"————!"
Amid shattered earth, splintered rock, and clouds of dust, the girls sheltered behind the Round Table, struggling simply to remain standing.
A single arrow had unleashed such tremendous power that it had already reached the level of an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
Mash gripped the Round Table tightly and squeezed her eyes shut against the crushing wind pressure.
She could hear nothing and see nothing. All she could feel was the violent vibration of the air shaking her entire body and the scorching heat against her skin.
Countless fragments hurled into the air by the gale ricocheted in every direction, producing heavy impacts as they whirled around the girls.
"...Ugh!"
Mash gritted her teeth and held firm.
The explosion itself lasted only an instant.
Fortunately, they had been warned beforehand and reacted in time. That was the only reason they survived the destruction.
"Whoa..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru opened her eyes and stared at the devastating scene before her.
The attack had instantly transformed the surrounding area into a sea of flames. The ground at the center of the explosion had been completely blown away, leaving behind an enormous crater.
And at the center of that crater was a tangled mass of coiled chains.
The chains shattered apart like glass, revealing the green-haired figure they had been protecting.
"Enkidu-san!" Mash shouted.
As expected of Mesopotamia's mightiest hero. Even after taking an attack of that magnitude, Enkidu appeared completely unharmed.
Mash was about to rush toward him when Ritsuka Fujimaru grabbed her wrist.
"Senpai?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru shook her head.
"Something about Enkidu..."
Enkidu stood at the center of the blast crater with his head lowered, completely silent.
Something was wrong.
She couldn't explain exactly what it was, but something definitely felt wrong.
"Wait, what's going on?"
At that moment, Dr. Roman's voice rang out.
"We're detecting a Mana signature from the Heroic Spirit Enkidu that closely resembles a Demon Pillar?
This is... Ritsuka! Mash! Be careful!
We don't know exactly what that thing is, but whatever is standing in front of you is an enemy of humanity. It's the same kind of existence as Solomon!"
"Fou, Fou...!"
The warning from behind left the girls stunned.
"You again... You've come to ruin my plans again..."
Enkidu gritted his teeth, his expression twisting with rage as he glared toward a cedar tree in the distance.
Standing there was a red-haired boy holding a pitch-black longbow.
Enkidu stared at him with naked hatred.
"That person... He's the one who attacked us just now! And Enkidu-san is glaring at him like he wants to kill him... What exactly is going on?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash were confused by how abruptly the situation had changed.
Yet an impression was already beginning to form in both their minds.
For some reason, that boy seemed more trustworthy than Enkidu.
Although dragging both her and Mash into that attack was going way too far! She was definitely going to complain to him later.
"I overheard your conversation just now. Did you say that person is Enkidu?"
"Waaaaah!"
Ritsuka and Mash screamed and jumped at the voice suddenly speaking right beside their ears.
A swirl of flowers rose with the wind, and Merlin appeared behind the two girls.
"Y-you are...!"
Ritsuka and Mash stared at Merlin while he continued speaking as though nothing had happened.
"You said he's Enkidu? That's rather strange.
The King Gilgamesh currently commanding the front line in Uruk is the king who returned after his journey in search of the Herb of Immortality.
Which means..."
Ritsuka, Mash, and Dr. Roman in the command room all widened their eyes at the same time.
They immediately realized the contradiction.
Enkidu could not possibly exist here as a local person.
Enkidu's lips curled into a contemptuous smile.
"Hmph. Looks like you people from Chaldea have been saved."
Mash tightened her grip on her enormous shield.
"Enkidu-san! Who exactly are you?
Was bringing us here part of a trap all along...!?"
"As I already told those people over there, I am Enkidu himself.
I possess the same abilities, speak the same words, and above all, I regard you humans as my enemies."
"!"
Enkidu's Mana continued to swell, soon reaching an astonishing level.
"Perfect. Now that every nuisance has gathered in one place, I can put an end to your resistance once and for all."
