Singularity F – Deep Within the Ryuudou Cave
Deep within Mount Ryuudou, sunlight could no longer reach. The air was thick with damp earth and the stench of death. Droplets of water echoed through the darkness, merging with the oppressive magical pressure — as if even the space itself was gasping for breath.
BOOM!!
The clash of steel rang out, sparks scattering in the black void. Shield and sword — one side unwavering, the other consumed by despair.
Mash Kyrielight grit her teeth, her whole body trembling from the shockwave. She raised her massive round shield, its edge quivering under the overwhelming force pressing down upon it.
Before her stood a figure clad in black armor, long ash-gray hair swaying with each motion, golden eyes cold and distant like falling stars. In her hands burned the dark blade — Excalibur Morgan, its surface pulsing with condensed shadow.
"—!!"
A single downward slash came crashing like divine thunder. Mash braced herself, her feet sliding backward across the stone floor, leaving deep magical scars etched into the ground. The next instant, she was hurled backward, slamming hard into the cavern wall.
Stone fragments fell in a slow cascade…
"Kh–kgh… s-so strong…" Mash gasped, clutching her shield tighter. Every cell in her body screamed in protest against the crushing power behind that blow.
Across from her, Saber Alter advanced unhurriedly. Each step left scorched marks on the ground; black mana radiated from her body so intensely that the very air trembled around her.
"Weak resistance. You can protect nothing like this." Her voice was cold, stripped of all humanity — only the absolute command of darkness remained.
Mash clenched her teeth, driving her shield deep into the ground as a magic circle flared beneath her feet.
Runes lit up in violet-blue, and Lord Chaldeas shone with a pure white light — the emblem of humanity's hope and faith.
"No…! I won't back down! This is my duty and Chaldea's belief!!"
With a shout, she surged forward, slamming her shield toward Saber Alter. The impact detonated in a burst of mana.
BOOM!!!
The violent collision unleashed a shockwave that ripped through the cavern. Rocks shattered, dust engulfed everything.
Within that cloud of debris, two figures clashed again — a gleam of silver light against the abyssal dark.
Saber Alter spun, Excalibur Morgan carving a blazing black arc through the air, dripping with cursed mana.
Mash braced her stance, raised her shield, locking against the blow — then twisted, using the recoil to drive forward and strike across the sword's body.
The shriek of metal against metal ripped through the cavern.
Each strike from Alter felt like it could crush the soul itself, while every block from Mash shone with desperate resolve — the radiance of a spirit refusing to yield.
Then—Saber Alter leapt back, raising her blade high, black energy surging upward in a torrent.
"—Excalibur Morgan!!"
A beam of darkness tore the air apart, a torrent of death hurtling toward Mash like divine thunder.
"Aaaahhh!!!" Mash screamed, planting her shield before her, pouring every last drop of magical energy into her defense.
White and black collided. The explosion of opposing forces roared like the wrath of the heavens. The cavern convulsed, its walls cracking open as blinding light engulfed all.
"Mash!!"
Ritsuka's voice rang out, trembling, her hand instinctively reaching forward in panic. Her amber eyes widened, reflecting the swirling storm of black light consuming the cave.
"Mash, stop!!"
She tried to rush forward—only to be yanked back by a cold, trembling hand.
"What are you trying to do!?" Olga Marie shouted, her voice caught between fury and fear. "That's suicide! The magical output of an Alter is beyond anything a human can endure!"
But Ritsuka could no longer hear her.
Every sound in her head was drowned by the deafening blast of mana — and the frantic pounding of her own heartbeat.
Through the inferno, she could only see Mash kneeling amid the sea of black flames. Her shield cracked and flickering, its white glow fading. Her armor was in tatters, her breath ragged, her body trembling from the magical recoil.
And yet… she still raised her shield.
Still refused to fall.
From within the haze, Saber Alter emerged her obsidian blade angled downward, waves of black mana flowing from it like toxic mist. Each of her steps split the ground beneath her one after another each one echoing like a countdown to the world's end.
"You're weak… yet you dare to stand before me?" Her voice was deep and cold, neither human nor spectral only the hollow echo of darkness itself "The weak have no right… to protect anyone."
Her golden eyes flared and she swung.
A single black slash cleaved through the air, spraying shards of deathly mana like lightning.
"Mashhh!!!" Ritsuka screamed — her voice tearing through the inferno, hoarse and raw, echoing through the collapsing cavern like the cry of a soul refusing to break.
