Fate: How About a New Savior?

Astromancy.

Typically, aside from Animusphere, who oversees the Department of Astromancy, only those who studied under that department have true mastery of it. Other Magus might grasp the general theory, but without years of dedicated study, they're unlikely to show any practical results in combat.

This has always been one of the shortcomings Shiomi sees in modern magecraft.

In contrast, rituals constructed from Primordial Runes can bypass the boundaries of modern classifications, allowing the caster to achieve their desired miracles. But with the Age of Gods long gone, finding another Magus like him is nearly impossible.

That's why Shiomi hides the nature of his magecraft under the guise of conventional types, pushing them to their utmost limits—resulting in the instantaneous Grand Magecrafts he takes pride in.

Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary methods.

With this Singularity concealing too many secrets—and Chaldea cut off from the outside world—this was the only opportunity to access records from the Mage's Association.

Eliminating the enemy as swiftly as possible was the ideal course of action.

Using unexpected Astromancy against Makiri and his group was the perfect strategy.

Makiri's eyes widened at the sight of meteors falling from the sky. He knew well that Animusphere's Astromancy required lengthy preparations for spells of this magnitude. And yet here was a Magus with no apparent background or reputation achieving the same feat!

There was no time to dwell on it.

Paracelsus and Babbage, acting as Servants, took the lead in intercepting the incoming meteors.

"Dimension of Steam!"

"Sword of Paracelsus."

The two Noble Phantasms activated in succession, shattering the meteors that could have crushed them. The fragments scattered, veered off course, and rained down on the ruins of the museum and the surrounding streets and buildings.

But those not intercepted struck the army of chaotic machine soldiers and artificial lifeforms, finishing off the scattered forces already disoriented by Mordred and Artoria's assault.

"Seriously... if you were planning to unleash something like that, a little warning would've been nice! You almost crushed me and Father with it!" Mordred jumped back in front of Shiomi and the others, complaining with a frustrated grin.

"Relax. As long as you're not an enemy, you won't get hit," Shiomi replied. "With your instincts, dodging meteors shouldn't be hard."

"Master's magecraft is truly something else. Not even Merlin is good with this type of spell," said Artoria as she skewered a mechanical soldier with her spear, then hurled its impaled body at another one like a projectile.

Shiomi sighed. "I heard the Magus of Flowers is notorious for slacking off, but he won't even bother with this kind of magecraft?"

"That bastard's more of a support type than a frontline fighter," Mordred muttered as she kicked away another incoming artificial lifeform.

After the meteor shower, Shiomi and Sakura lowered their wands.

That single Grand Magecraft wiped out more than half of the enemy's cannon fodder, drastically reducing both sides' combat power. But crucially, Makiri and his two companions remained unscathed.

Paracelsus began walking down the road, raising the magical sword in his hand. A barrage of elemental spells flew out one after another.

Mixed in with the advancing mechanical soldiers, these constructs had no emotions or fear. Even if they were the last ones left, they would still charge forward as ordered.

That was what made this army so troublesome.

If they had been regular soldiers, morale would've started to falter after just ten percent casualties. At thirty percent, the entire force would be on the verge of collapse.

"That guy can cast Magecraft without chanting?!"

Relying on her Magic Resistance to withstand the spell, Mordred charged toward Paracelsus, cutting through like it was nothing—but Babbage suddenly dropped from above, using sheer brute force to pin her down for the moment.

But they still had Artoria on their side. If the enemy hadn't lost Jack the Ripper and Mephistopheles earlier, they wouldn't be this overwhelmed.

Suddenly, from the surrounding magical fog, a swarm of Blade Wing Insects burst forth.

Sakura had just finished casting the Astromancy Magecraft alongside him and needed a moment to recover. Shiomi raised his hand, and flames rose into a wall, enclosing the two of them.

The Blade Wing Insects disintegrated into ash the moment they struck the fiery barrier.

"Makiri, I've had enough of your Magecraft!" Shiomi slowly floated off the ground, hovering midair as his wand traced a sharp, fluid arc before him.

Just then, Mordred felt the stone-paved road beneath her feet begin to quake—like an earthquake was hitting.

Moments later, countless vines tore through the ground, snaking out to wrap around every mechanical soldier and artificial lifeform within reach. They avoided Mordred and Artoria's mounts with pinpoint precision.

In an instant, the road turned into a field overrun with vines. Even Babbage, who had been about to attack Mordred again, was caught—his limbs pulled tight by the relentless vines, completely immobilized.

"Lancer—Noble Phantasm!" Shiomi commanded.

Across the flames, Sakura gave Mordred a nod.

"I am no king, but I follow in the king's path—" Mordred murmured, then raised her longsword and shouted the true name of her Noble Phantasm. "Clarent Blood Arthur: Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father!"

At the sound of the name, Artoria glanced toward her, then swept aside the enemies in her path. The holy spear in her hand began to spin, whipping up a fierce wind.

"Take this—Thirteen Fangs! Rhongomyniad: The Lance That Shines to the End of the World!"

From two opposite directions, the two Noble Phantasms converged, striking directly at Babbage and Paracelsus.

With their movement restricted, neither of them had time to activate a second Noble Phantasm.

At last, the two surging powers collided right at Makiri Zolgen's position, erupting in a violent explosion. The two waves of magical energy clashed as if battling for dominance.

Shiomi watched as the Blade Wing Insects dwindled around him, vanishing one by one. Only when they were gone did he dismiss the wall of fire shielding Sakura.

"Did that finish them?" Sakura stepped forward, eyes scanning the battlefield anxiously.

The remaining mechanical soldiers and artificial lifeforms, swept up by the Noble Phantasms, had been reduced to ash.

Heavy smoke and dense magical fog swirled together, obscuring the scene.

Then, a massive black silhouette slowly emerged from the haze, radiating a sense of dread.

"...I didn't think you'd be so troublesome. It seems I'll have to call on my king's power to finish you," Makiri's voice echoed, faint and distant. "One of the 72 Demon Gods—Demon God Barbatos. This is the embodiment of my evil."

As the dust cleared, what stood in the fog was no longer Makiri, but a towering column of flesh covered in countless ominous, staring eyes.

"My king saw through my evil... saw the grotesque darkness within my heart that once sought to save humanity. With this ultimate ugliness—disappear! Just like I once was, you who wear the mask of righteousness!"

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

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