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

"Please...bear with it!" Although her stamina was also somewhat depleted, Mashu remained composed under the onslaught of the mechanical soldiers, maintaining her calm demeanor. "Using large-scale firepower in the city would be very dangerous!"

"I'll be careful when I use it!" The only response she received was Mordred's shout amidst the deafening roar of the mechanical soldiers flying backwards, "...I'll try my best!" It seemed even she wasn't entirely confident...

"Good luck, everyone!" Ritsuka, an ordinary person, could only hide in a safe place and watch the battlefield. At the same time, she shouted loudly to Mordred in the enemy ranks, "Mordred! As long as you stay within the proper range, you are allowed to use some unconventional methods!"

As for why Nian Zhuo wasn't reminded? At least the siege by these mechanical soldiers wasn't enough to make him use a truly wide-range skill.

With the magical amplification of his Wizard form alone, he could burn these mechanical soldiers to ashes with the flames that constantly spewed from his hands.

But for Mordred, who had to cut them down one by one, the veins bulging on her forehead made her look like she was about to lose her temper.

Especially at this moment, a mechanical soldier suddenly appeared behind her, raised his saw blade, and launched a sneak attack on her.

"...!" Sensing the attack from behind, Mordred quickly retreated in the opposite direction, the mechanical soldier's saw blade slamming into the ground and sending up countless pieces of gravel.

*Snap*—A small pebble grazed Mordred's face, leaving a mark though it didn't cause any harm.

"...!!" Mordred's aura was rising at a visible speed. She stepped on the blade of the saw that the mechanical soldier was trying to pull out and smash into the ground. This sudden attack caused cracks to appear in the surrounding ground. Then she swung her sword horizontally with both hands and cut the mechanical soldier who was trying to sneak up on her in half.

"Hey! Nianzhuo!" Even though she was enraged by the provocation, Mordred became even calmer. Although she couldn't see outside, she believed that Nianzhuo was definitely dealing with the enemy with plenty of energy. "Just like before, let your fire set my sword ablaze again!"

“…This is ridiculous.” On the other side, Nian Zhuo, who was tired of throwing fireballs, swung his fist, which was covered in flames, and smashed the mechanical soldier back. He shook his head and said helplessly, “It’s strange that this berserker can become Saber with his fighting style.”

Although he said that, Nian Zhuo also quickly condensed the flames into a small ball and threw it at Mordred in the enemy formation.

"Ha!" Mordred jumped up happily, stepping on the blade of his sword. The blade in his hand accurately touched the fireball thrown by Nian Zhuo. Instantly, bright red flames were added to Mordred's blade again.

Not only that, she even used her magic to make the already crimson flames of the sword flash with countless bolts of lightning.

Seeing the Chaos Mechs below who had all raised their heads in unison because of her jump, Mordred's figure plummeted down, raising her sword and plunging it into the ground between them.

A violent explosion rang out, and flames and lightning spread outwards from beneath the shattered ground created by Mordred's attack.

Then, it instantly ignited the surrounding Chaos Machine Soldiers, followed by crimson lightning.

The intense flames, amplified by the lightning, completely pulverized the mechanical soldiers, leaving only charred remains.

The culprit who caused all this leisurely walked out of the firelight, carrying a sword blade and wearing a smug smile.

"Cool!"

What exactly is the other party's motive?

With a cheerful laugh, Mordred seemed to have finally gotten over it.

"The enemy has lost a key general, so they're starting to get serious!" Turning around, looking at the mechanical soldiers who had emerged from the fog for what seemed like the umpteenth time, he resumed his usual demeanor. "Alright, watch me wipe you all out!"

The mechanical soldiers that appeared this time were clearly different from the previous ones. Both their color and the rumbling sound they made were louder than the previous ones, as if they were an evolved version of them.

Even so, it couldn't stop Mordred and her group. Nian Zhuo manipulated a large amount of magic to form a huge circle of flames, and Mordred and her group only needed to drive the mechanical soldiers into that huge crimson magic circle.

"Then, let the flames bloom!" Nian Zhuo raised his hands high, channeling his surging magic power. At the same time, sparks began to rise from beneath the feet of the restless mechanical soldiers.

A gigantic rose shot into the sky, melting steel, destroying weapons, melting the air... and burning the enemies within the magic circle to ashes.

"Hoo..." Feeling the scorching air, Nian Zhuo nodded in satisfaction at the power of his magic trick.

The mastermind hidden in the shadows seemed to have chosen to temporarily avoid the limelight, and the endless horde of mechanical soldiers finally came to a halt.

"It's finally over!" Mordred stretched, feeling a bit tired even though she didn't need to rest during the long battle. "Let's go back to Jekyll's apartment!"

"Yes, the enemy's reaction has completely disappeared." Mashu was relieved after receiving Mary's affirmative answer. She bowed slightly to Ritsuka and Nencho beside her. "Thank you for your help this time, senpai and Mr. Nencho."

