"What's wrong with this place? Even the documented Fuyuki City of 2004 didn't look like this, did it?" Olga Marie said as they moved forward. "This is definitely a historical anomaly."
Along the way, the group encountered numerous monsters, but against Mash, a Demi-Servant with superhuman capabilities, they stood no chance and were swiftly dispatched to the underworld.
Even with his own formidable strength, Morpheus couldn't help but admire the technological prowess of this world's humans for creating a Demi-Servant like Mash.
To Olga Marie's complaints, Morpheus responded casually, "So, by Fuyuki City in 2004, you mean the Holy Grail War, right?"
Olga Marie looked at him in surprise. "That's supposed to be a secret. You know about it?"
"Yeah, I do. I'm just curious if what you know differs from what I know."
"Perfect. I'll explain CHALDEAS, tying it to the Holy Grail War. Listen closely... I'm only saying this once," Olga Marie said, clearing her throat with a hint of pride.
"Chaldea uses the Earth model, CHALDEAS, to observe the future. Additionally, a familiar called Laplace compiles records of the past. To put it simply, Laplace's job is to uncover hidden history and gather undisclosed information.
"According to Laplace's observations, a unique conflict unfolded in this city in 2004... the Holy Grail War."
"Holy Grail War?" Mash's expression turned to surprise. "You mean the Holy Grail? The legendary artifact with omnipotent wish-granting power, considered the foundation of all magecraft?"
Olga Marie nodded. "Exactly. The magi of Fuyuki City created the Holy Grail, and to activate it, they summoned seven Heroic Spirits. That's the origin of the Holy Grail War. Servants were summoned to this city in secret.
"The Fuyuki Holy Grail War system is simple: seven Masters compete, and the last one standing claims the Grail."
Morpheus was well aware of this. From the moment he realized this was the Nasuverse, he'd been fixated on the Holy Grail War. But when it began, he discovered this was the Fate/Grand Order world, not the Fourth or Fifth Holy Grail Wars.
It should've been obvious, so why did Olga Marie treat it like some grand secret?
"Chaldea learned of this in 2010. My father… no, the previous Director used this data to develop the summoning ritual, the Heroic Spirit Summoning System: Fate. It's the third invention after Laplace and CHALDEAS."
Mash looked puzzled. "The third? Isn't the Near-Future Observation Lens, SHEBA, separate?"
"That…" Olga Marie's expression faltered. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "That was Lev's invention… though I contributed to its development."
Lev's betrayal made SHEBA, his creation, a sore point for her, and her face darkened as she recalled it.
After a brief pause to compose herself, she continued, "Anyway, this city is the origin of Servants. Seven fought here in the past, with the Saber class claiming victory."
Morpheus stayed silent. Olga Marie wasn't entirely wrong, but parts were inaccurate.
Her father didn't discover the Holy Grail War in 2010 and base his research on it.
Instead, her father, the previous Animusphere head, participated in the 2004 Holy Grail War, summoned Solomon, won, and wished on the Grail for vast wealth.
Solomon, meanwhile, wished to become human, no longer the King.
Thus, the wheels of fate began to turn.
As Olga Marie said, outsiders believed Saber won, a deception crafted by her father.
Morpheus fell into thought.
"Odd. Why would the previous Animusphere head hide it? Winning the Holy Grail War and using it to bolster his family... no, to develop Chaldea, a multinational project primarily funded by the Animuspheres, his lifelong endeavor."
Morpheus rubbed his chin. "Something's fishy. I don't buy that Olga Marie's father was some saint without ulterior motives. Or rather, how many of Nasu's characters aren't unhinged?"
He glanced at Olga Marie.
She concluded, "The city wasn't destroyed, so the war likely ended discreetly.
"But now, it's like this because of the Singularity.
"The 2004 anomaly affected all of human history, resulting in a future beyond a century becoming unobservable.
"Our mission is to repair this anomaly. Something here is disrupting history."
Just then, more monsters appeared. Morpheus shook his head inwardly... couldn't they just walk in peace?
Thankfully, Mash was there, so he could sit back and watch.
They reached the church, now a ruin.
The constant ruins made Olga Marie anxious. "No matter where we go, it's a burning wasteland with no signs of life. What happened…
"Why did CHALDEAS turn gray? Losing the ability to observe the future equates to humanity's extinction… Could the Counter Force be ineffective in this Singularity? It's like a critical linchpin, a pivotal node in a story…
"Scattered across human history are fatal decision points tied to extinction. If chosen wrongly, the result is…"
Boom! "Total destruction, no future for humanity, right?" Morpheus interjected, urging, "Stop overthinking. The simplest approach: find the enemy, defeat them, interrogate them, and make them spill what's going on!"
