When Ritsuka opened her eyes again, she saw a scene frozen in time.
Aside from herself and her companions, who were similarly stunned, everything else on the battlefield had come to a halt.
Even that extremely dangerous-looking golden chain—which seemed capable of devastation far exceeding that of a nuclear weapon—hung frozen several dozen meters above Altera and Jeanne.
It looked distant, but in reality, it was probably less than half a second away from impact.
And yet, it couldn't move another inch.
The chain's glow rapidly dimmed, allowing Ritsuka to see a clear, deep slash carved right through its center.
Jeanne and Altera still looked bewildered, half maintaining their guard, unsure of what had just happened.
Almost simultaneously, a burst of blood erupted violently skyward, raining back down like a crimson storm, corroding the ground wherever it landed.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, the serpent-woman's massive tail had been cleanly severed in two.
At the exact same instant, the golden chain snapped apart completely.
For some reason, watching the chain break filled Ritsuka and the others with a deep unease.
"───Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Delayed by several moments, the serpent-woman's piercing scream echoed across the entire Northern Wall.
The magically-infused soundwave even shook the barrier slightly, but Ophis paid it no mind.
In a blink, Ophis reappeared before Ritsuka and the others, holding her staff.
Teleportation…? Or perhaps something extremely close to it…
Since there's no sonic boom, probably teleportation? Or maybe it's some kind of physics-defying movement…?
While Ritsuka momentarily lost herself in trivial speculation, a translucent barrier quickly formed, covering the entirety of the Northern Wall.
At nearly the same time, the shattered golden chain—no longer able to contain the enormous force amplified by the Counter Force—began violently shaking in midair, completely out of control.
"What on earth is…?"
Ritsuka and the others couldn't even process what was happening anymore.
Ophis vanished again, instantly appearing above Jeanne and Altera, extending her left hand as if intending to grasp the broken chain.
But at the last moment, Ophis suddenly changed course, swooping downward. She quickly embraced Jeanne with her left arm, pulling her and Altera tightly together. In the next instant, golden brilliance burst from the chain, swallowing everything in sight.
"Uwaaah!?"
The blinding brilliance forced Ritsuka and the others to shield their eyes again. Strangely, despite its intensity, the light had no heat whatsoever.
"Are you unharmed?"
Ophis's indifferent voice didn't sound particularly concerned—more like she was simply going through the motions.
"What the heck is happening!?"
Unable to spare any surprise for Ophis, who had somehow reappeared beside her with Jeanne and Altera, Ritsuka pointed toward the overwhelming golden explosion, completely bewildered.
"Kingu couldn't handle such tremendous power. It exploded."
Hearing Ophis's casual reply, Ritsuka's mouth twitched uncertainly. She didn't know how she should feel about this.
In fact, everyone from Chaldea shared her confusion. Their reactions lagged behind due to the rapid succession of unexpected events. Only Merlin, Altera, and Jeanne—originally summoned by Ophis herself—remained relatively calm.
Though they'd never witnessed anything quite this outrageous, they knew Ophis's strength was beyond comprehension from the few previous instances they'd seen her intervene.
Ophis's barrier, shaped like a perfect hemisphere, directed the golden blast straight upward into the sky, ensuring that none of it spilled over into Uruk behind them.
Realizing this, Ritsuka finally felt slightly relieved.
"Then…did Kingu and that goddess both die?"
While Ritsuka certainly couldn't gauge the exact energy contained behind the barrier, the sheer scale of destruction indicated immense power.
…Looking at it now, Ophis really is terrifying, easily blocking such power with only a barrier…
Ritsuka had understood somewhat that Ophis was powerful…but the current Ophis—though somehow weaker in certain ways—appeared significantly stronger in raw power compared to before.
This seemed common in the Age of Gods. Though heroic spirits usually weakened upon becoming Servants compared to their original selves, perhaps this was Ophis's true strength after all?
…And yet, despite having this power, why hasn't she acted until now?
The question flashed suddenly through Ritsuka's mind.
From what she'd just seen, Ophis had effortlessly sliced through the serpent-woman's tail using what seemed to be an enhanced version of the same technique she'd once used to trick them. If so, why not simply use the same method to eliminate the threat entirely?
Is this Singularity about more than just the Three-Goddess Alliance…? Or perhaps…that move wasn't actually as effortless as it appeared?
Ritsuka glanced discreetly at Ophis standing quietly beside her.
Nothing seemed obviously wrong…except perhaps Ophis's robe had slipped slightly to the right, completely covering her right arm.
…Come to think of it, when rescuing Jeanne earlier, didn't she only use her left hand…?
Before Ritsuka could ponder further, Ophis suddenly answered her earlier question:
"It's merely a burst of raw energy. The goddess couldn't possibly die from that. As for Kingu…"
Ophis paused briefly before continuing:
"Kingu won't die from this either."
"I see…"
Ritsuka let out a disappointed sigh.
Whatever else, removing two powerful enemies now would certainly make things easier later.
"You should consider yourselves fortunate."
"Eh?"
Ophis's cryptic statement left Ritsuka puzzled. Just then, the golden radiance began to fade.
Before them, the battlefield had been reduced to scorched wasteland, marked by a massive crater. Nothing remained—not even the severed serpent tail.
"They escaped, huh…?"
Neither Kingu nor the goddess could be seen anywhere. Ritsuka mumbled softly, conflicted.
They'd probably tunneled underground and fled—a thoroughly undignified retreat.
Part of her had hoped they could end this decisively here, yet another part worried that continued fighting might have led to unexpected consequences.
Perhaps this outcome was acceptable enough…
Either way, the enemy had been repelled, and likely severely wounded.
I suppose…this counts as our victory?
"I leave the rest to you. Once you've settled matters here, head to the southern jungle. The earlier mission hasn't changed. I'm counting on you."
"Eh?"
Before anyone could fully process her words, Ophis turned, immediately dissolving into particles and vanishing.
"She seems kind of…rushed?"
Lily tilted her head curiously.
"Kings have their own difficulties to deal with~. Anyway, let's just prepare."
Merlin smiled softly, speaking lightly.
"Lady Ishtar already cleared out all the demonic beasts that infiltrated the Northern Wall, and she's already departed ahead. We're supposed to meet up with her in the southern jungle. As for things here, you can handle them, right, Saintess?"
Jeanne looked around the devastated wall, then nodded firmly.
"Leave it to us. Please take care as well."
"Hehe, when it comes to survival, I have absolute confidence. Shall we depart, then?"
Ritsuka nodded vigorously.
Somehow, it felt like they'd hardly contributed at all in this Singularity so far…
We must definitely help more this time!
With that determination, Ritsuka and the others set out toward the southern jungle.
---
T/N: heh i was never worrieddd
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