Miracle Summoner

"Thud...!"

The moment the name "Galahad" reached Mash's ears, she clearly felt her heart suddenly race.

No, it should be called a pulse.

— Galahad.

This name was like a key, seemingly unlocking something within Mash, causing her body temperature to rapidly rise.

This increase wasn't physical but spiritual.

Mash felt as if her very soul was heating up, leaving her slightly dazed.

In her daze, Mash saw someone.

A youth with silver-white hair styled similarly to hers, with one side of his hair just covering an eye, but in the opposite direction. His armor was purple, with a red-handled sword hanging at his waist, and he held a shield in his hand.

The youth was gazing into the horizon and slowly raised his hands toward the sky.

Between his hands, a golden chalice shone brilliantly, floating in midair.

It was none other than the Holy Grail.

The youth lifted the Holy Grail high toward the sky as if in anticipation, his face displaying a serene and detached expression.

Soon, the golden chalice began to ascend, rising into the heavens and ultimately disappearing from sight.

This was the moment the Knight of the Holy Grail returned the Holy Grail to the heavens.

With this achievement, the Knight of the Holy Grail would ascend and completely transcend existence.

Yet, after returning the Holy Grail, the youth didn't immediately ascend. As if sensing something, he turned around and looked behind him.

His gaze instantly met Mash's.

In the next moment...

"———— 'Finally...' ————"

The youth murmured softly, reaching a hand toward Mash.

That hand grew larger and larger in Mash's vision until it completely obscured her view.

"Ah...!"

Suddenly, Mash let out a cry of pain and dropped to one knee on the ground.

"My Lady!"

Bedivere's expression changed.

"Mash!"

"Mash!"

"Mash!"

The group from Chaldea, who had been closely monitoring the situation and were already stunned by Mash obtaining her True Name, also cried out in alarm.

"As expected...!"

Rozen's eyes narrowed as he quickly extended his hand toward Mash.

"Bzzt!"

However, a wave of heat emanated from Mash's body, causing a stinging sensation on Rozen's palm, forcing him to withdraw his hand.

"Ah...! Ahhhhhh...!"

Mash clutched her body, letting out painful cries.

The heat continued to radiate from her, making her appear to be in extreme agony.

"This is...!?"

Bedivere's face shifted again and again.

"This is the manifestation of Galahad's power fully boiling over. Since her True Name was unlocked, the power that had been accumulating within Mash but had no outlet is now out of control, causing Galahad's will to start taking over her body!"

Rozen explained rapidly, visibly shaken.

"How could this be?" Bedivere was stunned but could not believe it. "Sir Galahad would never do such a thing! He is absolutely the last person who would want to take over a human's body!"

As the only knight of the Round Table who could be described as perfect and ideal, Galahad's noble character was beyond question. As a fellow knight, Bedivere couldn't imagine Galahad doing such a thing.

But Bedivere had no way of knowing.

"This isn't Galahad's doing." Rozen shook his head. "Galahad himself has long returned to the Throne. He only entrusted his Saint Graph and Noble Phantasm to Mash. However, a Servant is ultimately a record. The power he left behind in Mash's body, even without his soul, still carries his recorded will. Now, because of my actions, Mash's power has surged and fully activated, bringing Galahad's will to life and allowing it to interfere with Mash's consciousness."

In other words, Rozen's mention of "taking over" didn't mean Galahad's soul was occupying Mash's body but that his memories were influencing her inner world.

Imagine if someone suddenly acquired another person's memories; it could easily shape their values to align with the other person, even making them believe they were that person. Mash's current situation was exactly that.

If Galahad's power continued to interfere with her memories, giving her the equivalent of living through his entire life, Mash might very well become a second Galahad.

At that point, Mash would still be Mash, but her memories, values, and behavior would be completely shaped by Galahad's experiences, to the point where she might even believe herself to be Galahad. This was the true meaning of the phrase Artoria Alter had used—"a point of no return."

This was also why, when Rozen deduced that the Servant who granted Mash her power was Galahad, he hadn't revealed it to her immediately.

It wasn't because he didn't want to tell her—it was because he needed to observe.

Now that Bedivere had brought it up, Rozen decided to expose the truth.

And then...

"If you want to become Galahad, you'll have to get past me first."

Rozen began to chant an incantation.

"———— One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten ————"

As he chanted, Rozen extended his hand once more, ignoring the heat radiating from Mash and placing his palm firmly against her forehead.

"————————"

Rozen was chanting a summoning incantation—Tamafuri.

This ancient and untraceable ritual required the use of the ten Divine Treasures and a special shaking technique for successful activation. In the past, Rozen had used talismans to substitute for the treasures to perform this secret art.

Now, Rozen could completely replicate the vibration using jujutsu, bypassing the need for the ten treasures and shaking technique, allowing him to perform the ancient ritual through incantation alone.

Of course, doing so would somewhat reduce its effectiveness. But Rozen wasn't actually trying to summon a soul; he only intended to call back Mash's consciousness and stabilize her Saint Graph.

"————————"

Rozen continuously chanted the words of Tamafuri, allowing his jutsuryoku to flow into Mash with a unique rhythm.

"Ugh..."

Mash felt her body, which had been unbearably hot, begin to cool. Her mind gradually became clearer.

However, the rampaging power within her still surged chaotically.

Seeing this, Rozen narrowed his eyes, his voice ringing directly in Mash's mind.

"In that case, take this chance to try mastering Galahad's power."

"Mash, can you hear me?"

"If you can hear me, chant along with me."