"You make it sound easy. These enemies lack intelligence... how do you interrogate them?" Olga Marie retorted.
At that moment, Dr. Romani's voice cut in. "Sorry, hold that thought... get out of there now!"
"What's wrong?!" Olga Marie asked urgently.
"There's another signature nearby... a Servant!" Romani shouted. A Servant cloaked in darkness appeared. "Don't engage! You're not ready to fight a Servant!"
Olga Marie, both helpless and tense, replied, "Even if you say that, we can't outrun it!"
"Mash, fight! You're a Servant too... you must have a way!" Olga Marie urged.
"I'll do my best!" Mash said, stepping in front of the group. Morpheus glanced at Romani, surprised.
Was Romani holding him back because he thought Morpheus couldn't handle a Servant, or was there no need for him to act yet?
The dark-clad Servant revealed herself... Medusa!
But this Medusa seemed controlled, retaining some intellect but overwhelmed by a Berserker-like madness, favoring action over thought.
A barrage of terrifying attacks rained on Mash, who struggled to parry. If not for her sturdy shield, those strikes might have killed her.
"This… this is a Servant's strength?!" Mash gritted her teeth, holding her ground, with Ritsuka, her Master, behind her.
Though an ordinary human, Ritsuka displayed remarkable calm, unafraid of the formidable foe. She observed the battlefield, issuing commands based on gathered intel to counter Medusa's attacks.
Despite being a Demi-Servant, potentially weaker than a true Servant, Mash held her own against Medusa's onslaught.
She was even starting to push back!
A bit longer, and Mash might win!
But then, Romani issued another warning. "Wait! Another identical signature is heading your way... a Servant!"
"One was bad enough, but two?!" Olga Marie cried out, as Mash and Ritsuka showed signs of panic.
If they couldn't quickly defeat Medusa, they'd face a two-on-one fight... impossible odds!
Romani turned to Morpheus. "Morpheus, can you handle it?"
His words snapped the group to attention.
Right... Morpheus had fought alongside gods and defeated mythic beasts like Typhon. Couldn't he handle the incoming Servant?
A dark-clad Assassin Servant appeared, seemingly stripped of most reason, speaking in fragmented words.
"Found… new prey… Holy Grail… must be mine…"
His voice was halting, but his movements were swift, charging at the group with incredible speed.
Morpheus stepped forward, smiling. "No problem. At my current level, even facing the 2004 lineup, a one-against-seven wouldn't faze me."
Romani coughed at the bold claim. "Then I'll leave it to you!"
"Got it!"
Morpheus advanced, loosening his hands. Olga Marie blinked in confusion.
"What's Morpheus doing? Just walking up? Isn't his magecraft long-range? Why close the distance with a Servant?"
Before she could process, the Assassin moved, becoming a blur as he charged Morpheus!
His speed was blinding, too fast for anyone to react. Such an attack would tear through any normal body!
Clang!
A piercing sound rang out. A sword had appeared in Morpheus's hand... a plain short sword.
Yet, with it, Morpheus blocked the Assassin's strike!
"Blind luck?!" Olga Marie's mind reeled, thinking it was a fluke. She wanted to shout for him to fall back.
But in the next instant, both figures moved at breakneck speed!
Their movements were so fast they left afterimages, the air filled with the clash of metal. The Assassin was swift, but Olga Marie was stunned... Morpheus matched his speed entirely!
She'd heard he defeated Typhon, assuming it was via powerful long-range magecraft with Artemis as the main force. But now, this magus's physical prowess and close-combat skill far surpassed her understanding of magi!
Even if magi reinforced their bodies with mana, who could enhance themselves to this level, fighting a Servant in high-speed melee?!
And he was using an actual sword, not a mystic code to accelerate casting!
Instead of struggling, Morpheus dominated from the start, overwhelming the Assassin!
The Assassin could only parry, with no chance to counter!
"Alright, time to end this," Morpheus said, leaping forward with incredible speed. His short sword thrust toward the Assassin's heart!
The blade pierced the heart, mana erupting. Without needing to invoke a True Name, Morpheus's basic attack destroyed the Servant's vital point!
But clearly, the hidden force didn't intend to let Morpheus win so easily.
A crimson bolt of lightning shot from afar, surpassing reason, tearing through the air with violent mana, aimed at Morpheus!
***
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