[FATE] OP Demon King Across Multiverse!

Ryuu and Cú Chulainn both turned their gazes toward Fujimaru Ritsuka, the tension in the air becoming palpable.

Startled by their presence, Ritsuka instinctively hid behind Mash, peeking out nervously at the two unknown figures.

"U-Um… We're from Chaldea, transferred here from 2015. Is the Holy Grail War still happening in this Singularity?"

"Chaldea, huh?" Cú Chulainn smirked, crossing his arms. "So, you guys are the so-called 'saviors' my Master mentioned. Gotta say, you look kinda weak, but I'll give you this—you don't look half-bad. You a Saber?"

He strode confidently toward Mash, grinning, attempting to show off his natural charisma.

Watching from the side, Ryuu couldn't help but cringe. Seriously, dude? We're in the middle of a war zone, and you're flirting?

"It's our first time meeting," Ryuu said, stepping in. "As you can see, this world has been gradually collapsing."

"C-Collapsing?!" Ritsuka's eyes widened. "What the hell happened here?"

"Well, it's a long story—"

"AHHHHHHHH! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

A woman's scream tore through the streets, cutting Ryuu off mid-sentence. The desperate cry was accompanied by the sounds of struggle and destruction.

Ryuu and Cú Chulainn immediately turned toward the source of the voice.

"...Oh? Looks like you've got another companion."

"Companion?" Ritsuka turned to Mash in confusion. "Mash, I thought it was just the two of us in the control room before the transfer."

Mash looked equally puzzled, then suddenly realization hit her. "Wait… Could it be—?!"

"Yeah, little missy," Cú Chulainn added, his smirk fading. "I should remind you that before you guys showed up, the only living people in this whole damn city were me and my Master. So if someone else is screaming... well, they're probably with your crew."

Hearing that, Mash's face turned serious. No matter who it was, she couldn't just ignore a cry for help. She quickly grabbed Ritsuka's hand and gave Ryuu and Cú Chulainn a quick bow.

"Excuse us, but we have to go!"

Without hesitation, she dashed toward the sound of the scream, pulling Ritsuka along.

Ryuu and Cú Chulainn exchanged glances.

"Well, Master, what do you think? Are these kids the ones you were waiting for?"

Ryuu smirked. "No doubt about it. They're still green, but yeah, it's them."

"Heh, finally," Cú Chulainn stretched, rolling his shoulders. "I haven't worked this hard in a long time."

Ryuu shot him a look. Yeah, that's 'cause you keep fighting like a Lancer when you're a Caster, dumbass.

"Oi, what are you looking at?"

"Come on," Ryuu said, brandishing his blade. "Let's not keep the little miss waiting. If we want to take down Saber, we're gonna need them."

With that, the two quickly followed after Mash and Ritsuka.

---

By the time they arrived, Ritsuka, Mash, and a third person—a young woman with white hair and a black Chaldean uniform—had already been surrounded by hordes of skeleton soldiers.

Mash fought valiantly, her shield smashing through enemy ranks, but the sheer number of skeletons kept her from fully protecting her teammates.

The white-haired woman, despite firing off spells, was quickly being overwhelmed. She was Olga Marie Animusphere, the director of Chaldea.

Seeing this, Ryuu stepped forward.

Sching!

With a single arc of his flaming blade, he cleaved through the skeleton soldiers behind Olga, eliminating the immediate threat.

The three turned in surprise.

"Yo," Ryuu smirked. "Need a hand?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you so much, mysterious warrior!" Mash bowed politely, clearly grateful for the timely assistance.

Ryuu raised an eyebrow. Mysterious warrior? This girl was way too trusting.

He had seen too much betrayal in his past life to ever put faith in others so easily. But Mash… Mash was different. She radiated an innocence Ryuu found foreign yet strangely nostalgic.

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and refocused on the battle.

"Oi, newbie," he called out to Mash. "That's not how you use a shield. Here, lend it to me for a sec."

Mash hesitated but eventually handed her massive shield over to Ryuu.

As soon as he gripped it, he felt its immense weight.

"...Damn, this thing's heavy. Not bad, little missy."

Then, with a smirk, he suddenly spun the shield in the air and hurled it forward.

WHAM!

The shield ricocheted off multiple skeleton soldiers, bouncing between them like a pinball before returning perfectly into Ryuu's hands.

"Holy crap," Ritsuka gasped.

"Amazing," Mash said in awe. "I didn't know shields could be used like that!"

Ryuu grinned, spinning the shield in his hand once more. "Angle it right, and it comes back to you. Simple physics."

He threw it again, this time clearing out the rest of the skeleton soldiers before handing it back to Mash.

"Here," he said. "Try it yourself sometime."

Mash clutched the shield, nodding with determination.

"Director Olga," Mash turned back, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Olga Marie huffed, brushing herself off. "But YOU—" she glared at Ritsuka. "Why did you become the Master? You're just a civilian!"

Ritsuka flinched. "I-I didn't exactly have a choice…"

Ignoring them, Ryuu crossed his arms.

"Oi, Director," he called out, interrupting their argument. "A 'thank you' would be nice, considering I just saved your ass."

Olga turned toward him, suddenly realizing she had been ignoring him this whole time.

"...Hmph. Fine. Thank you," she muttered begrudgingly.

Then, as if only now truly processing his presence, she narrowed her eyes at Ryuu suspiciously.

"Wait. Who are you, exactly? And how have you survived in this wasteland?"

Mash and Ritsuka turned to Ryuu expectantly as well.

"Good question," Ryuu smirked, his golden eyes gleaming. "But I think a better one is—why don't you tell me what Chaldea's doing here first?"

Mash hesitated, but Olga quickly shut her down.

"Wait, Matthew, don't just blurt everything out to a stranger!"

"He's not a stranger," Mash insisted. "He helped us!"

"That doesn't mean we can trust him," Olga shot back. "This Singularity is dangerous. We can't just rely on anyone we meet."

Ryuu sighed, already annoyed.

"Well, whatever," he muttered. "If you don't want my help, I can always just leave. Good luck surviving Saber's army on your own."

At that moment, Mash's communicator flared to life.

"This is Chaldea," a voice crackled through. "Matthew, what's your status?!"

"Doctor Roman!" Mash's eyes lit up.

A blue holographic display flickered to life, showing the face of Romani Archaman.

"Matthew, why are my sensors detecting TWO Servant-level spirit readings next to you? Who—"

Mash quickly introduced Ryuu and Cú Chulainn as their saviors.

The moment Roman heard "Cú Chulainn," he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"W-Wait… THE Irish hero Cú Chulainn?! The Child of Light?!"

Cú Chulainn grinned. "Heh, finally, someone who appreciates my legend."

But while the others focused on Roman, Ryuu's expression darkened.

He knew exactly who Roman really was.

Solomon.

The Grand Caster who once ruled magic itself.

And the very man whose death was written in fate.

Ryuu's golden eyes gleamed.

"Things are finally getting interesting."

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