Prologue

Here you go, Senpai. I decided to try herbal tea today. What do you think?

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I was so happy when I found out that Sion had brought along these sorts of luxury goods.

Yes, of course! Having nothing but bland supplements would ruin the camp-like atmosphere!

I am fine with only the bare minimum of resources necessary to survive, myself, but I cannot speak for anyone else.

So I made sure you would have a wide variety of food and recreation to choose from, thus satisfying your need for both mental and physical nourishment.

I already spent all of the Atlas Spiritron Points I had been saving for years to acquire them, so you may as well make the most of them!

I'm so grateful to her.

Before we got to the Wandering Sea, we had to make do with nothing but the Border's emergency supplies...

Hehe. You know, having proper tea together like this again...

...reminds me of the old Chaldea, in the Antarctic...

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I know things are completely different now, so I shouldn't be feeling sorry for myself, but...

Yes, I've heard that one before. There are similar sayings in other languages as well.

It's amazing to think that similar sayings would be formed in completely different civilizations and cultures.

Anyway, putting all that aside...

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You're right. At this point, all we can do is wait for Sion and Captain to finish modifying the Shadow Border...

...so that it will be stable enough for us to head to the Atlantic Lostbelt.

As much as we'd like to help, it's all just way above our heads.

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Good question. All we know for sure is that it's taking longer than anyone expected.

Sion said that Da Vinci's design for the Border is even more intricate and delicately balanced than she had thought...

I remember Da Vinci seemed both pleased and apologetic about that.

At any rate, they also said that there's a crucial part they need for the modifications...

...and that we'll probably need to go to the Indian Lostbelt to get it.

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It could be something that can only be obtained there, or it could be for some other reason.

I'm sorry. I just don't know enough to say one way or the other...

All I know is that, at this point, it sounds like they're putting the pieces together so they can install this necessary part.

Sion thought that this preliminary preparation would be finished soon after we got back from the Chinese Lostbelt...

...but apparently, things didn't quite go as planned.

Still, Captain did say it looks like they should be finishing this stage fairly soon now.

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Agreed. We should rest up while we can so we can hit the ground running!

Would you like some more tea, Senpai? We also have plenty of cookies to go with it.

Oh, right. I know what you're about to say. There's way too many, right?

W-well, there's a reason for that!

Things have become much more lively around Chaldea Base now that we have more Servants here...

...so I made extra to share in case I ran into any of them on my way here.

But as luck would have it, I haven't seen anyone else today... Not even Fou.

In fact, now that I think about it, it feels like Chaldea Base is way too quiet today...

Wh-what the!?

Hello? Hello!? Do you still exist over there, Fujimaru?

If you are there, give me some sort of response! Even an empty message will do! Otherwise, this is the end for New Chaldea!

Great! Is Mash there with you too? Good, then we are still hanging in there by the skin of our teeth!

This is NOT the time to ghost me! We already have more than enough dead air in our budget!

Okay, I can hear you breathing, so that will suffice to confirm your existence for me. Are you there too, Mash? Even better!

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What's going on, Sion!? Why is the alarm going off!?

In all of history, there has only ever been one reason for an alarm to go off at a base. New Chaldea is under attack.

Attack!?

Correct. It is rather terrible. Like waking only to find all your data from yesterday is corrupted.

What else can you do at a time like this but laugh!

...No, sorry. This really is not the time to dissociate from reality, is it?

We do not have a moment to waste. Please come to the Command Room at once.

Understood! Let's go, Master!

We're here! What in the world is going on, Sion!?

Before I answer that, I would like to confirm something with you.

Did you see anyone else on your way here? Anyone at all, like one of the staff, or a Servant.

...No, I didn't. In fact, I was just telling Master how strange it was that I haven't seen anyone else today.

Does that have something to do with this attack?

This is what I was afraid of... I was hoping that at least one person might be hiding with Presence Concealment, but I guess that is not the case.

As soon as I realized there was no one else in the Command Roomno staff, no Holmes, no Da Vinci...

...I cut off your cause-and-effect interference to keep you both safe.

To think the only ones I could help in time were you two and myself, especially since I have already cut myself off from human history...

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Oh, sorry. I will leave my self-examination and strategizing to a different thought process and get to the main topic.

You can see what sort of attack we are under for yourselves.

