A profound, shadowed scene unfolded.
Looking up, one would quickly realize they stood deep beneath the earth's surface.
The darkness above loomed like an abyss, shattered rocks fell ceaselessly, and grotesque corpses, scorched and crumbling in fading flames, littered the ground.
Dark spears of confinement stood erect on the black-mud-covered earth.
Yet, with their mistress Ereshkigal's absence, these spears lost their radiance, their surfaces dimming abruptly.
Blackness, scorched earth, and an ominous crimson tide rippled beneath everyone's feet, sealing off further paths forward.
Why? Why had it come to this?
"We fought with everything to win, so why is this happening…?!" Ritsuka cried out.
In the fractured underworld, the red-haired girl in a white combat jacket and black pants ran desperately. Countless glowing, oddly shaped humanoid figures, ascended warriors, surged from the shadows, striving to halt her advance.
"Careful, Senpai!!"
Bang!!
A dull crash echoed as an attacking humanoid was sent flying dozens of meters.
The purple-haired girl wielding a massive shield, Mash Kyrielight, swiftly returned to Ritsuka's side, standing resolute like a gallant knight, blocking all assailants without yielding an inch.
"Thank you, Mash." Ritsuka said.
"No need to thank me. I failed to stop them all, putting you in danger…" Mash replied, shaking her head, bolstered by Ritsuka's words.
"No, it was my own carelessness…" Ritsuka began.
"Mongrels! How long will you dawdle?!" Gilgamesh bellowed from above, arms spread as countless golden portals opened in the void behind him, unleashing a barrage of weapons. His Noble Phantasm's salvo kept the ascended warriors and specters at bay, unable to approach through the rain of swords.
Facing Ereshkigal in her own underworld was pressure at its peak.
"Go stop that man, Master of Chaldea, or things will get worse!!" Gilgamesh warned, focusing on suppressing the warriors and spirits below.
"I understand, King." Ritsuka replied.
"Please, Miss Ishtar." She added.
"Arghhh!! What is all this?!" Ishtar groaned. "Fine, just take down that turncoat, right? Let me, the goddess of love and beauty, punish that scoundrel! Come on, Ritsuka, grab my hand!"
The goddess, clad in Uruk's airy attire, soared across the battlefield on her Maanna, extending a hand to pull Ritsuka onto the celestial bow. Using its aerial agility, she whisked the girls through the chaotic battlefield.
Despite her own confusion, Ishtar had no time to ponder. First, they'd confront that man.
"You won't succeed, meow~! Take this!!"
They hadn't gone far when a massive sense of danger loomed. A giant yellow paw descended, aiming for Ishtar's Maanna.
"What?! Hold on!!" Ishtar yelped, dodging the sudden claw with her millennia-honed driving skills.
Bang!!
The massive paw sliced through rock like a knife through cake, leaving three deep claw marks in the underworld's earth.
"Miss Jaguar!!" Ritsuka exclaimed, eyes wide as Taiga blocked their path.
"Haha, I like you, Ritsuka-chan, but Roy-nii gave me a job, so I can't let you pass, rawr~!" The spirited girl in Jaguar garb stood firm.
"Even you, Miss Jaguar…?" Mash said, incredulous.
Why? They'd defeated Tiamat, their greatest foe, yet their allies had split into factions over two Masters' wills, now clashing against each other.
"Move!" Ishtar snapped, her mood souring as the foolish Jaguar blocked them.
Their victory was built on countless sacrifices, hers and Ereshkigal's. Whatever that man was scheming, she wouldn't let these nuisances trample their efforts so easily!
"Mere foreign gods, get out of my way!!" Ishtar shouted, preparing to unleash her power.
"No need to get so worked up, little sister Ishtar. Leave this idiot Jaguar to me." Quetzalcoatl interjected, lunging from the side to grapple Taiga's neck, dragging her dozens of meters away.
In an instant, she cleared a path for Ishtar and Ritsuka.
