Gotham Singularity (18) Hello, Atalanta...
Suddenly, Dick felt a sharp pain in his toe. Looking down, he saw Tim slowly retracting his shoe, and then he heard Tim say with a smile, "How about it, do you still feel like you're dreaming?"
“I have to say I was really surprised,” Dick said dryly. “Timber, B will go crazy.” He pointed to the door, indicating that Tim might be overheard.
But Tim smiled and shook his head. Xu Fu had already taken precautions against theft when he entered. He said seriously, "That's still better than him leaving us."
"...You're right."
The two Robins quickly reached an agreement: neither of them were obedient children hiding in their mother's arms, and besides, they were doing things behind Batman's back—that's super cool!
Tim didn't bother Ritsuka to repeat herself; he summarized the important information so far for Dick in concise language. Unsurprisingly, he saw the same bewilderment on Dick's face as he had back then.
That's great, I can't be the only one shocked.
“…OK, fine.” Dick was a little numb, he put his hand to his forehead. “Now that even Mr. Holmes has come out, I think I’m no longer surprised by anything.”
"But who exactly is Red Hood, that he could have Mr. Holmes as his advisor?" Dick's tone was filled with envy and jealousy. "Is he really not some kind of follower?"
As he said this, Fujimaru Ritsuka's lips twitched, and she looked at him as if he were looking at a ball of yarn that had been trampled by a cat, with pity and a hint of watching a show.
But seeing Jason's determination to keep it a secret, Ritsuka kindly withdrew her expression, which might have given her away. Their family matters were none of anyone else's business.
Ah, I hope Batman has a strong heart.
“No, not at all.” Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked. “I’m pretty sure he’s a true Gothamite.”
Dick muttered in disbelief, but Ritsuka thought he was just interested in Holmes.
She quickly steered the conversation back on track, explaining to Tim that their purpose in following Wayne was to maintain a certain distance from him in case the follower suddenly attacked.
For Bruce's safety, Tim and Dick exchanged a glance and agreed to do their best to help. But neither of them had much hope of completely fooling Batman.
Once B finds out what they're really involved in, he'd rather go to the Justice League than let him and Dick get involved any further...
“Wait a minute, Dick.” Tim frowned. “So many times time has reversed, and it’s understandable that we and B didn’t notice, but didn’t the magic side notice either?”
“If they had memories, there would definitely be more people at Wayne Manor now,” Dick said logically. “Especially Superman, he would definitely come to help B.”
But didn't he say yesterday that Superman went to another planet to handle some business? Fujimaru Ritsuka's eyes widened slightly, as if she had grasped something.
A jumble of memories and time, an isolated city, singularities and the Holy Grail… it's like Salem has been recreated. But Dick says he rushed back from out of town, which doesn't make sense.
While Ritsuka racked her brains, Tim tapped rhythmically on the table, neither confirming nor denying Dick's statement.
Although he felt something was wrong, he didn't dwell on it, because there were priorities, and if they stayed in the room any longer, Bruce would definitely become suspicious.
Tim then asked Ritsuka, "Ms. Fujimaru, what is the furthest distance you need to travel?"
Batman is a skeptical person who constantly observes and is vigilant about his surroundings. The closer he gets, the faster he'll be exposed, but he doesn't want to be locked up by Batman just yet.
“This manor will do. Chaldea can detect Servants' arrival in advance,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said. She knew what the boy in front of her was worried about. Batman's intuition was too sharp; he almost discovered even Xu Fu's Taoist magic.
After hearing this, Tim visibly breathed a sigh of relief. This was much wider than he had imagined, so keeping it from Batman should be a simple matter.
Yeah, right.
Three hours later, Tim deeply regretted his overconfidence. He cautiously opened the window and huddled with Dick, gazing out at the garden. Bruce Wayne was leisurely basking in the long-awaited sunshine outside.
"B must have discovered something." Tim closed his eyes, unable to bear to look any longer.
"Huh, why?" Ritsuka asked, puzzled. She was in his room, still holding the small cookies that the old butler had given to the two young masters earlier.
“Because he would rather stay in the Bat Cave than sunbathe and take a nap outside!” Dick answered tremblingly.
"Based on my years of understanding of him, I swear B must have thought the garden was spacious and wouldn't involve Afu, so he was waiting for someone there."
Compared to the two Bat-children who had suffered greatly at Batman's hands and had even decided where to be buried after they died, Fujimaru Ritsuka's reaction seemed rather ordinary. She stopped Xu Fu's pointless whining and happily ate her sweets, as if she were on a picnic.
Just as the two vigilantes were about to ask Ritsuka how she developed her good mindset, a "beep" sound interrupted them, forcing them to swallow their words.
"Excuse me for interrupting!" Chaldea's communications suddenly lit up, startling the two vigilantes so much they nearly drew their weapons. "Ritsuka, Servant reaction detected! Approaching this way at high speed!"
Wow, I've won the lottery!
Fujimaru Ritsuka hadn't expected to find the Servant she'd been searching for so long so quickly. She felt a mixture of excitement and bewilderment at being one step closer to the truth.
Why did the follower choose to find Batman first after time was reversed?
