To Become a King and a Magician 591-595

Title: A Genuine Human Rocket Launcher

The black knight standing before her was Lancelot.

The moment she realized this, a powerful surge welled up inside Mash.

An urge to be angry, an urge of dissatisfaction, and an urge to deliver a devastating blow.

Lancelot, the supreme knight of the Round Table. The knight most admired by King Arthur, Artoria, and regarded as the paragon of true knighthood. Now, he appeared in such a degenerate, impure form.

It was utterly shameful and deeply disappointing.

<Lancelot (Father) in this state will be corrected by me (Galahad)!>

These thoughts filled Mash’s body and heart, driving her to repeatedly strike the rampaging black knight with the shield in her hand and the manifested Castle of Correction. And when she finally regained awareness...

*BANG!*

A final, crushing blow landed heavily upon Lancelot’s body.

Even though he was under the curse of Mad Enhancement, his mind eroded beyond reason, after being struck so hard by that shield, Lancelot briefly regained a sliver of awareness despite his lost sanity.

This humiliating form of his had been witnessed by someone who should never have seen it.

“Have you come to your senses, Sir Lancelot?” Standing tall, shield in hand, Mash gazed down at the motionless knight lying on the ground. “Though perhaps understandable from a legendary standpoint why you’ve taken this form, even so, succumbing to such disgrace is truly cowardly. A knight ought to face everything honestly—wasn’t that the oath you once held as your own ideal?”

“Snap out of it, Otou-san (Father).”

*KLANG!*

The black iron staff, now a Noble Phantasm, clattered to the ground.

Lying in the crater created by the Castle of Correction, Lancelot stared intently at the figure holding the shield. After several failed attempts to rise, unable to straighten his body, Lancelot lay flat on the earth, his form gradually dissolving into Mana and beginning to vanish.

Struck repeatedly—more than ten times—by both the shield and the castle walls, unprotected, not even Lancelot could survive unscathed. Moreover, Hinako’s curse had taken its toll.

Lancelot’s defeat was undeniable.

“Well, appearances can be deceiving, Mash.”

Aoko looked at Mash with mild surprise. She hadn’t expected the quiet girl to swing a shield and castle walls with such brutal force!

As someone who herself enjoyed violence, Aoko admitted she absolutely loved this side of Mash!

*PU-CHI!*

But without warning, a flagpole suddenly pierced straight through Lancelot’s chest!

Mash and her companions froze in shock.

Jeanne Alter twisted the pole sharply, then sneered as she looked down at the unmoving Lancelot beneath her feet: “Utterly useless. Charging in without listening to orders, only to be defeated so easily. ‘Strongest Knight’? What a joke!”

Her gaze shifted toward Aoko and the others still standing within the castle walls, then flicked toward Mash standing just outside the castle gate. Jeanne Alter swung her dragon banner powerfully: “So what if you unleashed your Noble Phantasm? I’m slightly impressed you withstood Fafnir’s breath, but that’s all. Just a turtle’s shell—watch as I crush it completely!”

“HOOOOOH—!”

Fafnir roared again, unleashing a storm. He flapped his wings high into the sky. Targeting the castle wall below, his massive, hill-sized body plummeted rapidly like a meteor!

*BANG!*

A terrifying impact exploded instantly!

The overwhelming force slammed directly into Mash, making her arms go completely numb!

“Ugh... such intense impact... but it’s alright...”

*BANG!*

A second impact came immediately!

If one strike couldn’t destroy the castle wall, she would keep striking until it shattered. In a way, Jeanne Alter and Hinako were quite similar. They might have plans, but more often than not, they preferred to solve everything with sheer brute force!

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

Fafnir’s colossal form kept crashing from the sky, each horrifying impact relentlessly pounding and demolishing the Castle of Correction. With Fafnir’s immense weight combined with the full-speed descent, the comparison might be imperfect, but to Mash, it felt as though she were being hit repeatedly by meteors!

