Fate/Magus Path

The bright blue sky was suddenly pierced by a sharp, shrill sound.

Then, a streak of white light broke through the clouds, trailing like a comet across the deep blue sky, leaving behind a faint white trace.

It crashed directly into a dangerous beast's lair near the tropical rainforest.

BOOM!!

With an earth-shaking roar, the white light landed with precision, piercing through the lair from top to bottom.

Countless slumbering beasts within the nest were awakened by this sudden, silver comet.

...

As a dim ray of sunlight filtered through the dense canopy overhead, illuminating the ground, it brought light to this secluded, lush forest. The soft yet wet ground, along with the humid air, indicated that it had rained recently, with leaves still coated in droplets covering the ground.

Insects and snakes, too numerous to name, often crawled before one's eyes in this rarely trodden tropical rainforest. The environment was harsh, with poisonous insects and biting mosquitoes everywhere, each grotesquely large, the size of a fist. The complex terrain, with its muddy paths, posed a significant challenge; one misstep could lead to sinking into a quagmire. The high concentration of "ether" in the air served as a constant warning that this was no place for humans to linger.

Splash!

Stepping on the leaf-covered ground, water splashed up, much to the dismay of someone who prided themselves on cleanliness; the damp air of the jungle was uncomfortable.

Growl! Growl! Growl! 

Yet, compared to the discomfort of the humidity, the mindless beasts blocking his path were far more irritating.

This was a red lion, but clearly not an ordinary one. Its body was huge, far larger than any adult male lion. It possessed a steel-like, massive frame, with ghastly white, sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, and a head so powerful it could crush rocks without question.

Beast...

Feeling the terrifying magical aura emanating from the lion, Roy recognized it as a fearsome Phantasmal Species from the age of gods.

If thrown into the modern world, such a creature would strip ordinary magus of their will to fight in an instant, only to be torn to shreds by those sharp fangs, serving as a meal for this beast.

However...

"Die."

With a mere wave of his hand, Volumen Hydrargyrum stored in his sleeves emerged, transforming into a sword of silver, soaring through the air.

Swoosh!!

Accompanied by a silver arc flashing through the forest, hot red droplets, like rubies, scattered through the air before falling to the ground.

Roar?!

Before the beast could react, its steel-red body was sliced in two by the silver light.

Thud.

The beast fell heavily to the ground. Although its robust life force didn't allow it to die immediately even after being bisected, it had lost all capacity to resist, merely struggling on the ground.

Roy didn't hesitate, decisively plunging the silver sword into its brain to end its suffering, then turned away.

Encounter, response, execution...

The sequence of actions was smooth and effortless, dealing with the beast, allowing it to become nourishment for the rainforest.

With the matter settled, Roy left without giving the beast's corpse another glance.

Since entering this rainforest, such scenarios had repeated themselves more than ten times, becoming routine.

These beasts relentlessly pursued him, and even after killing one, new ones would soon follow. Since landing, he had lost count of how many he'd killed.

Initially, he had thought to collect some beast blood for study, but he quickly abandoned the idea as pointless.

These were not naturally born beasts but mass-produced, mutated creatures. Their blood was no different from common wild animals, offering little for research.

"What kind of place is this?"

Surveying the dense forest, Roy's brow furrowed.

He had used the Mystic Code from Zelretch to use the Second Magic and arrive at Merlin's coordinates. The transition had been smooth until the last moment when a massive repulsive force sent him flying, crashing like a silver meteor into this dense rainforest, right into a nest of beasts.

To protect himself, he released magic in mid-air, trying to balance himself with burning flames, but couldn't counteract the immense kinetic energy, landing directly in a beast's lair and killing one in the process.

The beasts, starved for who knows how long, seeing this fresh meat from the sky, swarmed him.

Although these mass-produced beasts weren't particularly strong, their sheer numbers were their advantage.

Surrounded by thousands of beasts upon landing, he had to carve a bloody path while escaping towards the exit.

With the power of the Third Magic, his magical energy was comparable to the Holy Grail, unconcerned about being drained by these beasts. However, after slaying over a thousand, Roy sensed a colossal magical energy rapidly approaching from the west.

This energy was immense and abnormal; his intuition warned him of a formidable enemy. Facing such an opponent head-on would be troublesome, especially so soon after arriving here and amidst a horde of beasts.

Thus, Roy chose to disengage, shifting from clearing beasts to breaking out, quickly exiting the lair and concealing his magical energy as he delved deeper into the forest, successfully evading the incoming figure.

Seeing the radiant halo above and the countless mass-produced beasts, Roy confirmed, despite the targeting error, that he was at the correct destination.

This was indeed his first stop in the Age of Gods, Mesopotamia, and also...

- The Seventh Singularity, Uruk.

No wonder Merlin had gone silent when he needed him; he must have been at the scene of the Seventh Singularity.

Zelretch had mentioned Merlin was waiting for his support, and his adversary here would likely be Tiamat.

Unlike the less famous Tsukihime, the memory of the Seventh Singularity was vivid in his mind. It was the tale of King Gilgamesh, Merlin, and Chaldea fighting against Tiamat, the Mother Goddess of Creation from Sumerian mythology, showcasing the miracle of humanity.