The massive shield in Mash's trembling hands shuddered violently. Every muscle in her body strained to its limit, blue veins bulging beneath her skin. Her chest burned, breath ragged, every heartbeat like an explosion in her ribs. The crushing weight of Excalibur Morgan bore down on her, splitting the ground beneath her feet. Her magical energy… was nearly gone.
She wanted to close her eyes.
To let go.
To rest—
—Then, another hand touched her shoulder. Warm. Steady.
Mash looked up through the haze and ash… and saw Ritsuka.
Her orange hair was disheveled, a single braid slipping loose to one side. Her amber-brown eyes burned bright amid the firelight — filled with unyielding determination.
Ritsuka didn't retreat.
She stood beside Mash.
Facing that divine wrath together.
"Let's do this… together, Mash!!!" Ritsuka shouted — her voice shaking, yet unwavering.
Two fragile souls against the storm of gods.
Together, they braced — pushing the shield forward. Master and Servant, their mana circuits linked, merging into one blazing current. The shield pulsed with light, and something awakened deep within Mash — not just power, but will, conviction, faith.
A burst of azure radiance exploded outward!
Her shield ignited, forming a massive circular barrier etched with ancient runes — a divine wall that blocked the torrent of black light from Excalibur Morgan.
The explosion that followed was cataclysmic — shaking the very air — yet the two of them stood firm.
"What—!!" Saber Alter's eyes widened, her entire frame trembling as she felt that familiar, holy resonance.
That wasn't human magic.
It was the will of Galahad, the Knight who once bore the Sacred Shield to defend humanity's ideal.
For a fleeting instant, those golden eyes flickered — not with rage, but something faintly akin to remembrance. Amid the roaring flames and screaming wind, she whispered under her breath — a voice barely her own:
'Sir Galahad… so, you've found a successor after all.'
BOOM!!!
A blinding blast erupted. Saber Alter's black sword beam was deflected, rebounding skyward — carving through the air and creating violent shockwaves that ripped through the cavern, scattering earth and ash.
The shockwave slammed into Ritsuka and Mash, throwing them down onto the fractured ground. Both gasped, lungs burning, breaths coming in broken rasps. Mash fell to one knee, clutching her cracked shield. Ritsuka pressed her hands against the scorched floor, sweat, blood, and grime streaking her face.
As the dust cleared, Saber Alter emerged from the haze — tall and imposing amidst the wreckage, her obsidian armor split in places, silver hair flowing wildly, and those cold golden eyes gleaming with a mix of recognition… and disdain.
"Not bad…" she said, her voice deep and glacial "...But this is where it ends."
She raised Excalibur Morgan high, the black blade blazing like a dark star in the void. Magic surged outward in a torrent, compressing the air until it screamed under the pressure. The ground split apart beneath her feet, black winds spiraling upward, flinging shards of stone into the air.
That aura—
Overwhelming.
Hopeless.
Inhuman.
"Excalibur—!!"
Her grip tightened on the hilt, shadow mana flooding the blade until it trembled at its limit.
"Morgan!!!"
Just as the fatal swing was about to fall—
A deep, resonant male voice cut through the roar of destruction, echoing through the cavern like a god's decree:
"Timber giant, eaten away by fire… Be imprisoned in a cage of flame."
The voice reverberated like an ancient incantation, something older than civilization itself.
At that moment, a figure burst from the darkness behind Ritsuka and Mash — a man with long azure hair tied in a ponytail, his boots slamming against the cracked stone floor, sending waves of mana rippling outward.
He glided past the two girls in a blur of blue light, his dark-blue cloak billowing violently under the oppressive surge of black energy. A calm, confident grin tugged at his lips as he twirled the silver staff in his hand.
"You've done well. Leave the rest… to me."
A surge of azure brilliance exploded from the staff's tip. Runes ignited around him like falling stars, tracing glowing sigils in midair.
He slammed the staff down — the earth shook, and a massive magic circle blazed into existence beneath his feet, each rune burning scarlet.
"…Wicker Man!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
The ground erupted — fire burst forth from the void, shaping itself into a colossal giant of blazing wood and molten flame. Its hollow chest glowed like the heart of a furnace as it roared, stepping into the collapsing chamber.
It stood between Saber Alter and Ritsuka, its infernal presence swallowing the black light whole. The searing flames devoured the very air, burning away the darkness that had consumed Mount Ryuudou, trapping Saber Alter inside a blazing infernal prison.
Amid the roaring inferno, a familiar voice rang out — bold, cocky, and laced with that trademark smirk even through the chaos:
"Yo~! Sorry for showing up late, yeah?"
