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

A summary of past interactions and continued progress

Transforming into dazzling flowers, the fiery dragon gradually dissipated.

Nianzhuo knelt on the ground, his hands still in the posture of thrusting out the sword blade.

Behind him stood Paracelsus, his chest pierced through, his white robes charred black by the flames…

"Ha..." Nian Zhuo sheathed his sword and stood up from the ground. "You're not dead yet, are you?"

He watched Mordred running towards him, along with Mash and Ritsuka.

“Eh…” Mashu paused for a moment, then looked behind him with an incredulous gaze. “Could it be—!” She gritted her teeth and raised her shield again.

“No… Mashu, it’s not necessary.” Almost simultaneously, Mordred and Ritsuka gently placed their hands on her shoulders to stop her from moving.

“…So, this is what real death feels like.” With a hoarse sound like that of a broken bellows, Paracelsus turned around with difficulty. In his hand, the bright red stone was also dissipating into particles of light.

“I’m really surprised that after being attacked head-on, that stone was able to save you… no, just keep you alive…” Nian Zhuo looked at Paracelsus, who was having difficulty even speaking, but made no move in front of him.

"...Ha, it's just a false immortality. When this Philosopher's Stone completely disappears, that will be my death day." Without elaborating further or showing any fear of impending death, Paracelsus looked at Nian Zhuo and his group before him.

“…This is…” He sighed, raising his withered arm to touch the large hole in his chest and the scar on his abdomen, his words filled with admiration. “This is what a swordsman should be like. So it is only natural that I, as an evil person, would be defeated.”

"Defeat all evil in this world, resist all desires in this world." The Philosopher's Stone in his hand suddenly dissipated at an illogical speed. Paracelsus closed his eyes. "Those who pave the way for all tomorrows in this world. May your path be filled with... true... light."

After slowly uttering his last words, Paracelsus's short sword fell to the ground, the crimson stone in his hand vanished completely, and then his already battered body turned into specks of golden light.

"...The enemy Servant has been confirmed eliminated." Mash breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the report from Marie that the enemy's Spirit Origin had disappeared. She nodded to everyone around her. "Senpai, Nianzhuo-san, Mordred, we have won."

"Damn it, they disappeared without leaving a single clue." Mordred kicked a pebble on the ground with some annoyance. "What a magician who leaves you feeling annoyed even at the end." Then, her face flushed slightly as she turned her head away, speaking in a very soft voice.

"Honestly, what kind of person is this who pioneers tomorrow... I'm not that kind of person."

"Ah... [Life is but a walking shadow, a pitiful actor spouting lofty pronouncements on a stage.]" At this moment, the orange-yellow-haired man also walked over, holding a book in his hands, and spoke loudly.

"Huh? What did you say?" Mordred turned her head and looked at Shakespeare as he slowly approached.

"It's nothing, it just flashed through my mind." The man shook his head, looked at the crowd in front of him, and opened his arms. "You've really given us quite a good show! Although we only witnessed a fragment, that magician left us with a good ending." He smiled easily, but he didn't notice that Mordred's expression was somewhat gloomy.

"...What nonsense are you talking about?" Mordred muttered, looking down at the pebbles at her feet. "That's all just your imagination."

In any case, this patrol trip was still fruitful, as a new Servant joined our side.

With the newly joined Shakespeare, the group embarked on their return journey in a grand procession.

Then they realized they had run a little too far.

From the pitch-black night until the sky began to lighten in the early morning, Nianzhuo and his companions ran all night before finally making it back to Jekyll's apartment.

The lights were still on inside, but only Andersen and Ryotaro remained outside reading. When they saw Nianzhuo and the others return, they raised their index fingers at them, making a 'shh~' gesture.

"Anyway, let's talk about it tomorrow." He stepped forward and said softly, then breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no one was injured. "Jekyll is still an ordinary person, so he went to rest and asked me to wait for you. It's good that you're back now." Without paying much attention to the last man with orange-yellow hair, Andersen turned and walked towards his study.

"Oh, right." Just as he was about to leave, Ryotaro suddenly turned around and pointed upstairs. "The new girls can choose any room they like, but Fran... that brown-haired girl is in the outermost room, so please keep an eye out for her."

After saying this, he quietly closed the door to his study, leaving behind the exhausted Nianzhuo and the others.

"Alright, alright, let's call it a day then." Nian Zhuo clapped his hands lightly, saying to both Mary and the others in the earpiece and Ritsuka and the others here, "Let's talk about anything else tomorrow. Okay, dismissed!"

Everyone was exhausted and had no desire to continue. After choosing their rooms, they said goodnight, closed their doors, and went to rest.

Of course, Ritsuka's room was placed between Nenjo and Mashu's rooms to prevent any potential dangers at night.

