The sky above Fuyuki City had taken on a strange amber color.
The two members of Chaldea, who had just arrived in Fuyuki through Spiritron Rayshift, were currently looking up at the chaotic bands of light flowing through the clouds.
"This is strange… why are the streets so quiet? There isn't even a single person around…"
Fujimaru Ritsuka looked around the empty streets and couldn't help frowning slightly.
Mash Kyrielight showed a helpless expression.
"Senpai, maybe you shouldn't say things that sound like raising a death flag… to be honest, I've felt a little uneasy since a moment ago."
They had already experienced several Singularities, yet from the past until now, Mash had never felt this kind of unease the moment they arrived somewhere.
Even though the city currently looked calm and peaceful.
At that moment, Ritsuka's body suddenly swayed, and Mash quickly caught her."Senpai, what's wrong?"
"The magical energy in the air feels a little strange…"
Ritsuka said quietly.
"The concentration of mana in the atmosphere… it doesn't feel like something that should exist in the modern world…"
Mash's eyes flickered slightly.
"Is this Beast affecting the modern world?"
At that moment, Dr. Roman's deep and serious warning suddenly came through the Spiritron communication channel.
"Both of you be careful. Multiple Heroic Spirit reactions have been detected not far ahead!"
"If nothing unexpected happens, the Beast's 'nest' should be a little further ahead!"
Mash and Ritsuka exchanged a glance before the former immediately raised her round shield and stepped in front of Ritsuka as they cautiously moved forward.
The metal edge of the shield had begun to grow slightly warm under the abnormal magical radiation.
At the same time, the image on Chaldea's control console began shaking violently as the two approached, and the crimson marker representing "Beast" flashed wildly at the edge of the screen.
Whoosh!
As the two stepped forward again, their ankles were suddenly wrapped almost simultaneously by tentacles formed from black mud.
"Senpai, watch out!"
Mash quickly grabbed Ritsuka's hand.
In the next moment, the black mud tentacles dragged them both into an Imaginary Number vortex.
After barely calming the dizziness in her head, Fujimaru Ritsuka slowly raised her head, before her pupils suddenly shrank.
The street from moments ago had completely disappeared.
In its place stood an ancient temple, surrounded by countless tides of chaos.
"Where… is this place?"
Mash's voice trembled slightly.
Ritsuka immediately tried to contact Dr. Roman, but quickly discovered that the holographic projection had been distorted into something like an abstract painting by interference from the chaotic tides.
At this moment, a crisp sound like porcelain shattering came from deep within the temple, causing the girl to instantly look up, and when she did...
Her breathing nearly stopped.
At the far end of the temple, Kama was leaning weakly in Tohsaka Rin's arms.
Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and the starry night-like dress she wore had already been torn apart.
It was very obvious.
A defeat CG had been triggered.
"What exactly happened here?"
Ritsuka's voice was filled with shock.
"Senpai… look over there!"
Mash suddenly pointed toward a spot not far from them.
Ritsuka followed her gaze, and her body suddenly froze.
Beneath the massive hole in the temple ceiling, a distorted starlight flickered faintly.
A gigantic creature was coiled in the center of the temple like an ancient constellation forgotten by the universe.
Her dragon tail wound past twelve broken pillars.
The star-like scales across her body flickered with each breath, and every flash caused magical energy to ripple outward like waves across water.
Yet the most suffocating thing was not her size.
It was the form of existence that transcended comprehension.
The Sea of Chaos swirled around her body like a vortex.
Broken crystals of desire were swept up by the tide and condensed again into fresh magical energy for her use.
Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash almost stopped breathing at the same time.
Their eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.
This thing was actually a Beast.
Completely different from any Servant or Beast they had encountered before.
At least at this moment, Mash could not even determine how enormous the Spirit Origin before her truly was.
Its mere breathing stirred the magical energy of the entire space.
If such a creature were to awaken, what kind of catastrophe would follow?
Just imagining it sent chills down their spines.
Summoning her courage, Fujimaru Ritsuka cautiously tried to approach the sleeping star-beast within the temple.
At that moment, someone suddenly stepped out from the shadow of a broken pillar.
It was Alvin.
The white reverse scale at the side of his neck faintly glowed.
