You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

"……good."

Setting down his teacup, Yu Zhoulin's gaze sharpened: "But before you enjoy these in a friendly manner, you need to explain to me what exactly happened just now."

"With the scale of my Spirit Origin, it's theoretically impossible for me to be suppressed by any Noble Phantasm, let alone have my abilities sealed."

"It's understandable that you're unconvinced, because the Star Grail isn't a treasure born in this universe, and I've used more than just the Star Grail."

Iori calmly poured herself a cup of tea: "It's very simple, I used the combined effect of three 'Noble Phantasms'."

He held up three fingers, “The Star Cup rewrites the laws of the universe, defining the Golden Ark as the center of the universe, thereby suppressing your status as the goddess of Venus. Secondly, it severs your connection with the temple with a sword of words.”

Of course, there's something even more important—this [Savior's Blade]

Iori stretched out her hand, and the reforged platinum divine sword appeared in the void. Its sharpness was so great that it made people feel terrified just by looking at it. If you stayed for too long, your perspective on the world would change... It would be as if your vision was cut off, and you would only see a fragmented world.

It's practically the embodiment of the concept of "slashing"!

"……I see."

The goddess Venus glanced at it, then turned back to stare directly at Iori.

After absorbing the essence of the God of War and gaining the "strongest" power, the [Savior Blade] unsurprisingly became Iori's main weapon. With it in hand, Iori is theoretically invincible.

Of course, being the "strongest" doesn't guarantee victory. If it were just about the sword, the battle between Iori and Space Rin would most likely turn into an endless war of attrition. After all, both are truly immortal, and even if their stats are slightly higher, determining a winner would be difficult... Back when the God of War fought Iori, he fell into this awkward situation.

Iori's Dimensional Overlap Technique, combined with the amplification from his weapon, gave him stats surpassing those of Cosmic Rin, preventing his opponent from overwhelming him with sheer force—using sheer power to crush the opponent's weaknesses, then summoning the [Star Grail] to deliver a decisive blow with its unique mechanism. This is how Iori managed to suppress the goddess before him.

"If you happen to encounter this combination, you can only say you're unlucky."

Iori sipped her tea. "Each of these items alone cannot pose a threat to you, but together they create an environment that perfectly restrains you."

Yu Zhoulin blinked slightly: "So this is just because I'm unlucky?"

"That's understandable."

Iori frankly admitted, "If it happened again, you would definitely be more prepared."

"Do not."

Yu Zhoulin shook her head and said decisively, "Even if we did it all over again, I would still lose..."

A brief silence fell over the courtyard. A blue bird flew down from the eaves and landed on the edge of a low table. Yu Zhoulin lightly touched the bird's feathers with his fingertips, and the little creature immediately transformed into a shadow and flew away at high speed.

"..."

"Then Aizen Iori,"

She suddenly spoke up, "What exactly do you want to achieve after all this trouble?"

"It was just to fulfill a promise—I once told that person that I would come to help her when she encountered difficulties."

Iori put down her teacup and looked directly into the goddess's eyes: "Perhaps this time it was her own choice, but I need to hear her say it herself before I can feel at ease."

As for you guys... I can understand Goetia. He's always been a conflicted guy. He complains about Ritsuka, but he's actually a tsundere...

But you're different. I find it hard to imagine that a primordial goddess, existing since time immemorial, would act over something so trivial. You're so persistent in protecting Ritsuka—is it to uphold her beliefs? Or is it…?

"You're right."

Yu Zhoulin remained expressionless, his long hair moving without wind. "What do those petty human beliefs have to do with me?"

"why?"

"..."

The goddess's expression suddenly softened, and the starlight in her eyes slowed down: "Because according to her plan, if she becomes the [Beast of the End], she will eventually reach the end of the original universe and enter the Servant Universe."

Her voice, unusually warm, said, "Then, we can be together forever."

Forever together? What do you mean, forever together?!

Iori's teacup hovered in mid-air, her initial calm seemingly preparing: "Wait, you mean..."

"BB, XX and I formed a band."

Yu Zhoulin's lips curled up slightly. "Have you heard of the Galaxy Idol Project? We're short of a manager right now."

"???"

"By then, we can be in a band for the rest of our lives."

She looked directly at Iori, her eyes flashing with a dangerous yet expectant light: "What do you think of this arrangement?"

"puff--!"

Iori almost spat out her tea.

"I thought you would have some reason for doing this, like saving the world like Ritsuka did..."

He wiped his mouth and asked incredulously, "So you went to all this trouble just to get Ritsuka to be the band's manager?"

"if not?"

Yu Zhoulin nodded as if it were a matter of course, her voice suddenly lowering, "This time, we won't let her escape again."

"???"

Iori sighed, rubbing her forehead, suddenly feeling that this earth-shattering battle had come to a somewhat awkward and unfortunate end.

At that moment, Iori suddenly felt immense sympathy for the sleeping girl. Being targeted by such a "Goddess of Stars" was probably far more terrifying than facing any [Beast].

"If you don't mind, may I ask how long you've known Ritsuka?"

"I've known her since her first reincarnation."

"That's not surprising..."

Iori shook her head.

As a Master, Fujimaru Ritsuka is a woman with a demonic nature. Even though she is a primitive goddess who lacks human emotions, she will become emotionally rich (too rich) after spending a long time with her!

