Time, back to the second before being engulfed by the great fire.
Holding Mash tightly in their arms, Rozen's heart is filled with determination.
(At this point, this is the only way...)
Rozen instinctively tightens the hand wearing the "Miracle."
To escape the current crisis, Rozen indeed has a way.
That is to use the power of the "Miracle" to open a gate to another world, leave the current timeline, and thus evade the imminent danger.
However...
(This power is not something that can be used lightly...)
As mentioned before, opening a gate to another world other than the "soul" requires a price.
Furthermore, the opened "door" cannot allow anyone other than Rozen to pass through.
In other words, relying on this method, even if it leads to survival, only Rozen will be able to pass through the "door," and Mash won't be able to do it alone.
Even if they manage to go through the "door" to another world, how to save the heavily injured Mash remains a problem.
After all, Mash's injuries are urgent and cannot be delayed.
Moreover, on the other side of the "door," there might be something that could heal Mash's injuries, but Rozen can't afford to be too optimistic.
(But now, this is the only way!)
Without using this method, there's only a dead end.
By using this method, there's still a glimmer of hope.
So, besides using it, does Rozen have any other choice?
As for how to let Mash pass through the "door," which theoretically only opens to Rozen, Rozen does have a way.
(Although I really don't want to use this method...)
But there's no other option.
Just as Rozen makes up their mind...
"Spiritron transfer, commence."
As Chaldea's system announces, Rozen feels as if their entire existence turns into particles and enters a dazzling channel.
It is a passage leading to another timeline.
"Spiritron transfer...!?"
Rozen can't help but gasp, and then a sense of dizziness takes away their consciousness.
When consciousness returns to their mind, and the dizziness disappears, it is already an unknown amount of time later.
As Rozen's vision completely returns, and the scene before them enters their sight, Rozen stands still in shock.
Appearing before them is a ruin no different from Chaldea's control room.
Buildings collapsed, wrapped in fiery red light.
Roads stood like deserted streets in all directions.
Before them lies a town reduced to ruins, still burning.
"Where is this...?"
Rozen tries hard to grasp the current situation.
At this moment, a sudden pang of pain strikes the back of Rozen's right hand, drawing their attention.
When Rozen sees what's on the back of their right hand, a look of astonishment appears on their face.
There, a prominent red pattern is branded.
The pattern consists of three lines, like three rings interlocking, forming a design.
From this pattern, Rozen can sense a tremendous surge of magical power.
This confirms what the pattern on their hand is.
"A Command Seal..."
---------------A Command Seal.
It is a highly precious command authority, proof that one is a Master.
It connects with the mage's magical circuits, and by giving orders to it, one can use it as a magical resource to issue commands to the contracted Servant, making them come true.
Given this, Command Seals can be used to strengthen the contracted Servant or heal the injuries they've suffered. If the mage is skilled, they can even use the Seals to impose a binding similar to a "curse" on the Servant they've materialized using the magical power they have manifested.
And its appearance naturally means...
"A Servant... has formed a contract with me...?"
This is the only explanation for the appearance of a Command Seal.
"No way...?"
At this moment, Rozen is truly bewildered.
If it were before, Rozen would undoubtedly be overjoyed by this situation.
After all, forming a genuine contract with a Servant, using the Heroic Spirit Summoning System as a Master, has always been Rozen's desire.
Now that this desire has been realized in such a way, Rozen is completely devoid of excitement and can only sink into confusion.
Fortunately, Rozen is a skilled mage in summoning magic, and they soon react to this unexpected situation.
"Now is not the time to think about this...!"
Rozen shifts their attention from the Command Seal on their hand and anxiously surveys the surroundings.
"Where's Mash? Where did she go?"
This is the most critical thing to consider now.
Recalling the touch of the girl in their arms whose body temperature is gradually fading away, Rozen immediately prepares to run forward.
However, this action is thwarted in the next moment.
"---------!"
Rozen's body, which was about to dash out, suddenly freezes in place.
In front of their eyes, at the edge of the deserted town, a meteor appears on the horizon.
"Whoosh...!"
The sound of breaking through the air echoes like a rainstorm.
Those are...
"---------Arrows...!"
Rozen can only understand up to this point.
As for escaping, it's already too late.
The meteor shower-like arrows coming from the horizon have long surpassed the speed of the Shadow Servant's projectiles used during simulated combat.
In other words, it is a level of shooting that surpasses that of upper-level familiars.
In terms of power, speed, and quantity, it surpasses the Shadow Servant Rozen summoned at the beginning.
Facing such an attack, Rozen can only shrink their pupils to the size of a needle, as if seeing a slideshow of their imminent death.
And in just one more second, the rain of arrows will pierce Rozen's body and tear it into countless pieces.
A more imminent death crisis than when in the control room is now erupting head-on.
Facing this blatant death, does Rozen have any way to resolve it?
Magic?
There's no time to cast it.
Evasion?
Given Rozen's meager physical abilities, it's simply not realistic.
Before Spiritron transfer, Rozen definitely did not have the means to deal with this crisis.
But now, Rozen has an ace up their sleeve.
"Clang!"
A dazzling light blooms from the back of Rozen's hand.
Within the Command Seal, which is formed by three interlocking rings, one of the rings suddenly fades and transforms into a surging and overwhelming magical power.
Using this magical power, Rozen gives a command.
"Come to my side! My Servant!"
Under the support of immense magical power, this command becomes reality.
And then...
"Ha!"
Amidst a clear shout, within the surging and overwhelming torrent of magical power, a shadow-like black figure shoots out like lightning and stands before Rozen.
