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

A flash of crimson lightning.

It sounded like thunder in my ears, and the lightning instantly dispelled the smoke!

Mordred stood in the center of the pit, his figure slightly lowered, his hands gripping the blade of his sword.

Her sword blade had now completely transformed into crimson lightning.

The electric current continuously electrolyzed the air, and the crimson lightning transformed into a huge sword beam, aimed at Nian Zhuo, who was still lying paralyzed on the ground.

"...Holy shit!" Nian Zhuo couldn't help but swear. He wanted to escape, but he felt powerless when he saw the crimson lightning on the other party's sword.

Having been gathering strength for a long time, Mordred was waiting for the moment when the smoke cleared and Nian Zhuo revealed his figure!

"Give it to me, and savor it!" Mordred then opened her emerald green eyes and swung the sword, which was imbued with enormous lightning, down at Nian Zhuo.

Crack—the very air trembled, and the thunder seemed to explode right next to Nianzhuo's ears.

Seeing the incoming lightning, Nian Zhuo wanted to defend himself, but he couldn't think of a way to withstand the attack in a short time.

"Damn it... I was still one step behind in the end..." He tried to stand up, but the opponent's lightning was clearly faster, and the crimson lightning shone brighter and brighter in Nian Zhuo's eyes. "If I had taken this attack head-on, even I would have deactivated my transformation..."

Suddenly, the crimson lightning flashing in Nianzhuo's eyes was blocked by a figure carrying a shield.

"Now! Mashu!" At the same time, Ritsuka's voice broke into Nencho's ears.

Mashu held up her shield, blocking the lightning and the turbid energy.

"Thump—" Another dull sound, the shield colliding with the lightning.

"Ugh...!" The girl's cry of pain reached Nianzhuo's ears.

“Ma... Xiu...?” Only now did Nian Zhuo come to his senses and look at the purple-haired girl blocking his way.

“Yes, it’s me, Mr. Nianzhuo.” Mashu’s gentle yet calm voice reached Nianzhuo’s ears. “We’re here to help you.”

"Aaaaaahhhhhh—!" Mash forcefully used her shield to dispel the crimson lightning.

Seeing Mordred smiling not far away, Mash slammed her shield heavily onto the ground.

"Mash Kyrielight, requesting sortie!" With a strange smile, Mash stared at Mordred with equally battle-ready eyes.

The outcome is decided; prepare yourself!

Mashu... has had a knot in her heart ever since the end of the Third Singularity.

To be precise, it was when Nianzhuo made his first sacrifice.

Seeing him face the enemy alone, using a colorful barrier to protect himself and the others behind him... the seed of that knot in his heart was quietly planted.

She felt a deep sense of powerlessness and resentment at her own inadequacy.

Hercules, Medea, even the Demon Pillar... these enemies could all be said to have been defeated by Nian Zhuo single-handedly.

The same goes for the repair of singularities. Ritsuka and I are like tools for establishing the spell. Once the communication point with Chaldea is established, they no longer need to do anything.

Nianzhuo can handle all the tasks—combat, dialogue, collection, etc.—by himself.

What use is someone like me? The girl couldn't help but grip the shield in her hand tighter.

She clearly longed for power, to stand by his side, to become his strength, his shield—

But now, she has become a burden to him.

Just realizing this fact made Mashu feel a sharp pain in her chest.

He went so far as to train himself intensively after returning to Chaldea, and even sought out Leonardo da Vinci to ask how he could become stronger.

"You just need to accumulate experience slowly, okay?" The omnipotent genius pointed to the shield in her hand and said, "One day, you will grow into a pure knight who can protect everyone you want to safeguard."

But that wasn't enough. Mashu no longer wanted to see Nianzhuo fight alone, fall into danger alone, and...

So she must become stronger... become a shield in front of him!

While fighting Mephistopheles, she focused on honing her skills, using everything she could to the fullest.

Although he caused the clown some trouble, the clown suddenly changed his attack method, pushing him into a desperate situation once again.

If it weren't for Mordred's help, Nianzhuo might have given up that great opportunity to stand in their way.

"This time... I failed again..." In a place where no one could see her and everyone else was relieved, the girl bit her lip hard.

He constantly honed his skills, observed Nenju and the others' fighting styles, and continuously improved his tacit understanding with Ritsuka.

Finally, Mashu got what she was waiting for...

"I'll leave the support and defense to you, Mash." Nencho, equipped with Zi-O's basic armor, turned around and gave her a thumbs up.

In an instant, a tiny spark appeared in the center of the tightly knotted rope that bound the girl's heart.

Then it grew larger and larger, forming flames and sparks that burned the entire rope to ashes.

That was fighting spirit, that was joy, that was the passion for battle that Mashu had always longed for but never found...

He finally... I finally have the power to stand beside him, to stand before him!

Just thinking about it gave the girl endless power as she swung the shield in her hand.

She had already grasped her own power, and the ropes that had hindered her progress had been burned away by the warrior's flames.

The girl now, Mash Kyrielight, has truly grown into a warrior, a shield-wielding Demi-Servant.