If this continued, although Mash’s spirit refused to surrender, her body would eventually give out.

“Mash, hold on just a little longer.”

Suddenly, Aoko’s voice reached her.

“Aoko-san?”

Seeing Aoko step out from behind the castle wall to stand beside her, Mash was momentarily stunned.

Touching her head lightly, Aoko smiled: “You’ve kept protecting Fujimaru and the others. I suppose Akuta might not need protection, but you must keep Fujimaru and Jeanne safe. As for that winged lizard hopping around up there—leave him to me.”

“Akuta has already eliminated all the Wyverns. Jeanne and Mash protected us all. So now, it’s my turn to act. I’ll show you my Magic.”

*ZING!*

As Aoko spoke, a complex magical circle instantly spun into existence beneath her feet. An enormous surge of Mana erupted from her body, triggering physical phenomena and creating fierce winds swirling around her!

When was the last time she used Magic?

Aoko couldn’t recall clearly. It must have been ages ago—perhaps once, in that parallel world, during her confrontation with Rei?

More than a decade had passed since then.

“—Listen well, O principal beings—“

After so long without chanting a spell, Aoko extended both hands forward.

“—Proclaim—“

Her right arm stretched ahead; her left pulled back strongly behind her.

“—I proclaim in the name of Order (Blue)—“

Like drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, layered magical circles rapidly formed and multiplied before Aoko’s right arm. So many circles appeared they stretched nearly ten meters forward.

“—Everything (not.), truth (SANE)—“

Her crimson hair whipped wildly in the howling wind. Though confined to the control room and unable to see the battlefield, Naoki could imagine that the Magician he loved must be wearing a joyful smile.

Under the disbelieving gazes of Mash and her companions, as if witnessing a miracle—

“—Order (five), here shattered (timelesswords)—“

Aoko clenched her left fist, brimming with Mana, and drove it with full strength into the multi-layered magical circle stretching almost ten meters before her!

At that instant, everyone saw the same sight.

The legendary evil dragon Fafnir, along with the sky behind him, was pierced through by a single, blinding ray of light!

-

Title: Professor Lev, the Professional Traitor

Just how powerful could Aoko possibly be at her peak?

Even Naoki didn’t know. Partly because there was no need to find out, and partly because it would simply be too uncomfortable to witness. It should be noted that Aoko had earned the nickname “Human Rocket Launcher” when she was still in her twenties. Now nearly fifty years old, of course she hadn’t stagnated—she had undoubtedly grown even stronger.

If she were to unleash her full power even once, people from the Clock Tower would come hunting for her before the day ended, triggering a cascade of complications.

But within this Singularity, things were different. In this era of the past, Aoko didn’t need to worry about anything. Even a magical cannon fired at maximum power could now be used without restraint.

Therefore—

*BOOOOOM!*

Witnessing the Mana reaction as the magical cannon pierced through the evil dragon and sky like it might blast straight into outer space, Naoki, sitting in the control room, let out a wry smile.

“She really hasn’t changed at all—actually, she’s even more absurd than before, Aoko.”

“If I fought her seriously right now, I probably wouldn’t win easily.”

(“Only ‘wouldn’t win easily’?”)

Hearing Naoki’s words, the other staff members in the control room exchanged slightly helpless expressions. They’d become somewhat numb to such remarks from their Head of Operations, especially after witnessing the incredible feats he demonstrated following the start of the Human Order Burn.

Yet, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Aoko, who could stand beside an extraordinary being like Naoki, truly possessed skill on par with his own.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Jeanne Alter couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Fafnir, the legendary evil dragon—whom even Siegfried had needed immense luck and favorable circumstances to defeat—had just been completely obliterated by that Magician in a single attack?!

This was the pinnacle of Phantasmal Species! Not some mass-produced crocodile troops like the Wyverns! And given dragons’ natural resistance to magecraft, shouldn’t a simple magical cannon—a basic form of Magecraft—be incapable of even scratching its scales?

