Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

“Yes, sure.” David smiled and looked at Euryale. “Feel free to ask.”

"What would happen if I were sacrificed to the Ark of the Covenant?" As if guessing something, Euryale nervously clutched the hem of her clothes. "At least, Jason and his group seem to have that as their goal..."

“Your name is Euryale, right?” David’s expression gradually turned serious as he stroked his smooth chin with some worry. “If you, who are originally a deity, were to be sacrificed to the Ark of the Covenant—well, this current era would die.” His words sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

"Sigh, as expected..." Da Vinci's dejected voice came through the communication device, his face contorted in a tired expression.

"Huh...?!" Mashu's eyes widened, looking incredulous.

"Haha, but as for the details—" David deliberately kept everyone in suspense, playfully closing one eye.

He then turned abruptly and threw a green energy blast at the bushes behind him.

"Let's wait until the battle is over before we talk about it!"

As his attack landed, the lifeless beast swayed and collapsed from the grass.

However, at the same time as the body hit the ground, rustling sounds began to emanate from the surrounding bushes, as if something was moving rapidly through them.

"Everyone! The second wave of enemies is coming!" Standing behind Mash, Ritsuka looked around warily.

Zio is back in the team!

David pulled his staff from the beast's neck and scratched his head in annoyance as he looked at the corpses strewn all around him.

Especially when he saw Artemis and Drake hammering the beast into the ground, a few drops of cold sweat dripped down his forehead, even though he wasn't particularly strong.

Even Atalanta, whom I had met before, used a physical technique I had never seen before to throw a beast into the air and then pierce it with an arrow.

"...Ha, haha..." Wiping the sweat from his brow, David unconsciously moved a little further away from them. "It seems like all the beautiful ladies here really enjoy violence... Ahahaha, even though they're Archer class..."

"Ahem." Wiping the violent scenes of the female Servants from his mind, David coughed lightly twice. "This isn't a good place to talk. Let's walk and talk." Following his steps, the group stepped over the carcasses of wild beasts and headed into the depths of the dense forest.

“As I just said,” David gently brushed away the branch in front of him, “this Ark of the Covenant will bring death to all existence—no matter how low the level, as long as a soul in the form of God is offered as a sacrifice, it will go out of control. Because God will die as a result, the world will die with him. The Ark of the Covenant is such a catastrophe existing in the times.” David’s expression couldn’t help but become somewhat out of control, but the thought of that scene made the usually pessimistic David feel suffocated.

“If this were the normal real world—” David looked at Mash and Ritsuka in the group, “it would probably only cause a collapse in the surrounding area at most, but…” He stepped on the ground, the weight of which did not seem fake, yet through that feeling he could sense the emptiness that made it up.

“After all, this place never really existed, it’s an extremely unstable place, right? I’m afraid a world built up like this can’t withstand this kind of power.” Then, looking at Ritsuka, David thought carefully for a moment. “Um, it’s called a singularity, right? The one that makes the cornerstone of human history ambiguous. This era will disappear before the singularity even collapses.”

“I see. There was no need to use that strange Holy Grail at all.” Drake nodded in understanding, took out the golden light from his body, and weighed the Holy Grail in his hand. “Their goal is only to destroy this world. There’s no need for them to take my Holy Grail. As long as we offer the goddess to that cabinet, everything will be over, right?” Drake looked at Euryale and sighed with a headache.

"...But why is Jason so obsessed with destroying this era?" Mashu asked, puzzled. Judging from the previous battles, Jason had never intended to destroy this era; on the contrary, he wanted to become king in this era.

“Who knows?” Atalanta curled her lip in disdain at the mention of Jason. “…Maybe he doesn’t even know himself.” Then, recalling the scene when he kicked her off the Argo, Atalanta added indifferently, “Maybe someone instigated him to say that all he had to do was offer Euryale to the Ark of the Covenant.”

"—In short," Mash still didn't quite understand, but she accepted Atalanta's explanation, "Now we know why they want this Noble Phantasm, and why we must stop them. Next, we need to figure out how to defeat them..." Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Mash looked at the calm King David, "By the way, Mr. David, is your class Archer?"