"Hehehe~ It's okay." Ritsuka touched her hair, looking nonchalant. "But I really want to go back and rest on the sofa now~" She winked at Nencho behind her, her meaning clear.

"Alright, alright." Nian Zhuo affectionately patted Mash and Ritsuka's heads, looking at Mordred with amusement. "How about it? No plans for now? If not, let's go back to the base."

"Well... the answer is of course no." Mordred waved his hand, looked at Ritsuka and Mash who had relaxed, and shrugged in resignation, slinging the sword over his shoulder. "Perfect timing, I'm a little thirsty too."

Stepping through the morning mist and bathed in the sunlight, the group finished their patrol and began their journey back.

The journey back was much faster. As soon as she saw Jekyll's apartment, Ritsuka quickened her pace and ran over, gently but quickly knocking on the door.

After a while, the heavy door opened from the inside, revealing Jekyll's gentle face with a smile.

"Welcome back," he said softly, gesturing inside. "Please rest assured, breakfast and other necessities have been prepared."

"Yay!" Ritsuka rushed into the house, while Mashu chased after her in a bit of a panic.

"Well, I'm a little hungry too." Mordred and Nianzhuo exchanged a smile, both seeing the helplessness on each other's faces, and walked into the house one after the other.

Just as Jekyll said, breakfast was ready, with steaming milk and appetizing sandwiches. These were made from ingredients Jekyll had stored up before the poisonous fog spread, but the taste was exactly the same...

Faced with delicious food, everyone remained silent, with only the sound of chewing accelerating.

After breakfast, Nianzhuo told Jekyll about what he had seen and heard the previous night and this morning.

“…I see.” Even Jekyll was slightly surprised. Both Paracelsus and the mechanical soldiers from this morning were formidable enemies. “So this happened. Anyway, you’ve really had a tough time. This trip was no easy feat. Now, I’m actually hoping that breakfast this morning will suit your tastes.”

"Ah..." Mordred's languid voice came from the other side. Lying on the sofa, she stretched comfortably and downed the steaming milk on the table next to her in one gulp. "I'm alive again... Haa..."

“You’ve taken up my private sofa again…” Jekyll was about to say something, but then she remembered what Nianzhuo had said about Mordred’s efforts last night and this morning, so she had no choice but to indulge her behavior. “Never mind… well, you’ve been working quite hard these past few days.”

"Ah..." Even Ritsuka slumped weakly on the sofa, looking as if she would fall asleep at any moment. "I'm completely exhausted..."

"Senior, please don't push yourself. Please get some rest." Mashu gently patted Ritsuka's back, as if soothing a baby to sleep. "I will also pay attention to your health from now on."

"Ahem!" A soft cough came through the earpiece. Mary clearly wanted Ritsuka to get some rest, but her words were like knives: "Romani, isn't that something you should be concerned about?"

"...Yes, I'm sorry!" Dr. Roman, who was still secretly eating cake, let out a groan and quickly hid the cake. "Ah... um, you're right. But I think Ritsuka would be happier being taken care of by the people around her, wouldn't you say?" He was met with an even colder look from Mary, which made him break out in a cold sweat.

"Alright, alright, Mashu, you should go and rest too." Nian Zhuo still looked full of energy. After all, she was really tired. Mashu didn't say much and obediently lay down on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest.

“So that’s how it is.” Jekyll looked at the two ladies who were resting, and beckoned Nianzhuo to the other table. He noticed a rare seriousness on Nianzhuo’s face. “I thought mechanical soldiers couldn’t be mass-produced, but I never expected things to develop like this. It’s probably because you defeated one of the three leaders of the [Magic Mist Project], the magician [P], Paracelsus. The enemy sees you as a threat and has strengthened their combat power to more securely seize Heroic Spirits from the present world. That must be it, but what kind of Heroic Spirits do they want…?”

This is the question that has been troubling Jekyll: what exactly is the other party's motive?

"I don't know. Using your brain is your job." Mordred, standing to the side, indicated that she was completely too lazy to use her brain, and closed her eyes after putting the blade aside. "I... am tired."

"By the way, where is Ryotaro?" Nianzhuo's gaze swept around the living room, but he didn't see the familiar figure, which made him a little puzzled.

“Him—” Jekyll’s gaze shifted to the side, towards Ryotaro’s room.

"Still sleeping."

"……ha?!"

Important matters...

"Ah, this..." Even Nian Zhuo was stunned for a moment. "Then... let them rest a bit more."

After all, Momotaros single-handedly cleared out the surrounding neighborhoods last night, searching every possible place where monsters might appear.

He said it was to satisfy his desire to fight, but if that were the case, he wouldn't be busy until late at night.

"Well, that's how it is for now." Ritsuka shrugged, indicating that they should let them rest.

