Whoosh—
A few minutes later.
Setsuna arrived at Chaldea with Gudako and a group of Heroic Spirits.
"Huh?!"
Roman looked up, startled by the unusually large crowd following behind Setsuna.
He didn't recognize Elysia, but Jeanne Alter, Jeanne d'Arc, the King of Knights, the Lion King, Tripitaka, Nero and the others were all familiar faces.
Aside from a few Heroic Spirits who kept to themselves, nearly everyone had turned out.
"What's going on here…?"
"Ah, I wanted to follow the Commander to another world for a look. Nice to meet you~"
Elysia offered a beautiful smile and greeted Chaldea warmly.
"It's the final Singularity. We should at least feel like we're participating."
Jeanne Alter shrugged.
"After all, we come from this world too. If we just let the Master rebuild Human Order alone while we sit around in the capital watching the fun, that wouldn't feel right."
"Indeed. Feasting all day in the royal capital would disgrace the code of chivalry. I must contribute my strength to the Master."
The Lion King spoke expressionlessly, casting a sidelong glance at the King of Knights beside her.
"…"
Artoria wiped a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth, straightened her posture, and forced herself to look composed.
She had been dragged out of the buffet restaurant by the Lion King.
"Ahem. Proper nourishment is also important for a knight. However, when heading into battle, I will give it my all. Please rest assured, Master."
"Ah?"
Roman didn't quite understand what was going on.
After thinking it over, though—since Setsuna was personally leading them, and with so many Heroic Spirits accompanying him, their chances of success should be much higher.
"Given the intensity of this Singularity, having more help is a good thing."
He spread out a map and detailed materials across the desk.
"The target of this Rayshift is the Kingdom of Uruk in 2655 BC."
"Um… your objectives remain the same—retrieve the Holy Grail and correct the abnormalities of this Singularity."
"However, Mr. Setsuna, you should also know that the opponents in the Seventh Singularity are anything but ordinary."
Chaldea could only roughly pinpoint the time and location of the Singularity. Setsuna actually knew more details than they did.
After carefully reviewing the information, Roman had been thoroughly shaken.
"The ones intending to destroy Uruk are three goddesses, each possessing different Authorities—ruling over the Underworld, Venus, the Sun, and so on."
"They are completely different beings from ordinary Heroic Spirits. If they fully unleash their divine Authorities… please exercise extreme caution. It would be best not to become their enemies."
"Got it. I'll package them all up and bring them back."
Setsuna sounded utterly unconcerned.
"Doesn't Quetzalcoatl like wrestling? I'll let her wrestle Lucoa when we get back."
"…Very well. I wish you luck."
Roman noticed that Setsuna had grown stronger yet again.
After merging with the Suniaster, he now carried an indescribable divinity about him.
"In addition, this Singularity contains a returning Beast—Tiamat. Do not underestimate her. She is, like Goetia, an Evil of Humanity."
Although Gudako was often jokingly called an Evil of Humanity, in this world the true Evils of Humanity were the seven primal Beasts.
Born from human civilization itself, they grew stronger alongside humanity's development, only to destroy civilization from within.
Tiamat was one of them.
The power of a Beast stood nearly at the pinnacle. Under normal circumstances, only a Grand Servant possessed the capability to slay a Beast.
In the original scenario, even with the three goddesses, Gilgamesh, Merlin, and many other Heroic Spirits unleashing their Noble Phantasms at full power, they had struggled immensely against her.
"Mm. Bringing Mother Tiamat back will be a little troublesome. I'll think of something later."
Setsuna sounded completely unfazed.
"?!"
"You're sure? You're planning to bring her back too?"
Roman stared in disbelief.
After receiving a firm confirmation, he gave up trying to think further.
Entrusting the mission entirely to Setsuna, everyone stepped onto the Rayshift system together.
[Anti-Summoning System, Activated]
[Commencing Rayshift]
"5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"
[All Processes Complete!]
[Seventh Singularity: Absolute Demonic Front—Babylonia]
...
Whoosh—
Their field of vision shrank to a single point before explosively expanding again.
2655 BC.
On a stretch of wasteland upon the Mesopotamian plain.
A girl with black hair and red eyes, twin tails tied high, floated in midair as she skimmed over the desolate land.
She wore a slightly daring yet lavishly adorned outfit. One leg was clad in a black thigh-high stocking, and her wrists, ankles, and arms glittered with pure gold ornaments.
Her appearance and aura were utterly unlike the war-worn civilians below. She radiated an unmistakable divine presence.
