Chapter 145 – Depart! The Third Singularity!
The black sword struck hard into the body of a Golem. Seeing that, the other Golems immediately surrounded the girl wielding the sword.
"BOOOOOOM!!!"
A thunderous explosion erupted, a violent shockwave blowing away the upper halves of the Golems. Black flames ignited on their bodies.
Jeanne Alter thrust the evil dragon flag into the ground, panting heavily with each breath.
"She's been training here nonstop for days now. Looks like she's got a heavy burden on her mind."
"A burden, huh?"
Ethan fell into thought as he looked at Jeanne Alter like that.
It was true she hadn't come looking for him recently. Could something have happened?
"Even though I initially thought the last open slot would go to that holy sword wielder, I figured he probably wouldn't be able to accept the fact that the Beast he's been chasing suddenly became an ally, right?"
"Yeah, that would be kind of…"
Ethan nodded slightly.
Even though Draco had told Arthur that she wasn't the Beast VI he was pursuing, but that the true target was Beast VI/G.
Whether Arthur believed that or not was another matter entirely.
Forcing him to suddenly cooperate with Draco… was something unlikely to go well.
"Then why not you or Reines? Isn't Iskandar also very powerful?"
"Rider is indeed very powerful, but didn't he clash with the Knight of Treachery last time? I think it's best not to get those two involved with each other. Team dynamics are very important, after all. As for why Reines and I aren't going…"
Waver rubbed his forehead, looking utterly troubled.
"That damn doctor dumped a ton of reconstruction work on us. Since we have connections to the Clock Tower, we can quickly coordinate technical guidance and personnel related to Chaldea. Honestly, I didn't want to take on that role either."
"Sorry, you're working so hard!!!"
Ethan immediately bowed to apologize to Waver.
Ever since he was summoned, Uncle Waver had been working extreme overtime.
And now he had to drag his little sister into it too—truly the kind of talent even capitalists would go to great lengths to recruit.
"Then why does it absolutely have to be Jeanne Alter?"
"You want the honest answer?"
Waver looked at Ethan, his expression dead serious.
"Please, sensei, enlighten me."
Ethan clasped his hands respectfully.
"That girl's destructive power is way too high and she's hard to deal with. I'm afraid once you leave, Master, Chaldea's damage will only get worse."
"Alright, I get it..."
So, in the end, it's still about that, huh.
...
"Ahem, then this time, we'll be counting on the great Heroic Spirits here to Rayshift and fix the Singularity."
Ethan nodded solemnly to the two people in front of him.
"No, being able to depart alongside Master is my honor. I will carry the Lord's radiant light and continue to illuminate Master's path forward!"
Johanna said to Ethan, then turned to look at Mash.
"Looks like I'll be fighting alongside Mash-san again this time."
Johanna quickly greeted Mash.
"Yes, with you accompanying us, Johanna-san, I feel much more at ease!"
"Chiu chiu————————!!!"
Tonbi flew onto Mash's shoulder, and its action immediately made Fou a little displeased.
Fou leapt up onto Mash's shoulder in three quick hops and pushed Tonbi off with a paw.
"Ah, Fou, stop that!"
Just as Mash was trying to stop Fou, Jeanne Alter, who stood nearby with her arms crossed, turned around with a dissatisfied expression and said:
"Hmph, why do I have to go with you guys again?"
Though she said she didn't want to, she still showed up at the control room right on time as instructed.
"Jeanne Alter, I'm counting on you again."
"Oh? Don't tell me no one else wanted to go with you?"
Jeanne Alter glanced around the area. After noticing there was no one else, a thought suddenly popped into her mind.
Before Ethan could even explain, Jeanne Alter folded her arms, a meaningful smile forming on her lips as she said:
"Hmph, it's because you're involved with that Beast, right? That's why the others don't want to be here, isn't it? Honestly, there's no helping it. I guess I'll just accompany you on this one."
"..."
All of Ethan's carefully prepared words were instantly rendered useless.
Looks like Jeanne Alter always has a very strange way of interpreting things.
"Mash, have you seen Mordred?"
Ethan looked around but still saw no sign of Mordred.
"No, Senpai, I haven't seen any trace of Mordred-san."
Mash also shook her head.
That's strange. Wasn't Mordred the most enthusiastic one?
"If you're looking for that Knight of Treachery, she's already gone into the spiritron chamber. She's acting no different than a kid on a field trip."
Da Vinci reported the situation to Ethan through the intercom.
"Well then, I guess I was worrying too much."
Ethan let out a sigh.
"Alright everyone, just like before, let's head to the main hall inside to begin the Rayshift."
Following Da Vinci's guidance, Ethan led everyone down the hallway and into the Rayshift chamber within the control area.
"Looks like everyone's here."
Doctor Romani was still on-site, adjusting the equipment.
Not long after, a small figure appeared before them.
"You're so damn slow! Just how long are you going to make me wait!? I've been waiting so long I'm about to lose it!!!"
The petite blonde girl, holding a golden Holy Grail, loudly scolded Ethan and the others.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting."
Ethan said to the small girl.
"Hmph, since you didn't chicken out and break your promise just because you're afraid of me, I'll let it slide this time."
Draco grudgingly accepted Ethan's apology, then turned to glance at the other Servants.
"I've got no interest in getting chummy with you lot, so you'd best not talk to me either. Otherwise, I might not be able to stop myself from eating you."
After she spoke, the petite girl even licked her lips.
"..."
Mash remained close by Ethan's side, keeping a distance from her.
"Everyone, this time we'll be heading to the year 1573."
Doctor Romani began explaining the specifics of the upcoming Rayshift.
"The destination is a vast sea. Due to spatial distortion, the terrain has become warped, so I'll try to transmit everyone to scattered small islands. But the finer adjustments will depend on this Beast of Sodom here."
"Hmph, since I've agreed to your request, of course I'll keep my word."
Draco said with a self-satisfied air.
"Don't worry, humans."
"Phew… Ethan, we don't know exactly what the situation will be over there, so like always, we're counting on your adaptability."
Doctor Romani patted Ethan on the shoulder.
"Umu, don't worry."
Ethan nodded lightly, then stepped into the chamber.
"Spiritron reversion system, start!"
Just as Ethan's consciousness began to fade, a smiling figure suddenly appeared before him—Draco.
"...!?"
Before he could react, a broadcast voice rang out from the control room.
"Commencing spiritron particle conversion."
"Countdown to Rayshift initiation: 3, 2, 1… all systems complete."
"Field verification initiated: Grand Order."