Fate/Magus Path

As the crimson orb of magical energy flickered at the tip of Roy's finger, it unleashed an overwhelming storm of red energy, compressed to an unimaginable degree, cascading between him and Merem.

The devastating crimson tempest roared with immense magical energy, making Merem's eyes widen in shock.

What the hell?!

There was no mistaking it... this man intended to kill him outright, with no hesitation or even a hint of probing. It was clear Roy had mistaken him for Roa or one of his accomplices.

I'm done for. This is a disaster.

Seeing the relentless magical storm advancing toward him, Merem finally realized that he had severely underestimated Roy's power. He was in serious trouble.

From the terrifying precision of Roy's senses to the sheer volume of magical energy he could unleash at will, it was clear, no further testing was needed. This wasn't an opponent he could hope to defeat.

Merem remembered Ciel's words before he came here.

"The pressure I felt from that man was no less than what Narbareck, that lunatic... perhaps even greater."

At the time, Merem had thought Ciel was exaggerating. Even if Roy was on the same level as that lunatic, it wouldn't matter. Merem wasn't confident about beating the lunatic, but he could always escape. That confidence led him here, lying in wait to test the protector of the White Princess of the True Ancestors.

If Roy turned out to be a hollow reputation, killing him could be passed off as an accident during his hunt for Roa's subordinates.

On the other hand, if Roy truly was strong, Merem could simply withdraw and avoid any further confrontation.

But now, a third possibility had reared its head.

This guy isn't just strong... he's overwhelmingly, incomprehensibly stronger than me.

And now, I can't run.

He finally understood the meaning behind Ciel's pitiful gaze when she warned him.

"If you're losing badly and he's about to kill you, try mentioning my name and begging for mercy. Maybe he'll let you live."

Yet here, there wasn't even time to explain himself. Merem wasn't a Dead Apostle with a reinforced body, nor did he have Nrvnqsr Chaos's absurd regenerative abilities.

If he took that blast head-on, he would be utterly annihilated.

Facing the impending red tempest, Merem steeled himself despite the panic in his heart.

"Come on… don't let me down now, Lady Windup!"

Refusing to take the attack directly, Merem's right hand flared with magical energy. Pouring everything he had into it, he invoked his trump card. With a thunderous crack, a towering white figure over ten meters tall materialized before him.

Lady Windup... also known as the Daemon of the Right Arm sealed within Merem's right arm and his most prized war machine.

An exceptional daemon capable of self-evolving intelligence, Lady Windup could adapt its state to gain the upper hand in any battle.

But now, after only a brief skirmish, Merem had been forced to summon his most powerful weapon.

"Block the attack and retreat immediately. Do not engage further."

From behind, Merem barked out a series of orders to Lady Windup.

"Acknowledged."

The daemon nodded slightly, placing Merem in its abdominal compartment before straightening its massive form. Without hesitation, it braced itself against the oncoming crimson torrent of magical energy.

Whummmm!

The red magical energy current slammed into Lady Windup's metal frame, causing the enormous construct to stagger under the impact. Its colossal body buckled to one knee, sections of its structure beginning to disintegrate under the relentless force.

"A giant mecha girl?"

Seeing Lady Windup, Roy paused in rare surprise, momentarily easing his magical output.

A Dead Apostle has something like this?!

I want one too!

His momentary distraction was all Lady Windup needed. Detecting the reduced magical flow, it acted immediately on Merem's command, ramping up its energy output and retreating swiftly without a second thought.

Trying to flee?

Roy narrowed his eyes.

"I promised Shiki and the others I'd bring back a big catch…"

"And I'm not letting this giant mecha girl get away!"

Determined, Roy flared his magical flames and accelerated through the air, relentlessly pursuing the retreating Lady Windup.

In the outskirts of Misaki Town, an unusual chase unfolded: a towering white mecha sprinting frantically ahead while a streak of white flames glided in low pursuit.

The surreal scene left the Tohno family cleanup crew rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

"Am I dreaming? Did I just see a giant robot from a tokusatsu show?"

Even Arcueid, who had just arrived on the scene, was stunned.

"Is that… Lady Windup?"

Tilting her head in confusion, she couldn't fathom why Merem's most treasured weapon was here... and why it was fighting Roy.

As a follower of the White Princess, Merem's loyalty lay with her. While Arcueid had never personally seen Lady Windup in action, she'd heard Merem talk about it before. That familiarity allowed her to recognize it immediately.

But now wasn't the time to stand idle. If she didn't intervene, Merem was going to die.

Gathering her magical energy, Arcueid signaled her arrival as forcefully as she could.

"Hm? This presence… so familiar…"

Roy detected the signal, his azure Mystic Eyes spinning rapidly as he spotted Arcueid rushing toward them from the distance.

Did she come here to support me? Worried I couldn't handle it? Not necessary... this small fry isn't much of a challenge.

Meanwhile, Merem, sensing Arcueid's presence, felt a wave of relief.

The Princess's presence! It's the Princess! Save me, Your Highness!

Desperately, he directed Lady Windup toward Arcueid.

"Yes, this way, Merem! I'll stop Roy!"

Understanding his intent, Arcueid felt her own tension ease and quickened her pace.

But to Roy, this change in direction looked entirely different.

He's turning around? Don't tell me...

He's going after Arcueid now?!

The audacity!

Dead Apostle, you must think I'm irrelevant!

"Do you really think I'd let you have your way?"