"Now's our chance, go!" Quetzalcoatl urged, attempting a chokehold, only for the agile Jaguar to slip free.
"Phew, thought I was done for!" Taiga said, patting her stomach in relief before reverting to her lively self. "Come on, Kukulkan, I won't hold back this time~!"
"Oh? You're serious?" Quetzalcoatl said, eyeing Taiga with disdain. "Where's that Tezcatlipoca? I'm here for him, you're not worth my time."
"Uh… the boss?" Taiga scratched her head awkwardly, relaying Tezcatlipoca's taunt. "He said wars match kings to kings, generals to generals, soldiers to soldiers. Someone who's never been crowned isn't worth his time."
"He's off facing the Old Man of the Mountain."
Taiga picked her ear casually.
If her goal was to enrage Quetzalcoatl, she succeeded spectacularly.
"Good… very good. A Grand Saint Graph makes you untouchable, huh?" Quetzalcoatl growled, veins bulging, her face contorted. "Damn you, Tezcatlipoca, I'll remember this."
She glared at Taiga. "You think you're my match, Jaguar-chan?"
"Uh… maybe, rounded up, I guess…" Taiga stammered, swallowing hard under Quetzalcoatl's fury, itching to flee.
But recalling Roy's task, she steeled herself. Stalling shouldn't be too hard… right?
Come on, Taiga, you got this!! she cheered herself, standing firm. "No problem! I'm stopping you here, Kukulkan!!"
"Such resolve, Jaguar-chan…" Quetzalcoatl said. "Then you can die!!"
"Huh?!"
Instead of praise, Quetzalcoatl delivered a fiery, full-force flying kick.
Bang!!
Too fast to dodge, Taiga felt a sharp pain in her neck, her body hurtling like it was struck by a speeding train, a muffled grunt escaping as she felt her frame nearly shatter.
"Ugh…!!"
The spirited girl spiraled hundreds of meters, caught by Quetzalcoatl's swift approach, pinned to the ground with a Brazilian-style joint lock, wailing in agony.
"Got you, Jaguar-chan! Show me your wrestler's spirit!!" Quetzalcoatl taunted, locking Taiga's arm and pressing her down.
"Aowww!!" Taiga's Tom-and-Jerry-like screams echoed through the underworld.
"Nooo! It hurts! So much! I was wrong, Kuku-chan!!"
After a few rounds, Taiga surrendered, her earlier bravado comically undercut.
"…"
Deep in the underworld, Roy, seated on Ereshkigal's throne, clutched his head at Taiga's antics, chuckling wryly. "As expected, Taiga's as erratic as ever… Was asking her to stall Quetzalcoatl too much?"
"But she's got Quetzalcoatl's attention. Mission accomplished, in a way."
Elsewhere, in an underworld valley, Tezcatlipoca laughed, nimbly dodging King Hassan's deadly greatsword.
Clang!!
Instead of clashing head-on, he used the underworld's terrain to evade.
"Tricky, huh…" Tezcatlipoca said, parrying with his spear, his grin giving way to focus.
Against such a lethal foe, underestimating King Hassan could be fatal. Truthfully, he'd rather fight Quetzalcoatl than this silent, ruthless Assassin.
But…
"Old man, no matter what, even if you break that decayed evening bell, you're not passing today." Tezcatlipoca declared, summoning the colossal white skeleton symbolizing destruction. "Let's play, see if your death or my underworld reigns supreme."
"Utter folly." King Hassan replied, his black armor flaring with blue flames, raising his greatsword in lieu of words.
"No talking, just fists? Fine by me." Tezcatlipoca said.
…
At the underworld's deepest reaches, under Ishtar's escort, or rather, Ereshkigal's deliberate leniency, Ritsuka and Mash reached their destination, gazing at the tall figure above.
Roy rose from Ereshkigal's throne, greeting the courageous Master of Humanity, Ritsuka.
"Master…" Ishtar murmured.
"Roy-senpai…" Ritsuka said.
