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

"...Eh, is that all?" Mordred was left standing there dumbfounded, sword in hand. "Couldn't you two have left one for me?!" she yelled at Nianzhuo and Mashu indignantly.

“…Ah, hahahaha~” First, Nian Zhuo stared blankly at the enemy who had been smashed into the ground, then his and Mashu’s eyes met, and they both laughed awkwardly.

"Alright, alright, isn't this fine too?" Ritsuka persuaded Mordred from the side, and casually brought Fran along as well. "Alright, let Fran continue tracking down the manipulator's location~"

"...Hmph! Next time we encounter an enemy, or...if we encounter that manipulator, you'll definitely make me fight too!" Mordred looked at Nianzhuo with a serious expression, gripping her sword blade defiantly. "Did you hear that?! Unless I refuse to go myself~!"

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to you." Seeing the other person acting like a child, Nianzhuo could only shrug and agree.

Only then did Mordred retract her sword with satisfaction, humming an unknown song with a smug air.

“…Hmm…” Fran looked at the enemies defeated by Nian Zhuo and the others, and reached out his white-gloved hand to stroke the patterns on it, as if sensing something…

Finally, not long after, Fran opened his eyes again and turned to look at everyone who was looking at him.

He extended his index finger and pointed in a direction.

“Miss Fran means that direction, right?” Mashu nodded, followed her index finger, and after a moment of silence, said, “I understand, senpai… and Mr. Nianzhuo, it seems to be to the west.”

"West?" Ritsuka curiously looked in the direction Fran was pointing, but her gaze was blocked by layers of thick fog.

"To the west...that is, the Westminster area?" Mary's voice came through the communication device at that moment.

“Yes, that’s right.” Mordred nodded, but his expression wasn’t exactly pleasant. “It’s in the Westminster area, the area where Parliament House is located, right?” He bumped fists with Mordred and immediately turned away.

"Enough talk, let's go beat up the enemy now." Then, she suddenly stopped and turned around. "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"Eh...what?" Mashu looked at the other person's face and for some reason felt that Mordred's cheeks were also a little flushed.

"Oh...didn't I just say that I absolutely have to participate in the next battle..." Mordred scratched his cheek, his voice trailing off. "Let's just pretend I didn't say that. I have to protect Fran in this battle, so I can't help you guys."

Then, she looked at Fran, who was standing upright beside her, and shook her head with concern.

“Because she’s not a Servant. And we don’t know how long a homunculus can last in battle.” Patting her shoulder, Mordred looked at Fran’s questioning eyes and said firmly, “So, this time I’m going to protect her.” Then she shook her head as if sighing over something.

"Sigh... what a tragic fate~" she said, her words understood only by her and Nianzhuo.

“You’re right, we can’t rely on Mordred this time.” Mary had no more joking around when it came to the battle, and she seriously advised, “So this time, Nian Zhuo and Mashu, you two are our only fighting force, understand? Ritsuka? Be careful!”

"Yes, yes! I understand!" Ritsuka, as always, clenched her fist energetically. "Leave it to me, Mash, and Mr. Nencho with confidence!"

"Yes!" Mashu nodded vigorously, holding up her shield. "Then, Mr. Nianzhuo, let's begin!"

Now that they knew the enemy's location, there was no need to say more. Nianzhuo and his group quickly headed towards the place Fran had pointed out.

The journey of a few minutes passed in the blink of an eye. What appeared before Nianzhuo and his companions was not only a wide street, but also an incredibly tall building.

"...I didn't expect it to actually be near the Capitol Building." Mary couldn't help but sigh, then quickly composed herself. "The way this remote control is hidden is really clever, but...it shouldn't be inside, right?"

Looking at the towering, enormous building in front of them, no one would want the enemy to be hiding inside, because it would be extremely difficult to find.

"...Ugh, ugh...!" Fran made a sound, gesturing wildly as if he wanted to say something, while looking around warily as if he had been startled.

"It seems we're very close." Looking at Fran's wary expression, Mash murmured, "Fran said we're practically within reach—"

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, a mechanical sound, louder than any Nian Zhuo and the others had ever heard before, rang out.

"They're here! The big guys are here!" Mordred looked around warily, not daring to be careless, and shielded Fran behind her. "Fran, quickly hide behind me, and don't stray too far from me!" With Fran hiding behind her, Mordred quickly retreated to a safe distance and shouted loudly to Nianzhuo and the others.

"Mash! Nencho! And Ritsuka! I'm leaving this place to you guys. Give the enemy a good beating!"

Meanwhile, the enemy who had made the loud noise finally emerged slowly from the mist.

However, its appearance and shape made Nian Zhuo gasp, because it looked too much like a Chaos Mechanical Soldier.

The same saw blade, but this enemy's saw blade was much longer than the Chaos Mech's, its armor was much thicker, and there was a device on its back that continuously spewed out scorching steam...