Immediately—
[Eternal! Maximum Drive!]
A deep, mechanical roar thundered through the cavern — a sound that wasn't just heard, but felt, vibrating through every bone. It was the sound of judgment itself.
Ritsuka and Mash's heads snapped upward, eyes wide in shock.
From high above — through the red haze and storm of fire — a figure descended, clad in silver-white armor, gleaming like a fallen star. Waves of blinding azure energy surged across his body, a fusion of flame and frost that radiated both life and death. Blue fire coiled around his boots, tracing a burning trail through the air as he plummeted.
Saito Kagami.
He dropped like a sapphire meteor, streaking light tearing through the smoke-filled sky. The impact pressure alone shook the cavern — massive slabs of rock split apart, wind and heat spiraling into a violent tempest.
Below, Saber Alter was still imprisoned within Cu Chulainn's Wicker Man, her form swallowed in the blazing inferno. But when Kagami's blue flame struck —
BOOOOOOM!!!
Blue fire and crimson flame collided, annihilating each other in an explosion so intense it ripped apart the very air. White-blue light swallowed everything; shockwaves rolled through the cavern like the breath of an apocalypse.
Saber Alter was engulfed by the storm, her silhouette vanishing amid the clash of fire and mana.
And then—through that chaos—Kagami descended, wrapped in a pillar of azure fire, like a celestial executioner born from ice and flame.
He landed with a thunderous crack, armored boots crushing into the shattered stone floor. Dust and embers scattered in all directions. Calmly, he brushed the soot from his gauntlets, turned toward the smoking crater, and smirked.
"Oisu… that Servant just now — that was a Saber, right? Didn't expect King Arthur to be a lady, huh~."
"Oi! You damn Master bastard!"
Cu Chulainn roared, stepping protectively in front of Ritsuka and Mash while pointing furiously at Kagami.
"You almost roasted these two girls alive, you lunatic!!"
Kagami blinked, then glanced around — bits of the burning Wicker Man were still falling, its charred head smoking not far away.
He took a deep breath… and then snapped into a sudden bow.
"My sincerest apologies! Got a bit too fired up there! But hey, you guys have worker's comp, right? I'm sure the insurance department can handle it."
Ritsuka pinched her temples, exhaling through her nose "...Kagami, what the hell is even going on inside your head."
Mash stood beside her, giving an awkward little laugh — torn between wanting to smile or plant her shield squarely in his face.
The air had barely begun to settle when a stream of golden spirit particles started to gather in front of them.
From within that radiance, Saber Alter emerged once more — her body cracked and fading, yet her gaze remained cold, proud, and unyielding.
She looked toward Ritsuka and Mash, her voice soft, drifting like a breeze:
"To protect power for the victor… I see."
Her eyes paused upon Mash's shattered shield, and the faintest hint of a smile curved her lips.
"So naïve…"
The golden particles began peeling away from her armor and skin, swirling through the air like embers and starlight mingling in the dark. Her tone weakened, yet stayed calm and distant:
"No matter how fate may change… if one stands alone, death will still come all the same."
Kagami folded his arms, his expression sharpening.
"Souka? So what are you implying, huh?"
Saber Alter tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting into the void as if staring beyond this world itself. Her fading voice echoed like a prophecy whispered from another realm:
"You will understand soon enough… nameless Master… Grand Order… Rider Taisen…"
Kagami froze — pupils tightening to a single point.
"What… did you just say?"
The golden light flared — and Saber Alter's form disintegrated completely, her final words lingering like mist in the wind:
"The war… has only just begun…"
Then she was gone.
Only the drifting golden motes remained, glimmering softly in the broken cavern — beautiful, silent, and cold as a divine omen.
"Tsk! Damn it… always talking in riddles," Kagami grumbled, tapping his helmet with a few sharp clinks as though trying to knock an answer loose from his head.
Beside him, Ritsuka and Mash barely had time to recover before Caster Cu Chulainn's body began to dissolve into streams of blue spirit light. The azure flame flickering at the tip of his staff slowly dimmed.
He looked at the two of them, a trace of wistfulness flickering in his crimson eyes — and let out a low, breezy chuckle.
"Alright, kiddos, I'll leave the rest to you. Oh, and next time you summon me, remember—make it Lancer class, got it? Lancer."
"Caster…" Ritsuka whispered, her voice trembling, caught between sorrow and disbelief.