Taking advantage of the brief moment when Merem shifted direction, Roy decisively tore off the restrictive pendant around his neck, unleashing an even more torrential wave of magical energy.

In an instant, the force of his aura surged dramatically, the white flames enveloping his body glowing fiercer than before, now laced with crackling streaks of black lightning.

What the hell? Was he holding back all this time?!

Feeling the overwhelming aura emanating from Roy, Merem's panic deepened. He pushed Lady Windup to accelerate faster, his gaze locked on Arcueid, who was steadily closing in from the distance.

There was still hope... a sliver of salvation.

If he could just reach her...

If he could just make it to that point, there might still be a chance...

But it was too late.

In just a few breaths, Roy's figure, a streak of brilliance in the air, landed heavily on the head of Lady Windup.

The impact was devastating. Carrying both an immense magical charge and sheer physical force, Roy's strike drove the colossal frame of Lady Windup to its knees, sinking it halfway into the earth.

"Master, the enemy is on my head."

Inside the cockpit, Merem turned pale.

He caught up so easily?!

If that's how it is, there's no choice... he would have to deploy the King of the Land and summon his other daemons to escape.

But before he could act, Roy above him was already forming hand seals, channeling his most familiar incantation.

And then...

"High-Speed Divine Words."

"Rise, Green Star, Silver Desert, under the Black Sun."

"Mercury, Gold, Philosopher's Stone, Pillar of Heaven. Unite the four points, and the miracle that descends will be your domain."

"Heaven Hymn!"

The intricate chant flowed effortlessly from Roy's lips. Immediately, waves of mysterious magical energy rippled outwards.

The ground beneath Lady Windup dissolved into endless white sand, stretching into infinity.

In the blink of an eye, the scenery shifted. The land around them vanished, and Merem realized with a sinking feeling that he and Lady Windup had been dragged into a new world... a world entirely under Roy's control.

In this pale, desolate realm, Roy reigned as its absolute master, commanding the resources of this constructed reality to annihilate his foes.

"This is... a Reality Marble!"

As a well-versed magus, Merem instantly recognized the phenomenon... a magical miracle heralded as the pinnacle of magecraft, one that bordered on the realm of True Magic.

The key to a Reality Marble lay in one's Origin. Only magus deeply attuned to their origin could hope to manifest such a feat. By materializing the landscape of one's mind, it granted unparalleled influence over the physical world.

This infinite magical energy, coupled with Roy's absurd magical output, his heightened perception, and now this Reality Marble...

Six stats at Rank A.

How was anyone supposed to fight this?

You've won, kid. Spare Me!

"Bind."

Before Merem could react further, Roy activated his Reality Marble. Chains forged from pure magical energy surged forth from the vast, pale void. Like serpents, they coiled around Lady Windup's massive frame, binding its limbs and dragging half its body deep into the sands.

"I... can't move."

"Master Merem, I cannot execute your command. Firepower insufficient... please provide alternative orders..."

Lady Windup, battered and on the verge of collapse, reported in a faintly mechanical tone. Struggling to tear apart the relentless chains, it found its arms immobilized, its strength entirely neutralized.

Caught in a futile loop, it could do nothing but repeat Merem's last command.

"I'm sorry, Lady Windup. Just hold on a little longer. There's no need to fight anymore."

Merem's voice carried a note of exhaustion.

He made no attempt to resist. At this point, there was no point in even pretending to fight back.

Rather than calling it a battle, it had been one-sided torment from the very beginning.

Even if he unleashed the King of the Land or summoned the rest of his daemons, what difference would it make? He doubted that someone capable of obliterating Lady Windup in mere moments could be overcome by mere numbers.

Especially not within the constructed mindscape of his opponent's Reality Marble.

Struggling further would only make him look pathetic.

Resigned, Merem decisively detached himself from Lady Windup and stepped directly into the heart of the Reality Marble.

Then…

He tore off a piece of his white clerical robe, fashioned it into a makeshift white flag, and waved it vigorously in the air.

Using reinforcement magecraft to amplify his voice, he raised his hand and shouted with all the strength he could muster.

"Stop attacking! I'm a friendly! I'm a friendly!!"

"I'm Merem Solomon, an agent of the Holy Church's Burial Agency! I'm a colleague of Ciel and a devoted follower of White Princess Arcueid Brunestud! We're all here to deal with Roa, so please, spare me!"

"...Huh?"

From his vantage point on the elevated platform, Roy's expression twisted into a mixture of confusion and disbelief as he watched Merem execute what could only be described as the iconic gesture of surrender.

Still, the mention of Ciel and Arcueid gave him pause.

The colossal angel looming in the skies above the white desert halted its earth-splitting downward slash just in time.

Though the massive sword hadn't struck, the overwhelming pressure from the impending blow alone pinned Merem in place atop Lady Windup. He couldn't take a single step, let alone mount any defense.

After all, who in their right mind could stand against a twenty-meter-long greatsword with nothing but their bare body?

The angel folded its luminous wings and descended directly toward Merem, its immense sword still gripped tightly in hand.

The impact of the landing was deafening, reverberating through the air with a force that knocked dust and debris into Merem's face.

In any other circumstance, his sharp tongue would've delivered a sarcastic remark in return. But when he looked up and saw the towering figure... a radiant giant many times larger than Lady Windup... he immediately swallowed his words.

Merem lowered his head in quiet submission.

One glance was all it took to confirm: this was an enemy he couldn't possibly defeat.

Better not to provoke them.

As the dust began to settle, Roy's figure emerged from the haze, standing not far from where Merem knelt.

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