Prologue

I'll come right to the point:

We have an emergency!

Right.

I had a feeling that might be the case when you asked us to come fully armed.

So another Singularity has popped up, right? Where is this one?

？！

Sorry. I'm just not quite sure where to begin.

The thing is, there are no absolutes in this world. No matter how much of a genius you might be, something is always going to find a way to surprise you.

For example, maybe a system you thought was safe starts having trouble due to a completely unexpected error.

Fou. Fo fou fou. Tefo.

Quiet, you. Don't you shrug your shoulders, raise your paws, and wink at me.

Ahem. Technically, and I admit to no culpability here, but...

...the anomaly originated from within my jurisdiction, in the Storm Border's simulator room.

？！

Yup. Chaldea's simulator creates virtual environments based on the latest Spiritron technology.

And right now, those systems are going haywire. They refuse to respond to external controls or forced shutdown commands.

As far as we've been able to determine, the virtual environment is in the process of becoming an entirely alternate world.

If we don't do something about it soon, there's a very real chance it could develop into a full-blown Singularity.

That is...definitely a big deal.

Yeah. There is simply no way this is just an ordinary malfunction.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so. Sion agrees there's more to this simulator situation than meets the eye.

So I'd like the two of you to enter this ever-expanding simulation...

...and track down the cause of this anomaly.

？！

Oh, and if you're wondering where Gordy is in all this, he's taking a nap.

I figured we didn't have to wake him, since this simulator situation is technically just a kind of technical issue, if a bit more serious than usual.

Admittedly, that's something of a gray area.

So just to clarify, will Master and I be handling this mission as a pair, then?

Hmm. Well, at first I was thinking of sending just the two of you to handle it...

...since for now, this problem is still confined to the Storm Border.

But then Trismegistus II suggested adding a Servant it says will be highly effective in resolving this issue.

I'm still not sure why it chose her though. Anyway, I decided to ask for her help too.

Say hello to your new team member and one of the most recent additions to Chaldea!

...If that's the job, I suppose I have no choice. Newcomers don't get to be picky, do they?

Medusa!

You must be Saber Medusa! You seem a little bit younger than Rider Medusa!

Now that you mention it, I did hear you were recently summoned!

Could you not just immediately start about my other selves?

I'm my own person. I don't care how young I might be compared to any other Medusa.

O-oh, right. Of course. I'm so sorry.

...Don't get me wrong. I don't hate talking about them.

I'm just...still getting used to all this.

I guess it's kind of...embarrassing, in a way. I'm still not sure how to behave around them.

What I'm trying to say is, you don't need to apologize.

It's fine, as long as you don't make unnecessary comparisons between us.

U-understood! I'll be more careful from now on!

？！

I've heard of her. There's one of her in almost every class, right?

Honestly, it all sounds insane.

I'm sure things must be complicated between and Elisabeth and Carmilla, too.

Thinking about that now, I really should have known better than to bring up your other selves right away.

I'll try to do better from now on.

I told you, don't worry about it. I just thought I should say something, that's all.

Hehe. You know, when you can tell someone how you really feel about stuff right from the start...

...it's usually a good sign that you'll go on to be even closer in the future.

Anyway...Medusa, Mash, Fujimaru.

You're the team we'll be going with for this mission.

I know I said earlier that the two of you alone should be enough, but that's not because this mission's going to be simple.

It's because I expect you'll find more people willing to help you on-site.

See, the simulator was already running at full bore when this anomaly first began.

More Servants than usual were training in there at the time.

In addition to the Servants who were already there when this began...

...there are also some who went in without understanding how serious the situation is, and just thought it seemed like fun.

The point is, you should find lots of Servants in there, so I'd like you to work with them to help get things under control.

Then it isn't as if this is all riding on my shoulders.

Now I can't help but wonder why I was chosen to go along...

Well, whatever. Let's just hurry up and get this over with.

Oh, do you know where the simulator room is?

Don't worry. I've had some time to walk around and get my bearings here since I was summoned.