It shouldn’t have left so much as a mark!

Yet, sensing Fafnir’s complete annihilation within that beam, Jeanne Alter had no choice but to accept reality. The Magician named Aoko had truly erased Fafnir in one strike.

“Huuu…”

Exhaling deeply, Aoko turned toward Ritsuka and the others—who were staring in stunned silence—and flashed a large V-sign with her hand: “Alright! Mission accomplished!”

“B-b-b-b-b-b…!”

Ritsuka stammered, mouth hanging open for a long time, unable to utter the words “incredible.” Though she’d seen grand spectacles before—even witnessed the battle between Naoki and King Solomon in Fuyuki City prior to leaving—this moment left a far greater impact on her than any before!

She had torn through the sky with a single blow! The visual spectacle was utterly mind-blowing!

“Is this… what a Magician can do? This is unbelievable! Aoko-san!”

Mash also shouted in excitement, her face radiant with enthusiasm.

Magi cannot defeat Servants. When facing Servants—or even Phantasmal Species whose mysteries far surpass those of modern Magi—modern Magi are always powerless. That was the unwritten rule Roman and Marie had always taught her.

But now, Aoko had shattered that rule into pieces. Or perhaps that beam of light was actually Magic itself? Was the Fifth Magic essentially extreme destruction?

Mash couldn’t even ask—her overwhelming shock caused her to completely forget to speak.

Meanwhile, Hinako, arms crossed and leaning nearby, frowned. As a fairy who had lived from ancient times into the modern age, she was no stranger to Magic. After all, in the distant past, there weren’t only five Magics. Immortals could achieve effects similar to Magic through various Xian Arts.

Yet even compared to other forms of Magic, the power Aoko displayed still astonished her.

This Magician born in the modern age was far stronger than she had imagined.

As for Jeanne… this village girl from rural France was likely the most shocked among them all. Unlike the others, who had already seen great wonders, she had only recently become a Servant. Her perception of time remained frozen at the moment of her execution. So in terms of experience, she had only ever seen battles where two armies attacked each other with cannons. The phenomenon Aoko had created was something she had never witnessed before.

First encounters are always the most shocking.

“It’s not that impressive.” Aoko said, walking over to Ritsuka’s wrist to speak with Naoki. “I heard from Lia that you once went into space and destroyed a meteor, right? Compared to that, what I just did was nothing.”

“Eh?! The Department Chief can destroy meteors?!”

【It wasn’t a real meteor. You could’ve destroyed it too if you’d gone there—but anyway, we can still detect Mana reactions from Jeanne Alter and the others. It’s not over yet. But since Fafnir is dealt with, the rest is just cleanup work.】

【The primary cause of this Singularity is the Holy Grail. Based on the current situation, there’s no doubt the Grail is in Jeanne Alter’s possession. Retrieve it cleanly, then return.】

“You make it sound so easy.”

Aoko stood up and looked toward Jeanne Alter and the two others: “It’s over, Sorceress Jeanne, Gilles de Rais, and Atalanta. How about handing over the Holy Grail peacefully? If you do, I’ll let you leave with minimal damage.”

“How arrogant! Do you think you’ve already won?”

Jeanne Alter’s expression twisted in fury. At the same moment, golden light suddenly flared in her hand. A golden Holy Grail instantly materialized in her grasp.

“Over? Don’t joke around. It’s far from over… No, you’re the ones who will end here. Do you really think defeating Fafnir means victory? Such shallow thinking. As long as I hold this Holy Grail, Fafnir can be summoned again and again—”

*PU-CHI!*

Jeanne Alter’s words were abruptly cut off by a piercing sound—behind her, both Atalanta and Gilles de Rais had been impaled through the heart by three massive tentacles that had appeared out of nowhere!

“W-what… is… this…”

“The Magician is correct. It really is over, false creatures.”

