Morpheus returned to the Clock Tower, dragging along a tag-along Servant... the self-proclaimed Andersen, the smug shota.
Watching Morpheus brazenly storm into the Clock Tower without bothering with secret passages, Andersen gained a deeper appreciation for his strength.
If this guy took action, he could undoubtedly resolve London's crisis in no time. Yet, he was here, rifling through books.
Andersen picked up a book and asked, "You're not planning to deal with the crisis? If you acted, you could solve it easily, couldn't you?"
"Didn't I say?" Morpheus grinned, plopping onto a sofa with a new book in hand, flipping through it while snapping photos. "This is a rare chance to infiltrate the Clock Tower without consequences. I've got to make the most of it."
Andersen grimaced. "I don't have the power, but you do. You could end this quickly and reduce the death toll!"
Morpheus didn't budge. "Don't tell me you don't know how this works. Once the problem's solved, history will be restored, the dead will be revived, and everything will proceed according to the predetermined future. Even if all of London died now, they'd come back in the end."
"You can't just let those trying to destroy humanity run rampant! If they succeed, your future is done for."
Morpheus chuckled. "That's why others are already handling it, right?"
Andersen knew he meant Fujimaru's group. Thinking of their strength, he nodded. "True, they can handle most issues. You can step in for anything they can't."
With that, Andersen focused, diving into the book in his hands.
These books were the ones Morpheus had first noticed on the table, likely prepared for someone like Andersen... perhaps a hidden collaborator yet to appear.
After a while, Andersen let out an "So that's how it is!" as if he'd uncovered a secret.
Morpheus, unfazed, kept reading.
Andersen said, "If Servants are summoned to counter crises, not for Holy Grail Wars, doesn't this masterless summoning mode suggest a massive crisis?"
"Yup," Morpheus replied casually, still reading.
Seeing his straightforward response, Andersen pressed, "You've read these books already, haven't you?"
"Yup."
"Then what kind of crisis is causing Servants to appear like this?"
Morpheus closed his book, set it aside, and looked at Andersen. "A brain-dead idiot, that's what."
"A brain-dead idiot?" Andersen's eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"
"I know who the mastermind is," Morpheus said with a smile, picking up another book. "But to confront them, I need all the Singularities restored first. Think of my current actions as progressing through a mandatory game storyline."
"What is it? Can you tell me?"
"Just something threatening human history," Morpheus said, pausing to think. "If a legendary evil bent on destroying humanity actually started doing it, top-tier Servants would naturally appear to counter it."
He continued, "You can think of it that way. And about this crisis... you've noticed the strange halo in the sky, right?"
Andersen nodded. Despite London's thick fog, the massive halo was too prominent to be fully obscured.
"This crisis, or rather, the mastermind destroying human history, is collecting energy through that very act. The halo is the result... made of billions of light beams, each with the power…" Morpheus thought for a moment. "If you know King Arthur, it's like one of her Noble Phantasms. Now imagine billions of those. That's the mastermind's strength."
Andersen's face fell. The description alone was overwhelming, yet Morpheus, this human, seemed completely at ease, as if such a powerful entity was no cause for fear.
Noticing Andersen's expression, Morpheus grinned. "It's not so bad. I've figured out their goal. Sure, the halo's strong, but why gather all that energy? To shoot a hole through the Earth?
"No way! That's too inefficient. There are easier ways to destroy the planet."
"You mean they're collecting this energy for something specific, so they can't use it all to attack those trying to stop them?"
"They'll have some spare energy as a backup for emergencies, but not enough to replace the bulk of it... probably not even a tenth. So, the beams they can actually use against enemies? Maybe a few thousand, or tens of thousands at most."
Andersen imagined tens of thousands of King Arthurs unleashing their Noble Phantasms at once and shuddered, quickly banishing the thought.
Yet Morpheus seemed utterly fearless, as if top-tier Servants like King Arthur were no big deal.
Even if he was powerful, facing thousands or tens of thousands of King Arthurs without a hint of fear?
"No worries, it's simple," Morpheus said. "Just destroy the halo they've worked so hard to create in an instant, then beat up the mastermind and send them back where they came from. Mission complete, and I can go back to earning my degree."
"Degree?"
"Didn't I mention? I'm a student at Westminster School."
"Westminster School?" Andersen knew of it. Even as a Dane, he'd heard of the legendary British institution, founded in 1179.
Curious, he asked, "You're English?"
"Yup, English."
"You're English, in England, and a magus. Why not study at the Clock Tower instead of Westminster?" Andersen glanced at the books Morpheus had already gone through. "You don't seem uninterested in the Clock Tower."
"I'm interested in their library, not their teaching," Morpheus said with a smile. "That's why I'm seizing this chance. It's too good to pass up!"
Andersen laughed. "Fair point. I'll read as much as I can too. It's a rare opportunity, and since I'll return to the Throne of Heroes, my memories will stay!"
