strange flutter rising in her chest.
Adam pushed himself up quickly, scanning Ritsuka for injuries.
"Are you okay?"
Ritsuka didn't seem to hear him. She clutched the spot his hand had touched, cheeks burning crimson like a ripe apple.
The Assassin gave them no time to breathe.
Another volley of shortswords streaked toward them.
Mash shook off the odd feeling and blocked every blade.
Adam finally got a clear look at the enemy: a masked shadow, right arm glowing like molten lava.
Hassan of the Cursed Arm.
Mash's expression turned grave. The two Servants now flanked them perfectly—one in front, one behind.
She could handle a swarm of skeletons.
But two Servants at once…
Ritsuka glanced at the shortswords still quivering in the ground. If Adam hadn't tackled her, she would be dead.
She forced the blush from her face and assessed the situation. A fight was coming—there was no room for embarrassment.
She stepped behind Mash, face just as serious.
"Mash… can we win?"
Mash's eyes filled with regret. She hated how powerless she felt right now.
"I'm sorry, Senpai… I can't."
"I still can't use my Noble Phantasm, and I don't even know whose power I've fused with yet. This shield isn't at full strength."
Ritsuka had tried to steel herself, but a flicker of raw fear still slipped through—the fear of death.
"Then… can we run?"
Mash thought for half a second, weighing their chances.
"I'm sorry, Senpai. I can stall one of them… but not both."
Before Ritsuka could ask anything more, Benkei charged again.
Mash met him head-on, shield sparking against the greatsword.
Ritsuka looked at the watchful Assassin, then at Mash's straining back. The odds were terrible. She herself had zero combat ability, and Adam—also from Group C—was probably in the same boat.
After a brief, painful internal struggle, Ritsuka made up her mind. She turned to Adam, voice steady.
"Adam, I'll distract the Assassin. You run."
Adam had been calculating how to squeeze some emotional value out of these two Servants. At her words, he whipped around in genuine shock.
"Ritsuka Fujimaru! Do you even hear yourself?"
"You're going to lure that Assassin?! He'll kill you in under five seconds!"
Ritsuka ignored him.
"You won't know until you try!"
Mash, still locked with Benkei, clearly heard the exchange.
"Wait, Senpai!"
Her focus slipped for a single heartbeat.
Benkei seized the opening and shoved with brutal force. Mash adjusted instantly—no injury, but she was driven back several meters. She couldn't even spare the breath to speak.
Adam stared at Ritsuka. Her eyes were resolute.
Was it just ignorance? She was still brand new to Chaldea, probably hadn't even been properly briefed on what a Servant could do. Of course she didn't understand how outmatched she was.
But the next second, he discarded that thought.
Her hands were trembling. She was terrified.
Adam's voice softened with quiet disbelief.
"If someone has to draw the Assassin away, why not me? I'm a guy—I've got the physical edge."
"And more importantly… you're actually scared right now, aren't you?"
Ritsuka's forced calm cracked. She gave an awkward, helpless laugh.
"Can't you just let me look cool for once?"
She imagined abandoning Mash and fleeing, then shook her head.
"I'm Mash's Master now."
"I still don't really know what a Master is… but I can feel the connection between us."
"So no matter what, I can't leave her behind and run."
Ritsuka stepped forward, placing herself between Adam and danger.
"Just go, Adam."
Adam stared at her, chest tight with a new wave of respect. In that moment, his view of Ritsuka shifted forever.
She glanced back at his stunned expression and flashed a bright, carefree smile.
"Don't make that face. Besides, I might not even die."
Hassan of the Cursed Arm saw her turn—and struck.
Zabaniya.
Ritsuka felt the killing intent a split second too late. She spun back in horror as the glowing crimson hand shot straight for her heart.
She tried to dodge on pure reflex.
Too slow.
No matter what she did, an ordinary human could never evade that blow.
In that frozen instant, her life flashed before her eyes like a thousand speeding slides.
The very last thought that crossed Ritsuka Fujimaru's mind was:
I never even got a boyfriend… If there's a next life, I hope I meet someone like Adam.
Then, at the very end, she thought she heard a powerful, ringing voice.
"Lord Chaldeas!"
***
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