Chapter 6: The Goddess Descends from the Sky
Everyone at Chaldea witnessed the scene displayed on the virtual screen. The pitch-black magic sword wielded by the red-haired youth had, in a way that defied all belief, slashed through space, revealing the dark, night-like void of nothingness within.
"That is... a gateway leading to the Singularity...!?"
The staff at Chaldea were abuzz with discussion.
"Can he even do something like that...?" Da Vinci looked at Shirou as he stepped through the spatial rift, her face suddenly filled with shock and confusion.
Roman, however, let out a long breath. He sat in his chair, his gaze fixed, then gradually relaxed.
"Thankfully, he is not our enemy."
A Beast like Goetia was already terrifying enough; if this man were added to the mix, the outcome would be beyond imagination.
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"So this is the Seventh Singularity..."
Shirou looked up at the sky, which appeared as if a massive hole had been torn into it. Two figures, no larger than ants, suddenly appeared high in the air.
"Seems they're a step too slow," Shirou murmured, then suddenly heard the roar of Demonic Beasts echoing from all around.
Roar—!!!
As if devoid of fear, swarms of Demonic Beasts roared and charged toward Shirou.
"What species are these?" Shirou curiously examined the Demonic Beasts rushing toward him. "Looking at the fur and fangs, they're a bit like saber-toothed tigers..."
It was impossible to tell their gender from their appearance. After dispatching several other Demonic Beasts, Shirou specifically kept one pinned beneath him.
"Come here, let me take a look at whether you're male or female~"
The pinned Demonic Beast let out a terrified roar.
Awoooo—!!
At the same time, Gudako and Mash, who had descended from the sky, managed to land successfully amidst high-pitched screams only by utilizing a Noble Phantasm.
"Phew... thought I was going to die..."
Gudako successfully survived by using Mash as a cushion.
"Alright, Master, please stop sitting on me," Mash said, feeling somewhat troubled.
Gudako stood up and brushed off her clothes. "Orihara-senpai seems to have arrived at this Singularity first. I wonder where he could be..."
At that moment, Roman's voice came through the communicator.
"Where you are now should be the wilderness not far from the city of Uruk, where many Demonic Beasts are known to haunt."
Da Vinci's expression also grew serious. "So, why was Uruk attacked...?"
"Did you both hear that?" Roman asked through the communicator.
On the other side, Gudako immediately replied to her wrist device.
"Yes, we heard you, Doctor. We were bounced away by Uruk's defensive barrier, right?"
"Yes. It seems Uruk is facing some sort of crisis." Roman relayed the analysis from Chaldea's side to Gudako.
"By the way, how does the gift I gave you feel?" Da Vinci asked immediately after.
"It's great." Gudako replied. "Thanks to the new Mystic Code, even being in the Age of Gods is no problem. The three Command Spells are fully replenished as well."
"That's good. Be careful with everything—"
Roman's voice suddenly cut off.
Gudako paused for a moment, then reached out to wave at the communicator worn on her wrist.
"Doctor?"
No matter how many times she called out, there was no sound.
"Looks like the communication was cut?" Gudako frowned.
Looking at their Master, who was continuing to attempt to restore contact, Mash raised her head and looked toward the sky.
"As expected, the band of light in the sky is still there."
"Seems that way. Regardless, let's investigate the nearby area for now," Gudako replied.
"Right." Mash nodded.
Having walked only two steps, they detected an unusual, thick scent of blood permeating the air.
Roar—!!
The roar of Demonic Beasts followed closely.
"What are these!?" Gudako exclaimed.
The golden fur and the four massive fangs of these beasts were somewhat similar to a saber-toothed tiger; each was nearly two meters tall, their eyes glinting with a fierce, predatory light.
"Mash, prepare for combat!" Gudako's expression became serious.
"Understood, Master!"
Mash immediately manifested her Noble Phantasm, raising her shield, ready to strike. As Mash entered her combat stance, Fou also leaped onto Gudako's shoulder. Having entered a high-alert state, Mash was already prepared to receive the onslaught of these Demonic Beasts.
Whoosh—!
A long sword flew from an unknown direction and violently struck one of the Demonic Beasts. The struck beast let out a painful hiss, and then the sword suddenly burst into light so dazzling that it was almost blinding, the magical energy contained within it directly obliterating the sword itself.
Boom—!
A tremendous explosion erupted; the few Demonic Beasts nearby were all annihilated in the blast, and the remaining beasts on the other side, startled by the sudden, deafening explosion, immediately fled in terror. The Demonic Beasts that had not yet been bloodied had not fallen into a state of total madness; upon realizing they could not win, they fled at once.
"How are you holding up?" A familiar figure walked over, and joy immediately surged onto Gudako and Mash's faces.
"Wow~ It's Orihara-senpai! We were just planning to go find you!"
Just as Gudako was about to say something else, a woman's scream suddenly came from another direction.
"Ahhhhh!!! Get out of the way! Hurry, get out of the way! I'm going to crash, ahhhh!!!"
All three heard the voice and looked up simultaneously. A female figure flew through the sky, rapidly descending toward them.
"Whoaaaaa!!!" Gudako shouted anxiously as well.
The woman's figure swooped down at high speed, and Shirou reached out his arms, catching the woman along her descent trajectory. The woman's landing caused a fierce gust of wind, and for a moment, dust filled the sky, obscuring their vision.
When the dust settled, Shirou saw the face of the woman he was holding bridal-style.
"Just as I thought..."
This feel—it was definitely Rin.
As a Goddess, Ishtar could not manifest in the form of an ordinary Servant; she could only possess the body of another human, appearing as a "Pseudo-Servant." The only ones who could serve as Ishtar's vessel were mages whose soul wavelengths were in sync with hers, and the one with the highest compatibility with Ishtar was Rin.
The priestesses first summoned Rin from thousands of years into the future by crossing time and space through a summoning ritual, then summoned Ishtar to merge with Tohsaka Rin, ultimately resulting in this current image of Ishtar. Of course, some problems occurred during the summoning process, leading to the arrival of another uninvited guest.
Although she was possessing Rin's body, this was because the Goddess was most similar to Rin—which is why she appeared this way even when she was in the Divine Realm. While Ishtar and Rin existed in a "Pseudo-Servant" relationship, it was Ishtar, as the Goddess, who held the dominant role.
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