Ritsuka's Incredible Resolve

"I wasn't attacking you, it was just a simple test."

As Ritsuka and Mash were busy with each other, a calm voice suddenly echoed in their ears.

Seeing Arkhan approaching without their noticing, Mash instinctively raised her shield but then awkwardly put it down.

"Since you're here to save this Singularity, I naturally have to find out whether you're capable of handling this heavy responsibility, right?"

Arkhan observed the two girls in front of him, his eyes squinting slightly.

"I also don't want my comrades to be useless, after all."

"Senpai is not useless! She is—"

Mash's emotions were a bit stirred, but Ritsuka patted her shoulder to calm her down.

"He's not wrong to say that. Who would want a teammate who can't do anything but drag them down?" Ritsuka didn't show any annoyance and wore a peaceful smile instead.

She walked past Mash and stood in front of Arkhan, looking up at him seriously.

"I know, compared to a Heroic Spirit like you, I'm just nothing. Even among mages, I'm just mediocre. If it weren't for an accident, I wouldn't be standing here."

"Senpai..." Mash wanted to retort but stopped herself.

"But I've always believed that every single person, no matter how ordinary, carries within them something extraordinary. Our world is adorned with so many ordinary souls, and it's this very richness that renders it truly beautiful."

Ritsuka's face was resolute, her eyes alight with resolve.

"And now, here I stand, just an ordinary person, perhaps not yet fully grown, not yet wielding great power, but I pledge to give my all because it's my responsibility! I will save this world, save human order, and save the future of humanity!"

Everything fell silent, only the gentle wind blowing softly, stirring up the surrounding desolation.

Inside Chaldea, Romani sat in his chair, silent for a long time. He looked up at the ceiling, sighed deeply, and rubbed his brow with a bitter smile.

'As expected of you, Ritsuka... Just an ordinary human, but have such incredible resolve... Compared to her, I...' Romani thought in a daze.

Watching Ritsuka's serious and resolute face, a faint smile appeared on Arkhan's face.

"I can feel that those words truly come from your heart."

No one could lie in front of Fenghuang Down and get away with it.

"Congratulations, Chaldea's Master." Arkhan said with a faint smile, extending his hand forward. "You have earned my approval. I hope we can get along well in our future cooperation."

Ritsuka's face lit up with excitement as she quickly reached for his hand and shook it.

"Thank you, um... By the way, I don't know your name yet."

"My name is Arkhan." Arkhan answered, calmly smiling. "Perhaps you haven't heard of this name before. Anyway, you can think of me as a Servant from another world."

"Arkhan? I haven't heard that name before..."

Ritsuka tried to remember history as she shook hands with Arkhan but didn't get any useful information. In the end, she turned her head to the pink-haired girl beside her.

"What about you, Mash? Have you heard of his name?"

Upon hearing her senior's question, Mash shook her head. Although she had studied the history and mythology of their world extensively, topics involving otherworldly matters touched upon her knowledge gap.

"I couldn't find any relevant information either... It seems as he said earlier, he must be from another world..." Romani added, feeling a hint of doubt.

Although the Throne of Heroes was beyond the time axis, summoning Servants from other worlds wasn't unheard of. However, based on his observations of Arkhan, he suspected that Arkhan wasn't summoned by the Holy Grail but by the world itself.

'If he's a Servant summoned by the world... Does that mean...' Romani thought in amazement as he realized what it meant.

"Another world, huh..." Ritsuka didn't dwell on it too much, just a look of anticipation appeared on her face. "I wonder how different it is from our world."

"Strictly speaking, there isn't much difference, maybe even more backward and feudal than your world." Arkhan explained while chuckling lightly.

Romani's expression seemed a bit odd at the mention of backwardness and feudalism. Did that mean the era of Arkhan's world was older than the modern era?

In the world of magecraft, there was always a saying—the older, the stronger.

Perhaps this could slightly explain why Arkhan's power was so unreasonably powerful.

"Since your strength is so strong, Mr. Arkhan, you must be quite famous in your world, right?" Mash asked curiously.

"I have some fame, but not many people truly know my true name. In my world, I actually have another name." Arkhan chuckled.

""What?""

Mash and Ritsuka asked simultaneously, while Romani subconsciously leaned closer to the screen.

Even Chaldea's staff unconsciously held their breath.

This was their first encounter with a Servant from another world.

In a way, they were witnessing history.

Arkhan remained silent for a moment, then opened his mouth and uttered one word slowly.

"Arthur."

"..."

"Wait a sec, by Arthur, you mean that legendary King Arthur?!" Ritsuka asked with a shocked voice.

Seeing Arkhan's calm smile and silence, Ritsuka and Mash exchanged glances, their faces expressing surprise.

Their ultimate enemy this time was the ruler of the Holy City of Camelot, the Lion King, who was none other than King Arthur. And at this moment, another King Arthur from another world had appeared.

King Arthur versus King Arthur? Was this some sort of twisted version of 'me against myself'?

However, compared to the blackened King Arthur they encountered in the Fuyuki Singularity, these two seemed much stronger.

"Wait, isn't King Arthur supposed to be Celtic? Celtic people are known for their red hair, but why is your hair pitch-black?" Romani asked with a puzzled tone.

"Doctor, don't forget, the King Arthur we encountered before didn't have red hair either, she had blond hair." Mash reminded quietly.

"..." Romani instantly fell silent.

Arkhan chuckled and shook his head.

"Your perception of Arthur differs from mine. Though we both ruled Camelot, our backgrounds and experiences diverge. As for my hair, it's tied to a secret I can't reveal to you just yet."

"Um, understood..." Ritsuka nodded, scratching the back of her head. "But... you know, I never expected you, as King Arthur, to be so easygoing... Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you..."

Though there was a slight misunderstanding at first, after he revealed his identity, she found him to be quite pleasant to be around. At least compared to various kings she had encountered before, this otherworldly King Arthur didn't display overwhelming pressure or arrogance.

Although a bit authoritative, he wasn't unreasonable, more like an older brother who watched over you since childhood.

"Heh, that's just because you haven't spent enough time with me. Sometimes, I can be quite intimidating too, y'know." Arkhan chuckled.

Hearing that, Ritsuka only nodded.

Anyone who could effortlessly take away dozens of lives without batting an eye couldn't possibly have a mellow personality.

"Let's pause the small talk for now. We can chat more later. Now, let's focus on what's ahead." Arkhan glanced at the soldiers clad in red armor around them. "If I'm not mistaken, you all are from the Holy Roman Empire, right?"

"How did you know?" Ritsuka asked in surprise. 'Does he also possess clairvoyance?'

"Someone informed me." Arkhan replied casually, then proceeded to tell her about the situation in the village and what had happened before.

Ritsuka listened attentively, sighing softly afterward.

"Incidents like that have happened many times before... This time, they were fortunate to have you around, so those villagers could escape unharmed... As for the rest..."

Ritsuka didn't continue, but the sadness on her face indicated that her mention of 'many times' wasn't just a figure of speech.

"If I'm not mistaken, you plan to relocate those villagers to the Holy Roman Empire, right?" Romani smoothly changed the subject.

"Yeah, this place isn't safe anymore, and I'm not familiar with it, so it's too dangerous to wander aimlessly with them." Arkhan nodded.

"No worries, consider it done!" Ritsuka declared confidently. "That's why we're here!"

After organizing the soldiers, Ritsuka, Mash, and Arkhan immediately headed toward the village in the canyon.