In a forest now engulfed in roaring flames, the battle had come to an end.
The group stood panting, the recent fight clearly having taken its toll.
First, the reunited Chaldea duo—Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash—embraced tightly, sharing tales of their time apart.
Unlike Ritsuka, a mere human, Mash was a Demi-Servant crafted by Chaldea, her resilience and combat prowess far beyond mortal limits.
Though she'd faced magical beast attacks on the Mesopotamian plains, her exceptional strength kept her from the despair Ritsuka had endured.
She fought her way through encircling beasts, heading in a specific direction across Mesopotamia, searching for signs of Ritsuka along the way.
During her journey, Mash encountered a mysterious figure claiming to be Merlin, the Magus of Flowers—an eccentric guy.
Merlin called it a delightful chance meeting.
But given his breathless state, Mash suspected it was no coincidence—he'd likely raced from afar to find her.
Though questions lingered, urgency left no time for Merlin to explain further. Roy's trap to ensnare Kingu was about to spring, and he had to join the fray.
Trapping Kingu was a high-stakes plan with immense potential rewards—Merlin couldn't sit it out.
Promising to reunite her with Ritsuka, Merlin led Mash on a grueling, hours-long sprint across the Mesopotamian plains.
Thanks to his illusions cloaking them from the beasts' senses, they cut straight through the horde, arriving just in time for Roy's scheme to join the battle.
Surveying the wrecked undergrowth and the forest ablaze around them, Roy and Merlin—meeting in reality for the first time—locked eyes and burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha, long time no see, Roy. Our first real-world meeting, at last."
"You too, Merlin. It's been a while."
Their first physical encounter brought mutual joy. Merlin doffed his hood, beaming at Roy, then coughed lightly before flashing his signature cheeky grin.
"Now, to business, my friend. I hope you'll shower me with praise like Chaldea's Master. My timing was impeccable—solving that little crisis just now."
"Yes! Thank you so much for your help!!"
Hearing Merlin, Mash—still hugging Ritsuka—turned and formally thanked the odd man who'd brought her here.
Ritsuka followed suit.
"Thank you so much!!"
"Well, well, it's been ages since I last swung a holy sword, but it seems my swordplay's still pretty sharp, huh~"
Merlin's grin grew even more insufferable at their thanks, prompting Roy to rub his forehead with a resigned expression.
Just then, a fluffy white creature crawled out of Ritsuka's chest pouch.
"Fou~"
"Fou Fou!!"
Mash gasped at the sight, and Ritsuka was equally shocked it had tagged along.
"Huh? Is that Cath Palug?!"
As its former caretaker, Merlin recognized it instantly.
But what followed wasn't a tearful reunion—Fou unleashed its wrath.
To Merlin's astonishment, the white critter leaped, spun 360 degrees midair, and landed a solid kick square on his face.
A clean, forceful strike.
"Fou… Fou, FOU!!"
Smack!
In an instant, a distinct, tiny paw print adorned Merlin's smug face.
Using the recoil, Fou landed on Roy's shoulder, nuzzling him affectionately and striking a victorious pose, mocking the floored Merlin.
Though not well-acquainted with the beast, Roy couldn't help but want to give it a thumbs-up.
"Nice work, Mr. Fou."
"Fou!!"
Pleased by Roy's praise, the adorable Fou bounced happily on his shoulder.
"Ow ow ow… that hurt, you ungrateful little monster! Have you forgotten who looked after you all that time?"
Clutching his swollen cheek, Merlin clambered up, then dashed to Roy's side to bicker with Fou.
The scene spiraled into chaos, leaving Ritsuka, Mash, and the others watching in speechless disbelief.
Arguing with Fou? This Merlin guy didn't seem all that reliable…
Nearby, Ana had enough, kicking Merlin in the rear. "Idiot Merlin, save your playtime for later. We've got work to do."
"Ow ow ow!! Hang on, Ana—once I deal with this treacherous fluffball, I'll get us out of this forest."
"Fou!!"
