Pripyat, the Monstrous Catfish.
Due to its sheer scale, it was an easy target to hit, and its raw power was merely on par with a Dagon-class familiar summoned by Gilles de Rais. However, as a tactical craft for a surprise assault against an entire legion, I could find no vessel more suited.
It possessed the eccentricity of dwelling beneath the earth to devour those who passed above it, and an obscuring ability derived from that very legend.
"Centurions and Decurions, rally the remaining forces into squads of ten! Form defensive squares to ensure that monstrous fish cannot approach!"
"As if I'd let you!"
The moment the Monstrous Catfish emerged, Boudica—who had ceased her retreat—instantly manifested her chariot and began a thunderous charge toward Caesar.
"As expected of Boudica, the Queen of Victory! To entrust your soldiers entirely to that magus and aim for my head alone...!"
"Die, you Roman pig!"
When their blades first clashed, Caesar appeared to be slightly pushed back. However, the true Caesar soon regained his composure, fluidly parrying Boudica's offensive while beginning to bark orders to his men.
"All Centurions, retreat with the remaining troops and regroup with the main army! I shall personally hold the rear!"
"Do you think I'll let you escape?"
With the sensation of a massive clump of prana being drained, Boudica's sword flashed, and a colossal beam of magical energy soared toward the rear of the retreating Roman army.
"I cannot allow that!"
"Dammit, get out of the way!"
Boudica's Noble Phantasm was a rapid-fire type with relatively low output, and she seemed to bank on that characteristic, continuously firing in different directions to pierce through Caesar's defenses.
"...If they flee now, they'll recover and attack again. We have to move to the next phase!"
"Then I suppose I must bring it all down... Hey, you there, Baldy! Do you know why this catfish was summoned as my familiar?"
There are ghost stories of it swallowing people, urban legends of it biting them to death, myths of its gargantuan size...
But there is one legend that stands above them all.
"It's the legend that it causes earthquakes, you fool!"
"Surely not...!"
The terrain was a gently sloping plain. The first strike had halved the unit's numbers, and although they maintained a formation, they were attempting to retreat down that slope.
In such a situation, what would happen if a massive sinkhole suddenly appeared?
"Forgive me, but I can't let a single soul escape."
I needed to catch him securely and drain every drop of information.
*
Gaius Julius Caesar resisted fiercely until the very end.
Even as his entire army plummeted into the sinkhole created by the earthquake, and even when he was surrounded by Boudica and myself, he did not surrender. He struggled desperately, even resorting to hurling his Noble Phantasm.
"...I have to kill him. This one really needs to die."
"Wait a moment. I have something to verify first."
Behind us stood a traitor wearing a beaming, wide-eyed smile, and before me was a vengeful Queen whose eyes burned with the desire to slit his throat then and there.
Yet, even in this predicament, the bald, unsightly fat man wearing the laurel wreath remained dignified, keeping his eyes closed and his mouth shut.
"Now then... shall we begin the interrogation?"
"..."
"Are you a Servant belonging to the United Roman Empire?"
"..."
"...What is the goal of the United Roman Empire?"
"..."
"What are the names of the other Servants within your alliance?"
"..."
"What is the relationship between the current Roman Emperor, Nero Claudius, and the United Roman Empire?"
"..."
"Is it true that your True Name is Gaius Julius Caesar?"
"..."
"Very well, Mr. Baldy-Delinquent-Pudge."
"I am not bald!"
"Fine then, Mr. Cuckolded-Debtor-Swine."
As a side note, Caesar loved Cleopatra, but he ultimately met his end by assassination.
And that Cleopatra... well.
"Hmm, your eyes are wavering a bit. I don't enjoy making such provocations either. It would be better for you to just open your mouth. You egg-headed, self-proclaimed Emperor."
"..."
"Or would you prefer I call you the Takoyaki-Debtor of the Three Little Pigs?"
"...I am Gaius Julius Caesar!"
"You should have said so sooner. So, what is the goal of the United Roman Empire?"
However, he would not speak.
