Fate: How About a New Savior?

"An overwhelming surge of Mana... It's neither a Servant, nor human, nor divine—"

Shiomi calmly stepped forward, forming the front line with Scáthach and Morgan, ready to intercept the attack.

"In this era, there's only one being who could wield this kind of power, right, Romani?" he said with a faint smile.

"...Enkidu," Romani answered, hesitating for a moment.

"Thank you for the introduction, Tenkei Shiomi of Chaldea, and Romani Archaman." The young man, with long green hair and violet eyes, spoke evenly.

"You know us?" Shiomi wasn't particularly surprised.

His experience in the Sixth Singularity had taught him plenty. If the Lion King had known who he was, it made sense that others in the Seventh Singularity would as well.

"Since you've introduced me, I might as well follow through with a proper introduction."

The young man smiled softly and opened his arms.

"People of Chaldea—nice to meet you. And farewell. I am the one who brings an end to the old humanity, and the companion of Solomon, the King of Magecraft—"

Countless golden chains, brimming with Mana, burst forth like vines from the ground. The sheer density of magical energy made the very air crackle with electricity.

"My name is Enkidu!"

At that proclamation, Enkidu launched his assault. The chains, as if possessing a will of their own, surged toward the group.

Battle erupted in an instant.

Mash raised her shield, standing beside Gray to block the storm of chains raining down.

Shiomi and Scáthach, the swiftest among them, darted forward to engage Enkidu directly. Meanwhile, Morgan and the other girls used Magecraft to interfere with the chains around them, preventing them from closing in on the melee.

But magic had little effect on Enkidu.

As a living Heroic Spirit, his Mana and resistance were terrifying. Most conventional spells were little more than a nuisance to him.

Worse still, it was clear Enkidu had no intention of finishing the fight himself. He was deliberately pushing the front line to wear them down, then retreating to let waves of Magical Beasts continue the assault—second, third, and on without end.

He understood Chaldea's combat strength well. Whether it was on Solomon's orders or his own decision, Enkidu wasn't trying to defeat them all at once.

If this went on, the real objective was clear: push Enkidu back and seize a window to retreat.

Shiomi spotted an opening and swung his spear—only for Enkidu to raise a hand and deflect it effortlessly.

"It transformed..." Shiomi froze for a moment.

Enkidu's hand had morphed into a meter-long broadblade, gleaming with deadly sharpness.

"Oh? So this is ancient Mesopotamia's strongest weapon? It not only creates armaments, but its body can also shapeshift freely to become a weapon itself."

Scáthach's tone was calm, but she wasn't at ease.

Before departure, Shiomi had gathered everyone to prepare a fallback plan—just like during the Sixth Singularity—in case they were ambushed immediately after Rayshifting.

And yet, despite the preparations, they were still driven into a corner.

Enkidu's combat strength far surpassed the Knights of the Round Table, and he commanded a force of Age of Gods Magical Beasts leagues beyond what the Lion King's Enforcement Knights could muster.

Even retreating would require one or two people to stay behind and hold the line—possibly at the cost of their lives.

"Master, let me do it—" Shiomi began.

"No," Scáthach rejected him flatly.

She absolutely refused to see her disciple captured a second time.

Especially against an enemy like this—far more ruthless than the Lion King. Enkidu wouldn't show Shiomi any mercy.

Meeting her gaze, Shiomi gave up on the idea. "Then let's break through together—"

But even if they did... where would they go?

The Seventh Singularity's situation was uncertain. Enkidu—Gilgamesh's closest friend—had suddenly appeared and was trying to wipe out Chaldea's team.

At this point, even trusting Gilgamesh might not be an option.

Shiomi quietly braced for the worst-case scenario.

He hadn't expected anything from that man—but this? This was beyond cruel.

"Lost in thought? Then why not just die here? If you're dead, you won't have to worry about anything anymore."

Enkidu evaded Scáthach's crimson spear and slipped into Shiomi's blind spot. Chains burst from the ground, lunging straight for him.

"These chains—!"

They were unmistakably the Chains of Heaven. Shiomi had seen this Noble Phantasm before and didn't fear it. They were just tougher-than-usual restraints.

He planned to take the hit with one arm, then counter.

But the instant they wrapped around him, he felt his strength being sealed away.

What—?

"You fool." Enkidu's right arm shifted into a blade and thrust toward Shiomi's heart. "You won't die, maybe—but losing your heart's going to be a problem, isn't it?"

Enkidu even knew that killing Shiomi wouldn't be easy.

But just then, a third killing intent cut in from behind.

Not Scáthach. Not Morgan. A small figure in a black cloak struck during that fleeting opening, forcing Enkidu to turn and defend.

The black silhouette was instantly cleaved in two—only to burst into a flurry of petals.

"What?"

Not just the attacker. Shiomi, who'd been bound, as well as Scáthach and Morgan, all began to dissolve into petals, vanishing without a trace.

An illusion.

Magic from one of Uruk's Magus.

Enkidu clapped softly to himself, offering his silent praise for the retreat.

...

Meanwhile, some distance from the battlefield, in a cedar forest—

Shiomi flexed his now-freed arm, still shaken by the strange sensation from before...

Had he actually become someone who could be bound by the Chains of Heaven?

But that could wait.

More pressing was the identity of the Servant who'd ambushed Enkidu just now.

And the one who had cast that illusion to trick him and buy time for their escape—they were both here too.

One was a tiny girl in a black cloak, even smaller than Gray. The other, a woman in white, about the same height as Gray.

"My, that went perfectly, absolutely perfectly." The woman in the white cloak spoke with a flippant, bewitching voice. "As expected of Chaldea! To immediately catch on to my illusion and coordinate like that—what a magnificent retreat!"

She looked delighted.

"As for a reward, just shower me with your gratitude, won't you?"

Her beautiful face, framed beneath the cloak, beamed with pride, clearly awaiting the thanks she thought she deserved.

The girls instinctively felt like thanking her—but Shiomi and the other two looked far more suspicious.

Then, out from Gray's hood—where he'd hidden during the battle and followed along through the Rayshift—Fou suddenly leapt out.

He scurried up a cedar tree, perched himself at a height ten times normal, summoned ten times the killing intent, ten times the power—

And pounced.

"Merlin must die!" Fou's cry was unmistakably filled with meaning.

The elegant woman in white was caught completely off guard and soon found herself in a chaotic scuffle with the furious beast.