？！

Yes. There are so many unfamiliar plants here, it's impossible to tell where we might be.

The temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions aren't telling me anything useful either.

...I can tell from the smell that whatever this place is, it's not copying any real location.

Since ancient times, forests have been seen as both entrances to other worlds, and as other worlds themselves.

Maybe this place was just made to vaguely seem like an enchanted forest or lost woods?

Beats me. Let's just keep moving for now andWait. Hold on.

There's something here. And it's getting closer.

Waaah! Futureee! Are you the rescue party? Please tell me you're the rescue party!

Iyo? What are

？！

... (Instantly stopping)

Well, at least being suddenly pinned to the ground with a sword to my throat got my mind off of being lost.

So, um, who's that kinda scary lady with you?

I see. So you're not an enemy. Sorry about that.

Th-that's okay. I guess it's partly my fault for just popping up out of nowhere...

？！

Well, um... Basically just being lost, I guess.

Before I knew it, I found myself deep in this forest. And just like that, I was lost!

It kind of felt like I'd been trapped too, AND there were these creepy sounds coming from up ahead, so I was starting to freak out!

The only thing I could think to do to calm down was meditate and collect acorns!

I found a whole bunch, too. See? Ehehe.

So you were in the simulator when this all went down. Any idea what caused the woods to pop up?

No, I'm afraid not.

Oh, wait. I DID drop some of the snacks I snuck into the simulator while I was out walking...

...and I spilled the tea I brought, too! Could that be what broke the simulator!?

Th-that would make this all my fault! I'm so sorryyy!

It'd take a lot more than that to break the simulator, but still, be careful with your snacks from now on.

So what did the creepy sounds you heard turn out to be?

Oh, I meant to check on them after I'd calmed down, so I hadn't actually gotten to it yet...

All I know is they were real creepy and kind of sounded like deep, guttural groans.

Whatever it was, it must've been one hell of a curse. Please be careful!

There's only one way to find out. Let's keep moving.

Every path we could take has been completely cut off.

It's almost like the branches and vines came together to form walls... Do you think it's just a coincidence?

I don't know if people were behind it, but I don't see any way this could've happened naturally.

Nraaaaaah!

Eee! That was it! That was the sound!

Oppression! Grating, overgrown oppression!

？！

Uh... There's an overbearing monster stuck in a wall of trees.

That's no monster; it's Spartacus! Wh-what happened to you, Spartacus!?

Oh, hello! I was just wandering around looking for new opportunities to rebel when all of a sudden, an outgrowth of trees and greenery sprang up to oppress me! Ah, joy!

Naturally, I rebelled with love in my heart!

And, of course, that rebellion continues even as we speak! Haha, hahaha, HAHAHAHAHA!

Wow! Spartacus was so tangled up with the branches that it looked like he was part of the wall...

...but he managed to break free with the power of his muscles alone!

？！

This oppression doesn't know when to give up!

But that only fuels my rebellion further as I await the ecstasy of an explosive liberation!

And now he's tangled up again. What's with this guy?

I see. So this is what I was hearing.

Hmm. It looks like trying to force your way past the tree wall only entangles you more deeply.

If Spartacus isn't strong enough to completely break free of it, then... Hm? Hang on. I just noticed there's another signal right above you.

Hiya. I'm a passing jaguar who was just hanging out in the simulator when this weird jungle swallowed me up.

That guy there? He's been in an infinite loop breaking free and getting trapped again about every three minutes.

Just watching him made me feel like I was going crazy...

...so I decided to curl up in the treetops where I couldn't see anything.

Oh, just so you know, I already tried cutting and burning those branches. No luck. You'd need something as hot as Kuku's sun to even stand a chance.

They grew back so fast I almost got clawed in them myself.

You like it? You think it's sexy? Meeyowza!

Wasn't my choice, though. I just found myself wearing it all of a sudden.

？！

Hm. So, if you can't force, burn, or cut your way out of those...

...?