"…Oh, right!" Mordred suddenly clapped her hands, as if she had just remembered. "Speaking of using your brain, aren't there two useless parasites here who can't do anything but think?" Her gaze shifted to the closed study.

"Jekyll, what are they doing?" Mordred pointed to the closed door, a sly smile on his face, and turned to Jekyll to confirm, "What are they doing? Are they still in the study next door?"

The door creaked open, and the blue-haired boy peeked out.

"Call me?" Looking at their eyes gradually brightening, Andersen subconsciously shrank back.

"Are you calling me?!" Compared to him, Shakespeare poked his head out of the room with great surprise, looking eager to try.

“…Oh, I’m such an idiot.” Mordred said with deep regret as she looked at Shakespeare’s excited expression, “I actually let you open the Ark of the Covenant.”

"The Ark of the Covenant? Does the Ark of the Covenant refer to that thing?!" Shakespeare naturally noticed the sarcasm in Mordred's words, but he laughed heartily without caring. "Hahaha! You're really showing no mercy, you're exaggerating too much!" He coughed lightly a few times, and with a strange voice, Shakespeare placed his hand on his chest.

"Although we pride ourselves on being able to unleash a torrent of eloquent words once we open our mouths, we still cannot compare to the Ark of Calamity! Or perhaps, such an ark simply does not exist." Shakespeare shook his head with regret.

"Yeah, yeah, that kind of thing definitely doesn't exist." Even Hans Christian Andersen nodded in agreement. "If it did exist, that would be terrible! After all, its purpose is simply outrageous—the world would be destroyed the moment it's opened. There's no more disappointing story than that. If you want to die, go die by yourself!"

However, Andersen failed to notice the already somewhat awkward situation between Nencho, Ritsuka, and Mashu.

“………………Um, Mr. Nianzhuo, and senior.” Mashu looked hesitant, only able to look at Andersen and Shakespeare who were still talking non-stop with a strange gaze.

“…Let’s forget about it.” Nian Zhuo shrugged. Although they had indeed witnessed the legendary cabinet in the previous singularity, it was better not to discourage the two of them. “I can sense that if we tell them, it will definitely cause a lot of trouble.”

"Hmm..." Ritsuka hesitated for a moment. After all, it was her own real experience, and her little thoughts began to stir. "Actually, the Ark of the Covenant really exists!"

Suddenly, she called out to Andersen and Shakespeare, with Nencho covering his forehead and Mashu looking dazed behind him.

"Really?!" Then, in this small apartment, the voices of the two men almost shook the roof.

"Uh... Oh dear, how rude of me." Shakespeare then exchanged a glance with Andersen and coughed lightly. "I was influenced by Andersen and accidentally shouted a little too loudly." He then strode towards Ritsuka, his eyes full of interest.

"Let's not talk about that." He suddenly reached out and grabbed Ritsuka's hands, looking at the girl's momentarily stunned expression, and said earnestly, word by word, "Fujimaru Ritsuka-sama, I am very interested in what we were talking about earlier!!"

As they drew ever closer, Shakespeare's expression grew increasingly frenzied.

"Alright, tell me exactly when and where you saw the Ark of the Covenant! And who opened it, when, and for what reason?" Then, not only that, Shakespeare opened his notebook with great interest, his other hand already holding a pen.

"Specifically, what a ridiculous, pathetic, and tragically comedic ending that person met!?"

“…Mmm…” Hans Christian Andersen, on the other hand, did not lose control, although he was also holding his notebook and listening attentively.

After a long silence, Ritsuka looked pleadingly at Nencho and Mashu, who were standing to the side, with tears welling up in her eyes.

“…” Nian Zhuo turned his head away, acting as if he was going to deal with the mess he had made, and even pulled away Ritsuka’s last lifeline—Mash, who was hesitant to speak.

“………………Hmm.” Andersen watched as Ritsuka remained silent for a long time. Ritsuka, who had always opposed his exercise, actually took the initiative to quietly prepare black tea.

She even opened the refrigerator with practiced ease, took out Jekyll's jam, and picked up a scones from the side.

“………………Hmm.” His glasses were still reflecting light as he stared at Ritsuka, who dared not move, with a slightly coercive aura.

“…Mordred…” Ritsuka was almost in tears and could only turn to the blonde girl on the other sofa for help.

“…You idiot, you stepped on the cat's tail!” However, Mordred…

“………………Mmm.”

I'm back!

"I can't control this anymore..." Mordred 2 turned his head slightly away as he looked at the fervent faces of Andersen and Shakespeare.

"No—no—!!" Ritsuka's expression was gloomy, and she looked like she was about to cry. "If only... I would have listened to Mr. Nencho just now..."

“Sigh…” Nencho, who had his back to Ritsuka, sighed helplessly, then turned around. “Ritsuka, and Mashu, go to the study and tell them until they are satisfied.”