Despite being vastly outnumbered, Enkidu showed no concern whatsoever.
Compressed Mana surged from the earth in quantities dense enough to become visible to the naked eye.
Spears, swords, and countless other bladed weapons erupted from the ground alongside chains, sweeping outward in every direction like a tidal wave.
"Mash! Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, Senpai! I'm going in!"
The girls tensed and assumed their combat stances.
The situation was overwhelmingly unfavorable.
Truthfully, in their current condition, they had no chance of defeating that Enkidu.
But then...
The overwhelming flood of weapons vanished.
The green-haired figure disappeared along with them.
The girls suddenly found themselves back at the entrance of the Cedar Forest they had passed through half an hour earlier.
"...Huh?"
"Enkidu disappeared?"
Ritsuka and Mash blinked.
Any skilled Magus would have recognized at a glance that they had been caught in an extraordinarily sophisticated Illusion Arts.
The girls might have been battle-hardened warriors, but their knowledge of Magecraft was still rather limited.
"Hahahaha! Oh my, that went wonderfully! Absolutely wonderfully!"
Merlin, the culprit responsible, laughed cheerfully.
"As expected, he still has no resistance to mental attacks. I do feel a little guilty about deceiving such an innocent child, but we can put that aside for now.
This was necessary for our survival.
Surely people can forgive just a little ungentlemanly behavior when the circumstances demand it.
After all, our opponent is Enkidu, mediator of the Three Goddess Alliance and the traitor despised by everyone in Uruk."
Seeing the surprise on the girls' faces, Merlin continued explaining.
"That young man... or young woman? Either works, really. In any case, the number of warriors killed by that person is beyond counting.
That young commander of the Magical Beasts is none other than a direct subordinate placed in this era by the King of Magecraft!"
Ritsuka Fujimaru exclaimed in shock.
"Enkidu works for the King of Magecraft...? Is that really Enkidu himself!?"
Merlin nodded.
"Yes. Using Enkidu's name, that person has destroyed countless fortresses and armies.
The people of Uruk believe he's an impostor, but unfortunately, that combat ability unmistakably belongs to the real Enkidu.
And the remains of Enkidu that were originally kept in the Underworld have also...
You should be careful. Beautiful as he may look, he is still a weapon built to slaughter humans.
He has simply reverted to the ruthless weapon he was before meeting King Gilgamesh... Gwaaah!"
Merlin suddenly screamed halfway through his explanation and went flying.
The girls looked closer and saw that he had been struck by a white projectile spinning through the air at high speed.
"...Fou!?"
"Fou-fou-fou! Merlin deserves to die, Fou!"
Merlin sat on the ground clutching his swollen, reddened cheek.
"What was that for, you savage beast!?
Have you forgotten all the years I spent taking care of you, you bastard! You bastard!"
"Fou! Fou!"
"Damn it! If I'd known this would happen, I never would've taken in a vicious beast like you!
Cath Palug! Terrifying Cat of Calamity! Just how many lovers of fluffy paws have you deceived with that adorable appearance!?
You get pampered by noble ladies just because you're cute, while all the effort I put in every day ends up looking completely pointless!
Don't you feel even a little guilty toward me, who has to use every trick imaginable just to charm people!?"
"Fou! Fou!"
"...They're arguing on exactly the same level as Fou."
Mash stared at them in disbelief.
At that moment, a girl in a black robe approached and looked at the Magus of Flowers as though he were garbage.
"Merlin, please save this sort of abnormal behavior and disgraceful display for when you're alone in the middle of the night."
"Me-Merlin...!?"
Dr. Roman suddenly shouted from the holographic projection.
"Wait! Did you just call him Merlin!?"
"Ugh... The Doctor's gone into that overly excited otaku mode where he gets kind of gross again..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru took half a step backward with an awkward expression and hid behind Mash.
"The situation was so shocking that I froze in front of the monitor! Now that I've finally recovered, allow me to shout this with everything I have. Hold on!"
