"Ritsuka!"
The call made Ritsuka turn around. He saw the Wizard Marshal already standing a few steps away, waving casually.
"I'm heading out first. I hope you can resolve this Singularity smoothly this time," Zelretch said with a cryptic smile.
Ritsuka steadied himself. He nodded firmly, looking at his mentor with eyes that had regained their spark.
"Of course, Sensei. Just wait for news from me. This time… I swear I won't let the same suffering happen again," Ritsuka replied with determination.
Zelretch chuckled softly, as if proud of the fire burning in his student's eyes.
"Oh, one more thing. It seems you won't need to bother activating the 'recording' feature for a while," Zelretch added. "Kagaya, L, and Koko all seem like they'll be very busy with their own matters after this meeting."
After uttering those mysterious words, Zelretch vanished in an instant, leaving the dimension without a trace.
Only Ritsuka remained, with Nobu loyally standing at his side, and Fou hopping onto Ritsuka's shoulder, letting out a small, calming sound.
"Master… what did you mean by that earlier? And what did that Ubuyashiki man say—"
Nobu stepped closer, her eyes fixed sharply on Ritsuka. She wanted answers about Kagaya's words from earlier. But her sentence was cut short when Ritsuka raised his hand.
"Nobu."
Ritsuka interrupted in a calm but unquestionable tone. Then he extended his open palm toward the Demon King.
"Now it's our turn to go. The battlefield is already waiting for us ahead," Ritsuka said.
Nobu fell silent for a moment. She saw the blazing resolve behind her Master's eyes.
'I'll ask about it later,' Nobu murmured inwardly. Then she took Ritsuka's hand.
"Very well, Master! Let's show them who truly rules the battlefield!"
With that declaration, the three of them began to fade from that place.
---
The three figures returned to the blazing reality of Fuyuki. Ritsuka, Fou, and Nobu landed at the exact same location where they had vanished earlier.
Nobu narrowed her eyes, observing the surrounding flames that appeared frozen for a moment before swaying again as the wind returned.
"Hoo… It really seems time in this world was completely frozen while we were gone," Nobu commented, kicking a small pebble. "These debris… they're in exactly the same positions."
Ritsuka didn't waste time admiring the scenery and immediately issued an order.
"We move now," Ritsuka commanded sharply. "I'm worried about Mash, the Director, and Rikka. We've already left them for quite a while in this world's time."
The moment he finished speaking, neon-blue lines—Magic Circuits—suddenly flared brightly across the skin of Ritsuka's arms and legs.
"Let's go, Nobu, Fou."
Without waiting for a response, Ritsuka dashed forward. His body moved at an unnatural speed for an ordinary human.
Behind him, Nobu didn't run. She stood casually atop one of the massive floating Tanegashima guns, gliding through the air to match Ritsuka's speed.
"We're almost there!" Ritsuka shouted without looking back.
The building where Olga Marie, Mash, and Rikka had been hiding was already visible at the edge of his vision. But just before Ritsuka's foot touched the front yard—
Sying—!
A flash of light split the night sky of Fuyuki at the speed of sound. It wasn't ordinary magecraft, but a sword-arrow.
Boom!
The impact was devastating. The hideout house exploded instantly, hurling debris and scorching dust in every direction. The shockwave forced Ritsuka to cross his arms in front of his face to brace against the blast.
Ritsuka came to a sudden halt, his eyes wide as he stared at the inferno. His jaw clenched so hard his teeth ground together.
"Emiya… you even followed us all the way here," Ritsuka murmured.
Ritsuka immediately pushed forward again, charging through the thick smoke. He quickly glanced toward Nobu, who was still floating beside him.
"Nobu! Fly up now! Scan the area and find the position of that Archer-class Servant!" Ritsuka shouted amid the roar of flames.
"Use Spirit Form! Don't let him see your physical body!"
Nobu nodded firmly, her expression serious as she accepted the combat order.
"Understood, Master."
Without hesitation, Nobu's body shimmered and faded, transforming into an invisible spirit form before shooting straight up into the night sky of Fuyuki.
But Ritsuka knew that wasn't enough. He shouted with all his strength, issuing a final warning.
"NOBU, LISTEN! Our enemy is a sniper!"
"The moment you see even the faintest flash of light in the distance… drop immediately! Don't fly in a straight line for too long. There's no need to take unnecessary risks!"
Ritsuka continued sprinting, plunging into the thick cloud of smoke left behind by the Broken Phantasm explosion.