I had no way of knowing if it was a geas binding him or a Command Spell, but since it wasn't a constraint detected by my Rinnegan, I couldn't undo it with the Preta Path either...
"...What are you doing? You said you could extract information using that 'Human Path' technique."
"I suppose I have no choice. This is the only way left to gain intel."
The Soul Extraction technique of the Human Path fundamentally functions by pulling out the soul to read the information stored within.
Unfortunately, because that ability resonated with the logic of the Third Magic in the TYPE-MOON world, I had effectively become a human who utilizes a counterfeit version of Heaven's Feel... but originally, it was meant to be a 'Death Touch' combined with a one-use lie detector per person.
"Then... here I go."
Perhaps sensing his end, Caesar closed his eyes, and I placed my hand upon his head, beginning to fracture his Saint Graph.
I felt the Saint Graph shattering piece by piece as a spherical soul—mottled with purple and gold—began to emerge. Simultaneously, a burning pain shot through my palm.
'Reminds me of when I tried to pull out Lugh Beowulf's soul as a kid... dammit, capturing a Servant's soul is a real nightmare!'
Unlike Beowulf, however, Caesar didn't offer any significant resistance. With a sharp tugging sensation, Caesar's physical form vanished into a mist of light, leaving only the gold-tinted soul floating above my palm.
"Are you... going to eat that?"
"...Are you insane? Even if it's a Servant, do you have any idea what happens if you consume a soul? I'm just checking the information inside. Once I'm done, I'll release it back to the Cycle of Reincarnation... though, being a Servant, he'll likely just return to the Throne of Heroes."
"Then hurry up and do it. We need to know what those people in the United Roman Empire are plotting."
Urged by Boudica, I placed my hand on the soul and began peering into the memories engraved upon it through the Rinnegan.
Summoning.
Contract.
Order.
[You, you are watching, aren't you?]
"Gah...!"
"Oh god, hey... are you alright?!"
"Cough, hack... Ugh..."
A colossal eye, a throne draped in tentacles, a mountain of Demon God Pillars.
"...Boudica."
"What's wrong? No, don't speak yet. Your internal organs look like they've been put through a blender, we need to focus on healing—"
"We have to get out of here right now."
"...What?"
I had forgotten.
No matter how many Singularities are crushed, it is all within the expected range for the King of Demon Gods, Goetia. That monster has already acknowledged the fact of his 'defeat' once before.
In that case, let's think in reverse.
What is the most important thing to him right now?
'The completion of his Great Work. Using the bands of light created by incinerating the Human Order to completely erase human history and start anew from zero.'
To achieve that, the most critical elements for him are the Absolute Demonic Front, Babylonia—which would incinerate the dawn of the Human Order—and the 'Temple' where he resides.
In reality, the difficulty of the Absolute Demonic Front was higher than all previous Singularities combined; it was a demonic realm so terrifying that even 'Tiamat' could be resurrected.
...In other words, without the variables known as Ritsuka Fujimaru and Chaldea, the future of the Absolute Demonic Front was destined only for ruin.
That meant the real objective of the Singularities was to eliminate 'me' and 'Ritsuka Fujimaru'—the ones capable of reaching that final point.
Fundamentally, the state of the Singularities is one where the forces of the King of Demon Gods use the 'Holy Grail' as a resource to overwhelm Alaya-side Servants or figures of the current era.
Nero Claudius in the Second Singularity, the Great President's forces in the Fifth, and the Hassan and Egyptian forces in the Sixth are primary examples.
But the variable applied there is me, Ritsuka Fujimaru, and Chaldea.
Chaldea must defeat all seven Singularities and the Temple without a single loss. Goetia only needs to beat us once to win it all.
Thus, from his perspective, losing a Singularity or two is a fair trade if it means killing me and Ritsuka.
"The communication blackout and our separation were likely his bait as well... A Servant is coming."
"So you're saying that bald fatty was just a decoy... Fine, I get it. But which Servant is coming?"
Against the remaining legions, Boudica, and the Servant Spartacus...
To handle those two... if I were the King of Demon Gods, I would send that Servant.
"The King of Conquerors of Macedonia is coming."