As everyone stood in shock, a voice strikingly familiar to those of Chaldea suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

Dressed in his usual green jacket, he quietly stepped into the center of the warzone. Glancing at the five allies standing with Aoko, Professor Lev offered a faint smile: “For you, it’s been quite some time, hasn’t it?”

“I’m deeply disappointed to see you’re still alive, Mash, Akuta, Fujimaru.”

“Professor… Lev…”

-

Title: Professor Lev Removes His Mask

Professor Lev.

To everyone except Naoki, this was their first encounter since the control room explosion.

Although they had already heard from Naoki about Lev’s betrayal, hearing about it and actually witnessing it were two entirely different things. For Mash, it was no different. In her memories, even though Professor Lev was a traditional Magus, he occasionally surprised her by showing unexpectedly gentle, human sides—and he often helped her with various matters.

But now, seeing the Professor Lev standing before her, Mash felt every hair on her body stand on end. Instinctively, she raised her shield and pointed it directly at him.

“Oh, oh, oh, why are you so wary of me, Mash?”

Seeing this, Professor Lev laughed as if he were watching an utterly amusing scene.

Mash stared at him seriously: “Professor Lev… No, I should call you one of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods? Although your appearance is still that of Professor Lev, I can sense a powerful evil nature radiating from you.”

“…”

After a brief silence, Professor Lev sighed, then made a face full of disgust and revulsion: “Aaaah~~~ So Natsukawa told you. Only he could’ve done it. Somehow, he always knew most of what was going on. He’s known about our existence for a long time too… What a thoroughly repulsive man.”

These were Flauros’ sincere words from the depths of his heart.

Though to Chaldea employees, their public relationship seemed harmonious—apart from occasional ideological disagreements—only the two of them knew that outside public spaces, they never interacted personally at all. They hadn’t even met once in private.

Chaldea wasn’t such a large place. Normally, people would naturally cross paths occasionally. Yet surprisingly, Flauros and Naoki never encountered each other outside the control room—not even by chance in the corridors.

【I thought you’d been completely destroyed, Flauros.】

Naoki’s voice came through Ritsuka’s wristband.

【Judging from your current state, you haven’t revived. Considering the nature of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods as a unified entity, have you now split off a new terminal directly from your main body?】

“This terminal shouldn’t have appeared at all.” Flauros said with disdain. “The seven Singularities have formed, and Humanity has successfully been burned away. The remaining tasks are merely cleanup. I am no longer needed.”

“But… damn it, this really pisses me off! Destruction was inevitable—why does Chaldea still fight so desperately? Why do you remnants of Humanity keep getting in the way?”

The more Flauros spoke, the wilder and more distorted his facial expression became.

At that moment, behind Flauros, Jeanne Alter—whose chest and spiritual core had been pierced and who should have been incapable of fighting—suddenly swung the banner in her hand and struck Flauros’s head with all her strength!

*PU-CHI!*

Yet, before the banner could land, Jeanne Alter was impaled again by the tentacles!

Blood sprayed violently.

Shaking off the useless banner dangling above his head, Flauros turned and glared at the three impaled figures: “I almost forgot about you. You were given the Holy Grail, yet couldn’t even accomplish the simple task of destroying this place. Fake beings remain fake. Servants are utterly worthless.”

“If I’d known, I should’ve acted alone from the start.”

As soon as Flauros finished speaking, the Holy Grail in Jeanne Alter’s hand instantly transferred into his own. This wasn’t just a physical transfer—it was a complete shift in ownership.

“Ugh!”

The moment she lost the Grail, Jeanne Alter’s face turned deathly pale. Her entire body rapidly began dissolving into illusion!

“Ohhh! My Lady! Jeanne!”

Gilles de Rais cried out in anguish at the sight.

“Please, wake up! Jeanne! Please don’t disappear before my eyes again—”

*PU-CHI!*

Another fleshy pillar erupted from beneath the ground, and like smashing a watermelon, it crashed down onto Gilles de Rais’s head from above. Pure pressure crushed him flat beneath it!