In that moment, the two, immune to memory loss from historical restoration, gleefully accelerated their raid on the Clock Tower's library.
…
With Fran's help, Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mash, and Jeanne Alter tracked down the one producing magical automatons and machines... a human transformed entirely into machinery!
The Caster-class Servant, Charles Babbage.
Historically, Babbage invented the difference engine, laying the foundation for steampunk. In steampunk works, any computer is inevitably a difference engine.
Now, Babbage looked nothing like a human, transformed into a massive monster of steam and machinery. Seeing him, Fran showed pain, unwilling to approach.
Her faint sounds were understood by Jeanne Alter and the other women.
When Dr. Frankenstein was alive, he had introduced Fran to Babbage, a gentle and wise gentleman. Now, he was this monstrous thing!
Babbage's voice echoed like steam, proclaiming his existence and delivering information.
"Listen, listen, listen. My name is the Steam King. Unable to grasp the possible future, I vanished as an insignificant being, the king of an ethereal, illusory world. I am the one you call Magus B, one of the masterminds behind the Demonic Fog plan that blankets this city. I am also a Heroic Spirit born from the fog of this imperial capital."
Unfortunately, before he could finish, Babbage lost control. Seeing this, Mash immediately understood.
"His actions are controlled by the Holy Grail. We have no choice but to defeat him!"
The battle began instantly.
It was utterly one-sided. Perhaps to save time, Fujimaru drew her Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi without hesitation. The top-tier Noble Phantasm granted her immense power, and with Jeanne Alter, Mash, and Mordred joining in, the fight didn't last a minute.
As he began to fade, Babbage regained some clarity and offered a new clue.
"Go to the city's depths… deeper than the Underground, deeper, deeper, deeper still… There lies… the core of the Demonic Fog plan… The source of the fog filling the city… my invention, the great steam engine Angrboða… The Holy Grail… is its power source…"
As Babbage dissipated, the group fell silent. Fran looked anguished, but no one knew how to comfort her.
Fujimaru turned to them. "Let's go to the place Mr. Babbage mentioned and end this crisis!"
Following his directions, they descended underground, finding the fog even thicker than outside, growing denser with every step.
The area was lit only by ancient torches, untouched by electricity or even kerosene lamps, giving it an archaic feel, too old to be called classical.
It felt ancient, raising questions about when this place was built.
"Legend says that beneath ancient Britain, the head of King Bran was buried to protect Londinium," Mordred said.
Though the group was puzzled, they found it a plausible explanation.
Chatting as they went, they reached a vast underground chamber.
Before them stood a massive steam construct, spewing fog from its openings, releasing it into the world. Fujimaru and the others knew they'd found the right place... the core of the Demonic Fog plan!
Then, a man appeared, his face cold as he regarded them.
"Remarkable. Paracelsus was right... evil deeds will always be opposed by the righteous. The great steam engine Angrboða is both the form of our evil and our hope." He faced them fearlessly, his voice icy. "Your journey ends here. Today, righteousness will be driven out by our evil."
"You're M, aren't you? My Master says your real name is Makiri Zolgen, from Eastern Europe," Jeanne Alter said, stepping forward.
The man showed a flicker of surprise but quickly suppressed it.
"I didn't expect anyone to recognize me. I am Makiri Zolgen, a magus aiming to destroy this era, the Fourth Singularity, by spreading the Demonic Fog across all of Britain."
"The whole of Britain? Are you insane?" Olga Marie asked.
Makiri, or rather Matou Zouken, replied coldly, "Destroying London alone isn't enough. Only by obliterating this era can we erase the Human Order. That is my king's wish, the only path left after our final realization."
"You're talking about King Solomon, aren't you?" Jeanne Alter continued, speaking for Morpheus.
Makiri's surprise returned. Today, he was shocked too many times... first his identity, now his master's, exposed.
Despite his immense power preventing him from revealing his master's identity, it had been discovered!
This revelation stunned the others.
"What?! King Solomon?!"
"The one destroying humanity is King Solomon?!"
Olga Marie's eyes widened. "How is that possible?!"
Da Vinci glanced at Roman, who rolled his eyes and stayed silent.
"Actually, that guy's a fake. You've been deceived," Jeanne Alter said.
Makiri shook his head. "I'm certain he's real!"
"Fine. My Master says there's no need to waste time. We'll take you down, recover the Holy Grail, and restore history."
Jeanne Alter drew her weapon, and Makiri's face twisted into a grim sneer.
"Come, witness! The steam engine has gone berserk, fully activating the city's fog. A powerful Heroic Spirit will manifest here! Behold, one of the pioneers befitting humanity's mythic end, or perhaps the Starlight…"
Still human, Makiri raised his hand, about to summon an overwhelmingly powerful Servant!
***
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