Even after sounding the alarm and putting out a call, you two were the only ones to come here. And that can only mean one thing...

We are now the only ones left in the entire Chaldea Base!

The Spirit Origin graph is still working, but we cannot summon a single Servant.

And there is not a single member of Chaldea's staff anywhere in the base, let alone the Command Room.

Even my Servant, Captain, is gone. We are the only ones left.

Whether this is due to external interference or internal sabotage, there is clearly ill intent at work.

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I still need to investigate more thoroughly before I can say exactly what happened, but it is already clear what the culprit used to accomplish this.

It was Rayshifting. They used Rayshifting to induce forced Spiritron summoning.

To put it in layman's terms, my Coffin was used as a catalyst with which to forcefully Rayshift everyone away.

What!? I-is that even possible!?

I am sure it would be with Chaldeas, but this is Novum Chaldea.

There is no phase navigational system that advanced here.

So it would be impossible to reverse-summon by hijacking our system.

Usually, I would be ninety-nine percent sure about that conclusion...

But...I do have a theory or two on how it could possibly happen...

However, they are so absurd that I decided to shelve them for now. Next time, I will not be so quick to criticize how Holmes handles situations like this.

I mean...if this were a locked room murder mystery, it would be as if the killer was the greatest pitcher in the entire universe, and they killed the victim by throwing a ball through an air vent.

That is how unlikely the circumstances would need to be for that to happen. Though that said, I suppose if the universe's greatest pitcher were actually here, then it would technically be possible...

...Sorry, getting sidetracked. Back on point, we are the only ones capable of fighting back against this attack.

Fujimaru, Mash, and myself, Sion Eltnam Sokaris.

...Who could the attacker be? And why in the world would they do this?

I cannot say anything about that just yet.

That said, I do not think one of the Crypters is behind this, since they have no reason to leave their Lostbelts.

I also still have a faint connection to my own Servant, Captain.

So the fact that he has yet to take any action must mean that he is trapped.

And I would guess that all of Chaldea's staff and Servants are as well.

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That's what I want to know, too. Not everyone on Chaldea's staff is a mage.

If...if they really were Rayshifted, then

I see. You are worried they may be unable to withstand the Rayshift, and disappear upon reaching their destination.

I cannot deny that such a worst-case scenario is possible...

...but in this case, I do not think you need to worry, as their Rayshift destination does not appear to belong to standard history.

That is, they are moving through space more than time, so my Coffin will have no trouble verifying their existence.

Of course, I cannot guarantee their safety if they should encounter some sort of violence at their destination...

...but if all the culprit wished to do was hurt them, they would not need to go to the trouble of Rayshifting them.

So, thinking logically, I suspect the culprit's goal was to summon and capture them, not kill them.

If I were the culprit, I would have frozen them the moment they were summoned and kept them packaged as Spiritrons.

I have to do that for the people with low Rayshift aptitude anyway, and it would also stop the Servants from fighting back.

Since they are already being converted during the Rayshift process, that would definitely be the most efficient way to capture them.

Then...there's still a chance we can save them?

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Of course! That is the most important part, after all!

When I got to the Command Room, all of the Rayshift equipment was already set to fixed parameters.

To put it another way, they are all pointing towards a very specific set of coordinates.

And since everyone was reverse-summoned away, this almost certainly means that someone or something is at those coordinates.

Though of course, I cannot say if the culprit just forgot to cover their tracks, there was nothing they could do to hide them, or they left them here on purpose to lure us in.

Where are these coordinates, exactly? Does this mean...they point to a Singularity from the past?

Hmm, that is really the key problem. Remember what I said earlier about this destination not belonging to standard history?

It is technically a Singularity, but it is also quite different from the Singularities we have seen so far.

Its influence is spreading...or perhaps I should say, stretching.

Usually, the bizarre phenomena that take place in Singularities are confined to that Singularity...

...but this Singularity is trying to interfere with Proper Human History while remaining a Singularity.

In that sense, it may be closer to a Lostbelt.

If we think of human history as one long scroll, Singularities are like stains that weaken the scroll by contaminating the history around them.

Whereas Lostbelts are like another scroll entirely that was discarded once it was clear it was no longer useful...

It could be that this Singularity is some sort of hybrid...a Pseudo-Singularity similar to Shinjuku or Shimousa.