“Gilles!”

Jeanne Alter instinctively cried out in distress, her face twisting uncontrollably with rage. Though she struggled to maintain calm and indifference, the changes in her eyes and expression clearly revealed her true feelings.

Anger. Hatred.

Jeanne Alter was an existence created by Gilles de Rais when he used the Holy Grail to fulfill his desires. She was not another Jeanne born from Jeanne’s dark side, as she claimed.

She had been imbued with Gilles de Rais’s ideology—to take revenge on France that betrayed you, to take revenge on the people who abandoned you, to take revenge on the god who failed to save you. Thus, the only emotions Jeanne Alter could ever feel were anger and hatred.

And now, those emotions had been stimulated to the extreme.

“You bastard…”

Sudden crimson karma flames burst from Jeanne Alter’s body!

But—

“Noisy.”

*PU-CHI!*

Along with Flauros’s icy words, the tentacle piercing Jeanne Alter’s body violently expanded outward. Like inflating a balloon already filled with air, a massive hole suddenly ripped open in her torso. From her left chest down to her left leg, that entire section vanished instantly from her body!

Looking at the helpless remains of Jeanne Alter lying on the ground, Flauros didn’t even spare her a second glance. He completely ignored her furious gaze and raised the Holy Grail high in his hand.

*ZING!*

An intense light burst forth from within the Holy Grail. Like overflowing liquid or a volcanic eruption, endless waves of Mana surged out and enveloped Lev.

At that moment—

【Mana reaction spiking drastically! Far exceeding Servant levels! Even higher than Aozaki’s attack earlier! And the nature of this Mana… There’s no mistake! It’s identical to what King Solomon summoned in Fuyuki City back then!】

【Fujimaru! Mash! Akuta! Be careful—what’s emerging there is—】

Ritsuka didn’t fully hear Roman’s warning, because before she could, a colossal creature had already begun slowly emerging from within the blinding light. What her eyes beheld shook her consciousness and soul so profoundly that she could no longer hear any sound from the outside world.

It was a Pillar of Flesh.

A gigantic flesh pillar, mountain-sized in scale. Shaped like a column, its surface covered not only in black flesh but also countless blood-red eyes.

“This is…”

“The same as in Fuyuki City back then…”

【Yes. This is—the Demon God Pillar.】

-

Title: Our Nuclear... Is Not on the Way

Demon God Pillar.

A monster summoned by Solomon from the Four Pillars in the past, in the city of Fuyuki.

At that time, because Naoki was assigned to intercept and guard the rear, Ritsuka and her companions had never truly felt what kind of monster it was.

But now, after directly confronting this presence, they finally realized exactly what kind of monster it was!

Her body continuously issued warnings. Her hands, legs, and torso trembled without cease. A powerful fear constantly welled up from within Ritsuka’s heart. Merely by looking at it, she knew this was something she could never confront—even with Mash and Hinako beside her, and Aoko capable of using Magic, Ritsuka could not imagine any way they might stand against the entity before them.

An overwhelming presence, mana too evil and malevolent, power too terrifying...

(The Department Head... back then, he fought monsters like this? And there were four of them?!)

Shock filled Ritsuka’s heart. And she had no idea that, at that time, Naoki hadn’t merely faced four Demon God Pillars—after they departed, he had confronted sixteen of them.

“I’ll introduce myself in an easily understandable way.”

A voice emerged from within the flesh pillar, as if originating from a deep abyss.

“I am Lev Lainur Flauros. I can perceive the past and present, and foresee the future. I am an upper-tier living being surpassing humanity. I am one of the Seventy-Two Divine Devil Pillars beneath our most exalted throne—Flauros.”

“This is my true form!”

“Be proud!”

“Be afraid!”

“You shall be annihilated here by the Sacred Pillar beneath the Majestic Throne!”

Unbounded mana suddenly erupted from the Demon God Pillar!