However, as he drew closer, two black silhouettes suddenly leapt out from behind the curtain of dust.
Ritsuka skidded to a stop, his eyes narrowing sharply.
The first figure was Mash. The girl jumped backward, raising her shield forward to protect her companions from the falling debris.
But it was the second figure that made Ritsuka's jaw drop.
That figure was running at high speed, carrying Olga Marie on his left shoulder and Rikka on his right. It wasn't a heroic rescue carry at all. He was hauling them like a dockworker carrying sacks of rice.
"KYAAAA! NO!" Rikka's shrill scream echoed through the dust. She flailed wildly, pounding the back of her rescuer.
"Don't carry me like this again! Where's the princess carry?! I'm a refined young lady, you know!" Rikka protested hysterically.
Ritsuka stared in shock, his eyes locked onto the rescuer's back.
The man was wearing modern tactical armor combined with a tattered cloak. And most striking of all… a Red Hood covered his head.
Ritsuka froze for a moment, staring at the back of the red-hooded figure as he moved farther away.
"A Servant…? Don't tell me Rikka summoned him… And of all Servants, why him?" Ritsuka muttered in disbelief.
"Is it because there's an 'Emiya' here?" he continued.
"This is really going to be the most awkward and bloodiest 'family reunion' in history," Ritsuka groaned. "Good luck, Emiya."
After muttering that, Ritsuka immediately pushed himself forward again, running as fast as he could to follow Mash, Olga, and Rikka's trail.
---
Meanwhile, several blocks away from the explosion site.
Mash landed smoothly in a narrow, dark, damp alley hidden between scorched concrete buildings. Her breathing was slightly ragged as her vigilant eyes scanned the surroundings.
Ahead of her, the red-hooded figure had already landed.
With a practical, no-nonsense motion, the Servant set Olga Marie down from his shoulder—somewhat roughly, causing the Director of Chaldea to stumble. Rikka, who had been set down first, stood beside her with a pout, busy straightening her rumpled clothes.
"Assassin-san…" Mash called out cautiously, her eyes fixed uncertainly on the man's back.
"Are you sure this place is safe for hiding?"
The Assassin summoned by Rikka responded only with a short nod. Not a single word emerged from beneath the red hood. He simply stood there in silence, his back to them, scanning every corner of the alley with paranoid vigilance.
Olga Marie, after regaining her balance, brushed the dust from her clothes irritably and surveyed their surroundings.
"This area should be safe for the time being," Olga said, trying to regain her authoritative presence.
"The density of the concrete buildings creates multiple blind spots. The enemy Archer won't be able to line up an accurate firing trajectory without changing positions."
Meanwhile, Rikka stared at the Assassin's back with sparkling eyes, her gaze filled with admiration like that of a child who had just discovered a legendary treasure.
"Amazing…" Rikka whispered in awe, clenching her fists in front of her chest.
"So I really did manage to summon a Servant? Just like Big Brother…"
Olga turned toward her, assessing the girl with a critical look. She snorted softly and crossed her arms with the familiar arrogance of the Animusphere family.
"Hmph. Well, congratulations. I'll admit that you did succeed in the summoning…" Olga said, offering rare praise.
But a second later, the corner of her lips curled into a sneer.
"…Even if what you summoned is just an Assassin-class Servant. That's a low-tier class that fights dirty from the shadows, not an elegant Knight-class Servant. He looks like a third-rate Servant. So don't get cocky yet, rookie."
"What did you say?!" Rikka shouted indignantly.
"Don't insult my Servant so casually! He's definitely a powerful and very famous hero from history, you know!"
Olga merely snorted, looking down on her with disdain.
"Heh, famous, you say? Then what's his True Name?" Olga challenged, folding her arms.
"As his Master, you should be able to see his status, right? Don't tell me you're like before with Mash, not even knowing the name of the Servant who joined you."
Feeling her pride trampled, Rikka puffed out her chest defiantly.
"O-Of course I know his name! Just watch!"
She quickly turned around, squinting as she focused on the Assassin's back, trying to read the True Name faintly displayed in her spiritual vision.
"His name is… um… Ki… Kiri…"
Rikka faltered, confused by the unfamiliar and hard-to-pronounce string of letters. Her tongue felt stiff.
But before Rikka could finish sounding it out, a deep voice from the mouth of the alley cut through their conversation. The voice spoke the name casually, like greeting an old acquaintance.
"His name is Kiritsugu Emiya," the voice said.
"A Magus Killer."