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

"..." Just as Nian Zhuo was about to take a step, a gaze came from behind him.

It was Fran, who was sticking out her little head and watching Nianzhuo.

“…Hmm…” Then, she raised her hand and waved at him.

“…Hmm.” Nian Zhuo smiled and waved back at her, saying softly, “I’m entrusting Ryotaro and Momotaros to you, Fran.”

“…Hmm!” He nodded vigorously, and then, in Fran’s sight, Nian Zhuo, equipped with the Zi-O armor, gently closed the apartment door.

The long procession moved through the streets, but everyone's eyes kept turning to Jekyll.

"...I'm talking to you." In the end, Mordred couldn't help but pat Jekyll on the back first. "There are a lot of people here this time, but you're hardly even considered a fighting force, are you?"

“Well… if that’s what you say, I can’t argue with it.” Jekyll replied in a gentle voice, but with a hint of anticipation. “But we’re going to explore the old site of the Mage’s Association, you know? As a scholar, how could my thirst for knowledge not be burning?”

Not only that, he patted his somewhat thin body and said confidently.

"Also, don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually quite reliable in crucial moments. After all, I still have a trump card." After keeping everyone in suspense, Jekyll quickly walked forward, turning back to look at the worried faces behind him, a smile on his face.

"And you'll all protect me, right? I'm counting on all of you, Saber and Nencho."

“…! I already told you, I’m not going to protect anyone.” This hit Mordred’s nail on the head. Her face flushed slightly as she turned her head away, muttering in a still dishonest tone, “Whatever, really.”

“…Haha.” Nian Zhuo’s lips curled up behind his mask. He naturally knew what Jekyll’s so-called trump card was, but he couldn’t help but sigh, “Little Mo is too easy to deal with…”

"Alright, alright, everyone, let's go." Looking at the magical reaction on the screen, Mary urged, "The British Museum... should be near Regent's Park. It's still quite a distance from where you are now, so you'd better be prepared for a long haul."

Suddenly remembering something, Mary placed her hand on the control panel and began to tap.

"Hmm? So that's how it is..." Then, the answer to her question appeared on the screen, and she frowned. "Isn't the Magic Association an organization formed by several academic cities outside London?"

“No, those are two different things.” Adjusting his glasses, Jekyll shook his head, denying Mary’s statement. “I think you also know that the London headquarters is the birthplace of the association. Over hundreds of years, it has grown in size and improved its facilities. Only then did academic cities appear, centered around London. In other words, the Mage's Association Clock Tower is built around London, consisting of multiple cities surrounding it.” Jekyll was also somewhat surprised.

"Miss Director, could it be... that the clock tower here is different from the one in your world?"

“Well, I knew I’d always felt this singularity was a bit strange from the beginning.” Andersen, who had been listening to their conversation, chimed in, “So, it really isn’t like that? That’s a bit troublesome…”

“Hmm, no… not entirely.” Mary, oblivious to the difference, compared the report in her hand with the map on the screen. “I should say… it’s probably because I haven’t been back to London in a long time. Besides… London is so far away. But I do know the situation in London quite well! After all, I was initially transferred here by the Mage’s Association—”

"No, why are you trying to be tough on something like this?!" Nianzhuo quietly turned on his headset and muttered to himself.

"Um—" Hearing Nian Zhuo's voice, Mary visibly stiffened, then fiddled with her fingers. "I...I'm just afraid of being seen as a country bumpkin..."

"Alright, alright, enough nonsense. Hurry up—" Mordred waved his hand, about to take a step, when he suddenly stopped and raised his sword. "Ah, someone's interfering before I've even finished speaking."

The rumbling of machinery was all too familiar to Mashu and Nianzhuo.

"Multiple mechanical sounds confirmed!" Mash held up her shield at the forefront, revealing a massive figure emerging from the mist.

With a hissing sound, a mechanical soldier flew out of the mist and smashed its saw blade against Mash's shield, sparks flying everywhere.

"Ugh—senpai, it's confirmed that a Chaos Machine Soldier has appeared!" After withstanding the opponent's sword, Mash spoke to Ritsuka behind her.

Then, Mashu exerted force with both hands and actually pushed the Chaos Machine Soldier directly out.

From the mist behind it, many more mechanical soldiers rushed out, and the mechanical soldier that Mashu pushed out slammed heavily into the mechanical soldiers that rushed out from behind, instantly producing a piercing sound of metal scraping together.

"No! There are too many enemies on your side!" Looking at the dense red dots on the screen, Mary clenched her fists. "Everyone, find a way to break out! Get to Regent's Park as quickly as possible!"