“That’s right.” David agreed readily, not feeling the need to hide anything, and pointed to Atalanta, “Atalanta… don’t let her physical prowess in beating up that beast fool you, she’s actually an Archer too.”

"This fighting strength is a bit too unbalanced..." Mash felt the road ahead was going to be difficult. "Four Archers, one Shielder, and one pirate..."

“And you… no, our opponents are Heracles, Medea, and Hector.” Atalanta gripped her longbow tightly. “As for Jason, we can just ignore him.”

"Huh? Why?" Ritsuka asked, somewhat puzzled. "Is he that weak?"

“Very weak.” Atalanta answered without even thinking. “In fact, he’s never fought at all. Although he’s a monster who gathered the heroes of the Argonauts solely through his eloquence and leadership, his actual combat ability is negligible.” At this point, Atalanta’s lips curled up slightly. Although he could defeat that guy with one hand, it was only his eloquence and leadership skills that made him worthy of being called captain.

“But even if there’s one more useless person, it won’t have much of an impact on them.” Gritting her teeth, Atalanta still didn’t hold out much hope. “...Because they have Hercules on their side.” Recalling the pitch-black giant she saw when she was summoned, even she, a fellow Argonaut hero, felt a chill run down her spine.

“I think you don’t need to worry about this problem.” Suddenly, Ritsuka, who had been silent all along, interrupted her. “Even Hercules, who has completed the twelve trials, possesses several resurrection spells, and even has unparalleled combat abilities, has been defeated by us… no, defeated by ‘him’, and Hector as well.”

"How could this be...!?" Atalanta's eyes widened in disbelief. "Who is he? He actually defeated Hercules... which means he killed Hercules twelve times?! This..." Atalanta wanted to ask more questions, but seeing Ritsuka's expression suddenly turn sad, she slowly released her grip on her shoulder.

At the same time, because of his words, the emotions of the female Servants present seemed to suddenly drop.

"Can... I see him?" Atalanta tried to say these words, and she keenly noticed the pain in Ritsuka's eyes. "Did I say something wrong...?"

The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive, somewhat silent... somewhat sad.

"No, it's alright." Suddenly, Ritsuka raised her head, her expression already back to normal. "I'll see him, but it will be a while."

“…Master.” Mash looked at Ritsuka’s seemingly strong back and lowered her head as well.

"Is that so?" Having vaguely guessed the outcome, Atalanta nodded. "I will look forward to that moment."

"Cough, cough...!" Finally, Orion on Artemis's shoulder stepped forward. "Aside from Heracles and Hector on the other side, our side consists of people who need to be kept at a distance to perform their skills."

"If we could get them to the Ark of the Covenant, we could send them to heaven in an instant." Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into David's head.

"But the question is, would they touch it so easily?" Artemis, who had been speaking in a state of confusion, suddenly became clear-headed and closed her eyes, pondering with distress.

"Of course, that's just a hypothetical situation." David waved his hand, reluctantly abandoning that ridiculous idea. "After all, even Berserkers can sense the magical energy emanating from Noble Phantasms, right? They certainly wouldn't willingly approach this bomb. However, if we could put them in a situation where they have no choice but to touch it, perhaps there's a way... but how do we create that opportunity?"

“Of course, even without Hector and Hercules, Medea still possesses terrifying power.” Mashu recalled the dozens of magic circles that the other party had unleashed in one go, and she herself was still a little scared after just taking one of them. “If the other party attacks with all their might, we definitely won’t be able to hold on. At the very least—we need to separate the goddess and Jason.”

"..." Even Ritsuka frowned, looking like she was searching for a solution.

“…Ahem, I have an idea.” Suddenly, Da Vinci’s voice came from Mashu’s wrist, “Why don’t we carry the Ark of the Covenant and escape while looking for an opportunity…?”

"Ah...!" Mashu's expression instantly turned serious. "Da Vinci, please don't say such irrelevant things. If you're tired, go and take a look at Dr. Roman's lounge."

"…………" However, Ritsuka was still thinking.