Roman yelled, "Merlin!? You mean you're that Merlin!?
The great Magus of Britain, a half-human, half-Incubus hybrid, one of the greatest Kingmakers in the world and an absolute first-class good-for-nothing!
That Merlin is really standing right there!? And as a Servant!?
The Grand Caster who absolutely cannot die before the end of the world!?"
"Wahahaha! Thank you for that entirely predictable introduction! What an easy reaction to understand, Romani Archaman!"
The robed Magus puffed out his chest proudly.
"That's right! I'm Big Brother Merlin, the Grand Caster, a Magus among Magi!
Well, technically I only possess the qualifications for Grand Caster.
My Spirit Origin is still an ordinary one, so at the moment I'm merely a regular Caster."
Dr. Roman immediately rejected the claim with all his strength.
"Th~at's i~mpo~ssi~ble~! Merlin can't become a Heroic Spirit!
You certainly look exactly like him, but you're a fraud! A fake Merlin! If you're the real thing, reveal your true form!"
"Fou, Fou!"
Dr. Roman continued, "Ritsuka! Mash! Don't let this man fool you either!
The real Merlin should still be alive, which means he shouldn't be summonable as a Servant.
Of course, there is technically the possibility of being summoned under extraordinary circumstances, like Scáthach...
But more importantly, that man is fundamentally useless in actual combat!
Every Caster qualified for Grand possesses exceptional Clairvoyance, but Merlin's eyes merely allow him to spy on the entire surface of the planet from his tower in Avalon.
In modern terms, his ability is basically the equivalent of being able to freely browse the entire Internet."
"Hmm. When you put it that way, it really doesn't sound very impressive..."
Ritsuka Fujimaru rested a hand against her chin.
"Hey, Merlin."
The black-robed girl walked over and interrupted their conversation.
"Sorry, Ana.
Whatever it is, can it wait? I'm currently doing everything in my power to prove my innocence to Chaldea..."
Ana's deeply displeased face appeared from beneath her black hood as she stared at Merlin.
"Shirou hasn't come back."
"...Huh?"
Merlin froze.
In the next instant, from deep within the Cedar Forest two kilometers away, a terrifying pillar of light shot into the sky, seemingly reaching all the way to the clouds.
...
...
"Fool... Even if you managed to kill Girtablilu, in the end you're still nothing more than an outdated model, a human left behind by the times.
You had the chance to tuck your tail between your legs and run, yet you refused to take it.
In that case, I'll grant your wish and crush you here like the insect you are!"
Enkidu sneered as he traded fire with the boy who had remained behind.
On one side, swords, spears, halberds, and chains surged from the earth. On the other, an endless rain of swords descended from the sky.
Naturally, Merlin's Illusion Arts had included the two from Chaldea, as well as Ana and Shirou.
Under normal circumstances, Shirou should have been forcibly removed from the forest along with everyone else.
However, as the disciple of another Merlin, Lady Avalon, Shirou was probably the person in this world who had suffered through Illusion Arts more than anyone else.
Precisely because of that, he had developed an extraordinary resistance to Illusion Arts.
Shirou had slipped free of Merlin's Illusion Arts and remained behind in the forest to continue fighting Enkidu, hoping to gather more information about his opponent.
He's extremely skilled at using the Age of Babylon.
It's hard to believe... that Enkidu could be an impostor.
I managed to suppress him at first, but he quickly realized that my projected weapons had plenty of speed but lacked firepower, then found a way to counter them.
Shirou analyzed the situation rapidly while dealing with the enemy's attacks.
"Who exactly are you?"
Enkidu was the first to lose patience.
He launched a saturation barrage while shouting the question.
"Why can you fight the same way Gilgamesh and I do!?"
"You don't seriously think you're the only special one, do you?"
Shirou deliberately provoked him with a smirk.
"Tch...!"
The murderous intent in Enkidu's eyes intensified.