Seated upon a heavenly vessel shaped like a massive bow, she scanned the earth below, carefully searching for something.
"Where is it…? It should be pretty obvious, right? How did I even manage to lose that thing?!"
Below, the wasteland was filled only with packs of Demonic Beasts.
They gathered together, as if sensing something, growing increasingly restless.
Snap!—
Ishtar extended a finger. Several golden beams of condensed magical energy shot out, blasting a small group of Demonic Beasts into pieces.
They also left a massive crater in the ground.
"Not here either."
Ishtar looked disappointed. She gazed toward the horizon, where a city encircled by towering walls stood in the distance.
"It can't possibly be there, right? Or maybe… the Underworld? No, no…"
She guided her heavenly vessel through the clouds.
In this era, there were virtually no means of flight. Aside from a few goddesses and the occasional Heroic Spirit, the skies belonged to her alone.
The feeling of gazing down upon all life from high above was exhilarating.
A fierce wind howled past her ears. Ishtar couldn't help humming an ancient song, swinging her legs lazily as she adjusted into a comfortable pose atop her vessel.
Whoosh—
After passing through a dense bank of clouds.
She was still humming and swinging her legs.
Then suddenly—
A low humming roar reached her ears.
She jerked her head around.
A silver-white starship, nearly the size of a city, emerged from the clouds.
It was moving at incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, its sharp, angular prow was already right in front of her.
Through the bridge windows, she could even see a group of strangely dressed individuals seated and standing inside.
"Waaahhhh?!"
"What the hell is that thing—?!"
Ishtar hurriedly tried to brake, but the starship was far too fast.
Smack!!—
The goddess and the ship collided. In a bizarre pose, she was plastered flat against the bridge window.
Her face squished and distorted as her eyes locked with Setsuna's inside the main control room.
"Huh? Isn't that Tohsaka Rin… no, Ishtar?"
Setsuna burst out laughing and waved.
"Street racing in the sky? Sorry about that. Shame we had to meet like this."
"This is the Starsea Empire. We're here to save Human Order. Nice to meet you."
"Mrrrglglgl—"
Ishtar's speech came out garbled as she angrily pounded on the window.
"What's she saying?"
Setsuna turned to Gudako.
"She says you aliens don't follow traffic rules. Before apologizing, could you at least stop the ship first?"
"Oh, and she says she's really flat. Even being pressed against the window, you can't see any curves."
...
"Ugh…"
Inside the bridge of the Eternal Snowfall.
Ishtar rubbed her head, sitting dizzily in front of Setsuna.
Fortunately, a goddess' physical resilience was formidable. She hadn't been smashed to pieces by a single collision with a starship.
"What is something like this doing in the sky, seriously?!"
"You're not troublemakers from Uruk, are you? No, no… those people don't have this kind of ability."
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.
"Who exactly are you?"
"We are the Starsea Empire. At Chaldea's request, we've come to resolve the abnormalities in this world."
Setsuna briefly explained their origins.
"Oh?"
"Aliens? You're after the Holy Grail too? No wonder, no wonder…"
Gods had a strong capacity to accept otherworldly things.
Ishtar crossed her legs and lifted her chin, looking down at them with unmistakable divine arrogance.
"I am the goddess Ishtar, the goddess of beauty who governs Venus—and also harvest, destruction, battle, and various other things. In short, show proper reverence. Offer tribute in awe."
As she spoke, she took a teacup from Belfast and sipped lightly.
"Honestly, you're serving a goddess with this? Tsk tsk. In the old days, you'd have been punished for such disrespect. I'll let it slide today~"
"?"
Jeanne Alter's eyelid twitched violently. She snatched the cup away and drove her sword into the floor in front of Ishtar.
"Hey, you. There are plenty of goddesses in the Starsea Empire. What are you acting so high and mighty for? I suggest you behave yourself in front of the Master."
"Ha?"
Ishtar raised an eyebrow, ready to argue back.
But when she glanced around, she realized a ring of Heroic Spirits had formed around her, clearly prepared to gang up on her if necessary.
Among them were beings akin to gods, such as the Lion King and Scáthach.
She immediately raised both hands.
"Alright, alright, alright!!!"
"Let's talk nicely. I thought you were just mortals…"
She cleared her throat and sat up straighter.
As Uruk's guardian goddess, she had been summoned into this world by shrine maidens, possessing a human compatible with the Holy Grail War.
But not long after descending, Ishtar realized she had lost something extremely important and had been searching for it ever since.
Which was how she had just happened to slam headfirst into the Eternal Snowfall upon its arrival in this world.
