Chapter 1087: Azure Beast-like Eyes
At the peak of the snowstorm.
Fujimaru Ritsuka stood blankly in the long corridor.
She felt as if she had forgotten something—something extremely important.
"What's wrong? Spacing out here?"
Da Vinci-chan passed by and couldn't help but laugh at her dazed expression.
"I get it. Is it because Kadoc woke up? Now that Chaldea has a proper Master, you're no longer needed, so you suddenly feel like there's nothing to do, right?"
"I understand how you feel, but be careful not to wander around outside, or you'll get scolded."
Kadoc woke up?
That's good news.
But there must have been a long story behind this, right?
Why can't I remember any of it?
Lost in her thoughts, Gudako headed to the Chaldea Gate, intending to enter the cyberspace for her daily fixed trials.
"No need, no need."
Sion appeared before her, cheerfully blocking her path.
"All of Chaldea's Servants are now under Kadoc's command. If you go in, you'll only cause trouble for everyone. From now on, you're free. I heard you were originally an ordinary person—you probably want to return to a normal life, right?"
That's true.
It is true.
But it feels a bit excessive.
After all, I've put in so much effort for Chaldea's work until now. To just let go and be driven out like this—it must be unreasonable, right?
Fujimaru Ritsuka had no words to retort.
Her figure dimmed for a moment, as if gradually becoming transparent.
In the barrier of the "Garden of Lost Hearts."
Artoria saw the images appearing before Gudako.
"Such harsh words. To bear the weight of the world's survival alone, only to be driven out as if she accomplished nothing—this barrier is truly vile."
The images continued.
Artoria was struggling to help Gudako sever the emotional connections.
But there seemed to be a transparent barrier between them, making it extremely difficult for her to interfere with Gudako. For the time being, she couldn't offer any help.
A dark figure appeared before Gudako.
He was entirely shrouded in dark demonic energy, revealing only a pair of beast-like, azure eyes.
"Shouldn't you learn to give up by now?"
He spoke to Gudako in a cheerful tone.
"Is your world truly worth saving? Everyone lies, everyone schemes against each other. Even after learning a lesson once, they make the same mistakes again, never improving... Does such a world really have the right to claim its possibilities surpass those of the Lostbelts? Does it really deserve to be the victor?"
"Do you really need to work for such a decaying world, even if it leaves you battered and bruised?"
"Everyone in this world has the right to relax, the right to refuse unreasonable demands. You have that right too!"
His words were like sharp arrows, instantly piercing Fujimaru Ritsuka's heart.
He was right.
If simply refusing could avoid the swarming harm, who wouldn't refuse?
Her already illusory figure grew increasingly faint.
Artoria's expression tightened.
Who exactly is this dark figure?
"Someone Fujimaru Ritsuka knows?"
The spoken words gave even her, an unrelated party, an impulse to abandon her mission as the Child of Prophecy!
She changed her approach, temporarily setting aside Gudako and attempting to cut off the playback of the image.
But for some reason, the image simply wouldn't stop.
From within that image emerged a pitch-black figure who glanced at her, intentionally or not.
In that instant, Artoria felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"That's right, you too... Hm?"
"To think bugs could infiltrate this barrier as well."
Just as the other party was about to open that seductive mouth again.
Within the image, under the astonished gaze of the pitch-black figure, black-gray mist gathered, gradually forming a figure not far from Gudako.
"You've got to be kidding me, you can even invade this place?"
The pitch-black figure widened those azure eyes filled with shock.
"If you can do it, why can't I?"
The moment that person appeared, they threw a mocking laugh toward him.
"You are...?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes gradually regained a trace of consciousness.
She looked at that person in astonishment, feeling an inexplicable familiarity with their attire.
A black hooded cloak—though their face was unclear, their figure was tall and slender. Just looking at that silhouette gave a strong sense of visual pleasure.
"Come forth, Twelfth Familiar, Alrescha Glacies!"
A brand-new familiar appeared in this dream space.
With a mermaid-like graceful form paired with a harpy-like ferocious upper body, it created a contradictory visual of beauty and grotesqueness.
Amid the explosion of immense magical energy, astonishing cold air capable of freezing time and space spewed from the harpy's mouth, encasing everything around in ice!
Not only the indistinct pitch-black figure, but even all of Chaldea was instantly covered in ice!
"Ugh!"
The terrifying blizzard made Fujimaru Ritsuka instinctively shield her eyes.
"Tch!"
The figure clicked their tongue in displeasure.
Then gradually dissipated.
The cold air slowly faded.
"How long are you going to stay here?"
After repelling the pitch-black figure, the cloaked person turned around.
Despite such a violent blizzard, it hadn't even blown open their hood—how strange.
"Artoria woke up long ago. It seems she has much more backbone than you. Whatever, I'll give you a hand."
The cloaked person raised their hand.
Snapped their fingers with a sharp click.
"Hurry up and wake up! Reinforcements are already at the door!"
The dream shattered instantly.
Whether it was the snowy mountain, Chaldea, Gudako, or the ice—everything vanished.
"Such a troublesome woman."
The cloaked person sighed but then fell into deep thought.
"But speaking of which, that pitch-black figure just now—who exactly were they?"
Why did they feel somewhat familiar?
"Ugh!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka suddenly woke up, looking around in fright at the darkness.
"Where is this?"
"Thank goodness, you're finally awake!"
Seeing her regain consciousness, Artoria couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"This is inside the Garden of Lost Will."
"That's right! We were sucked into the barrier by that pig Beryl when we were in Norwich!"
Gudako suddenly came to her senses, all her memories flooding back.
"Was that a dream just now? That was the 'Garden' you mentioned before, such a terrifying magecraft... Could it be that the one who saved me in the end was...?"
"Basically everything you said is correct."
Artoria kept nodding repeatedly.
Who would have thought that bastard could even invade dreams? Is there anything he can't do?
"By the way, he just said the rescue team has reached the entrance?"
"Yes, we should be able to get out soon!"
...
"Whoa!"
Beryl the pig was sent flying with a slap after attempting a sudden dash.
This was a dark, damp cave where artificial digging marks could be seen everywhere. Judging from the adjacent prison cells, this place appeared to be used as a secret dungeon.