Enemy?

"Ritsuka!"

In the split second Romani shouted, Ritsuka smoothly rolled forward, simultaneously flinging a magic shot behind her.

*BOOM!*

Arkhan stood firm, not budging an inch, directly enduring her magic shot.

Looking at his unscathed silver armor, Arkhan smirked.

"Is this really how far the strength of Chaldea's Master goes?"

"Ahahaha... guess I'm just weak like that..." Ritsuka forced a smile, then without hesitation shouted. "Mash!"

*Whoosh!*

A massive shadow descended from the sky as a girl, wielding a shield taller than herself, mercilessly brought it down onto Arkhan's head.

Mash had heard everything Romani had said earlier. However, even if she needed to face such a terrifying opponent, she had no intention of stepping back.

"Good... Come at me."

Arkhan's lips curled up slightly, his right hand clenched into a fist, black dragon scales covering it as he countered the descending shield with a skyward punch.

*BOOOM!*

The shield and fist collided, erupting a heavy sound like evening drums and morning bells.

Ritsuka's ears tingled from the impact.

Arkhan remained unmoved, while Mash widened her eyes in surprise.

She had put her full strength into her attack, yet this man just shrugged it off with a punch?!

Were Servants with power comparable to Divine Spirits this strong?

"Good strength, girl. Looks like you're not wasting Galahad's power." Arkhan remarked with a faint smile.

"Galahad?" Mash blinked her eyes in confusion before suddenly feeling a tremendous force from below.

*BANG!*

Before she could react, her body uncontrollably flew backward.

"Mash!" Ritsuka rushed forward, trying to catch the flying Mash, but ended up being knocked back as well. "Ughhh!"

Upon seeing this scene, Arkhan's lips twitched slightly.

He had controlled his strength precisely, not intending to harm Mash, who was only a Demi-Servant, but Ritsuka was another story.

"Senpai, are you alright?!"

Mash hurriedly got up from Ritsuka's body, her face filled with worry and panic.

"I-I'm fine, Mash..." Ritsuka winced, rubbing the back of her head.

She really thanked the protection of her Mystic Code; otherwise, she might have had a concussion.

"Servants and ordinary humans are different. The damage she can endure might be fatal for you. As a Master, don't you even know this basic knowledge?"

As Mash heard Arkhan's voice, she instantly turned around, raising her shield, her face full of vigilance as she stared at him.

"Senpai, this Servant's strength is powerful... I'm afraid... we're not his match at all..." Mash whispered.

Hearing her junior's words, Ritsuka agreed and nodded solemnly.

Even though they had only exchanged blows once, it was clear that the black-haired man in front of them was far beyond their current capabilities, since the gap between them was just too wide.

'What should we do?' Ritsuka racked her brain, trying to find a way out of the predicament.

It was obvious that a direct confrontation wouldn't work, but this man's speed made escaping equally difficult.

Moreover, there were so many soldiers with her; she truly didn't want to abandon them.

After racking her brain for a way out and finding nothing, Ritsuka sighed quietly to herself.

If she had known they would encounter such a powerful enemy, they should have brought Nero as well.

Still, Nero was already overwhelmed with managing the refugee crisis in the empire, as even Da Vinci was forced into service. Therefore, it would have been irresponsible for her to drag Nero out for something like searching for survivors outside.

However, what she didn't know was that Nero might have been more than willing to come if she had asked.

As Ritsuka was lost in thought, inside Chaldea, Romani watched the computer screen with a slightly peculiar expression.

As the former King of Magecraft, he knew just how powerful this black-haired Servant was.

To be blunt, if this Servant had truly intended to kill Ritsuka and Mash, both of them would have died hundreds of times over by now.

The only explanation for their survival so far was that this Servant didn't actually intend to kill them. Moreover, from the scene where this Servant had knocked Mash away earlier, it was clear he was really holding back.

"Director, the Rayshift system is ready to activate. Should we initiate it immediately?" Chaldea's staff member called out.

In Chaldea's emergency protocols, when a Master encountered insurmountable danger in a Singularity, they could activate the Rayshift system to forcibly pull the Master back. Though it would consume a significant amount of magical energy, Ritsuka was currently humanity's only hope and they couldn't afford to lose her.

However, this Singularity was already unstable, with the possibility of detaching from the proper human history at any moment. If they forcefully returned her now, they might never have the chance to enter again.

And of course, that would mean this segment of history would be forever erased from the proper human history.

Romani hesitated for a moment, then answered firmly.

"No, don't initiate it yet. Keep the Rayshift system on standby and see how the situation unfolds."

""Director!""

Hearing Romani's answer, all staff members suddenly exclaimed in surprise and widened their eyes in astonishment.

That black-haired man was a Servant on par with a Divine Spirit. Every second wasted could mean the difference between life and death!

"Just do as I say!"

Romani, who had always appeared as a kind-hearted man, now showed a side they had never seen before. His unquestionable tone and demeanor made everyone feel like they were in the presence of a king.

Everyone exchanged glances and silently went back to their respective tasks.

Romani sat back in his chair, rubbing his temples wearily.

'I hope my judgment is not wrong... Otherwise...'

Under the table, Romani lightly rubbed his fingers.

Ritsuka and Mash were unaware of what was happening in Chaldea, since at this moment, all their focus was on the black-haired man in front of them.

"Senpai, please put all the command spells on me later. I'll unleash my Noble Phantasm to buy you some time to escape."

Mash uncommonly decided in front of Ritsuka.

Normally, she would always follow Ritsuka's instructions, but this time, she had to act differently. Deep down, however, she knew Ritsuka would never leave her behind, no matter what happened.

As she expected, Ritsuka shook her head without hesitation.

"Are you kidding me?! Don't even think about it! I could never leave you behind to fend for yourself!"

Hearing her senior's somewhat angry voice, a warm feeling quickly washed over Mash.

"But, Senpai, our enemy this time is really powerful, and I—" Mash responded softly.

"So what if he's powerful? Haven't we encountered many strong enemies all along this journey?" Ritsuka interrupted with a chuckle before her expression turned serious. "Trust me, Mash... This time too... we'll definitely make it through safely."

Seeing the trust and determination in her senior's eyes, Mash felt an endless surge of strength welling up within her. 

"Yes, Senpai!" Mash answered loudly.

"Yep, that's the spirit we need!" Ritsuka praised, patting her junior's shoulder approvingly.

Meanwhile, as Arkhan watched this touching scene, he couldn't help but let out a wry smile.

"Well, what an enviable bond you two have... I can somewhat understand how you've overcome so many difficulties to get here, but... there's something I want to remind you of..."

"I don't recall ever saying that I'm your enemy?"