Back in his room, Nianzhuo lay on the bed, somewhat surprised.

The soft texture and the faint scent of wood suggest that the owner keeps this place very clean.

As soon as he lay down on the bed, sleepiness washed over him like waves, almost knocking his eyelids off.

"No, no, no, let's confirm this first." Nian Zhuo patted his cheeks and called out with his mind, "System, are you there? Open the interface for me."

The next moment, a crystal blue screen appeared in front of Nian Zhuo, visible only to him.

"Let me see... whose power is it now?" Nian Zhuo jumped to the bottom of the backpack and looked at the many items in front of him, counting them one by one.

It is now known that the host is Nian Zhuo.

The watch faces I own are: Build (Bubble - Acknowledged) x1, Exaid (Dragon Knight Hunter) x1, Ghost x1, Drive x1, Gaim x1, Wizard x1, Fourze x1, OOO x1, W x1, Decade x1, and ZioII x1.

The villainous knight's watch faces that you already own: evolto (black hole) watch face x1, cronus watch face x1, and Eternal watch face x1.

Unused trial cards: 1x Extreme General Trial Card, 1x Wizard Infinity Trial Card, 1x Fourze Universe Switch Trial Card, 1x OOO Dinosaur Combo Trial Card, 1x Decade God Trial Card...

"Looking at it this way, Kiva's next one must be next." With the strategy for conquering the Fourth Singularity becoming increasingly clear, yet Kiva's appearance still nowhere in sight, Nian Zhuo couldn't help but sigh, "Ah... the road ahead is long..."

With a wave of his hand, the light screen was removed, and Nianzhuo was immediately struck by drowsiness, slowly closing his eyes.

Time passed, and it was already the morning of the second day.

"...Ugh." Ritsuka struggled forward, her eyes still sleepy, looking groggy.

"Senpai—" Mashu naturally noticed this situation and stepped forward to look at her pale face with some concern. "Are you alright? You don't look well?"

"Well... it's early in the morning after all... ha~" As she spoke, Ritsuka rubbed her eyes and yawned repeatedly. "So sleepy..."

“Yes.” Mashu nodded, a helpless expression on her face. “After all, morning patrols are essential. Mordred’s actions were correct; what happened last night could very well repeat itself.”

After all, Nianzhuo and his group arrived first yesterday, but if the other side seizes the initiative again, then we will lose another combatant, and the strategy of conquering the singularity will become even more difficult.

Therefore... we must make Ritsuka hold on.

"Um... I don't want you to overwork yourself either." Mashu scratched her cheek, glancing at Nencho who was pretending to admire the scenery. "But..."

"Haha, it's okay, it's okay." Twisting her cheek, Ritsuka shook her head at Mash with a forced smile. "Don't worry about it."

“…Hmm.” Mashu finally showed a relieved expression.

"Sigh, being a Master is really inconvenient..." Mordred shook her head, looking at Ritsuka's somewhat listless appearance. "But after all, I'm just a human, so there's nothing I can do. Anyway, the enemies are just some insignificant minions, so even if it's just me—" She gripped the sword blade with both hands, about to tell Mash and Ritsuka to go and rest.

Suddenly, the rumbling sound of the machinery seemed to ring in their ears.

So familiar, so loud… Mashu and Nianzhuo’s expressions darkened.

"...Mechanical sounds confirmed!" Mash turned around quickly and saw a huge figure emerging from the smoke. "Its size is confirmed to be large!"

"I didn't expect such a big fish to appear right after I finished speaking!" Mordred excitedly raised her sword, shielding Mash and Ritsuka behind her. "Haha, it's been a long time since I've fought a Chaos Mech!"

With a cheerful stride, the swordsman raised his blade and charged toward the enormous monster that emerged from the mist.

"I'm sorry, Master!" In this critical moment, Nian Zhuo, who was standing to the side, had already equipped himself with the Zi-O basic armor. Mashu looked at Ritsuka and said, "The battle is about to begin. Please give your instructions!"

“…Yes!” Ritsuka nodded. Now, hearing that rumbling sound, all her fatigue had vanished. She extended her index finger and gave Mash the battle order, “Go! Mash! Protect Mordred!”

They were not equipped with any further armor because basic armor was sufficient for Nianzhuo, who was only serving as a support character.

Sure enough, when he rushed into the smoke and saw the mechanical soldier, he knew his decision was right.

Mordred swung his sword wildly, using a fighting style more like a berserker than a swordsman, relentlessly attacking the vulnerable parts of the Chaos Mech.

Unlike Nian Zhuo, who had only seen the thing twice before, Mordred's actions clearly showed her experience. She could guess the opponent's attack just from the mechanical sounds and interrupt it in advance.