No mechanical soldier could be more imposing than this guy; similarly, only the giant iron block in front of you could find a sense of crisis.

“Mash… be careful.” Nian Zhuo stared warily at the 'Chaos Mech Soldier' ​​in front of him, while taking out the Time Gunsword and holding it in his hand. “My intuition tells me that this guy is not as simple as those ordinary Chaos Mech Soldiers.”

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Nianzhuo." Nodding, Mashu looked at the towering monster before her, still somewhat uneasy. "Then, I'll lead the charge!"

Immediately afterwards, Mash gripped her shield with both hands and charged towards the opponent.

The clicking, clicking, clicking sound of gears meshing reached Mash, Nencho, and Ritsuka's ears.

The monster naturally saw the purple-haired girl rushing towards it. The device on its arm kept moving, causing it to quickly raise the saw blade, which was much longer than that of an ordinary mechanical soldier, and then swing it down heavily.

"...!" Mash, who was sprinting forward, naturally sensed it. She looked up at the massive creature's slashing saw blade and gritted her teeth. "Damn it... my power hasn't even fully gathered yet—"

But there was nothing they could do. The opponent swiftly swung the saw blade down, striking the shield that Mash had hastily raised.

Ding—a crisp collision sound rang out, and Mashu was surprised to find that she had actually been repelled by the monster.

Just as she was about to fall, a pair of hands gently embraced her waist and helped her upright.

"Are you alright, Mashu?" Similarly, when Nianzhuo saw Mashu rushing towards the other party and suddenly being interrupted, he could guess what the other party wanted to do. He quickly stepped in to stop Mashu from falling down and at the same time raised his gun and fired several shots, finally forcing the other party to retreat when he swung the saw blade again.

"...Is it not over yet?!" Just when Nian Zhuo thought it was over, suddenly, the Chaos Mechanical Soldier, which had been stationary at the beginning, started to move. Although it was called a Chaos Mechanical Soldier, it was obvious that it was much stronger than an ordinary mechanical soldier.

With a whoosh, hot white steam billowed from the back of the Chaos Mechanical Soldier. Its body, which should have looked incredibly heavy, now moved with almost impossible agility. Moreover, the deafening noise from the device on its body made Nian Zhuo somewhat impatient.

He quickly turned the gun in his hand into a sword. Nian Zhuo, who was equipped with the Zi-O basic armor, looked up at the returning sword blade, gripped the hilt with both hands and clashed with the opponent.

"Ugh...!" Immediately afterwards, Nian Zhuo couldn't help but let out a muffled groan. His forward steps were instantly stopped. The bright silver blade and the saw blade swung by the opponent were locked in a stalemate, but there was a faint sense of defeat.

"This guy's strength... is so great...!" As for the original Chaos Machine Soldier, Nian Zhuo, equipped with the Time King's basic armor, could easily suppress it. However, even with all that power, he still couldn't stop the opponent's saw blade, causing a few drops of sweat to drip from Nian Zhuo's face hidden under his mask.

"Damn it..." Nian Zhuo muttered angrily, watching the saw blade getting closer and closer to his face, not daring to be careless for a moment.

While desperately maintaining control of the sword, Nian Zhuo freed one hand, and with a flash of magenta light, he grasped Decade's watch face in his hand.

But at the same time, a buzzing sound suddenly came from the arm of the 'Chaos Mech Soldier' ​​above its head as it swung down the saw blade.

Immediately afterwards, in Nianzhuo's wide-open eyes, white steam spewed out from the hand armor, and the sudden force caused the saw to push Nianzhuo's sword blade away.

"Varied--!"

With a loud thud, dust billowed up.

Phoenix (Wedding Bird) combo! The long-awaited OOO watch face!

"Tch..." Nian Zhuo gritted his teeth and gripped the saw blade, which was only inches from his face, with both hands.

His own arms were trembling, while in contrast, the arms of the chaotic mechanical soldier in front of him were constantly spewing out scorching steam.

Even so, the saw blade was still heading towards Nianzhuo's head, its sharp edge so sharp that Nianzhuo could even see his own reflection.

"What a... miscalculation..." A series of crisp cracking sounds came from his arm, and Nianzhuo even felt a slight pain in his palm from being stabbed by the opponent's blade. Knocked to the ground, he could only watch helplessly as the saw blade got closer and closer to his head...

"Mr. Nianzhuo!" Suddenly, a girl's clear voice came from the mist beside her. Mashu charged with her shield and crashed into the Chaos Mechanoid that was about to swing its blade, knocking it to one side... Nianzhuo took the opportunity to run away from its blade.

"Ugh...yah—!" After knocking the Chaos Machine Soldier aside, Mash didn't stop. Instead, she gripped her shield with both hands, turned around, and slammed it heavily onto the machine's head.