Almost instinctively, Mash and Jeanne rushed forward simultaneously, raising their shields and banners. But even before either could unleash their Noble Phantasms, that terrifying mana transformed into thick, pitch-black mist, surging forth like a tidal wave of unimaginable force!

Beyond its immense mana, the black mist carried extreme heat and pressure—as if an avalanche of snow hurtling at a terrifying velocity. Anything it passed through—earth, space, or even still-burning flames—was shattered into fragments.

Within the black mist, Mash held firm against its impact with her shield. Her arms, supporting the shield, trembled incessantly. Though the shield itself would never break, Mash’s spirit was far from unshakable. She still felt terror and dread.

Supporting Mash from behind, Jeanne spoke with an apologetic tone: “I’m sorry… my Noble Phantasm was just… Is there no other way? Aoko-san, Akuta-senpai, everyone at Chaldea…”

“I think there must be.”

“Why wouldn’t there be? Hey, Roman—is he on his way?”

【Yes, he has just left the control room—Mash! Fujimaru! And Jeanne, five minutes! Hold on for at most five minutes! After that, victory will be ours!】

“Five minutes… Ah!”

As Roman spoke, Ritsuka suddenly realized something she had entirely overlooked. So many things had happened in the past few hours that she’d almost forgotten this.

Before they set out, Naoki had told her—

【I guarantee I’ll arrive within five minutes when you’re in your most desperate situation.】

(Five minutes… If you don’t show up, I’ll become a ghost and hunt you down, Department Head!)

“Mash!”

Placing her hand on Mash’s shoulder, Ritsuka forcibly channeled her own mana into Mash’s body in an unprofessional manner, took a deep breath, and said: “Hold on! Wait for the Department Head to arrive!”

“Understood, Master!”

Mash immediately nodded firmly.

Yet—

【Eh? Natsukawa? Why are you still here?!】

Roman’s sudden voice caused several people to fall silent.

Naoki was still in the control room?!

【Why do you think I wasn’t here? I just drank too much cola earlier, got the urge to pee, and went to the bathroom. What, is there a super crisis?】

【Professor Lev has revealed his true form as a Demon God Pillar! The situation here is extremely dangerous! How can you still be so calm over there?!】

Even from afar, they could hear Roman’s anxiety. Yet, facing these words, Naoki’s next reply was utterly unexpected.

【That’s all? That’s not a crisis they can’t handle themselves. Besides, Aoko’s here. Why are you panicking? Step aside—I’ll speak. Ehem! Fujimaru, can you hear me?】

“Department Head… you’re not coming?”

【Yes, this time I won’t come. Because it’s unnecessary.】

Naoki spoke calmly.

【Listen carefully, Fujimaru. You might think I’m refusing to help—but in truth, this level is nowhere near enough to kill you. If you give up just because a math problem gets slightly difficult, how will you ever survive your final exams?】

【Fight harder. Fight with every ounce of your soul. Only if you’ve given absolutely everything—and still lose—should you ask for my help.】

“...”

Hearing those words, Ritsuka and her companions remained silent for a moment. Around them, only the thunderous explosions of the Demon God Pillar echoed.

After a long silence, Ritsuka brought her bracelet close to her mouth, drew a deep, full breath, and laughed: “I understand, Department Head. I’ll fight until death to survive and win.”

【Good. By the way, according to our observations, Jeanne and Atalanta’s magical reactions have just disappeared—or rather, they’ve merged with the Demon God Pillar’s reaction.】

“That means… they’ve been absorbed?”

【Essentially, yes. Although I don’t know why Flauros did it—perhaps randomly. But this is also your opportunity. After all, by doing this, Flauros has weakened himself in certain aspects. Servants aren’t beings easily absorbed. Especially Jeanne Alter, brimming with hatred and rage. I can assure you, she won’t assimilate into Flauros after being absorbed.】

Meaning—at least for now—Flauros cannot focus all his attention solely on Ritsuka and her companions.