Looking at this figure, Rozen widens their eyes.
"Mash...!?"
Amidst the piercing sound of breaking air, the meteor-like arrows streaked across the sky, descending upon the Servant standing at the center of the ruins, shielding Rozen in front of her.
But just before impact, a massive shield was raised, acting as a barrier and intercepting the incoming barrage.
"Clang——!"
As if ringing a bell, the heavy arrows landed upon the sturdy shield. Immediately, a chain reaction followed, as the onslaught of arrows collided with the shield, generating a continuous and resounding clash.
The force generated from these collisions caused a powerful shockwave, transforming into a gust of wind that churned up clouds of dust, dispersing the surrounding flames.
Under the assault of the choking smoke, Rozen instinctively raised his hand, shielding his face and trying to stabilize his stance against the near-point-blank impact.
Merely from arrows striking a shield, such a tremendous aftermath was unleashed?
This left Rozen feeling shaken.
However, what made him even more unsettled was the transformation he witnessed in Mash.
"Senpai, are you okay?"
Holding the shield and firmly focused on the front, Mash shouted towards Rozen behind her, not relaxing her guard in the slightest.
Seeing this, Rozen was not only unable to find comfort, but instead felt even more perturbed.
"Mash... How did you..."
Rozen struggled to form coherent words.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the familiar white Chaldea uniform she used to wear was completely gone, replaced by a tight-fitting, purple armor.
The purple armor hugged her body, outlining her unexpectedly alluring figure. It offered protection while exposing the front of her shoulders and upper thighs daringly, exuding an aura that was both resolute and seductive.
Rozen had known Mash for two years, yet he had never seen her dressed like this. Her figure, more alluring than he imagined, not only stirred his emotions but also thoroughly confused him.
Even more astonishing was...
"She managed to block such an attack...?"
Continuous shots that surpassed the level of upper-level Familiars.
If such a barrage occurred during the simulated battles, Rozen could confidently say that the hundreds of intermediate Familiar-level Lizardmen he faced back then would have been defeated in a matter of seconds.
This wasn't something an ordinary mage could withstand.
While Mash possessed considerable magical aptitude, her combat abilities were not necessarily higher than Rozen's.
Yet now, even Rozen was powerless and could only resort to using Command Spells to summon his own Servant to deal with this attack, but Mash managed to stop it head-on.
Her astonishing defense, unfamiliar attire, the overwhelming magical power surging from her, and the fact that she had been summoned through Command Spells—all these signs were telling Rozen.
Mash was his contracted Servant.
"How is that possible?"
Mash was undoubtedly a human.
Why did she become a Servant?
No...
It is not entirely impossible.
"Could it be..."
Rozen recalled a critical piece of information and his expression turned tense, his teeth clenched tightly.
In these short few seconds, Rozen underwent multiple emotional fluctuations. While holding up the massive shield that could conceal an entire person, Mash anxiously shouted towards Rozen amidst the shockwave.
"Senpai... No, Master! Please tell me what to do next...!"
"Master."
The new address from his junior finally made Rozen realize the current situation.
That's right.
No matter what, he was now a Master.
Moreover, an unknown enemy had launched an attack against him, seeking to kill him.
If he didn't find a way to resolve this crisis, no matter how many confusing things had happened, he wouldn't have the chance to investigate them further.
Only by escaping from the current situation could he calm down and unravel all the mysteries.
With this in mind, Rozen took a deep breath, allowing his mind to refocus.
Then, facing the current situation, Rozen gave a decisive instruction.
"Find a place to take cover first!"
After calming down, Rozen's first instruction seemed almost self-evident, something one could overlook in extreme situations.
However, it was also the most appropriate instruction.
"When facing long-range attacks like archers' shooting, the first thing you should do is look for cover!"
Rozen raised his hand, blocking the incoming smoke, and shouted loudly to Mash.
"We can't confront archers in the open! Let's take cover behind the nearby buildings!"
Naturally, this instruction received a response.
"Yes!"
Without hesitation, Mash lowered her shield and swiftly turned around, embracing Rozen tightly. Before Rozen could react, with astonishing speed, she carried both him and the shield, which was much heavier than herself, and leaped towards the back of a nearby building.
"Bang bang bang bang——!"
The arrows, no longer blocked, landed directly on the ground where Rozen and Mash had stood just a second ago. They shattered the concrete pavement, penetrated the hard bedrock, and created an explosion that sent debris flying, causing the ground to crack and fissure.
For a moment, gusts of wind blew in all directions, dissipating the smoke.
"Cough... Cough, cough...!"
Behind the collapsed building, Rozen, who had been put down by Mash, couldn't help but cough from inhaling the dust and debris stirred up by the impact.
It seemed Rozen had inhaled quite a bit of the dust raised by the shockwave just now.
"Are you okay, Senpai?"
Mash, one hand holding the shield, the other patting Rozen's back, voiced her concern.
Her voice filled with worry, her gentle gestures, and her clear eyes gazing straight at Rozen—despite whatever changes had occurred—Mash remained Mash.
"I'm fine."
Rozen shook his head, looking at Mash.
"Sen... Senpai..."
As if just realizing how revealing her attire was, Mash quickly moved the hand that had been patting Rozen's back to shield her body, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
Seeing Mash's embarrassed demeanor, Rozen almost let out a sigh of relief.
At this moment, a dazzling meteor streaked across the sky, landing on the building where the two of them had taken cover.
"Boom——!"
Amidst a fierce explosion, the side of the building facing the attack was devastated, reduced to rubble.
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