"Um… have you seen it? It's very powerful. The kind of thing where, the moment you see it, you just know it's incredibly powerful?"
"You mean the Bull of Heaven?"
Setsuna couldn't help thinking that inheriting the Tohsaka family's classic tsundere tendencies and chronic bad luck was truly remarkable.
"You even know that?! You've seen it?"
The goddess was visibly shocked.
The Bull of Heaven represented Taurus—a creature of myth powerful enough to rival Gorgon and even hold its own, to some extent, against Tiamat.
"Finding it isn't difficult for me. Sophon can monitor the entire world."
Setsuna spoke calmly.
"But right now, we have something more important to handle—dealing with the threats of this Singularity and retrieving the Holy Grail."
"Interested in joining us?"
Ishtar looked him up and down, then stood up as if to leave.
"Sorry. Not interested at all."
"You're here to save the world? Good luck with that. The Three Goddess Alliance isn't easy to deal with. Once you meet Quetzalcoatl, you'll understand…"
"Open the door, please. I'm leaving. Wait—where did Maanna go…?"
She had just turned around.
Setsuna lightly tapped the table.
"I can help you find the Bull of Heaven."
"I can find it myself."
Clack—
Setsuna pulled out a large sack of gemstones and tossed it at Ishtar's feet.
Crystalline, multicolored jewels spilled across the floor, glittering brilliantly. All were high-grade specimens refined during the Starsea Empire's interstellar expansion.
"Here. A gift for you."
"!"
Ishtar froze in place.
She wanted to pick them up—but her pride held her back.
Clack! Clack!!—
Setsuna tossed out several more sacks.
They piled into a small mound nearly half a person tall in front of her.
"Go on. Eat."
"!!"
Ishtar stiffly turned around.
Just like Rin, she had inherited an overwhelming love of jewels. She had absolutely no resistance to the treasure Setsuna was throwing at her.
"Hmph. Such a small amount isn't nearly enough…"
Even as she spoke stubbornly—
Setsuna raised his hand. Honkai energy gathered and reshaped itself in his palm.
In moments, a dazzling ruby materialized.
It was ten times larger than the biggest gem Ishtar had ever seen, and its quality was a hundred times more refined than the rarest specimens in existence.
Even with a goddess' critical eye, she couldn't find a single flaw.
"Ah… this is—this is—?! Where did this come from…?"
Ishtar was completely captivated. She stepped forward in a daze, reaching out to touch it.
"As many as you want, I have."
Setsuna spoke slowly.
Crash!!—
In an instant, the Authority of the Herrscher of Reason created countless gemstones, cascading from his hand like a rainbow waterfall.
They rolled and clattered across the floor, quickly forming a hill of jewels beneath their feet.
Their quality surpassed anything Ishtar had ever imagined. Objects directly created by the Herrscher's authority approached perfection itself—utterly flawless.
Compared to these, her own treasured stockpile looked like trash.
"Th-this-this… all of this can be mine?!"
Ishtar completely abandoned her goddess' pride. She threw herself onto the jewel pile, grabbing handfuls and admiring them lovingly.
"These things are meaningless to me."
Setsuna glanced out the window and casually pointed outside.
"If you want a mountain forged from gemstones, a lake filled with jewels, even an entire planet made of precious stones—I can give it to you."
"Unlimited. As you please."
"!!!"
Ishtar was stunned.
Once, she had known the legend of the King of Uruk—Gilgamesh. It was said that the King's Treasury contained every treasure and Noble Phantasm in the world.
Gilgamesh himself was unquestionably the wealthiest being alive. No Heroic Spirit nor goddess could rival the riches within his treasury.
But after seeing Setsuna, Ishtar felt that the so-called King of Heroes was rather poor in comparison.
Even if the King's Treasury equaled the total wealth of human civilization, how could it compare to an interstellar empire spanning countless universes?
Not to mention Setsuna's utterly unreasonable power of creation.
"O divine one!!!"
Ishtar dropped to her knees at Setsuna's feet.
Goddess of harvest, goddess of beauty, goddess of the sun—none of that mattered as much as a god who showered her with treasures.
"Anything else you'd like to say?"
Setsuna tilted his chin slightly.
"…"
Ishtar hugged her jewels, thinking hard for a moment.
Then she extended a hand toward him.
"Give it to me."
"What more do you want?"
Setsuna tapped the armrest of his chair twice.
"The contract. Let's sign it quickly. I'm afraid you'll run off without me."
"Don't you dare go back on your word! Even if you accidentally die, I'll drag you back from the Underworld myself!!!"