They called out, but he didn't respond.
His hands bore traces of black flame, his ice-blue eyes glowing strangely as he looked down at them.
His aura and terrifying magical energy showed no intent to hold back.
No pleasantries preceded the trial; a blaze of dark flames greeted Ritsuka.
Roar!!
"Careful, Senpai!!" Mash shouted, stepping forward to block the heatwave with her shield.
A massive light sword, hundreds of meters long, materialized from Roy's shoulder, crashing down. Its force sent Mash and her shield flying, severing Ritsuka's path.
"Mash!!" Ritsuka cried, anxious to check on her, but a chasm carved by the light sword blocked her.
"I'm fine, Senpai!" Mash called, climbing from the rubble. The sword hadn't harmed her significantly, Roy's promise held true; it was intimidating but lacked the power to injure a Servant, especially one with Galahad's defensive prowess.
No harm, but… no interference either.
Roy raised his hand, snapping his fingers.
Snap!!
A crisp sound rang out.
Instantly, a dozen white light swords rained from the sky, piercing the ground around Mash, sealing her movement and preventing her from crossing the chasm.
"What…?" Mash gasped.
White chains erupted from the earth, binding her and hoisting her into the underworld's air.
"There we go." Roy said, smiling at the struggling Mash.
"Hey!! What are you doing?! Even your whims have limits!!" Ishtar protested, stepping forward.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Ishtar." Roy replied. "You're done here. Watch from the sidelines or find your sister, I don't care. Just don't interfere."
His gaze locked onto Ritsuka. "Ritsuka."
"You…?!" Ishtar stammered.
"Why…?" Ritsuka asked, stepping forward, her emotions a tangle of questions she couldn't articulate.
Roy answered first. "Wondering why I'm doing this?"
"Yes, please tell me." Ritsuka said, her expression resolute.
"There's no single reason… Maybe it's just a whim, or perhaps to save the world. Don't worry, I'll explain after the trial." Roy said.
"No more words are needed."
He raised his hand, black flames bursting around him, white light spilling as torrents of magical energy surged toward them.
"Come, Master of Chaldea, prove your resolve!"
"Ritsuka, show me if you have the courage to face a hellish future, to cross the abyss of despair!"
"For this battle, I'll use only my learned skills, not the Third Magic's endurance or support. This is a fair fight, and I'll witness your strength my way."
He drew a yellow card etched with a special magical ritual from his pocket, tossing it to Ritsuka.
"What's this?" Ritsuka asked, catching it, her eyes widening. She recognized it, a summoning card, like those Da Vinci crafted for Servant summons or Craft Essence forging, though its instability often produced useless results.
But this was different. The magical patterns weren't yellow but pure white, distinct from Da Vinci's.
"I said it's a fair fight, so I won't bully you with magic." Roy said.
"Use this card, Ritsuka. Perform the summoning ritual. It can call a specific Servant you've bonded with."
"The stronger your conviction, the better the affinity. With hope, you can summon the Servant you desire."
Before the trial began, Roy offered this guidance.
"I understand." Ritsuka said, gripping the card, feeling the voices of Servants she'd bonded with echoing within her.
They stood by her, ready to answer her call, their wills transcending time and space, forever with her.
She wasn't alone, countless Servants stood at her side.
This was likely what Roy-senpai wanted to see.
"Then… I won't let you down!!"
Ritsuka's expression hardened with resolve. As magical energy surged in her palm, the card glowed faintly.
A radiant, multicolored circle rose beneath her feet, the magic circle's light intensifying, dozens of light motes swirling around her. The card emitted a golden glow, flying from her hand to merge with the earth.
"Endless Servants across eras, answer my call!!" Ritsuka declared.
As conviction and light intertwined, boundless magical energy erupted beneath her.
The card, wrapped in golden light, transformed from a single hue to the radiant glow of a Servant's class.
A familiar male voice rang out.
"Was it you who summoned me…?"
___
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