Excuse me Master, Medusa.

I was just examining the wall to see if I could gather any more information, and I think you might want to take a look at this yourselves.

？！

...Kick?

O-oh good, so I wasn't just seeing things then.

I suppose it's possible those are random markings that coincidentally resemble letters, but...

...I think it's more likely a message.

"Kick," huh?

All right, I can do that!

Wait. We should be careful. It could be a tra

No more giving up and snoozing away in the treetops for THIS cat.

Just watch! I'm gonna turn this can of worms into a can of tasty tuna!

First I stick my hand in my pocket...lean back like I couldn't care less about anything...

...and give a mighty mobsterI mean, jaguar-style kick! Hraaah!

...Nothing's happening.

Huh? It's still not enough? Do I need to spam the K button more?

Oho! Yes! To summon righteous love into our hearts, that you may trample upon those oppressors who would trample upon the people!

Ah, a true rebellion! I must follow her example! OPPRESSIOOON!

Hey, this could be my chance to redeem myself, too! I pack a pretty mean kick, as well!

Second Queen of Yamataikoku Ultimate Kiiick!!!

The path just opened up on its own. It's almost like their kicks served as some kind of signal!

Meowhahaha! Now this is the power of the divine cat family! Reconcile!

Now that I've acted like a proper heroineno, scratch that. Now that I've proven myself a proper heroine...

...I am submitting a request for a raw meat exchange event the two of us will remember forevWha...?

Hahaha! Hahahaha! The oppressor has been destroyed! Haaahahaha!

Huh? All of a sudden, I feel kind of dizzy...

Guys!?

See!? This is why you need to be careful!

...It's okay. She's just almost out of magical energy. She'll be fine once she rests up.

(Oh man, she's letting me use her lap as a pillow. I'm sensing some affectionate vibes from her...)

(I thought she was kind of scary at first, but maybe there's more to her than that...)

It looks like Jaguar Warrior and Spartacus are also running low on magical energy.

？！

The tree wall must have been enchanted. Or it was actually some kind of barrier or Bounded Field someone put in place.

And to deactivate them, we apparently needed to perform a ritual actionin this case, a kick.

But the Servants who did that also had their magical energy drained in response.

I can't tell if this means we'll need several people to get past other mechanisms, or if just one will be enough depending on the situation.

Hopefully, I can figure out what's going on here and how this forest works, including stuff like that...

...but I won't be able to do that right away.

So it will be down to how long we can last. Chaldea has quite a lot of Servants, right?

So if we must move ahead, we'll need one or more of them to kick down the "door," even knowing they'll end up exhausted.

？！

I agree. It looks like our only choice is to have all the other Servants come help...

...and wait for them to recover as necessary afterwards.

You might also be able to get help from the Servants who were left behind...

...like the ones you just ran into here.

For that matter, you might even find places in the woods up ahead where you can let tired Servants rest up.

Once you've made sure they're safe, it could be a good idea to use those, too.

Once we've made sure they're safe, huh...

I forgot to mention it earlier, but there's a malicious presence about these woods. It's why I overreacted when this girl showed up earlier.

I'm pretty sure we'll have to deal with real monsters as we go in deeper.

Don't worry. That's why we're here!

Oh, but it's possible we'll need to take turns with that now, too.

And now I'm worried that I've included you in "we"...

...even though you haven't actually said you wanted to be included...

(...Sigh)

Look, this isn't a matter of me not wanting to work or anything like that.

Fujimaru is a Master, and I'm his Servant. If I have a job to do, I'll do it.

So you and I are in the same position. Right?

R-right! That's true!

If I happen to come across as rude or defiant on top of that, well...

...that's just me. Get used to it.

Understood! I'll do my very best to get used to it!

？！

Take it easy, would you?

Anyway, let's get going then.

I know I made it sound like a threat earlier, but you don't have to worry.

I'm not a hero; I'm more like a monster myself.

So there's no point in me even being here if I can't get rid of a few monsters in the forest.