Miracle Summoner

————「Mesopotamia」

That refers to the middle and lower reaches of the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

The meaning of "Mesopotamia" is "the land between two rivers," a name given by the ancient Greeks to the land between the two rivers—the Euphrates and the Tigris.

Here, the people who settled in the region of the two rivers were the Sumerians.

The Sumerians established Sumerian civilization, the earliest civilization in all of Mesopotamia and also the earliest known civilization in the world.

In other words, Sumer is the origin of human history, and Sumerian civilization is the beginning of Mesopotamian civilization. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is one of the markers confirming humanity's existence on Earth.

If we trace history back, the only civilization contemporary to it was ancient Egypt. Both were the starting points of human civilization.

The year 2600 BCE marks the era of the early dynasties of Sumer.

This era was a period of prosperity for the slave city-states in Sumer, with numerous city-states flourishing. It was also the period when Mesopotamian mythology and humanity's oldest heroic epic were born.

In other words, the oldest heroes of humankind were born in this era, and this era had already developed its own mythology—it was one of the synonymous periods of the Age of Gods.

"The mysterious decline began after the Common Era, but if we trace its origins, perhaps it leads back to this era."

Da Vinci spoke these words.

"This was the era when humanity bid farewell to the gods. From this time onward, the gods gradually began to leave this world, ceasing their activities on Earth. By around a thousand years into the Common Era, gods were confirmed to have disappeared completely, leaving no trace on Earth. Even those who survived had weakened to the level of ordinary spirits, unable to exert significant influence over humanity."

Even so, this era was still part of the Age of Gods. Though it was the end of that age, the traces of the gods could still be observed from time to time.

Not only that, but the world of this era remained an unbroken whole.

For example, the realm of the gods was directly above in the heavens.

Similarly, the underworld, where the souls of the dead gathered, was located beneath the earth.

This was not a metaphor—it was a physical reality.

If one could fly, then by ascending high enough into the sky, one might truly reach the gods.

If one entered underground and kept going deeper, one might actually arrive at the underworld.

During that era, gods, humans, spirits, and magical beasts all lived in the same world, merely occupying different locations. Unlike today, where different realms have been entirely separated, making it virtually impossible to cross between them—doing so would be akin to traversing entire worlds.

Thus, Mesopotamia in this era was the true Age of Gods. Even though humanity had parted ways with the gods, it remained a land of divine and demonic beings.

"King Solomon lived from 1011 BCE to 931 BCE. If he had begun creating the 'Holy Grail' during his lifetime, then according to what the Lion King said, he entrusted six of the Grails to his successors and the Demon Pillars to pass down, embedding them into human history as keystones, creating multiple Singularities. However, all these Singularities were in the era after King Solomon. Only the final Holy Grail was personally sent back to an era even earlier than Solomon's existence on Earth, creating a Singularity in an age far before his own."

Da Vinci spoke these words carefully.

"Based on this information, we traced back to an era before King Solomon existed on Earth. The result we observed was the end of the Age of Gods—2600 BCE, in Mesopotamia."

That was the Seventh Singularity—the first and final Singularity that led to the incineration of human history.

"To think that he would send the 'Holy Grail' to such an era... Solomon's mind must have truly been burned out. Even if he was a Grand Servant, there existed beings in that era far greater than him—not just a few, but many. Not to mention that gods were still active on Earth at that time, and humanity's oldest heroes were born in that period. Did he not fear retribution?"

Da Vinci spoke, unsure whether to be impressed or dumbfounded.

"However, if the Seventh Singularity is indeed set in that era, then the Lion King's claim is very likely correct."

And what claim was that?

"That era harbors an entity far greater than even the Mage King."

That was the situation.

As such, this Singularity was, without a doubt, the hardest, most dangerous, and most uncertain battle they had ever faced.

"Just thinking about sending you all to that era... Honestly, I can't help but feel reluctant."

This was Da Vinci's statement.

"..."

Everyone fell silent.

Including Rozen.

"The Age of Gods..."

Rozen murmured.

To be frank, the idea of traveling to the end of the Age of Gods in Mesopotamia did not fill Rozen with fear or apprehension—it excited and exhilarated him.

And for good reason.

"That is the Age of Gods."

What did that mean?

It meant that the era Rozen was about to visit was the period when mysteries were at their richest, most concentrated, and most powerful.

How could Rozen not feel excited and thrilled by this?

But just as Da Vinci had said, if that place had become a Singularity, then there was no doubt it was extremely dangerous.

Even setting aside the existence that even Solomon feared, the gods who were still active on Earth at the time were troublesome enough.

Of course, gods also varied in strength—some were far stronger than Heroic Spirits, while others were even weaker than humans, as they embodied different concepts. Some governed war, while others presided over culture. The former, such as war gods and military gods, possessed unfathomable power. The latter might not even have combat abilities, let alone authority. But the gods appearing in that era were not just a single entity. There was a high probability that unimaginably powerful gods existed there, which would not be surprising at all.

And if such deities were to become their enemies, then there was no need to explain how dire the situation would become.

However...

"If the Seventh Singularity is there, and the Seventh 'Holy Grail' is also there, then we have no other choice but to go, do we?"

Rozen lifted his head and looked toward Roman.

"In that case, there's no point in discussing it any further."

Hearing this, the gathered Servants exchanged glances and nodded.

"We will go."

Mash spoke resolutely.

"If I can be of help to Rozen-sama..."

Hassan of Serenity was unwavering in her resolve.

"That's how it is."

Artoria [Alter] stated calmly.

"Our arrival was perfectly timed, wasn't it?"

Jeanne [Alter] smirked.

None of them hesitated. Instead, they were all eager for battle.

"Can we set off immediately?"

Rozen turned to Roman and the others, asking directly.

Since the Seventh Singularity had already been observed, surely the Spiritron Transfer could now be performed.

At this moment, they could head to the Seventh Singularity and repair the final anomaly.

However...

"Unfortunately, we cannot perform the Spiritron Transfer just yet."

Roman responded with a wry smile.