Although she doesn't know who the Heroic Spirit possessing her is, Mash is still incredibly grateful for his help.

“Thank you for being a Heroic Spirit who protects others with a shield—” Gripping the shield tightly, Mash looked at Ritsuka, who had also turned to look at her. “Master—” She wanted to say something.

The orange-haired girl pressed her index finger to her lips, shook her head, and pointed at Nian Zhuo, who was fighting Mordred.

"—Hmm~" She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her expression was serious. "Let's go help Nianzhuo, Mashu!"

The same power, transmitted through the magical link between the two, reached Mash's heart.

"—" With a gentle smile, Mash raised her shield. "Yes, Master!"

But she did not attack rashly; instead, she observed the clash between Nian Zhuo and Mordred's blades.

Mashu herself knew that if she rushed forward, it might bring unexpected trouble to Nianzhuo.

So they had to wait, wait for the right moment—the moment when the girl gripped the shield tightly.

Immediately afterwards, she saw Mordred kick Nianzhuo in the knee, while simultaneously leaping backward and throwing her longsword.

"Almost there...almost there..." Mash murmured, her purple eyes slightly narrowed as she followed Mordred intently.

Sure enough, standing on the tall building behind him, Mordred even caught the blade that bounced back and was about to smash it at Nianzhuo.

Mordred's figure briefly disappeared into the smoke as Nian Zhuo rolled away to dodge.

When it reappeared, the crimson lightning shone brightly in Mash's eyes.

"Now!" Instantly, Ritsuka pointed in Nencho's direction, blue magical energy surging from her body. "Go! Mash!"

Mash charged toward Nianzhuo with her shield, while Mordred unleashed the Crimson Lightning in his hand.

"Faster—faster—!" Mashu murmured, the distance between her and Nencho constantly shrinking.

Finally, just before the crimson lightning was about to strike Nian Zhuo, her figure appeared and blocked Nian Zhuo's path.

—Catch the crimson lightning.

However, because she had just stopped and hadn't had time to recover, Mash held the shield firmly.

The sounds of friction and even the crackling of electricity filled Mashu's ears, causing her body to tremble slightly.

The power was rapidly dissipating, and the crimson lightning was also visibly dissipating.

"—I must hold on—!" Mash saw the dazed Nencho behind her out of the corner of her eye, gritted her teeth, and raised her shield with both hands.

Then, red magic suddenly enveloped Mashu, making her feel an increase in her power.

"—Huh?" Mashu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly looked in Ritsuka's direction. "This is... an emergency enhancement—?!"

There, the orange-haired girl gave herself a thumbs-up, her eyes full of encouragement and trust.

"—Hmm!" Mashu closed her eyes, gave herself a good pep talk, and felt as if boundless power was surging through her body again. She pushed the shield in her hand with all her might.

Mash shattered the crimson lightning completely and slammed her shield heavily onto the ground.

Looking behind her, she saw Nianzhuo, whose short purple hair was fluttering in the wind.

"Mash Kyrielight, requesting permission to attack!" Finally, filled with high fighting spirit, she announced her entry into the battlefield.

This time, it will surely be your strength. — She thought to herself.

—Shifting perspective back to the other side of the turbid mind—

Looking at the girl holding the shield in front of him, Nian Zhuo's stiffness gradually dissipated.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Nianzhuo." Holding a shield in one hand, the girl turned around and reached out her hand to him as he fell to the ground.

"..." For some reason, Nian Zhuo suddenly had a sense of déjà vu, like seeing a famous painting on the moon.

However, he quickly realized what was happening and, with a smile behind his mask, took the hand that Mash offered.

With her help, Nianzhuo stood up again.

"Really, thanks to you, Mashu." Touching the girl's flowing purple hair in front of him, Nianzhuo was still a little scared by the terrifying lightning just now.

If Mashu hadn't suddenly appeared, he probably would have already collapsed on the ground unconscious.

"What~" Mordred didn't complain about her attack being blocked in the crater. Instead, she looked at Mash with a smile and said, "Isn't this a good way to fight? Shield-wielding idiot."

“Yes, thank you very much, Mordred.” Mash also thanked Mordred softly, then picked up her shield, ready for battle. “So, Mr. Nianzhuo, Master, and I are here to defeat you.”

"You really dare to say that~" Mordred grinned menacingly and flicked the blade in her hand. "Fine, if you can do it, then go ahead and try!"

“So, Mr. Nianzhuo?” Mashu turned around and looked at Nianzhuo, who was standing there. “Mordred said so, huh? So… what’s your choice?”

"..." Still silent, Nian Zhuo was slightly surprised by Mashu's growth.

But he quickly recovered and transformed the Time Gun Sword in his hand into a gun.

"Well then, you'd better hold them off well, Mash." Finally, he placed his trust in Mash and looked at Mordred over there.

"Let the battle begin again—!" With that, Nian Zhuo quickly ran to the side, raising his gun and pulling the trigger.

"Yes!" Mash replied, her figure moving in sync with Nencho's movements.