Cu Chulainn shrugged, resting his staff across his shoulder with that same roguish grin — the kind only a warrior who's long accepted his fate could wear.
"See ya. And hey… don't let that white-armored idiot rub off on you."
With a final wave, his figure dissolved into the pale blue glow, fading into nothingness — leaving the cavern once again in solemn, flickering silence.
Kagami shot a sidelong glance, letting out a faint huff — though for a split second, his tone dipped low, almost thoughtful. Then, just as quickly, he snapped back into his usual lazy, irreverent posture.
He scanned the battlefield with half-lidded eyes until something caught his attention — a faint golden glint amid the rubble.
Curious, he walked over and picked it up. A golden chalice, large and heavy, its surface etched with intricate magical runes. He turned it over in his hand, whistling softly before raising it up and calling out:
"Bossu~! Found a weird-looking shiny thing!"
Olga Marie's head whipped around, white hair flying as she stomped over, her face etched with irritation. Snatching the chalice from Kagami's hand, she glared daggers at him.
"That's not a 'weird-looking shiny thing,' that's the Holy Grail! And—" she jabbed a finger straight at him, "you! The moment we return to Chaldea, you're writing me a full report on whatever Mystic Code you're using!"
Kagami folded his arms, his tone defensive — like a schoolboy arguing with his teacher:
"I told you already! It's not a Mystic Code! It's Rider Armor! Armor! Got it? OK?!"
Olga Marie planted her hands on her hips, a vein twitching on her forehead.
"Then I'm even more interested to know how that so-called armor of yours processes mana!"
Kagami tilted his head, his voice drifting lazily:
"Uh… mine doesn't run on spiritrons, actually. To be honest… I'm not sure what it does run on, but—hey, at least it's not Windows XP."
Olga Marie: "..."
Ritsuka: "..."
Mash: "..."
The air went still — only the soft crackle of falling embers could be heard — while Kagami stood there, completely unfazed, as if he'd just stated a universal truth.
Then—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The sharp sound of applause echoed through the cavern, crisp and mocking — cutting through the silence like a blade.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the entrance.
There stood a man in a green cloak, his hair neatly combed beneath a dark green hat. His eyes were half-lidded, his smile calm — almost too calm.
Lev Lainur Flauros.
"Omedetō…" he said softly, his voice smooth as velvet but laced with venom. "To think you've managed to come this far… truly, a deviation beyond all calculated margins."
Mash froze, her heart seizing in her chest.
"P–Professor… Lev?"
Ritsuka instinctively took a step back, her trembling hands clutching at her chest.
Her voice quavered, breaking the tense silence:
"No… it can't be… Professor Lev…"
Olga Marie, however, reacted differently — her turquoise eyes lit up with a desperate glimmer of hope.
Her whole body shook as she took an unsteady step forward, her lips trembling into a fragile smile, as though she'd just seen a loved one return from the storm.
"Lev… Lev!! Thank goodness—you're alive! If you hadn't survived, I—"
Before she could move closer, a hand clad in blue-white armor gripped her shoulder firmly, stopping her cold.
"What are you doing, Kagami? Lev is—"
Kagami's voice was low — far colder, far heavier than usual, stripped of all its lazy humor.
"Killing intent."
"What nonsense are you— Lev isn't—"
"No. Whoever's standing there isn't coming in peace. You can't feel it, Bossu? That's pure, undiluted bloodlust."
Olga Marie froze.
A shiver ran down her spine like ice water.
At that moment, Lev Lainur exhaled softly — the polite, teacherly smile fading from his lips.
"Hello, Olga," he said, his tone suddenly low, warped, wrong. "You sound so happy to see me. So happy… it makes me sick."
Kagami's grip on Eternaledge tightened, blue fire snapping to life along his arm guard.
Mash stepped forward protectively, shield raised between Ritsuka and the intruder.
Lev lowered his head with a small chuckle — and when he looked up again, his face had twisted, grin stretching unnaturally wide.
"I didn't think you'd still be walking around after I went through all the trouble of planting a bomb right under your feet."
Olga Marie went pale, her lips trembling.
"W–What are you talking about, Lev…?"
"Oh, my mistake." Lev tilted his head, his grin deepening. "You're already dead, Olga Marie Animusphere."
"W–What?"
Lev spoke now with the smoothness of a lecturer explaining a cruel theorem, his tone almost playful:
"You remember, don't you? Back then, your body wasn't compatible with Rayshift.
You couldn't handle the transfer of spiritrons."
