Mihana Singularity (12): Survive the Trial...
"No, no? I'm a genuine goddess, after all! You, a human, recognized me and don't you have the slightest respect?"
The skeletal ghost trembled, then trembled again, transforming into a blonde girl draped in an elaborate red cloak. She hovered in mid-air, holding a gun in one hand, glaring fiercely at Fujimaru Ritsuka with an expression of shame and anger.
They stopped fighting, as if Ritsuka intended to let the atmosphere remain tense by not saying a word.
What a terrifying atmosphere! Conan felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the blonde girl's flushed face. She was undeniably cute, but her personality was truly astounding!
"Hey, hey, should we fight or not, we..." Miyamoto Musashi was quickly covered in the mouth by Little Da Vinci. If they really went to war with two god-level Servants, they would be the ones who would suffer!
If we can delay it as long as possible, maybe things will turn around?
"Oh, what a beautiful feeling! It makes me want to play a tune." Tristan placed his hand on the enchanted strings.
For some reason, the scene before him felt strangely familiar, as if similar stories had unfolded in many different contexts. But upon closer examination, those scenes, like flowing water, left no trace in his mind.
So, is there something wrong with his memory?
Matsuda Jinpei looked up at the scene of the miraculous transformation, then turned to Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was still smiling, and said, "You know her." It was a statement of fact.
How could I possibly forget her?
Ereshkigal, the goddess of the underworld in Sumerian mythology. She possesses the souls of humans with similar wavelengths, manifesting in the world as a pseudo-servant.
She appears to be a cold and terrifying goddess of death and corruption, but in reality, she is very gentle and devoted to her duty as the mistress of the underworld.
"Not only do the Masters know each other, they also have a special connection."
Little Leonardo da Vinci winked slyly and turned to Ritsuka, "Since she appears in this form, there is no doubt that her prototype is also the goddess you knew in Chaldea."
“Let’s do an experiment, Ritsuka. Say hello to her and see if her memories have been erased or hidden.”
"Alright!" Fujimaru Ritsuka waved vigorously at the displeased goddess without hesitation. "Ereshkiga-chan, it's quite a coincidence to see you in BB-chan's game!"
This Holy Grail War is full of familiar faces.
So, Saber is Musashi's sister, Archer is Tristan, Lancer is Ereshkigal, Rider is Leonardo da Vinci, Assassin is Smoke Mirror, and Berserker is Hercules.
All Servants except Caster have already appeared, and the fact that the suspects chose to send Ereshkigal and Smoke Mirror suggests that Caster is likely not good at combat.
The initial goal was unexpectedly achieved: to test the strength of the opposing Servants. Now, let's hope everything goes smoothly, and by the way, have Mr. Matsuda ask Mr. Amuro who Caster's Master is.
My next target is Caster's Master!
"Waaaaah... Fate?!" Ereshkigal instantly covered her face, smoke rising from her head. No, that's not the point. She tried to calm herself down, to maintain the dignity and stance of a goddess.
She took a deep breath and let go of her hand in frustration. "So why are you waving and smiling like you're seeing an old friend? I won't go easy on you just because you're trying to get close to me!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka bluntly replied, "Because I'm so happy to see Ereshkigal."
Judging from Ereshkigal's expression, Leonardo da Vinci could confirm that this was also a copy Servant who copied the Chaldea's original body, and that the kind who still retained traces of memories of Kasumi Rita.
That's definitely negotiable, everything can be negotiated. As long as Smoke Mirror doesn't cause trouble, maybe we won't even need to fight.
After a suspicious pause, Ereshkigal continued, his voice weak, "But you are, after all, human, and this offense of disrespect can be forgiven."
"As for the battle... mmm mmm."
"Hey! You can stop now!" The smoke mirror, which had been ignored for so long, interrupted Ereshkigal's obviously softened words. "Honestly, feelings are really a profound thing."
Despite being an individual without memories, she subconsciously harbors a deep affection for Fujimaru Ritsuka. She truly underestimated the Master's charm.
Smoke Mirror looked helpless, and tugged at the corners of his mouth. The next second, however, he suddenly became very interested, looking at Ritsuka and her group as if they were long-awaited prey.
"The deal is done." Smoke Mirror snapped his fingers. "Ereshkigal, if you truly want what's best for her, then unleash your full power and fight to your heart's content!"
Ereshkigal's gaze was fixed on the orange-haired girl who gave her a sense of warmth; it was a vibrant color that didn't exist in the underworld. If it was to protect her—
"...I know, I know!" As if she had made up her mind, the blonde goddess tossed her long hair, straightened her back, and gripped the spear tightly in her hand.
Conan tensed up instantly, blinking frantically at Ritsuka, silently asking why this goddess, whose expression had just softened, was suddenly planning to take action again.
Although Ritsuka was unaware of Ereshkigal's deal with Smoke Mirror for the time being, she suddenly guessed which underworld gods were cooperating with Moriarty.
"And here's something for you, Ritsuka: taking shortcuts isn't fun." Smoke Mirror lazily gestured to Ritsuka, a wicked smile hidden beneath his cold expression.
The Smoke Mirror really does have memories! Ritsuka, who was called out, touched her nose guiltily. She's not a battle maniac; why fight when you can talk it out!
But given the current situation, it seems that a fight is unavoidable.
