Six hours later, the exploration of Singularity SE.RA.PH resumed.
BB awoke looking refreshed, as if she'd just had a long afternoon nap. She also took the opportunity to temporarily pair with the Chaldea communication device Shiomi had brought along, enabling communication and data analysis across any distance.
SE.RA.PH's environment was eerily monotonous, like a maze stripped of color. The roads were as wide as four-lane highways, but there were no signs or indicators. Without navigation, even with a little over ten days, Shiomi felt it would be nearly impossible to conduct an effective search and locate Beast.
To make matters worse, SE.RA.PH was shaped like a woman—without knowing that, it was easy to wander in circles without realizing it.
The group moved swiftly along SE.RA.PH's expansive paths. Aside from the uniform enemy programs, there were all sorts of Servants roaming about—some familiar to Shiomi, others not.
But their goal wasn't to defeat the other Servants or win the Holy Grail War. As long as they pushed past any Servants that got in their way and continued forward, that was enough.
"So the incident with Seraphix happened in January?" Shiomi asked.
Along the way, BB explained the situation using records retrieved through Mooncell:
"To be precise, it occurred shortly after you thwarted the King of Magecraft's plan to incinerate humanity. Just as the world returned to normal from the incineration, this offshore oil rig mysteriously exploded and was then transferred to the Pacific Ocean."
"Everything after that became unknown?" Shiomi asked, catching on.
BB replied, "Beast clearly understood the nature of Mooncell and anticipated interference. So after turning Seraphix into the digital city SE.RA.PH, it cut off all data flow."
"But it wasn't without warning," Morgan added. "Mooncell detected something and immediately sent you in. And then once you entered SE.RA.PH, Beast sprung the trap, right?"
"Ugh..." BB let out a sound that could only be described as awkward.
Shiomi figured she was probably feeling a bit ashamed—despite claiming to be an all-knowing superior AI, she hadn't managed to guard against a Beast that had only just begun to evolve.
Beyond the seemingly transparent roads and walls stretched the color of the sea. Here and there were structures resembling arenas, where Servants were locked in fierce combat. From their frenzied movements, it was clear—they had already lost their minds, reduced to beasts who knew only battle and bloodshed.
"Then what about that girl Saber who commands Sir Gawain and Sir Tristan—Suzuka Gozen? What's her deal?" Artoria asked. "She doesn't seem like she's just continuing the Holy Grail War without a Master."
"I remember Suzuka Gozen said something like, 'We're all comrades fighting together against others.' In other words, she's serving someone else. Gawain and Tristan are probably just helping her because they're being controlled."
Scáthach recalled their previous encounter and carefully pieced together the clues.
"Master guessed right. Suzuka Gozen isn't like the other Servants—her role is a 'Guardian,'" BB explained.
"Guardian?" Shiomi narrowed his eyes. "You mean Beast selected her from the fighting Servants to carry out some special task?"
"Exactly. Beast anticipated that SE.RA.PH would become a Singularity before its full assimilation, which would naturally attract Chaldea's attention. So the 'Guardians' were set up as a security measure to stop Chaldea."
Morgan let out a cold chuckle. "Sounds like Beast knows Chaldea pretty well... already planning countermeasures."
"But why choose Suzuka Gozen over Gawain or Tristan? They're both stronger than she is... weren't there better options?" Artoria asked.
"Because she's easier to control," BB answered. "Even with the freedom to act, she won't get in the way of Beast's plans. Stronger Servants are harder to handle, and if they're just treated as weapons, they tend to go berserk."
So even Gawain and Tristan were just muscle—picked from the ranks of combat-driven Servants to be used as enforcers.
"Treating Servants like convenient tools..." Shiomi muttered, then suddenly recalled something. "Then what about Passionlip? That Servant's not only restrained—she's emitting magical energy on a Divine Spirit level."
This time, BB didn't answer immediately. She went silent for a moment.
"We're almost at the 'lower abdomen.' To get to the control room in the 'chest,' this route is unavoidable," she said. "Which means to move forward, we'll have to defeat the Guardian posted here."
Right as BB finished, a familiar tremor hit.
Everyone stopped. A shrill, scraping noise—like nails on a chalkboard—rang out. For an instant, the air itself felt frozen.
"Above us!"
Shiomi shouted, and the group immediately scattered.
Passionlip plummeted like a meteor, her massive claws clenched into fists as she slammed into the ground, sending out a powerful shockwave.
Even though they dodged in time, the force nearly knocked them off balance.
Just that one strike reshaped the entire area. The nearly transparent but incredibly durable floor and walls shattered, then began reconstructing themselves. In the now-spacious battlefield, broken structural pieces floated midair, forming obstacles guided by some kind of autonomous repair process.
"So Passionlip is the Guardian here," Shiomi said, steadying himself as he gripped Gungnir.
"Right. Once we defeat her, we can reach the control room..." BB's voice wavered slightly. "If possible, I hope you can incapacitate her instead of killing her."
"Why?"
Just one glance was enough—Shiomi could tell that this Servant, despite the meek and tortured aura she gave off, was dangerously unlike the others.
"...Because she's a high-level AI modeled after me. She should've been categorized under Imaginary Numbers, but somehow she was salvaged, restrained, and turned into a Guardian under Beast's command."
BB's tone sounded distant, like she was talking about someone else—but there was a hint of conflict, as if it were personal.
"You really love throwing people impossible choices," Shiomi muttered as he quickly checked on Morgan and the others.
Passionlip seemed to be watching them all, gauging the threat levels of each, her gaze constantly shifting due to their scattered positions.
"No... it's your decision, Dad..." BB said, surprisingly without insisting for once.
Then, Passionlip gritted her teeth and let out a muffled roar, charging straight toward Shiomi.
As expected, she chose him as her first target.
Just before Gungnir clashed with her claws, Shiomi launched forward and responded with a shout.
"Then I'll give it a try!"