He pointed straight at her, his voice sinking into a low, venomous whisper that seemed to echo in everyone's minds:
"And yet, here you are — walking, talking. Do you know why?"
"Because you died. You died chasing your dream — the future you wanted to see. The 'you' standing here now… is just the echo that refused to fade."
Olga Marie staggered backward, eyes wide, lips trembling:
"No… no, you're lying…"
Lev laughed — a hollow, distorted laugh that bounced off the cavern walls like broken glass.
"Then go ahead. Try returning to Chaldea. The moment you do — your consciousness will scatter. No more Olga Marie Animusphere. Nothing at all."
His words sliced through the air like knives, each one finding its mark.
The cave fell into suffocating silence, heavy as a tomb.
Kagami tilted his head slightly — the azure flame flickering across his gauntlet.
He spun Eternaledge once; the blade hummed, letting out a sharp metallic hiss.
Then, with a smirk curling across his lips — equal parts mockery and defiance — he leveled the tip of his blade squarely at Lev.
"Honestly…" Kagami's voice cut through the silence, dripping with mockery.
He tilted his head, eyes narrowing behind the silver-blue visor as he spoke, every word edged like a blade "Even from here, I can smell it — that stench of disgust and rot coming off you. Tell me— which trash heap did you crawl out from, huh?"
Lev's smile froze. His expression twitched — once, twice — like a porcelain mask beginning to crack.
"You… what did you just say?!"
His voice distorted, bubbling with rage, his teeth grinding audibly beneath the forced grin.
"Wretched human! You dare— you dare call me that?!"
Kagami shifted his stance, lowering his center of gravity. His hand rolled over the hilt of Eternaledge, the blue-white armor humming as streams of red and azure energy intertwined around his frame.
He cocked his head slightly, tone dropping into a deadly calm — the kind that comes a heartbeat before a kill.
"Trash is still trash. So let me do the world a favor— and burn you clean. I'm pretty confident in my disposal skills."
[Zone! Maximum Drive!]
[Heat! Maximum Drive!]
Two Gaia Memories activated simultaneously — one slotted into the Maximum Slot, the other into the Max Jacket. White and crimson energy erupted together, spiraling around Kagami in a roaring vortex of fire and plasma.
And then— he was gone.
A thunderous crack split the air.
Wind howled, and Kagami reappeared right in front of Lev — his fist cloaked in blazing crimson fire, descending like a meteor tearing through the void.
The Rider Punch screamed downward, the entire cavern flashing red from the heat.
But—
[Attack Ride… Blast!!]
A mechanical voice barked from behind Lev, followed by a barrage of bluish-gray energy rounds that ripped through the air, colliding head-on with Kagami's flame burst.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The explosion shook the ground. Shockwaves tore through the cavern, scattering sparks and debris.
Kagami was forced back, spinning midair before slamming into the ground and skidding across the cracked stone.
He caught himself on one knee, one hand braced against the floor, eyes narrowing as his visor flickered with blue light — scanning the direction of the assault.
Footsteps echoed from within the smoke.
Clang… clang… clang…
Slow, deliberate, heavy — each step landing like the beat of a war drum.
The haze cleared.
A figure emerged — clad in jet-black armor, edges trimmed in sharp gold lines that ran from shoulder to wrist, glinting like lightning across obsidian steel.
A golden X crossed the chest plate, gleaming with predatory menace.
The helmet was angular, lined with black card-like crests fanning out from the crown, while two compound blue eyes glowed faintly — cold, mechanical, utterly devoid of emotion.
From the belt at his waist, a soft cyan light pulsed like a living circuit.
Each step he took struck the ground with an iron rhythm — thunk… thunk… thunk — echoing through the cavern.
The air thickened.
Even the flames from earlier seemed to dim under the sheer pressure of his presence.
Ritsuka and Mash froze.
Olga Marie's breath hitched in her throat.
Kagami fell silent. He pushed himself to his feet, white armor dusted with ash and embers, blue light in the seams flickering weakly. His visor-clouded eyes looked as if they'd seen something he didn't want to believe.
His voice trembled, hoarse:
"Tsu… Tsukasa-senpai?"
The figure across him paused half a step, then tilted his head. Behind the black helm a soft laugh echoed—cold, warped, full of contempt.
"Don't you dare lump me together with that freeloader from Hikari Photo Studio."
He snorted. The compound blue eyes on his helm flashed like lightning. His tone dropped, each word drawn out, cold and heavy enough to thicken the cave air.
