"So, Sensei... what is the actual reason you asked me to come here?" asked Ritsuka while leaning his back against the workshop sofa. An ancient wooden table separated him from the Wizard Marshal.
On his left and right sides, Mash and Rikka sat obediently, while Assassin remained in his spirit form, on full alert in the darkness behind the shadow of their seats.
Zelretch did not answer immediately. He stared at Ritsuka in silence for a moment before throwing an unexpected question. "Before I explain the reason, I have one question for you. How many days do you have left before departing for the next Singularity?"
Ritsuka furrowed his brow, trying to calculate Chaldea's remaining preparation time. "Hmm... according to the Director's estimation, it will be about 8 to 10 more days before we are ready for the next Rayshift."
"Excellent! The timing is absolutely perfect!" Zelretch suddenly exclaimed. He stood up from his chair, but instead of approaching, he stepped back with a highly suspicious movement. "I have something special for you, my Disciple."
Seeing his teacher's movements suddenly keeping a distance, Ritsuka's instincts instantly screamed a warning sign. In the past, he had heard Merlin's complaints about this old man far too often. And when he heard all those complaints, one thing that came to his mind about Zelretch was that he was an older version of Merlin.
"Sensei... why are you suddenly backing away like that?" asked Ritsuka in a highly suspicious tone. He glanced at Rikka and Mash beside him, realizing that the atmosphere of the room had just turned very foreign.
Without waiting for any longer signal, Ritsuka shouted with a thunderous voice. "Assassin, shoot him now!!"
However, because Ritsuka was not the legitimate Master holding the contract at this time, Assassin was stunned for a moment.
Hesitation arose because the command did not come from Rikka, and that one-second pause was more than enough for Zelretch.
Ritsuka panickily grabbed Rikka's waist immediately, intending to throw his little sister away from the sofa area so she wouldn't get entangled. "Rikka, get away from my side right now—!"
Ritsuka's words were forcefully cut off.
"It's too late," cut Zelretch with a wide, mischievous smirk.
Right beneath the sofa where they were sitting, a highly complex light pattern resembling a giant kaleidoscope suddenly appeared. Before anyone could react, the vortex of the Second Magic instantly swallowed Ritsuka, Mash, Rikka, along with the Assassin into the void of another dimension in the blink of an eye.
"You damn old man!!!"
Ritsuka's furious shout echoed in despair, his voice slowly fading as his body was completely swallowed by the vortex.
Zelretch only smiled widely and innocently, waving his hand casually at the portal that was slowly shrinking and disappearing.
Right before the portal closed completely, the crow that had been perched on Ritsuka's shoulder all this time tried to fly after its master. However, with lightning speed, Zelretch's hand managed to catch the black bird in mid-air.
"Hoo, not so fast. You stay here and accompany your 'friend' over there," chuckled Zelretch. He then placed the crow on his desk, right next to an owl that had been perching silently watching their conversation.
Zelretch then stared at the empty space where his disciple had vanished. His red eyes, which were usually full of mischief, now radiated anticipation.
"This is the most fitting special exam stage for my disciple," muttered Zelretch. "All this time, he still often doubts and holds back the true potential of the power he possesses. But with this bloody exam, he will be forced to accept his power completely... well, even though the price is that he has to face and measure egos against those three legendary Kings. Hehe~"
The Wizard Marshal smirked widely, then turned his head toward the owl beside him.
"This will definitely be an incredibly fascinating spectacle! Hey, don't forget to prepare plenty of popcorn and soda at your place, okay!" Zelretch exclaimed to the owl.
From inside the owl's beak, the cheerful and mischievous voice of the 'Light Boy' replied.
"Oh, do you like sweets? What a coincidence, I just stopped by and bought a lot of snacks from a world that's entirely about extreme cooking competitions!" the voice replied in a cheerful tone.
However, that cheerful tone suddenly changed into a mischievous warning.
"But remember, be careful when you taste it later, Old Man. The deliciousness effect of the food from that world is truly illogical; the taste can make your body heat up and unconsciously strip and explode your own clothes! Please control yourself, okay. I really don't want to see the horror sight of a naked old man here!"
. . .
*Thud!*
Ritsuka landed perfectly on the roof of a tall building. Both of his feet planted firmly, absorbing the impact of the forced landing from the dimensional portal. Blown by the cold night wind, the young man immediately looked up.
"Aaaaaa!!"
Mash and Rikka's screams could be heard following from the air.
"Woah!" With extraordinarily swift reflexes, Ritsuka stretched out both his arms. He managed to catch the bodies of the two girls just in time before they hit the roof surface.
"Careful, you two," said Ritsuka as he slowly lowered Mash and Rikka from his shoulders' catch so they could stand safely.