I think the most appropriate name we could give it in these specific conditions is "Humanity Destruction Zone."

...Right. If this Singularity is the same as Shinjuku, that would mean it came about from

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The central coordinates for this Singularity, which is currently stretching out like a line, point to mid-seventeenth century Japan, during the Edo period.

The province of Shimousa you observed before is gone from history, so I expect this incident is completely unrelated.

...Understood. Regardless, I think there's only one option left to us.

Now that we know where everyone was taken, and the path to them is still open, we have to go there too.

From there, we need to find whoever or whatever's behind this, defeat them, and rescue everyone.

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Yes, that is true. In the end, that is what it all comes down to.

But, I am afraid I cannot let both of you go there.

I want you to help me, Mash. I already have my hands full observing the Singularity.

I need one more skilled operator who I can trust to observe and verify Fujimaru's existence.

Someone who is capable of filling in for three Chaldea staff members on their own.

I...

B-but if I do that, there will be no one left to help Senpai in the Singularity!

That is true. But this is a question of priorities.

If this were a diving expedition, it would be a decision between going down to the depths with an escort but without a diving suit, or going down with a diving suit but no escort.

It's not even a matter of which is safer. If we are unable to verify his existence, he will not be able to dive down into this other world at all.

...But, still...going into a Singularity without even a single Servant is just...

Yes, I do understand your concerns. But look at Fujimaru.

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Exactly. The fact is, this figurative boat we are in is on the verge of sinking, and we are all in it together.

As our base was already attacked once, there is no telling when those of us staying here may be attacked again.

So I am afraid our only option is for you to summon up your courage and look for either a weapon or a companion on site.

Fortunately, this Singularity is in seventeenth-century Japan, which by all accounts was a civilized society, so you should be able to reason with the people there.

As long as you can get past the first hurdle, I am sure you will be able to move things along rapidly!

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Oh come on, have you never seen a samurai movie? I mean when they draw their swords if they feel someone has behaved improperly towards them.

I think they call it "burei-uchi"? Gosh, imagine a society where you cannot even speak to anyone above your class for fear of being beheaded! That would be terrifying!

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Burei-uchi... I've never heard of that before. I see. So that is the situation we are in.

If this Singularity is that dangerous, I will have to summon up my courage as well.

For it seems I am the only Servant in all of Chaldea who managed to evade capture.

Y-you're...

Yes. Sessyoin Kiara, a Servant. I came as soon as I heard the commotion.

So, you are going to Japan? Then I will come with you. When do we leave?

Yes, it is I. Your faithful Servant, Sessyoin Kiara.

Never did I expect to receive so much attention from you, especially in front of other people like this. Thank you, Master.

Oh my... You mean you forgot about me? But then, of course you did...

I've accomplished so little, and made almost no impression compared to all those other, glorious Heroic Spirits...

It is no wonder you don't remember me...

...Yes, this works out beautifully. Please, do not concern yourselves about my origins, all right?

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Whoa! Looking at this magical energy flow, that is definitely one of Fujimaru's Servants!

Let me see... Class: Alter Ego... A special kind of Heroic Spirit who does not fall under the standard categories...

So you are a non-regulation Servant! This is right in line with my calculations! Yes!

Since even I was not able to see you, the enemy must have overlooked you entirely!

At any rate, this works out perfectly. Now we have a trustworthy bodyguard to go along with Fujimaru!

Oh, I'm so relieved! Thank you, Kiara!

...I'm, um, so sorry I wasn't aware of you up until now...

But you're obviously gentle, clean, and coolheaded, and you even seem to be familiar with Japan.

I couldn't have asked for anyone better right now! When did you summon her, Senpai? I can't seem to remember.

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Um... You are sure we can trust her, right?

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I see. So she's another Anti-Hero, like Shuten-Douji!

She doesn't quite seem to fit that mold...but never mind that. Thank you for doing this, Kiara!

I know that between keeping Master safe, and rescuing all the others...

...this is a lot to ask of you, but...

Teehee, you're so polite, Lady Mash. That heartfelt consideration of yours is all the reward I need.

Please, you needn't worry. As I said, I will be happy to accompany Master.

Usually, a Servant like myself would have no part to play in any mission and would never even be called upon.

So if you have called upon me now, the circumstances must be dire indeed.