"Understood!" Ritsuka nodded, then looked at Nianzhuo and Mordred beside her. "Mr. Nianzhuo, and Miss Mordred, I'm counting on you!"

"You don't need to tell me!" As soon as she finished speaking, the sword, crackling with crimson lightning, accompanied the blonde girl's fluttering figure as she charged into the enemy ranks.

"Hah!" Approaching rapidly, Mordred's figure came into view, and several mechanical soldiers quickly raised their saw blades.

However, she wielded a sword with lightning, making her faster than those saw blades.

The massive sword light, crackling with crimson lightning, repelled the mechanical soldiers, instantly creating an opening.

With a single horizontal slash, he pushed the enemy back more than three feet.

"Mr. Andersen! And Mr. Shakespeare!" Ritsuka called the two Casters, whose combat abilities were not very strong, to her and Jekyll. At the same time, Mash also arrived at their side, covering the weakest few as they broke through the gap created by Mordred and escaped the encirclement.

"Phew~" Watching them leave the encirclement of the mechanical soldiers, Mordred slung her sword over her shoulder and called out without turning her head, "Hey! Nianzhuo! Your turn!"

There was no reply from behind, but Mordred felt the air gather around him.

Although the previous attack was powerful, Mordred's purpose was merely to repel the enemy, thus buying Ritsuka and the others time to break out of the encirclement, so its power was not particularly high.

Now, the mechanical soldiers spewed white smoke from their backs, mechanically raised their saw blades, and charged towards her, the huge saw blades seeming to sever the girl's head at any moment.

Even when faced with such a deadly attack, Mordred showed no sign of panic; instead, she confidently closed her eyes.

“Now that Ritsuka and the others have gone out, we need to speed up and catch up with them—” Mordred smiled grimly and even took a step forward. “Then, let’s make it 3 seconds.”

"3—" In an instant, the mechanical soldier and Mordred were only a few meters apart.

"2—" The four mechanical soldiers rushed in front of Mordred and simultaneously raised their saw blades.

"1—" With an aura that seemed intent on slicing the girl's body to pieces, he swung his sword down at her.

"Boom—" A violent explosion rang out, and the girl gently blew out a breath and opened her eyes.

Fiery red—everywhere you looked was a blazing inferno, and sword energy with the force of a wildfire swept across the bodies of the mechanical soldiers in front of you.

Like a hot knife through butter, the upper half of the mechanical soldier's body vanished instantly...

The loud explosion just now wasn't made by the girl; the saw blade in front of her was only a dozen centimeters away from her head.

But the mechanical soldier holding the saw blade had completely disappeared from the upper half of his body.

"Not bad~" Mordred turned around with satisfaction as the sound of clattering footsteps rang out behind him.

Sure enough, the silver figure was none other than Nencho, who was equipped with the Zi-O basic armor.

"Seriously, you really know how to order people around." Nian Zhuo looked at Mordred with a smile, but tapped her head in annoyance and took the Wizard dial off the sword. "Seeing you not dodge or flinch almost scared me to death."

"What? I showed you my ability!" Mordred retorted defiantly, arms crossed. "And then what? You think those mechanical bastards can hurt me?"

"Alright, alright, you won't get hurt." The only response was Nian Zhuo's figure walking straight past, then accelerating forward without a backward glance. "By the way, I hope you hurry up."

After wading through the scorched earth, the two chased after Ritsuka and the others.

Only the silent remains of the mechanical soldiers remained, with molten iron dripping onto the ground.

It reflected the silhouette of a person.

The Fallen Pearl

Along the way, a constant stream of chaotic mechanical soldiers emerged from the mist, trying to block their progress.

As if knowing what they wanted to do, the road to the British Museum was fraught with difficulties.

They managed to get through the enemy's blockade without major incident, and the group finally arrived in the area surrounding Regent's Park.

In the distance, through the mist, you can see jumbled stones... those are the ruins of the British Museum.

Even before they got close, Nianzhuo and the others could smell the burning odor emanating from the building. Although several days had passed, the smell of burning had not yet dissipated.

"The British Museum, one of the symbols of the British Empire!" Shakespeare strode toward the ruins with a fervent light in his eyes. "Its remains—" Shakespeare, who was about to launch into a eulogy, suddenly stopped.

As he approached, Mordred seemed to have guessed something and slightly shifted his gaze.

What appeared before everyone's eyes was a desolate scene beyond their expectations.

The once towering buildings are now reduced to mere stone pillars a few meters high, a testament to their former glory. Everything else bears dark scorch marks, and the ground is littered with all sorts of rubble.

"...It awakened some unpleasant memories for me—" Nian Zhuo gasped, picked up a blackened stone from the ground, and with almost no effort, the stone was blown away by the wind and turned into dust.