And if he cannot unleash his full power, there is a chance to defeat him.

【Senior Hinako, don’t even think about self-destructing again. Fight normally sometimes. Aoko, I refuse to believe you stopped after using magic once. Isn’t your energy endless when you fight me? Use that same energy now.】

“Y-you’re saying what, stupid Naoki!”

Aoko’s face flushed slightly, then quickly returned to normal: “I get it. I didn’t say I wouldn’t fight. I just assumed you’d show up, right? By the way—you’re not showing up this time just because you’re being lazy!”

【Ah, the signal’s bad here. What did you say? I didn’t catch it for a few seconds.】

(This guy!)

Hearing Naoki’s absurd reply, Aoko sighed helplessly. After exchanging glances with those around her—

“Then let’s move forward.”

“We won’t be underestimated by that lazy bastard.

-

Title: Aoko, the Table-Cleaning Expert

In the Control Room.

Watching Naoki appear relaxed, Roman—though aware that Naoki never acted without careful calculation—still asked: “You really aren’t planning to go, Natsukawa? Lev… you should know better than anyone the power of the Demon God Pillar.”

“Yes.”

“Then… even if this is meant to train Fujimaru and Mash, starting with this is too…”

“Too difficult?” Naoki smiled. “Perhaps it seems so to you, Roman—but this is only the first Singularities. The one with the smallest fluctuations and lowest difficulty level. What we’ll face in the next Singularities… I’ve already told you about them.”

Roman had indeed been informed of what awaited them in the coming Singularities.

Beyond various Servants, they would confront Demon God Pillars one after another—even Divine Spirits, even the Mother Creator from Mesopotamian mythology—all enemies Ritsuka and her companions would eventually face.

“Compared to the foes awaiting them in the future, right now they’re only facing a single Demon God Pillar. The boss level is precisely at the edge of their current capabilities. If they need my help for something like this…”

“I can’t stand you. Aren’t your expectations of that child impossibly high?”

“Are they? Compared to what I’ve endured, I consider one Demon God Pillar an easy situation. If only I’d faced something this simple back then.”

Hearing Naoki’s words, Roman glared at him instantly—but at the same time, he had to admit Naoki was right. Compared to his own past experiences, the situation in this first Singularities was genuinely easy.

“Besides, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help.”

Naoki suddenly changed tone.

“I merely said I won’t go there—not that I won’t assist.”

“Eh? What do you mean… Wait, what are you sending?”

As Naoki pressed the final Enter key, he grinned: “An effective method to annihilate the Demon God Pillar—I can’t fight for you, but giving you strategy? That’s perfectly fine, isn’t it?”

“You’re…”

Roman couldn’t suppress a helpless, wry smile: “Please don’t scare me like that. It’s bad for my heart.”

“Didn’t you get startled? What’s that got to do with me?”

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the Singularities.

*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*

As the crimson-red eyes on the Demon God Pillar pulsed, horrific explosions continued to tear through the earth. Thick black mist surged like an avalanche of snow, wildly obliterating everything around it.

The Demon God Pillar named Flauros functioned like a cannon with infinite ammunition, relentlessly unleashing waves of destructive power.

Under such an onslaught of infernal fire, no living being could possibly survive. Flauros was certain of it.

But—

*BOOOOOMM!*

Like a cannonball launched from a barrel, Jeanne suddenly burst out from the dust created by the explosions. Behind her, Mash carrying Ritsuka, followed by Aoko and Hinako, emerged one after another in rapid succession!

None of them were injured?!

Amidst this carpet-bombing assault, not even a single person was hurt?!

“Lady Holy Banner?”

Seeing the slightly damaged Holy Banner in Jeanne’s hand, Flauros immediately understood.

“Just a survival tactic. But how long can that holy banner protect you all!”

Countless crimson eyes simultaneously fixed their gaze upon Jeanne and her companions. As those eyes began glowing, an intense sense of danger immediately swept over everyone.