I, Sessyoin Kiara, swear to swallow any hard feelings I may have and do everything I can to help.

If the Extra-class Servants escaped the enemy's notice, maybe we still have hope of finding a couple more.

Ideally, I would like to send Fujimaru in with Four Heavenly Kings, or at least Three Musketeers...

...Alas, it seems I was the only one to elude the hand of temptation.

I am somewhat...different from the other Extra Servants, thanks to my Inde...something skill.

Do you mean Independent Action? There must be a very powerful story behind you.

I would be very interested to hear more about it, but right now...Aha! I found someone!

You mean, there's another Servant besides Kiara?

Yes! I managed to track down one more! Excellent work, me!

However, this Servant is not here in the Wandering Sea.

The signal I found belongs to the very last Servant that was reverse-summoned out of here.

They appear to have stopped right before the end of their Rayshift. Perhaps they are doing their best to fight back.

If you go after them now, you may still be able to rendezvous with them!

Oh my, so they're doing their best to stay strong. How reassuring.

But any Heroic Spirit is completely defenseless right after a Rayshift, no matter how strong they are.

They could easily be gobbled up from behind before they can adapt to the Singularity... Oh yes, I understand.

I also understand why you would be reluctant to act under the circumstances, Lord Fujimaru, but I think now is the time to do so.

We should Rayshift out of here and go help this last Servant as soon as possible.

I agree with Ms. Kiara. If we do not help them now, this Servant will most likely end up trapped, just like all the others.

You need to make contact with them first and re-establish your contract's connection.

I am sorry I cannot give you more time to prepare before you leave, Fujimaru, but

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I'm reminded of another saying: "Make hay while the sun shines."

If we know what it is we have to do, and we risk losing something important if we don't act soon...then maybe we should just ignore any doubts we have and move full speed ahead.

Either way, my job is to make sure you have all the support you need.

So, please, Master and Kiara... We're counting on you to save everyone!

Understood. Not to worry, I will take care of this.

Whatever I can do to help, however small, I will see this through to the end, even should it cost me my life...

Still... To think that our reunion after so long a time would involve a journey to such a faraway land...

Just imagine... The two of us, all alone, on a dangerous expedition with me in this fleeting form that could be turned to dust at any moment...

I can see I will need to be ever so careful.

Otherwise, I might get so nervous that I inadvertently reveal a rather...unseemly side of myself...

Teehee... Teeheeheehee...

...Final safety checks, complete. All systems are go.

The Rayshift coordinates are set to 35°41'N, 139°45'E mid-seventeenth-century Japan.

Since you seem to have some familiarity with the country, you probably already know this, but this will put you in the town of Edo from about four hundred years ago...the city everyone today knows as Tokyo.

One of your two primary goals for this Rayshift involves the location itself.

This is not an ordinary Singularity. It is a massive Humanity Destruction Zone that appears to even be affecting the axis of time itself.

If we do not do something about it now, it is certain to become a huge problem. So one of your primary goals is to take care of the zone itself.

Most of the Singularities we've seen to date...

...were caused by a massive magical energy resource, typically a Holy Grail.

So if you find something like that here too, you may need to take it into custody.

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True, I guess I do not have to tell you that that particular goal is just the official party line, at least in one sense.

I mostly just said it to cover our bases, like an alibi! Just keep it in mind so you do not forget it entirely.

The other goal is, of course, much more important, and much more urgent:

Rescuing all of the Chaldea personnel and Servants currently trapped there.

...

We still have another huge problem we need to take care of. Namely, resolving the bleached Earth phenomenon.

This order may be much smaller in comparison, but it is an important step nonetheless.

This enemy has launched a direct attack on Chaldea. There is only one thing for us to do in response.

Counterattack, counterattack, and counterattack some more!

By doing so, we will fortify our position for the upcoming Grand Order.

So I hope you understand that this Rayshift is a crucial trial for all of us at Novum Chaldea!

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Good! Then as this Rayshift's supervisor, I hereby declare that this emergency directivethis Counter Order, is underway!

Master... Please be careful over there!

Starting Unsummon Program. Commencing Spiritron Conversion.

Rayshift begins in 3...2...1...

All systems are go.

Proving Urgent Order. Initiating Counter Order operations.