Then the trees around his feet suddenly began growing at an incredible speed, as though someone had hit fast-forward.
Countless golden chains twisted together, gradually forming an enormous machine on the ground and aiming directly at Shirou, who stood atop a tree trunk.
Just like the Gate of Babylon, the Age of Babylon also possessed a second stage of application.
This weapon, forged from the Chains of Heaven and growing from the earth as though taking root within it, was proof that Enkidu was finally getting serious.
"Hm? Weren't you just saying you'd crush me like a bug? Why are you suddenly getting serious?"
At Shirou's further provocation, Enkidu narrowed his eyes in hatred.
"Why would I get serious? Obviously, it's to make you understand the difference in our capabilities!"
Enkidu's construction was finally complete.
The weapon born from the fusion of minerals, vegetation, and the Chains of Heaven was something Shirou had seen before.
He had encountered it atop the walls of the northern fortress when Gilgamesh had tasked him with eliminating the Magical Beast Commander.
It was neither a sword nor a spear.
It was the giant crossbow used to load the King of Heroes' treasures, the King's Cannon, Melammu Dingir.
The Age of Babylon.
Enkidu's Noble Phantasm possessed the unique property of continuing to update itself after he was summoned.
It drew from the planet's memories and created all things from the earth.
Because it merely reproduced the history of the Human Order, the amount of information available to it continued to accumulate over time, becoming broader, deeper, and more advanced.
The longer Enkidu remained connected to an era, the more civilizations he could reproduce.
If he were summoned as a Servant in the modern age, he could recreate the latest weapons produced by humanity's scientific development.
Weapons recreated through the Age of Babylon were strengthened using Enkidu himself as their foundation.
A machine gun he reproduced could fire magical bullets capable of damaging hostile Spirit Origins.
A fighter jet he recreated could be enhanced enough to fight an ordinary wyvern.
Of course, reproducing treasures such as Vimana from Gilgamesh's collection, which gathered the very limits of human capability, would require Enkidu to be summoned in the distant future, during an era representing the pinnacle of the Human Order, or an age ruled by gods who had crossed the stars.
To reproduce an essence such as the body of an alien Machine God or the Holy Sword of the Planet, he would need either a treasure of equivalent value from Gilgamesh's vault or the world itself as material.
Even so, the Age of Babylon could still rival the Gate of Babylon.
The reason was simple.
Everything Enkidu shaped from earth was a creation of the Human Order that existed beyond the gods' control. In other words, as long as he had the earth as raw material, he could mass-produce them.
Now, however, Enkidu had willingly abandoned mass production and concentrated all of those resources into a single weapon.
Enkidu gently stroked the enormous crossbow he had created.
Its shape and construction were identical to the ones deployed along the Magical Beast Front, but its specifications were more than ten times greater.
The green-haired young man poured the Mana and divine energy surging from his body into it.
"You really are just as foolish as Gilgamesh.
Do you honestly think that throwing weapons around like a child playing in a sandbox makes you my equal?
Ahahaha! Don't get full of yourself, outdated model, human!"
"But I never thought I was your equal in the first place."
Shirou was gradually being pushed back in the exchange of fire, yet there was no trace of anxiety on his face.
If anything, he looked completely relaxed.
"You've been going out of your way to assert yourself this whole time. Deep down, you're actually completely lost, aren't you?
You don't understand the meaning of your own existence, so the only way you can feel alive is by taking pleasure in trampling over humans..."
"Shut up...!"
Enkidu's face twisted viciously as he clenched his teeth.
There was no longer any reason to keep talking to this human.
Humanity was something that had to be exterminated.
All he needed to do was obey his mother's will.
Enkidu slowly raised one arm and aimed the muzzle of Melammu Dingir at Shirou.
"...You can die now."
In the next instant...
A deafening roar and brilliant light engulfed the Cedar Forest, blowing aside every sword Shirou had sent down from above.
What erupted from the barrel was an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm stored within the Gate of Babylon and reproduced through the Age of Babylon.