"Hmm... how about a siege warfare?" Orion thought about it and still felt it was somewhat feasible, looking at Atalanta, "Are there any places around here that are easy to defend and difficult to attack?"

"No." Atalanta answered very decisively, and even she herself sighed, "This island only has a narrow pagan catacombs. But even if there were a fortress, without magical defenses, it shouldn't be able to withstand Medea's magical bombardment."

“That’s for sure.” Orion was truly at a loss now, and returned to Artemis’s shoulder in distress.

"………………" Ritsuka was still thinking, her eyes closed as she desperately searched for a solution.

However, Fufu, who had been running in the lead, suddenly perked up her ears and ran back towards everyone.

"Fou! Fou!" Fou cried out repeatedly, running around Ritsuka and tugging at her shoes, her tiny paws patting her thigh.

"Fou? What's wrong?" Mashu squatted down curiously, watching Fou anxiously pat Ritsuka, especially Ritsuka's expression of deep thought with her eyes closed, which made Mashu tilt her head. "Eh...? Master?" Seeing that Ritsuka didn't react, Mashu called out again uncertainly, "...Master?"

Finally, Ritsuka stopped thinking.

"I've got it!" Ritsuka suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed Mashu's hand. "I've got it!"

"...Eh?" Overwhelmed by Ritsuka's imposing aura, Mash momentarily forgot that Ritsuka was holding her hand. "What...?"

(Because I couldn't think of any other way, I'm just using this as a transition animation. Please forgive me, Tangtang.jpg)

"Ah, not bad, not bad, really not bad!" Drake patted Ritsuka's shoulder happily, his face full of satisfaction. "She truly is the woman I've chosen!"

“Truly…a very safe and reliable operation.” David nodded, his eyes showing appreciation. “However, this means that not only the Servants, but even Fujimaru Ritsuka will be risking her life. But that’s life. As long as you’re willing to risk your life, you can win most things.”

“Although this is a huge gamble.” Euryale jumped off Asterius’s shoulder and stood in front of Ritsuka. “Failure means annihilation, with no way back. But we only have one chance.”

“Hmm…that’s true.” Artemis nodded, the silver longbow in her hand shimmering faintly. “Then the only remaining problem is figuring out the enemy’s modus operandi. But the question is, will Medea and the others go straight for Euryale?”

"...Medea is considered an upper-class being among the many Heroic Spirits." Orion waved the wooden stick in his hand, a hint of worry in his voice. "Even if she's not quite right in the head right now, she wouldn't have lost her basic intellect, would she? In fact, even when Nian Zhuo cornered Heracles, Medea was keeping a close eye on Euryale... That's probably why she was able to give Nian Zhuo enough time to shorten Heracles' lifespan."

“Medea would probably fall for it easily for Euryale’s sake.” Drake gritted his teeth, recalling the leisurely blond man’s appearance. “The most incomprehensible one right now is Jason, who even went so far as to destroy Nenju’s corpse to completely eliminate any future trouble. How cowardly is this guy…”

“No, there’s no need to consider Jason.” Atalanta wore a confident smile. “I’m sure that man will be led by the nose by us. ... He is indeed cowardly, but he also absolutely trusts his crew. I support Fujimaru Ritsuka’s battle plan.” She placed her hand on Ritsuka’s hand, which had appeared out of nowhere.

“I support it too. Anyway, everyone’s stakes are the same.” David placed his hand on Ritsuka and Atalanta’s overlapping palms. “As long as one of them survives to receive the spoils of victory, that’s fine.”

"...Hey, isn't anyone going to do something about this?" Orion looked at him like he was crazy. "Why does this guy seem so drawn to destruction, or rather, so irresponsible?"

"And what about you, my dear?" Artemis looked at Orion, her gaze subtly seeking his opinion.

"What can you possibly expect from a puppet like me?" Scratching his head, Orion helplessly pressed his puppet hand onto his overlapping palms.

"Besides, in the end, isn't Mash the one who's suffering the most?" Orion looked at Mash beside him, his words tinged with pity. "After all, she has to stand up and protect us on the front lines. Whether or not to carry out this operation should be decided by Mash, shouldn't it?"