—Yuanmingyuan, Nianzhuo suddenly thought of the only place in his previous world that could make him feel such desolation, a place comparable to it.

This land is dead—this thought came to mind, and Nian Zhuo looked at the desolate land in front of him and fell silent.

"Alas...! What a desolate sight this is!" Even Shakespeare's excited tone was tinged with unimaginable heaviness. He looked at the ruins of the once-brilliant jewel before him and shook his head. "The great museum that once housed countless treasures throughout human history has fallen to such a state. We... cannot help but lament."

Unlike his usual theatrical performances, this time Shakespeare placed his hand on his chest and bowed over the ruins.

"This place once held the progress of the world and humanity." Though he bowed, his words carried a hint of anger. "How can such an act be forgiven! No! That's not right! It's exactly the same atrocity as the burning of the Library of Alexandria! It's truly...heartbreaking—"

Then, he opened the book in his hand, picked up his pen, and began to take notes.

“But, but, this is also what humans do.” He suppressed his grief and anger, wanting to calmly observe the ruins before him. “Such ignorance and misery are undoubtedly the true nature of humanity. God gave us flaws, which is what made us human.”

"...Sure enough, nothing has changed since the last time I came." Mordred kicked a pebble at her feet, but it shattered instantly as if it were sand, causing her to lower her eyelids. "Only rubble and ruins remain. Whoever destroyed this place probably had some personal grudge; there isn't even a single survivor."

“This is… the ruins of the British Museum.” Mashu was stunned for a long time. The British Library she had seen in Chaldea’s images was hard to reconcile with the mess in front of her. “I had only seen its majesty in images… In London, where buildings were not damaged much, only this place was like this…” Mashu didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone understood the emotions contained in her words.

"...It's really quite a sight to behold." Ritsuka clenched her arms, her chest heaving faster, and she looked away with disgust. "As expected, I just can't like ruins."

“Yes, senpai.” Mashu placed her hand on her shoulder and nodded. “Yes…”

However, while they were all immersed in the somewhat heavy atmosphere, only the blue-haired boy seemed completely unaffected, pushing up his glasses.

“Then the manual labor group.” After a cursory observation of the surroundings, Andersen pointed to Nian Zhuo and Mordred. “Ah… especially Saber and Nian Zhuo… um, and Mash Kyrielight.” After thinking for a moment, Andersen looked at Mash.

"Yes." Without answering loudly, Mashu simply nodded to Hans Christian Andersen, showing respect for this land.

"Huh?" Mordred turned his head and looked at Andersen with a puzzled expression.

“Let’s dig around here.” He pushed up his glasses and drew a circle around the most severely damaged center. “According to Jekyll, the clock tower’s extent should extend underground. No matter how badly damaged the surrounding area is, the surface is still intact as we see it. Therefore, our target is the underground space.”

He pointed to the area around the destroyed center.

As he said, although the once magnificent building had been reduced to ruins, there were only scorch marks and shallow cracks on the ground, and no unimaginable crater existed.

“But, unfortunately—” He stepped on his foot, and the once white jade-like steps were now only a corner remaining. But that was enough for Andersen to confirm the location. He looked at Nianzhuo and the others with a smile, “The steps were buried under rubble. In that case—you say, right?”

He jumped down the steps, pointed to the spot where he had just been standing, and shouted loudly at Nianzhuo and the others.

"It's time to let the brute force of the Servants come in handy! Come on, dig like bulldozers!" After reaching a safe area, Andersen continued to issue orders.

“Indeed…!” At the same time, Shakespeare, who had just been looking pitiful, ran to Andersen’s side. “But sadly, we consume a lot of magic power whenever we pick up something heavier than a pen.”

“Fu…” This time, even Fufu turned her head, her little eyes filled with disbelief.

"…………" Mordred fell silent, glancing at Jekyll to the side with a hint of coercion.

"I... of course I'll help, um." As if to encourage himself, Jekyll waved his seemingly weak fist. "Although I probably won't be of much help."

Then, a beeping sound came from Mashu's communication device, and Mary spoke quickly with a hint of pride in her voice.

"Hmph! Success! I was the fastest this time!" Looking at the multiple magical dots that suddenly flashed on the screen, Mary calmly operated the system. "A magical reaction has occurred near you, and there are many of them."

"Hmm..." Startled at first, Mordred closed her eyes, sensing carefully... After a while, she opened her emerald green eyes. "It seems there really is something there. What is it?"

"You can't see anything within your field of vision, can you?" Mary frowned slightly, her fingers tapping incessantly on the control panel. "But they are definitely there, and they're moving rapidly. If it wasn't caused by the Mystic Codes scattered throughout the ruins... then there's only one answer left!"