Clang—a dull metallic sound boomed, and the Chaos Mech Soldier's clumsy body staggered several steps to one side under Mash's full-force attack.

But it still couldn't inflict significant damage. The Chaos Mech's head twisted, spewing out scorching steam from beneath its metal body.

With a hum, its eyes flashed red again, this time locking onto Mash in front of it.

In an instant, a suffocating sense of oppression surged toward Mashu's frail body like a hurricane.

"Ugh—!" Gripping the shield tightly, Mash felt suffocated by the terrifyingly immense pressure.

But then, a familiar warm current flowed through her, giving her limbs a little strength amidst the biting cold wind.

“…Master.” A familiar feeling washed over her. When Mash turned around, she saw the orange-haired girl leaning against the wall, breathing heavily.

Despite being just an ordinary person, he still voluntarily stepped into the battlefield after sensing through the magic link that Mashu was not in good condition.

...Even though the surrounding area was filled with magical mist that would be troublesome even for ordinary magicians.

"Go for it...!" He waved his little fist at Mashu, his face covered in sweat but still full of confidence and trust in her.

"...Yes, I understand." Then, with the added boost from Ritsuka's emergency enhancement magic, Mash gripped the shield tightly, a faint red magical energy emanating from her body. "I...I won't let you down!"

Facing the mechanical soldier staring at her with its bright red eye armor, Mash chose to take the initiative and swung her shield at the enemy's heavy body.

With a whoosh, the opponent also swung his saw blade, which collided with Mash's shield.

This time, Mash was not defeated. Sparks flew as her shield rubbed against the saw blade. With the help of her emergency enhancement, Mash was finally able to contend with the Chaos Machine Soldier in front of her.

But that's not enough. What Mashu wants is definitely not just to be able to contend with this level.

"Ugh—" Gritting her teeth, Mash kept putting force into the shield with both arms, gradually pushing the shield a short distance towards the Chaos Mech Soldier.

"That's not what I want—" she murmured softly, but Mashu raised her head, a strange light flashing in her eyes. "Get out of my way!"

Mash suddenly exerted her strength, and a faint silver light appeared on the shield that was originally glowing red. With the help of this power, Mash slammed the shield into the body of the Chaos Mech Soldier with a crisp thud.

*Crack*—A very crisp metallic cracking sound. A visible crack finally appeared on the metal armor of the Chaos Mech Soldier where Mash had hit it. This was the first time since the start of the battle that the Chaos Mech Soldier had a noticeable wound.

But that's not the most important thing... The Chaos Mech ignored the cracks on its body and looked at its hand.

There, only the metal hilt remained; the slender blade was gone.

*Swoosh*—Not far away, the saw blade belonging to the Chaos Machine Soldier fell from mid-air and pierced the ground. Under Mashu's full-force attack, the long saw blade in the opponent's hand was directly cut in two.

"Huff... Huff..." Mashu was also breathing heavily. The pale red magic power on her body had dissipated, and the effect of the emergency enhancement had been consumed in the attack just now.

However, that's enough—Mash couldn't help but smile.

Buzz—who was making that sound of flapping wings? A crimson figure charged straight at Mashu from behind, slamming violently into the Chaos Machine Soldier.

Thump—another dull sound. Even after reacting and raising its arms, the Chaos Mech Soldier was still directly knocked away by the bright red orb of light, and as it landed on the ground, many fragments of its armor also fell off.

"Hoo..." He let out a long breath, and with a pair of bright red wings on his back, the crimson knight moved his palms and stared silently at the chaotic mechanical soldier on the ground.

The bright red figure was none other than Nian Zhuo, and a magenta watch face—the Decade watch face—was already tucked into his waistband.

—And the other one has a bright red dial—the dial of the OOO Bird series.

Time rewinds once again to the point where Nian Zhuo escapes from the Chaos Mechanical Soldier's saw blade.

"...Tsk." Even now, her hands were still trembling, and the soreness in her muscles lingered. Nian Zhuo wanted to clench her fists, but each time she could only watch her hands tremble in vain.

Looking up, Nian Zhuo could see that Ma Xiu was unable to move due to the immense pressure from the Chaos Mechanical Soldier, while he himself could not even control his own arm.

The depletion of his strength was somewhat unexpected, and his hands trembled incessantly. During this time, he could only watch as Mashu fought against the enormous enemy.

Even after seeing Ritsuka perform an emergency enhanced magic for Mash, Nencho still dared not let his guard down and stood up, supporting himself against the wall with one hand.

Although my left hand has mostly recovered, it still trembles suddenly from time to time, and the muscle soreness has not disappeared.

"Really, I've paid the price for my arrogance once again..." Nian Zhuo thought helplessly. He originally thought it was just an ordinary Chaos Mechanical Soldier, but he didn't expect to suffer such a great loss because of it.