"Moron… that's not what I meant."
Amid their antics, Karna, ever the dutiful Servant, remained perplexed.
Concerned for the battle and his Master's safety, he stepped forward to Roy. "Master, why let that guy escape on purpose? His body's already half-shattered—he can't recover quickly. If I pursued, I could…"
"Yeah! If he's an enemy, his strength is terrifying!! Escaping a trap with so many top-tier Servants? If he heals, he'll be a massive problem later. Why not finish him off now?"
Not just Karna—Roman, back at Chaldea, chimed in anxiously.
Merlin's arrival had shocked him, but it confirmed Roy was an ally of humanity.
Roman knew Merlin well—a perennial shut-in at Avalon, too lazy to leave even for the world's end, yet his stance and power were credible.
If Merlin called Roy a friend, then Roy stood with humanity—Chaldea's comrade.
That meant the fake Enkidu, Kingu, was this Singularity's true foe.
His golden chains and immense mana, even if not the real Chains of Heaven, marked him as no pushover. Surviving such a Servant ambush was proof enough.
Roman could tell Merlin and Roy hadn't gone all out at the end, deliberately leaving a gap for Kingu to slip through.
But why? Wasn't that letting a tiger loose?
A recovered Kingu would be a formidable threat.
The thought gnawed at Roman's nerves.
"Haha, calm down, Romani Archaman."
Merlin, fresh from his Fou spat, sidled up to Ritsuka.
"Your short-sighted gaze might miss it, but I can assure you with full confidence: that fake Enkidu—Kingu—won't reach the Blood Fort Andromeda."
"Even the slim chance he thinks he's seized is just part of my friend's plan."
Merlin spoke with smug certainty, having seen through it all.
"Huh? Who're you calling short-sighted? You're the bigger slacker!!"
Stung by Merlin's jab, the usually composed Roman snapped, rising from his command chair to retort fiercely, as if deeply provoked.
His odd outburst surprised Chaldea's staff.
"I don't know how you crawled out of Avalon, but you're the real waste! A Grand Caster candidate with EX-rank Clairvoyance, yet you can't see past or future—just the present. Did you grow those eyes for convenience?!"
"Haha, quite the efficient self-introduction, huh?"
Merlin didn't argue, just smirked at Roman's tirade.
"My presence in this Singularity's simple: this era predates my birth, meaning I don't exist here yet. Get it?"
An era where he doesn't exist…
"So you leveraged that non-existence—your hypothetical death—to manifest as a Servant here, right?"
Roman, well-versed in such matters, grasped Merlin's explanation instantly.
"Pretty much."
Merlin nodded. "There are more conditions, but I'll skip the details."
"As for why I'm certain Kingu's doomed…"
He glanced at Roy, stepping back to let the trap's architect take the stage.
"The reason I didn't let you pursue is simple: I feared he'd fight like a cornered beast, dragging us into a mutual destruction."
Roy stepped forward, addressing Karna and Roman's doubts.
"His body's half-destroyed, sure, but it's a divine construct of this era—the Chains of Heaven, Enkidu. And his mana core is a Holy Grail."
"We could've killed him if we pressed, but a suicidal counterattack with the chains and Grail would've cost us dearly—maybe half our team. That's why I didn't send you, Karna."
"…"
Roman fell silent, nodding in understanding.
A desperate Grail-powered strike would've left no one unscathed.
Still, he regretted not finishing Kingu off for good.
Karna, undeterred, pressed, "Master, let me chase him alone. I don't fear death!"
"No need. Pointless pursuit isn't necessary."
Roy shook his head, denying Karna's request.
"Besides, as Merlin said, he won't escape. Someone more suited is waiting on the forest's other side, ready with a fatal blow. We just need to wait here for his return."
A better candidate?
Karna frowned, pondering, then a troubling figure flashed in his mind.
He looked at Roy, surprised. "You mean him?"
Roy nodded lightly.
"Yep. By now, he's likely intercepted Kingu on the far side of the forest."
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