"Oh… so the people from Chaldea were indeed alerted."
The young man casually kicked aside the Sea of Chaos that had crawled near his feet.
"But right now it's best not to act recklessly. Merlin just exhausted himself to put her to sleep, and that only worked because Mother was holding back."
"If she senses outsiders entering now, she might wake up."
"Who… are you?"
Mash slightly lowered her cross shield, a small habitual motion she made when remaining cautious.
"If we have to put it that way, you should probably call me uncle."
Alvin smiled slightly.
"Although personally I'd prefer if you called me big brother."
"The Spirit Origin you're using should belong to Galahad, right?"
"In a moment I'm going to approach Mother's body. Find a way to block the Sea of Chaos from reaching me."
"With the shield in your hands, you should be able to do it."
Mash looked surprised.
"You… know me?"
"We can chat later. Merlin and the others can't hold on much longer."
After saying that, Alvin suddenly rushed toward the sleeping Tiamat.
As if sensing the young man's approach, the previously calm Sea of Chaos suddenly erupted, surging toward Alvin from every direction.
He threw a punch forward, the force of the strike blasting the surging tide open.
Almost at the same moment, countless waves of chaos surged toward him again from all directions, as if refusing to allow him to approach the Primordial Mother Goddess of Creation.
"Mash, help him get close to Tiamat!"
"If I'm not mistaken, I think I already know who this guy is!"
At that moment, the Spiritron communication transmitted Dr. Roman's intermittent voice.
There seemed to be a trace of excitement mixed into his tone.
"Alvin, that's the White Dragon of Ancient Britain. No wonder I sensed Merlin's presence earlier… I didn't expect this Holy Grail War to gather three British Heroic Spirits at the same time!"
Mash and Fujimaru Ritsuka immediately became energized, their eyes lighting up.
The White Dragon?
So he was actually part of this Holy Grail War too?
They had learned about the legends of Ancient Britain long ago, so both Ritsuka and Mash were naturally familiar with the White Dragon.
If he was on their side, the pressure suddenly didn't seem so overwhelming anymore.
"Mash, hurry!"
Alvin roared.
"Understood!"
Mash quickly reacted and slammed her cross shield heavily into the ground.
The power of her Noble Phantasm surged upward from below.
"Lord Camelot, the Castle of Distant Ideals!"
Just as the overwhelming Sea of Chaos surged toward Alvin, the unfolding Noble Phantasm immediately forced the tides apart, isolating the chaos from him.
This was the only method Alvin could think of.
He had approached Tiamat's true body once before.
At that time, after she awakened, she had used her spiritual body to communicate with him.
Right now, Tiamat's true body was actually in a sleeping state.
If he wanted her to regain her rationality, the only way was to enter her soul and awaken the spiritual body within.
However, the area around Tiamat was filled with far too much Sea of Chaos.
Even Alvin had no confidence that after being bathed in such an enormous tide of chaos, his body would remain unchanged.
But under the current circumstances, Merlin couldn't be relied upon, and that reckless troublemaker Kama was still unconscious.
The only one left who could do this was him.
"Wake up from your dream, Mother!"
As Alvin drew closer and closer to Tiamat's enormous body, the reverse scale of the White Dragon on his body gradually became stained by the power of the Sea of Chaos.
The magical power of the White Dragon core manifested as golden patterns beneath his skin.
[Warning! Host Spirit Origin contamination level 39%...]
[Warning! Host Spirit Origin contamination level 68%... Critical threshold exceeded!]
As Alvin continued moving forward, system alerts continuously appeared.
In the next instant, Tiamat suddenly opened her eyes.
Starlight shone deep within her irises, reflecting the figure of the boy standing before her.
Almost at the same moment, a system notification window quietly appeared before Alvin.
[Tiamat's remaining "rationality" has sensed your presence and has pulled you into her consciousness space.]
[Your Spirit Origin has been completely contaminated after deep exposure to the Sea of Chaos.
However, as a Demonic Dragon, a creature that naturally embodies "corruption," the Sea of Chaos cannot affect your rationality.
Your Spirit Origin has undergone another evolution.]
[You have obtained special CG: "Sleeping Tiamat"]
[Remaining progress to unlock all CG: 2%. Next... please aim to unlock all CG.]
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