"Ritsuka, the Servant is only 100 meters away from making contact with Batman!" Chaldea's anxious voice rang out. Fujimaru Ritsuka banished her distractions and glanced down at Bruce, who was completely unaware of what was happening.
Before the other two could react, she braced herself against the window frame with one hand, stepped onto the windowsill with her feet, and jumped down without hesitation.
"Archer".
Tim and Dick stared wide-eyed and rushed to the window almost simultaneously. The dust, almost gleaming gold in the sunlight, clung to Fujimaru Ritsuka's falling back like angel wings.
Before they could jump down to save the people, Xu Fu grabbed them both and held them firmly in the room. The absolute difference in strength made Dick and Tim realize for the second time what a Servant really meant.
"The battles to come are not for you to participate in~" Xu Fu said lightly, as if it wasn't her Master who had just jumped down. "You guys stay here and behave yourselves. Although I'm not in charge of the battles, I'll still be there to provide support."
Dick looked up abruptly, staring incredulously at the nonchalant Xu Fu. He couldn't believe that the man who had just been flirting with that girl could be so indifferent to her life or death.
He struggled frantically and angrily to break free of his restraints, shouting, "Hey! What are you doing! Isn't she your Master? Hurry up and save her!!" But Xu Fu's magic had already glued his feet to the ground, making his struggles seem futile and laughable.
Tim was also angry and wanted to curse, but when his gaze inadvertently drifted to the window, he suddenly froze, his pupils shrinking slightly.
Fujimaru Ritsuka's body suddenly stopped in mid-air, no longer falling, and then landed safely as if someone had caught her and jumped.
“Dick,” Tim said slowly, “maybe we don’t need to worry about Miss Fujimaru anymore.”
The stranger's presence drew near, and Bruce instantly jumped up from the recliner and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a pair of golden eyes, dazzlingly bright in the brilliant sunlight.
Then, the next second, he felt a shiver run down the back of his head, and the chill of death shot into his heart. A few strands of translucent white hair brushed past his shoulder, and a hand as sharp as a claw swiftly attacked his neck.
And he had no time to react.
But the dull thud of metal clashing against metal struck Bruce's ears. He froze, his left hand instinctively reaching for his neck, feeling the throbbing pulse.
Someone stopped the attack. He slowly turned his head.
The white-haired youth, wielding two swords, remained expressionless. He crossed the swords to block the beast-eared woman's claws. With a loud "clang," a surge of immense magical power pressed down, bending even the trees.
Their first attack failed, and both men took a step back. The reserved young man stood in front of Ritsuka and Bruce. The dazzling light shone on the blade, reflecting a sharp glint.
"A servant? No, you're still a bit lacking." The woman's expression turned wary, her gaze shifting from the damned target to the young man, then looking behind him. "A magus?"
Fujimaru Ritsuka stepped into the sunlight, her orange-red hair shimmering brightly and holyly in the light. Undeterred, she approached the battlefield, her calm voice ringing out: "Hello, Atalanta."
Bruce: "...?"
He was familiar with the name; it came from a female hunter in Greek mythology. Had another organization named after Greek mythology appeared in Gotham?
And yet, he hadn't found a single trace. Bruce's lips curled into a smirk, his nerves tightening. If the situation before him hadn't prevented him from leaving, he probably would have headed straight for the Batcave.
Atalanta was also taken aback. She frowned and stopped moving. "...Why do you know this name?"
True names are extremely important to Servants. Their weapons, causes of death, and weaknesses can all be revealed to their opponents from their short true names.
Atalanta never imagined that her real name would be called out by a child who looked like he was still a minor at first glance, nor did she expect that there would be a magician here.
Her gaze unconsciously drifted to the back of Fujimaru Ritsuka's hand; the bright red mark made her heart race. She knew perfectly well that the Holy Grail was now helping Mary fulfill her wish, but the magician before her probably didn't.
Magicians are ruthless people, that's what the memory implanted in her brain told her.
With a slight turn of her feet, Atalanta gazed at Fujimaru Ritsuka.
Fujimaru Ritsuka blinked, the hostility of being surrounded by a powerful Servant failing to make her tense in the slightest. Instead, she smiled and said, "Perhaps it's because I was fortunate enough to fight alongside you once."
This Atalanta's magic was much weaker than the one she had encountered before, but her personality and fighting style remained unchanged.
In other words, she knew everything about the enemy—including their weaknesses.
"But this time we're on different sides again."
As soon as she finished speaking, Atalanta launched an attack without hesitation. Since her true name had been revealed, she could only seize the initiative to win.
Arms clashed, and in the ensuing stalemate, Emiya threw his projected dagger, instantly widening the distance. Atalanta immediately leaped upwards to dodge the dagger, but a strand of hair was still grazed and fell by the silver light.
She frowned, and as she fell, she braced herself with her hands to change direction, rushing towards the only ordinary person present. Suddenly, a barrage of arrows came hurtling towards her like a meteor shower, forcing her to change course and dodge the attack.
Just as her attention was drawn to the arrows, Fujimaru Ritsuka decisively raised her hand, and an elegant old man appeared before her. The old man gripped the spear in a reverse grip, and a silver light drew a bright arc in the air before plunging straight into the ground.
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Author's note: Happy National Day!
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