Nianzhuo and Mashu were much more relaxed. Nianzhuo only needed to use his gun to interrupt the Chaos Mech Soldier's movements, while Mashu only needed to raise her shield to defend Mordred when he failed to dodge the attack.

The battle didn't last long. Under Mordred's crimson lightning strike, the Chaos Mech's mountain-like body crashed to the ground, and less than ten minutes had passed since the battle began.

"...Um, I have some bad news." Then, just as Mordred and the others finished their battle, Mary called. "I'm so sorry, but please hear me out, actually, around here..."

Before she could finish speaking, the mechanical sounds that Nian Zhuo and the others had just heard began to ring out again, and another tall figure appeared from the mist.

"Another one?!" Ritsuka, Mash, Nencho, and Mordred stared blankly at the figure emerging from the smoke, finding it hard to believe.

"Hmm? You heard that already?" Mary listened carefully to the voice coming from the monster. "Well, how should I put it, that's how it is."

"Alright!" Unexpectedly, Mordred's fighting spirit was not affected at all. Instead, he laughed happily. "No matter how many come, I can kill you without leaving a trace! It feels pretty good to cut through thick steel armor."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Master...!" Mash didn't have time to be considerate of Ritsuka, and said with a solemn expression, "We're about to fight again, please give me your instructions!"

This time, it wasn't just one; the rumbling of machinery kept ringing in Mashu and the others' ears, and then another Chaos Machine Soldier emerged from the mist.

"Alright, Mashu, there's no way we can escape now." With a helpless sigh, Nian Zhuo took out the Wizard watch again and placed it on the driver at his waist. "Consider this a warm-up exercise to get us going."

"Yes!" Mashu nodded and ran towards Mordred, who had already rushed off. "Miss Mordred, please wait a moment!"

"Oh dear, this is really something. Good morning, working class." Shaking his head, Nian Zhuo looked at the bright red magic circle that appeared above and flipped the driver.

Something terrible is happening!

Compared to the now-grown Nian Zhuo and his group, these Chaos Mechanical Soldiers were somewhat outmatched.

The heavy bodies of the mechanical soldiers kept collapsing, and the rumbling hum of the machines inside them stopped.

These mechanical monsters, with their simplistic attack methods and clumsy movements, are no match for the rainbow-like blade of Paracelsus that Nianzhuo and his companions defeated last night.

If we're talking about advantages, it seems like the only ones are that they're quite durable and there are a lot of them.

However, while they might be able to handle lone Servants, when they encounter experienced Servants like Mordred... just look at the scattered fragments and you'll know what the outcome will be.

However, there is one advantage: the machine will not stop until it breaks down.

"...Phew." Mordred's breathing became a little rapid after throwing the last mechanical soldier to the ground. "Even I feel a little tired." Looking at the mechanical soldiers' remains scattered all over the ground, she stretched.

"Well, since these enemies have been eliminated, it's time to go back to Jekyll's apartment." Mordred shook her arms, and although she wasn't very tired, she still felt a little soreness. "Although Servants don't really need sleep, I also want to recover some mana."

"Ugh..." Mary looked at the few red dots that suddenly appeared on the screen, and rubbed her arm in annoyance. "Well, although this is a little... hard to say..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the rumbling of the machine entered Nian Zhuo and the others' ears again, and their faces instantly darkened.

It was the same enemy again, emerging from the thick fog as the same dark figure, accompanied by the same rumbling of machinery.

"...Sigh, I know, I know!" Mordred shook his head dejectedly, adopting a "what's the use" attitude. "So please, you don't need to say it out loud. I already sensed it. But there are so many of these guys."

The rumbling of machinery pounded on their eardrums, and under the control of the machines, another group of Chaos mechanical soldiers charged out.

"...It's the sound of machinery! And Chaos Machine Soldiers! Large ones, and there are many of them!" Mash saw the machine soldiers charging out and quickly raised her shield to meet them. "I predict the enemy's size is still expanding!"

As for why, you can tell by listening to the increasingly noisy sounds around you!

Now, not only Ritsuka and Mordred, but even Nencho's expression turned somewhat ugly.

Human wave tactics are nothing to Mordred and Nianzhuo, who possess area-of-effect destructive artifacts, but the problem is that this is an urban area! The surrounding area is full of sleeping citizens! The mechanical soldiers may not care about destruction, but Nianzhuo and the others have to be careful.

This time, relying on sheer numbers to wear down Nian Zhuo and his men's stamina proved surprisingly effective.

"Damn it, damn it!" Mordred complained, but still charged into the enemy's encirclement with her sword, continuing the fight. "Since there are so many of you, why don't you go to Hyde Park? If we get there, I can use my Noble Phantasm to burn you all to a crisp!"