“…I’m alright,” Mashu nodded solemnly, placing her hands on the others’ hands. “I will definitely ensure the success of Master’s strategy, and I will not let Mr. Nianzhuo’s efforts be in vain. Of course, this will also require Da Vinci’s help.” She then patted the communication device on her wrist. “Da Vinci? You’ve been silent since just now, did you hear me?”

“Of course I heard you.” A knocking sound came from Leonardo da Vinci’s end. “Although it’s a dangerous operation, there’s no time to lose, so I agree. King David might be captured at any moment. I will do my best to support you. Leave everything to this genius!”

"Go for it!" Finally, Ritsuka raised her hand high into the air, filled with unwavering confidence in victory. "This time, we must win! Let's go!"

“Yes, Master!” Mash’s eyes also hardened.

-------------------------------------------------- -

Outside the seven singularities, seated on the throne of the Temple of Time, the 'Beast' opened its eyes.

The stone sculptures of his twenty alien knights, with their ferocious faces, looked as if they might crawl out at any moment.

However, the stone carvings of Build and Exaid had already turned into dust and disappeared, causing 'Beast' to raise an eyebrow in displeasure.

Then came the sound of stones breaking, and he turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

"Huh—? I didn't expect you to be the first to awaken this time..." He made a grasping motion in mid-air, and a watch face flowed through his fingers into the awakened Another Rider. "Anyway, he no longer has the blessing of resurrection, and besides, their journey is almost over... so go ahead and cause them as much trouble as you like... Another Rider [] yo..."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The awakened alien knight lowered his head and respectfully swallowed the offered watch face into his body.

See? Hope is already in our hands.

However, just as Drake and his group were discussing with Atalanta and David how to deal with Jason and his crew, a familiar ship appeared on the sea off the island.

“It’s that island.” The girl with the light purple ponytail stood at the bow of the ship, pointing to the island where Drake and the others were, and then looked at the blond youth behind her who was covering his forehead.

"Is that so? I see." Jason, clutching his forehead, blazed with rage upon spotting Drake and his group, but he quickly suppressed his anger and feigned composure as he looked at Medea. "So, Euryale hasn't been killed yet, has she?"

"Yes, she's still alive." Medea nodded with a gentle smile.

"Tsk... She knows she's being targeted, yet... I really don't understand what she's thinking?" Jason was puzzled, but then clapped his hands and suddenly laughed. "I see, I see, I understand... It's because she, being evil, knows there's no way out, so she gave up resisting the power of 'justice'...!"

"...Never mind, I don't think it's that important, is it?" Medea smiled sweetly, holding her staff, and looked at the smug Jason. "It doesn't matter, it's their choice anyway. Let's leave our captain's decision to us."

"Good! Excellent! Fate is indeed on our side!" Jason clapped his hands with immense joy, his usual arrogant demeanor returning. "Medea!" he instructed the smiling girl, pointing to the island not far away.

“Get on that island! Take back the Ark of the Covenant and Euryale! I—” However, before he could finish speaking, several beams of light flashed from the island.

"Lord Jason, please be careful." With a gentle wave of her staff, Medea and Jason instantly erected a purple defensive spell in front of them, blocking the silver light that was rapidly flying from the island.

"What? An arrow?" Jason chuckled, a dark smile playing on his lips as he watched the arrow vanish into magical particles on the ground. "...What a bunch of idiots. How could an arrow of this magnitude possibly be effective against me and Medea—"

However, the arrow that had fallen to the ground suddenly emitted a light, causing Medea's expression to change drastically.

"…!" Medea instantly noticed the magical energy flowing through the arrow and shouted to Jason, "No! This is—aimed at Lord Jason!"

“…Huh?” Jason stood there, stunned, his gaze fixed on the arrows stuck in the ship’s planks.

"Ding—ding—" As if it were a signal, the tail of the arrow flashed with a green light.

"Alright, then allow me to unleash a massive Noble Phantasm attack without any hesitation." In the dense forest of the island, Atalanta drew her longbow, and countless green arrows appeared on the bowstring.

Atalanta closed her eyes, her golden hair swaying gently with the fluctuations of magic.