"Your trial is only halfway through, it's not over yet. Continue to experience various battles, and then survive them!"
“Please allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Tescatlipoca, currently the one in black.” Smoke Goggles twirled his gun. “Alright, time for battle… hopefully this time it will hit.”
Fujimaru Ritsuka's expression also turned serious. She stood in front of Conan, nodded to Matsuda Jinpei, and mouthed, "I'll be in charge of Musashi for now!"
The mentioned Servant drew his twin swords, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation. Tristan stepped forward, shielding Matsuda Jinpei and Leonardo da Vinci from view.
Little Leonardo da Vinci secretly encouraged himself, his roller skates poised to launch. Matsuda Jinpei took a deep breath; was he going to pull off a feat of escape before the gods? How thrilling!
"In that case, I can't let you steal the spotlight all by yourself!" Ereshkigal said with great enthusiasm. "You Master over there, yes, the one named Ritsuka! Make sure you see my cool aura when I fight!"
"Listen to my name, Ereshkigal, the goddess who rules the land of the dead and protects the mountains!"
The battle begins.
Ereshkigal raised his hand and shook the small portable cage, which spread rapidly like a dark blue tide. A black and red skull suddenly jumped up and opened its mouth in front of Conan, intending to swallow him whole.
"Emergency dodge!"
Fujimaru Ritsuka grabbed Conan and quickly backed away. "Are you alright?" she asked, panting. Conan shook his head, still shaken.
Looking at the charred marks before him, rising like a tide, he couldn't help but recall the attack he had just suffered, one he hadn't even had time to react to. If it weren't for Fujimaru Ritsuka's Mystic Code, he would probably have been the first Servant to be eliminated.
He gritted his teeth. This feeling of being completely passive and unable to fight back was awful!
With a pluck of the enchanted strings, several beams of blue magic shot towards the goddess in mid-air. Ellie snorted softly and easily dodged them.
Unexpectedly, Miyamoto Musashi and Tristan took advantage of her momentary distraction, leaping into the air one after the other using the trees for leverage. With a crisscrossing downward slash of their twin swords and an upward thrust of their demonic strings, they attacked Ereshkigal from both sides, leaving her with no way to escape.
A sandstorm suddenly struck, scraping against the Servants' bodies, but Musashi and Tristan, knowing they couldn't miss the opportunity, strained their eyes and unleashed their maximum magical attack on their target.
Ereshkigal released the spear in her hand, which instantly transformed into six identical spears glowing red, surrounding her. Two spears easily blocked the attacks of the two Servants, while the remaining four charged straight at them.
"Gandr!"
He wasn't aiming at Ereshkigal, but at Smoke Mirror. Ritsuka knew Smoke Mirror was belligerent, but he was clearly slacking off in this fight; there must be a trap!
Smoke Mirror's body stiffened, his hands forced to stop moving. His gaze was fixed on Fujimaru Ritsuka, who was observing the battle from hidden in the bushes, and the girl stared back at him without any attempt to hide her glare.
Smoke Mirror smiled amusedly. Clever, but not enough. Without a Spirit Origin Shadow, the skills of the Mystic Code alone cannot achieve the goal.
Is it that there's no sense of crisis right now? Then...
Waiting for the numbness to subside, he put one hand in his pocket, held the gun, and fired into the sky. The bullet traced a golden trajectory as it pierced through the clouds. The next second, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and red lightning accompanied by torrential rain streaked down.
The three Servants, locked in a fierce battle, suddenly separated. Miyamoto Musashi and Tristan each grabbed a Master and quickly dodged. If they had been hit, they might not have even left a whole corpse!
"Hey!" Ereshkigal's expression changed, and she jumped up and down, dodging Lei. "Is accidentally hitting friendly fire your habit?!"
"Hey, you've had a tough time. Looks like we're both pretty unlucky." Smoke Mirror waved his hand casually, completely unconcerned.
Within a radius of several hundred meters, the forests affected by the lightning strikes have completely lost their greenery, turning into charred, withered branches or becoming a huge crater.
For a smoke-filled mirror, this isn't even a warm-up.
Conan was being carried along by Tristan at a rapid pace, staring blankly at the god-type Servant's seemingly world-changing power. Is this the strength of a Servant? It leaves no way for ordinary people to survive!
But the detective's instincts kicked in the next second, making him realize a serious problem: "Assistant! What if Officer Matsuda and the others get caught in the crossfire?"
Without the cover of the trees, the two people moving towards the manor would definitely be noticed!
"The Riders should have already left this area... no, the sandstorm just now must have slowed them down!"
So, Smoke Mirror sensed their plan before creating the sandstorm! Oh no! Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately shouted to Conan, "Detective, have Archer use his Noble Phantasm to hold off Smoke Mirror!"
We must give Da Vinci and Officer Matsuda a little more time to buy off!
But it was too late.
The second sandstorm arrived unexpectedly. Fujimaru Ritsuka struggled to open her eyes amidst the flying sand and gravel. She saw Smoke Mirror raise his hand and fling out his modified pistol, the blue swirling light shooting straight into the distance.
Ritsuka reached out her hand, ignoring the swirling yellow sand, and once again tried to summon the Shadow of the Spirit Origin for help.
Try again, try again, try again...
Please! I don't want to be a burden to everyone! I want to fight alongside you all!!
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