This story was grand and memorable, so he remembered its outline well. The one who had just approached him was probably Kingu, who had taken over Enkidu's body.

The immense magical energy from the Holy Grail was too conspicuous. He had sensed it while in the beast's lair, which is why he chose to retreat rather than engage.

Now, he was glad for his timely escape, avoiding a direct confrontation with Kingu, which would have been troublesome.

Kingu, possessing Enkidu's body and creating the Holy Grail with Goetia's power, was far beyond the likes of Nrvnqsr Chaos or Merem Solomon in terms of strength.

Being a divine creation no less than Gilgamesh, combined with the infinite supply of the Holy Grail, made him one of the strongest in this singularity.

While confident in his abilities in modern times against figures like Nrvnqsr Chaos, in the true Age of Gods, where the mystery was far richer than in modern times, powerful enemies were numerous, and any carelessness could lead to dire consequences.

Especially in Mesopotamia, where divine attention still lingered.

Even as a Magician, he couldn't afford to be careless.

Now wasn't the time for such thoughts. The priority was to determine his position and find the path to Uruk, to rendezvous with Merlin and Chaldea.

He also needed to keep his magical energy concealed and himself hidden, knowing Kingu would launch a thorough search for him after his disappearance into the forest.

Based on the magic detection, human presence was sensed about two kilometers to the south.

Following this direction, he would soon reach areas inhabited by humans in this singularity.

He would make further plans once he got there.

Using simple magic to ward off the surrounding insects, Roy calmly decided his next steps, heading towards the southern city of Ur.

...

"Who?!"

Before he could advance much further, a yellow figure suddenly dashed past him in the forest.

Roy immediately became alert.

"Hahahaha... You plains folk dare to venture into my jungle? Truly brave, but without a guide, you won't see tomorrow's sun, meowhaha..."

"Who are you?"

Following the voice, Roy looked up into the canopy, his ice-blue mage eyes appearing as he locked onto the rapidly moving yellow figure.

The voice in the rainforest also felt familiar to him.

"You ask who I am... hmm? What am I again? Right, the singer of the night in the jungle? The mysterious beautiful woman? Or the notorious Tiger of Fuyuki? Actually, none of those! Hahaha... My true identity is..."

"Stop fooling around, Taiga."

That familiar voice, full of energy and the opening line she often used when he came to tutor her, made Roy recognize the speaker.

And he understood...

"If you can say that, it means you have memories of me, Taiga?"

He indeed remembered the Jaguar Man of the Seventh Singularity, wearing the skin of Taiga Fujimura, the jungle goddess, but he hadn't expected her to remember him.

"Hey hey, of course! The Tiger of Fuyuki makes her grand entrance!!"

The figure in the canopy suddenly stopped, doing a spinning leap to land gracefully in front of Roy, revealing herself.

"Long time no see, Roy-niisan, didn't expect to bump into you here."

After a perfect landing from a somersault, the shadow's true form was revealed, but...

"What's with this incredibly stupid costume?"

Roy couldn't help but comment. While the Jaguar Man's design and personality were amusing in the game, seeing Taiga dressed in such an odd outfit in real life was another matter.

Her youthful, energetic face was still visible, but the wide, seemingly tiger-themed cosplay outfit was absurd in this hot, humid jungle, like wearing a fur coat in summer.

"Argh, even if it's Roy-niisan, saying that will make me mad! It's not just Kulku-chan, why do you also like calling me an idiot?"

"Watch out! Black Tiger Heart Strike!!"

"I dodge~"

Clearly, Taiga was just joking, so Roy easily sidestepped her playful attack, even reaching out to tug at the tiger ears on her head.

"These actually feel like real tiger ears..."

"Ah, don't touch someone else's ears! And I'm a Jaguar, not a tiger!" Taiga's face flushed as her ears were touched.

This costume wasn't just clothing; it was...

Taiga glanced back at Roy, who was still touching her ears, but she didn't reveal the truth.

"Okay, okay, I understand."

Seeing Taiga's somewhat annoyed look, Roy let go.

"So, Roy-niisan, how did you get here? Did some mysterious Jaguar god possess you and summon you to this singularity too?"

Taiga was surprised by Roy's presence.

"I didn't get possessed by a heroic spirit or summoned to Mesopotamia; I came here willingly."

"You came willingly?"

"Ah, I totally don't get it, but it feels like something amazing, meow."

Roy was slightly exasperated. If she didn't understand, why even respond?

Taiga opened her mouth, looking confused, but then her eyes lit up with a sudden realization, eagerly asking more questions.

"But if you can appear in the singularity without being a Servant, you must be a Master, right?! Isn't that right?!"

"Correct, although my Servant didn't come with me to this singularity, I indeed have the qualifications to be a Master."

"Oh, a Master without a Servant, and it's someone I know, what a lucky find, hahaha, meow~!"

Upon hearing Roy's confirmation, Taiga's eyes sparkled with excitement. She quickly moved in front of him, gripping his hands tightly, and said earnestly,

"Roy-niisan, be my Master!"

"Eh?"

Seeing Taiga, who was so excited she was almost in tears, Roy's expression showed a hint of surprise.

___

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