Teehee. It looks like we've arrived successfully, Lord Fujimaru!

So that was a Rayshift... How novel. It's quite a different Mystic, and even experience, than entering someone's mind. Tehehe...

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Usually, we would try to set the Rayshift coordinates to give you some time to take stock of your surroundings, but we simply didn't have the time.

So instead, we went with a location as close as possible to the target reading.

As a result, it looks like you've ended up inside Edo Castlethe heart of Edo's governing authority.

You've essentially directly invaded the most heavily secured base of the entire country.

There's no telling who or what might be nearby, or what could happen, even from our end.

Master, Kiara, please be as careful as possible!

...Yes, that's true. At this point in history, Edo Castle was so tightly guarded that not even a fly could get through unnoticed.

If a thief or spy did manage to sneak in, the guards would surround them ten, perhaps even twenty to one...or at least, I thought they would.

But instead, it's eerily quiet here. Why, it's almost as if

You can take stock of your surroundings later! You are almost on top of the Servant reading we were targeting!

Please rendezvous with them first. Once they've joined you, you can start gathering information!

...All right. I'm very disappointed, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be today.

Ahh... And I was so looking forward to being pinned down by guards.

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I see them! Over there!

Oho, so that is Shiva's wife, Pārvatī...or rather, a Pseudo-Servant of her!

Perhaps she was able to hold out better by virtue of being a Divine Spirit. Or maybe there is another reason why she was the only one to evade capture...

At any rate, she did great holding out against the enemy's reverse-summoning!

Oh yes, she must be wonderfully strong-willed! We had better help her before this enemy or whoever can steal her away!

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...No.

Huh?

I said, no.

I am not the Indian goddess Pārvatī.

Hey! I don't know what that means, but I can still tell you're treating me like some sort of lunatic!

Still...I suppose that's understandable, since I have yet to tell you my name.

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Very well then, I still don't know who you are, but I will tell you who I am!

I am the one who oversees Ooku here in Edo Castle. Once, I also served as Third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu's wet nurse.

My surname is Saito, my given name, Fuku. Now, I go by the name bestowed upon me by the Imperial Court... Kasuga-no-Tsubone!

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Oh my. Oh my, oh my. Kasuga-no-Tsubone is one of the most famous women in Japanese history.

Although, given how great your surprise is, Master... I'm guessing she doesn't look quite how you expected?

I-it's not that. Apart from her outfit...

...that's definitely the Pārvatī we know. What in the world is going on here...?

I'm afraid it's kind of complicated.

Oh, to be clear, I am the goddess Pārvatī you know. Shiva's wife, goddess of elegance and grace...all of that.

For a while, I was a little worried how this would all turn out, but I feel much better now that you're here, Fujimaru!

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Hmm? What could these readings mean... Is there someone else there inside of your Spirit Origin...?

I see. So you are acquaintances of Lady Par. Please forgive my earlier outburst.

I'm afraid I still don't understand what's going on very well myself, but I'll do my best to explain what I can.

It's only proper, after all.

Ahem. This is, of course, not my own body. I had fallen ill, and was waiting for death to take me...

In fact, I think it was after the final thread joining me to this life had snapped that Lady Par rescued me.

At that moment, I noticed something strange was happening to Edo Castle, and had a flash of insight.

It must have been the heavens themselves, or perhaps Lord Toushou Daigongen, who delivered this Indian goddess to me in my hour of need.

They must want me to use this goddess's body and powers to do something about this predicament!

Um, as I said earlier, I don't think that's what's going on here...

Of course it is! It must be! I'm at least reasonably sure!

How else could something this preposterous, this absurd, this ridiculously far-fetched, even happen!?

I-if her voice is anything to go by, she has a lot more energy than I expected...

But, um, never mind that. What is this predicament happening at Edo Castle right now...?

I am neither a warrior nor do I practice any kind of sorcery. I was only given my current title thanks to the little skill I have with the naginata.

The significance of this could not be clearer!

The predicament I speak of has befallen Edo Castle's innermost chambers, where no man but the shogun himself is allowed to enter.

I speak, of course, of the place where the shogun's wife and concubines live...the Ooku.

I don't know how or why, but everyone in Edo Castle has completely disappeared, and in their place...

...the Ooku has transformed into a labyrinth that appears to reach deep into the bowels of the Earth!