"Brother, what actually just happened?" asked Rikka, who was still dizzy.
The girl looked around, realizing that they were now on top of a skyscraper with a view of the bustling lights of a modern city shining brightly down below.
Mash also observed her surroundings, scanning the area carefully.
"The scenery of this place... somehow feels familiar," she murmured softly.
Hearing that, Ritsuka furrowed his eyebrows deeply. His eyes stared intently at the entire layout and the large bridge of the city below. Suddenly, a memory flashed quickly in his head—a city completely destroyed, engulfed by a sea of black fire, ruins filled with ash fog, and a suffocating aura of death. The exact same place as 'Singularity 0'.
"Fuyuki!" said Ritsuka and Assassin simultaneously.
Right at the same time, spirit particles gathered beside Ritsuka. The figure of Assassin suddenly manifested himself into a physical form.
Assassin's pair of eyes stared intently at the peaceful city below with a flash of emotion that was difficult to decipher.
"F-Fuyuki?! Impossible!" exclaimed Rikka in a panic. The girl reflexively hugged Ritsuka's arm tightly. "Were we thrown back into that terrifying Singularity we faced before?!"
"No, this is different," cut Mash quickly, feeling and analyzing the atmosphere around them. "Senpai, this place is not a Singularity."
Ritsuka nodded slowly, his brain starting to piece together the puzzle of the Wizard Marshal's intentions.
"Yes, Mash is right. This place is not a Singularity," muttered Ritsuka, staring at the Fuyuki night sky that was clear of rings of light. "Rather... it's another timeline."
"Another... timeline?" repeated Rikka in confusion.
Ritsuka turned and glanced at his little sister. "You were taught by the Director about the truth of our world, right? Especially about the Parallel World concept?"
"Ah, yes! It's a parallel universe where a certain event branches off and produces a history different from other timelines," answered Rikka, exactly like a model student repeating an explanation from Olga Marie.
"Good. Exactly right," praised Ritsuka as he smiled and stroked the top of Rikka's head because she managed to answer correctly. "And this is where we are now. We are currently in one of the different parallel universes, not inside a Singularity threatening human history."
"But... how could we suddenly get thrown here?" asked Rikka in confusion.
Hearing that question, Ritsuka's face instantly turned sour. A vein of annoyance immediately printed on his temple.
"This is all because of that damn old man's doing!" grumbled Ritsuka full of emotion. "Do you remember the light pattern that suddenly appeared below us earlier? That was the form of the Kaleidoscope, the power of the Second Magic! It's the miracle that gives him the ability to manipulate, observe, and operate across various parallel worlds as he pleases!"
Ritsuka massaged the bridge of his nose roughly. "He deliberately threw us here purely for his own amusement! I am absolutely sure of it! I should have been suspicious from the start why someone of his caliber would bother inviting me directly to his workshop!"
Seeing her senior grumbling in annoyance, Mash tried to mediate.
"Senpai, please calm down," Mash coaxed in a gentle and innocent tone.
"That person is the highly respected Wizard Marshal acknowledged by the entire Mage's Association. He surely has a noble reason and purpose for sending us here. It could be that this world is currently under the threat of great chaos and desperately needs our help—"
Right after Mash uttered her defensive sentence, the air above their heads suddenly rippled.
A small Kaleidoscope magic portal suddenly opened in the air. From inside the dimensional hole, a folded piece of paper floated down slowly toward them, before the portal shrank and closed tightly again.
Ritsuka reached out his hand and caught the paper in the air. With a suspiciously furrowed brow, he opened the folded paper.
There it was written:
*"To my dearest disciple, fight hard! Win that holy grail war! Beat up those small-fry Servants and Maguses, and give them a heart attack with your presence! Don't worry, I will always faithfully watch over you from here... hahaha! While relaxing and enjoying popcorn and sweets, of course. Enjoy the show!*
*P.S: I'm keeping your crow here until you manage to win that war. Remember, your target is to win, not just survive; keep your spirits up, my Disciple!*
*P.P.S: There will be a special prize waiting for you if you manage to win it.*
*P.P.P.S: Oh, yes... and the most important thing. Go to the Matou family residence when you arrive there. Try not to damage the building too much, okay, just destroy the head of the family."*
Veins of annoyance instantly popped up on Ritsuka's forehead. The young man gritted his teeth, then crushed the letter paper until it was ruined in his grasp.
With a face full of restrained anger, Ritsuka looked up at the Fuyuki night sky and raised his middle finger high into the air.
Seeing her Senpai's reaction, Mash could only fall silent with a stiff smile, her defense about the Wizard Marshal's 'noble intentions' just now completely shattered into nothingness.