"I did not expect, before my plan begins… to run into an unforeseen nuisance. How convenient. Perhaps… I'll have a little fun to kill time before I wipe everything clean."
"W-wipe everything?!" Ritsuka shrieked.
He laughed; the metallic sound rang against the rock walls.
"Yes. Wipe it clean. This fake, rotten, meaningless world. Lives prewritten by others… what future could there be for puppets like you?!"
His voice cracked with fury; metal creaked as his hand clenched. Then, as if catching himself for revealing too much, he softened, sneered.
"Also… amusingly, in another world I turn out to be a woman. How interesting."
"Eh?! Who are you talking about?" Ritsuka frowned, suspicious.
He paused, then shot her a frosty glance. "You don't need to know. Just remember this…"
He raised his hand, palm facing the void. Behind him a black mist uncoiled like a static-riddled screen, flickering with the broken lights of a collapsing world.
"History, the world, and even fate itself—I will destroy them all and rebuild from scratch. Next time we meet… it will probably be at the first Singularity—Orleans."
With that, he grabbed Lev by the collar—Lev was kneeling—hauled him up like a sack of garbage, and walked off without a backward glance.
Ritsuka, Mash, Olga Marie—all stood frozen, no one daring to breathe.
"Haiz… this is seriously such a pain…"
Kagami scratched his helmet, shaking his head with a weary sigh — though his tone still carried that trace of dry sarcasm.
Behind him, Mash turned around, her voice trembling.
"Director…"
Olga Marie stayed silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay composed.
"You all need to return to Chaldea. Don't worry about me. In this state… I can't go any further."
"Oi, Bossu~." Kagami cut her off, arms folded, voice half-mocking, half-annoyed.
"Who said you're gonna disappear, huh? Don't talk nonsense. Alright, let me give you a hand."
"You?" Olga Marie frowned, half angry, half amused. "What could you possibly do? I'm already dead, you fool—"
"Like hell you are!!" Kagami barked, slamming his palm against his helmet. "You've still got a shred of hope left, and you're just giving up like that?! If you really die here, then who's gonna pay my damn salary?!"
Olga froze, her lips trembling slightly.
"Kagami…"
He clicked his tongue, then suddenly perked up as if struck by an idea.
"Wait a sec… Aha! I've got it!"
Kagami rummaged around his belt, pulling out an empty Memory, its metallic surface reflecting the faint blue of his armor's light. He waved it in front of her with a grin.
"Come here, Bossu. Yeah, right here."
"What are you planning to do?" Olga Marie took a half step back, suspicion rising in her eyes.
"What else? I'll just store your soul inside this Memory for now.
Think of it as… a temporary dorm room inside my head~."
"You—!!" Olga Marie's eyes widened, her face paling. "You're seriously going to shove me into that cursed thing?!"
Kagami chuckled, holding up the Memory as he rambled on excitedly:
"Honestly, human souls are fascinating, you know? They're just like spiritual data logged into the Root.
If you're famous enough, or if the Counter Force takes notice, you get uploaded to the Throne of Heroes.
If not, you just return to the mana stream and reincarnate. Way simpler than that Takeru guy dying and reviving over and over—or Tsukasa-senpai, who just needs someone to remember him to keep existing!"
Olga was speechless. "You… what on earth—"
"Enough talk! Get into Gaia's info stream already!!" Kagami roared.
He grabbed her wrist before she could resist and slammed the empty Memory onto the back of her neck.
A burst of blue light erupted — streams of luminous data coursed from her body into the Memory. Olga Marie's form dissolved into particles of light, swirling inward until the Memory shone white-red, a silver "O" engraved upon its surface.
Kagami stepped back, lifted the Memory up high, and exhaled.
"Done! Now you can't dodge my paycheck anymore~."
He barely finished the sentence when the cavern ceiling began to crack, shards of rock tumbling as crimson magma light spilled across the walls.
"Yabai! This place is about to collapse!"
Before Ritsuka and Mash could react, the space around them trembled violently — a blue portal tore open at the center of the cave, scattering mana particles like falling stars.
From their comms, Dr. Romani's urgent voice shouted:
"Singularity F is collapsing! Everyone, get into the Rayshift portal — now!"
"OK! Roger that!" Kagami yelled, clutching the Memory with the silver "O," then sprinted straight into the gate.
"Understood, Dr. Romani!" Mash and Ritsuka echoed, following right behind him as the blue light swallowed their figures whole.
The portal closed — and a heartbeat later, the Ryuudou cave erupted in a blinding explosion of azure and white light.