The overwhelming bombardment instantly shattered the rain of swords filling the sky.
From the beginning, Shirou had never expected mass-produced weapons to withstand Enkidu's full-power attack.
Emerald light flared from his Projection as a sword appeared in his hand.
Among Gilgamesh's countless treasures, it was the strongest sword beneath only Ea.
Merodach: The Original Sin.
It was said to be the archetype of the Sword of Selection legends found throughout the world.
Of course, Shirou could have projected the Holy Sword of the Planet or Ea here and overwhelmed Enkidu through sheer firepower.
But his purpose today was to investigate the enemy's strength and true identity.
So you'll do just fine.
With a faint sense of apology, Shirou gripped the demonic sword he had relegated to being his backup choice.
And then, the maximum firepower of the Age of Babylon and the Gate of Babylon collided.
The resulting shockwave uprooted the surrounding trees, while a blazing pillar of light rose from the ground, clearly visible from dozens of kilometers away.
...
...
"Shirou!"
By the time Ana and the others rushed back into the forest, Enkidu was already gone.
Only the red-haired boy remained.
Not only Ana and the two from Chaldea, but even Merlin looked genuinely surprised.
"Shirou, did you defeat Enkidu?"
"No. Rather than defeating him... he ran away."
Shirou himself was somewhat confused.
Their clash of Noble Phantasms had ended more or less evenly, and both sides had still been holding something back.
Yet for some unknown reason, Enkidu had suddenly clutched his head in agony before fleeing in a panic.
Did something about their clash trigger a bad memory?
"You must be Shirou-san, right? Merlin and Ana already told us about you."
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash approached Shirou.
"Ah, hello. Merlin told me about you two as well."
"Oh~ Is that so~? So you already knew what was going on."
Ritsuka Fujimaru spoke with a smile that didn't reach her eyes as she slowly closed in on Shirou.
"Then why did you drag Mash and me into your attack!?
Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!? Mash and I nearly got vaporized by the shockwave!"
"Uh..."
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Shirou's cheek.
"Actually, that was Merlin's suggestion...
He said you two were heroes who had already crossed six Singularities, so an ambush of that level would be nothing.
And that if it was Mash-san, she'd definitely be able to..."
Shirou glanced to the side.
Merlin had already vanished without a trace.
"Fou~ Fou~"
The white little beast gave Shirou a sympathetic look.
"...Shirou-san? Is there anything else you'd like to explain?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru cracked her knuckles while Mash advanced beside her with her enormous shield.
Step by step, they forced Shirou backward until his back hit a large tree.
With nowhere left to run, Shirou lowered his head in resignation.
"I'm sorry... I went too far. I'll reflect on what I did."
"Hmph. That's more like it~"
Ritsuka Fujimaru folded her arms across her chest, then narrowed one eye with a mischievous grin.
"I was only joking just now... Thanks to your help today, Shirou-san, Mash and I made it out safely."
Her vivid orange hair swayed as Ritsuka Fujimaru smiled and held out one hand.
"I look forward to working with you from now on, Shirou-san."
Shirou finally relaxed and shook her hand.
"Yeah. Likewise, Ritsuka-san."
"I'm Mash Kyrielight. I look forward to working with you as well, Shirou-san."
He shook hands with the Shield Maiden too.
"?"
Shirou frowned.
This feeling...
For some reason, he had a strange sense of déjà vu.
"Ritsuka-san."
"What is it?"
"Have we... met somewhere before?"
At Shirou's question, Ritsuka Fujimaru froze for a moment.
Then a sly smile flashed across her face.
It was a strangely seductive smile, completely at odds with the lively impression she usually gave.
"Hehehe! Of course not! This is the first time we've met~
Anyway! More importantly, let's hurry up and get out of this dangerous place, Shirou-san!"
Ritsuka forcefully pushed Shirou from behind and hurried him toward the edge of the forest.