Chapter 34: Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash!

A violet silhouette appeared as magical energy began to condense, and the light combat armor on her body started to transform.

"Galahad-san, please lend me your strength!"

The moment Mash spoke, the one she called upon was none other than the Heroic Spirit who had agreed to fuse with her. Galahad—one of the Knights of the Round Table from the legends of King Arthur, the son of Lancelot.

The Perfect Knight, praised as the youth who would carry the weight of the next generation of the Round Table.

He was Heroic Spirit Test Subject No. 2 of Chaldea, possessing the experimental subject Mash Kyrielight through the conceptual medium of the gathering place of Heroic Spirits. Due to his disgust toward the inhumane experiments at Chaldea, he had refused to manifest. However, if he returned to the Throne of Heroes, Mash—acting as his medium—would die. Thus, he had remained hidden within her body for years.

To save Mash, who was on the brink of death, he had transferred his Spirit Origin and Noble Phantasm to her before finally vanishing back to the Throne. None of the survivors at Chaldea knew his true name.

This noble knight was the source of Mash’s current power.

"That which heals all wounds and all grudges, our glorious homeland. Manifest! Lord Camelot!"

The white-walled city of legend manifested above the soil of Mesopotamia. The fortress that bore the feelings of "King Arthur" descended at that very moment.

The sound of a heavy impact echoed—BOOM!

However, the cool appearance only lasted for about three seconds. In the next heartbeat, the two of them crashed into the ground. Under the protection of the Noble Phantasm’s release, they were unharmed. Still, if Artoria Pendragon ever found out her dream castle was being used as a literal crash pad, one could only wonder how she would feel.

"Senpai—no, Master! Are you alright?"

As soon as they landed, Mash immediately checked on the senior she cared for most.

"I’m fine, Mash. Thanks to you."

"No, I should be the one apologizing. When it happened, my mind just went blank... completely blank..."

In that moment, Mash couldn’t help but feel the warmth at her waist. She and her senior were still hugging each other tightly. Because the fall from such a height had left his head ringing, Ritsuka Fujimaru didn’t notice Mash’s awkwardness.

He was just a normal human with very poor aptitude as a Mage. Although their journey had been successful so far, his personal strength hadn’t increased much.

"Um, Senpai... we’re holding each other very tightly."

"Eh?"

Suddenly, Ritsuka snapped back to his senses and scrambled to his feet. Mash’s face flushed a deep red. She didn’t dislike the intimate contact; in fact, there was a small spark of joy. After all, they had endured so much suffering together—life and death—and were already the closest of comrades.

"It seems we’ve arrived at an awkward time, interrupting the affection of this young couple."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice reached their ears.

Instantly, Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash shifted into a combat stance. Ritsuka prepared to deploy his Mystic Code while Mash raised her greatshield, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

"Who’s there?"

Ritsuka scanned the surroundings and finally spotted two figures hovering in mid-air. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

A man and a woman. Both radiated immense magical power. He felt a particularly dangerous sensation from the shorter figure.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, the last Master of humanity from Chaldea."

"Who are you people?"

Hearing that the stranger knew his identity and even mentioned Chaldea, Ritsuka’s heart tightened. Ignorance is always the greatest fear. What was even more terrifying was that he had no information on them, yet they knew everything about him.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shin Akira. Like you, I am a visitor from a foreign land."

"A visitor from a foreign land? Are you one of the Magic King Solomon’s people?"

"No, I am not with Solomon."

"Then who are you? How do you know about Chaldea and my identity?"

"You could say I possess a form of ’Clairvoyance.’ I can see fragments of the future."

Akira wasn’t sure how else to explain it, so he chose to pivot the conversation.

"Clairvoyance that can see the future? That’s incredible..." Mash said, her voice filled with surprise. Being able to see the future was indeed an extraordinary feat.

Her voice drew Akira’s gaze. He could "see" that her physical condition was far from optimistic. As an artificially created lifeform, her genetics were imperfect and riddled with flaws. Ultimately, with human technology, trying to create life was still a reach beyond their grasp. Her body was nearing its limit; she didn’t have much time left.

"Then, did you come looking for us because you ’saw’ something in the future?"

"You could put it that way."

"If so, what do you intend to do? Are you here to help us, or have you come to kill us?"

Ritsuka wasn’t naive. As a savior who had survived countless hardships, he knew people could approach them with either good or ill intentions. Especially in ancient Mesopotamia, where everything was an unknown. He didn’t know what he was up against.

"You’re quite the cautious one, aren’t you? But don’t worry, I didn’t come here to kill you two."

"Then are you here to help us?"

"Not exactly."

"Then what do you want from us?"

Ritsuka Fujimaru knit his brows. No good intent, but no ill intent either—then what was the point? Beside him, Mash gripped her shield tighter. At the slightest sign of trouble, she would strike. Protecting her Master was her top priority.

The sound of clicking and low, guttural growls suddenly filled the air.

Ritsuka looked around and was instantly shocked. One by one, massive dark-red lions with giant fangs emerged. Each was undoubtedly a powerful Demonic Beast.

Unlike Ritsuka’s serious expression, a flicker of annoyance crossed Akira’s face. Having his conversation interrupted was never good for the mood, especially when the interrupters were a pack of Demonic Beasts.

"Kingu..."

"I’m on it, Onii-chan."

Whoosh!

Kingu, standing at his side, tilted her body slightly. Behind her, golden ripples began to manifest one after another.

The chains of the Enkidu: Chain of Heaven shot through the air. Before the power of the chains, these Demonic Beasts were as weak as ants. In the span of just a few breaths, the entire pack was slaughtered.

Purple blood and the carcasses of Demonic Beasts piled up around them. Ritsuka and Mash stood there, completely stunned. My god, just how strong are they?

As for Kingu, she remained perfectly calm. To her, this was nothing more than a minor chore.

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