"Brother... what should we do now?" Rikka squeaked in an anxious tone, gently pulling the edge of Ritsuka's clothes. "Is that old man really going to leave us stranded in this world just like that?"
On the other hand, Mash immediately cast aside her doubts and switched to combat mode. Her casual clothes were instantly replaced by her Demi-Servant armor, and the giant cross shield was already gripped tightly in her hands.
"Senpai, what is our next plan?" asked Mash with a serious expression full of determination.
Ritsuka lowered his hand, taking a deep breath to calm himself down, then looked at the two girls alternately—one looking scared of the uncertain situation, while the other already wearing a resolute expression like a soldier ready to die.
"Based on that letter and our landing location, for now, we know one thing for sure: we are being thrown into the middle of the Fuyuki Holy Grail War," muttered Ritsuka while holding his chin, analyzing the situation. "But... which Holy Grail War is this?"
Before Ritsuka could guess, a cold voice answered his question.
"The fourth one."
Ritsuka, Mash, and Rikka turned their heads in unison. The figure of Assassin, who had been standing silently at the edge of the roof, was now staring straight through the pitch-black night.
The Assassin's sharp gaze was completely locked far onto one specific point at the edge of the city—aiming right at the Fuyuki dock area.
Hearing that confirmation, Ritsuka widened his eyes in horror.
"Oh, damn it... out of all timelines, we actually landed in the worst warfare scenario," he complained in a highly frustrated tone, ruffling his own hair.
"W-Why do you say that, Brother?!" Rikka shrieked in a panic, clinging even tighter to Ritsuka's arm. "What kind of danger is there actually in this Fourth Holy Grail War?!"
"There are far too many problems in this era, Rikka. Especially the condition of the Holy Grail itself, which is actually already a problem," explained Ritsuka while nervously biting his thumbnail, his brain spinning fast. "But aside from that... there is one specific opponent in this war who is very, very exhausting to face. Believe me, I would much rather meet him in his workaholic Caster Class, rather than having to deal with his Archer version in this war!"
"Which Servant do you mean, Senpai?" asked Mash in confusion.
"That extraordinarily narcissistic Golden King... an egoistic tyrant whose hobby is calling other people mongrels even though he himself is a mongrel too," grumbled Ritsuka with a tired face.
The young man suddenly let out a long sigh, rubbing his chest in relief. "Phew... luckily I didn't bring Artoria earlier. If that Golden King were to see Saber Alter's presence with me here, I really couldn't imagine how crazy and troublesome that person's obsession would be later."
Ritsuka shook his head vigorously, shaking off the bad thought and immediately refocused on the current situation.
"Alright, let's just forget about that mongrel-lover for now," said Ritsuka as he stepped forward. His tone of voice had now changed. "For now, the two of you stay standing behind me. This fight cannot be avoided, I will be the one facing them directly."
Ritsuka stood tall at the edge of the skyscraper's roof. The Fuyuki night wind blew his black hair as he stared sharply toward the dock area.
"Assassin..." called Ritsuka without turning his head. "You sense the massive magical energy clashes from the Servants fighting over there, right?"
Assassin nodded slowly, confirming the enemies' presence at the docks.
Seeing her brother's back preparing to advance alone, Rikka couldn't hold it in anymore and opened her mouth.
"Brother! Your opponents this time are seven Servants!" protested Rikka in a highly worried tone. "In this world, there is no Oda Nobunaga or Artoria who can directly step forward to help you! At the very least, bring Mash or Assassin to protect you on the front lines!"
Ritsuka turned slowly and carved a reassuring smile.
"No need, Rikka. This is a test given specifically for me by Sensei," Ritsuka said firmly. "I myself will step in to face those seven... no, fourteen people all at once."
"B-But still, Senpai!" interrupted Mash, equally anxious, gripping her shield tightly. "Those seven heroes are definitely not just any ordinary Servants! They are the strongest spirits specifically summoned to win this bloody war, and their individual combat power must be absolutely massive! Senpai... do you really think you can win if you have to face them all alone?"
Ritsuka rubbed the back of his head casually, as if thinking about a trivial question.
"Hmm... if they all cast aside their respective pride, work together to gang up on me, and immediately unleash their full strength from the very beginning... well, maybe that would give me a little trouble," Ritsuka answered, evaluating.
Hearing that admission, Rikka's face paled. "D-Does that mean you'll lose—"
The girl's words were instantly cut off. Ritsuka lowered his hand and stared straight at his little sister and Kouhai. The young man's gaze didn't radiate the slightest doubt; t
here was only conviction.
"Nah, I'd win," Ritsuka said calmly.