……

Meanwhile, in a certain area shrouded in mist:

"Master, watch out on the left!"

Merlin Lily raised her staff, precisely deflecting an incoming arrow. Sparks flew from the clash of metal before the boy, illuminating his handsome face.

"Thanks!"

Ritsuka (the homunculus) nimbly rolled away to dodge, her communicator flashing rapidly with command lights, "Ahem... how is the enemy Servant's Spirit Origin reacting?"

Before she could finish speaking, a dark shadow suddenly attacked from behind the clone Ritsuka. At that critical moment, a silver-white longsword appeared out of nowhere, precisely blocking the attacker's dagger.

"meet again."

Iori (the clone) smiled slightly, and with a flick of her wrist, she forced the attacker back several steps. "The same tactics won't work on me."

He then swung his sword again, and no one could see exactly how he did it. The assassin hidden in the black mist was immediately sent back to the Throne of Heroes.

"call!"

Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief: "Mr. Iori, you saved me again."

"The duty lies."

Iori's clone sheathed her long sword and scanned the surrounding fog. "The rules of this singularity are very special. The enemy's behavior patterns will change according to our understanding."

But it's okay, I've already figured out the pattern.

He snapped his fingers, and the surrounding mist suddenly began to distort. A few seconds later, a complex magic circle appeared beneath their feet, dispelling all the mist within a hundred-meter radius.

"This...how is this done?"

Ritsuka stared in disbelief at the suddenly open view before her—the gateway to the upper core area was now completely open!

"Based on experience."

Iori's clone casually remarked, "I've seen similar mechanisms in other timelines."

Clone Ritsuka gave him a grateful look: "With Mr. Iori around, I always feel especially at ease."

"Alright. Let's move on."

Iori's clone gestured for them to proceed, "The core of the singularity should be just ahead."

"Iori... thank you."

The clone smiled without saying a word, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Ritsuka's (the android's) back, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

For this homunculus created by Merlin, she had no idea about her origins, only remembering that she was humanity's last Master. And this time, the fall of Chaldea was just another opportunity for her to save the world, just like before...

Being able to acquire two powerful allies, Merlin and Iori, from the very beginning already puts the team ahead of many other dungeons.

—And on a spiritual level unknown to anyone, the real [Fujimaru Ritsuka] is watching all of this.

In the Starry Sea, Ritsuka's physical body remained asleep, while her spiritual form floated in a void, surrounded by countless light screens, each displaying a scene from a different world line.

One of them is about what's happening in Chaldea right now. She watched the interaction between the clone and Iori's doppelganger, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

But the next second, her expression darkened again, and the innocent smile of the clone Ritsuka in the picture pierced her heart like a knife.

"Sorry……"

Ritsuka hugged her knees and buried her face in her arms. "I... can't go back to everyone... That's alright. Chaldea will still have 'Fujimaru Ritsuka', and I... will protect everyone."

"That's not necessarily true. Some things are just wishful thinking on one's part."

Ritsuka looked up abruptly, shocked to find that Iori was already standing in front of her.

"Iori?! How could you—"

"It took quite a bit of effort to find this place."

Iori glanced around at the floating light screens, her gaze finally settling on Ritsuka. "I must say, your mental domain is quite uniquely designed."

Ritsuka instinctively took a step back, her usually composed demeanor now filled with panic: "Impossible... This is my mental world, no outsider can enter..."

"That is indeed the case under normal circumstances."

Iori shrugged. "But don't forget, I'm an expert in the study of souls... and there's an unbreakable 'thread' connecting us."

"Wire?"

"A man's promise!"

Iori smiled slightly and extended her hand: "As promised, I'm here to help you, Ritsuka."

Chapter 563 Do you regret it, Fujimaru Ritsuka!

Temple of Time

The burning wall of humanity crumbled behind her, and young Ritsuka knelt on one knee, the shield in her hand becoming far too heavy for her. Before her, Goetia's body was dissipating into golden specks of light.

"Why……"

The Demon King's voice was hoarse and confused, "Having witnessed the ugliness of humanity with my own eyes... why do you still insist?"

Ritsuka's fingers dug deep into the shield's grip, and blood dripped from between her fingers.

Her voice was soft, yet incredibly clear: "Because I have also witnessed their beauty, and... for the sake of the will of our comrades who sacrificed themselves along the way... for Mashu, I will absolutely defeat you!"

Goetia was stunned, and in the last moment before he completely dissipated, he seemed to show a relieved smile.

Olympus, the Greek Lostbelt

Wodem lay in a pool of blood, the gaping hole in his chest a horrifying sight. His fingers continued to trace intricate magic spells in the air, and a meteor shower summoned by the Age of Gods magic illuminated the entire sky.

"This is really... a loss of composure..."

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but smiled at Ritsuka who had rushed over, "Well, it's good that I was able to help..."

Musashi's figure had already entered the unfathomable, boundless chaos. Wodim's magic interfered perfectly with the machine god's actions, creating an opportunity for Musashi to sever Chaos's "tentacles".

"Kirshtalia!"

Ritsuka tried to step forward, but was blocked by a magical barrier.

"Don't come any closer, this is... my last..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, "I want to see the Earth's starry sky one more time..."

Between the Fairy Thrones of Britain

Ritsuka sat quietly on the throne, holding the now-cold Morgan in her arms.