Miracle Summoner

——Li Shuwen.

He was indeed a truly terrifying martial artist.

Just from his title "No Second Strike", one could tell how formidable this Bajiquan grandmaster, known for his one-hit kill technique, truly was.

Even though he was summoned under the Assassin class—one generally recognized as having lower stats—his martial prowess was undeniable.

He was able to charge solo into a massive horde of magical beasts, crushing countless enemies along the way, and ultimately even slaying Kutha Belilu.

The fact that even Kingu became visibly disturbed by this proves how much of a threat Kingu perceived him to be.

And under those circumstances, with his body bloodied and gravely wounded, Li Shuwen still managed to shatter one of Kingu's hands. If he hadn't been injured, then Kingu likely wouldn't have been able to take him down so easily.

Whether it was Merlin or the other Servants, they all held great respect for Li Shuwen's martial skills. His fall from the frontlines undoubtedly dealt a heavy blow to Uruk.

Fortunately, Kutha Belilu was also slain, and the Magical Beast Front regained stability. Under Nobunaga's leadership, they had managed to hold the line to this day.

"To protect this era, to protect this city—that is our shared purpose."

Ushiwakamaru looked directly at Rozen, saying, "So, knowing that Chaldea still existed and that humanity's last Master would eventually set foot on this land to repair Human Order and save mankind, we have long been awaiting your arrival."

That was why Ushiwakamaru and the others had shown such intense curiosity upon meeting Rozen.

On one hand, the idea of a Master from the future had naturally piqued their interest.

On the other, they were eagerly anticipating the arrival of a hero who had already repaired six Singularities, overcome numerous trials, and had now reached the seventh—an individual they hoped would become a powerful ally. Whether it was Ushiwakamaru, Nobunaga, or Okita, they had all been looking forward to him.

They yearned not only for a strong reinforcement, but also for the arrival of a turning point.

In Nobunaga's words:

"If we keep fighting like this, I'm seriously getting bored. Isn't it about time for a counterattack?"

Nobunaga's brash and audacious statement told Rozen everything they were thinking.

If there was no game-changing variable to shift the tide, then Uruk could only continue defending until its eventual fall.

Thus, Nobunaga and the others had been waiting for Rozen's arrival, hoping that the Chaldean Master could change the tides of war and pave the way for humanity's counteroffensive—a solid first step toward reclaiming hope.

"Right now, the Demonic Beast Front we're holding is only containing the threat brought by the Goddess of Beasts. But she's far from the only goddess threatening us," said Okita, her smile fading into the expression of a true swordswoman.

"To the north, magical beasts; to the south, the dense jungle; and from the northeast mountains, the Venusian Goddess occasionally bombs us indiscriminately from the skies—Uruk is under attack from three different fronts."

At present, the northern front was still being held by Nobunaga and the other Servants, but no effective countermeasures or even preventive strategies had yet been devised for the south or northeast. Those areas had essentially been left to rot.

For example...

"We still don't even know what threat lies within the southern jungle," said Benkei, stepping forward. "King Gilgamesh has dispatched several scouting parties into it, but none have returned."

If the Goddess of Beasts represented an overt and aggressive threat, then the Goddess of the Jungle was silently and insidiously invading.

"And then there's Goddess Ishtar. That bow she carries is supposedly the vessel of a divine being—called the Celestial Boat, right? She can fly freely across the skies at will. While she lacks the sheer oppressive force of the magical beasts and hasn't caused major casualties, her attacks are unpredictable—like a storm that could strike anytime. It's a real headache."

Ushiwakamaru sighed deeply with her eyes closed.

Then Nobunaga summed it up with a single sentence:

"In short, she's annoying. Seriously annoying. Absolutely annoying. Honestly, don't call her the Goddess of Venus, just call her the Goddess of Annoyance."

Her words received unanimous nods of agreement from the surrounding Servants.

And then...

"Who're you calling annoying——!?"

With a furious shout, the Goddess of Annoyance stormed down the stairs.

"I was just taking a walk through Uruk! This is my city to begin with! I can go wherever I please! Who are you low-tier Servants to talk trash about me!?"

Ishtar flew mid-air, shouting with clenched teeth.

"Ah."

Nobunaga immediately froze.

"The Goddess of Annoyance has appeared!"

Okita leapt to her feet in panic.

"Everyone retreat! Fall back immediately! She hasn't killed anyone yet, but she'll make your life hell! Benkei, you're on rear guard! Be our shield!"

Ushiwakamaru shouted frantically as if trying to help cover the others' retreat, all while seriously pushing to get them out of the room.

"Lady Ushiwakamaru!"

The abandoned Benkei was nearly in tears.

The entire Chaldea Embassy descended into chaos, as if they weren't dealing with a goddess—but some kind of disaster incarnate.

The whole scene was absurdly comical.

"Heh... hehehehe..."

Ishtar laughed.

But that smile—no matter how you looked at it—was incredibly forced, and a thick anger vein popped on her forehead in the shape of the character "井", a clear sign of her rising fury.

"L-Lady Ishtar...!?"

Seeing Ishtar's rage about to explode, Siduri hurriedly tried to intervene.

Too bad Ishtar wasn't having any of it.

"Out of my way, Siduri!" Ishtar barked.

"I don't want to get you caught up in this! If you know what's good for you, get out of this crummy tavern! I'm going to blow the whole place sky-high—along with those third-rate Servants!"

As she said this, Ishtar raised her hand into a targeting pose, gathering light in front of her palm.

"Miss Ishtar!"

Even Mash was visibly shaken.

"My, My... this might actually be a bit dangerous this time."

Merlin was already tiptoeing toward the exit like he was about to vanish.

"Sigh..."

Anna, who had remained silent this whole time, simply sighed amid the uproar.

As for Rozen, watching the enraged Ishtar and remembering the serene, gentle goddess he saw that morning, could only sigh quietly to himself.

"So this is the real Ishtar, huh...?"

Muttering something that made no sense to the others, Rozen snapped his fingers.

"Vmm!"

With a surge of illusionary mist, a white-haired girl manifested beside Ishtar.

ZAP!

With a crackling sound like electricity, a tri-colored light blade was raised and poised directly at Ishtar's neck.

Altera, her expression blank, locked eyes with Ishtar, freezing her completely in place.

The entire room fell silent in an instant.

Looking at Ishtar, frozen stiff with a sword at her throat, too angry to move but too scared to resist—and then glancing at the group of Servants clinging to each other in panic—Rozen let out a long, heavy sigh.

"In any case... let's eat breakfast first, everyone."

Rozen gave up on saying anything more.

And so, the day began.

A day so lively, it drove Rozen to despair.