After clearing out the Demonic Beasts lurking in the vicinity, the previously disrupted atmosphere began to settle into a heavy calm.

Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash Kyrielight's perception of Akira and Kingu had shifted drastically. The sheer power these two possessed was overwhelming; they had wiped out a swarm of Demonic Beasts in the blink of an eye.

Their attention was particularly drawn to the green-haired girl. She moved with a lethal, fluid grace, yet she addressed Akira as "Onii-chan," clearly following his lead.

"Alright, now that the nuisances are gone... the Last Master of Humanity, Ritsuka Fujimaru. Shall we continue our conversation?"

"How do you know my name? Do you... know me?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Ritsuka's brow furrowed instantly. He hadn't even introduced himself yet.

A powerful stranger, someone who knew they were from Chaldea, knew his identity as the Last Master, and even knew his specific name—it was enough to make anyone feel exposed. It felt as though he held no secrets in the eyes of the man before him, while the man himself remained a complete enigma.

"Didn't I tell you? I can 'see' the future."

Akira wasn't exactly lying; he really did 'see' the future through the screen of a laptop.

However, the way Akira carried himself—as if he were the one pulling the strings behind the scenes—made Ritsuka hesitate. The more experience Ritsuka gained and the more he learned about the world, the more he realized his own limitations.

"Master, what should we do?"

At that moment, Mash felt a wave of uncertainty. She instinctively looked toward Ritsuka, who stood firmly by her side. To Mash, Ritsuka Fujimaru was her primary pillar of support.

"Phew..."

Taking a deep breath to steady his racing thoughts, Ritsuka looked directly at Akira. "What is it you want to talk about?"

Seeing this, Akira gave a small nod of approval. There was no mistaking it; this was indeed the protagonist, the savior tasked with the Protection of the Human Order. Even if he was only a third-rate Magus, his strength of will was worthy of respect.

"It's simple, really. I know your purpose in coming to Mesopotamia is to retrieve the Holy Grail belonging to the King of Mages and correct this Singularity, right?"

"That's right."

"Then we have common ground for a discussion. The Holy Grail of the King of Magecraft... is currently in my possession."

"What!?"

Ritsuka's eyes widened in pure shock.

They had only just set foot in Mesopotamia and they had already run into the Grail holder? And the holder had actively sought them out?

It felt like entering a high-level dungeon and, before even seeing a minor mob or the final boss, a merchant suddenly appeared and claimed to have the final clear reward in his pocket.

The revelation shook him to the core. In previous Singularities, he had endured countless hardships and brushed with death many times before finally laying hands on a Holy Grail.

"You have the Holy Grail?"

"Of course. Why? Do you find it hard to believe?"

Akira flashed a faint, knowing smile. Kingu, standing beside him, played along by raising one hand. Immediately, a brilliant golden radiance began to flicker and pulse.

"That... that's the light of the Grail. The Holy Grail really is in your hands."

Having encountered the Holy Grail multiple times, Ritsuka could recognize the specific aura of miracles emanating from that light.

Mash, standing beside him, felt her heart race with excitement. The very thing they needed was right in front of them.

She knew her own condition all too well. Between the repeated Rayshifts and the non-stop combat, her body was nearing its absolute limit. As a Demi-Servant and a designer baby, her lifespan was nothing like that of a normal human; she was already approaching her end.

Yet, she didn't regret a single moment of it because she could fight alongside her Senpai. Even after facing death time and time again, she held no resentment. On the contrary, these memories were her most precious treasures.

But if it were possible, she wanted to stay by her Senpai's side for as long as she could. That was why, while she would never flee a fight, she preferred to avoid unnecessary conflict if possible.

One shouldn't underestimate the quiet thoughts of a girl—especially Mash, who had been mentally prepared for her fate since Dr. Roman first explained her condition to her.

"What do you want in exchange for giving that Holy Grail to us?" Ritsuka asked slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. He was doing his best to remain composed, but the sight of the Grail made it impossible to completely hide his excitement.

"About that..."

Zzt... Zzt...

Just as Akira was about to ponder his answer, a sharp burst of signal interference crackled through the air.

The sound came from Ritsuka's wrist—the communication device Chaldea used to stay in contact with him.

「Ritsuka! Mash! Are you two alright?」

An anxious voice cut through the static. Hearing it, Akira, Ritsuka, and Mash were all taken aback for a moment.

"Doctor! We're okay."

Ritsuka immediately reported their safety to the team back at the base.

「Thank goodness. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters.」

Back in the Chaldea control room, Romani Archaman finally let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

After the Rayshift, the two were supposed to be sent directly to the capital of the Uruk Dynasty in Mesopotamia. Unexpectedly, an accident occurred that forced them to drop in a completely different location.

To make matters worse, Ritsuka's connection to Chaldea had been severed for a time. It was a terrifying crisis, considering Ritsuka Fujimaru was humanity's final hope—the last Master remaining.

「Actually, the Rayshift was intended to send you to the largest city of this era, but I didn't expect such an accident to happen.」

"It's okay, Doctor. We're fine now," Ritsuka replied, his natural kindness shining through as he tried to reassure Romani.

「I see. It seems the forced displacement was caused by a Boundary. There appears to be a massive Defensive Boundary set up over the skies of Uruk, likely to repel attacks.」

Then, a woman's voice joined the transmission. Akira's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Leonardo da Vinci. She was the third successful Heroic Spirit summoning performed by Chaldea. As a Special Honorary Advisor of the Chaldea Technical Bureau and a Caster-class Servant, she was hailed as a universal genius. Out of love for her masterpiece, the "Mona Lisa," she had manifested herself in that very image.

She was the second-in-command at Chaldea, providing the technical wizardry required to navigate the Singularities.

「Did you hear that, Ritsuka?」

"I hear you, Doctor. So, we were bounced away by Uruk's Defensive Boundary, then?" Ritsuka nodded as he spoke.

「Yes. It seems Mesopotamia is currently in the middle of some sort of massive crisis.」

Back at Chaldea, Romani sighed, remarking that every era had its own set of problems—even the Age of Gods in Mesopotamia was no exception.

"That's putting it lightly. The Uruk you see now is in grave danger, standing just a single step away from total annihilation."

Akira, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. His voice immediately sent a shockwave through the communication line to Chaldea.

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