“Jeanne-san, please catch Master!”

Without hesitation, Mash accelerated past Jeanne, forcefully hurling Ritsuka—who was cradled in her arms—toward Jeanne, then immediately materialized her shield—

*BOOMMMMMM!*

A deafening explosion erupted violently into the air. Strange, massive violet flames bloomed like volcanic eruptions. The immense shockwave instantly flung Mash—who stood at the front—backward!

At the exact moment Mash was thrown, a sword simultaneously streaked toward her from Hinako’s hand. Automatically flying into Mash’s grip, the blade instantly pulled her back to safety.

“Akuta-senpai?! This—”

“That’s called Taoist Air-Grabbing! It’d be a nightmare if our tanks vanished mid-battle. Next time, stand firm!”

“Got it! Thank you so much!”

(Akuta-senpai is incredibly reliable—even without self-destructing!)

Ritsuka, being carried on Jeanne’s shoulder, unconsciously thought this—by the way, why did she have to be carried like this? Even though it was to keep her from falling behind, she felt an icy chill beneath her skirt!

*TIT-TIT-TIT!*

At that moment, her bracelet suddenly beeped. Struggling to lift her arm, Ritsuka opened it: “Eh? From the Department Head? Method to Annihilate the Demon God Pillar—from Start to Wuaaaahhh—!”

Suddenly thrown into the air and then plummeting downward, Ritsuka couldn’t help screaming!

“Sorry, Miss Fujimaru. The situation was urgent—did Mr. Natsukawa send something?”

“Ugh… dizzy… He sent it…”

“Let me see!”

Aoko, following closely behind, immediately grabbed Ritsuka’s wrist and read the message displayed:
“<In summary, the Demon God Pillar is neither a Servant nor a Phantasmal Species. Of course, it is not human. However, its entire body is composed of Mana, similar to a Servant. Therefore, fundamentally, you may employ the same methods used against Servants.>”

“<However, since the Demon God Pillar lacks a Spiritual Core, the most effective method is to attack its entire body. Obliterate it completely with one massive-scale strike. Let Aoko handle it—she excels at this.> —Department Head!?”

As Aoko deflected incoming explosive blasts with a single magical cannon shot, she sighed heavily amid the raging storm of detonations: “He’s dumping all the work onto me again. Though… I did come here to help…”

“Can we count on you, Aoko-san?”

Alongside Jeanne, Mash once again blocked the incoming attacks from the eyes, seizing the brief opening to ask: “Among us, Aoko-san possesses the greatest ranged firepower. That magic which obliterated Fafnir earlier—can you use it again?”

“Yes, no problem. But it requires preparation time.”

“We’ll give you time. Don’t fail.”

Hinako swung her sword, cleaving through the incoming violet flames. The searing wave split cleanly down the middle, rushing harmlessly to either side of them.

“We have many ways to buy you time. You just need to be responsible for blowing it to pieces. Human Rocket Launcher.”

“I really hate that nickname…”

Sighing helplessly, Aoko halted her movement. She took a deep breath—and the massive magical circle reappeared beneath her feet. Layer upon layer of concentric rings, like a Matryoshka doll, formed once more along her arms.

(Is that going to happen? The attack that erased the evil dragon?)

Witnessing this sight, every eye across Flauros’s body locked onto Aoko simultaneously. Even before revealing himself, he had silently observed her—he knew full well of Aoko’s devastating attack that wiped out Fafnir.

With his current form, if he absorbed that attack, complete annihilation was not impossible.

(I just need to stop it before it activates.)

*SWISH!* *SWISH!* *SWISH!*

Crimson flashes ignited in countless eyes. Regardless of whether it could be blocked, he only needed to interrupt the spell’s activation.

Yet—at that very moment—

*BUZZZ!*

Blood-red Karma Fire erupted without warning, scorching the surface of the Demon God Pillar!